"There was a mother-in-law leaving at the back door, and she personally sent her to the door?" Yu Xijiao looked thoughtful after listening to Nanny Xu's report.
Before she left the house, she asked Nanny Xu to keep an eye on the back door.
"The old slave was sweating profusely when he saw the woman guarding the back door running away. Then the madam came, and then led people to the side door and entered the Zhengyuan Marquis Mansion. After that, the madam never left and was waiting." Madam Xu.
Mom said, "Finally, Madam sent the old woman out of the back door of our house."
"They should be sent by the palace." Yu Xijiao thought for a moment and said.
"Girl, this old slave also thinks it may be the case." Nanny Xu was worried. "Girl, my wife's relationship with the palace is so good, will it be... bad for the girl?"
Yu Xijiao shook her head: "Not for the time being."
"What about the future?" Nanny Xu said cautiously.
Yu Xijiao curled her lips: "We'll talk about the future later. How is the matter with Aunt Zhou that I asked you to inquire about before?"
"My servant has inquired about it. I heard that Aunt Zhou was the concubine of the Marquis. I heard that she was also the daughter of a scholar. She came to Beijing with her father to take the exam, but she had no choice but to arrive in Beijing. Her father died because he was not accustomed to the acclimatization. Aunt Zhou had no money.
To bury her father, she had no choice but to sell herself. It happened that the Marquis passed by and saw that she was pitiful and bought her back to his family. This allowed her to have the money to bury her father, and then she was promoted to aunt."
Aunt Xu said.
"After Aunt Zhou entered the house, she was quite liked by the Marquis, and later she became pregnant. However... Later, the child was gone, and Aunt Zhou fell ill, and her health has been poor since then. The Marquis did not want her to think about the child all day long.
, she was asked to help Madam take care of some things in the house, but she had no intention of doing so. She only missed her lost child every day, and her health became worse and worse."
This thing happened the year before last, and some things are difficult to talk about. Aunt Xu didn't find out the specific reasons.
"Girl, please give me some more time. I'll ask for more details later." Seeing Yu Xijiao's silence, Nanny Xu said hurriedly.
"Mommy, there's no need to ask." Yu Xijiao shook her hand, "If I ask again, it will appear to be deliberate. If father knows, it may not be a good thing."
Aunt Xu has been asking for a few days, but she still doesn't know. This means that someone has ordered that heretics are not allowed. If she insists on asking again, people may find out.
"Girl, among the several aunts, only Aunt Zhou can take care of things. If all the affairs are in Madam's hands, I'm afraid it will be detrimental to the girl in the future." Qingyue said worriedly.
"It's okay, the most important thing in this matter is Aunt Zhou." Yu Xijiao said softly, her long eyelashes fluttering twice, thoughtfully.
"Mother Xu, please check for me. Where Aunt Zhou usually likes to go and do whatever she likes. Besides, there is no need to ask more about what happened in the past." Yu Xijiao ordered.
"Old slave, I obey." Nanny Xu said.
While they were talking, a maid reported outside: "Third Miss, the Marquis invites you to come over."
Yu Xijiao glanced at Nanny Xu. Nanny Xu understood, picked up the curtain and walked out. She looked at the maid in the corridor with a smile: "What does Mr. Hou have to do with our girl?"
"Master Hou got a painting, and he said he wanted the three girls to admire it." The maid said respectfully.
"Okay, our girl will be there soon." Aunt Xu smiled with a smile on her face. The maid bowed to her and went back to resume her duties.
Nanny Xu turned around and picked up the curtain and came in: "Girl, Mr. Hou got a painting and asked the girl to appreciate the painting."
"Okay, I'll go now." Yu Xijiao smiled, stood up and walked to the dressing table. Qingyue stepped forward to wash her up. After tidying up for a while, she took Qingyu to Yu Ruiwen's study. It happened that she
I also want to talk to this father about Xin Kangbo Mansion!
When I arrived in the study room, I discovered that Yu Yuxi was already there early, admiring a painting on the table with Yu Ruiwen.
Yu Xijiao walked in and bowed, but before she could say anything, Yu Ruiwen already called her over: "Jiao'er, come here and see if this painting is real?"
Yu Xijiao took a few steps forward and walked to the desk.
"Look at the back, you can't see clearly from here." Yu Ruiwen pointed to the position beside him. Yu Yuxi's eyes flashed and became much darker. In the past, she was the only one whose father could call him over to admire the paintings.
Only she can truly understand painting and know how to appreciate paintings. She is also the closest to her father. No one in the house can compare with her.
Now, her father actually went to call Yu Xijiao over. She would not allow anyone to share this kind of thing.
With this thought in mind, he stepped back and said, "Third sister, come to me. You can see more clearly here. I can just go to the side."
"Xi'er doesn't have to leave. You two sisters should take a look together. This painting... looks real, but I feel a little suspicious. I really can't tell for a moment. Jiao'er was influenced by the Xie family in Jiangnan, and the Xie family
The most famous ones are calligraphy and painting. Please help me take a good look at it." Yu Ruiwen stopped Yu Yuxi and stepped aside to make room.
Although he said it was not true, Yu Ruiwen actually felt that it was true, which made him very happy. He had always liked to collect the original paintings of this book-illustrator.
Yu Xijiao took a few steps forward and happened to stand between Yu Ruiwen and Yu Yuxi. After looking at it carefully for a while, she deliberately touched the corners of the painting, and then asked, "Father, what do you think?"
"I think it's true. The signature on it is correct. I've collected several of this man's paintings before, and it's the same."
Yu Ruiwenzhi said with satisfaction. This time he expressed his true feelings and pointed at the seal on it.
"Father, can you let me see your previous paintings?" Yu Xijiao asked.
"Okay, it's right here. I'm going to get one." Yu Ruiwen said happily, turned around and went to look for it on the bookshelf, and after a while he came over with a scroll and spread it out, showing another landscape painting.
The two paintings are placed together, and the signatures are exactly the same.
"Jiao'er, look here, are they the same? The seal used and the words on the seal are all the same. This is a work of the artist in his later years. The works at this time have the aura of a hermit, and this painting is also the same.
It’s very famous, but I’ve never seen it before.”
Yu Ruiwen said enthusiastically.
Yu Xijiao stretched out her hand and gently touched the two seals, then checked the corners of the painting, and finally returned to the place where the signature was signed, with a thoughtful look on her face.
"Jiao'er, did you see something?" Yu Ruiwen said eagerly when he saw her silent.
"Father, don't worry, let me take a good look first." Yu Xi said softly.
"Okay, okay, I'll let you take a look first. I won't say anything. You can take a good look. Since your calligraphy and painting are praised by your uncle, they must be good." Yu Ruiwen lowered his voice and smiled broadly.
The Xie family is a family of great Confucians, and may be somewhat deficient in seeking official power, but in terms of talent and learning, there are really not many people who are not good at it. To be praised by the Xie family, the youngest daughter's talent and learning must also be excellent. This is also
After Yu Ruiwen got the painting, the first thing that came to his mind was the reason for his little daughter.
The younger daughter has done well in calligraphy and painting and has been praised by her uncle. This is what Leshi said to him.
Yu Yuxi felt very uncomfortable. In the past, she was the only one who could appreciate paintings with her father in her father's study. She would always let her admire and comment on any paintings her father had. But now, a Yu Xijiao from the countryside had snatched them away.
I couldn't help but feel angry. What does a little girl from the countryside know about painting?
"Father, this should be true. It is no different from my father's previous paintings. My father has had people specially appreciate the paintings. It is true."
Yu Yuxi smiled and finally intervened in what Yu Xijiao and her daughter were talking about.
"What Xi'er said is true, and my father thinks so too. It just so happens that I'm taking a test on your sister now." Yu Ruiwen said with a smile.
Yu Xijiao smiled and said nothing, and finally stretched out her hand to pull the paper and said: "Father, the painting you made before is naturally authentic, but this one is not."
The other two people were stunned when he said this.
Yu Yuxi reacted quickly, pointing at two paintings, her smile gradually getting colder: "The seals used in these two paintings are clearly the same, and the handwriting is clearly the same. They are also in line with Mr. Zhang's mood of finally retiring to his hometown, whether in terms of composition or other aspects.
, they are completely similar, so why aren’t they authentic? Did Third Sister see the original work of Mr. Zhang when she was in Jiangnan?”
"Jiao'er, did you see it wrong?" Yu Ruiwen stopped the smile on his face and looked serious.
"Father, my daughter can guarantee that this is a fake." Yu Xijiao pointed at the previous painting.
"How is this possible? The seals are the same." Yu Ruiwen became anxious and pointed at the two seals.
"Father, can't it be possible that the same seal is fake? There are many imitators in this world. They can imitate handwriting and seals. Just now my daughter left the house to do a business of imitating seals." Yu Xi smiled casually.
road.
Yu Ruiwen was stunned, and was about to ask if something had happened, when he heard Yu Xijiao say: "Father, please touch this paper."
"What's wrong with this paper?" Yu Ruiwen asked as he subconsciously touched it.
Yu Yuxi also reached out and touched it, and then sneered: "Third sister, do you want to say that the paper quality is different? They are all made of raw xuan. Does it mean that third sister thinks it is cooked xuan? Mr. Zhang always likes to use raw xuan. This is
Could it be that Third Sister doesn’t know what everyone knows?”
After saying this, Yu Yuxi showed a hint of ridicule on her face. She couldn't even tell the difference between Shengxuan and Shuxuan, and she dared to claim that she knew calligraphy and painting. Only her father believed in a girl from the countryside and thought she really had some ability.
Yu Xijiao smiled slightly: "Father, are these two paintings done by Mr. Zhang in his later years?"
"Yes, they were all in his later years. In his later years, his mood became much calmer and he was no longer focused on fame. However, he was already in a demoted state at that time. He went to Shu and never came back. In the end, he died in Shu.
"Yu Ruiwen smacked his lips and sighed.
Although Mr. Zhang has a very high reputation in the painting world, historical evaluations of him have been mixed. They all say that he was young and enthusiastic about fame, and even participated in the rebellion, and did some things that made people feel that he was right and wrong.
If he didn't have a good reputation in the painting world, he might be regarded as a treacherous person.
It's just that this old man Zhang is not very good in character, but his paintings are really good. Especially his works after his decline in his later years, after he no longer pursues fame and fortune, it makes people feel that he has seen through the tranquility of the world, but in the end
However, his life was extremely miserable, and he died of poverty.