The old emperor wanted to control the Marquis' Mansion, and Chen Guanfu knew it very well. Therefore, when he was notified to enter the palace to see the emperor, he seemed extremely respectful and excited. An official who had been serving in other places for a long time, suddenly saw the emperor's face, and could not hide his excitement. He couldn't help trembling when he spoke. This is the greatest awe and submission to the imperial power. Obviously, the old emperor was very satisfied with Chen Guanfu's performance. He rarely smiled and said a few words of encouragement, asking him to rest well and that he would arrange a job for him after a while. Chen Guanfu kowtowed and thanked the emperor for his grace! He bowed and left. The old emperor said to Qiu Defu beside him with a happy expression: "Chen Guanfu is different from his father. After all, he is young, his blood has not cooled down, and he still has a sincere heart towards the court and me." "The Chen family has been blessed by the emperor for generations. If they are not grateful, they are worse than pigs and dogs." "The mistake of Pingjiang Hou is that he is too smart. I don't need such smart people. I need loyal people more. Chen Guanfu is not bad. He understands the word loyalty better than his father." "Your Majesty, do you want to reuse Chen Guanfu?" "Don't worry! Wait and see." The old emperor was still afraid of the Hou Mansion after all, and it was impossible for him to reuse both father and son at the same time. He could first arrange a job with little real power for Chen Guanfu, press him on the seat and cannot move, discipline and train him, and grow him into the image in the old emperor's mind.
The old emperor seemed to be familiar with how to train people, and he was calm and fearless. He soon had a mature plan in his mind. To what extent should he be reused, and how long should he be suppressed. To sum up, it is like giving a sweet date and hitting a stick. After a few rounds, you can train people to be what you want. … Chen Guanlou was a little surprised when he received the invitation from the Marquis's Mansion. The Marquis's son returned to the mansion, and the Marquis's Mansion would hold a big banquet to entertain relatives and friends. Most of the powerful and wealthy families in the capital have received invitations. This banquet is a signal that the Marquis's son Chen Guanfu has returned to the top circle of the capital. It means that in future social activities, the representative of the Marquis's Mansion will no longer be the second room of the Marquis's Mansion, but the Marquis's son. You can't go to a banquet empty-handed, you have to prepare gifts. Chen Guanlou once again fell into the trouble of giving gifts. If it is just an ordinary family, some elders of the same clan, it is simple to give gifts, just a few things. Wine, meat, cakes, and cloth, if it is a little more expensive, add a few suitable medicinal materials and wrap an envelope of silver. The gift is both generous and decent. However, it was obvious that these common gifts were not good enough to give to the Marquis' Mansion. Even if he gave medicinal herbs, he had to find a way to get some valuable ones from the Marquis' Mansion. How could he get the right medicinal herbs to give to the Marquis' Mansion? Ordinary medicinal herbs were not good enough, and cloth was not suitable. The only things left were antiques and calligraphy and paintings, which had to be treasures, and the price could not be too expensive. If they were too expensive, it would not be a gift, but a favor to gain connections and ask for favors. This was really difficult for him. This time, his elder sister Chen Xiaolan could not help him, so he had to find a way himself. The budget for the gift was within 500 taels. Anything above this would not be appropriate and would not match his status. Antiques and calligraphy and paintings within 500 taels had to be treasures, so he could only find the treasures of the prisoners in the Jia-shaped prison. He thought that the gifts could not be too vulgar, and gold and silver jewelry were too vulgar. The Marquis' Mansion had been rich for generations, and it was a family of scholars and nobles, and it was too expensive to say. I don't care about these things, I've seen too many. The most suitable ones are rare books and paintings. The prince Chen Guanfu is also a scholar, and it is said that he is very good at reading. But because of his status, he did not take the imperial examination, but went to the military camp to gain experience early. Since he has the genes of a scholar, he should not reject gifts such as rare books and paintings. The eldest master likes to collect such objects. The father and son may be of the same lineage. Early in the morning, he was put in jail.
It was freezing! He did not use martial arts to protect his body, so he felt the cold and heat naturally. In the winter, the prison was like an ice cellar. In the cell, every prisoner carried a blanket, shivering, and generating heat by shaking. He went straight to the door of Xie Changling's cellar. As a former official of the Eastern Palace and the top scholar, he must have a lot of good things in his hands. "Did Lord Xie sleep well last night?" Xie Changling was so cold that his face turned blue, but fortunately he was young and healthy, so he could still bear it. "How come Chen the jailer is free today?" "The prince of the Marquisate returned to his mansion and held a banquet for guests. My surname is Chen, and I also received an invitation. I am thinking about what gift to give. I thought Lord Xie is knowledgeable, can you give me some advice?" "The prince is joining the army, so he can pick any sword, spear, or halberd." "Lord Xie, you are boring now. Is your idea to give a gift? The prince of the Marquisate is not an ordinary military general, so don't fool me with these nonsense." Xie Changling raised his eyebrows, "Chen the jailer knows a lot, why do you need to ask me if you know so much?" Chen Guanlou bared his teeth, these criminal officials are all donkeys, and they don't know what it means to stop without a few whips. "It's quite cold at night. I can make it even colder for Lord Xie!" Chen Guanlou sneered, "Come here, bring a bucket of ice water and pour it on Lord Xie's bedding." "Why does the jailer Chen have to humiliate me like this?" Xie Changling seemed to finally realize his situation. Chen Guanlou sneered, "Is Lord Xie willing to talk nicely now?" "What kind of gift does the jailer Chen want? Maybe I can give him some advice." Xie Changling turned his face in a second, and he was really able to talk nicely. The jailer who poured the ice water was still looking at Chen Guanlou, wondering if he wanted to pour the ice water or not. Chen Guanlou waved his hand and told the jailer to get out. "Does Master Xie teach me about rare calligraphy and paintings?" Chen Guanlou asked directly. Xie Changling pondered for a while, "I have a copy of a famous calligraphy given by my mentor. It is a rare copy left by a famous calligrapher and painter in the previous dynasty. What do you think, Chen Yuli?" "It's too expensive." "Not expensive. How about I sell it to Chen Yuli for 200 taels?" Chen Guanlou raised his eyebrows. When did the calligraphy of famous calligraphers in the previous dynasty become as cheap as cabbage? "Thank you, sir, there is no need to do so. Just ordinary treasures are enough." "Since it is a gift to the Marquis' Mansion, it is natural to show enough thought. I originally wanted to recommend a rare copy, but a rare copy does not seem to be appropriate. Or the famous calligraphic copy can reflect the intention of Chen the jailer. Chen the jailer does not need to be polite to me. Calligraphic copy is really redundant for me. In a few years, perhaps I don't have to wait until I am old and dead, my own calligraphy and painting will become famous products, and one day in the future it will become a treasure. Even now, if I write a piece of calligraphy, there will be countless people vying for it. The famous calligraphers of the previous dynasty were just born hundreds of years earlier than me and became famous hundreds of years earlier. My achievements will only be higher, not lower. Therefore, a mere copy of calligraphy, two hundred taels is too expensive for me."
What a conceited scholar. Is this the arrogance and arrogance of being a god of learning? Being good at studying is really awesome! Bragging is not called bragging, that is called stating facts. Chen Guanlou had nothing to say and could not refute. Could he say that the top scholar's calligraphy is ugly and worthless? The scholar would be the first to disagree. Could he say that Xie Changling was self-righteous and dreamed of becoming a prime minister and the best minister in the world before he was released from the prison?