Chapter 85

Listening, listening.

For the first time in his life, Wang Xian experienced the feeling of being pushed into a corner. He was not one to take losses, and although he was usually calm, he was thoroughly provoked by the scholars tonight, even to the point of not wanting to wait for revenge later. With the idea of venting his anger, he wrote that poem. But as soon as Chen Yong left, he regretted it... If he were called to the boat and tested further, wouldn't he be exposed?

He immediately decided to slip away, but to his surprise, the elders were surprisingly efficient in handling trivial matters, leaving him no time to escape, and he became as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

Now, there was nothing left to do but tough it out, pretending for as long as he could...

He followed the scholars in a daze, bowing to the elders. Normally, he should have knelt, but he benefited from the scholars and only made a deep bow.

"Today is the Lantern Festival poetry gathering. You ten stand out, and you have the honor of receiving personal guidance from Scholar Hu. Why don't you thank Scholar Hu?" Xu Tixue said solemnly after everyone bowed.

Everyone bowed again to Scholar Hu, who was stroking his beard and nodding, "Thank Scholar Hu for your guidance! We are all ears."

"Hehe, I dare not claim to be a teacher; we are merely exchanging insights..." Hu Guang, in his forties, was dignified and had the air of a literary master. He smiled warmly at everyone, "They say Zhejiang is full of talented people, and indeed it is. Your poems, whether gentle, grand, elegant, or meticulous, are quite impressive for your age." He paused and said, "For example, the lines 'Jade-like lotuses rise from the sky, precious trees reaching nearly to the ninth heaven,' and 'Just as I admire the splendid fire trees, I suddenly see the clear moonlight reflecting on the moonlit night,' have the style of Li Bai and Du Mu, and are very good..."

Those who could become top scholars were indeed extraordinary. Hu Guang had only read through the poems once, but he could remember most of the difficult verses and provide convincing comments.

"But one poem stands out among the rest," after commenting on the nine scholars' poems, Scholar Hu commented on the last one, and for the first time, he recited the entire poem:

"There are lanterns but no moon, and people are not entertained; there is a moon but no lanterns, and it is not spring.

Spring comes to the world, and people are like jade; lanterns burn under the moon, and the moon is like silver.

The street is filled with women in pearls and jade watching the lanterns, and the boats are filled with music and joy.

If one does not raise a cup and laugh, how can one enjoy such a fine night?"

Scholar Hu recited the poem with a rhythmic and fitting tone, vividly bringing to life the bustling scene of the West Lake during the Lantern Festival. All the scholars were convinced and thought, indeed, it was beyond their reach...

The elders present had already evaluated this poem, but hearing it again gave them a new appreciation. At first, they thought the poem was straightforward and lacked refinement and embellishment. But the natural flow of talent was refreshing and satisfying. Upon further reflection, they felt the poem's imagery was ethereal and lofty, yet full of the烟火气 (vivid and lively) of everyday life, which seemed to be what they had been searching for all along...

By the Ming Dynasty, poetry had entered a bottleneck. After the Four Great Masters of the early Ming were all killed by the Taizu Emperor, poetry fell into a state of stagnation. For decades, poets sought breakthroughs, but those who focused on elaborate language often became overly ornate, while those who sought simplicity often became too plain. The entire poetry scene was in a dark age, lacking direction.

Moreover, the participants in this poetry contest were all students, who prioritized their studies for the imperial exams and did not put much effort into poetry, so their skills were generally average.

This explains why Hu Guang and the other elders read through the poems so quickly. Anyone flipping through hastily written, cliché-ridden works would not have the patience to savor them, but would merely go through the motions.

It also explains why they were so excited when they found a poem that stood out. It was like finding a refreshing iced plum drink on a hot summer day or a patch of green on a barren plateau...

"Ah, what a good poem, what a good poem." The first to discover this poem was the Prefect of Hangzhou, Yu Qian. He stroked his beard and praised, "Everyone, listen to this. I have discovered a Bai Juyi for the Ming Dynasty."

Everyone was greatly interested and raised their heads to listen as Prefect Yu slowly recited, "There are lanterns but no moon, and people are not entertained; there is a moon but no lanterns, and it is not spring. Spring comes to the world, and people are like jade; lanterns burn under the moon, and the moon is like silver..."

After Yu Qian finished, the elders savored it for a long time before sighing, "This talent is heaven-made, and we cannot compare..."

"Scholar Jie once said that great talent does not need allusions; with abundant talent, why seek out phrases and sentences?" Hu Guang also praised, "Today, hearing this poem, I understand what Scholar Jie meant." He raised his wine cup and said, "We should drink to this poem!"

"We should drink to this poem!" Everyone raised their cups, and after drinking, someone laughed, "With just this one poem, he could be the second most talented man in our dynasty." The first most talented man was, of course, Scholar Jie, who was in prison, and whose status was unshakable due to his work on the Yongle Encyclopedia.

"Yes, such great talent should not be unknown," Hu Guang nodded emphatically and said excitedly, "I will make him famous!" He then asked Yu Qian, "What is the poet's name and where is he from?"

Prefect Yu, who had been lost in admiration, now remembered to look at the name. Seeing that it was from his jurisdiction, he proudly answered, "Wang Xian, a minor official in Fuyang... uh..." He then froze.

Everyone else also froze, finding it hard to believe that a minor official could outshine all the scholars in Zhejiang...

"Is this a joke?" they asked, "The more talented the scholar, the more reckless they can be."

"It's not a joke," Zhou Xin, who had been quiet, finally spoke, "The one who wrote 'Biting the green mountain, not letting go' is him."

"Ah, so it's the 'First Official of Jiangnan' personally endorsed by Lord Tiehan!" The elders exclaimed, "No wonder, no wonder!" Since he had written good poems before, they found it easier to accept.

"Why would someone with such talent be content with being a minor official?" someone asked.

"Not everyone can afford to study," Zhou Xin, who had a good impression of Wang Xian, replied. Using Wang Xian's method, he had outmaneuvered the salt commissioner, who then dared not act recklessly and lifted the restrictions on salt trading in Zhejiang.

This not only saved the salt merchants but also greatly reduced the salt prices in western Zhejiang, benefiting countless people. Zhou Xin was very grateful to Wang Xian and naturally spoke up for him, "Wang Xian's father, Wang Xingye, was wrongly imprisoned for years due to a scholar's murder case, which delayed his studies. Last year, after his father was exonerated, the magistrate of Fuyang took care of him and gave him a position as a clerk, solving his livelihood problem."

"Is that so," the elders sighed, "What a pity, such talent buried in a minor position, like a pearl cast into the dark..."

"There's nothing to pity," Xu Tixue, moved, smiled, "Su Laoquan started studying at twenty-seven. He is not yet seventeen, and if we encourage him to study diligently now, he could be another Su Mingyun!" He was very concerned about this matter and even went out to explain on Wang Xian's behalf when there were doubts...

Seeing his enthusiasm, Zhou Xin was surprised and then understood Xu Tixue's ulterior motives, frowning slightly, thinking he might have done more harm than good...

On the boat, using Wang Xian's poem, Scholar Hu put on the air of a great master and taught the students:

"This poem is straightforward and lacks refinement, but it is smooth and beautiful. Why? Because it is like the clear sound of a zither without any noise, like flowing clouds and water without any obstruction." He paused and looked around, then remembered an important thing, "Who is Wang Xian?"

"Your humble servant is here," Wang Xian, not a scholar, could not call himself a student, quickly stepped forward and bowed.

Seeing his clear and refined features, the elders' doubts were immediately dispelled... If the author of such a poem were a vulgar clerk, it would be very disappointing.

"Do you have a courtesy name?" Scholar Hu asked kindly.

"My courtesy name is Zhongde," Wang Xian respectfully replied, "Given by the magistrate."

"Very good," Scholar Hu sighed inwardly, if it were not good, he would have given him one, which would have been a beautiful story. "Zhongde, how many years of schooling have you had?"

"Your Excellency, I only attended a few days of primary school," Wang Xian, though not understanding Hu Guang's intentions, cooperated to clear his name.

"Who taught you poetry?" Hu Guang asked.

"No one taught me," Wang Xian replied.

"Ah," the elders laughed, "Then how did you learn to write poetry?"

"I only know the basics of antithesis and tone, and I like to read 'Three Hundred Tang Poems,'" Wang Xian timidly answered, "Over time, I dared to write some doggerel and rhymes..."

He felt a great weight lifted, at least he had a plausible explanation and no longer feared being exposed. Of course, he had to thank Scholar Hu Guang, who was a very competent accomplice.

"Self-study has its advantages. Like a child, everything comes naturally, unaffected by teachers or trends, and can capture the essence of Tang poetry," Scholar Hu, satisfied with Wang Xian's cooperation, continued to teach the students:

"But you, being trained in the classics, tend to overthink and overembellish your poems to show off your knowledge, resulting in overly complex and unnatural works. Jiang Baishi said, 'Carving damages the spirit,' which is exactly this point."

"But I'm not asking you to emulate him, as that would be like the man from Handan learning to walk, failing to capture the naturalness and losing the original refinement, ending up with nothing." He paused and said solemnly, "How to balance refinement and naturalness is a significant issue! Finally, I will use a quote from Lu Fangweng, 'Articles are naturally formed, and the skilled hand occasionally captures them.' I have shown you the direction; as for what you can achieve in the future, it depends on your talent and effort. Make the most of it..."

"The students are enlightened!" The students were extremely excited, as if they had seen a golden path to the throne of poetry...

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