flstandardbreds Chapter 150 Yinzhen's Music, Chess, Calligraphy and Painting
Chapter 150 Yinzhen's Music, Chess, Calligraphy and Painting
After saying that, Lin Ke searched for a picture and joked, "This cultural relic in the Palace Museum is called the Birch Bark Bow with Grape Pattern, which was used by Emperor Yongzheng."
"Please note here! Next to this bow, there is a line of small print: Emperor Sejong's Grape-Patterned Bow, 4.5 liters."
The Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty
When Emperor Yongzheng in another timeline saw this picture, he immediately felt uneasy!
Where did you find this thing?!
If I had known, I should have destroyed it! Otherwise, how could the people of Wanchao laugh at me now!
……
"The so-called 'four and a half strengths' indicates how much force we need to draw the bow. Generally speaking, the higher the number, the stronger you are."
According to the "Qing Palace Military Equipment", each unit of strength is approximately nine catties and fourteen taels.
"You might not have a good idea of what I mean, so let me give you an example: Emperor Kangxi, who was full of martial virtue, used a birch bark bow that reached eleven strengths."
"Moreover, the minimum requirement for the military examination in the Qing Dynasty was five strengths, and even the granddaughter of Emperor Yongzheng and the tenth princess of Emperor Qianlong were able to reach ten strengths!"
"So you all should have a good understanding of the fourth brother's skill level, right? But now I finally understand why the fourth brother, apart from going to the Mulan Hunting Grounds a few times with our father, spends most of his time at home. But if it were me, with my brothers all fighting tooth and nail, and me not being good at riding and archery, I wouldn't really want to go to the Mulan Hunting Grounds either!"
"After all, as someone who is severely unbalanced in their studies, going to someone else's area of expertise is just using my weaknesses to highlight their strengths!"
"Besides disliking riding and archery, he also had nearsightedness. Nearsightedness means seeing things blurry. Judging from the way the princes read books during the Kangxi era, I guess the fourth prince developed this problem when he was young and read so much that he forgot to eat and sleep."
"According to records, Emperor Kangxi's eyesight was also poor when he was old. He was fortunate to receive a pair of glasses from the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi. He later thought they were good and gave them to Yinzhen, who also had poor eyesight."
"During the Qing Dynasty, eyeglass lenses were mainly made of crystal, quartz, topaz, or amethyst. According to incomplete historical records, from the first year of Yongzheng's reign to the seventh year of his reign, the fourth prince ordered the manufacture of about 35 pairs of eyeglasses."
"So tell me, even if someone with poor eyesight is skilled in horsemanship and archery, how can they possibly enjoy hunting if they can't see their prey clearly?!"
An official from the Song Dynasty: Can these glasses be put on the shelves? I want them! I'm so nearsighted, it's driving me crazy!
Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty: There's no need to explain so clearly! I have no dignity!
Judy, the Great General Who Conquers the North: Pfft! Four and a half strength?! That's a failing grade! Hahahaha
Big Liu Zhuzhu (laughing so hard he's rolling on the floor): Really?! He's not even as good as his granddaughter! Hahahaha, I'm dying of laughter!
……
"However, there's a saying that everyone has their own expertise. Although Emperor Yongzheng wasn't good at riding and archery, he was quite accomplished in the arts!"
“For example, in singing and playing instruments, among all of Kangxi’s sons, the ones with the best skills are the third son, Yinzhi, and the sixteenth son, Yinlu, and of course, our fourth son as well.”
Twelfth Brother: Isn't the yin music nice to listen to?
"For example, in the fifty-second year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, the emperor ordered his third son, Yinzhi, to lead the ministers in compiling a book called 'Imperial Edition of Musical Pitch and Pitch Correctness,' and the main content of this book was about music."
"But when it came to compiling the music, he suddenly didn't know where to start, since he wasn't a professional. So Kangxi went to consult a professional expert named Zhu Simei."
"However, Zhu Simei is already over eighty years old and it is impossible for her to enter the palace, so Kangxi could only send someone to inquire."
"His exact words were: ...How many keys are there in the pipa? How does each key begin? ...If you don't understand, have the Fourth Prince ask and write it down!"
"As for things like rhythm and melody, if you haven't studied them in depth, you definitely won't understand if you just ask a professional expert like Zhu Simei based on your own hobby!"
"This also shows that the fourth prince was knowledgeable in music in Kangxi's mind. At least, only someone like him could complete the tasks assigned by Kangxi."
Emperor Yongzheng: No one understands music better than me!
A romantic and talented scholar from the Song Dynasty: You need to know a bit about this to do this job!
A spoiled young master from the Tang Dynasty: This old man is over eighty years old, but his mind is still sharp!
"Moreover, the fourth brother also loves to write poetry, and the imagery he evokes is indeed quite beautiful. For example: 'On an autumn night, cranes cry out among the clouds; an ancient melody plays on the zither beneath the pines.' (An Occasional Poem)"
However, I'm curious whether Emperor Qianlong inherited Emperor Yongzheng's love of poetry; it's said he wrote nearly 40,000 poems in his lifetime.
Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty: Seizing the Young Master!?
Lin Ke cleared her throat and then said:
"Among them, the most famous is 'Flying Snow': ...two flakes, three flakes, four or five flakes. Six flakes, seven flakes, eight or nine flakes, flying into the reeds and disappearing."
People in Wanchaozhong: ? ? ?
A young man from a prominent family in the Ming Dynasty: Pfft! This is called poetry? Hahahaha!
The optimist Su Dongpo: No wonder he could write nearly 40,000 poems! If he were the Poet Immortal, we would be far behind! Hahahaha!
Li Bai, the pinnacle of Chinese poetry: Hahahaha! How can his poems be so different from those of his father, Emperor Yongzheng!
Emperor Kangxi/Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty: Damn it, my toes are digging into the ground! How embarrassing!
Lin Ke also saw the comments in the live stream and found them amusing. She then continued, "Personally, I feel that Yongzheng's poetry skills far surpassed those of his son."
Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty: First of all, I haven't provoked any of you!
……
"What we've talked about so far is the fourth brother's music and poetry. Now let's talk about his chess skills and calligraphy."
"For example, in the fifth year of Yongzheng's reign, an envoy from a foreign country presented him with a pair of spittoons carved from ivory and inlaid with gold and bronze. But Yongzheng felt that it was a waste of talent, so he ordered that the pair of spittoons be remade into Go sets."
"This shows that, regardless of his chess skills, he is quite interested in playing chess."
Liu Qi, the Great Chess Master of the Han Dynasty: Are you better than me?!
"As for his calligraphy, it was also very good. It is said that he was often praised by Emperor Kangxi, who would often inscribe words on his fans to give to his officials."
"So it can be seen that he admires the Han people's arts of playing the zither, chess, calligraphy and painting, and dislikes activities like riding and archery. However, I don't know if it's because he stays at home too much, so his health is not very good."
"You should know that a lack of exercise over a long period of time will weaken your body's resistance, and a weak resistance makes you more susceptible to illness, so it's better to exercise more!"
Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty: Go and train! @Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty!
A young master from a prominent family in the Song Dynasty: Using a spittoon as a Go board feels rather strange!
A spoiled young master from the Tang Dynasty: But this is outrageous enough. Why send a spittoon of all things!
……