Legacy of the old dynasty

When Wu Xie was 13 years old, the family started to build a garden.

The wind of gardening here has been going on for a long time.The ancestors of the Wu family moved from the north to the south of the Yangtze River in order to avoid the war. The roots were not deep at all. Fortunately, the ancestors worked hard and earned a considerable ancestral property. Unfortunately, the roots are not deep, so they always feel inferior when communicating on the ground.Fortunately, starting from Wu Xie's father's generation, the economic and official career began to improve. Wu's eldest son was awarded a Jinshi in his early years, and this time, the third son of the Wu family was nominated for the apricot list in April. He won No. 3 in Yijia, awarded Jinshi and rank, and finally awarded Shujishi of the Imperial Academy.

Therefore, there is a reason for gardening, and there is also an interest in gardening.

Because of the gardening here, many civil livelihoods have been born, such as firing kilns and making tiles, washing sand and sifting soil, planting seedlings and flowers, and specializing in scouring strange mountains and rocks.One of the most important livelihoods is that of a carpenter.

A garden carpenter is no ordinary carpenter.Gardening, either born out of mountains and rivers, or extended to poetry and books, all pay attention to an artistic conception.The pavilions are all adjacent to the water, the houses do not hinder the mountains, and there must be poetry everywhere.Look at the various roof arches, eaves and corners, carved doors and windows, water pavilions and winding corridors, and even stacked stones in the lake, all kinds of flowers and plants, in fact, all rely on one person's handwriting.The garden pays attention to the naturalness, the more natural sounds, the more elaborate the design, the scenery is poetic, and the meaning is picturesque. However, if there is no architecture interspersed and drawn, the poems and pictures will end up with broken paintings and broken poems, and no sentences can be chanted.

The great carpenter hired by the Wu family was surnamed Wang. His ancestors built gardens for Emperor Taizu, so there is a tradition of inheritance.Wang Carpenter has read books and can draw pictures. He is already a generation of garden masters, but he still considers himself a craftsman.After looking at the land marked out by the Wu family, I started to draw a picture of the garden.

Meanwhile, a strange thing happened.

The three brothers of the Wu family accompanied Master Wang to look at the land. This land was originally circled by the eldest son of the Wu family when he was a Jinshi.The boss of the Wu family kicked his toe in the vegetable bed and found a piece of bluestone with writing hidden on it.

Someone dug it out and saw that there were four big characters "Baihe Nanxiang" on it. The font was simple and unsophisticated, and there was no signature.Thinking of the legend of the white crane here, everyone thinks it is a good omen, and there is a predestined relationship in the dark, so the name of the garden is Baihe Garden.

The eldest of the Wu family has left his job this year and has already left, and the third child will leave for the capital soon. Only the second master of the Wu family is left as the manager.Wu Xie had just been born as a child, just at the age of fun, his father and uncle left home to take office, and he was building a garden, so he didn't go to the academy. Instead, he worked on the construction site every day, thinking he was a supervisor .The second master of the Wu family had a calm temperament, and he doted on him since he was a child. He could never restrain Wu Xie, so he must ask Zhang Qiling to take care of the little ancestor of the Wu family.

The Zhang family and the Wu family have been friends for several generations. The Wu family has now left their official careers, but the Zhang family has been in business. On the surface, they do some business of selling goods, but inside they have been selling salt to make a profit.The Lianghuai area was originally the largest salt area in the world. Illegal salt was banned repeatedly, and the salt merchants were the most wealthy in the world, but Zhang Qiling was very low-key.

Wu Xie was a little afraid of Zhang Qiling since she was a child.He is only seven or eight years older than him, but he is old-fashioned. He is serious in speech and smile every day, and he cares about everything about him.He is not always at home, and he always has to take care of business in various places. Whenever he goes out, Wu Xie will go crazy for a few days.

Wu Xie's crazy play is nothing more than digging out a bird's egg from a tree, fishing a few fish in the river, painting the second uncle's book with ink, and blocking the chimney of the kitchen with a cloth. God.Zhang Qiling knew his strength, so he was only so promising. Although he was funny in his heart, he still had to be serious on the face.Who knew that Wu Xieyou couldn't handle it, he would languid for several days every time he finished speaking, which made him sometimes have to buy some gadgets to coax him.Wu Xie is a person who forgets to eat but not to fight. Once he is proud, he becomes arrogant again.As a result, Zhang Qiling always sighed with his forehead, and the child was difficult to raise.

Now, Wu Xie has another playmate - Master Wang's apprentice, called Anu.

Anu was a few years older than him, and he wore bunts all day long, with rolled up cuffs revealing wide white edges, not even a crown, no turban, but a cloth belt on the top of his head.There are two horizontal slices of flesh growing on his face. When he was working, he took off his outer blue shirt and only wore a short jacket. A large lump bulged out of his arm, and he looked very strong.Although he can't speak, it doesn't prevent him from being friends with Wu Xie.

Anu's hands are extremely skillful, and he made many gadgets for Wu Xie.He hasn't read many books, but he has only read "Shan Hai Jing". In his spare time, he carved many strange beasts for Wu Xie, such as a bird with a human face but four eyes, and a bird with vertical eyes. Xiaolong, and a villain with a leopard-like long tail behind him.All the wood carvings are only the size of a palm, and the mahogany has been coated with layers of clear oil to reveal the true color of the wood.Wu Xie got it, liked it beyond words, kept it like a treasure, and showed it to Zhang Qiling one by one when he came.

Zhang Qiling naturally recognized what it was all about.He took it in his hand and looked at it repeatedly, and saw Wu Xie's earnest face under the candle again, knowing that he loved these novelty gadgets, he sighed, but in the end he didn't take it away, and let him keep it for himself.

He was always afraid that he would be too strict, and the Four Books and Five Classics would be too boring, which would make Wu Xie lose his innocence.But when entrusted by others, you must do your best.If it was really according to what he wanted, he didn't want him to live such a dull life.

On the second day, he brought Wu Xie a copy of "Supplementary Notes to the Classic of Mountains and Seas" by Bo Nanshanren, and showed him page by page.The human-faced bird was originally called 颙, the vertical-eyed dragon was Zhuyin, and the leopard-tailed villain was actually the Queen Mother of the West.Wu Xie looked at the pictures in the book, but felt that the paintings were hideous, far less beautiful than the ones Anu gave him, so they became closer to Anu.

When Master Wang was young, he traveled all over the world and gained great insight. Anu was brought back from the extreme north when he was still in his infancy.Wu Xie has nothing to do when he has nothing to do, and always likes to sit in front of him and listen to him talk about ancient times.But Master Wang is very busy, that is, he can sit down and say a few words when eating.Wu Xie always rushed to order his meal.

Master Wang is very particular about his meals. He only eats the freshest bud tips in his dishes, and he serves them immediately after boiling water.There must be a plate of green sprouts, a handful of Chaotian peppers, and a bowl of wine on the table every day.As for Anu, he only ate pasta, a huge sea bowl filled with good white noodles, any toppings are fine.The two of them also ate in full swing and sweated profusely.Wu Xie didn't know what kind of way this was. He had tasted Master Wang's wine once, and his throat was extremely hot. After taking a sip, he felt a line burning from his stomach to his throat.The Chaotian pepper is naturally hotter, and it doesn't matter how much water you drink.Anu laughed beside him.

When the weather was getting hotter, the old man came to the garden.

The pond has been dug halfway, and the newly planted flowers and trees have not yet sprouted, and the pavilions and waterside pavilions have taken shape, with white stubbles shining.A flock of wild ducks swam along the river and took up residence in the new pond, which seemed to be alive.

Tired of walking, the old man sat in the pavilion to rest.Master Wang brought a picture of the garden and spread it out for the old man to look at carefully.After watching for a while, the old man raised his head and asked, "Why don't you see the white crane?"

The old man still has a childlike temperament, and everyone laughed when he asked a question.Everyone knew it was an old man's joke, but Wu Xie took it seriously, leaned over and said, "Grandpa, Li Qiao once wrote a poem about cranes, 'flying ten thousand miles, coming and going for thousands of years', it can be seen that cranes really want to fly high and escape the world. , Yuanchen is the meaning of the crane. If you live in our house for a long time, you will really be buried."

What he said made everyone lose face, but the old man smiled.

Wu Xie took a sneak peek at Zhang Qiling, saw that he looked good, and nodded at him, knowing that he was fine.

The old man asked Master Wang next to him: "What do you think of my grandson, master?"

Master Wang glanced at him with a smile, and said, "You are naturally talented and intelligent."

The old man was very proud, clapped his hands and laughed.

After having dinner in the garden, the old man said that Master Wang built the palace for Emperor Taizu in his ancestors, so he must have a lot of insight that ordinary people don't have, so it's better to tell a few anecdotes to listen to.

Master Wang twisted his beard, took a sip of tea calmly, put down the teacup, looked around the crowd, and then said: "It's not about knowledge, it's just listening to the old people at home. I don't know if the old man wants to hear it." What?"

Before the old man said anything, Wu Xie couldn't sit still. One was that he was familiar with Master Wang, and the other was that his grandfather really spoiled him, so he rushed to ask: "The Taizu decided to make his capital in Yingtianfu, why did Chengzu move his capital to Beijing?" ?”

Zhang Qiling yelled "Wu Xie!" in a hurry, only to remember that the old man and the second master were still in the hall, so naturally it was not his turn to speak.Wu Xie turned to look at him, and secretly stuck out her tongue.

Master Wang smiled and said: "It's okay, it's okay, the young master is straightforward, and the old man also likes it very much." The old man also laughed, and the second uncle pointed him hard.Seeing this, Wu Xie simply hid behind the old man, rubbing his shoulders and back.

Master Wang said: "Everyone knows, what have you looked at when building a capital since ancient times? Naturally, it is to look at the dragon's veins. The land where the dragon prospers can be used to build a capital. Let's not talk about it for a long time. Let's say that during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Jiankang was the former capital of the Six Dynasties, and Jiangnan The world is rich, but the capital of the emperor is still in Chang'an, why?"

No one answered, only Zhang Qiling said: "Since ancient times, the virtuous monarchs have always been guarded by the emperor, but Jiangnan is half of the country. It is very disadvantageous for the emperor who wants to unite the world."

The second master also nodded: "Since ancient times, the Southern Dynasties have mostly lived in exiles, and they can't become a big climate."

Master Wang said: "These are naturally reasonable, but what we craftsmen see is the aura of the emperor. The shape of Chang'an City in Tang Dynasty is like the six lines of the Qian Gua. The imperial palace is the Ziwei Palace in the sky, which is considered to be in the sky. The city wall is like the north for the stars. This is the land of the dragon veins. A lot of stone and wood will be used for any construction, and where will they be obtained? I heard from the old man that when the Sui built the imperial palace, almost half of the huge Qinling Mountains were cut down. Tree. At that time, the wood that was listed by the government at that time had to be nailed into the body of the tree with a number engraved on it, and private individuals were not allowed to cut it down. I don’t know how many years that giant tree has grown. My ancestors were lucky enough to see one. The quality is like iron, the texture is fine, and it can almost be cast into a tripod. Think about it, what kind of emperor would it take to use such a god?"

Everyone was silent, Master Wang took a sip of tea, then lowered his voice, and said: "At the beginning, the Taizu intended his capital to be Linhao. Fengyang was originally the hometown of an emperor, and it was located in the Jianghuai River, but Fengyang is barren and the people are miserable. Afterwards, Yingtianfu was established as the capital, but Yingtian has a reputation of being 'safe and short-lived'." Having said this, his voice became softer, "Now it seems that the Taizu's capital city corresponding to Tianfu was not good at all. If you are satisfied, think about the change of Jing Nan, isn't it a proof."

The old man pondered for a long while, then nodded and said: "In this way, Yingtian Mansion really lacks royal aura. Since the capital was moved to the north during the Yongle period, the weather has really been favorable, and the country is prosperous and the people are safe."

The second master also said: "Three provinces wrote letters, talking about Beijing, there are many winds and sands, the scenery is very different from that in the south of the Yangtze River, and the folk customs are also strong. But Beijing is well transported by sea, surrounded by mountains and mountains, dense forests and dangerous land. It is indeed a treasure land. , carry Xingwang."

After listening to it, everyone sighed.

At night, Wu Xie walked into Zhang Qiling's room with a hand stove in his arms.

Zhang Qiling laughed as soon as he saw him, and asked him: "It's been a few months, why do you need a hand stove?"

Wu Xie stood in front of the desk and watched him write, and only after a long time said: "How about I sleep here tonight?"

"Why?"

Wu Xie tilted her head: "Talk to you," and then showed him the stove, "I roasted some water chestnuts for you."

Said it was baked for him, but he just ate one.Wu Xie sat on his bed in his middle coat, insisting on covering the quilt, rubbing his black hands after peeling the water chestnut skin, and his mouth was also black.He really couldn't read it, so he didn't look at him at all, took the book and leaned against the bed, but actually didn't read a few pages.

"What do you think about what Master Wang said today?" Wu Xie finally remembered the reason why he came here, and asked him inarticulately with his mouth full.

"No idea," he replied.

Wu Xie stood up, leaned over and asked him, "What do you mean you have no idea? Do you think what he said is wrong?"

He was concerned about Wu Xie's black hands, and almost hid his face outside the tent: "Rather than saying that the dragon veins bless you, it is better to say that the monarch is wise. Cheng Zu came from Beijing to start the emperor's career, and he has literary talent and military strategy. Naturally, the world is peaceful. Not everyone They are all like the ancestors. Let’s not talk about it far away. Let’s say that in the 29th year of Jiajing, the Tatar tribe went straight to Gubeikou, killing countless people, and there was no one in the civil and military of the Manchu Dynasty. The imperial career has nothing to do with dragon energy."

After listening, Wu Xie thought about it, nodded solemnly, and after a while, Youyou seemed to be worried and told him in turn: "You must never tell outsiders this."

He looked at his cat-like face, pretending to be an adult and talking seriously, his heart twitched and wanted to laugh, and finally coughed a few times.

Yuanzi was built for three years, and Wu Xie was 16 years old.

During the day, there are always more people in the garden.The labor is naturally busy. Ponds have been dug, strange stones have been stacked, flowers and trees have been planted everywhere, pavilions and pavilions are almost completed, and the smell of new paint is everywhere.Master Wang is naturally busy, the interspersed layout of the pavilions, the decoration of flowers and plants, naturally he has to take care of it.Anu is also naturally busy, the carved doors and windows, screens, and even the furniture in the house must be arranged one by one.Wu Xie must also be busy, but just busy with nothing.Master Wang had to hand over all the wild ducks in the pond to him to take care of.

It's just a joke to say it's looking after the ducks.After Wu Xie managed it for a few days, he was too tired to move. After resting at home for several days, Master Wang and Anu were finally clean.

In recent years, no one has come to the garden as often as he does. He has already familiarized himself with every plant and tree in the garden, and the whole garden map seems to be laid out in his heart.It's like looking at a painting of landscapes, it looks like fine brushwork during the day, and freehand brushwork at night.First start with ink, outline in detail, and then accumulate colors layer by layer, dense and scattered, with appropriate shades.Or dense and light, or light and thick, China Resources is changeable and full of artistic conception.However, there is no one to complain about the wonderful thoughts that flashed in the garden, and the various insights accumulated bit by bit.So every day I look forward to Zhang Qiling's return.

Zhang Qiling just came back from receiving the goods.This time I went there for half a year, the road was difficult to walk, and it was snowing when I came back, it took a lot of work to get home.Wu Xie waited desperately, and finally waited for him to come back, even before the next day, he was going to take him to the garden that night.

Zhang Qiling looked at the person in front of him, he was a bit taller than when he left, and he was about to catch up with him.His brows became more stable, and he also had his own ideas, which surprised him a little.The person he had always regarded as a child had grown up quietly.

The moon was excellent, and it was snowing again, and it didn't feel dark.Going out to cross the bridge, there are only the two of them around.Wu Xie held a lantern in his hand, illuminating the path under his feet.The snow on the road has not been swept, and it creaks when you step on it.

The water was sparkling.A thin layer of snow has accumulated on all the cornices, reflecting the moonlight under the night.Although it is winter, the air is cold, but there is a subtle fragrance floating in it, I don't know what the fragrance of flowers is.Thinking of the new plum trees planted in the east of the garden, maybe the white plums are in bloom.

The dead branches in the road were crushed by Wu Xie. With a crisp "pop", a bird flew out of the grass with a slender neck, and it was impossible to see what it was in the dark.Both were startled, watching the bird fly into the night.

Zhang Qiling recalled Wu Xie's joke back then, and couldn't help teasing him: "How? Why are there no white cranes in this garden?"

Both of them laughed.

Go around the lake and go east again.I saw a piece of mountains rising from the ground, which were originally piled up with rockery.There are many strange peaks, people walk inside like a maze, but when they walk out, they feel suddenly enlightened.There is a vast expanse in front of it. It was originally planted with various flowers and trees, spreading all the way to the riverside. Although it is still chilling now, one can imagine what kind of grand scene it will be when the flowers bloom in the warm spring next year.

Next to the flower garden is a bamboo forest. This bamboo forest originally grew here before the garden was built. Now it has become very well formed, but there is a narrow path in the middle. The bamboo leaves are gathered above the head, and the moonlight does not shine in the slightest.Now the branches are bent by the heavy snow, and they are even more forested.Wu Xie didn't want to go in, and walked around from the side.

Seeing that it was getting late, Zhang Qiling said he wanted to go back.

Wu Xie answered, but instead of going back the same way, she led him around from the other side of the garden.Passing by the lake, I saw a small building built on the bank on this side, with three big characters written on the plaque - White Crane Tower.

The White Crane Tower is built next to the water, with a small shape and high cornices. Now it is covered with a layer of snow, it really looks like a white crane flapping its wings to fly.Copper bells hang from the corners of the eaves, and they ring when the wind passes by, spreading far and wide in the silence.

Wu Xie said to him, "The white crane you want is not here."

He looked at his face, and suddenly there was an inexplicable emotion in his heart, and he panicked for no reason.Fish dive into the abyss, or lie in Zhu.At this moment, it seemed as if there were only the two of them left in this world.

At that moment, he almost blurted out, asking his heart.

However, nothing was said in the end.

In the garden of Lebi, there are sandalwood trees, and the valley below it.

Snow started to fall again.