The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Chapter 310

After Zhou Chu and Lu Bing hosted the opening ceremony, they left not long afterward. Given their status, the young people present would not have felt comfortable with either of them being there.

After the two left, all the noble ladies present were greatly disappointed, but they also knew that given their status, they couldn't stay there forever.

The young men breathed a sigh of relief. Even though Zhou Chu and Lu Bing tried to suppress their aura, their status was undeniable. Even just standing there, they felt immense pressure.

Moreover, Zhou Chu was their peer, and Lu Bing was only a few years older than them and unmarried. If the two of them were always present, how could those noble ladies tolerate them?

However, before Zhou Chu left, he specially wrote two copies of Tang Bohu's poem "Drinking Wine Under the Flowers," and had one of each hung on either side.

Zhou Chu had practiced calligraphy for many years, especially during the year or so he studied with Wen Zhengming. He was able to apply his knowledge to other subjects and had a solid foundation. After that, he learned the techniques of other people and made rapid progress.

This is the fundamental reason why many great calligraphers studied under more than one teacher.

Once you have a solid foundation in calligraphy, different techniques can give you a sudden burst of inspiration, making you understand just how amazing the calligraphy of people like Wang Xizhi truly was.

"Lord Zhou's calligraphy already possesses the grandeur of a master; I am far inferior to him."

Looking at the poems written by Zhou Chu, Wu Cheng'en couldn't help but sigh.

Although Wu Cheng'en was a renowned scholar, his main focus of study was not calligraphy and painting, but rather literature, and even more so, storybooks.

Wu Cheng'en has also written a lot of storybooks in the past two years. This is one of his hobbies. His storybooks are all very serious, so he did not use a pen name.

His great-grandfather, Ye Qi, mentioned his efforts in writing storybooks twice, but since they were several generations apart, and Ye Qi was very fond of him, his tone was not harsh when he spoke.

Moreover, this is the current trend; many people write storybooks, the only difference being whether they are serious or not.

Qin Wan, for example, wrote some rather unconventional stories, which is why she dared not let her parents know her pen name.

"Ruzhong, is Lord Zhou's calligraphy even inferior to yours?"

A boy standing nearby looked on in disbelief.

His talent was average, and he had little knowledge of calligraphy. Although he could tell that Zhou Chu's calligraphy was very good, he did not have a clear understanding of just how good it was.

"Not even close."

Wu Cheng'en shook his head with a wry smile.

"Since Lord Zhou began studying calligraphy on his own, he has followed renowned teachers like Tang Jieyuan. Two years ago, he even became a student of a calligraphy master like Wen Zhengming. Regardless of the amount of effort he has put in, the difference between having a renowned teacher and not having one in calligraphy is enormous. Moreover, my research on calligraphy is quite superficial."

Wu Cheng'en added.

Although his teacher was also a famous scholar, there are great differences between famous scholars. For example, Tang Bohu and Wen Zhengming were unmatched in their time when it came to calligraphy and painting.

Upon hearing this, everyone suddenly realized the truth and couldn't help but envy Zhou Chu for being able to study under renowned masters like Tang Bohu and Wen Zhengming.

However, on second thought, they felt that Tang Bohu and Wen Zhengming were lucky enough to have taken Lord Zhou as their disciple when he was still a nobody.

Now, with Zhou Chu's status rising, Tang Bohu's reputation has climbed to a new height in the capital and even throughout the Ming Dynasty, and the value of Tang Bohu's paintings has skyrocketed, making them extremely difficult to obtain.

The noble ladies, on the other hand, all wished they could stick their calligraphy on Zhou Chu's work. Some of them, who were knowledgeable about calligraphy, were completely mesmerized by it.

"Lord Zhou is truly a man of both literary and martial talents. His calligraphy skills are unmatched, not to mention those of our age, even those under thirty."

Looking at the poem in front of her, Qin Wan couldn't help but say something.

She is knowledgeable in calligraphy. Her father forced her to learn calligraphy from a young age. Although it was hard work, she has developed quite good handwriting.

Qin Wan was originally quite proud of her calligraphy, but upon seeing Zhou Chu's writing, that pride vanished instantly.

It was only then that she realized just how big the gap was between herself and Zhou Chu, who was the same age as her.

She had only heard about Zhou Chu's experiences before, and didn't feel much about it. But now, seeing Zhou Chu's handwriting, she realized that the gap between herself and this Lord Zhou was far greater than she had imagined.

This is just in calligraphy; Zhou Chu far surpasses her, not to mention in other aspects.

How could there be such a terrifying man in this world?

Qin Wan originally thought she knew Zhou Chu well enough, after all, she had written many stories about him. But now she realized that she didn't seem to know this commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard at all, and how shallow her understanding of him had been before.

Zhou Chu became increasingly mysterious in Qin Wan's eyes.

"Miss, Madam requests your presence for a word."

At this moment, a maid from the Lu family walked up to Yang Ran and whispered.

Upon hearing this, Yang Ran gave Qin Wan an apologetic look.

"I'll go to my aunt's place first."

"go Go."

Qin Wan said with some envy.

She knew very well that this was probably Madam Yang taking the opportunity to create a chance for her and the second young master of the Lu family to spend time together.

Yang Ran followed the servants of the Lu family and soon arrived at Yang's side room.

"Ranran, are you cold?"

Yang took Yang Ran's hand, held it in her palm, and breathed on it to warm it.

"It's not cold, Aunt. The charcoal brazier outside is very warm."

Yang Ran blushed slightly, whether from embarrassment or from the heat of the charcoal brazier, it was hard to tell.

"That's good. Ranran, do you know why I wanted Wenxin to marry you?"

As she spoke, Madam Yang placed a piece of pastry in Yang Ran's hand.

Yang Ran took the pastry, took a bite, and her eyes lit up immediately. This was the first time she had ever eaten such a delicious pastry.

"I don't know. Logically speaking, my aunt's family is much more prestigious than mine, and Wenxin should say that hers is even better."

Yang Ran said somewhat embarrassedly.

“What’s the use of a high social standing? If we marry into a family that’s troublesome, with Wenxin’s personality, it might not be a good thing. I don’t want any unrest in the household. We are both members of the Yang family. Once you’re married, it would be so nice for us to be together all the time.”

Yang smiled.

Yang Ran's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this.

"Don't worry, Aunt, I will definitely take good care of you in the future."

"What do you mean by filial piety? What I value is your virtue. As the saying goes, a good wife is a virtuous one. With you by my side, Wenxin will not go astray in the future."

Yang spoke earnestly and patiently.

"Go and call Wenxin over."

Madam Yang turned to the maid beside her and said.

"Yes, ma'am."

After the maid left, Madam Yang helped Yang Ran tidy her sideburns.

"It's been a while since you two have seen each other. Take advantage of this poetry gathering to have a good chat. This poetry gathering was originally organized for the two of you."

Upon hearing this, Yang Ran felt as sweet as if she had drunk honey.

At this moment, Zhou Chu and Lu Bing were summoned into the palace by Huang Jin, who had rushed over.

"What's your majesty's order?"

Upon arriving at the Imperial Study, Zhou Chu and Lu Bing bowed in greeting.

"Hengqi, your previous concerns were correct; the Mongols have indeed attacked Datong."

Jiajing said.