Do you know that my grandfather was entitled to be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple?

Chapter 25 Fame

"It's just a piece of calligraphy, why are you so happy?"

On the carriage, Wang Zhuo looked at his younger brother, who was laughing while holding the calligraphy written by Ouyang Xiu, and was somewhat speechless.

Just now, in the main hall of Ouyang Xiu's house, when Wang You uttered those four sentences, he felt that his younger brother was shining.

When he came out, he felt complicated and felt that his younger brother was a complete stranger.

Could my gluttonous younger brother really have said those words?

It wasn't until he saw his younger brother laughing while holding Ouyang Xiu's calligraphy that he felt his brother had come alive again.

"Big brother, you don't understand. This calligraphy can be kept as a family heirloom," Wang You said with a smile.

"A family heirloom? That's an exaggeration!"

Wang Zhuo admitted that Ouyang Xiu was very famous and his calligraphy was quite valuable; to say that it could be a family heirloom was a bit of an exaggeration.

Wang You smiled but did not explain. This was one of the living Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties.

Ouyang Xiu was not only Zeng Gong's teacher, but also had a good relationship with the three Su brothers.

I'll find an opportunity to ask for a few pieces of calligraphy later, frame them, and keep them as a keepsake for future generations.

Official titles and ranks are meaningless; if one's descendants are capable, it doesn't matter whether the title is passed down or not.

If one is not ambitious and lacks the virtue to match one's position, disaster will surely follow, which will be a bad thing.

These paintings and calligraphy works that are worth some money now are much better left to future generations than those others.

Whether in ancient times or in later generations, one principle remains the same.

That means the works of dead people are the only ones that are sought after.

After all, people can write as much as they want while they're alive, so there's no need to talk about it being a disgrace to writers.

When Su Shi was poor, he even sold his pregnant concubine. If his calligraphy were truly valuable, wouldn't he have sold it?

Therefore, Wang Zhuo found it difficult to understand the reasons behind this.

……

For the next period of time, Wang You followed Wang Zhuo to visit officials who had some connection with the Wang family.

Because Grand Tutor Wang had served as Imperial Censor and was known for his upright and incorruptible character, he offended many people.

Including the fact that he passed away nearly twenty years ago, his old friends have either died or retired.

Only a few of his former students and associates served as officials in the imperial court.

Over the years, the affection has almost run out.

If Wang Min were to prove himself, they would be happy to lend a helping hand, as it would also benefit their reputation.

Unfortunately, Wang Min's performance in his local post was mediocre, with no particularly outstanding achievements.

They want to help, but it will cost them something.

With that energy and resources, it would be better to promote and help one's own juniors and students.

Therefore, they mostly responded with indifference to the visits of the Wang brothers.

Wang Zhuo didn't find anything unusual, after all, the two of them were juniors.

But Wang You sensed that distance.

However, he didn't mind, which is only human nature.

Moreover, given his grandfather's personality, he probably didn't help these people much back then.

I only helped the Wang family out of politeness.

That day, Wang You accompanied Wang Zhuo to visit the Hai family.

It was the Hai family, the family that produced five members of the Hanlin Academy, and also the family of Sheng Changbai's future wife.

Only through Wang Zhuo's explanation did he learn why his family was related to the Hai family.

The old master of the Hai family once worked at the Imperial Academy. When Wang You's grandfather was studying at the Imperial Academy in his youth, he was a student of the old master of the Hai family.

Although Grand Tutor Wang did not formally become my disciple back then, he frequently visited me during his lifetime.

Over the years, the Wang family has sent a small gift every year to maintain the relationship.

The reason Wang You was sent here was to try to gain the favor of Hai Wenqing, the current head of the Hai family, and to be selected into the Hanlin Academy after passing the prodigy test.

The fact that the Hai family had five members who served in the Hanlin Academy does not mean that five members of the Hai family were serving in the Hanlin Academy at the same time.

Rather, it is because five members of the Hai family have served in the Hanlin Academy throughout history, which is similar to the Yuan family having four generations of three dukes.

The Song Dynasty has been established for only a century, but the Hai family has had members serving in the Hanlin Academy in every generation since its founding.

Hai Wenqing is currently a Hanlin Academician of the fifth rank, which is not considered a high rank.

The Hanlin Academy was practically the emperor's think tank, responsible not only for drafting imperial edicts and lecturing on classics for the emperor, but also for consulting with Hanlin scholars on matters the emperor was unsure about.

As a close advisor to the emperor, even a minister would treat him with utmost respect.

Most importantly, the Hai family has been distinguished for generations, and has many protégés and former officials in the imperial court.

On the way, Wang Zhuo repeatedly reminded them to be respectful when they arrived and not to be impolite.

Wang You was only going through the motions, but he didn't really care. Given the Hai family's noble status, it was better to be natural rather than overly respectful.

The carriage stopped in front of the Hai family's house, and Wang Zhuo personally went to knock on the door and deliver his visiting card.

Unlike when they visited other officials in the past few days, where the gatekeepers directly led them in, the Hai family gatekeeper bowed very politely and said, "Please wait a moment, gentlemen. The eldest young master has instructed that he will personally come to greet you both upon your arrival."

Wang Zhuo was taken aback. This was the first time in all his visits these past few days that someone had come out to greet him.

The families we visited before would at most send their children to greet us in the front yard.

This is not considered impolite, after all, the two are just juniors.

Instead, it was the eldest son of the Hai family who came out to greet him, which made him feel somewhat apprehensive for a moment.

Wang You didn't think too much about it, feeling that the Hai family was indeed a noble family, and their manners were very thoughtful.

The two brothers waited for a while, and then a boy of about sixteen or seventeen years old came out to greet them with a big smile.

"You two must be Wang Bo'an and Wang Ziqian?"

The young man bowed and said, "My name is Haining, greetings."

"Greetings, Young Master Hai!" Wang Zhuo and Wang You quickly returned the greeting.

"I have read the four wise sayings that Ziqian mentioned a few days ago, and I have many thoughts and questions. I would like to ask Ziqian for advice, and I hope that Ziqian will not hesitate to enlighten me at that time," Haining said with his hands clasped.

"Forehead…"

Wang You was taken aback, and then he realized that the reason Hai Ning came out to greet him was related to the four lines of Hengqu that he had copied.

However, he said it in front of Ouyang Xiu in order to gain fame.

In ancient times, due to the difficulty of information transmission, many things were passed down orally.

When a person is renowned, they are not only respected, but their words are often considered truthful.

The effect and result of doing something are completely different depending on whether it is done by someone with no reputation or someone with a very high reputation.

In ancient times, even emperors dared not easily harm people of high reputation.

Poetry and prose are ultimately minor arts, but when Zhang Zai's four lines spread and were recognized by scholars all over the world, he had a protective charm.

If he succeeds in his future career in government, as long as he doesn't do anything reckless, no one will deliberately make things difficult for him.

As for whether scholars across the land will agree, there is no need to worry at all.

Scholars love to shout grandiose and empty slogans. Compared to things like loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, or self-cultivation, family management, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world, the four sentences of Zhang Zai are much more classy.

After all, Zhang Zai's four lines begin with heaven and earth and end with the promise of eternal peace.

In ancient times, there was a common phenomenon: if someone's writings and thoughts were appreciated, that person would be highly praised.

Otherwise, how can one appear sophisticated and cultured?

If a person is despised, even if his poems and articles are profound, he will still be disliked.

As long as Zhang Zai's four sentences spread, scholars all over the world will praise him.

By then, he would be famous throughout the world.