Overnight fame known throughout the land

  The pavilion named "Bilang" is located in the back garden of Ou Fu. The back garden is not large, nor does it have a pond, but there are dozens of willow trees planted around the pavilion. When the trees are full of green leaves and the gentle breeze blows, it's like ripples on a blue wave.

  It's still early spring, the willow branches haven't yet turned green, a few stalks of bamboo are reflected in the window, swaying gently in the breeze, as if infected by the joyful laughter from inside.

  Upon learning that Chen Kui and his friends had arrived, Ouyang Xiu announced that he would be closing the door to visitors for the day and set up a welcoming feast for them in the Bi Lang Pavilion.

  Xuan is a Tang-style, without seats or chairs, wooden floor, covered with rush mats, set up several tables and chairs, people sit on the mat in a circle.

  At that time, Ouyang Xiu sat alone at the top, smiling and looking at a house full of younger generations. Except for Chen Ke's brothers, his sons, and his favorite disciple Zeng Gong, there was also "Zi Gu Xiong" who might be added now... In terms of learning, Chen Ke and Zeng Gong were very similar, both closely paying attention to reality, with a strict and meticulous writing style, not flashy or empty, down-to-earth, emphasizing practicality. This is the essence of Ouyang Xiu's advocacy for the dynamic use of ancient prose.

  However, the two men were different. Zeng Gong's articles were purely Confucian in style and would never go beyond the bounds of what the sages said. Chen Ke's articles, on the other hand, did not believe in authority and only talked about facts, using rigorous reasoning to prove right from wrong. When it came to mutually contradictory and obviously erroneous "words of the sages", they were always criticized mercilessly.

  Ouyang Xiu loved the former's purity and dignity, as well as the latter's boldness and refreshing spirit that dispelled the stale air of the past. He found it difficult to decide which one to prioritize. Fortunately, he had a clever way out: "Both are fine, let him go either way."

  After hearing Chen Ke's experience outside, Ouyang Xiu chuckled and said: "If they knew you were the author of 'Dictionary', there would be no such trouble."

  "When it comes to 'Dictionary'", Chen Ke said with some trepidation: "It's been nearly a year since its release in the capital, but I don't know how effective it is."

  "...just ask the monk and you'll know", Ouyang Xiu had four sons, the eldest was Bohao, 17 years old, and the youngest was Jimo, nicknamed "monk" who is only 8 years old this year.

  "In response to Father and Master Chen's words," Little Monk stood up and said in a soft voice, "In our school, we no longer use rhyming books, but instead use 'Dictionary' to teach."

  "So soon?" Chen Ke didn't dare to believe it, he had thought that spreading it in over a decade was already quite good.

  "Of course, you don't even look at who is promoting it." Ouyang Xiu stroked his beard and smiled: "The official himself wrote the preface, and I, an old man, wrote the postscript. With this beginning and end, who dares not to learn?! He burst out laughing and said: "It's just a joke, but the key is still this 'Dictionary'. It really has the magical power of cutting complexity, simplifying difficulty, achieving immediate results, and learning quickly. After mastering the 'Phonetic Method' I taught, the official flipped through the 'Dictionary', praising it repeatedly. After a long time, he closed the book, let out a long sigh, and said... This is indeed the 'River Chart' and 'Luo Book' of our Great Song Dynasty!"

  Chen Ke's unrefined big mouth, this evaluation is too much... The "Book of Changes" says "The Yellow River produces the diagram, the Luo River produces the book, and the sage follows them." This is leaning on the auspiciousness of this dictionary.

  "So the official was delighted to write a preface, and his evaluation of 'This is the prosperity of the country's literature and education, and it will surely help the country's literature and education flourish, surpassing the past eight dynasties and preceding the Tang Dynasty, leading the way for thousands of years...' is not an exaggeration: this dictionary has indeed met the official's expectations."

  The Song Dynasty valued literature and education, with even the emperor himself promoting it. He used high-ranking officials, beautiful wives, and luxurious houses to entice people to read books. What other magic can compare to the phonetic notation system in helping to promote this national policy?

  The official held the dictionary in his hands, as if he saw his great Song Dynasty become a country where everyone knows books and reaches reason, a country of courtesy and music, a country of gentlemen... Ouyang Xiu saw him, laughing so hard that his teeth were showing.

  The official was eager to see what kind of person could have written such a divine book. When he heard that the author was not yet twenty years old, he exclaimed in surprise: "Could it be that heaven has sent down a literary genius to assist me?"

  Ouyang Xiu took a calm attitude towards the official's eagerness to promote Chen Kui. He advised the official that Chen Kui was still too young and it would not be good for him to be suddenly lifted up so high. It would be better to let things develop naturally, wait until the people and scholars all recognized him, and then support him when the time is right.

  The official also heard that Chen Ke was traveling around the world and would participate in the next competition, so he didn't rush to summon him. As a result, until now, "Dictionary" has been on fire in the capital, but no one knows what kind of gods Chen Ke and Su Xiao are.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  "As for your insistence on adding Su Xiaomei's name," Ouyang Xiu said with a sly smile, "there are all sorts of rumors going around. Some say you're being honest and not stealing credit from women, which is truly gentlemanly; others say that you're letting men all over the world learn from a book written by a woman, which is utterly humiliating and absurd."

  "Hey...", Chen Ke smiled indifferently: "What's it to me? The officials didn't oppose it anyway."

  "Guān jiā shì shǎo yǒu de kuān róng rén jūn", ōuyáng xiū xiào dào: "yě shì wèi shǎo yǒu de duō qíng zhī jūn, suǒ yǐ cái……" jiào zhe zhè huà bù tài hé shì, tā biàn dǎ zhu, huàn gè huà tí

  "It's all signed and sealed, nothing more to scheme about... Others will envy you, they'll always find an excuse, even if there isn't one, they'll make something out of thin air. Ignoring it is the best way." These words, coming from his mouth, were particularly moving.

  "Don't worry, teacher," Chen Ke smiled and said: "I just treat them as if they were farting when scolding me - the smelly farts; those who praise me are fragrant farts, and I won't reason with either."

  "It's easy to talk." Ouyang Xiu shook his head and said, "When the time comes, you'll know that only a sage can remain unmoved by the eight winds!" He waved his hand and said, "Forget it, forget it, let's not talk about this." As he spoke, he smiled self-deprecatingly and said, "Although I'm muddled in officialdom, on the literary scene, I can still be a shield for you against wind and rain."

  "Thank you, teacher..." Chen Ke sincerely expressed his gratitude.

  Then the master and his disciples picked some light and pleasant topics to talk about, Ouyang Xiu asked with a smile: "That Su Xiaomei, is she the one you must marry? I had to force myself to go to the Liu family's place for you?"

  "Yes." Chen Ke smiled and said: "Who else dares not to give face to the teacher?"

  "In front of the Liu family from Hedong, even royalty would feel a head shorter." Ouyang Xiu sighed and said: "What is this so-called 'literary leader' of mine worth?"

  "I heard their family is very overbearing." Song Duanping smiled and asked: "How can even the sky feel a head shorter?"

  "The Liu family of Hedong, that's a truly thousand-year-old aristocratic family." At the mention of the Liu family, Ouyang Xiu solemnly rose to show respect: "Although they didn't reach the pinnacle, for over a thousand years, they have been able to thrive without decline, and in every dynasty, they can be considered top-notch. Except for the family of Confucius, I'm afraid it's only their family."

  "Let's not mention that. Let's talk about your wife's family... Our sixth ancestor was the famous Liu Shaoshi, and our great Song Shunzu Emperor was once his subordinate." Zhao Kuangyin became emperor and posthumously honored his fifth ancestor, while his great-grandfather Zhao Ben was also posthumously revered as Shunzu Emperor. And Zhao Ben had been under Liu Gongquan's command - how could the old Zhao family not feel humiliated?

  "If the Liu family only relied on their ancestors' reputation, they would not be able to stand up for themselves." ... "After all, one cannot go around telling people that my ancestor was the leader of the Zhao family's ancestor, that is purely a case of Old Master Shou eating too much arsenic and getting fed up with living. Ouyang Xiu said: "But other families still have prosperous clans, producing talented individuals generation after generation, making you unable to help but admire them... For example, the current head of the Liu family's father is the renowned, both literary and martially accomplished, Liu Kai and Liu Zhongtu, who are also my seniors in the field of classical literature."

  As for Liu Kai's great name, Chen Ke had naturally heard of it and knew that he was a number one tyrant. Suddenly, he said with a hint of realization: "No wonder the Liu family is so arrogant, they are his descendants, no wonder, no wonder..."

  "But I'm quite curious..." Ouyang Xiu stroked his beard and smiled, "That young lady of the Su family, what kind of person is she, that you would give up on the Liu family for her?"

  "The little sister can't be seen for the time being, but her father and brother have also come to Beijing. I estimate that they will soon come to our mansion to pay their respects." Chen Ke smiled and said: "At that time, Teacher will see what kind of stunning beauty the three of them are...and their father has said more than once that if the little sister were a man, she would definitely be more promising than her two brothers."

  "Oh?" Ouyang Xiu's interest was suddenly piqued. Honestly, it's so easy to take a break at home and relax, but instead he had to spend the whole day seeing those pointless visitors and reading those nonsense articles that made no sense. The old man was about to suffocate from boredom. He had been hoping to see a few pieces of writing that would brighten his eyes, meet some interesting people, which would be a reward for his hard work: "Why not come together?"

  "They have their own plans." Song Duanping smiled and replied: "We can only come first."

  "Hmm, I remember this father and son." Ouyang Xiu nodded and instructed his eldest son: "In the future, if there are three people with the surname Su, let them in."

  "Yes." Sima Fa nodded and accepted the order.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  After lunch, Ouyang Xiu had someone change the tea and fruit, and called on his juniors to continue playing. He then gave Chen Ke a wink, got up from his seat, and went to the study to wait.

  Before long, Chen Ke knocked on the door and came in.

  Ouyang Xiu's study was very simple, except for the tens of thousands of books stored inside, there were only a few things: an incense burner, a zither, a chessboard and a bamboo couch... At this moment, Ouyang Xiu was sitting on the bamboo couch, looking at him with a deep expression.

  "Teacher, what can I do for you?"

  "I'm asking you." The relaxed and casual look on Ouyang Xiu's face was gone, replaced by a serious expression as he asked, "Do you still have any connection with that young man?"

  "Who?" Chen Keguang was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly realized: "Teacher is referring to Zhao Zongji, right?"

  "Uh-huh."

  （）