Chapter 198: Spring Dragon Poetry Gathering, Moonlit Night on the Spring River (V)
From an ordinary "fan meeting" to a contest concerning the dignity of the Daning poetry world.
The sudden appearance of a Dali man gave the Chunlong Poetry Meeting a completely different meaning.
No one now thinks that Su Wu has a sure win, but no matter what, this great poet cannot lose.
Because he is the last and only hope of the literati of Daning.
For the literati of Daning, winning or losing this competition might be more important than their own lives.
But for Shen Ran himself, all this was just a small obstacle in his path of practicing Buddhism.
Today he came here just for Su Wu.
Winning is good, of course.
It doesn’t matter if you lose.
You are still young, there is nothing to be ashamed of.
Looking up at Su Wu, who looked like an old immortal, Shen Ran took a deep breath and bowed respectfully to him.
"Sue Saint, please!"
The word "please" pierced the night sky, causing a gust of wind to pass by.
Thousands of people held their breath, as if they were afraid of disturbing Su Wu's mood.
However, the latter did not keep everyone waiting for too long.
After about seven or eight breaths, he took a light step forward and stood at the bow of the boat.
Long beard, long sleeves, white hair, white clothes. The figure sways in the wind, as if echoing with the bright moon in the sky.
After looking at Shen Ran, Su Wu slowly opened his mouth and softly recited a seven-character poem in a relieved and calm tone.
His voice was not loud, even a little small.
But when this poem, like a gentle breeze blowing through a hill, reached everyone's ears, it actually revealed the prosperity of a dynasty.
"The spring tide flooded the beach last night, and the rain hastened the flowers to half bloom."
"The geese call for the Lantern Festival to return to the northern frontier, and the swallows carry the New Year's Eve to the south."
"If you are not happy, you don't need to visit the flowers and trees. If you are sick, why do you need to keep a medicine basket?"
"Just be loyal to heaven and earth, and teach your children to wear crowns and hairpins."
“.”
After the poem was recited, the whole audience fell silent.
One breath, two breaths, three breaths, and then "Hua! Huahuahua!"
The originally calm lake surface suddenly began to boil with countless bubbles, followed by a flash of golden light!
The fish leaps over the Dragon Gate, the sea and sky are vast, and the poem becomes famous all over the world!
Two hundred and ninety-nine golden carps leaping forward!
The spring tide floods over the beach, and the flowers are half-opened after the rain.
The Lantern Festival is fading away, the Du Ri is coming, the geese are returning to the north, and the swallows are arriving in the south.
Why should I be unhappy? What if I have a disease? All I want in this life is to be loyal and to have children to enjoy my life.
Two sentences describe the scenery, and two sentences describe the emotions.
There is not a single word of praise in the entire article, but it seems as if a vivid picture of a prosperous and peaceful era is unfolding before everyone's eyes.
Just be loyal to heaven and earth, and teach your children to wear crowns and hairpins.
Faced with Shen Ran, who could almost be called arrogant, Su Wu actually responded with such a poem without any hostility, which truly demonstrated his extraordinary and transcendent mind and pattern.
The fight between you and me is just a trivial matter that is not worth mentioning. I have no intention of competing with you. I just want to tell you about the prosperity of Da Ning.
“.”
"good!!!"
I don't know who shouted first, but soon the entire Sun Moon Lake began to boil like a pot of boiling water.
The emotions that had been suppressed for so long were finally released madly after Su Wu's poem caused 299 golden carps to leap for it.
"Su Sheng is indeed a saint! This poem is so inspiring!"
“This is the mind of a saint!”
"No one in the world can match such talent and vision!"
"Two hundred and ninety-nine golden carps! We're sure to win!"
"Da Ning's face has been saved!!"
“.”
Some people praised the poem loudly in relief, some recited it over and over again in a low voice with obsession, and some have already started discussing the wording, sentence structure, allusions and artistic conception of the poem with their friends.
Of course, there are also many people who have not forgotten Shen Ran.
"Mr. Shen! Su Sheng has finished writing his poem! It's your turn!"
"If you can't do it, leave now!"
"It's not shameful for you to lose to Su Sheng!"
“.”
Although many people hated Shen Ran to the point of gnashing their teeth just now, they were not too aggressive at this moment.
This may be because of the poetic talent displayed by Shen Ran, or it may be because at this moment everyone in Daning has put themselves in the position of "winners".
Winners tend to be more tolerant towards losers.
However, facing the urging of the crowd, Shen Ran did not show any emotional fluctuations.
He looked at Su Wu deeply and knew that it would be difficult for him to win this battle.
But since I have come all the way from Dali, I have to give it a try.
And at this moment, what exactly do I want to say? Unlike Su Wu, who had a smooth journey and became a "saint" in old age, Shen Ran's life path was much more bumpy.
So although he could understand the sentence "Just be loyal to heaven and earth, and teach your children to wear crowns and hairpins", he knew that he could not write such an open-minded poem.
But why should I be like Su Wu? I am no worse than anyone else. I also have a different understanding of the world from that of a "sage"! Standing in the pavilion, looking at the bright moon above his head, Shen Ran thought for a long time.
Suddenly, he murmured in a low voice as if talking to himself:
"There is no one to share a cup with me among the guests, and for whom will the peach and plum blossoms in my hometown bloom?"
“.”
A poem? Everyone was stunned, and then they carefully savored the meaning of this poem.
Far away in Daning, Shen Ran is indeed a guest, and the phrase “no one to share a drink with” clearly reveals his loneliness.
The line “For whom do the peach and plum blossoms bloom in their hometown” not only raises the feeling of homesickness of being alone in a foreign land to a higher level, but also vaguely reveals a sense of pride.
To be fair, although these two sentences are good, they are still a little lacking in meaning compared to Su Wu's poem.
Writing poetry requires expressing one's emotions through scenery. This will make it more exquisite and resonate more with the listeners.
But now Shen Ran actually omitted the step of "describing the scenery".
The poem starts off with a lyrical tone, but is there anyone who can understand this kind of "emotion"?
If it was just writing about "homesickness", then the pattern would be too far away from Su Wu.
Or... something else? Soon, Shen Ran gave the answer.
He took a step forward and stood up to face the endless crowd on the lakeside, as if he was confronting these thousands of people alone! The high-pitched voice pierced through the night and pierced the sky!
"The spring tide doesn't care about the hatred in the world, it rolls over the western state. The evening rain is coming!"
“.”
There is no one among the guests to share a drink with, and for whom are the peach and plum blossoms in my hometown blooming?
The spring tide does not care about the hatred across the world, and brings the evening rain to the west.
"Tianyahan (hate at the end of the world)" usually refers to the homesickness of a traveler, but it can also represent the love and hatred in the world.
As for the last sentence "The evening rain comes to the western province", the allusion here is very clear to everyone present.
Xizhou is the closest state to the royal capital "Baiping" in Dali.
More than two hundred years ago, under the leadership of six second-rank masters, the Daning army fought all the way to Xizhou and signed a "Xizhou Treaty" with the Emperor of Dali.
Within 500 years, Dali voluntarily regards Daning as its main country, and the area east of Xizhou and up to the border of Daning will not be fortified. In addition, it must pay Daning a tribute of one million taels of silver, ten thousand fine horses, and other special products every year, etc. In short, it is a typical unequal treaty.
Such a treaty would be a shame that any Dali person would never forget.
So, you have your peaceful and prosperous times, and I have my family feuds and national hatreds.
In front of thousands of Daning scholars, Shen Ran actually presented a completely different scene in such a straightforward way.
On one side, the victors are enjoying a peaceful life.
On one side, the losers are moving forward with heavy burdens.
“Crash!”
Ripples appeared on the surface of the lake and the same scene appeared again.
Everyone held their breath and stared 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 seemed as if it was destined in the dark, and there just happened to be one more tail.
“.”
“Plop!”
"How, how is it possible?"
“It’s not true. It’s not true.”
On the shore, countless scholars with red faces sat on the ground, their expressions extremely confused.
After comparing them to this extent, it is difficult to tell the superiority of the two poems from the listening experience, techniques and artistic conception.
But the extra golden carp told everyone clearly:
The number one figure in Daning poetry, the poet Su Wu, lost.
They couldn't accept this result, but it seemed they had to accept it. "Kill, kill him!"
Someone suddenly shouted tremblingly.
The crowd was silent for a moment, but the same thought was spreading like a plague.
"Yes, as long as we kill him, no one will know what happened tonight!"
"That's right! Kill him now!"
"We can't let him leave alive!! Daning must not suffer such humiliation!"
"Quick! Kill him!"
“Kill him! Kill him!!”
From one or two shouts, to one or two pieces, and finally to the cheers of thousands of people.
The devilish roar was earth-shaking, carrying with it the most noble yet selfish emotions, creating chilling waves on the surface of the lake.
"Sister Xu, are these people crazy?"
You Jia frowned and looked at Xu Qingwan who had the same expression beside her.
“.”
Xu Qingwan didn't know how to answer this question, but she did feel uncomfortable.
She was a warrior, so she didn't understand why these well-educated people who were usually well-educated would suddenly become like this.
If you can't win, then you can't win. Why kill others? For the dignity of Daning?
But what is the meaning of this self-deceiving dignity? Xu Qingwan couldn't figure it out, and couldn't help but cast her eyes on Wei Changtian who was still sitting on the boat.
At this moment, the latter suddenly stood up and jumped into the pavilion in full view of everyone.
Is Changtian going to kill Shen Ran? Xu Qingwan was a little confused, but her hand was already on Queti.
No matter how much she didn't understand, as long as it was a decision made by Wei Changtian, she would support it unconditionally.
"Someone is about to take action!"
"Good man! Kill this thief quickly!!"
"Yes! Kill him now! Don't let him get away!"
Seeing someone enter the pavilion, the noise on the lakeside became even louder.
However, Wei Changtian had no intention of drawing his sword to kill. Instead, he turned his head impatiently and shouted at the crowd on the shore who were "cheering" for him: "Fuck you all!"
"Shut up!"
“.”
The moon is bright and the stars are sparse. The wind is gentle and the dew is white. The sky is clear.
Wei Changtian's unexpected move instantly wiped out everyone's enthusiasm. After a long silence, some people began to whisper.
"Is this person Wei Changtian who killed Prime Minister Liu?"
"It seems like he didn't go to kill Shen Ran?"
"I think he is Dali's spy!"
"I, I remember that he was also very talented in poetry! Could it be that..."
"Impossible! Even Su Sheng lost, how can he win? Don't you think that I, the Da Ning scholar, haven't lost enough face tonight?!"
"But."
“.”
Some of the discussions on the shore reached Wei Changtian's ears, but some did not.
But he didn't care about these discussions. He just looked at Shen Ran and shook his head slightly.
He was feeling somewhat conflicted at the moment.
The poetry duel that just happened was the first time Wei Changtian witnessed a "famous scene of the protagonist showing off".
To be honest, Shen Ran's actions and words, except for being a little arrogant, are much better than those of these scholars who can only shout nonsense.
At the beginning, he mocked Shen Ran to the utmost, but when he saw that he was no match for Shen Ran, he kept silent.
When Su Wu wrote a good poem, he started dancing again. After he completely lost, he was unwilling to admit it and even wanted to kill people to silence them.
Wei Changtian could more or less understand the "national honor" in their hearts, but just as Xu Qingwan was puzzled -
What is the meaning of this self-deceiving dignity?
It may be because he is a time traveler and has no sense of national identity as a Daning person, or it may be because of the value of "accepting defeat if gambled" that he developed since childhood.
In fact, Wei Changtian was unwilling to stand up for such a group of people from the bottom of his heart.
But Shen Ran is one of the Sons of Heaven after all. Pointing to the dark crowd behind him, Wei Changtian said softly to Shen Ran who was looking at him with a vigilant face: "Make it clear in advance."
“What I’m going to do next is not for them.”
"It's just for me."
Not for them, but just for myself? Shen Ran was stunned when he heard this, and didn't understand the meaning.
There were also thousands of Daning literati who did not understand.
"What does he mean by that?!"
"Humph! I've long said he was a spy from Dali!"
"Let's see what he's going to do."
"What's so good about this? Are there any martial arts heroes? Go and kill Shen Ran!"
"That's right! What does that thief who murdered the prime minister want to do have to do with us?"
“.”
The torrent of discussions sounded again, but Wei Changtian ignored them completely and just waved his hand to pick up the nine pieces of paper scattered on the ground.
Spring melancholy, spring rain, spring night.
Spring flowers, spring plowing, spring birds.
Spring thoughts, spring breeze, spring tide.
Nine pieces of paper, nine questions.
Just when everyone including Shen Ran was wondering what Wei Changtian was going to do, an emotionless voice suddenly came clearly from the pavilion.
"This poem describes the melancholy of spring."
"Standing on the dangerous building, the wind is blowing gently. Looking at the spring sorrow, it darkens the sky."
"In the fading light of the smoke, the grass is green. Who will stand by the railing without words?"
"I wanted to get drunk and be carefree. I drank and sang, but forced happiness was tasteless."
"I will never regret even if my clothes become looser. I will become haggard for her."
“.”
Wei Changtian casually threw away the piece of paper with the word "sorrow" written on it, and ignored the thousands of people who were frozen in place as if struck by lightning, and the nearly a thousand golden carps that were stirring up huge waves out of thin air around them. He continued to speak quickly and without any emotion: "This poem is about spring rain."
"The world has become as thin as gauze in recent years. Who allowed the horsemen to come to Beijing?"
"I listened to the spring rain in the small building all night, and sold apricot blossoms in the deep alley the next morning."
"I write casually on a piece of paper, and share tea with my friends in the sunny window."
"Don't sigh about the wind and dust in plain clothes, you can still get home before Qingming."
“.”
A song of spring sorrow and a song of spring rain.
The moon was bright in the sky, and the huge Sun Moon Lake was filled with people, yet it seemed empty.
At this moment, no one could utter a word, not even a sigh.
There was only Wei Changtian's almost perfunctory voice and the golden carp that never stopped from beginning to end and kept trying to jump out of the water.
“.”
"The country is ruined but the mountains and rivers remain, the city is overgrown with grass and trees in spring"
"The lone sail disappears into the blue sky, leaving only the Yangtze River flowing across the horizon"
"The sound of wind and rain at night, how many flowers have fallen?"
"White jade, a cup of wine, green willows in March. The spring breeze lasts for a few days, and the temples are all white"
"The spring scenery fills the garden and cannot be contained; a red apricot branch bursts out of the wall"
“.”
"Last year at this same time, the faces of the people and the peach blossoms reflected each other's redness."
"I don't know where the person has gone, but the peach blossoms still smile in the spring breeze"
“.”
By the time he finished writing the poem "Spring Breeze", Wei Changtian had memorized eight poems in a very short time.
At this moment, everyone's expressions and moods can no longer be described in any words.
If I have to describe it, it would be what it looks like when you see a god.
After a brief pause and a glance at Shen Ran who was staring at him blankly, Wei Changtian's tone became serious for the first time.
There is only one question left.
This was also the spring tide that Su Wu lost to Shen Ran.
“This poem is about the spring tide.”
"It's called, Spring River Moonlit Night."
Two-in-one~ (End of this chapter)
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