Chapter 517: The True Artifact of Master Sima Yi! A Real Recluse! (2)
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Having shared a set of information that seemed almost copied from the interne Ot, Luo Feng continued, “You guys claimed that calligraphers emerged only during the Jin Dynasty, but that is incorrect. The first famous calligrapher goes back to Li Si who belonged to the Qin Dynasty. I’m sure you understand that his calligraphy was excellent; the eight characters on the Imperial Seal were his work: ‘Having received the mandate from heaven, may the Emperor lead a long and prosperous life.’ There were also numerous calligraphers during the Cao Wei period, and Sima Yi himself was one of the foremost. I wonder if this tomb contains any of Sima Yi’s works as grave goods!” “Sima Yi was a calligrapher, too? Incredible! ”
“I’ve heard of it, but I’ve never seen it!”
“After all, in that era, most writing was done on bamboo slips. Very little paper has survived!”
In other Dlaces. this might have been true.
But in a tomb of Sima Yi’s caliber, a large number of calligraphy works would undoubtedly have been preserved.
While paper might have been costly for commoners of the past, for a person like Sima Yi, it was no issue at all.
After all, he was the one in power during the latter part of the Cao Wei period, and even prior to that, he belonged to the ruling class.
How could he not afford paper?
After storing away the precious and invaluable ‘Three Final Directives’, Luo Feng continued to move forward.
At a glance.
The remaining stone tables were all laden with scrolls.
Each table held one.
Picking one up, Luo Feng started reading. It appeared to be a record of events, accompanied by many exclamations. Upon reaching the signature at the end.
Luo Feng’s eyes widened.
Was it Kongming?
“Why is it that ancient characters are so pleasing to the eye? They are so refreshing!”
“Did the old thief Sima write this?”
“I saw the signature. It seems like it was written by Kongming, not Sima Yi!”
“Holy cow, how can it be possible? Written by Kongming? Found in Sima Yi’s tomb? If the signature is indeed Kongming’s, it’s not a copy, but an original work!”
“Is it really Kongming? Are you saying Sima Yi stole Kongming’s original work?”
“Indeed, Kongming’s original work would not be given to Sima Yi, right? They were enemies!”
“Darn it, another original of Zhuge Liang surfaced, this thing must be worth a fortune!”
“Jealousy makes me look devastated!”
Upon closer inspection, Luo Feng laughed and said, “This Kongming is not the
Kongming you think he is. To put it more elegantly, this Kongming is not that
Kongming you all know of!”
“What do you mean, Old Luo?”
“I can recognize the characters ‘Kongming,’ even though they’re written in clerical script.”
“Yeah, they’re clearly the characters for ‘Kongming’ in clerical script!”
Luo Feng said, “I have seen Zhuge Liang’s calligraphy. This is definitely not written by the same person!”
Different people, even in ancient times, have distinctive handwriting.
Modern people have their own handwriting, as did the ancients.
Especially in the realm of calligraphy.
Many people’s handwriting becomes a trend.
Everyone tries to imitate it.
For example, in the Song Dynasty, the handwriting of Cai Taishi became a style known as Cai style.
Luo Feng spoke, “During the era of the Three Kingdoms, there were two individuals known as Kongming. One was Zhuge Liang, and the other was called Hu Zhao!”
“He was also known as Kongming, but he was a true hermit. Even Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, both sought him out, desiring him to leave his seclusion, but they were all turned down!”
“Wait, it was Hu Zhao?”
“Who is this person? Why does everyone seem so excited?”
“This man was truly formidable. I can nnly gay that this man was indeed
formidable!”
“Enough said, I know who this man is!”
“Quick, tell us, I’m getting curious. It’s alright that Yuan Shao was rejected, but even Cao Cao who had been refused, this man really seems to be formidable!”
“Hahaha, who else could this man be but Sima Yi’s teacher?”
“I remember now, I almost forgot! Indeed, he was Sima Yi’s teacher!”
“Is there any chance that this was written by Zhuge Liang?”
Luo Feng said, “It’s not possible. The content of this scroll was written casually, discussing mundane life events. Moreover, he was Sima Yi’s teacher, it’s logical for his work to have ended up in Sima Yi’s hands. How could it possibly be a true work of Zhuge Liang’s? Also, I have mentioned, the handwriting is different!”
The authentic calligraphy of Hu Zhao.
Almost none have survived to this day.
Only stone tablets.
However, stone tablets could easily distort the truth, they lack the authenticity of paper, preventing people from truly experiencing the powerful meaning within his works.
Hu Zhao’s reputation in the world of calligraphy, while not as renowned as those of later generations, he could still be considered a grandmaster of his time.
Luo Feng did not look for long, and he soon turned his gaze to another stone platform.
Again, there was a scroll.
And it was also in regular script.
Speaking of calligraphy, the Jin Dynasty was indispensable, and so was the period of the Three Kingdoms.
Calligraphers of the Three Kingdoms era all shared one characteristic, they were all experts in multiple forms, every calligrapher was proficient in clerical script, seal script, cursive script and more. Such productive ability was indeed formidable, unlike in later periods, where each calligrapher mastered only one or two forms.
Upon further thought, this was the early period of calligraphy.
Since paper had not yet emerged and been popularized, there were not many masters.
This allowed them to become famous simply by writing.
But once paper appeared, anyone with a bit of wealth could write, and with so many masters around, it became impossible to be universally proficient and famous.
Take gaming for instance, in the early stages, there were not many professional players, those who were merely slightly better could become gods, become champions.
But later, as the number of professional players grew, those selected from high schools, they began to fall behind. “This script, why does it seem so familiar?”
While viewing this work,
Luo Feng quickly recalled.
He discovered that the content seemed familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before, giving him a feeling of déj? vu.
“Is this the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion?”
This calligraphy was very similar to the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion that Luo
Feng had seen before.
It was almost as if they came from the same source.
If this were not Sima Yi’s tomb, he would have suspected it to be a genuine piece by Wang Xizhi.
After all, no matter what, Sima Yi was from the Cao Wei period, there could not possibly be works from later generations.
“Yuan Chang?”
“It’s Yuan Chang’s signature?” “This is quite famous, isn’t it!”
“Do you all want to know what work it is?”
Upon seeing the signature, Luo Feng knew what the work was.
Follow current nov𝒆ls on freew(𝒆)bnov𝒆l.(c)om