Zhu Shilu was a very active figure in the Nanjing calligraphy circle during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. Yao Lu described in "Lu Shu" the well-known figures who were active in all walks of life in Jinling at that time, saying: "Ren There are ten busy periods in Yin Jinling: Zhu Shilin is busy writing, He Xueyu is busy with books, Wei Kaoshu is busy painting, Wang Yaoqing is busy doing things on his behalf, Xuelang Chujia is busy, Ma Xianglan is busy as an old prostitute, Meng Xiaoer is busy practicing medicine, Gu Chunqiao is busy with Hexiang, and Uncle Lu Cheng is collecting debts Busy, Cheng Yanzhi is busy with nothing." Zhu Shilu ranked first because of his good calligraphy. Although there are many characters in it, including both literary and artistic elites and ordinary people from the lower classes, it at least reflects Zhu Shilu's great reputation in the Jinling calligraphy circle at that time.
Zhou Zhishi, a disciple of Dong Qichang, commented on Zhu Shilu's calligraphy: "Zhu Shilu's calligraphy also has style, but the pen is too arbitrary and the method is inconsistent. It can be a kind of Zen for calligraphers." In this mixed evaluation, we can get a glimpse of Zhu Shilu's high-profile and self-reflective writing style, which is untainted by contemporary habits. Compared with Xing Dong, Dong Qichang, and Mi Wanzhong who were active in the calligraphy circles at the same time, although Dong Qichang and others' calligraphy is like a hairpin beauty, light and colorful, they have lost all their simplicity and heaviness, and the beauty of their calligraphy has been lost in one side. , seeking delicacy leads to rigidity, and often lacks courage. Zhu Shilu's cursive writing in this frame (see the picture on the left) is full of thick ink, and he writes calmly and happily. It looks like a clumsy pen, but it is concise and pure. The center of the brush is calm and steady; the whole text is arranged, interspersed and avoided, the sizes are staggered, and the brushwork is straight. The painting is full of variety; the ink technique is particularly sophisticated, and he is good at using dry brushes, echoing between lines, and looking forward to life, which reflects the author's free and appropriate space processing skills. The letters are written by hand, full of secrets, and we can even see some traces of him in some of Bada Shanren's books. Comparing the "Zen flavor" exuded in Zhu Shilu's calligraphy and Dong Qichang's calligraphy, Dong Duo comes from a city novice with rich clothes, fine food, and rich ornaments, while Zhu Geng resembles a wild monk who lives in the mountains and forests and does not eat fireworks.
In Zhu Shilu's political career, the most noteworthy thing is that he served as the magistrate of Xiuning County from the seventeenth year of Wanli (1589) to the twenty-third year (1595), "Jiangxi General Chronicle" It is recorded that there was a lawsuit between two brothers in Xiuning, which lasted for more than ten years and was still unsolved. Shilu said: "This cannot be done in a straight and indirect way. It is tied to the jail with a clang and a clang, and the brothers are made to lie down together day and night. After a long time, the brothers As before", this incident became a favorite story for a while. During his tenure in Xiuning, he also engaged in a large number of cultural and artistic activities, founded the "Huangu Academy" and regularly held the "Xin'an Lecture Conference". The academy was dedicated to Wang Yangming and only dedicated to Confucius. It was the king's lecture center in the Ming Dynasty. The famous ink maker Fang Yulu once sent a poem to Zhu Shilu during this period. He Zhen, a native of New Anyin, also met Zhu during this period and was appreciated by Zhu. Later, He Zhenneng's good development in Nanjing was not unrelated to Zhu Shilu's support. Zhu Shilu said in the preface to "Liang Qianqiu Seal" written by He Zhen's student Liang Yi: "When I went to Yuling Haiyang (Xiuning), I was very happy to win the title. I went to Guan Moling to count and learn from each other, and all the seals were made by him. ", in connection with the material in Yao Lu's "Lu Shu" mentioned above, at that time, both of them were leaders in the calligraphy and seal cutting circles in Jinling, and it goes without saying that their relationship was close.
Among the people Zhu Shilu interacted with, the most interesting one was his contact with the Western missionary Matteo Ricci. During his stay in Nanjing, Ricci received a lot of care and help from him. There are some records in Zhu's "Huan Bizhai Poetry Collection" The poem "Gift to Matteo Ricci" survives, which somewhat reflects Zhu Shilu's extensive network and friendly interpersonal relationships. Since not many of Zhu Shilu's calligraphy works have been handed down, his titles after the late Ming Dynasty were not valued by the outside world.