Bust of Shen Zhou.
Grandfather Shen Cheng was chosen as a talented person in Yongle period, but he didn't want to be an official. The place where he lives is called Xizhuang, and he arranges banquets to entertain guests every day. People compare him to Gu Zhongying. Uncle Shen and his father Shen Hengji are lofty and secluded. There is a bamboo house in which two brothers study. He is good at poetry and painting, and even handmaiden knows how to write. There is a man named Chen Mengxian in the town, who is the son of Dr. Chen Ji of the Five Classics. Shen Zhou studied with him when he was young and got his guidance and instruction. When Shen Zhou was eleven years old, he went to school and wrote a hundred poems dedicated to Cui Gong, the secretariat of the state. Cui Gong wrote a paper to test Shen Zhou's imitation of "Ode to the Phoenix" face to face. Shen Zhou picked up a pen and wrote at once. Cui Gong sighed and thought Shen Zhou was very strange. I grew up in Shenyang and didn't want to read any books. Writing articles to imitate Zuo Si in writing Sandu Fu, writing poems to imitate Bai Juyi, Su Shi and Lu You, and calligraphy to imitate Huang Tingjian were all loved and valued by people at that time. He is particularly good at painting, and critics think he is the first in the Ming Dynasty.
The chief recommended Shen Zhou to be an official because of his outstanding talent. According to the Book of Changes, Shen Zhou got the ninth and fifth thoughts of "escape", so he decided to live in seclusion and be isolated from the world. Where he lives, there are flowing water, bamboo, pavilions and beautiful houses. Pictures, books, incense burners and wine glasses are staggered. Celebrities from all directions come to visit him and follow him, so that there are no free days. His unique style and outstanding talent were remarkable at that time. Serving parents is very filial. After his father died, he was encouraged to be an official. He replied, "don't you know that my mother depends on me to support her?" How can I leave his knees? " He was always tired of going to town and bought a comfortable house in the outer city for a while. If anything happens, go there. In his later years, he was worried that he was not deep enough to hide. Wang Shu, the satrap, treated him with courtesy and asked him to stay in his own house. He refused on the grounds that his mother was old.
Jingjiang Farewell Map (partial)
A county magistrate recruited painters to paint the walls of his house. The villagers who were jealous of Shen Zhou reported his name, and Shen Zhou was arrested. Shen Zhou was advised to visit the princes and nobles for pardon, but Shen Zhou said: "I went to serve, which is an obligation;" But isn't it more shameful to ask me to visit those princes and nobles? "I didn't go home until I finished my service. Soon, the satrap entered the palace to see the emperor, and chose a lawsuit to ask the satrap: "Is Mr. Shen Zhou in good health?" The satrap didn't know how to answer, so he casually replied, "He's fine. "When meeting with the Cabinet, Li Dongyang asked him," Is there any letter from Mr. Shen Zhou? The satrap was even more surprised and casually replied, "There is a letter, but it hasn't arrived yet. When the satrap came out, he met assistant minister Wu Kuan and asked, "Who is Mr. Shen Zhou?" ? "Wu Kuan described Shen Zhou's appearance in detail. The satrap asked the attendants around him, only to know that this gentleman painted the wall of his house. After you come back, visit Shen Zhou's house in person, pay two respects and blame yourself for your mistakes.
Because of his mother, Shen Zhou didn't want to travel all his life. Mother died at the age of ninety-nine, and Shen Zhou lived to be eighty. Three years later, he died of illness in Zhengde for four years.