The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 159: Go find that Jingzhou literary giant!
The two of them continued walking along the main street, and the aroma of various delicacies hit their nostrils, the strong aroma of wine, and the smell of various rouge pollen, mixed together, making people very heady.

Several theaters were brightly lit, and there were singers with beautiful voices singing a cappella.

Xu Xuan pulled Li Congjia to stop and admire.

Li Congjia listened attentively and said with a smile: "In Zhengxi Mansion, the sun is setting in the west, and I am trying out a new stove to make tea by myself. The chrysanthemums on the fence are all low and covered with water, and Saihong flies away to the distant clouds. The lonely light snow passes leisurely, and the light frost is mottled on the temples. Plus, this piece of music is adapted from a poem written by Mr. Dongri, right?"

Xu Xuan stroked his beard and smiled, with a hint of pride on his brows: "Yes, it was made in the middle of the twelfth lunar month last year when I was enjoying the snow with my friends at Zhengxi Mansion, fifteen miles outside the city! Han Xizai once said that within three to five years, There is absolutely no other poem about snow scenes in Jiangning City than this one!"

Li Congjia smiled and said: "Xiao Wang deeply agrees with Master Han's words!"

Xu Xuan smiled brightly, but he said modestly: "Where is it! There are countless talented people in Jiangning City, and maybe a masterpiece will be published tomorrow! The little prince composed a poem on the spot, and I'm afraid it will be better than this humble work of a certain person."

Just as Li Congjia was about to say something, cheers came from another theater next door.

A beautiful singer wearing a white gauze sang a song with novel lyrics with a melancholy tone and soft lips.

The accompaniment of two pipa players and the sound of singing firmly attracted the ears of the guests in the audience, as if they were brought to the scene in the lyrics and music.

"'Yuan Sheng is good at planning, and he is obedient when the weather is cold. If the six-pronged Jiakuang is nourished by the essence of jade. It grows and moistens in the heavy ridges, and sprouts in the back. It suppresses the order of yin and yang, and uses it to suit the heaven and the earth. '"

Li Congjia didn't care when he first heard it. After the singer sang a few lines, his expression changed drastically. He couldn't help but walked over, stood among the crowd, and listened carefully.

Xu Xuan exclaimed in surprise: "Great article! This article is also about snow scenes!?"

"'The Secretary of the Hokuriku, a young girl is on duty. The screen is covered with water, and the feet are clean and clean. The first darkness is vigorous, but the suddenness is solemn and quiet. With the midges, it is general, and the path is swaying and full of joy.' "

The singing continued, and more and more guests were attracted to the audience. If there were not enough seats, they could only stand. Soon, the stage was surrounded by three floors and three floors outside.

Xu Xuan opened his eyes wide and his breathing became rapid: "Good words! Really good words! Who wrote this poem? Why have I never heard of it before?"

Li Congjia ignored him. He was a little short and couldn't see the stage. He simply closed his eyes and listened quietly, memorizing the lyrics and music in his heart.

"'. Zhen Qian is kind to the world, and he continues his song to the guest's right. The song goes: The north wind is cool and the sky is scattered, the dew is sweet and the sun is shining together. There are apples in the sun and weeping in the mountains. Who will return home when the road is long? '"

Towards the last few lines, the choreography changed again.

More than a dozen dancers in white gauze robes came on stage, dancing with neat movements, their sleeves fluttering, their skirts flying, and pear petals falling from the sky, like a group of elves in the snow singing and dancing.

The audience burst into enthusiastic cheers, and all the spectators applauded without hesitation.

A few drunken scholars pulled their necks and shouted, "Do it again!"

The spectators were so enthusiastic that a large amount of coins, flowers and even gold and silver beans were scattered on the stage. The showgirls and dancers could only take their last breaths over and over again. A few boys were busy picking up money with baskets in their hands. The scene was very lively.

Li Congjia was in a trance, and murmured in a low voice: "'There are apples in the sky, there are weeds in the mountains, and who will return when the Tao is long.'"

Suddenly some moisture appeared in the corners of his eyes, and he couldn't help but raise his head and sigh: "This poem is really a masterpiece that is rarely seen in 50 years! The person who can write this poem must be a man with noble interests, high talents, and integrity. ! This person is ten times more talented than me!"

Xu Xuan also stood still for a long time as if his whole body had been struck by lightning.

He was deeply shocked by such fresh and refined prose, and he was immersed in the wonderful world of poetry and could not extricate himself.

"As soon as this essay came out, who among our generation of scribes would dare to use snow as a title again? I am not as good as I am." Xu Xuan murmured and shook his head.

Li Congjia and Xu Xuan looked at each other, and there was some urgency in their eyes.

They all want to know who wrote this Fu!
Several people in rich costumes walked out of the box on the second floor. The proprietor of the theater personally accompanied them, nodding and bowing to see them off respectfully.

An old man at the head saw Li Congjia and Xu Xuan at a glance in the crowd. He narrowed his eyes slightly and walked over.

There were many officials among the guests around. When they saw the old man arriving, their expressions changed, and they hurriedly bowed and saluted. They called him "Song Sikong" in fear and then retreated.

The old man's name is Song Qiqiu, he is the favored minister of the Tang Lord Li Jing, the founding hero of the Southern Tang Dynasty, worshiped the Prime Minister of Zuo, and was granted the title of Sikong.

Li Congjia and Xu Xuan also saw the old man, and their bodies tensed unnaturally.

"I have met Prince Anding." Song Qiqiu casually cupped his hands, glanced sideways at Xu Xuan, and snorted.

Li Congjia bowed hurriedly and said: "Song Sikong is an elder, and Xiao Wang dare not accept the gift."

Xu Xuan cupped his hands and said, neither humble nor arrogant, "Greetings to Song Sikong."

Song Qiqiu said: "If Prince Anding wants to listen to music, say hello, I will send someone to make arrangements, so why stop here. I always leave a few seats upstairs, Prince Anding can just go up and have some drinks and refreshments." , someone will arrange it."

Li Congjia hurriedly said: "Thank you Song Sikong for your kindness. Xiao Wang was just passing by here with Mr. Xu and heard a new song with good lyrics, so he stopped to listen."

Song Qiqiu glanced at Xu Xuan and sneered: "The young prince is young, don't be deceived by some ignorant fanatics who claim to be literati! You must know that those who are close to Zhu are red and those who are close to ink are black! The followers of the madman Han Shuyan are also There are some good ones.”

Xu Xuan's face turned red from suppressing his anger and he glared at Song Qiqiu angrily: "It is a fact that Master Han impeached Feng Yansi and others' crony power. If Song Sikong had a clear conscience and had nothing to do with Feng's party, why did he regard Master Han as a thorn in his side?
Now that Mr. Han has been demoted to Hezhou Sima and Xu has submitted his resignation, Song Sikong should be satisfied!Why bother being aggressive and sarcastic? "

Song Qiqiu said contemptuously: "Master Han? Bah~ A mad man, he is worthy of being called master? You and Han Xizai are just the same as each other. Even if you have the wisdom to resign, otherwise I will definitely not let you go!"

Xu Xuan was so angry that he was shaking all over, clenching his fists and speechless.

Li Congjia smiled bitterly and said: "Now that Mr. Xu has resigned, the previous misunderstandings caused by different political opinions in the court should end here! Song Sikong is an important minister of the country and a senior scholar, so he will not be as familiar with the younger generation."

Song Qiqiu chuckled a few times and said: "I am worried that the little prince hangs around with Han Xuzhi and others all day long, which is inappropriate, so I just want to give you a little reminder."

Li Congjia forced a smile and thanked him.

"By the way, what do you think of the new song just now?" Song Qiqiu stroked his beard, his face full of pride.

Li Congjia sincerely praised: "With brilliant diction and lofty artistic conception, it can be called a masterpiece that has been handed down from generation to generation!"

Song Qiqiu laughed a few times and added: "This new song is adapted from a piece of "Snow Ode". I got it by chance and was so amazed that I composed the music for it myself."

There was a chorus of flattery all around: "Oh! It turns out that the composer of this song "Snow Rhythm" is Song Sikong! ~ No wonder the style of the music is so elegant that it can be sung throughout the world!"

"When I first heard it, I felt deeply that the music had a master's style. It turned out to be composed by Song Sikong!"

"Song Sikong is worthy of being the leading figure in our Jiangnan literary world!"

"Although Han Xizai and Han Shuyan are famous, I think they are still inferior to Song Sikong in terms of melodies." "No! I think so too!"

A group of literati, bureaucrats and wealthy businessmen rushed to praise him.

Song Qiqiu stroked his beard and smiled, accepting everyone who came.

Li Congjia smiled reluctantly. From what he heard, Song Qiqiu's composition was certainly good, but what was more important was that the poem itself had a very high artistic conception and clever words. That's why it had such a sensational effect after being sung by a singer.

It is the article itself that makes this new song, not the tune.

Song Qiqiu smiled and said: "The little prince is the literary star of our Tang Dynasty. It is my blessing to be able to listen to this song "Snow Rhythm". In the future, if the little prince comes again, he can go directly to the private room on the second floor."

The proprietor of the theater hurriedly scowled and apologized.

Li Congjia thanked him: "Dare to ask Song Sikong, who wrote the original text of "Xue Fu"? But I am from Jiangnan?"

Song Qiqiu shook his head and said: "No, this article originated from Jingzhou. I heard that it was the work of a hermit disciple who worked hard!"

Song Qiqiu glanced at the proprietor of the theater: "You bought the article. Tell the little prince about the origin."

The proprietor of the theater hurriedly said: "My young prince, this is it. This article was brought back from Jingzhou by a group of traders selling dragon beard mats. It is said that there was an official there who once worshiped Tan. I studied under a hermit in the state for many years and learned a lot. I know everything about astronomy and geography! The merchant copied the article and asked someone to identify it and sell it. I happened to catch him and bought it for twenty dollars. "

"Jingzhou?" Li Congjia was surprised, "I didn't expect that such a remote and desolate place could contain such amazing talents! What is this person's name? How old is he?"

The owner of the theater shook his head: "This villain doesn't know anything about it, and the merchant and his son can't explain it clearly."

Song Qiqiu twisted his beard and said solemnly: "This article is so profound that without 30 or [-] years of study and immersion, I'm afraid it would be difficult to complete! In my opinion, it should be written by someone in their forties or fifties."

The onlookers nodded and agreed with him.

Li Congjia said with emotion: "The land north of the Yangtze River is indeed a crouching tiger, hidden dragon, where heroes and literary giants have emerged together! Although our Tang Dynasty is rich, its talents are still slightly inferior."

Song Qiqiu suddenly sarcastically said to Xu Xuan: "You, Xu Dingchen, claim to be able to write at the age of ten, but I don't know if there is any article so far that can be as good as this "Snow Ode"? Previously, you composed a poem called "Seven Rhymes of Conquering the Western Prefecture" and "Ode to Snow". , Han Xizai also kept claiming that within three to five years, there will be no poems about snow in Jiangning City that can compare with it. Now, in comparison, what else can you say?"

Coincidentally, the lyrics and music sung in Quyuan next door were exactly the poem praising snow written by Xu Xuan.

It's a pity that there were very few audiences in the audience, and they were all attracted by the "Snow Rhyme" sung by the theater.

Several sneers rang out from the crowd, making Xu Xuan feel ashamed.

Song Qiqiu laughed heartily, and Li Congjia frowned, feeling extremely disgusted with him.

Even if the literati are dismissive of each other, the original author of "Snow Rhythm" is not you Song Qiqiu. He just happened to meet him by luck, composed a song and spread it, which became a sensation.

Is it necessary to be so contemptuous of others?

Xu Xuan's face turned green and red. He suddenly raised his head and said with firm eyes: "The author of "Snow Ode" is a real literary giant in the world. I, Xu Xuan, am willing to bow down! This master has great things in his heart. I am willing to go to Jingzhou to become his disciple." , sincerely seek advice!”

There was an uproar all around.

Li Congjia and Song Qiqiu looked at him in disbelief.

Xu Xuancai's reputation spread throughout the Tang Dynasty, and he was considered a successful person with great achievements. He was called "Han Xu" together with Han Xizai.

He actually said that he would go all the way to Jingzhou to become a disciple?
"Mr. Xu, please don't be impulsive!" Li Congjia pulled him and whispered to dissuade him.

Xu Xuan smiled casually: "I have made up my mind and will set off tomorrow."

After that, he bowed to Li Congjia and Song Qiqiu, bowed his hands to the crowd of onlookers, turned around and strode away.

Song Qiqiu laughed and said, "Xu Xuan, if you really go to Jingzhou to become a disciple, I am willing to pay for your travel expenses. I wish you will return home as soon as possible!"

Li Congjia stamped his feet anxiously, said goodbye and trotted to catch up.

After chasing him around the corner, Li Congjia grabbed Xu Xuan and said breathlessly: "Mr. Xu, please don't act out of anger."

Xu Xuan shook his head calmly and said: "I have resigned and entrusted my family and children to the care of my clan, so that I can have nothing to worry about! In the past, Xu sat down to watch the sky and boasted that he was talented in literature. Now he has read "Snow" "Fu", I was deeply shocked, ashamed of myself, and deeply felt that my past self had only a false reputation but no real talent!"

After a pause, Xu Xuan said firmly: "My master said: 'If three of you go together, there must be my teacher!' A certain resolution has been made, and I will go to Jingzhou to study with a teacher, and strive to improve as soon as possible!"

Li Congjia sighed and said distressedly: "Sir is my confidant. If he leaves, wouldn't it be boring for Xiao Wang to be alone in Jiangning?"

Xu Xuan also sighed, but his mind was made up.

The two of them stood on the street corner, as if they were outside of this neon glow and luxuriant life.

After a long silence, Li Congjia said: "Sir, do you really want to go?"

Xu Xuan nodded, his eyes firm.

"Okay, I'll go with you, sir!" Li Congjia said.

Xu Xuan was startled: "How can this happen! How can the little prince of the county leave the territory of Tang State and set foot on the territory of the enemy's country because of his noble status!"

Li Congjia smiled and said: "The two of us are anonymous, who can know? I am under surveillance everywhere in Jiangning, and my life is not happy. Why don't I go to Jingzhou with you and see the scenery outside the Great Wall. Only when I leave will the prince brother be completely relieved , so as not to put my father in trouble."

Li Congjia's gloomy eyes showed a bit of sadness and loneliness.

This is the sorrow of being born in the royal family.

Xu Xuan opened his mouth, and suddenly didn't know how to persuade him, so he smiled wryly and patted him on the shoulder lightly.

"Okay, let's set off together tomorrow!"

Li Congjia quickly wiped the corners of his eyes, his eyes were shining, and he suppressed his excitement and said: "Jingzhou is far away, how can we get on the road? Which road should we take? How much travel are we prepared for?"

Xu Xuan smiled and said: "There are merchants in my clan who often travel around. Wait until I contact them."

Li Congjia's eyes shone and he clenched his fists. He had never left Jiangning City alone in his entire life. This time he had to secretly go to the distant Jingzhou. It was exciting just thinking about it!

(End of this chapter)