A thousand-year-old family that began with the Battle of Makino

Chapter 871: Du Zimei laments the sufferings of the world

Temporary reception room in the front yard of Baigong Mansion in Chang'an
Du Fu, the magistrate of Huazhou and formerly the Left Censor of the Menxia Province, wore a round-collared official robe and a black hat. He had a face full of bitterness and hatred, deep bags under his eyes, and most of his beard was white, making him look like a man in his fifties.

Bai Jing personally greeted him at the entrance of the reception room. When he saw the visitor, his eyes were slightly red. He took a few steps forward and grabbed Du Fu's arm with both hands. He stared at him carefully for a long time and said:
"Zi Mei has suffered a lot over the years."

The two men had not seen each other for twenty or thirty years since they parted with Li Bai in Luoyang. Bai Jing returned to Hedong, where he studied in a simple and easy-to-understand way and seldom left the city.

Not to mention that after An Lushan’s rebellion, information exchange reached a freezing point. Many good friends either lost contact or died in the war, and there were even fewer friends to confide their sorrows to.

Du Fu was also very moved. He held Bai Jing's hand tightly, his mouth trembling slightly, and said, "I haven't seen you for more than ten years. Your hair has turned gray. Maybe you worry about too many things."

"Come on, follow me into the house, and let's have a good chat." After saying that, Bai Jing took Du Fu's hand and walked into the reception room.

After they sat down, they began to tell each other about what had happened over the years.

Only then did Bai Jing realize how miserable Du Fu's life had been over the years.

In the third year of Tianbao, after Du Fu parted with Bai Jing in Luoyang, he traveled with Li Bai to Liang and Song, where he met another good friend, Gao Shi from Cangzhou.

"Gao Sanshiwu was like his elder brother, good at using a spear and also famous for his poetry. At that time, he had great ambitions to join the army at the border. However, when he saw that the generals of the border army were deceiving their superiors and subordinates, he returned to the Central Plains, where he met me and Brother Taibai, and traveled with us to Liang and Song."

Bai Jing was amazed and said with interest: "There is such a person. If I have the chance, I must meet him."

Then Du Fu talked about what happened afterwards.

After traveling with Li Bai in Liang and Song for two years, he received an imperial edict from Li Longji, ordering all those who "master one art" in the world to come to Chang'an to take the exam.

Du Fu bid farewell to Li Bai and Gao Shi and returned to Chang'an to take the exam. However, this exam was also a farce and Du Fu failed again.

In the following ten years, Du Fu lived in Chang'an as a guest, traveling around to offer poems. He was depressed and frustrated, his official career was unsuccessful, and he failed the imperial examinations many times.

Then came the Anshi Rebellion. Li Longji fled westward in panic and Chang'an fell. Du Fu went north to Lingwu alone, where he was recommended by Prime Minister Fang Guan and was finally appointed as the Left Censor-in-Chief by Li Heng.

However, the good times did not last long. Fang Guan led his army to attack Chang'an and was defeated. He was dismissed from his position as prime minister by Li Heng. Du Fu was implicated and demoted to the judge of Huazhou.

It was also when Bai Jing passed by Huazhou on his way to the capital to escort taxes that he heard of Du Fu's name. Although Du Fu was out judging a case at the time and the two could not meet, Bai Jing left a letter inviting Du Fu to Chang'an for a chat, which led to their meeting today.

Bai Jing couldn't help but sigh as he listened to Du Fu's story: "Ever since the Emperor Taizong favored Consort Wu Hui, the court politics has begun to become corrupt."

"Later, Niu Xianke, Li Linfu, and Yang Guozhong successively served as prime ministers. They were all villains who flattered their superiors and envied the talents of others. There are countless talents like Zimei lost in the wild. Isn't this a loss for the Tang Dynasty?"

"Although your majesty has now recovered the two capitals, in my opinion, you are still far behind Taizong and Zhongzong. You value eunuchs and even use them to govern the army. This is the source of the country's troubles. If Zimei wants to rely on the court to realize his ideals, it may be difficult."

Du Fu felt very depressed after hearing this. He was not like Bai Jing, who had a distinguished family background, various capable relatives to help him, and the huge Bai family as his backing.

Thinking of this, Du Fu became more pessimistic about his future career. In addition, the bones he saw on the ground made him want to follow Li Bai and become a hermit in the mountains. He could not help feeling sad:
"Alas, thinking of the great Tang Dynasty, which dominated the country. Just as Wang Youcheng said: 'The nine-layered gates of the palace are opened, and people from all nations bow to the crown.'"

"It has only been a dozen years, but we have come to this point. The emperor is on a hunting expedition, the government is in disarray, and the army is rampant. How can the people suffer?"

The Wang Youcheng that Du Fu mentioned is Wang Wei, the current Shangshu Youcheng and Prince's Assistant, who is known as the "Poet Buddha".

Since Li Longji founded the prosperous Tang Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty not only had full warehouses of money and grain, but also mountains of treasures. Envoys from all countries came to the court one after another, and armies from all directions suppressed the border barbarians to the point of suffocation.

Countless literati and poets emerged. In particular, the genre of "poetry", which first emerged during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, became very popular. Tang Dynasty literati followed the seven-character poems of Bai Lin, the virtuous king of Northern Xia, one of the Seven Scholars of Northern Ding and the literary saint of Northern Xia, and imitated and carried forward his style.

A series of world-famous poets emerged, such as the Immortal Poet Li Bai, the Noble Poet Bai Jing, the Buddha Poet Wang Wei, the Great Poet Wang Bo, the Genius Poet Chen Zi'ang, and the Mad Poet He Zhizhang.

It’s just that some of Du Fu’s poems are not valued by the world nowadays. People think that his poems are too superficial, sad and heavy, and do not conform to the current trend.

But Bai Jing doesn't think so. He believes that Du Fu's poems will eventually be passed down and will be given a higher title in later generations because his poems are more down-to-earth.

Because in the line of the Bai family, the future of China has been passed down from generation to generation, and it will definitely belong to the people. At that time, every Chinese will be like a dragon, and the Bai family will be able to complete the mission entrusted by God and live up to the aspirations of their ancestors.

Seeing that Du Fu was somewhat depressed and had even given up on worldly suffering, with some signs of turning into Li Bai, Bai Jing immediately said:

"Zimei, there is no need to be so pessimistic. You should know that this world not only has the imperial court, but also my Bai family."

As he said this, he stood up, put his hands on Du Fu's shoulders, and said seriously: "I have accepted the mission of disaster relief and collecting the corpses of the people in the war from your majesty. Are you willing to go with me?"

“No matter how filthy and disgusting this world is, we just need to do what we can. As long as we do it, you can’t say that this world can’t get better.”

"Now, providing relief to the victims and burying the bodies are what we can do. How about that?"

Du Fu looked up at Bai Jing who was standing so close to him. He had always regarded Li Bai as his idol in life and envied his free and easy attitude.

But what he did not tell outsiders was that he also regarded Bai Jing as his brother and teacher in politics and morality. Many of his attitudes and character, such as sympathy for the people and unwillingness to bow down, were actually vaguely influenced by Bai Jing.

"If you need me, I'm willing to help."

Bai Jing stood up, patted his shoulders twice, and laughed, "Great kindness."

Sitting back in his original position, Bai Jing continued, "But this matter requires a lot of help from many people. I still need to recruit some scholars. Does Zimei have any recommendations?"

Du Fu smiled and said, "I have lived in Chang'an for more than ten years, but I have gained a lot. At least I know many talented but frustrated students. Please invite them on my behalf."

"My brother is truly my lucky star."

After finishing the business, Bai Jing asked about Li Bai's current situation.

Du Fu sighed and said, "Brother Taibai was involved in the Yongwang rebellion case a few days ago and was nearly beheaded. Fortunately, his good friends in the capital spoke up for him and the death penalty was changed to exile. He should be on his way to exile in Yelang now."

Bai Jing picked up a cup of tea and drank it while thinking about how to rescue him. After all, he was one of his few good friends.

Then he thought of something and said lightly, "Nothing. There is a severe drought in Guanzhong now. According to custom, His Majesty will grant amnesty to the whole country, and Li Twelve will only be exiled."

"According to the usual amnesty, the deceased will be pardoned from exile to exile, and those below exile will be pardoned completely. I think it won't be long before Li Twelve can enjoy the mountains and rivers again."

Du Fu was relieved when he heard this. He had always been discouraged because he could not help Li Bai.

"Well, I am fifty-two this year, and Li Twelve is a few years older than me. The road to exile is always difficult. According to his speed, he can only go to Jingzhou at most. I will immediately write a letter to Bai Bingde, the governor of Jingzhou, and ask him to take care of him."

Du Fu also nodded, thinking that this was the best way. After all, at their age now, with the current situation in the world, there were fewer and fewer good friends.

(End of this chapter)