#200 - Spring Dragon Poetry Festival, Moonlit Night on the Spring River (V)
From an ordinary "fan meeting" to a contest concerning the dignity of the Great Ning poetry scene.
The sudden appearance of a Great Li person has given the Spring Dragon Poetry Meet a completely different meaning.
Now, no one thinks Su Wu can be sure of victory, but in any case, this Sage of Poetry must not lose.
Because he is the last, and only, hope of the Great Ning literati.
For the Great Ning literati, the outcome of this competition may be more important than their own lives.
However, for the other party, Shen Ran himself, all of this is just a small obstacle on his path of using literature to prove the Dao.
Today, he came for Su Wu.
Winning is certainly good.
Losing doesn't matter.
I am still young, there is nothing to be ashamed of.
Looking up at Su Wu, who was like an old immortal, Shen Ran took a deep breath and respectfully cupped his fist at the former.
"Sage Su, please!"
The word "please" pierced the night sky, causing a gust of wind to sweep past.
Thousands of people held their breath, seemingly afraid of disturbing Su Wu's thoughts.
However, the latter did not keep everyone waiting for too long.
About seven or eight breaths later, he gently took a step, standing upright at the bow of the boat.
Long beard, long sleeves, white hair, white clothes... The figure swayed in the wind, as if echoing the bright moon in the sky.
He glanced at Shen Ran, Su Wu slowly opened his mouth, and gently recited a seven-character律诗 in a comforting and calm tone.
His voice was not loud, even a little soft.
But when this poem, like a gentle breeze passing over a ridge, entered everyone's ears, it displayed the prosperity of a dynasty.
"Spring tides receded from the flat beach last night, rain urges half-open blossoms to delight."
"Geese call for Lantern Festival return to the north, swallows bring new community to the south."
"No need to frolic by flowering trees in glee, no need for medicine basket when ill, you see."
"Only with loyalty repay heaven and earth, let children frolic with ceremonial headdress free."
"..."
After the poem was recited, the whole place was silent.
One breath, two breaths, three breaths, and then...
"Wow! Wow wow wow!"
The originally calm lake surface suddenly bubbled up as if boiling, followed by a flash of golden light!
Fish leaping over the Dragon Gate, the sea and sky are wide, a poem spreads throughout the world!
Two hundred and ninety-nine golden carps leap!
Spring tides flood the beach, flowers bloom after the rain.
In this life, I only seek "loyalty and public service", and the joy of children under my knees.
Two lines describe the scenery, two lines describe emotions.
The entire poem does not contain a single word of praise, but it seems to unfold a vivid picture of a peaceful and prosperous world before everyone's eyes.
Only with loyalty repay heaven and earth, let children frolic with ceremonial headdress free.
Facing Shen Ran, who could almost be called arrogant, Su Wu actually responded with such a poem without a trace of hostility, truly demonstrating his detached and extraordinary mind and pattern.
The struggle between you and me is just a trivial matter, I have no intention of competing with you, I am just telling you about the prosperity of this Great Ning.
"..."
"Good!!!"
Someone took the lead in shouting, and then the entire Sun Moon Lake suddenly boiled as if a pot had exploded.
The emotions that everyone had suppressed for a long time were finally released wildly after Su Wu's poem caused two hundred and ninety-nine golden carps to leap.
"Sage Su is indeed a sage! This poem is too morale-boosting!"
"This is the mind of a sage!"
"With such talent and mind, who in the world can compare!"
"Two hundred and ninety-nine golden carps! We are bound to win!"
"The face of Great Ning has been preserved!!!"
"..."
Some people praised loudly with relief, some people chanted repeatedly in fascination, and some had already begun to discuss the wording, allusions, and artistic conception of the poem with their friends.
Of course, many people did not forget Shen Ran.
"Hey Shen! Sage Su has finished his poem! It's your turn!"
"If you can't write it, leave quickly!"
"Losing to Sage Su is not shameful!"
"..."
Although many people hated Shen Ran just now, they were not too aggressive at this moment.
This may be because of the poetic talent shown by Shen Ran, or it may be because everyone in Great Ning had already placed themselves in the position of "victors".
Winners tend to become more tolerant when facing losers.
However...
Facing the urging of everyone, Shen Ran did not have any emotional fluctuations.
Taking a deep look at Su Wu, he knew that it would be difficult for him to win this game.
But since he had come all the way from Great Li, he should always try.
And at this moment, what exactly did he want to say...
Unlike Su Wu, who had a smooth journey and became a "sage" in his old age, Shen Ran's life path was much more difficult.
Therefore, although he could understand the sentence "Only with loyalty repay heaven and earth, let children frolic with ceremonial headdress free", he knew that he could not write such a magnanimous poem.
But why should he be the same as Su Wu?
I am no worse than anyone, and I also have a different understanding of this world than a "sage"!
Standing in the pavilion, looking at the bright moon above his head, Shen Ran thought for a long time.
Suddenly, he seemed to mutter to himself in a low voice:
"No one shares a cup with me in a stranger's land, for whom do the peaches and plums bloom in my old garden?"
"..."
A poem is formed?
Everyone was stunned, and then carefully savored the meaning of this sentence.
Far away in Great Ning, Shen Ran is indeed a guest, and "no one shares a cup" undoubtedly reveals this loneliness.
And "for whom do the peaches and plums bloom in my old garden" not only elevates the feelings of longing for home in a foreign land to a higher level, but also vaguely shows a sense of pride.
Objectively speaking, although these two sentences are good, they are still a bit worse than Su Wu's poem.
Writing poetry emphasizes the integration of emotions and scenery, so that it can be more exquisite, and can also allow the listener to resonate more.
But now, Shen Ran has omitted the step of "describing the scenery".
Starting with expressing emotions, but can anyone understand this "emotion"?
If it is just purely writing "homesickness", then the pattern is too far from Su Wu's.
Or... is it something else?
Soon, Shen Ran gave the answer.
He took a step forward, standing upright facing the dark crowd on the lake shore that could not be seen at a glance, as if he was confronting these thousands of people alone!
The high-pitched voice pierced through the night, straight into the sky!
"Spring tides ignore hatred at the end of the earth, even roll up dusk rain in Xizhou!"
"..."
No one shares a cup with me in a stranger's land, for whom do the peaches and plums bloom in my old garden?
Spring tides ignore hatred at the end of the earth, even roll up dusk rain in Xizhou.
"Hatred at the end of the earth" usually implies sorrow in a foreign land, but it can also express the love and hatred of the Jianghu.
As for the last sentence "even roll up dusk rain in Xizhou"...
Everyone present is very clear about the allusions here.
Xizhou is the state within Great Li that is closest to the capital, "Baiping".
More than two hundred years ago, under the leadership of six second-rank masters, the Great Ning army once marched all the way to Xizhou, and signed a "Xizhou Agreement" with the Great Li emperor there.
Within five hundred years, Great Li voluntarily recognizes Great Ning as the main country, and east of Xizhou, up to the Great Ning border, there will be no defenses, and every year, Great Li must pay Great Ning one million taels of silver, ten thousand fine horses, and some other special products, and so on...
In short, it is a typical unequal treaty.
For any Great Li person, such a treaty is definitely an unforgettable shame.
So... you have your peaceful and prosperous world, and I have my family and national hatred.
In front of thousands of Great Ning literati, Shen Ran actually showed a completely different scene in such a straightforward way.
On one side is the peaceful life of the victor.
On the other side is the loser's burden.
"Splash!"
Ripples appeared on the lake surface, and the same scene appeared again.
Everyone held their breath, staring at the golden tails tumbling in the air.
Ten tails, fifty tails, one hundred tails, two hundred tails, two hundred and ninety-nine tails...
Three hundred tails.
It seems that it was destined in the dark, just one more tail.
"..."
"Plop!"
"How... how is it possible..."
“It can’t be real, this can’t be real.”
On the shore, countless scholars with flushed faces slumped to the ground, their expressions utterly blank.
At this point, it was difficult to distinguish the merits of the two poems based on sound, technique, or artistic conception.
But the extra golden carp clearly told everyone—
The number one poet in the Great Ning poetry scene, the Sage of Poetry, Su Wu, had lost.
They couldn't accept this result, but it seemed they had no choice but to accept it.
“Kill, kill him!”
Someone suddenly shouted, trembling.
The crowd was silent for a moment, but the same thought spread like a plague.
“Yes, as long as we kill him, no one will know what happened tonight!”
“That’s right! Kill him quickly!”
“We can’t let him leave alive!! Great Ning must not suffer such humiliation!”
“Quick! Kill him!”
“Kill him! Kill him!!”
From one or two voices, to patches of voices, and finally the unified roar of thousands.
The demon-like screams shook the heavens and the earth, stirring up waves of chilling horror on the lake, carrying the most noble, yet most selfish emotions.
“Sister Xu, are these people crazy?”
You Jia frowned, looking at Xu Qingwan beside her, who wore the same expression.
“...”
Xu Qingwan didn't know how to answer this question, but she felt very uncomfortable.
She was a martial artist, so she didn't understand why these usually well-read scholars would suddenly become like this.
If you lose, you lose, why kill someone else?
For the dignity of Great Ning?
But what is the meaning of this self-deceiving dignity?
Xu Qingwan couldn't understand it, and couldn't help but turn her gaze to Wei Changtian, who was still sitting on the small boat.
The latter also suddenly stood up at this moment, and in full view of everyone, leaped into the pavilion.
Is Changtian going to kill Shen Ran?
Xu Qingwan was a little doubtful, but her hand was already on the Sparrow Cry saber.
No matter how much she didn't understand, she would unconditionally support any decision Wei Changtian made.
“Someone is going to make a move!”
“Hero! Quickly kill this traitor!!”
“Yes! Kill him quickly! Don’t let him escape!”
Seeing someone enter the pavilion, the clamor on the shore grew even louder.
However, Wei Changtian had no intention of drawing his sword to kill anyone. Instead, he turned his head impatiently and roared at the crowd on the shore who were "cheering" for him:
“All of you motherf**kers!”
“Shut the hell up!”
“...”
The moon was bright, the stars were sparse, the wind was light, and the dew was white. The sky was like a wash.
Wei Changtian's unexpected move instantly swept away everyone's frenzy. After a long silence, someone whispered.
“That, that person is Wei Changtian who killed Prime Minister Liu, right?”
“It seems to be him. Isn’t he going to kill Shen Ran?”
“I think he’s a spy from Great Li!”
“I, I remember that his poetic talent is also excellent! Could it be that he wants to...”
“Impossible! Even Su Sheng lost, how can he win? Do you want us Great Ning scholars to lose even more face tonight?!”
“But...”
“...”
Some of the discussions on the shore reached Wei Changtian's ears, and some did not.
However, he didn't care about these discussions. He just looked at Shen Ran, and then shook his head gently.
He was a little conflicted at the moment.
The poetry competition just now was the first time Wei Changtian had personally witnessed a "protagonist's face-slapping scene."
And to be honest, Shen Ran's words and actions, apart from being a little arrogant, were much stronger than this group of scholars who only knew how to shout blindly.
At first, they did their best to mock Shen Ran. When they saw that their side was losing, they remained silent.
When Su Wu wrote a good poem, they started jumping again. After losing completely, they were unwilling to admit it, and even wanted to kill him to silence him.
Wei Changtian could somewhat understand the "national honor" in their hearts, but just as Xu Qingwan didn't understand—
What is the meaning of this self-deceiving dignity?
Perhaps it was because he was a transmigrator and didn't have the national identity of "I am a Great Ning person", or perhaps it was because of the values of "willing to bet, willing to lose" that he had developed since he was a child.
Wei Changtian didn't really want to stand up for such a group of people from the bottom of his heart.
But Shen Ran was, after all, one of the Sons of Heaven.
Pointing to the dark crowd behind him, Wei Changtian said softly to Shen Ran, who was looking at him warily:
“Let me make it clear in advance.”
“What I’m about to do is not for them.”
“It’s just for myself.”
Not for them, just for himself?
Shen Ran couldn't help but be stunned when he heard this, not understanding the meaning of it.
And the thousands of Great Ning scholars who didn't understand were the same.
“What does he mean by this?!”
“Hmph! I said long ago that he is a spy from Great Li!”
“Let’s see what he’s going to do.”
“What’s there to see? Are there any heroes who know martial arts? Quickly go and kill that Shen Ran!”
“That’s right! What does that assassin who killed the Prime Minister want to do have to do with us?”
“...”
A monstrous wave of discussion rose again. Wei Changtian ignored it completely, and simply waved his hand to summon the nine scattered strips of paper to his hand.
Spring sorrow, spring rain, spring night.
Spring flowers, spring plowing, spring birds.
Spring thoughts, spring wind, spring tide.
Nine strips of paper, nine topics.
Just when everyone, including Shen Ran, was wondering what Wei Changtian was going to do, a voice without emotion suddenly and clearly spread from the pavilion.
“This ci is about spring sorrow.”
“Alone I lean on the high tower, the wind blowing softly.
Gazing into the distance, spring sorrow is boundless, dimly rising to the horizon."
“The color of the grass and the light of the mist are in the setting sun.
Silently, who will understand my intention of leaning on the railing."
“I intend to indulge in drunkenness with unrestrained madness.
Singing and drinking, forcing joy is still tasteless."
“I will never regret that my clothes gradually become loose.
I waste away for her sake, becoming haggard."
“...”
Wei Changtian casually threw away the strip of paper with the word "sorrow" written on it, ignoring the thousands of people who were frozen in place as if struck by lightning, and ignoring the nearly a thousand golden carp that were stirring up a huge wave out of thin air around him, and continued to say quickly without any emotion:
“This poem is about spring rain.”
“The taste of the world has become as thin as silk over the years, who made me, a rider, come to the capital."
“Listening to the spring rain in the small building all night, selling apricot blossoms in the deep lane tomorrow morning."
“Leaning to write grass characters on short paper, playing with tea in the sunny window."
“Don't sigh about the dust and dirt of plain clothes, you can still get home before the Qingming Festival."
“...”
One ci about spring sorrow, one poem about spring rain.
The bright moon hung in the sky, and the vast Riyue Lake was full of people inside and out, but it seemed empty.
At this moment, no one could say a word, not even a sigh.
There was only Wei Changtian's almost perfunctory voice, and the golden carp that had never stopped leaping out of the water, constantly coming and going.
“...”
“The country is broken, but the mountains and rivers remain, the grass and trees are deep in the spring city.”
“A lonely sail's distant shadow disappears into the blue sky, only the Yangtze River flows to the horizon.”
“The sound of wind and rain came last night, who knows how many flowers have fallen.”
“A cup of white jade wine, green willows in the third month. A few days of spring wind remain, the temples on both sides are turning gray.”
“The spring colors fill the garden and cannot be confined, a branch of red apricot extends beyond the wall.”
“...”
“On this day last year, in this doorway, faces and peach blossoms reflected each other, red.”
“I don’t know where the face has gone, the peach blossoms still smile in the spring breeze.”
“...”
With the end of the poem about "spring wind", Wei Changtian had already recited eight poems in a very short time.
At this time, everyone's expressions and moods could not be described with any words.
If you had to say it... then it should be the look of seeing a god.
Pausing slightly, looking at Shen Ran who was staring blankly at him, Wei Changtian's tone became somewhat serious for the first time.
There was only one topic left.
It was also the one that Su Wu lost to Shen Ran—spring tide.
“This poem is about spring tide.”
“Named, Spring River Flower Moon Night.”
Two-in-one~
