Chapter 109 Wang Bo
A few days later.

The sky lit up again.

【Ding Dong——Welcome to watch the historical live broadcast】

[Our protagonist in this issue is the Tang Dynasty poet Wang Bo! ]

The second year of Linde in the Tang Dynasty
The elegant Tang Gaozong Li Zhi raised his hand with a smile and handed a poem to Wu Meiniang beside him: "Meiniang, what do you think of this article?"

Last year, he changed the reign title. Mei Niang ruled the country from behind the scenes, and the two saints presided over the court. This year, he and Mei Niang went to Mount Tai to offer sacrifices to the gods.

Back then, Ye Ye tried to go to Mount Tai many times, but he always encountered natural disasters and man-made disasters and failed.

That was his father's lifelong dream, but also his lifelong regret. His son fulfilled it for him.

His family and career were very successful, and he was very proud of himself. When he was happy, he wanted to build a palace and make the imperial palace handed down from the Sui Dynasty more beautiful.

By the way, civil and military officials were asked to write essays on the theme of Qianyuan Hall to commemorate this event.

Wu Meiniang had a bright face and affectionate eyes. She took the poem and read it from beginning to end, becoming more and more serious as she read.

Especially after she read the passage praising the empress: "The empress is as virtuous as a star, dragging a pearl sash on the Tonggao; she is as auspicious as a wild girl, holding up a jade branch on the Guipu. The white moon ascends the throne, and the six voids are filled with the chastity of a mare", she became more and more satisfied.

Who doesn't like to be praised? Especially when it's such an excellent praise.

She praised: "It's very well written. I didn't know the newly renovated Qianyuan Hall was so beautiful. Who wrote this?"

"They are from the Wang family, Wang Bo and Wang Zian."

Wu Zetian thought it sounded familiar, and thought: "Is it someone from Xian'er's place?"

"Yes, Wang Bo is only a few years older than Xian'er, but his writing is first-rate. Seeing a virtuous person, one should aspire to emulate him. I wonder how much of his literary talent Xian'er has learned?"

He and Mei Niang now have four sons: Crown Prince Li Hong, Prince of Pei Li Xian, Prince of Ying Li Xian... each of them is his darling.

Prince Pei Li Xian usually liked cockfighting and horse riding. Li Zhi knew about it, but he didn't do much about it.

King Pei has no chance of becoming an emperor, so it would be fine for him to be a wealthy and noble prince. If he could learn from those talented people, write better poems and bring glory to the royal family, that would be icing on the cake.

From beginning to end, his favorite crown prince was Li Hong, who was famous for his benevolence and filial piety.

Wu Zetian's eyes flickered, and she suddenly thought of what her eldest son, Crown Prince Li Hong, had said to her a few days ago. Concubine Xiao Shufei was already dead, and her two daughters were imprisoned in the palace by her, and they had not yet married.

As a result, the prince found her a few days ago, told her that this was not a good idea, and begged her to let the two princesses get married.

After she refused, the prince was still furious. It was obvious from his look that he would not listen and would go to his father to complain sooner or later.

Haha, if she hadn't worked hard to bring down Concubine Xiao Shufei, how could he have become the crown prince in his prime?
He did not understand his own hard work, but instead ran to pity his enemy's children.

At this moment, an idea suddenly occurred to her and she suddenly thought of the Han Palace.

After many twists and turns, the former Empress Lü and Emperor Hui became her and the crown prince. Their children are all kind and filial people who are generous to others!
Of course, it is also possible that his son Li Hong was not unaware of the grievances between him and Concubine Xiao Shufei, and was not so generous. However, this move could win him a good reputation and please his father, so the mother would have to stand aside.

In order to win the favor of my father and obtain a good reputation among the scholars, I had to put my mother in a difficult position.

Everyone treated her as a raft, even the son crawling out of her belly...

If one day, she becomes the butcher and others become the meat...

Li Zhi saw that she was lost in thought and said with a smile, "Mei Niang, what are you thinking about?"

Mei Niang lowered her head naturally, narrowed her eyes, and continued to watch Wang Bo's masterpiece.

I was worried that if I was a second late, the other party would see the resentment in my eyes. "I was just thinking about his article."

At this time, there was an unusual movement in the sky.

【The first of the Four Great Poets of the Early Tang Dynasty, Wang Bo. 】

Li Zhi was so surprised that he couldn't believe his ears. He looked down at the poem in his hand and said, "This Wang Zian actually has such an achievement."

"It's really a waste of talent to be a minor official beside Xian'er."

"Someone, call Wang Zian over here!"

Wu Meiniang smiled and said, "Your Majesty just said that he is a genius and has a keen eye for talent. It is truly a beautiful story between a monarch and his subjects." Wang Bo of Prince Pei's Mansion was overjoyed when he received the saint's order.

He raised his head gratefully and looked at the sky: "Thank you!"

As the saying goes, learn the civil and martial arts and sell them to the emperor.

Now he is just an unknown official who accompanies the prince to study, and he doesn’t know when he can realize his dream.

The sky gave him a direct access to heaven, which made him burst into tears of gratitude.

He could finally serve the Saint!

[Wang Bo, whose courtesy name was Zi'an, was born in Longmen, Jiangzhou around 650 AD.

Wang Bo was very intelligent since childhood. He could write poems at the age of six, and his poems were ingeniously conceived.

When he was nine years old, Wang Bo read the "Book of Han" annotated by the master Yan Shigu, and wrote the ten-volume "Zhi Xia", pointing out the errors in Yan Shigu's works.

At the age of ten, Wang Bo had read the Six Classics and had a thorough understanding of them.

When he was twelve to fourteen years old, Wang Bo followed Cao Yuan to study medicine in Chang'an. He successively studied "The Book of Changes", "The Yellow Emperor's Internal Classic", "The Difficult Classic", etc., and became familiar with "Three Talents and Sixty-A, and the Number of Mingtang and Jade Chambers" .

At the age of sixteen, he passed the imperial examination and was appointed as a court official.

The experience of young Wang Bo perfectly illustrates what a child prodigy is.

How smart was Wang Bo when he was a child? For example, his two elder brothers were named Wang Jie and Wang Jie, and his younger brother was named Wang Jie.

One day, the father asked them why all the names he gave his children contained the word “力” (force)?
Wang Bo's elder brother thought for a long time but couldn't figure it out, so he had to say, "Father is very knowledgeable, how can I guess your intention?"

The second brother thought about it for a long time but still couldn't figure it out.

Wang Bo said: A gentleman works with his mind, while a villain works with his body. Are you trying to tell us not to be a gentleman and only work with our mind but not with our body, but to serve the country and work for it?
When Wang Bo thinks about a small problem, he quotes classics and thinks about his country. This is the child of other people's families! Which father would not be happy to see such a child?
Wang Bo's father was also very happy, as if he saw a bright future for his son serving the country and becoming a noble or prime minister.

In fact, Wang Bo succeeded, but not completely. His life can be summarized by Tang Gaozong's three sighs! He and the third emperor of the Tang Dynasty had an indissoluble bond!

Later, Emperor Gaozong of Tang built a Qianyuan Hall, for which Wang Bo wrote a magnificent "Ode to Qianyuan Hall".

The scene changes and we arrive at the former site of Qianyuan Hall in Luoyang, the eastern capital.

Poetry composed of ink and wash covers this beautiful scenery.

This poem, with its gorgeous words, praised the emperor so highly. It is said that after reading it, Emperor Gaozong of Tang exclaimed: "What a genius of our Tang Dynasty!

This was Emperor Gaozong of Tang’s first sigh towards Wang Bo.

After the news spread, Wang Bo's fame soared. People grouped him with Yang Jiong, Lu Zhaolin and Luo Binwang and called them the Four Talents, which we now know as the "Four Talents of the Early Tang Dynasty".

Wang Bo was very young, only in his teens, but he became a big figure in the literary world at that time!

At the same time, after Wang Bo became a Chao San Lang, he was introduced by the chief examiner to serve as an editor in the Prince of Pei's Palace.

During this period, Wang Bo's good friend Du Shaofu was sent to Shuzhou. Before leaving, Wang Bo wrote the famous farewell poem "Sending Du Shaofu to Shuzhou". The city walls and towers support the three Qins, and the wind and smoke can be seen from the five rivers. I am parting with you, as we are both officials on a journey.

There are close friends in the sea, and there are neighbors in the world. Inaction is on the wrong road, and children share the same fate.

The two lines in the poem, "A bosom friend afar brings a distant land near," show that friendship is eternal, regardless of the limits of time or the barriers of space. It has become an immortal masterpiece expressing the deep friendship between friends who are thousands of miles apart.

When Wang Bo was in the Prince of Pei's mansion, the Prince admired him very much and would bring him to various gatherings among the princes.

There were no entertainment facilities in ancient times. The princes at that time liked to play cockfighting when they had nothing to do. Wang Bo wrote an article to help King Pei to add to the fun. It was called "Exhortation to the King of England on Cockfighting".

There is a line in it: "Two heroes cannot stand side by side, how dare one be so arrogant? Cultivation comes when it rests, and indignation comes when it cries out."

This article was very well written. Wang Bo was a celebrity, so as soon as his article came out, it quickly became popular in the capital and even reached Emperor Gaozong of Tang.

After reading this article, Emperor Gaozong of Tang was very angry. He didn't like his sons playing cockfighting in the first place. As a tutor, Wang Bo not only did not teach the young prince well, but also wrote articles about cockfighting.

He believed that Wang Bo's article was likely intended to sow discord among the princes. After all, the dispute over the throne among the legitimate sons was a very sensitive topic in the Tang Dynasty.

Once the emperor got angry, Wang Bo was in trouble. Emperor Gaozong of Tang kicked him out of the Prince of Pei's Mansion and drove him out of the capital.

From then on, Wang Bo's career, which had just been opened up by his talent and hard work, was ruined.

Two strong men cannot stand side by side, how can one be so arrogant? It is cultivated when it rests, and it is invigorated when it cries out. Looking at it, it is like a tree, sometimes it also raises its toes and its ambition is high; responding to it, it is like a god, without realizing that its buttocks are high and its head is down...】

Tang Dynasty, Linde.

While cockfighting enthusiasts were praising the article, young Wang Bo arrived at the gate of the palace.

He had just received an imperial edict from Emperor Gaozong of Tang.

Because Tianmu mentioned him, Emperor Gaozong of Tang took the initiative to summon him, as if he wanted to promote him!
It would be a lie to say he was unhappy when he heard Tianmu praising him like that.

He hasn't finished writing this article yet, but he will soon. The emperor will appreciate him even more!

Just when everyone was thinking this, heavenly sound came.

After hearing what Tianmu said, Wang Bo felt as if his feet were filled with cement and he couldn't move a step further.

Although he was only one step away from reaching the palace, he was reluctant to take the last step.

The eunuch who was leading him was also surprised by what Tianmu said and did not bother to urge him.

【A manifesto is an official document. In ancient times, wars were fought with a just cause. Regardless of whether the army was a just army or not, it had to use a manifesto to package itself as a just army. Generally speaking, issuing a manifesto meant that I was going to fight you.

Wang Bo wrote an article for the chicken, just like playing house. From our modern perspective, it is quite interesting, but the emperor did not find it interesting.

It is said that after seeing Wang Bo's "masterpiece", Emperor Gaozong of Tang was very angry and sighed: "I really misjudged him. This man is not a genius at all! He is obviously a crooked talent! What do you mean by two heroes cannot coexist? Are you saying that the two princes cannot coexist? The two princes fought cocks and indulged in games, but he did not persuade them, but exaggerated the situation! It's too much!"

When the emperor saw this, he was furious and said, "This is the beginning of a conspiracy." - "Zizhi Tongjian·Tang Ji"

This is the beginning of brothers framing and harming each other!

Emperor Gaozong of Tang dismissed Wang Bo from his official position on the same day and drove him out of the Prince of Pei's Palace.

The genius Wang Bo was driven out of the capital in this way.

Wang Bo, who left the capital because of an article, suffered a serious blow and his writing style changed accordingly.

In "In the Mountains", he wrote: The Yangtze River is sadly stagnant, and I miss returning home thousands of miles away. Moreover, it is a windy evening, and yellow leaves are flying on the mountains.

He wanted to use the scenic spots of Shu to dispel the pent-up anger in his heart, but the weather in the south also added a lot of homesickness and worries to the poet.

Even the poems about bidding farewell to friends are very different from what they used to be, such as the following "Farewell Xue Hua".

The road is so poor, and I am so alone. The road is so desolate, and the life is so miserable.

We share the same wandering thoughts and the same hardships in life. No matter where we go or stay, we are all people in a dream.

What he wrote back then was "A bosom friend afar brings a distant land near", but now it is "We share the same wandering thoughts and the same hardships in life".

The boldness and open-mindedness of the past have now been replaced by sorrow and loneliness.

In the few years after leaving the capital, Wang Bo traveled around.

It was not until 671 AD that Wang Bo returned to Chang'an from Shu.

His good friend Ling Jiyou was the judicial officer of Guozhou at that time. He said that Guozhou was rich in medicinal materials, and Wang Bo had studied medicine and knew about medicine and medicinal herbs. He could continue his studies there. So he found a military position for him in Guozhou.

When Wang Bo was serving as a military officer in Guozhou, a government slave named Cao Da committed a crime. Wang Bo did not know the circumstances, so he hid the criminal.

The government soon found out the whereabouts of the criminal. Wang Bo was afraid that the news would leak out, so he killed Cao Da to put an end to the matter.

Wang Bo was sentenced to death for this and was thrown into prison. He thought he was going to die, and so did his relatives and friends. But then, a shocking piece of news came.

In 674 AD, Emperor Gaozong issued a general amnesty!

Emperor Gaozong of Tang called himself the Emperor of Heaven, and the Empress changed her title to Empress of Heaven. The two saints came to power, changed the reign title, and issued a general amnesty. Crown Prince Li Hong died of tuberculosis, and Emperor Gaozong appointed Li Xian as the crown prince instead. This was the prince who had asked Wang Bo to write the proclamation.

In ancient times, the emperor could grant amnesty to show his benevolence. Prisoners sentenced to death could be released and continue to serve as officials.

Wang Bo was put into prison without knowing what was going on, and was released without knowing what was going on.

Tang Dynasty.

Upon hearing this, Li Jingxuan paused his outstretched hand, took back the gold, and smiled: "Brother Pei, it seems that Wang Bo is blessed by God!" He had committed a capital crime, but he happened to be pardoned. This luck is envied by others.

Pei Xingjian's frown deepened. Unlike his friends, his mind was not at all on Wang Bo's fate.

There is nothing wrong with your Majesty calling himself the Emperor in the future, it is just a more majestic title, but in the future, Empress Wu will be called the Empress of Heaven! ? And the two saints will rule the country? ?
He was once a minor official. When Zhangsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang were in power in the court, he disagreed with Your Majesty's decision to depose Wang and establish Wu!
This will definitely bring disaster to the country!
How can a father's talented woman become his son's queen? This is against moral principles and is the biggest joke in the world.

If even the emperor follows suit, will there be any normal ethics in the world in the future?
But in the end the emperor won. He was banished to the Western Regions and only recently returned to the capital.

He watched coldly as the queen's power grew.

By now, Your Majesty is in poor health and lacks energy, and Empress Wu is even ruling the country from behind the scenes.

In the future, they will be called the Emperor and Empress together?! They will attend court together? Then who is the Emperor of the world, the Emperor or the Empress?
The hen crows at dawn, which means the family is in trouble!
He turned his head and looked at the majestic and solemn palace.

Reason told him that he should go and persuade His Majesty not to share power with the Queen, and it would be best if he could depose Wu Meiniang. But when the Queen was still weak, even an important official like Zhangsun Wuji was defeated. Now that the Queen has grown stronger, if he were to clash with her, wouldn't that be like trying to stop a chariot with a mantis arm?
Li Jingxuan talked for a long time, and when he saw that the person next to him hadn't spoken, he turned his head and saw that the other person was staring at the sky, with a look in his eyes that seemed to be a little... thirsty for knowledge?
He remembered that Pei Xingjian was not very interested in the sky curtain before.

"Brother Pei? Don't you dislike Wang Bo and therefore don't want to see the sky curtain? Why are you......"

"Who said I was looking at Wang Bo?"

"Who are you looking at, then?"

Pei Xingjian shook his head and said nothing.

He was looking at the future of Li Tang and the future of Empress Wu.

The queen probably wanted to be like Empress Lü. Unfortunately, Empress Lü did not have a good ending. In the end, her family was confiscated and her property was exterminated!
The Queen does not learn from history and plays with power. She will definitely not have a good ending in the future!
Pei Xingjian saw the threat posed by Empress Wu and finally chose to protect himself by remaining silent.

(End of this chapter)