On this day, at midnight in the evening, in an elegant room on the third floor of Xianyunju, Zhao Junchen hosted a banquet for the owners of several famous gardens in Suzhou.
Because of the battle between Emperor Deqing and Zhou Shangjing, people from all walks of life in Suzhou are now in a state of panic, fearing that they will be affected. In addition, Zhao Junchen's title is indeed strong enough, and he also hints that a great honor will be given to them, so
After these garden owners received Zhao Junchen's invitation, they all attended the ceremony with honor, and no one was missing.
These garden owners include monks and laymen, old and young, rich and poor, noble and humble, and their statuses can be said to be of all kinds.
For example, Canglang Pavilion is the oldest garden in the south of the Yangtze River. After many changes, it is now the property of Nanchan Temple in Suzhou. Therefore, the person who came to the banquet on behalf of Canglang Pavilion was also a middle-aged monk with a rosy face and a plump figure.
His dharma name is Hui Bao, and he is the abbot of Nanchan Temple.
The owner of the Lion Grove is named Wan Changling, and he is a descendant of Wan Xuanzhi, the former minister of the dynasty. Wan Xuanzhi was a world-famous Confucian and a die-hard supporter of Zhu Xi's thoughts. He was also notoriously pedantic in character.
The descendants of Wan Xuanzhi also inherited Wan Xuanzhi's temperament. Although they are still less than thirty, they are already dignified, mature and well-behaved.
The situation in the Humble Administrator's Garden is the most complicated. It is now divided into two. The eastern part is inherited by the descendants of the former minister Wang Xinyi. This man's name is Wang Longzhi. He is about forty years old. He is dressed in luxurious clothes and has a shrewd look. Although he was born in an officialdom
He was a well-known businessman near Suzhou. Under Wang Longzhi's management, the eastern part of the Humble Administrator's Garden is now very prosperous, with many cloisters and murals built.
The rockery and the scenery are even better than before.
The western part of the Humble Administrator's Garden was inherited by Xu Manhua, a descendant of the Xu family. The Xu family is now gradually declining, and life is quite difficult. It is said that the western part of the Humble Administrator's Garden has now been turned into a large vegetable field. The descendants of the Xu family
He even had to rely on selling vegetables for a living. At this time, when Xu Manhua was attending the banquet, although he was wearing a brocade dress, the brocade dress looked very shabby and was an old model from many years ago. Sitting on the banquet, his expression was also
He was very reserved, in sharp contrast to Wang Longzhi beside him.
In addition, Liu Bolai, the owner of the Lotus Garden, Zhao Shusen, the owner of the Odd Thought Garden, Niu Jinyan, the owner of Wanbai Villa, etc., also appeared.
Zhao Junchen was a second-rank official of the imperial court. Although he invited everyone to the banquet, the status of the two parties was very different, so Zhao Junchen naturally would not welcome them in person.
In fact, after all the guests arrived, Zhao Junchen still did not show up.
At this time, the owners of Suzhou's famous gardens gathered together with different expressions. While they were waiting for Zhao Junchen to appear, they talked to each other and inquired about the news.
Among them, Hui Bao, the abbot of Nanzen Temple, performed the best. He always smiled and looked modest. When talking to everyone, he would always deliberately cater to flattery. From time to time, he would quote a few Buddhist scriptures to emphasize.
His status as an eminent monk makes people feel good about him.
Wan Changling, the owner of the Lion Forest, has a nonchalant look, with a hint of aloofness and pretentiousness. When talking to others, he speaks the least, and most of the time he just nods or shakes his head. Only when facing Hui Bao,
He could only speak a few words, but once he spoke, he would always have the prefix "Confucius said" or "The sage once said", which was very rigid and pedantic and made people avoid him.
As for Wang Longzhi and Xu Manhua in the Humble Administrator's Garden, as neighbors, one is rich and the other is poor, one is noble and the other is humble. Naturally, their friendship with each other is not good. When the two sit together, Wang Longzhi will always catch them.
He took every opportunity to ridicule Xu Manhua, and there was a vague intention in his words to force Xu Manhua to sell the western part of the Humble Administrator's Garden to him. Faced with Wang Longzhi's sarcasm, Xu Manhua became increasingly embarrassed, but he did not dare to talk back.
It is worth mentioning that in the face of Wang Longzhi's aggressiveness and Xu Manhua's pitiful embarrassment, both Hui Bao, who looked like a great monk, and Wan Changling, who claimed to be the heir of Confucianism, turned a blind eye and did not help at all.
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Then, the garden owners did not wait too long. At midnight in the evening, Zhao Junchen appeared on time wearing casual clothes!
Seeing Zhao Junchen's appearance, the garden owners behaved differently.
Unexpectedly, after Zhao Junchen appeared, the person who stood up quickly to greet Zhao Junchen and showed the most humility was actually Wan Changling, who looked like a scholar! While bowing and saluting, Wan Changling
The upper body is almost parallel to the ground.
In addition, host Hui Bao did not lag behind others. When he stood up to greet him, he not only chanted the Buddha's name, but also took the opportunity to compliment Zhao Junchen, saying that Zhao Junchen was blessed and would be blessed by the Buddha.
Then, Wang Longzhi, Xu Manhua, Liu Bolai, Zhao Shusen, Niu Jinyan and others also stood up and saluted and greeted each other, each with their own words of compliment.
Faced with the greetings of everyone, Zhao Junchen behaved quite gently. He smiled, raised his hands and said, "I am obviously inviting you to a banquet today, but I am the last one to come. It is really rude. I hope you can forgive me."
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After hearing Zhao Junchen's confession, everyone naturally expressed that they didn't mind and found various reasons to excuse Zhao Junchen.
Then, Zhao Junchen took the seat first. Under Zhao Junchen's greeting, the owners of famous gardens also took their seats one after another.
After everyone was seated, Zhao Junchen did not talk nonsense, but went straight to the topic and said: "I am summoning everyone this time because I have something to ask for your help."
After hearing Zhao Junchen's opening remarks and taking into account Zhao Junchen's previous hints, everyone became energetic and said one after another: "Please make it clear, sir, that as long as it is within my power, there will be no excuse."
"Yes, Mr. Zhao, if you need me to wait somewhere, just say hello."
"If we can provide some help to Mr. Zhao, I and everyone else will only feel honored."
After hearing everyone's opinions, Zhao Junchen nodded with a smile and said: "Everyone should also have received some news. I am responsible for all the arrangements related to your Majesty's southern tour. As a close minister of your Majesty, I
, and shouldering important responsibilities, he has always regarded His Majesty's mood as his top priority.
During his southern tour, His Majesty stayed in palaces and official residences in various places. Although the palaces were all solemn, luxurious and royal, His Majesty would inevitably feel bored after seeing them.
Now, His Majesty is visiting Suzhou, and Suzhou's gardens are famous all over the world. I have thought that if His Majesty stays in Suzhou, he can stay in the famous gardens in Suzhou and experience the unique landscape of Suzhou gardens.
It will feel fresh, and the southern tour will not be boring. If His Majesty is happy when the time comes, it will be good for me and the owner of the garden."
After saying that, the smile on Zhao Junchen's face became even bigger. After looking around at everyone, he said: "However, most of the famous gardens in Suzhou are your private property, so I will invite you to a banquet to see who is the owner."
I am willing to provide my garden for Your Majesty to stay temporarily for a few days."
After hearing Zhao Junchen's explanation, everyone's eyes lit up and they looked slightly excited.
What kind of honor would it be if Emperor Deqing could live in his own garden? With such honor, his family's status in Southern Zhili will be greatly improved in the future, and the related benefits will be countless. If he can take the opportunity to ask for Emperor Deqing's
If you are happy and get the favor of Emperor Deqing, maybe your family will leap over the dragon gate and become a wealthy family of the Ming Dynasty in one fell swoop!
So, as Zhao Junchen finished speaking, everyone on the court expressed their opinions without any hesitation!
"The poor monk Hui Bao is willing to provide Canglang Pavilion as a temporary palace for His Majesty. The Lion Grove has been famous all over the world since the Song Dynasty. The scenery inside is elegant and full of wonders. Your Majesty will definitely not be disappointed after your stay."
"Sir Zhao, I know that our Wan family has been loyal and loyal subjects for generations. It is most suitable for Your Majesty to stay in the Lion Grove of our Wan family!"
"The Humble Administrator's Garden of the Wang family is the most famous garden in Suzhou. It would be a great honor for the Wang family if the Humble Administrator's Garden is handed over to His Majesty for temporary residence. I hope Mr. Zhao will understand the sincerity of the entire Wang family."
"I am willing to provide Wanbai Villa to your Majesty as your Majesty's temporary palace..."
"My Zhao family's Garden of Thoughts has the most elegant scenery. It is the best choice for His Majesty's temporary palace..."
"The scenic beauty of the Lotus Garden is famous in Suzhou. Your Majesty should come and stay in our Lotus Garden temporarily..."
Faced with everyone's scramble to be the first to express his position, Zhao Junchen still looked smiling, but when everyone was about to start a fight over the choice of Emperor Deqing's temporary palace, Zhao Junchen did not express his position at all.