Chapter 98 Du Fu Reports for Du Fu's Arrival: How Far Is It From Meeting His Idol? ...
A flash of white light, and when Du Fu opened his eyes again, he was already at the office of the clerk in Songyang County.
He looked around and saw that everyone there had an unusual appearance and was definitely extraordinary.
Suddenly, Du Fu's gaze fixed on something he had longed for, and his eyes, clouded by age, regained their brilliance.
It was Yuchi Jingde and Qin Shubao.
The images of these two figures, depicting them as door gods, circulate among the people and are so lifelike that they are easily recognizable.
Du Fu shuddered, his withered fingers gripping the hem of his robe tightly.
He staggered forward two steps, then suddenly stopped, tears welling in his cloudy eyes. A childlike sob escaped his throat: "It's...it's the Duke of E and the Duke of Hu!"
His white hair was disheveled, but his back was ramrod straight, like an old bamboo stalk finally receiving a refreshing rain. "I, Du, have wandered for half my life, and today I finally see your true face!" His face trembled, and his wrinkles were filled with wild joy. "The spirit of Zhenguan... the spirit of Zhenguan!"
Du Fu served two monarchs throughout his life, but both of them failed him.
In the twenty-fourth year of the Kaiyuan era (736 AD), atop Mount Tai, the twenty-four-year-old Du Fu stretched out his arms against the howling mountain wind. The endless green mountains and rivers of Qi and Lu stretched out beneath his feet, and the young man's brushstrokes, amidst the sea of clouds, expressed the bold statement, "I will ascend to the very summit." At this moment, he wore a gold-inlaid sword at his waist, acquired during his travels in Wu and Yue, and the hem of his fur coat was still stained with wine.
At this time, he was full of vigor, talented and young. Even if he failed the imperial examination this year, it wouldn't matter. He could just try again next year. Who was afraid?
Unexpectedly, this wasted time lasted for ten years.
When Du Fu first knocked on the gates of Daming Palace, it was snowing lightly in Chang'an.
It was the sixth year of the Tianbao era, 747 AD. Emperor Xuanzong had just changed the era name to "Tianbao" not long ago, and the glow of the prosperous era had not yet faded. Thirty-five-year-old Du Fu clutched his poetry scroll, his knuckles red from the cold, but a fire burned in his eyes—he believed that his talent would eventually be appreciated by the emperor.
But the gates of the Daming Palace were never truly open to him.
Li Linfu's farcical claim of "no worthy men left in the countryside" was like a bucket of ice water poured over Du Fu's head. That year, not a single scholar in the country passed the imperial examination. Li Linfu smiled respectfully and said to Emperor Xuanzong, "Your Majesty is wise; no worthy men have been overlooked in the countryside." But Du Fu, standing among the failed candidates, saw for the first time the lie of this prosperous era.
Later, he presented his poems, like a beggar offering his last coins. His "Three Great Rites Rhapsodies" were magnificent and powerful. After reading them, Emperor Xuanzong lightly granted him the qualification to "join the selection process"—go and wait in line. Perhaps the court will remember you someday when it needs someone.
This wait lasted for ten years.
Over the course of ten years, he witnessed the Yang sisters on the banks of the Qujiang River becoming "incredibly powerful and influential," and saw the emperor and his ministers enjoying themselves amidst the steaming hot springs of Huaqing Palace, their music and entanglements filling the air. In the end, he himself only received a lowly ninth-rank official position guarding the armory.
In the winter of 755, the fourteenth year of the Tianbao era, Du Fu traveled from Chang'an to Fengxian County to visit relatives. As he passed Lishan, the sound of sheng and xiao from Huaqing Palace drifted on the cold wind, and in his arms was a five-hundred-word poem he had just written on his journey from the capital to Fengxian County.
"Behind the red gates, meat and wine go to waste, while on the road, the bones of those frozen to death lie."
When he wrote this poem, he was unaware that An Lushan had already raised an army in Fanyang. He was even less aware that the glorious Tang Dynasty, which had once haunted his dreams, was about to collapse before his very eyes.
In the second year of the Zhide era, Du Fu, wearing tattered hemp shoes, with his sleeves torn and elbows sticking out, stumbled into the Fengxiang imperial court.
Emperor Sukjong Yi Heng frowned slightly as he looked at the gaunt, middle-aged man below the steps.
"Your subject... Du Fu, Left Remonstrance Official, pays his respects to Your Majesty."
His voice was hoarse, and his forehead pressed against the cold bricks, yet he was more devout than ever. Amidst the flames of the An Lushan Rebellion, he traversed rebel-occupied territory, risking his life countless times, all to seek refuge with this new emperor and fulfill his lifelong dream.
Emperor Sujong gave him the position of an eighth-rank remonstrating official.
Du Fu thought he had finally gotten the chance to "make the ruler like Yao and Shun".
However, he soon angered Emperor Suzong by pleading for Fang Guan.
Fang Guan was a former official of Emperor Xuanzong, and Emperor Suzong was busy purging the influence left by his father. Du Fu's remonstrance was like a thorn, piercing the new emperor's most sensitive nerve.
"Du Fu... was demoted to Military Advisor of Huazhou."
On the day the imperial edict was issued, it was raining in Chang'an. Du Fu stood on Zhuque Avenue, gazing at the majestic palace, and suddenly recalled a poem he had written in his youth: "To make the ruler like Yao and Shun, and to restore the purity of customs."
At that time, he was forty-six years old, dressed in rags, and had been driven out of the center of power.
Now, Du Fu is forty-seven years old. He has resigned from his official post and is still dressed in rags, but he still maintains his integrity. The spirited young Du Fu who wrote "I will climb to the top of the mountain and look down on all the mountains" when he was twenty-four years old and wandering in the land of Qi and Zhao is now a distant memory.
Yuchi Jingde and Qin Shubao exchanged a bewildered glance. The old man before them was dressed in rags, his hair streaked with gray, yet he behaved with the manners of a scholar, far from being an ordinary country bumpkin. What was even more astonishing was the burning intensity in his eyes as he looked at them, as if a parched land had finally received rain, or as a wanderer who had been away for half his life suddenly saw an old friend, trembling with excitement, even his breathing becoming rapid.
Qin Shubao was a kind and generous man. Seeing this, he quickly stepped forward, reached out to support Du Fu's swaying body, and said gently, "Old man, why do you perform such a grand ceremony? May I ask your name and which dynasty you come from?"
His hands were broad and strong, calloused from years of wielding weapons, yet he held Du Fu steady, as if afraid that the slightest force would injure the frail old man. Yuchi Jingde also stepped forward, his thick eyebrows slightly furrowed, his tiger-like eyes filled with doubt, but he remained polite and said in a deep voice, "Please rise, sir, let's talk slowly."
Supported by the two men, Du Fu still felt his legs go weak and his eyes welled up with tears. His lips trembled, and he hesitated several times before finally taking a deep breath to steady his voice, which he said hoarsely, "I am... surnamed Du, given name Fu, and I was born during the Tianbao era of the Tang Dynasty."
"The Tang Dynasty?" Qin Shubao was taken aback and exchanged a glance with Yuchi Jingde.
During the Tianbao era?
That looks familiar; it seems to be the unfilial grandson His Highness was about to punish.
Yuchi Jingde, being straightforward, couldn't help but ask, "During the Tianbao era? Then how is the Tang Dynasty now?" He could never trust anyone else's words as much as his own. He had finally found a family member, and it seemed that things weren't going well for him, so he had to ask.
Before he could finish speaking, Du Fu's face turned deathly pale, and the light in his eyes dimmed, as if someone had gripped his heart tightly. He remained silent for a long time before whispering, "Chaos...it's already in chaos."
These three short words carry immense weight.
Qin Shubao frowned, keenly sensing the sorrow in Du Fu's words. Just as he was about to ask again, he saw Du Fu suddenly look up, his gaze intense, as if a thousand words were stuck in his throat, ultimately turning into a long sigh:
"If the two dukes were here... this wouldn't have happened!"
Du Fu's mournful voice echoed in the office, like a sigh from the prosperous Tang Dynasty. Everyone remained silent, only looking at the old man, whose straw sandals were still covered in mud.
Even after his ideals were shattered, Du Fu's heart for the people of the world remained unchanged. He traveled to many places wearing straw sandals. Like a seagull, he walked between heaven and earth, witnessing many injustices in the world. Every step he took was accompanied by the cries of the people, which became like endless needles, piercing his heart day and night.
If the country had good ministers, how could things have come to this?
He suddenly remembered Chang'an during the Tianbao era. At that time, the Tang Dynasty still retained the charm of the Kaiyuan era. On Zhuque Street in front of Daming Palace, envoys from various countries came and went in droves. However, in just over ten years, this magnificent capital fell under the iron hooves of the barbarian cavalry. If someone had been able to dissuade that increasingly arrogant emperor back then, would everything that followed have been avoided?
But in this world, there are no "what ifs".
Yuchi Jingde stepped forward, grasped Du Fu's hand, and forced him to look directly at him before speaking: "This time, not only are we here, but His Majesty is here too!"
Because we're here, you don't need to be afraid.
Their hands were clasped tightly, as if they wanted to convey this belief to Du Fu as well.
His Majesty……
Which emperor? Is it Emperor Xuanzong? Or Emperor Suzong?
Du Fu had already lost all hope in these two emperors, but upon seeing Yuchi Jingde's large beard, he suddenly remembered that the emperor Yuchi Jingde spoke of was only one person.
That is…..
Emperor Taizong.
At the same time, Du Fu uttered those two words with trembling lips, receiving unanimous nods from Yuchi Jingde and Qin Shubao. It was only because His Majesty was not present that he would have been angry upon hearing the name "Taizong"; he certainly didn't like those words.
But he wasn't there, was he?
Yuchi Jingde and Qin Shubao exchanged a knowing smile.
Du Fu was overjoyed to receive a definite answer. It was as if something was pounding in his chest, almost jumping out of his chest. He couldn't hear what others were saying and just stood there dumbfounded.
His seemingly disbelieving expression was observed by Zhuge Liang, who then promptly pushed the two children, Li Chengqian and Li Tai, out. Although Wei Zhongxian was constantly thinking about sending these children home, he hadn't actually said anything.
Two children suddenly appeared before Du Fu. He thought they were just ordinary children, well-behaved and quiet. He searched all his pockets but couldn't find a single piece of candy or a snack to amuse the children.
He forgot that he himself hadn't eaten his fill for several days, so where would he get the money left to buy snacks?
"These are Crown Prince Li Chengqian and Li Tai," Qin Shubao introduced to Du Fu.
"Tai...Prince?"
He was Emperor Taizong's child, but they were too far apart. Du Fu did not immediately think of the Crown Prince's rebellion. Instead, through Li Chengqian, he saw the Zhenguan era, the Tang Dynasty at that time, the unity between the emperor and his ministers, and Li Shimin, who loved the people like his own children.
Du Fu's voice suddenly choked. His hunched back straightened involuntarily, and an unusual light shone in his cloudy eyes. It was an almost devout gaze, as if through these two children he could see the prosperous Zhenguan era that haunted his dreams.
Li Chengqian wore a hollowed-out gold crown, and although he tried his best to maintain the dignity of the crown prince, there was still a childlike innocence in the corners of his eyes. Li Tai was even younger, hiding behind his elder brother, curiously looking at the ragged old man.
No one spoke, and everyone looked at Du Fu. He must have suffered a lot. Let him quietly enjoy this encounter and this dreamlike moment.
Du Fu's feelings at this moment were like those of a fan who didn't see his idol but saw his idol's merchandise, the most valuable kind at that.
Having met the son of my idol, how far away is it from meeting my idol?
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