How did Su Dongpo solve the dispute of owing money?

In the Ming Dynasty, Wen Zhiming's Imitation of the Red Cliff in Zhao Bosu depicts Su Shi's visit to the Red Cliff with his friends. Silk replicas are kept in the National Palace Museum in Taipei.

Su Shi, Zi Zhan, Dongpo layman, a literary leader after Ouyang Xiu in the Northern Song Dynasty. Poetry, ci, books and paintings are almost all proficient, and they are all-round masters of Chinese studies. In addition to his artistic achievements, he can skillfully use his wisdom to solve problems for the people. This story happened during his official career in Hangzhou. ...

At the age of 37, Su Shi was appointed as the provincial judge of Hangzhou by the court. One day, he gave a banquet at home to entertain his poetry friends. It was early autumn and chrysanthemums were in full bloom. While he was struggling with his friend's poem, he suddenly heard something in front of my office. It turned out that someone was beating drums and complaining.

Su Dongpo had to put on his official uniform at once for a trial. It turned out that the complainant was a local businessman. He sued his neighbor Zhang Er, saying that he still wanted to default on his debts.

Su Dongpo said: Don't worry, tell me the case and I'll make a decision for you.

The businessman said, I want to sue Zhang Er for not paying back the money I owe. Earned 300 yuan through hard work. A few months ago, I lent it to Zhang Er, the capital of folding fans. We are friendly neighbors and agreed not to pay interest. I just hope he can pay me back in the summer and beyond. Now the family wants to marry a daughter-in-law, and they need money badly! But he just won't pay me back.

Su Dongpo turned to ask Zhang Er: Do you really owe money to your neighbors?

At this moment, Zhang Er said sadly: Yes, my Lord, our family has been making fans for generations. It happened that my father died this year, and I needed money badly. I also wanted to make fans in time, so I borrowed 300 yuan from my friends, bought materials and made many folding fans. I didn't expect it to be rainy and cold this year. On the solstice after summer, everyone is still wearing robes! So no one came to buy a fan. The finished fan has been kept in the box and has become moldy. I can't seem to sell it. It's raining again these days, and it seems that no one wants it. I really can't afford to pay back the money! Say that finish, tears welled up.

Su Dongpo thinks that Zhang Er's words are reasonable and understandable, but it is natural to pay back debts, but Zhang Er is difficult to do business and has no money to pay off debts. ...

Su Dongpo pondered for a moment and said, I'll settle the case now: Zhang Er, you lent 300 yuan to your fans and haven't sold it yet. Even if you pay it back, you can give it all to your neighbors.

Cui Zizhong painted "Su Shi's Belt Map" in Ming Dynasty (partial), collected in the National Palace Museum in Taipei.

Hearing this, the businessman cried out in grievance: Master! Then my 300 yuan is equal to never coming back! This moldy fan is worthless! I hope your honor will decide to let him pay back the money. I don't want his moldy fan.

At this time, people who listened to the trial and watched the excitement outside the court also talked about it: Su Dongpo, a great scholar, is world-famous. How can he make a final decision like this? !

Then Su Dongpo said, Zhang Er, go home quickly and bring all the moldy fans. Zhang Er immediately went home and got 30 moldy fans, and then Su Dongpo opened them one by one on the table, and sent messengers to start grinding ink for painting.

I saw Su Dongpo's wonderful pen! He painted moldy landscapes, small flowers and trees, and wrote poems on the side. In less than half a day, he finished painting all 30 fans.

Shi's "Xiaoxiang Bamboo Stone Map" was once kept in China Art Museum for a short time. Su Dongpo pointed to the finished fan and said to Zhang Erdao: Go to the street and sell it at once. Just say that Su Dongpo painted the fan and see how it sells.

Zhang Erman gratefully accepted these fans. He knew that at least one fan could be sold for 1000 yuan, so he immediately took the fan to the street to sell it. Sure enough, when people heard that this was Su Dongpo's Mo Bao, they competed with each other. Only half an hour later, these thirty fans were snapped up by the public.

After that, Su Dongpo ordered Zhang Erxian to pay back the money owed to his neighbors with interest, and then gave the rest of the money to Zhang Erxian as capital to continue his business. In this way, a difficult case was easily settled by Su Dongpo.

The story of Dongpo's painting fan closing case soon spread all over the streets of Hang Cheng. It turns out that there are only two kinds of paper fans in Hangzhou, black and white. Since Dongpo painted fans, people began to learn, some painted flowers and birds, some painted figures, and some painted landscapes. This is not only cool, but also enjoyable and very popular. Su Dongpo's actions in those years created the atmosphere of calligraphy and painting on the fan in Hangzhou, which has been circulating since the Northern Song Dynasty.

-according to the northern song dynasty? Notebook novel The Story of Chun Zhu