Chapter 263: Water Melody, Yang Yuhuan's Tears

"Qi Lang previously wrote a short poem called 'Jiangnan Spring', which has become a famous song in the Jiaofang. Now I have a new poem and a new song, which should be the best for the evening banquet!"

Speaking of Ci, Li Longji immediately became interested.

He likes to write lyrics for famous songs, but today's great poets don't like it.

The lyrics written by the musicians in the Imperial Music Bureau seem too empty, as they were written only for the sake of rhythm and have no literary or artistic value at all.

In Li Longji's view, ci should be like poetry, with emotions bursting out and leaving people with endless aftertaste.

Although poetry is the style of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, as an emperor who is well versed in music, he hopes to see lyrics that will impress his eyes.

Rather than music.

"Sage, you are the best in music. If the music is not up to par, I hope you can correct it. After the song is finished, I will write down the lyrics and ask the sage to comment on whether it is in line with the music."

Li Xuan bowed to Li Longji and said.

“The lyrics come first, then the music, that’s the way to perfection.”

Li Longji also felt that this was the style of a night banquet.

"When is Qilang going to perform?"

Yang Yuhuan's eyes turned and she asked Li Xuan.

"The sound of the banquet has just begun. The night is long and the moon is at its highest point. I would like to play for the saint and his wife."

Li Xuan replied to Yang Yuhuan.

He didn't dare to keep his eyes on Yang Yuhuan for too long.

He always felt that Yang Yuhuan looked at him with something special in her eyes.

Perhaps it was Yang Yuhuan's charm and amorous feelings that made Li Longji so infatuated.

"Today's moonlight is also very beautiful..."

Yang Yuhuan raised her head and looked at the bright moon in the sky.

The bright moon is like a mirror, with twinkling stars. The bright moon in the deep night sky is the only focus in people's hearts.

Just like Yang Yuhuan, she was the only one at the banquet.

During this Mid-Autumn Festival, people fantasize about the moon and perhaps also have endless fantasies about Yang Yuhuan.

"Today is a banquet. If Yuhuan likes the moon, you can ask the chief engineer to build a moon-viewing platform so that she can enjoy the moon from the balcony."

Li Longji looked at Yang Yuhuan with a smile.

It was as if building a moon-viewing platform was not worth mentioning to him.

Even if you can pick stars from the Huaye Xianghui Tower, it is not as elegant as the Moon-Viewing Platform.

When he said this, he seemed to have made up his mind.

"Just look at the moon tonight."

Yang Yuhuan thought it was nice to look at the moon here.

"When the night is deep, Yuhuan and I will go to the Chenxiang Pavilion."

Li Longji nodded, and this midnight snack would be enough to enjoy the moon for a while.

Yang Yuhuan nodded slightly and took the initiative to pour fine wine for Li Longji and Li Xuan.

She gestured to Li Xuan to taste the crystal dragon and phoenix cake, jade dew balls, sun-baked cakes, soft date cakes and other snacks on the jade table.

Made by the imperial chef, with top-quality ingredients, all kinds of fragrance and delicacy.

Li Xuan couldn't refuse, so he tasted them one by one.

"Saint, Mother, Lu'er will dance for you later."

Seeing that Li Xuan was favored again, An Lushan ran over and flattered him.

"I haven't seen Lushan dancing for a long time. The man's roughness and heroism, and his dancing skills are superb. No one can compare to Lushan. Come, sit down and have a drink and some snacks."

Li Longji became even happier when he heard An Lushan dancing on his own initiative, and motioned for An Lushan to sit aside.

An Lushan smiled innocently and sat down excitedly.

At this time, another literati presented poems.

"Qilang Yiguan!"

After Li Longji and Yang Yuhuan watched it, they gave it directly to Li Xuan.

Because Li Longji knew that An Lushan, a Hu boy, did not understand these things.

Although An Lushan knew many languages, it cannot be said that he knew nothing about Han Chinese poetry, but he knew nothing about it.

"This poem allows one to glimpse the night moon, and the scene blends beautifully with the mood. It can be circulated among officials."

Li Xuan said to Li Longji.

Li Longji had told him before that when poems and essays reached a certain level, they could be circulated among dukes, princes and ministers.

The first is to allow everyone to judge it, the second is to prevent plagiarism, and the third is to prove that it is not an "outdated work".

This poem is a good commissioned poem. Although it is not as good as Li Bai's "Qing Ping Le", it is worth recording in the future "Complete Tang Poems".

"Can!"

Li Longji nodded, and then the poem was taken away by a small eunuch, copied dozens of times by the Hanlin academicians, and circulated in various regions.

Thus, the author of this poem will be known to the party. Even if this poem is not the best tonight, it will be famous.

Some poets are still thinking hard, some are looking up at the bright moon, and some are trying to find their inspiration in the sounds of singing and dancing.

However, most literati had no interest in writing poetry, such as Wang Wei. He would not write unless Li Longji mentioned him.

The literati drank and talked happily, treating this court banquet as a place to discuss poetry and prose.

Because they know that dignitaries will not visit their area.

At this time, Du Fu had no intention of becoming famous by submitting poems, because he believed that by waiting for the imperial examination in October, he would become famous in one fell swoop and get the opportunity to show his ambitions.

He is determined to achieve the political ideal of making the king as good as Yao and Shun and making the customs pure and honest.

As a poet who "is fond of beautiful sentences and will not stop until his words are shocking", he never misses an opportunity to discuss poetry with his peers, so as to strengthen his ability to refine words and sentences.

He heard that poets such as Wang Wei, Cui Hao, Wei Shu, and Xi Yu were at the banquet, and he waited for an opportunity to visit them.

The ministers chatted over interesting things about officialdom and Chang'an. When they were in private, they could not help but analyze the recent political affairs in Chang'an. The topic was always about Li Xuan and Li Linfu.

For example, when did Li Xuan become prime minister, and what exactly was the new law?
Some ministers of lower ranks rarely attended the event, enjoying the singing and dancing and tasting the fine wine and delicious food.

The noble ladies gathered together, and the jewels on their bodies seemed to cover the candles and obscure the bright moon at this Mid-Autumn Night Banquet.

Unlike the noble ladies, princesses, county ladies and county ladies did not enjoy singing and dancing, but played some games.

Some of them were still chasing each other in the horse farm next to Longchi.

Li Yuying held a lantern and went to the horse farm with Chong Niang. She told Chong Niang that her brother was "shooting balls on the field" in this horse farm.

Chong Niang also took Li Yuying to her Taoist temple.

Of course, it was not only Yang Yuhuan who came to attend the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, but also other concubines in the harem.

But they could only sit in an inconspicuous corner, letting the cold moonlight shine on them, looking at each other in silence.

Lady Guo, Lady Qin, and Lady Han were still the pearls of the banquet. They did not associate with noble ladies, but instead roamed among princes and nobles.

Especially Lady Guoguo is showing her charm. I wonder who will be able to be the most romantic after tonight?
The princes, heirs to the throne, and dukes were drinking and having fun. They were so immersed in the fun that they could not extricate themselves. They did not notice the sadness on the faces of the crown prince and prince Shou at all.

At the night banquet where everyone was thinking about their own things, there was a burst of exclamations as An Lushan appeared.

"what happened?"

The scholars could not see clearly what was happening in front of the Chenxiang Pavilion, so they asked what was happening.

"It's An Lushan who is dancing the Huxuan dance!"

A scholar who is familiar with the situation responded.

The literati also booed for this.

It's not that I despise dancing. It's normal for men to sing and dance at banquets.

Even the saints beat drums and danced from time to time.

They despised An Lushan as a person.

Unlike Li Xuan, An Lushan, who was concurrently the military governor of Fanyang and Pinglu, was not able to convince people.

Instead of brilliant military achievements, he suffered a total defeat in which his army was annihilated.

An Lushan's ability to become a frontier commander has always been criticized by literati.

In front of the Chenxiang Pavilion, An Lushan danced the Hu Xuan dance under the lights. His fat body spun like the wind, constantly receiving applause.

Even Li Longji nodded repeatedly, praising An Lushan's Hu Xuan dance, which even the Sogdians could not match.

Li Xuan clearly felt that An Lushan had gained a lot of weight, but his Hu Xuan dance skills had not declined at all.

When the music ended and the Huxuan stopped, Li Longji applauded and praised.

When the princes and ministers around saw the saint applauding, they all joined in applauding.

"I am a Hu, I don't have the elegance of the Han. I can only dedicate my dance to the Saint. If the Saint and my lady want to watch, I will ride back from Fanyang at once with just one order."

An Lushan spoke to Li Longji in straightforward words.

"Lushan has a heart!"

Li Longji asked An Lushan to sit next to him.

He liked An Lushan's purity and lack of scheming.

It was precisely because of An Lushan's temperament that Li Longji was confident in handing over the Northeast to him.

"Sir, I would like to borrow General An's remaining shout to sing a song for you and my lady."

Li Xuan then stood up and spoke to Yang Yuhuan and Li Longji.

This is midnight, the middle of the moon.

The moon was bright and round, and there was not a trace of cloud in the night sky.

"Okay! I want to listen to the song that Qilang wrote with his own lyrics!"

Li Longji had watched too many singing and dancing performances for many years.

There is no masterpiece of poetry written by scholars in response to imperial orders that will shake the world for eternity.

Only a great talent like Li Xuan could arouse Li Longji's interest.

"Sanlang, let's keep the banquet quiet and don't disturb Qilang..."

Yang Yuhuan reminded Li Longji.

As the banquet venue was very large, the entire Longchi was quite lively and there was constant noise.

Even when the musical instruments stopped, the guests were still drinking and talking.

This will affect Li Xuan's playing!
"Go to the various regions and tell the participants that the Tianshui King will play a piece of music, and ask them to listen attentively."

Li Longji gave an order to Gao Lishi.

"According to the order!"

Gao Lishi left with several eunuchs.

After a while, all the noise stopped and the whole banquet became quiet.

It was as if we had entered the deep night and everything was silent.

The emperor ordered to stop playing games and making noise, and naturally no one dared to disobey.

No matter they were ministers, scholars, or noble ladies, they all wanted to hear the Prince of Tianshui, who was known as a great talent, play the zither himself.

Li Xuan asked the eunuch to take out his Jiuxiao Ring Pendant.

A zither platform and seats were also placed in front of the Chenxiang Pavilion.

Li Xuan put down the piano and knelt down.

Anyone who can see Li Xuan will be attracted to her.

Li Xuan, wearing a purple round-necked robe, was handsome and had a unique temperament. He sat in a place where the light and the moonlight intertwined. People thought he was a great talent, and no one dared to believe that Li Xuan could ride a horse and hold a spear to sweep away thousands of men.

Li Longji was looking forward to the notes played by Li Xuan, and even more so to Li Xuan composing lyrics that pleased him.

He needs such a "soulmate".

Not to mention Yang Yuhuan, who stared at Li Xuan with her charming and pure eyes, waiting quietly.

"Deng...deng..."

Li Xuan let out a sigh of relief and slowly played the piano.

When will the moon be? Ask the wine to Qingtian.

The initial sound was like a fine rain, so soft and delicate.

It seemed as if the people around were drawn into a different mood as soon as they heard the tune.

It was a feeling of tranquility and remoteness.

The first thing that came to their minds was the full moon in the sky, and a feeling of melancholy.

Perhaps Li Xuan's piano skills are not very good.

But Li Xuan's music is so unique that people can't help but immerse themselves in it...

I don’t know what the palace is, but what year is it.

I want to ride the wind and go back, but I am afraid of the jade buildings...

Li Xuan continued to stroke himself deeply, slowly and distantly, drifting away into nothingness.

Soon, Li Xuan felt that he was in a state of self-pleasure.

The scattered sounds are loose, deep and distant, which makes people think of ancient times.

Overtones are like the sounds of nature, giving a feeling of being in the sky, in the moon, in the clouds...

The sounds are richer, and the lingering rhythm of the music under the fingers is continuous, fine and long.

Li Xuan seems to be chasing immortals with the Fuxi Qin...

It’s so cold up there, dancing with my shadow, it doesn’t seem like being in the human world…

Overtones resemble the sky, scattered sounds resemble the earth, and pressed sounds resemble people. The interweaving of these three sounds of heaven, earth, and man makes people feel mixed emotions.

The piano sound became rapid and powerful, also representing Li Xuan's mood.

People have joys and sorrows, separations and reunions, the moon waxes and wanes, and it is difficult to have everything in life. I wish you a long life, and we can enjoy the beauty of the moon together even though we are thousands of miles apart...

In the end, it is a state between joy and sadness, like crying and complaining, and every note makes people linger on for a long time...

Yang Yuhuan watched Li Xuan playing the piano and unconsciously placed her hands on her chest, with tears in her eyes.

Li Xuan was playing the strings of the piano, but her heartstrings had already been plucked by Li Xuan.

Her consciousness seemed to return to the night in Xianyang Plain. When the tiger pounced on her, Li Xuan's strong body blocked her way.

He lifted her up and pressed his manly chest against her face.

The seeds of admiration were planted at that moment.

She regretted her pursuit of wealth...

So much so that Li Xuan, now and tonight, seemed as distant as the moonlight in front of her.

It was rare for her to attend the banquet without being dressed up, but Li Xuan didn't seem to even glance at her.

Tears silently flowed down my cheeks.

She knew that she was not worthy of Li Xuan. She became the wife of Prince Shou and even threw herself into the arms of Li Longji because Li Longji was more powerful and could give her everything she wanted.

Even lychees from far away Fuling were transported here through the post stations through an official road at Yang Zhao's suggestion to keep them fresh.

She can choose from the rarest treasures in the world.

She can wear the most gorgeous clothes.

She got everything she wanted, but also lost what she wanted now.

In the past two years, I have woken up from countless midnight dreams with tears soaking my clothes.

Whenever there was a battle report from Li Xuan, she would make sure to read it, to see his apparent calmness and the ups and downs of his emotions.

But that’s all!

Li Xuan will always be the moon tonight, and she hopes that Li Xuan will always be so bright...

Realizing that she was crying, Yang Yuhuan immediately wiped away her tears with a handkerchief.

Fortunately, Li Longji was absorbed in music and did not see it.

"Clap clap clap..."

After Li Xuan finished singing, Yang Yuhuan was the first to applaud. She smiled happily, as if she had returned to the age when she first fell in love.

"Great!"

Li Longji saw Yang Yuhuan smiling like a flower and also laughed and applauded.

For a moment, the whole audience burst into thunderous applause.

The applause was ten times louder than the one he received after An Lushan finished dancing.

What Li Xuan played was indeed wonderful.

"King Tianshui, what a talent!"

"This song is clear, beautiful and profound. It will become a famous song and be sung all over the world."

"Such a delicate piece of music is perfect for the Mid-Autumn Festival. I will definitely ask for it after the banquet."

"The beauty of this piece of music reminds me of Li Bai's poems."

"The King of Tianshui is the leader..."

Literary talents vied with each other to praise Li Xuan, and they did not have such great political hostility towards him.

Unlike some ministers who “speak without thinking”.

"King Tianshui is a hero that only appears once in a thousand years."

Du Fu admired Li Xuan's music very much. He had long admired Li Xuan's actions of punishing the powerful and distributing land to the people.

He believed that Li Xuan was a person who cared about the people.

An Lushan felt jealous and secretly cursed these scholars and officials as hateful. He did not think that his Hu Xuan dance was worse than Li Xuan's piano music.

Is it really elegant to be able to play the piano?

"What I have presented is not highbrow, and I hope it will not alarm the Saint."

Li Xuan stood up and walked back to Li Longji and bowed.

"The Great Emperor Xuanyuan said, 'The greatest sound is the one that has no sound.' Zhuangzi said, 'The greatest joy is no joy.' Qilang's realm is already very high."

Li Longji used the Taoism he believed in as an example to express his recognition of Li Xuan's piano music.

"Thank you for your praise, Saint. I need paper and pen to write down the lyrics I wrote on the frontier during last year's Mid-Autumn Festival. It is a low-quality work that I have never dared to show to anyone, but now that the song is out, I am no longer afraid of being criticized."

Li Xuan was preparing to formally write "Song of Water Melody".

"Get the pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and prepare to copy!"

Li Longji gave instructions to Gao Lishi again.

Because of his confidence in Li Xuan, he thought that even if Li Xuan's lyrics were worse than "Jiangnan Spring", they would not be much worse.

It is worth a visit for all guests.

Yang Yuhuan personally picked up the fruits and snacks on the jade table and handed them to the palace maids.

Leave room for Li Xuan!
She picked up the candle again to illuminate Li Xuan.

After the pens, ink, paper and inkstone were brought up, a dozen Hanlin scholars stood by with pens and paper.

They placed the paper on the eunuch's back and were ready to write at any time.

When the guests learned that Li Xuan was going to write lyrics for the music that had just been played, they all stood up and craned their necks to look in Li Xuan's direction.

All of this demonstrates Li Xuan's prestige.

"When is the moon? Ask Qingtian for the wine!"

Li Xuan dipped the brush in ink and began to write on the white paper under the candlelight.

The opening was stunning.

Yang Yuhuan read softly as Li Xuan wrote each word.

After Li Xuan wrote a sentence, Gao Lishi read it out loud.

The Hanlin scholar was shocked and immediately copied it down on paper.

"What's the first sentence?"

"When is the moon? Ask Qingtian for the wine!"

The ministers who were nearby could hear it clearly, and he passed it on to the people behind him.

"When is the moon? Ask Qingtian for the wine!"

One spreads to ten, ten spreads to a hundred, a hundred spreads to a thousand...

Originally they wanted to wait for the Imperial Academy scholars to copy it and circulate it, but now everyone is fascinated by the beginning.

The moon is bright in the sky and the ground is covered with silver light.

Just two sentences reveal his bold spirit and extraordinary character, as if he treats the heaven as a friend.

As soon as the poem began, Wang Wei and Du Fu both knew that it was extraordinary.

"What's the second sentence?"

"I didn't hear it clearly!"

"I wonder what year it is in the palace of heaven?"

"Come closer..."

When the second sentence was revealed, some ministers could not help but leave their seats and approach Li Xuan.

……

People have joys and sorrows, separations and reunions, the moon waxes and wanes, and it is difficult to have everything in life. I wish you a long life, and we can enjoy the beauty of the moon together even though we are thousands of miles apart...

The ministers surrounded Li Longji's jade table like a wall.

Every sentence they wrote would be passed on by word of mouth.

Each word is more refined than the other, and each sentence is more stunning than the other.

This seems to be a poem about the moon and autumn, expressing longing for loved ones and blessing the world.

But some people with ulterior motives immediately linked the upcoming new law to this.

The appreciation of a poem should be combined with the author's environment and experiences.

Li Xuan was at the peak of his career and it was obvious that he was not a person whose talent was not appreciated.

Some people believe that when Li Xuan wrote this poem, he had the intention to reform the law and was aware of the difficulties of doing so.

No matter what, this rich emotion that seemed to be beyond the reach of heaven and earth shocked the poet, who had always despised ci as "vulgar".

All literati feel that the artistic quality of "Song of Water Melody" is unprecedented.

The extremely romantic artistic conception had a huge impact on the poets.

It turns out that words can be like this!

This metaphor and exaggeration is vivid and clear.

It is magnificent and has a broad artistic conception, yet it is also delicate, tactful and full of deep emotion.

Many poets wanted to get the manuscript copied by the Hanlin scholars as soon as possible and read it carefully.

(End of this chapter)