Ming Dynasty: Empress Ma and I swapped clothes!

Chapter 41 Top-Tier Literary Treasure, the Identity of a Minor Official

Seeing the blank look in Ma Wenxiang's eyes, the Yang family student knew that he was unaware of the matter, but still dared not show the slightest disrespect. He quickly explained, "Young master, this is 'Zhang Yumo,' a piece left behind by the ink-making master of the Southern Tang Dynasty."

"Please accept this, young sir!"

"well."

Ma Wenxiang was stunned for a moment, and the ancient inkstone was already in his hands.

However, Ma Wenxiang still did not know the true value of this so-called "Zhang Yumo".

Just then, Ma Xiulin walked out from the side hall behind him. Seeing this scene and noticing the object in Ma Wenxiang's hand, he suddenly became breathless and quickly stepped forward to take the object from Ma Wenxiang's arms.

I carefully held it, as if it were a rare treasure, and gently placed it on the flower table beside me, only then could I truly feel at ease.

Before Ma Wenxiang could ask further, Ma Xiulin, who knew his son best, knew that his son was unaware of such extravagant items as the Four Treasures of the Study among scholars, so he took the initiative to explain: "This item is called 'Zhang Yu Mo'. The carving, design, and fragrance of its inksticks are all exquisite. Its cultural taste and value are immeasurable. Among scholars, there is a saying that 'gold is easy to obtain, but jade ink is hard to find.' Its value is at least this much, and it is a rare treasure that is priceless."

With one hand behind his back, Ma Xiulin described the market prices of these items belonging to literati, a slight smile playing on his lips and a smug look on his face.

Upon hearing this, Ma Wenxiang's eyes lit up instantly.

He had heard about the approximate value of such top-quality writing implements, but he never expected the market price to be so high.

Suddenly, this jade ink was only just beginning.

Unbeknownst to many, the major families in the Central Plains were also secretly vying for power.

"The Li family has come to greet the young master. This is a small gift for him."

The Li family student brought a small box containing several dozen taels of silver.

Even if it reached the imperial court, it could be explained as a gift exchange between scholars; as for the top-quality writing implements, that was a different story altogether.

Scholars exchanging writing implements is like military generals exchanging divine weapons and fine steeds.

It is extremely difficult for outsiders to find fault with it in the slightest.

"This is a Duan inkstone."

Holding yet another top-tier literary treasure in his hands, Ma Xiulin stroked every inch of the inkstone's patterns, his expression as if he were looking at the most beloved lover of his life, caressing it while sighing with admiration.

"Old pit Duan inkstones are truly rare treasures."

"This Duan inkstone is from the Song Dynasty. It has a warm and smooth texture and natural stone eyes. In particular, there are streaks of gold script engraved around the inkstone, with the eight characters 'Quiet as virtue, producing ink as talent'. It is the best of the best."

Hearing Ma Xiulin say this, the Li family student breathed a sigh of relief.

The worst thing about giving gifts is encountering someone who doesn't appreciate their value; wouldn't all your good intentions be wasted?

Fortunately, although the young man in front of me was young and unaware, his father was very knowledgeable.

No wonder they are a family with an auspicious aura.

As students from various families came to present gifts, Ma Xiulin's exclamations of surprise rose and fell, almost without ceasing.

"This is Chengxintang paper. It was used by the Southern Tang court. It is pure white and lustrous, and the paper has an extremely long lifespan and can be preserved for a long time. Even in the Song Dynasty, it was already rare. By our time, it would probably be a treasured gem in every household."

"If it is used to record books, it will truly be a family heirloom."

"And this one, is the 'Collected Annotations on the Four Books' by the sage Zhu Xi, and it's a Song Dynasty edition, so it can almost be called a unique and amazing copy."

Besides these scholarly books, there were also a host of other elegant objects.

For example, the guqin made by famous masters of the Tang and Song dynasties.

The qin is the first of the eight musical instruments and is an instrument for gentlemen to cultivate their character. Among literati, playing the qin is a way to make friends and has a long-lasting meaning; there is also the Yao Bian Tianmu tea bowl from the Jian kiln of the Song Dynasty.

This object was regarded as a national treasure by that tiny country in later generations, and it was extremely rare even within the country itself.

to the end.

As these "meager gifts" piled up, the stack of small vermilion boxes only made Ma Wenxiang more cautious.

After all, the books, calligraphy and painting treasures, and other elegant objects sent by the powerful families from all over the Central Plains can all serve as part of the family's heritage.

Especially when you look at how much his father, Ma Xiulin, dotes on him.

If he were to offer to sell, he would surely infuriate the other party to death.

Fortunately, with these several boxes, the family had some more money, and they no longer had to live the hard life of eating cornbread. Their standard of living had undoubtedly improved significantly.

"Young sir, how about I also contribute a fee?"

A voice rang out in the corridor. Ma Wenxiang saw the person who had entered, gave a wry smile, and quickly bowed and waved his hand, saying, "Master Wang, you don't need to. How about you take a look at this zither?"

"Or this annotated edition by Master Zhu Xi would also be excellent. Would Master Wang be interested?"

Ma Wenxiang quickly changed the subject.

Wang Yangsheng smiled faintly and let him go.

Wang Yangsheng was interested in those things, but that was all.

However, he cherished these "small gifts" and quickly and carefully arranged them with Ma Xiulin beside him, making sure they didn't get dusty.

……

The day the results of the county-level examination in Qingfeng County were announced.

After the students left the county government office, the office began to anonymize the candidates' answer sheets.

The official seal was affixed to ensure that the examiners were unaware of the examinee's identity. The paper was then handed over to another group of specialized transcribers who copied the examinee's answer sheet word for word.

This is the rule of the imperial examination system in this dynasty.

Established by His Majesty Zhu Yuanzhang, this system was also in place in the Song Dynasty, but it was implemented more strictly in this dynasty, hence it was also called "Zhu Juan".

After the transcription was completed, a special reader checked it word by word to ensure that the copy matched the original.

Even so, at this stage, officials within the county government conduct a second review to prevent anyone from tampering with the transcription process.

However, these trivial matters were handled by other minor officials in the county government, and the relationship between the co-magistrate Li Zizhi and the county assistant Huo Tianlang was really not that close.

"Brother Huo, please don't take that matter of the minor official from the past to heart."

"Although this minor official is your nephew, he is far too blind. It was one thing to turn a blind eye in the past, but now he dares to mess with this person."

"This one careless move has truly affected our reputations as officials, and our future careers."

Inside the front hall, Li Zizhi held a blue-and-white porcelain teacup, from which steam rose slightly.

He gently touched it, and the teacup made a crisp sound.

Huo Tiancheng remained silent on the matter.

Upon seeing this, Li Zizhi chuckled again and reminded him once more, "For the sake of our colleagues, Brother Huo, don't think that this small Qingfeng County is still like it used to be, where the two of us can control everything with our own hands."

"People from the capital have been sent here long ago. It's possible that even the Imperial Guard Command and His Majesty's inner circle have planted many spies along. If they still don't behave themselves at this point, their hard-earned official hats may be worn out."