Chapter 82: The Art of Calligraphy Brings Renown (Seek Collection, Seek Follows!)

Jia Cong returned to the mansion on the second day of the eighth month.

At this time, Jia Mu’s birthday banquet had already been underway for two days.

The Jia family was among the highest-ranking noble houses of Great Zhou, and Jia Mu herself was a super-rank State Lady; since the founding of the dynasty, their glory had never waned, and their position among the Four Kings and Eight Dukes was pivotal.

Relatives from imperial clans, court colleagues, military veterans, the eight branches in the capital, the twelve branches in Jin Ling, and kin families such as the Wangs, Shis, and Xues all sent representatives to offer congratulations.

In late July, the Ministry of Rites, by imperial decree, bestowed upon the Lady of Rongguo a golden jade scepter, four bolts of colorful silk, four sets each of golden and jade cups, and five hundred taels of treasury silver.

From then on, friends and old acquaintances both in court and out flooded the mansion with gifts.

Due to the overwhelming number of guests, fearing the banquet arrangements could not accommodate them, Jia Zheng, Jia She, Jia Lian, and others agreed to extend the birthday celebration from the first to the third day of the eighth month.

Banquets were held simultaneously at both Ningguo and Rongguo mansions: Ningguo hosted official guests, while Rongguo hosted ladies.

On the first day of the eighth month, they invited imperial relatives, imperial sons-in-law, the Four Kings, the Eight Dukes, governors and military commanders of all ministries, and their honored female relatives;

he was summoned with Baoyu to Ningguo Mansion to receive guests, and also brought along Qingke guests such as Zhan Guang, Cheng Rixing, Hu Silai, and Shan Pinren to assist.

But Li Dekang, as Minister of Public Works and a leading candidate for the next Minister of Works, held a sensitive status.

The sounds of flutes, pipes, and drums echoed through every street and alley.

Although Jia Zheng’s official rank in the Ministry of Public Works was humble, he was the legitimate son of the Duke of Rongguo, born into a distinguished lineage, and had been granted by imperial decree to reside in Rongxi Hall within the imperialy constructed Rongguo Mansion—his status was far from ordinary.

With the State Lady of the Jia family celebrating her birthday, how could these seasoned courtiers fail to show up and pay their respects?

…

Moreover, Jia Zheng was always amiable, content with mediocrity, and had no ambition to climb higher in the Ministry of Public Works, so he enjoyed excellent relations among his colleagues.

All four Directors of the Ministry’s four bureaus actually attended—Jia Zheng held the rank of Assistant Director (fifth rank junior), while these four Directors were fifth rank senior, making them all his superiors.

Thus, his colleagues and superiors in the Ministry were willing to grant this well-born, easygoing man his due respect.

If a Minister came to congratulate the mother of a mere Assistant Director, it would appear as if he were currying favor with the Dukes’ powerful household—and the censors’ impeachment would appear the very next day.

Though Jia She and Jia Zhen were idle nobles who never attended official duties, they still needed to maintain personal ties with their colleagues in the same ministry.

The presence of four senior officials from the Ministry to offer their congratulations was more than enough to honor Jia Zheng, and he was overjoyed, greeting them with utmost eagerness.

Thus, though he did not come in person, he sent a gift and used the pretext of requesting Jia Cong’s calligraphy—no one could find fault with him.

Jia Cong had just arrived at the Jia mansion, unpacked his belongings in Qingzhi Studio, and had not yet gone to greet Yingchun and the other sisters in the garden.

Li Dekang, worldly-wise and meticulous, understood that these four Directors were only half a rank above Jia Zheng and thus their attendance at the birthday celebration was not out of place among peers.

Among the official guests invited to Ningguo Mansion today were some of Jia She’s, Jia Zheng’s, and Jia Zhen’s colleagues and superiors.

On the second day of the eighth month, they invited senior officials, honored ladies, close friends and their families from the capital, elderly relatives from the Wang, Shi, and Xue clans, and friends and ladies from the twelve branches of Jin Ling;

only on the third day of the eighth month did Jia She and Jia Zheng jointly host the grand birthday banquet for the old lady, while Jia Zhen and Jia Rong hosted their own banquet at Ningguo Mansion.

Though his official rank was low, the Jia family’s ancestral prestige and network of connections were immense—perhaps one day they would need his favor.

Afterward, there were additional birthday banquets organized by household managers such as Lai Da and Lin Zhixiao; these need not be detailed further.

As Jia Cong walked through, he saw lanterns and colorful banners hung throughout both mansions, phoenix-patterned screens displayed, and lotus-patterned carpets laid out.

Even Minister of Public Works Li Dekang, though absent in person, sent his gift through fellow officials and specifically requested a piece of Jia Cong’s calligraphy.

…

Li Dekang could use Jia Cong’s calligraphy as a pretext because over the past two years, Jia Cong’s handwriting had gained immense fame.

Somehow, the news that the Retired Emperor had treasured Jia Cong’s copy of the Heart Sutra gradually spread.

Many traced its origin and discovered that Prince Jia Shun had invited Jia Cong to the Nanxi Literary Gathering precisely because of his exceptional calligraphy.

And the literary master Liu Yanxiu, during gatherings with old friends, had once casually praised Jia Cong’s calligraphy in the highest terms.

These pieces of information gradually converged, causing Jia Cong’s calligraphy to double in value over the past two years.

When Xiao Jindong had first acquired four pieces of Jia Cong’s calligraphy during his humble days, he later sold two of them for a hundred taels each.

By the time he realized his mistake, it was too late—he treasured the remaining two pieces as if they were priceless treasures, displaying them as the centerpiece in his shop on Wenhans Street.

It was said that countless calligraphy enthusiasts came to admire them, boosting Xiao Jindong’s shop business by three or four tenths.

Jia Zheng felt it a great honor to bring along his nephew Jia Cong, whose literary reputation was already well-established, to receive guests.

He regretted not having summoned him home two days earlier—otherwise, he could have shone before the imperial nobility—but he dared not disrupt his studies at the academy.

When Jia She once ordered Jia Cong to write characters to give as gifts, Jia Cong had publicly humiliated him before outsiders.

But toward Jia Zheng, who had always treated him kindly, he would never act so.

He stepped forward humbly; over the past two years at Qingshan Academy, he had studied under tutors and headmasters who were all eminent scholars of the literati, and under their influence, his demeanor had grown expansive and dignified.

This stood in stark contrast to Baoyu, who inwardly despised the corruption of the “greedy officials and corrupt scholars” yet outwardly fumbled and flustered in response.

This scene made Jia Zheng even more pleased with Jia Cong’s grace in dealing with others, and deepened his resentment and disdain toward Baoyu’s timidity.

When Jia Zhen heard that Jia Cong was to leave a piece of calligraphy for the Minister of Public Works, he immediately ordered the finest brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone brought forth, and Jia Cong wrote on the spot.

In fact, when Jia Zheng first entered, everyone had already noticed Jia Cong behind him.

Over the past two years, Jia Cong had grown from a frail, lowborn Jia son into a handsome, refined youth as radiant as jade.

As he entered Ningguo’s main hall with Jia Zheng, nearly everyone present simultaneously noticed this peerlessly beautiful and elegant youth.

Even Baoyu, whose complexion had always been as fresh as spring blossoms, stood beside Jia Cong and could not outshine him—he appeared dimmed in comparison.

When the four Directors of the Ministry of Public Works learned that this extraordinarily handsome youth was none other than the originator of the new calligraphic style that had recently swept the capital,

their eyes filled with astonishment—how young was this boy, yet he had achieved such mastery in calligraphy? His innate talent was truly unparalleled.

Jia Cong had once heard Jia Zheng say that this Minister of Public Works had greatly admired his poem “Bu Yun Suan Yuan”; he now wrote it out again, entrusting it to several Directors to deliver.

Over the past two years, while studying at Luocang Mountain, Jia Cong had not neglected his calligraphy—he practiced his brushwork daily without fail.

His calligraphy had grown even more refined and forceful than two years prior, gradually reaching its peak.

Among the ladies attending the banquet at Ningguo Mansion today, most were officials’ wives from various ministries, nearly all of whom had passed the imperial examinations; men like Jia Zheng, who held office through hereditary privilege, were exceedingly rare.

These women, having endured a decade of arduous study, were keen-eyed connoisseurs; as soon as Jia Cong finished his piece, the hall erupted in praise.

Qiu Qingyuan, Director of the Water Conservancy Bureau of the Ministry of Public Works, was also a passionate calligrapher and praised it endlessly.

He said: “Cunzhou, your Jia family is on the verge of producing a master of calligraphy—what a joyous occasion!

We who toil our whole lives for a little fame and fortune will soon be forgotten—after a hundred years, who will remember us?

But your nephew’s calligraphic grace will endure for a thousand generations!

The Jia family, truly a clan of bells and cauldrons, possesses extraordinary fortune and destiny—how could they produce such an extraordinary youth? It fills us with envy.”

Jia Zheng, witnessing this scene and hearing such lavish praise from his colleagues, felt giddy with delight.

Looking at the magnificent Jia Cong, his eyes brimmed with admiration and affection—how young was Cong-ge, yet he had achieved this? Truly… it was enviable.

Beside him, Jia She, witnessing this scene, was filled with seething rage.

(End of chapter)