Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 68 It's not easy being a dog

The neon clothes and feather clothes were still playing, and the music sounded like a fairyland. Several apprentices of Yang Yuhuan and Aunt Gongsun, dressed in gorgeous Tang brocade, fluttered like butterflies on the stage.

However, no one in the audience was paying attention to them anymore, and Datang's traditional banquet repertoire had already begun.

No banquet in the Tang Dynasty would be complete without poems, especially banquets organized by the royal family.

Although Li Longji did not say what the theme of the banquet poem was, he gave this order during the performance of Nishang Yuyi, coupled with Yang Yuhuan's sensitive identity, it was already obvious what the other party wanted to express.

"Is there any more! Don't you even have half a poem?"

Zheng Shuqing's pen was scribbling on the paper, and he only hated Fang Chongyong for not saying more.He can't write poetry, but his appreciation level has been developed since he was a child!

Zheng Shuqing knew very well the level of those two sentences written by Fang Chongyong just now: He has written poems all his life, but he can't write such sentences, he can't even write a single sentence!

"Is there really only two lines? It's best to come up with a verse. If not, even a quatrain is fine! What's the use of only two lines of poetry?"

Zheng Shuqing roared in Fang Chongyong's ear, and the blood in his body was about to boil.

"Zheng Shilang, why don't you understand the truth of going too far? If I finish writing a whole song, I dare to write it, do you dare to do it?
Is this your true level?
If the sage asks you to write another song of lower quality to add to the fun, can you write it? "

Fang Chongyong asked angrily.

Lao Zheng once again committed the problem of getting hot when he was excited.

"I just asked casually..."

After Zheng Shuqing heard what Fang Chongyong said, he was instantly frightened.

"Then what do you say?"

Lao Zheng is good at this. He knows that he cannot listen to others' advice and will not act recklessly.

What Fang Chongyong said makes sense. Good cards need to be played by masters. If you are not careful, it is often the case that a good card will be broken into pieces.

"As soon as the song of neon clothes and feather clothes stops, you can immediately take these two lines of poems and rush towards the saint while shouting."

Fang Chongyong said thoughtfully.

In fact, according to the normal process, Gao Lishi would come to collect the poems in person. If he saw something that caught his eye, he would take it away. If he didn't like it, he would naturally be grateful and insensitive. It was impossible to take it away to stain Li Longji's eyes.

Just imagine if a certain old man wrote a sentence like "Ocean, you are full of water, toad, you have four legs" and showed it to Li Longji, wouldn't it ruin the saint's elegance?

He is the emperor, not the Chinese teacher responsible for correcting elementary school compositions!

So in the end, a small number of poems should be sent to Li Longji.However, this "small part" is probably as many as dozens of articles.

Although these two sentences by Qing Pingdiao are very good, they are easily buried.

If you want to attract attention, you can’t follow conventional routines!
Zheng Shuqing gritted his teeth and nodded fiercely!

Although there were many banquet etiquettes in the Tang Dynasty, they did not pay attention to reservations. On the contrary, it was disrespectful to the host if you did not serve what was due to you.

It is common for guests to drink and get high, and to sing and dance with the singers, and they will not be treated as a joke afterwards.Zheng Shuqing's behavior of rushing to show off his poems in front of the saint must have been disrespectful in the Han Dynasty, but in this era, it happened to be in line with the customs.

You can be crazy, as long as you are crazy enough to have something in your stomach, this is the stage for you to become famous.

Of course, if you don't have any goods in your stomach and still come here to shame people in such a ostentatious manner, then I'm sorry, you will definitely become a laughing stock afterwards, and you may even be punished!
While thinking about it, the song of neon clothes and feather clothes ended, and Yang Yuhuan also left the stage with Shi Shiran, a few apprentices of Aunt Gongsun.

"Don't miss this opportunity, if you miss it, don't come back, let's go!"

Fang Chongyong said to Zheng Shuqing nervously.

……

In this banquet, Li Longji's main purpose was to strip Yang Yuhuan from the status of "Princess Shou" in the eyes of outsiders into a "free body".

But Fang Chongyong and Zheng Shuqing wanted to "untie the trap" so that Li Longji would no longer regret not giving Yang Yuhuan Tang Jin.

Besides them, there was another person in the banquet who also had his own plan, and that person was Princess Yuzhen.

This person is Li Longji's same mother and sister, who is extremely favored, but now she has become a monk as a female Taoist priest.

Of course, the female Taoist priests of the Tang Dynasty were not pure-hearted people, at least most of them were not.With the status of a "Taoist priest", you can get rid of the shackles of the world, and you will not have any restrictions when meeting men.

Otherwise, whether it is a married woman or an unmarried woman, dealing with men who are neither relatives nor relatives will always cause some criticism.

"Li Taibai, you must seize this opportunity."

Princess Yuzhen, wearing a Taoist robe, said to a middle-aged man beside her.This person was none other than Li Bai, who had met Fang Chongyong and the others outside Chang'an City!

No wonder that when Li Bai heard about Zheng Shuqing's position as governor, he didn't want to have a close relationship with them at all. It turned out that he had already found a way.

No matter how good Zheng Shuqing's connections are, can he surpass Princess Yuzhen?

Li Bai's doorway is Princess Yuzhen, who is a long-lasting holy family!Li Longji was really kind to this direct sister. Of course, it was also because Princess Yuzhen never asked about government affairs, and she had the same father and mother as him.

"I've already thought of it. I'm still a little bit closer."

Li Bai bit his hairless brush and thought hard.In many cases, writing poetry is like walking in circles in a forest full of dense fog, unable to get out at all, and he needs the guidance of light.

That light is inspiration.

"Saint! Saint! I have it! I have it!"

Li Bai didn't pay much attention when he heard a middle-aged man wearing a strange and gorgeous brocade robe running towards Li Longji's location.

He had just written the word "cloud" on the paper, and his thoughts were interrupted by the yelling. It felt like being thrown to the ground by a horse while riding a horse.

"Yun Xiang's clothes are beautiful, and the spring breeze is blowing Revlon!"

The man danced and handed the paper with the poem to Gao Lishi.

blah blah blah!

Li Bai's pen fell on the desk, and he rubbed his hair with painful hands, feeling extremely regretful!
"Why didn't I think of it, Yun Xiang clothes Hua Xiangrong! Why didn't I think of it!"

He banged the desk and muttered to himself dejectedly.

"Li Taibai, are you feeling unwell?"

Princess Yuzhen asked with concern.

"It's okay, it's okay. What I said just now is really good, really good."

Li Bai forced a smile at Princess Yuzhen, it's fine to show off, but he can't show off in front of his nobles.Otherwise, who will recommend me in the future?
"Do you have a good poem for the occasion? As for the sentence just now, Pindao also feels that there will be no poem that can surpass it at this banquet."

Princess Yuzhen frowned slightly and said.

Such a vulgar person actually presents these two lines of otherworldly and refined poems like dancing, what a waste of heaven and earth.

Princess Yuzhen is not the only one who feels this way. Li Longji, the person involved, is also confused.Zheng Shuqing was a "technocrat" who had some expertise in arithmetic. His specialty was making money, not writing poetry.

"Zheng Aiqing, is that just two sentences? It's not enough to make up a quatrain."

Li Longji asked with a smile.

"Saint! Weichen is a wooden fish head. To come up with these two sentences, he has already used up all his life-long poetic talent! Where can I find the following two sentences!"

Zheng Shuqing firmly remembered Fang Chongyong's instructions, and he must not stand out when he shouldn't act blindly.

To avoid being beaten into a pig's head by Li Longji.

"Lishi, go and ask if anyone can catch these two sentences and continue writing them. By the way, whoever can catch them will be honored by the Hanlin Academy!"

Li Longji frowned slightly, and whispered to Gao Lishi who was leaning over.

Gao Lishi walked to the center of the stage and shouted at the top of his lungs:
"The sage said, whoever can answer these two sentences will be enshrined in the Imperial Academy.

The clouds are like clothes, the flowers are like faces, the spring breeze is blowing the threshold, and the dew is thick!Whoever can pick it up will be sent over immediately! "

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Bai stood up excitedly, rushed to the stage and shouted to Li Longji:
"I got it, I got it!

If it wasn't for Qunyu Mountain, I would meet Yaotai next month! "

Li Bai had no time to write, so he almost blurted it out.

Gao Lishi was used to such madmen, he frowned calmly and said, "Go to the saint and write down those two sentences just now."

"Good good!"

Li Bai stepped forward, flamboyantly, and wrote down these two lines of poems.When he finished writing, he felt refreshed, and all the suffocation in his heart was swept away!

"Aren't you...Li Bai?"

Li Longji remembered who the person in front of him was.

When he first toured Luoyang, Li Bai once presented "Ming Tang Fu" to himself, and later presented "Da Hunting Fu".But Li Longji has always believed that the trouble of the imperial court lies in the lack of income, and what is needed are talents in financial management.

As for the others, just follow the rules of the three provinces and six ministries. As the emperor himself, there is no need to interfere.

Therefore, Li Longji was not very interested in Li Bai, a literati who was good at writing poems and songs.Besides, the imperial court at that time already had literary giants like Zhang Jiuling and He Zhizhang.People like Li Bai who offer poems and seek official positions can be said to be like crucian carp crossing the river, everywhere.

The only difference is talent, the quantity is absolutely not lacking!

Things are rare and valuable, and no matter how good Li Bai's poetry is, he is still buried among these vulgar people, so he has never been able to seek an official position.

"You are also considered talented, so from today onwards, you will be enshrined in the Imperial Academy, live with me, and write poems and odes for me."

These four poems flattered Yang Yuhuan, and made Li Longji very comfortable. Of course, he didn't mind leaking a little bit of leftovers through his fingers to coldly dismiss an official-seeker like Li Bai.

"Thank you saint for your grace! Thank you saint for your grace!"

Li Bai withdrew thankfully.

Zheng Shuqing also withdrew, returned to his seat, looked at Fang Chongyong who was enjoying the food and asked in a low voice: "How was it? Was your performance okay just now?"

Fang Chongyong made an "OK" gesture and continued eating, ignoring Zheng Shuqing at all.

It's probably okay.

Seeing Fang Chongyong's laid-back look, Zheng Shuqing knew that it was all right, but at this moment he found Wei Jian who was sitting beside him looking at him with strange eyes, so he explained guiltily: "I was so excited just now, I couldn't hold it back, hahahahaha. "

"Those two sentences are really good."

Wei Jian said meaningfully and glanced at Fang Chongyong thoughtfully. He had just seen that Fang Chongyong had written on the paper and Zheng Shuqing had come to copy it.The Chang'an prodigy is indeed well-deserved, and he is also very low-key, actually hiding himself.

Fang Youde's son... seems to be a wonderful person too.

Wei Jian quietly remembered Fang Chongyong in his heart.

After the performance, the drinking session of the banquet begins.The palace people placed jar after jar of wine in the center of the stage and piled them up.

Guests scattered around can take whatever they want without having to place a lot of wine jars at their tables.

Only then did Fang Chongyong suddenly realize why the bureaucrats in the Tang Dynasty, who drank frantically, did not drink at the banquet just now, and the officials did not provide alcohol.

It turned out to be in ambush here.

Soon, the drinking ceremony began.Li Longji, the representative of Gao Lishi, announced that three people, Mingfu, Lulushi and Gonglushi, would be selected from among the guests to be responsible for maintaining the order of drinking.

"Mingfu" is the respectful name given to the county magistrate Yin since the Han and Wei dynasties, and it mostly refers to the county magistrate in the Tang Dynasty.Since the banquet is equivalent to a group, it is necessary to elect a person of high morals and prestige to always maintain order, so it is nicknamed "Mingfu".

Everyone unanimously recommended He Zhizhang, who has excellent wine quality on weekdays and loves wine like his life.

The lülushi must be someone who knows the rules of drinking, understands the music, and has a large capacity for drinking.

Law record affairs need to prepare "cage table" (also called cage chip). The cage table is a wine order tool made of silver. , shaped like a flag or a flag, is called a punishment chip, just like the command arrow in the army).

The Lu Lu Shi determines the rules and rhyme of the drinking order, and determines who will be rewarded with wine and who will be punished with wine.

Unexpectedly, Li Longji asked Li Bai, who had just been in the limelight, to be the law recorder.I don't know if it's for the face of my younger sister, Princess Yuzhen, or if I want to promote a literati to make her famous.

Gong record affairs are also called fine record affairs, in charge of law enforcement.Probably because of Li Longji's order, Gao Lishi directly pulled out Zhang Shougui, who had just been worshiped as the left minister, as the offender.

He Zhizhang, Li Bai, Zhang Shougui.

Does this combination imply something?

Fang Chongyong watched the grand banquet with cold eyes. Some people were depressed, some were bold; some were sad, some were happy.The colorful and gorgeous stage, and the feast interlaced with cups and cups, reminded us of a prosperous beauty like cooking oil with a fire.

The people here are so talented that they are not afraid of being ruined tomorrow, as long as they are happy today.

Inside and outside the venue, underneath the gorgeous appearance, everything is wrapped up in the core of cannibalism.

Fang Zhongyong didn't dare to think about where these costly and incalculable things at the banquet came from, and he didn't have to think about it.

The food, clothing, and use of the dignitaries of the Tang Dynasty naturally all came from the people's fat and anointment, and they took out the money, silk, food and fodder from the people's mouths to seek their own wealth and enjoyment.

These people are not engaged in production themselves, so of course they cannot eat themselves.

Fang Chongyong suddenly thought of the farmers with tumors on their backs by the Kuizhou River who had to drink water from the Yangtze River because they could not afford mountain spring and well water, and worked hard to reclaim wasteland along the Yangtze River.

Those people are human beings, and so are the powerful and senior officials here.It’s just that people are born different and not equal.

"Can I leave early?"

Fang Chongyong felt that he was a bit out of place with all this, and asked in a low voice while pulling Zheng Shuqing's sleeve.

"Of course it's impossible, don't saints care about face?"

Zheng Shuqing scolded in a low voice.

"Yes."

Fang Chongyong sighed with emotion.

"It's not easy being a dog."

he muttered softly.

"Who said it wasn't."

Zheng Shuqing also agreed and continued: "But dogs can still eat some bones. If they become ants, they will be slaughtered by others. Do you choose to be a dog or an ant?"

(End of this chapter)