Rise From the Humble

When erecting a monument, it is necessary to write an inscription, because it is to inspire the descendants of Xiahe Village, and the inscription must be particularly good. The village elder and village leader were not satisfied with the inscription provided by the engraver, so they came early in the morning to tell Zhu Pingan and his family about erecting the monument and the flagpole stone. In fact, the main reason was to come and ask Zhu Pingan to write the inscription.

Therefore, Zhu Ping'an and his family were not able to continue eating breakfast, so they headed to the place where the monument was erected in the center of the village, surrounded by the village elder, village leader and neighbors who came after hearing the news.

Because of the erection of the monument and the flagpole stone, Zhu's father could not drive the ox cart. As usual, he asked his elder brother Zhu Pingchuan to take over and drive the ox cart. Now almost everyone in the town is used to or somewhat dependent on the Zhu family's ox cart.

The center of Xiahe Village is an open space specially set aside by the village. If there is any important event in the village that requires everyone to be summoned, the village chief will summon everyone here. There is a towering tree in the center. This tree was planted by the ancestors of the ancestors of the ancestors. It has a history of more than three hundred years. The tree has many forked branches, winding and jagged, covering the sky. Block out the sun. Every summer, people in the village like to come here to enjoy the cool air, especially the women in the village who like to bring a stool to sit under the tree, and gather in groups to sew soles, embroider flowers or something.

Now there is a stone tablet about ten feet high standing under the big banyan tree, and there is a stone platform around the stone tablet.

In the middle of the stele is engraved a line of words, "In the 30th year of Jiajing's reign, Zhu Ping'an was established as a member of the Xinhai imperial examination." The two sides are left blank, waiting for inscriptions to encourage future generations to be engraved.

When Zhu Ping'an and others rushed to the big banyan tree, dozens of people from the village came after hearing the news. Usually the village didn't have much fun, but now that there was such a big happy event for the whole village, naturally they all embraced it. The children came over to watch the excitement. They took Zhu Pingan as a role model and instilled in their children the idea of ​​learning from Zhu Pingan. The scene was very lively for a while.

Not long after Zhu Pingan and others arrived, a villager came over and said that Zhu Pingan's family had another visitor.

Before the villagers could explain clearly, a sedan chair came staggering over there. Two carriages were following behind, and the carriages were full of things.

The scene was so grand that everyone in the village looked there. Soon the sedan arrived in front of Zhu Pingan and others. A middle-aged man wearing a brocade robe got off the sedan.

This is Zhang Juren, who is from the next town over and is in his forties. He used to be the county magistrate in Wangjiang County. Ding You was at home last year. Because Zhang Juren's wife is from Kaoshan Town, Zhang Juren is also very familiar with Kaoshan Town. This time Zhang Juren's wife went to her parents' home, and Zhang Juren came with her. I heard that the thirteen-year-old Zhu Juren happened to be from Kaoshan Town. So I just paid a visit.

"Hahaha, I came uninvited. I hope I haven't caused any trouble to Mr. Zhu and your village." Zhang Juren was a former county magistrate. He also spoke well. As soon as he got off the sedan chair, he held his hands and smiled and took the initiative to greet Zhu Ping'an. greet.

"It's a great honor for Zhang Juren to come to our Xiahe Village." Muramasa is also a well-rounded person. He has met Zhang Juren before, and is worried that Zhu Ping'an doesn't know Zhang Juren. So as soon as Zhang Juren finished speaking, he took the initiative to welcome Zhang Juren.

After listening to Muramasa's words, Zhu Pingan also knew that the person coming was a civil servant named Zhang. It seems that he has quite a reputation in Kaoshan Town, otherwise Muramasa wouldn't know him.

"I have long admired Zhang Juren's name. It is our whole Xiahe Village's honor that Zhang Juren can come to our Xiahe Village." Zhu Ping'an also raised his hands forward and was generous, although he had never heard of Zhang Juren at all.

Before Zhang Juren came, his uncle Zhu Shouren was in front of his fellow villagers and Zhu Ping'an. They all still had a arrogant attitude, meeting Zhang Juren at this moment. Uncle Zhu Shouren immediately crossed his legs, looking extremely respectful and dignified. It's like a primary school student meeting his teacher. Uncle Zhu Shouren wanted to go up and say hello, but he was afraid of being left out and felt awkward.

"I came in a hurry and didn't prepare any generous gifts. I hope Mr. Zhu won't take it too seriously." Zhang Juren said with his hands in hand, and a servant next to him handed an envelope into Zhang Juren's hands.

"Young Master Zhu has already been elected to the throne before he has even lost his crown. It is really gratifying and congratulatory. Brother Yu has no respect. I would like to send you 50 taels of congratulations and some fruit and vegetable gifts. I hope Mr. Zhu will not dislike it." Zhang Juren handed the envelope to Zhu Ping'an. , mouthing words of congratulations.

The fifty taels of silver were given as soon as he was told. The surrounding villagers took a deep breath and stared at the envelope in Zhang Juren's hand with burning eyes, especially the eyes of his uncle Zhu Shouren.

Zhu Ping'an declined with a smile, "No reward for no merit."

Zhang Juren insisted on giving it and pretended to be angry, "Master Zhu, do you think it's too little?"

Zhu Pingan shook his head and gave in.

"You and I will continue to support each other in the future. Mr. Zhu will always look down on me, Mr. Zhang, if he is like this." Zhang Juren insisted and put the envelope into Zhu Pingan's hand, his tone a little excited.

Zhu Ping'an couldn't shirk it, so he had to accept it.

Only then was Zhang Juren satisfied, and then he chatted with Zhu Pingan, Cunzheng Village Elder and others for a long time. When he heard that Xiahe Village was about to erect a monument and flagpole stone for Zhu Pingan, Zhang Juren became even more interested. Because Zhang Juren had experienced his tribe erecting monuments and flagpole stones for him, he still had some experience. Zhang Juren talked about his experience incessantly, which benefited the village elders, village leaders and others a lot.

After the styles of the stele and flagpole stone were simply modified, it was time to write the inscription and find a stonemason to carve the stele.

"Brother Zhu Xian is young and promising. He is well-known in Zhili Province. The inscription on the inscription shows that he can do something by raising his hand. It is also a blessing to encourage the underachievers to make progress."

I heard that when the monument was being erected but the inscription was still missing, Zhang Juren also praised Zhu Pingan for writing the inscription himself. Zhang Juren also wanted to take the opportunity to see Zhu Pingan's literary talent, because he heard that Zhu Pingan was the last on the list of candidates, but he also heard that Zhu Pingan was the last person on the list. People say that Mr. Zhao's arrest of his son-in-law and the reversal of the Luming Banquet make people a little curious about Zhu Ping's literary talent.

When it came to the inscription, the uncle Zhu Shouren was a little ready to move, as if he had prepared it in private.

Zhu Ping'an was originally asked to write the inscription, but now Zhang Juren is here. It would be embarrassing if Zhang Juren is ignored. Village elder Muramasa summed it up, and then his uncle Zhu Shouren also expressed his opinion.

"It's rare that we have two Juren in Xiahe Village. Why don't we both leave calligraphy to encourage future generations?" After the calculation was completed, the village official came out to propose.

"With Brother Zhu Xian here, I'll forget it." Zhang Juren shook his head with a smile.

"The stele needs inscriptions, there are stone pillars on both sides, and ink treasures are also needed, and the ancestral hall also needs calligraphy treasures. Zhang Juren should not refuse."

Muramasa invited again, and finally Zhang Juren compromised and said, "I see that both sides of this monument are left blank, as are the stone pillars. Since it is to encourage future generations, why don't we all write one or two couplets, and then select a few? How many are left?" It’s good to use it as a reference in the future if necessary.”

Zhang Juren's proposal played into the hands of his uncle Zhu Shouren. Seeing Zhu Ping'an's name on the golden medal and the erection of a monument, his uncle Zhu Shouren was also very jealous. If he could carve his own inscription on the stone tablet, wouldn't he also be famous for generations to come? ...

Zhang Juren suggested that the village chief would naturally not object, and Zhu Ping'an had no objection, so the village chief arranged for a few juniors to carry a few tables and chairs, put pens, inks, paper and inkstones under the banyan tree. The village elder, the village chief, his uncle Zhu Shouren and others Those who could read also followed Zhu Ping'an and Zhang Juren to the table, ready to splash ink.