Chapter 286: A Love Poem from Another World (5,000 words)
The dark clouds over the capital city dissipated before dusk, as if announcing the end of the battle.
Zhao Duan changed into new clothes, rode a steed, and arrived at "Zhangtai Garden" under the rosy glow of the western sky.
——A villa of the royal family in the capital, specially used for banquets, and the head of the Ministry of Rites is in charge.
"Master Zhao!"
As soon as Zhao Duan arrived at the outskirts of the villa, he heard a familiar voice coming quickly from the direction where the carriage was parked, with a smile on his face.
"Han Zhou?"
Zhao Duan, who was immersed in depression, was stunned for a moment, then he saw the other scholars of Xiuwenguan behind Han Zhou, and their smiles spread:
"It's you guys."
After not seeing each other for so long, we have so much to say when we meet again.
Zhao Duan's horse was led away by a servant, and he was immediately surrounded by a group of scholars and walked towards the gate of Zhangtai Garden.
A group of poor people who had been buried in the bookshelves in the library all day were very excited. They were talking at once, and there was no lack of compliments and exclamations.
It seemed that everyone knew about Zhao Duan's performance in the fight.
"Mr. Zhao, why did you come here alone? I heard that after the fight, the threshold of your Zhao family was trampled down." Han Zhou teased with a smile.
Zhao Duan blinked with a wry smile:
"That's why I'm hiding outside."
In the afternoon, after saying goodbye to Zhang Yanyi, he went home and found that his house was crowded with people who came to visit and congratulate him.
Zhao Duan was overwhelmed by the reception given by his aunt and sister, and he also felt a headache. He disguised himself and sent a message to the servants at home, then hid away.
After listening to his complaints, the scholars from Xiuwenguan looked at each other and laughed.
When they first entered the cabinet, each of them had similar experiences.
"...We were in the same situation back then, too frightened to go home. It was even more exaggerated than when we passed the imperial examination and were so proud of ourselves. So we just ran out and had a drink together. It's a happy thing to think about."
Han Zhou sighed, and then said admiringly:
"However, compared to Brother Zhao, we are nothing. Today, officials from all walks of life have gathered to celebrate your success. What a grand occasion!"
Another bachelor next to him shook his head:
"Brother Banshan, you are wrong. Scholar Zhao also had many generals in the army congratulate him not long ago. They are already familiar with the process."
There was a constant stream of praise.
Zhao Duan just smiled faintly and entered Zhangtai Garden while speaking.
It was already getting dark, and officials from various government offices gathered in the garden.
Zhao Duan chatted casually with Han Zhou and others, and the crowd surrounding him, with smiling faces, became larger and larger.
The onlookers couldn't help but sigh:
Two months ago, public opinion in the officialdom compared Han Zhou and Zhao Duan, believing that the former was better.
At that time, wherever Zhao Duan went, officials would often look down on him with cold brows.
But today, the status and treatment have been reversed.
Walking among a group of scholars from the Xiuwen Academy, he had the air of being the best of the younger generation in the capital.
In Zhangtai Garden, there were many waiters, and there were also musicians and dancers singing and dancing to liven up the atmosphere.
Zhao Duan went straight into the largest hall, where round tables were placed.
Inside the hall, all the officials were of the fourth rank or above.
"Haha, the Wu Quxing of my Dayu Dynasty is here."
The Minister of Rites, whom he had met once before, stood up to greet him with a smile on his face.
Beside him, the aged Minister of War, who had reviewed the case with him at the Shenjiying training ground, also stood up and teased with a smile:
"Zhao Chenshi has done a great deed today, and we, the military officials, have also benefited from it. How dare you, a civil official, interrupt me?"
Zhao Duan laughed heartily, exchanged pleasantries with the officials in the hall, then looked at Grand Tutor Dong, who had arrived earlier, and bowed.
"Master, why are you bothering to come here?"
Dong Xuan, who was already in his octogenarian years, was wearing the robes of a university scholar, his hair and beard were all white, and he pretended to be displeased:
"Why, now that you have achieved the fourth rank of military honor, you dislike me?"
Zhao Duan waved his hands hurriedly, and Dong Xuan smiled. He patted the chair left for him and sighed:
"Since this is a celebration banquet, an old minister should be here to support the occasion. Yuan Li has something going on at the Censorate. Xue Shence looked at your Sky-Splitting Sword and seemed to have some realization, so he declined. As for Li Yanfu... hehe, I guess he doesn't want to come, so I'm the only one who came."
Is there something wrong with the Censorate?
What happened that made Old Yuan take charge of the matter and not even have time to eat a meal?
Zhao Duan was curious, but he didn't ask. He just chatted and sat down.
Before he could even sit down, another elegant and graceful acquaintance came in, attracting many people's attention.
"The princess is here too?" Zhao Duan was surprised.
Xu Junling was dressed up tonight, and with his already good looks, he stepped into this dinner party filled with mostly old men, and immediately he was like a ray of light.
She has bright eyes, white teeth, and a charming smile:
"Why? Lord Zhao, are you worried that I, the princess, have no official position and therefore cannot enter this Zhangtai Garden?"
"What are you talking about, Princess?"
Zhao Duan laughed heartily, ordered someone to bring a chair, and then said with a smile:
"As long as the princess doesn't find this room of men boring and wants to sit until dawn, I will accompany her."
Everyone laughed.
Master Dong was in a good mood today and said to him with a smile:
"You're mistaken. Half of the glory of today's celebration banquet belongs to you, and the other half will probably belong to the princess."
"Oh?" Zhao Duan was puzzled.
After the Minister of Rites next to him explained it to him, he suddenly understood.
It turns out that it is a tradition for the court to hold a Zhangtai Banquet after the Buddhist battle. It was originally set by Emperor Taizu.
At that time, the fighting style was suppressed by the court masters.
The purpose of holding a banquet is to invite a group of scholars who are good at poetry and prose to come and write poems to praise and show off the royal military prowess.
But later... the royal inheritance gradually weakened.
This Zhangtai Banquet became a place similar to a "literary gathering".
The ministers still feasted and wrote poetry, but not for Buddhism, Taoism, or the court, but to make a name for themselves.
The theme of poetry is not limited to "battle of magic".
Because it is autumn, there are more poems with the theme of "Autumn", or more broadly, with the theme of "Life's Circumstances".
"So, today is both my celebration party and a literary gathering?" Zhao Duan had a strange expression on his face.
I thought to myself, no wonder I didn’t see many military officials along the way.
I'm afraid that Xue Shence's claim of understanding the way of the sword is fake, and his real intention is to avoid competing with scholars in poetry.
No wonder the Empress had told him before that some writers would write poems praising him tonight... probably that was arranged by the Empress.
The purpose was to take advantage of this opportunity to show the world the power of the court and to relive the glory of the Taizu Dynasty... It can be understood as a means of political propaganda.
Xu Junling, known as the "Talented Woman of Jiangnan", is best at poetry and prose... and she is now at home.
"It is my lack of knowledge. After that, how about asking Princess to write a few good poems for me?" Zhao Duan teased with a smile.
Xu Junling sat in a dignified posture, holding the jade cup with his green jade fingers, and smiled faintly:
"Lord Zhao is said to have the title of Bachelor, but I dare not present myself to him."
The ministers around laughed:
"Your Highness is too modest."
"Haha, don't embarrass Lord Zhao."
They all knew that although Zhao Du'an was extremely talented and had insights into administration and economics, he had never written poetry or essays.
Even if she could really write, there was no way she could be compared with Xu Junling, Han Zhou and other talented women and men.
Zhao Duan had a smile on his face. He looked at Xu Junling's pretty face with a slightly provocative expression, and his mouth curled up slightly, thinking:
"I don't want to bother with you."
…
…
Just when the capital city was immersed in the hustle and bustle.
Thousands of miles away, in the dark night.
On a towering mountain, in the Forbidden City Villa, the headquarters of the "Kuangfu Society".
A fiery red lantern also walked along the corridor, passed through pillars, climbed up stairs, and arrived at the villa, on the tall building next to the cliff.
"Grandmaster, has there been any news from the capital?"
The legal wife of the second prince Xu Jianwen who launched the coup, and also the woman who was given the title of "Princess", was wearing a long skirt, holding a lantern, and looking forward with a worried look on her face, with her sleeves fluttering, at Zhuang Xiaocheng.
Zhuang Xiaocheng, who has the temperament of a great scholar and is still energetic despite his age, is distracted.
Hearing this, he turned around. In the darkness, he seemed to smile and shook his head.
"Princess, don't worry too much. This is not a letter from the capital."
The princess was obviously relieved and sighed:
"Over the past few months, bad news has been pouring in from the capital. Many of the experts we sent out have been defeated, and a few days ago, word came back that the person Prince Jing had buried in the Privy Council had also been exposed.
Not only that, but the firearm blueprints I obtained with so much difficulty have become much less useful because of the new firearms... I'm really afraid of the news from over there."
Zhuang Xiaocheng felt disappointed when he heard this. Wasn't he the same?
After the Thousand-Faced God was arrested, the remaining members of the Beijing branch urgently stopped many actions and reported the news back.
Because Qianmianshen is one of the top masters in Tiangang and has access to a lot of internal information, Zhuang Xiaocheng is extremely anxious and orders personnel from all over the place to evacuate.
After cutting off the original means of communication and switching to new ones, it was another hassle before things finally stabilized.
However, he learned that Prince Jing had also suffered a heavy blow, and the spy was defeated again.
And all this is still related to that "Zhao Duan".
Zhuang Xiaocheng had even heard some comments within the society blaming him for not nibbling the problem completely, which led to such a big disaster.
"Don't worry, Princess. The capital is the pseudo-emperor's base, easy to defend but difficult to attack. Our defeat is inevitable.
However, compared to the territory of Dayu, the capital is only a prefecture. Even if we abandon it, it can delay the false emperor's energy in exchange for a complete victory. In terms of military strategy, the victory is greater than the loss. "
Zhuang Xiaocheng spoke freely:
“Besides, there is a battle between Buddhists and Taoists in the capital right now. If my plan is correct, the Bodhisattva Nagarjuna of the Shenlong Temple has been planning this for a long time, and he will definitely win this time.
By then, the Shenlong Temple will become even more powerful, and it will be able to break the balance between the three parties in the court. The false emperor will definitely strike back, and this is the opportunity for me to display my strategy...
Haha, I have already made plans ahead of time. I just need to wait for the Buddhist sect to win, and then let them know. A few small victories before this will not affect the overall situation. "
Translated, one sentence:
We won the game!
The princess's expression eased slightly:
"Now that you've said that, Master, I feel much more at ease. By the way, who sent the letter today?"
Zhuang Xiaocheng came back to his senses from his grand plan and said with a smile:
"It's a secret letter from Taicang County."
The princess was stunned for a moment, and suddenly thought of something:
"Taicang Silver Mine?"
Zhuang Xiaocheng nodded slightly, stroking his beard and said:
"This is quite interesting. If my guess is correct, someone is secretly plotting something. Haha, if the false emperor wants to implement new policies, he can't avoid this corner of the chess game. We just need to watch quietly from the sidelines and perhaps reap the benefits."
A gust of mountain wind blew, and Zhuang Xiaocheng's sleeves fluttered, making him look like the legendary top strategist who was in charge of the overall situation.
He turned around, looked towards the capital with his hands behind his back, and said with a smile:
"The Buddhist-Taoist duel ends today. I've arranged for people to spread the word that the imperial family is weakening and Buddhism is flourishing. It's such a conspiracy. Let's see how the fake emperor and that... Zhao Duan will respond."
…
…
Zhangtai Garden!
As the night deepened, the entire villa was immersed in an atmosphere of joy.
Zhao Duan's participation in the battle today helped the royal family to overcome its decline. Although the actual change was not big, it was an excellent point that could be "publicized".
The people do not have a strong sense of which side is strong or weak, so public opinion is quite important.
Xu Zhenguan was well aware of the subtleties of this matter and had arranged for a number of scholars tonight.
When the banquet begins, after singing and dancing, the poetry session begins.
A group of literati and poets threw out their prepared poems, praising Zhao Duan and the Dayu royal family.
The words were so blunt and flattering that even the villain Zhao Duan felt ashamed of himself.
I suddenly felt sad. No wonder the empress was unmoved by my flattery.
These intellectuals are really good at licking!
Zhao Duan saw with his own eyes that a scholar who was sitting in the courtyard came to the door of the hall with a volume of poetry and recited it loudly, praising Zhao Duan in all aspects without any blind spots.
It is rare in the sky and hard to find on the earth.
The licking made him fidgety and his face flushed. He turned around to look at the other civil servants around him. They all looked relaxed, eating and drinking as usual.
He looked like he was used to being licked and his threshold was maxed out.
Zhao Du'an felt ashamed and thought that he was still too narrow-minded.
I was immediately interested and listened attentively to the praises sung by these scholars and learned silently.
I plan to put my knowledge into practice in the future. I don’t believe that I can’t break Zhenbao’s defense.
Fortunately, the literati of Dayu were not completely shameless after all. After singing hymns, they finally entered the "poetry meeting" stage.
This time, Zhao Duan truly witnessed the elegance of the scholars of this era.
Most of those present were officials, and which one of them was not well-educated?
Rolled out from the mountain of poetry?
He also composed a poem impromptu, which was then commented on by others at a high level and won a lot of applause.
Xu Junling is indeed a talented woman. She happily waited for everyone to perform a round before she gently sang a song that overwhelmed the entire audience.
Even Grand Tutor Dong could not help but praise it highly, commenting on it personally and giving it high praise.
Afterwards, a group of scholars in the capital held their breath and tried their best to compete with him.
Among them, Han Zhou lived up to his reputation, and the poems he came up with were not inferior to those of the princess, which earned back some face for the people in the capital.
Zhao Duan was smiling and just drank, listened to music and watched dances the whole time. He seemed to have little interest in the poetry competition.
The officials around him were not surprised at all. They just thought that Lord Zhao was a "military general". Even if he had strategies for governing the country, it was normal that he was not good at poetry.
However, no one knew that the real reason was that Zhao Duan, who had been influenced by too many poems handed down from his previous life, had too picky aesthetic tastes.
I have been memorizing the pinnacle of art since I was a child, so it is difficult to arouse the interest to appreciate what is in front of me.
Today, Lord Zhao just wants to drink.
At this time, the night watchman's call should start.
As the banquet came to an end, Zhao Duan, who had been drinking alone, got drunk again, which was a rare occurrence.
One after another, the elderly ministers stood up and said goodbye and left.
"Everyone, I will go ahead."
Zhao Duan exhaled a breath of alcohol, stood up and bowed to the people around him.
A group of officials who were already immersed in the atmosphere of poetry competition and did not want to end it pretended to keep
——The circles of civil officials and military generals are clearly divided. In occasions like literary gatherings, the civil officials are all energetic and extremely enthusiastic, but the military generals just yawn.
"No, no, I'm quite tired after fighting in the ring today. I want to go home and rest early." Zhao Duan said with a smile.
The officials then said goodbye reluctantly.
"Master Zhao is leaving now?"
Princess Xu Junling took a step forward and said with a smile, her face flushed, her eyes full of excitement and pride.
Proud as a peacock.
During the day, the winner in the ring was Zhao Duan.
That night, at this literary gathering, the winner was her, Xu Junling.
"Hehe, Princess, can you take me home?"
Zhao Duan said with a smile, throwing out a remark that seemed to be a joke, but could also be understood as a teasing.
Xu Junling suddenly thought of the scene when the two of them were in the teahouse and Zhao Duan had said frivolous words to him, and he couldn't help but feel angry.
Hearing this, he stretched out his proud neck and smiled faintly:
"Master Zhao, you're joking. I'm just thinking about the Zhangtai banquet tonight. Master Zhao didn't leave any calligraphy as a souvenir. I feel a little regretful."
"You want my calligraphy?"
Zhao Duan asked with a smile in his eyes while he was drunk.
Xu Junling's mouth curled up slightly, his expression natural:
"Of course. However, if Lord Zhao is not good at poetry..."
"Pen."
Zhao Duan looked at her strangely and suddenly said.
Xu Junling was stunned.
The civil servants around him also looked surprised, realizing that Zhao Duan wanted to write poetry, which was a rare thing.
Suddenly, someone brought over a table with pens, ink, paper, and inkstone from nearby, and presented a brush with both hands.
"The princess is right. This situation and this scene should indeed be recorded."
Zhao Duan smiled, met the princess's arrogant gaze, raised his hand, randomly grabbed the brush, and dipped it in ink.
His eyes swept across Zhangtai Garden.
At this time, the remaining guests heard that Lord Zhao was going to write a poem, and they gathered around curiously.
Zhao Duan raised his eyes and looked around the room full of scarlet and purple treasures.
Zhao Duan lowered his eyes and noticed that even the paperweight on the table was expensively carved into the shape of a golden whip.
He smiled and recalled his experiences over the past six months. All the civil and military officials in the court used to look down on him, but now they all flattered him with smiles.
Emotions suddenly surged in my heart.
Zhao Duan wrote:
Night Notes on Zhangtai
Today I am drunk with flowers and willows in Yujing, and five marquises and seven nobles are drinking from the same cup.
Your arrogance far surpasses that of other heroes, and how could you lag behind others in your elegance?
I am young and the emperor is beautiful, riding a horse in Zhangtai with a golden whip.
Articles were presented in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and singing and dancing were enjoyed at the tortoise-shell banquet.
Zhao Duan picked up the pen and threw it away.
She strides through the crowd, her sleeves fluttering, into the night.
No one stopped him.
In the hall, lights flickered and the place was magnificent.
The Minister of Rites, who was standing closest, read the poem aloud.
Then, the officials who were watching the fun were stunned.
Xu Junling stared blankly at the unruly words on the paper.
Han Zhou recited softly in the crowd, savoring the poem.
Master Dong stood up and muttered to himself for a moment before his dim and cloudy eyes brightened:
"This poem..."
Then, he chewed on the sentence "The emperor's beauty is my youth" with a strange look on his face.
The next second, the old Grand Tutor suddenly waved his hand, called over a close follower, pointed at the poem, and said:
"Send it to His Majesty."
…
The update is late. Speaking of which, I wanted to modify this poem when I opened the book.
(End of this chapter)
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