sbdcsierra Chapter 242 You come and I go
Chapter 242 You come and I go
Su Shi's poem was not particularly stunning, but it was full of philosophy and charm, which deeply touched the Liao Dynasty's rulers and ministers, and they expressed their admiration for it.
Seeing that someone from the Song Dynasty envoy came forward to take the blame for him, the young man Yelu Cong who had written the poem earlier narrowed his eyes and stared at Su Zizhan with some ill intentions.
Han Ming was always keeping an eye on everything. When he saw Yelu Cong's slightly unfriendly look, he couldn't help but curl his lips and laugh secretly in his heart: "Not convinced? Hold it in!"
"Mr. Xiao Su is indeed a famous poet of the Song Dynasty. Although I live in the palace, I also like your poems very much."
Xiao Guanyin's words calmed the chaotic noise at the banquet, and everyone nodded slightly in agreement with the Queen Mother's words.
"Your Majesty, I am unworthy of your praise. It is just a small reputation." Su Zizhan bowed quickly.
"In that case, I wonder if there is anyone else in our dynasty who would like to challenge Mr. Su!"
As a well-known and top-notch talented woman in the Liao Dynasty, Xiao Guanyin's status in the poetry world is no less than that of some old men. There is even a rumor that "if she were not a woman, she would be the leader of the Liao Dynasty's literary world."
Now that the Empress Dowager had spoken, all the Liao poetry masters at the banquet looked around, then stood up and expressed their willingness to compete with Su Shi.
When Su Shi saw the large number of Liao poets and lyricists, he was not afraid at all, and even had a feeling of heroism brewing in his heart.
At the poetry banquet that followed, everyone witnessed what it meant to be a representative of the bold and unrestrained school and what it meant to be the top star of the Song Dynasty.
"The Emperor is already gifted with poetry, how can two ministers share the same mind? Even if ten thousand nations were to stand against him, one wisdom would be better than three."
A middle-aged official stepped out from the crowd and recited a masterpiece in a low voice.
Judging from its meaning, it should be somewhat flattering to the current government, implying that the monarch and his subjects are of one mind and no nation can defeat them.
However, Han Ming knew that this had another meaning, which was a warning.
He believed that the monarch could not rule the country with the ideas of one person, but should work together with the court officials to exert the power of one being greater than the other.
As the saying goes, three cobblers are better than one Zhuge Liang. As long as the ruler and his subjects work together with one mind, they will not be afraid even if they are enemies of all nations.
Han Ming stared at the middle-aged official of the Liao Dynasty and nodded slightly. It seemed that the situation within the Liao Dynasty was more serious than he thought.
These local officials see things more deeply than the ruling class and themselves, the outsiders.
The moment Su Zizhan heard the poem, he immediately understood its profound meaning and couldn't help but glance sideways at Han Ming, who was slightly thoughtful.
Han Ming just shook his head slightly, indicating that there was no need to let him go and he should just give it his all.
Although the official's sincerity was good, the general trend was irreversible. The Liao Kingdom was on the brink of collapse. It would take more than just one or two people to pull it back.
"Your Excellency's poem is very wonderful. I also have a new work here. I hope you will appreciate it."
Su Zizhan gently waved his sleeves, clasped his hands behind his back, and recited slowly, "Black clouds roll like ink, yet fail to cover the mountains; white raindrops dance like pearls into the boat. A sudden, earth-shaking wind blows away the clouds, and beneath Wanghu Tower the water is as vast as the sky."
This poem does not contain much philosophy or profound meaning, it simply describes the scenery of West Lake.
This poem was written by Su Shi when he was transferred to Hangzhou as a magistrate a few years ago.
This poem describes the beautiful rain scene at Wanghu Tower, capturing the unique "improvisation" of West Lake with verses, and painting a picture of "Sudden Rain on West Lake".
Dark clouds suddenly gathered and heavy rain suddenly fell. In an instant, the rain stopped and the sky cleared up, and the water and sky became one color.
Phrases such as "black clouds turning into ink" and "white rain jumping like pearls" form a strong color contrast, giving people a strong sense of texture.
Finally, the poem uses "water like the sky" to describe the end of a sudden rain, leaving a sense of leisurely and endless feeling.
These twenty-eight words, written casually and effortlessly, show the poet's profound skill, but they are not noticeable on the surface.
But the people participating in the poetry banquet today were not easy to deal with. Their faces changed slightly after just listening to the poem, and they understood the situation of the poem.
"Although it lacks much profound meaning or uses scenery to express emotions, the skill of word choice and sentence structure is profound, making it a masterpiece among seven-character poems."
"This kind of writing style requires great talent. Mr. Su's poetry is considered to be the best in the Song Dynasty!"
“Although I have never visited West Lake, but after hearing this poem, it comes to mind and makes me yearn for it!”
"Just from this poem, one can see that he has returned to the state of simplicity and nature. He is truly divine!"
"..."
There was a burst of praise at the scene, most of which were affirmations for Su Shi, who had just turned 28. After all, there was no one else in the world except Han Ming who could have such attainments in poetry at such a young age.
But Mr. Han had a severe toothache, after all, Su Shizhan's life trajectory was different now than before.
Because his father Su Mingyun agreed with Han Ming's governing philosophy, the entire Su family supported the new policy.
In this way, Emperor Yingzong and the future Emperor Shenzong, who already loved poetry and articles, would be very relieved and happy to see the Su family.
The chain reaction that was triggered was also beyond Han Ming's expectations. Thanks to this successful wave of standing on the side, Su Shi no longer experienced being exiled.
However, he started traveling around and left his footprints and poetry on the land of the south.
However, compared to the frustrated Su Shi in the past, he is now full of vigor and vitality, and the charm contained in his poems is much less.
But genius is so unreasonable. Without the bonus of a bumpy official career, Su Shi has now brought the basics of word choice and the integration of scenes to the extreme, and his skills are more profound than those of his peers.
Looking at Su Zizhan, who was full of energy and high spirits, Han Ming smiled slightly and sighed: "It is true that gold shines wherever it is. He is worthy of being my idol!"
Although Su Shi's poem does not contain many insightful words, it can be said today that it is a "show of skill", and he puts all his skills into this poem.
"Mr. Xiao Su is truly a master of his craft. Just the level of word choice and sentence structure in this poem alone is beyond the reach of many in the Liao Dynasty."
Xiao Guanyin sat in the main seat, looking at Su Zizhan with a smile in her eyes. It felt great to make friends through literature. It had been many years since she had encountered such a thing.
Yelu Hongji nodded continuously, agreeing with the evaluation of his own queen. After all, the title of "the most talented woman" is not something that anyone can easily get.
"Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty!" Su Zizhan was not modest this time. He bowed and accepted the other party's praise.
"However, Mr. Xiao Su's poems are all works of observation. Although they have philosophical charm and technical skills, they lack momentum and courage, making people feel petty."
Xiao Guanyin's words were not unfavorable. She directly said to Su Shi's face that his poems were not grand.
This made the Liao Dynasty's rulers and ministers all look at the frowning Su Shi with a smile. On the delegation side, except for Han Ming who sneered, He Zhengru and the other three were a little nervous.
Aren’t Su Shi’s poems grand?
Han Ming could hardly hold back his laughter. As a representative of the Haofang School, Mr. Su Dongpo's poems were fresh, vigorous, unrestrained and free, and he was known as "Su Xin" together with Xin Qiji.
One day someone actually dared to say that Su Shi's poems were petty, which was simply incomprehensible to Han Ming.
However, when I think about the smooth official career of this "Mr. Dongpo" today, I wonder whether those heroic poems will appear in the future.
"Your Majesty, do you think my poems are too stingy?" Su Zizhan calmed himself down and said in a deep voice.
"I have read several of Mr. Xiao Su's excellent poems written while in the territory of Song. Most of them focus on the natural beauty of the lakes and spring in the south, supplemented by reflections on the future and prospects."
“Although it is a fine work, it also carries the unique southern feeling of small bridges and flowing water, lacking in grandeur and majesty, leaving readers with a lingering and melancholic feeling.”
Xiao Guanyin's words made everyone's expressions tense. Even Yelu Hongji didn't expect that the queen, who usually looked weak, would have such a tough side.
There is nothing to say about Su Shi himself. At present, because his official career is going smoothly, he has no worries about his future. Therefore, many of his poems and lyrics are indeed in the style of the graceful school, as Xiao Guanyin commented.
But it does not mean that he does not have the level and ability to write magnificent poetry. It just requires some accumulation of life and emotions.
Seeing that Su Shi was speechless after being refuted by Xiao Guanyin, the Liao king and his ministers present all smiled, as if they were somewhat happy to see the failure of the Song people in poetry.
"Since Her Majesty is so strategic and magnanimous, I wonder if she has any masterpieces that we, the ministers, can appreciate?"
Han Ming couldn't bear to see his family members being bullied, especially his idol being criticized. He couldn't help but stand up and walk to the center of the banquet, looking directly at Xiao Guanyin who was sitting in the main seat.
"Om-!"
Seeing Han Ming actually stand up and accept the challenge, everyone talked about it and looked at Xiao Guanyin with some excitement to see how she would answer.
"Is Marquis Han ready to end his life?" Xiao Guanyin was no ordinary woman. To be able to stand beside Yelu Hongji, the ruler of the world, she was lucky and had talents that were no less than any other man in the world.
"Alas, Queen, why do you have to say such things? I think Marquis Han can't hold back his emotions and wants to consult with the ministers and the Queen."
Yelu Hongji pretended to mediate, but in fact he was fanning the flames.
"Is that what Lord Han thinks?" Xiao Guanyin smiled and stared at Han Ming with a calm and elegant look.
"Foreign minister Han Ming, please enlighten me, Her Majesty the Queen—!"
Han Ming flicked his robe and bowed. The confidence in his eyes made him look as dazzling as the sun at that moment.
"Since you mentioned the concept of heroic spirit and grandeur, how about you and I each write a poem with 'momentum' as the main theme?"
Xiao Guanyin's words were exactly what Han Ming wanted. When their eyes briefly met, an inexplicable aura flickered in the banquet hall...