Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 389 Fearless in one-on-one duels, also capable of gang fights

Li Guinian truly deserves to be called a first-rate musician of his time. Even in such a noisy environment, he composed several pieces in a very short time with just a few simple instruments. Each piece was in line with the poetic sentiment, either stirring and passionate or melodious and pleasant to listen to.

As Li Guinian composed the music here, some courtesans and performers held clappers and silently memorized it. Once the score was finalized, it was immediately sent to the pleasure boats on Qujiang River. The courtesans, who had been waiting on the boats for a long time, then began to practice singing it.

The spring scenery of Qujiang is indeed pleasing to the eye, but it still pales in comparison to these lively events. Coupled with the widespread promotion by those纨绔子弟 (sons of wealthy families who are spoiled and dissolute), more and more young people are being drawn here.

Some officials, still lingering in the lively atmosphere of the Shangsi Festival at Qujiang, left the palace again shortly after accompanying the emperor back to Xingqing Palace. Ministers like He Zhizhang, who were fond of festivities, were already boating on Qujiang again, chatting and laughing with their friends.

When He Zhizhang heard about this amusing incident outside the Apricot Garden, he was delighted and immediately declared, "The young Zhang is quite talented. He usually puts on a mediocre show at banquets, but now that the whole city is watching, he's determined to prove himself and will no longer hide. Go quickly, I'd love to hear your wonderful writing!"

Previously, the emperor personally visited Ziyun Tower, attracting tourists from the surrounding area of ​​Qujiang to the southeast. Now, with Zhang Dai overseeing Xingyuan Garden, tourists are flocking to the northwest.

For a time, the area was crowded with boats and carriages, and even the newly selected scholars who had been chosen by their companions were unable to disembark for a long time. It was only after a while that they managed to squeeze through the crowd and arrive at the gate of Xingyuan and in front of Zhang Dai's tent.

When Zhang Dai heard the two men claim to be the newly appointed third-ranked scholars in the imperial examinations, yet still want to compete in literary talent and enter the garden to rank among the top scholars, he couldn't help but be somewhat taken aback: "Is that even possible?"

"These scholars are all mediocre talents, so what is there for Zhang Lang to fear!"

The nearby crowd, eager to stir up trouble, began to jeer and urge Zhang Dai to continue his poetry contest with the newly appointed scholars.

Zhang Dai wasn't afraid of poetry duels, but seeing how persistent these scholars were, he knew that if he fought off one wave after another, there would be no end to it. This year, twenty-five people passed the imperial examination, and if the top scholar was singled out, that would make a total of thirteen waves. If all he could do was compete, he wouldn't have time for anything else today.

Moreover, Zhang Dai had another worry: although he had a large collection of poems, none of them were his own.

In the past, when copying texts, even if many poems were copied at once, the authors would either try to choose relatively mediocre and unremarkable poems, or they would be works by the same person, so that they would not look too different.

But now, with thirteen waves of top scholars (those who passed the imperial examinations) coming to compete in literary talent, he can't just focus on one person and relentlessly exploit them. With so much plagiarism, the style naturally becomes chaotic.

This isn't some kind of rap or shouting competition, and there are plenty of talented poets in Chang'an. If the style is all mixed up, even a fool could tell something's off. To boast of being invincible with just a copy of "Three Hundred Tang Poems"—that's not even convincing a grandson!
However, Zhang Dai had just had his fill of showing off, and now that the crowd was growing larger, he was finding himself in an awkward position and needed to think things through carefully.

Moreover, not only in the present, but also in the future, he will continue to be involved in the political and literary circles of the Tang Dynasty for a long time. The more poems he writes, the more obvious the problem of his mixed style will become.

While it's true that people's poetic styles may change with age, circumstances, and experience, they must remain within a reasonable range and not be haphazardly altered.

This could very well lead to conspiracy theories in the future, with people saying that the Zhang family, claiming to be literary masters, collects submissions from scholars all over the world, and imprisons those with outstanding writing skills, making them write poems in the dungeon every day so that Zhang Zongzhi can show off and deceive the world!
This is by no means a baseless conjecture. During the mid-Tang Dynasty, the fragmentation of the country by regional warlords made cultural exchange extremely difficult, leading to many instances of stealing other people's poems and writings to create their own collections and engaging in fraudulent activities.

The Zhang family, starting with Zhang Shuo, was a prominent cultural family that received a large number of contemporary scholars seeking their services every year. Zhang Dai certainly had the opportunity to come into contact with a large number of poems of different styles.

He has not yet produced much poetry or prose. As his position and influence grow in the future, every aspect of his life will be closely watched and analyzed. People will try to please him or look for his weaknesses and loopholes. This will certainly be noticed by those with ulterior motives.

Realizing this, Zhang Dai's mood became serious.

Solving this hidden danger is quite simple: either control the frequency and quantity of plagiarism from now on, or even stop plagiarizing altogether and rely on your true abilities to handle various situations; or stay away from high-level situations and only entertain fools who lack the ability to appreciate and discern.

Neither of these two plans is appropriate. Take the current situation for example. It's not that he himself jumped out to make things difficult for these new scholars, but since his persona has already been established, people naturally bring him out when something happens.

Since I can't actively distance myself, I can only try to muddy the waters. I've always had this unpredictable and ever-changing poetic style since I was a child, so what can you do about it!
As Zhang Dai pondered, amidst the cheers of the crowd, he picked up his brush again and began to write: "After the rain at Quchi, the scenery on the pond is beautiful. I take wine to lament the passing of spring, and delight in the long days to entertain guests. Willow branches welcome the painted boats, and the water reflects the carved beams..."

Some well-meaning people had already stood by the desk to serve Zhang Dai his calligraphy. Every time Zhang Dai finished writing a line, they would immediately recite it to those around them, and naturally, people would spread it out again and again. On the Qujiang River, He Zhizhang and several friends listened with great interest to the recitation of poetry coming from outside the boat, but as they listened, they began to frown.

Someone nearby noticed He Zhizhang's unusual demeanor and immediately asked curiously, "Why is Vice Minister He acting this way? Is there perhaps something wrong with Zhang Zongzhi's poem?"

"There are indeed quite a few problems! The words, phrases, and sentences in this poem are quite inconsistent, and the overall rhythm seems harmonious but is actually fractured..."

As He Zhizhang savored the poem, he slowly spoke, then felt that his words were not quite appropriate, so he described it again: "For example, the guests and the host each have their own expression, and a poem is composed as if all the voices at the banquet are joined together, which is truly strange, very strange!"

If Zhang Dai heard He Zhizhang's description of his poem, he would probably be able to help but admire the old gentleman's talent, since the poem he wrote was titled "Boating on the Spring Pond and Composing Couplets".

Pei Du, a prime minister during the mid-Tang Dynasty, was a renowned official who assisted Emperor Xianzong in achieving the Yuanhe Restoration. He recommended a group of outstanding civil and military officials and gathered around him a group of distinguished ministers and intellectuals. These people shared his interests and political ideals.

In his later years, Pei Du remained in Luoyang (the eastern capital), where he frequently interacted with these people, including Bai Juyi, Liu Yuxi, Zhang Ji, and many other figures well-known to later generations. These people would gather together to enjoy the scenery, quote poems, and often each would compose a couplet, which would then be pieced together into a complete poem.

This collection of linked verse poems, created by numerous literati and scholars, is quite unique in the history of Tang Dynasty poetry. Although linked verse poems existed both before and after this one, only this collection boasts such a remarkable quantity and quality.

He Zhizhang described this poem as a resounding success, and indeed it was. Zhang Dai's "Boating on a Spring Pond: A Joint Poem" was a collaborative work by Pei Du, Liu Yuxi, Cui Qun, Zhang Ji, and Jia Su.

Although the five individuals each have their own creative styles, they also achieve a wonderful unity in this poem, forming a unique artistic feeling of apparent separation yet harmonious coexistence and close resonance.

Since copying the works of different poets and literary giants is inevitable in the future, why not gather them all together in one poem now? Whether it's a one-on-one duel or a group battle, Zhang Dai has nothing to fear!

Putting aside its rather unique creative approach, the poem "Boating on the Spring Pond" is itself a masterpiece.

The two newly appointed scholars were there to exhaust and deplete Zhang Dai's literary talent. They realized that they could not come up with a masterpiece that could surpass this one in a short time, so they left amidst the boos of the crowd.

Unsurprisingly, not long after the two men left, two more newly appointed third-ranked scholars were sent ashore, and unsurprisingly, they were once again defeated by Zhang Dai.

"Zhang Lang is talented and powerful, and his momentum is unstoppable!"

The onlookers nearby became even more excited to see Zhang Dai defeat the newcomers one after another, and they applauded and cheered, making the scene extremely noisy.

On the scholar's boat, the group was still nervously discussing who should appear next. At this moment, everyone realized that even if their plan succeeded in the end, they would inevitably have to show their faces and lose face when it was their turn, so they were all somewhat unwilling.

Those who hadn't yet had their turn couldn't help but feel a little reluctant to give up when they heard the commotion around them, while those who had already made their appearance and lost face insisted on continuing.

Just as the newly appointed scholars were still arguing, a light boat suddenly sped towards them, causing the pleasure boat to shake violently.

The crowd was furious and rushed out of the cabin to shout insults. But then they saw a man with gray hair and beard, who looked to be in his fifties, standing on the light boat. After seeing his appearance, they couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Why is Master Zhao here?"

The newcomer was none other than Zhao Buwei, the chief examiner of this year's provincial examination and an assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel. At this moment, Zhao Buwei was also somewhat unsteady on his feet on the speedboat. He glared at the crowd with a hint of exasperation and said, "Stop right now! Stop right now! Don't you know who Zhang Dai is? Who taught you to use this scheme to ruin my reputation of half a lifetime!"

"This this……"

Seeing their master jumping up and down in anger on the small boat, the crowd was at a loss for words. They could only hurriedly pull him onto the larger boat. If their master had really angered them enough to jump into the Qujiang River, they would have been remembered in history.

(End of this chapter)