Chapter 264: Meeting Du Fu, Li Longji Makes It Clear

When scholars and literati heard Li Xuan’s music before, they praised it endlessly.

Now it is mostly silent.

A great man, a world-famous talent, created the unique style of "Water Melody", which made scholars and literati think deeply.

The fact that Tang poetry has developed to its present day, with mature five- and seven-character quatrains, is the result of continuous communication and reform among generations of literati.

Including the seven-character and five-character regulated verses that were perfected by Du Fu, they were all constantly reformed, fully demonstrating the art of literature.

The lyrics of the Jiaofang musicians are empty and boring, but if they are deeply emotional, they can definitely give the lyrics emotion and art, like the King of Tianshui.

"Is this composed by an immortal? I thought the tune was profound, but I didn't expect the lyrics to be even more stunning. Who can compete with me for this poem tonight?"

Li Longji was the first to come into contact with Li Xuan's manuscript. Although he did not say it, he admitted in his heart that his poems were far from comparable to Li Xuan's.

According to Li Xuan's music, "Song of Water Melody" was sung in a clear voice without any sense of incongruity.

"Thank you for the compliment, Saint!"

Li Xuan bowed.

Although he has plagiarized many times, Li Xuan still feels ashamed every time he is praised.

At this time, Yang Yuhuan was already obsessed with "Water Melody" and was constantly savoring it.

The greater Li Xuan's ability and talent, the more Yang Yuhuan felt that Li Xuan was a celestial being who could not be touched.

She just wanted to hold the glass lamp like she was doing now, to illuminate Li Xuan's future.

Time cannot stop at this moment. The heroic young man seems to be always so high-spirited.

"Song of Water Melody" was copied dozens of times and was fought over by ministers and scholars.

Li Longji waved his hand and asked the Hanlin scholars to copy a hundred copies.

An Lushan got a copy, and he didn't understand what the attraction was, which made the people present very excited.

"It would be nice if we could live in peace."

Li Linfu did not pass the copy in his hand to others, but carefully put it away.

His daughter Li Tengkong loved Li Xuan's poems very much, so he took them back to show his daughter.

Tonight!

It was just a banquet.

Let’s put all grudges on hold for now!
It was a rare occasion for him to have a drink with Li Shizhi.

Needless to say, Li Shizhi felt very sad. He believed that Li Xuan brought his longing for him from last year into this year.

Brought to the grand banquet.

The specific meaning of "Shui Tiao Ge Tou" is guessed by the poet, but there is no doubt that it is about missing his relatives.

Du Fu saw the same style as Li Bai in his poems.

However, Li Xuan's identity always makes literati feel strange, just like Cen Shen's poem praising Li Xuan: "He only achieved fame and fortune on horseback, he is truly a heroic man."

"Does Du Zimei have a chance to meet the King of Tianshui?"

Du Fu sighed, then reluctantly copied it down and handed it to the next writer.

He has memorized the poem.

"When the new law is implemented, I must support Qilang!"

Wang Wei had been in semi-seclusion and semi-official status, but he decided to come out at this moment to help Li Xuan complete the new law.

As a leader in the literary world, Wang Wei has a certain appeal in the political arena.

He saw an intention to create a new law in "Song of Water Melody".

He even thought of Li Xuan lamenting that he had too few "close friends" following him.

What reason did he have not to help?

If you fail, you can just resign and retire, which is good enough for you to have some free time.

At the night banquet, people were fighting for copies of "Song of Water Melody".

The original is in the hands of Li Longji.

Li Longji would never return this "Water Melody" of great significance to Li Xuan.

He wanted to put it in the Nanxun Palace and admire it several times in his spare time.

If I could find inspiration, maybe I could write a lyric similar to "Shui Tiao Ge Tou" among many famous songs.

"Sir, I would like to meet with all the ministers..."

Li Xuan bowed to Li Longji.

He was on stage the whole time, which felt out of place.

"allow!"

Li Longji nodded and allowed Li Xuan to have fun with his ministers.

Yang Yuhuan, who was standing next to him, felt lost when she saw Li Xuan leaving.

But she could only watch Li Xuan's back.

"Yuhuan, the song and lyrics of Yan Zhiqilang have reached their climax. Why don't we go to Chenxiang Pavilion to admire the moon?"

Li Longji said to Yang Yuhuan.

It was late at night at the banquet and Li Longji was drunk. He was not as interested as at the beginning.

He felt that no other poet would present poems in the future because of the "Song of Water Melody" that had come before it.

"You can also enjoy the moon here. Sanlang is a saint, it is not appropriate for him to leave here."

Yang Yuhuan said this to Li Longji.

"Right!"

Li Longji thought Yang Yuhuan was considerate.

Going to Chenxiang Pavilion to admire the moon is not much different from here.

Li Longji began to invite some ministers to come up and drink with him.

Li Xuan was below, drinking with the ministers.

"I will go to your house tomorrow to ask for the music score."

A minister asked Li Xuan for the piano score of "Song of Water Melody".

"Sure, you're welcome anytime!"

Li Xuan nodded.

It has to be admitted that poetry can add prestige in this era.

If there were no poetry to package Li Xuan, although Li Xuan was a great hero in the world.

But its status in the hearts of literati must have been far less than it is now.

The act of slaughtering the powerful will surely attract more scholars to join in the verbal and written criticism.

It will also have a certain impact on Li Longji.

"Right Prime Minister, I toast you a glass!"

Li Xuan raised his glass to toast Li Linfu.

"good words!"

Li Linfu greeted him with a smile and drank it all in one gulp with Li Xuan.

"Zuo Xiang, after the Mid-Autumn Festival, you will be free from illness and disaster."

Li Xuan extended his blessing to Pei Kuan again.

"The country has a hero like Qilang! It is a blessing for the country and the people!"

Pei Kuan raised his glass, feeling deeply moved.

Thinking of his grandson, who is the same age as Li Xuan.

I have just started to become a Yulin Lang. It will take some time for me to enter the officialdom through family connections.

Li Xuan can be said to be a person admired by three generations of his family.

"Minister Huangfu, is the court more comfortable than the border?"

Li Xuan came to Huangfu Weiming's side.

"Let's not talk about it! I'm worried about the gains and losses. I'll toast to King Tianshui."

Huangfu Weiming raised his glass.

Wei Jian's failure was a huge blow to him. He regretted not listening to Li Xuan's advice.

Huangfu Weiming knew that he had no chance of becoming a prime minister. He had been a failure in the three years since he entered the court.

Li Xuan did not ask Huangfu Weiming to lend him a helping hand. He just drank a glass and left.

Even if the Shangshu was someone he didn't get along with, Li Xuan would still drink with him, showing his magnanimity.

As for other officials, forget it. Li Xuan can't drink that much.

"Mo Jie, have you ever heard of a scholar named Du Fu?"

Li Xuan came to Wang Wei again and asked him.

"I just met him. He claims to be the grandson of Du Shenyan. His courtesy name is Zimei. His poems are very powerful. He must be a heroic person."

Wang Wei replied to Li Xuan.

This was the first time Wang Wei met Du Fu.

Whether it is "I will climb to the top of the mountain and look down on all the mountains", or "I spend my days drinking and singing wildly, being arrogant and domineering for whom", Wang Wei was deeply impressed.

Including some other works, all of them reveal Du Fu's heroism.

He believed that among poets, Du Zimei was first-rate.

"I have also heard of his poems. Let's go and see them."

Li Xuan said to Wang Wei with a smile.

The speculation of later generations that Du Fu was unknown during his lifetime is absolutely unreasonable.

Let’s not talk about Du Fu’s poems such as “When I was fourteen or fifteen, I went out to write and paint. The elegant followers of Cui and Wei thought I was like Ban and Yang,” “Li Yong wanted to meet me, and Wang Han wanted to be my neighbor,” and “I often saw him in Qi Wang’s house, and heard him several times in Cui Jiu’s hall.” Even if Du Fu had known great poets such as Li Bai, Wang Wei, and Gao Shi, he would not have been completely unknown.

What’s more, Du Fu also had his highlight moments: “The scholars from Jixian Academy are like a wall, watching me write in the Zhongshu Hall.”

After experiencing the years of "being dressed in furs and riding horses and being quite frivolous", he gained a place among poets. When he encountered difficulties, he had a lot of friends, whether in Chang'an or in Shu, to help his family.

When he was preparing to "go through Ba Gorge and Wu Gorge, then go down to Xiangyang and head towards Luoyang", local officials all respected him.

Li Xuan speculated that the reason why Du Fu was not included in "He Yue Ying Ling Ji" was mostly because the author did not like Du Fu's style of poetry, or also because the author did not like "rhythm", and Du Fu's poems attached great importance to rhythm.

As for criticizing Du Fu for not having "character" by writing poems in response to imperial orders and poems written to entertain guests, there is no need to do so. Who among the poets of the heyday of the Tang Dynasty did not write poems in response to imperial orders? Who did not curry favor with high officials?
Even though Du Fu's poetic style changed drastically later, his poems from his youth would not be ranked outside of "He Yue Yingling Ji".

In addition, Du Fu always played notes that were inconsistent with the prosperous times, which led to some of his poems not being able to be shown to others.

Poems like "A dandy will never starve to death, but a scholar will often ruin his life", "What use is Confucianism to me? Confucius and Robber Zhi are all dust", "I only feel that there are ghosts and gods in the singing, but how can I know that I will starve to death and fill the ditch" are okay, and they may not cause any trouble if they are spread.

However, if Du Fu's self-created genres such as "Song of the Chariots" and "Song of the Beautiful Lady" were spread out, Du Fu would not be able to survive. For example, in the 12th year of Tianbao's Tianbao era, the lines "Poplar flowers and snow fall to cover the white apples, and the bluebird flies away with a red scarf in its mouth" directly satirize the incest between Yang Guozhong and Lady Guoguo, using the allusion of Empress Dowager Feng of the Northern Wei Dynasty.

If the narrow-minded Yang Guozhong knew about this, Du Fu would at least lose half his life.

Before the An-Shi Rebellion broke out, Du Fu wrote, "The rich have wine and meat, while the streets are filled with frozen corpses," which tore off the disguise of a prosperous era.

Li Xuan has always believed that Du Fu had political and even military vision. His talent can be seen from the small number of Du Fu's poems that have survived to later generations.

Of course, Du Fu’s weakness is very obvious, that is, he is too upright and unwilling to compromise, commonly known as "low emotional intelligence."

If no one supported Du Fu, it would be difficult for him to survive in the court.

People who are good at playing power games often do not have the integrity and honesty of people like Du Fu.

Wang Wei was surprised to see that Li Xuan would condescend to meet a little-known poet.

No one could have expected that fate would change Du Fu. Li Xuan believed that many poets could write "Guanju", but only Du Fu could write "Hongyan".

"Three Officials and Three Farewells" is great in art, but if possible, Li Xuan would not want Du Fu to write "Three Officials and Three Farewells" in this life.

Li Xuan arrived at the literati area where Du Fu was, shocking everyone in the room.

It was like a saint had arrived.

At the banquet, there was no need for formalities. The scholars gathered around Li Xuan, wanting to ask him about his new poem "Water Melody".

Li Xuan just evaded the question and asked, "Is Du Zimei here?"

"Du Zimei, Du Er?"

Someone immediately thought of a rather frivolous man.

Du Fu's poems were indeed quite good, but the fact that the great poet Wang Tianshui personally searched for them shocked the scholars.

When Du Fu saw Li Xuan, he wanted to move closer, but he couldn't squeeze in.

But he heard many people calling his name and couldn't help wondering.

"Du Er, King Tianshui is calling you!"

Before Du Fu could react, the scholars made way for him and pushed him in front of Li Xuan and Wang Wei.

"Du Fu of the Jingzhao Du clan was born in Luoyang and met the King of Tianshui."

Du Fu bowed slightly to Li Xuan, thinking that Wang Wei introduced him to Li Xuan.

The literary leader is still kind!

Du Fu was from Luoyang, and called himself "Jingzhao Du" to explain his family background to Li Xuan.

Even though they had moved away from Chang'an several generations ago.

Since ancient times, scholars would mention their family backgrounds when introducing themselves to increase their reputation.

Du Fu did not call himself a descendant of Li Shimin because according to the clan etiquette and laws of that era, the maternal clan was remote.

According to the blood relationship theory of later generations, Du Fu is Li Shimin's direct blood relative.

"I have long admired your great name!"

Li Xuan looked at Du Fu and spoke slowly.

It was different from the Du Fu that Li Xuan imagined, mainly because a certain image left a deep impression in Li Xuan's mind. The real Du Fu did not look like that at all.

Just like his name, Du Fu had a handsome appearance. Although he was of medium build, he had a self-important temperament between his brows.

Before taking part in the imperial examination, Du Fu's poetic style was in line with the spirit of the era.

After that, his style of poetry changed drastically, and he embarked on a path to becoming a saint on his own.

But Li Xuan did not intend to stop Du Fu from participating in the imperial examination because he hoped that Du Fu would encounter setbacks.

Their nation needs great poets like Du Fu, so that people in the future can find resonance in Du Fu's poems when they are in trouble.

If "history repeats itself" in the imperial examination this year, Li Xuan will have the opportunity to "pass the imperial examination with an unknown score".

"Your Majesty, you are joking. Du Fu has no fame or fortune, so he can only look up to your great name!"

Du Fu thought Li Xuan was being polite.

"Goldaf mentioned Du Zimei to me. I have always remembered the magnificence of 'Nature's creation, yin and yang dividing the day and night'. Now I finally see you in Chang'an."

Li Xuan replied to Du Fu with a smile.

He had indeed talked about Du Fu with Gao Shi, and also learned about "Viewing the Mountain" from Gao Shi. This kind of concise, powerful and ambitious poem is always praiseworthy at any time.

"Du Fu is very lucky that his poems can reach the ears of the King of Tianshui."

When Du Fu saw that Li Xuan had known him for a long time, he felt recognized.

He has always admired Li Xuan's behavior and poetry and dreamed of meeting Li Xuan.

Li Xuan's sudden appearance was like something in Du Fu's dream, and he almost jumped up.

When Du Fu and Li Bai "slept together in the same quilt in autumn and walked hand in hand in the day", Li Bai mentioned Li Xuan many times.

In Li Bai's eyes, although Li Xuan was a powerful person, he was a powerful person who stood out from the crowd.

Through words and actions, take care of a person's inner self.

Du Fu immediately invited Li Xuan to sit down in a seat, and Wang Wei also sat next to him.

The literati and scholars all sighed that Du Fu had a good chance of passing the imperial examination this time.

When the news of his conversation with Li Xuan tonight spread, Du Fu would become somewhat famous in Chang'an.

This was very important to Du Fu who had just arrived in Chang'an.

"Zimei went to Chang'an to take part in the imperial examination!"

After Li Xuan sat down, he asked Du Fu.

"I am not a talented person who wants to apply for the system department."

Du Fu replied to Li Xuan.

Although the Imperial Examination was established by imperial decree, it was inherently inferior to the Jinshi Examination.

The imperial examination was the easiest exam for Du Fu, who was well versed in prosody.

Du Fu was already married and most of the family fortune left by his father had been used up. In order not to let his beloved wife suffer, he chose the easiest exam.

First get an official position and support your family.

"The system is good. With Zimei's talent, it will be easy for her to select poems and essays."

Li Xuan encouraged Du Fu.

Only those who were "proficient in one art" could participate in this imperial examination. In addition to common people, a group of minor officials also signed up to show their face in front of Li Longji.

This is the difference of the Jinshi degree.

A person who is proficient in one art is someone who has an expertise. He or she can choose poetry, prose, arithmetic, strategy, scriptures, coordination, law code, etc. Even being good at handwriting is a skill.

Du Fu chose to take the poetry exam, and he almost won the exam. To become a poet, in addition to hard work, one must have a rare talent, otherwise he would not be as famous as the genius Li Bai.

At first glance, Li Xuan could not imagine the feasibility of Du Fu failing the imperial examination.

"When I pass the imperial examination, I also want to offer advice to the King of Tianshui like Dafu did."

Du Fu took the opportunity to express his feelings to Li Xuan.

Du Fu and Li Xuan had no conflict of interest, and Du Fu always considered the country and the people.

He believed that Li Xuan's reform of the marriage date for men and women was reasonable and well-founded.

Even though many scholars thought it was unreasonable, Du Fu was a firm supporter of Li Xuan.

"The course will start in less than two months. I am waiting for good news from Zimei."

Li Xuan agreed to Du Fu's request.

Even if Du Fu failed the imperial examination, Li Xuan would still recruit him as an official.

Because in the past few years, Du Fu will not have a good time following him.

"Thank you, King Tianshui."

Du Fu was very happy, thinking that he and Gao Shi had met their mentor, the same person.

In the future, I will definitely assist Li Xuan to complete the reform and realize the ambition of "making the king as good as Yao and Shun, and making the customs more refined."

Du Fu was a typical Confucianist who followed Confucianism and served as an official, but he had his own ideas about the common people. When he was desperate, he confused the sage Confucius with the bandit Dao Zhi.

It means he can break through himself!

"I believe Zimei can keep in mind the principles of loyalty and forgiveness and fulfill the great principle of serving the public."

Li Xuan said to Du Fu.

Since ancient times, sages have consistently adhered to loyalty and forgiveness. Loyalty means treating others with loyalty, and forgiveness means extending one's own kindness to others.

People with this quality are very rare.

"To be honest with you, Lord Tianshui, this is also my wish!"

Du Fu said sincerely.

The concepts of "the great way is for the public good and to make customs pure" are very close.

"Then we are like Yu Boya and Zhong Ziqi who met each other. It's hard to find a soulmate who understands you, even though it's like the mountains and rivers."

Li Xuan held Du Fu's hand. Putting aside other factors and talking only about idealism, he and Du Fu were very close.

Du Fu was even more moved. He did not expect that the King of Tianshui was such an approachable person.

At the moment of shaking hands, he felt the roughness of Li Xuan's palm and remembered that Li Xuan was a brave and famous general who was ranked among the top in ancient and modern times.

Du Fu was filled with awe and a desire to serve his country arose spontaneously.

Li Xuan took the wine glass, drank a glass with Du Fu and Wang Wei, and then said goodbye to this area.

Although there was still singing and dancing at the banquet, it was already late at night.

When Li Xuan went to pay a visit to Li Longji, he saw that Li Longji looked a little sleepy.

Gao Lishi persuaded Li Longji to end the banquet and go back to rest early.

Li Longji agreed to end the banquet.

Everyone bowed to Li Longji and Yang Yuhuan, and began to leave Xingqing Palace one after another.

Some people couldn't help it any longer.

"Qilang, you are the Hedong envoy. You should inspect Hedong and clean up the bureaucracy and the powerful. This is the perfect fulfillment of your appointment as prime minister. Go and come back quickly. The seal of the prime minister will be prepared for you!"

When Li Xuan bid farewell to Li Longji, this time Li Longji made things clear.

It has basically been confirmed that he will be appointed prime minister immediately after his return.

"The minister obeys the order!"

Li Xuan bowed.

The drunk Li Longji left with the help of Yang Yuhuan.

When she looked back again, Li Xuan had already turned around...

(End of this chapter)