Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 224 Mei Yaochen Comes to the Rescue

That's a bit of a stretch.

In front of Ouyang Xiu, the literary leader, Lu Beigu, a seventeen-year-old youth, even if he had some profound insights, shouldn't he refrain from expressing them as soon as he entered the room? Wouldn't that seem extremely impolite?

Just then, the half-closed carved wooden door of Songtao Pavilion was pushed open again.

An elderly man, dressed in a slightly worn gray robe and with a thin frame, appeared at the door. He was about fifty years old, with sparse eyebrows but a long beard.

He must have overheard Ouyang Xiu's words while he was outside the door, and since Lu Beigu was a stranger, his gaze naturally fell on the handsome young man beside him.

The old man noticed that Lu Beigu still had a lingering tension between his brows, a result of Ouyang Xiu's earlier "profound remark," and he understood.

He had known Ouyang Xiu for decades and knew his old friend well. He was humorous and loved to joke, not only about himself but also about others.

"Uncle Yong is trying to amuse the younger generation again."

The old man's voice was slightly hoarse as he looked at Ouyang Xiu and said with a smile.

"I am Mei Yaochen." The old man then said to Lu Beigu, "Young friend, there is no need to be nervous. What Ouyang Gong said just now, 'to hear your profound insights,' was just his humorous nature. Seeing that you are young and new, he made a joke to test your courage and character. This is Ouyang Gong's way of showing kindness to younger generations. He does not really want you to offer any earth-shattering theories right away. So relax."

Mei Yaochen was a renowned poet known for his plain and simple style, his focus on realistic themes, and was revered by later generations as the "founding father" of Song poetry. He was also an important participant in the Song Dynasty classical prose movement initiated by Ouyang Xiu.

His words were like a gentle spring breeze, subtly revealing the joking nature of Ouyang Xiu's words, while also helping Lu Beigu out of a difficult situation, and hinting at the closeness implied by Ouyang Xiu's actions. Ouyang Xiu didn't joke with just anyone.

At this moment, Ouyang Xiu, having his thoughts exposed by Mei Yaochen, was not embarrassed at all. Instead, he stroked his beard and laughed heartily: "You understand me so well, Shengyu! I just saw that you have an extraordinary demeanor, young friend, and wanted to add a bit of excitement."

"Master Ouyang is too kind. I am unworthy of such praise. All the gentlemen and esteemed brothers present here are learned and insightful. As a newcomer, I am only willing to listen attentively and broaden my knowledge. If you have any humble opinions, I will humbly ask for your guidance later."

Lu Beigu's response not only addressed Ouyang Xiu's teasing but also gave face to everyone present, placing himself in a humble position to seek advice, displaying a very modest attitude.

Lu Beigu genuinely came to this All-Star gathering with a learning mindset.

As the saying goes, if you know yourself and the enemy, you can fight a hundred battles without danger.

Besides making friends, Lu Beigu also wanted to know whether there was a gap between him and these young people who were capable of passing the imperial examinations, and if so, how big that gap was.

Having gained a general understanding, he was able to make appropriate adjustments to his study plan to ensure that he could focus his efforts in the final hundred days before the Ministry of Rites provincial examination.

"Young man, there's no need to be so modest! Sit down, sit down."

Upon hearing this, Ouyang Xiu saw that Lu Beigu had lowered his stance and felt somewhat embarrassed to continue teasing him. He waved his hand and said, "I was just speaking casually. Don't be shy. The Qingsong Society gathering is all about being relaxed and having fun."

Then, Ouyang Xiu pointed to the empty seat next to him, which was obviously reserved for Mei Yaochen.

After Mei Yaochen sat down, Ouyang Xiu said again, "As for you, you'll definitely have to drink three cups of wine as punishment later!"

"I wasn't late, so why am I being punished with three cups of wine?" Mei Yaochen asked, puzzled.

"Hey! You've arrived just in time, ruining my plans. Isn't that being 'late'? As for the wine, the punishment is justified!"

Ouyang Xiu's absurd reasoning made everyone present burst into laughter.

After a while, several more people came in. Once everyone was there, Yan Jidao gave a look, and the manager of Qingfeng Tower left.

Soon, the door to Songtao Pavilion was pushed open again.

Several tea servers from Qingfenglou filed in, their steps light and their movements skillful as they began to set up tables and chairs for the guests.

Tea was served first.

Exquisite Ding ware white porcelain teacups were gently placed in front of each person. The tea inside was bright in color, with wisps of steam rising and emitting a delicate and lingering aroma. Then, the tea master, holding a silver bottle, slowly poured tea for the guests with elegant movements.

Next to the teacup, there are also several small dishes of fine salt and other seasonings. This is one of the customs of tea preparation and drinking in the Song Dynasty, and the amount of seasonings can be added according to personal taste.

"Jianzhou Tuancha" (Jianzhou Tea).

Ouyang Xiu raised his chin, looked at Yan Jidao below him, and said, "Only Ding Jin would drink this. This tea cake must be expensive."

Ding Jin Gong refers to Ding Wei, the prime minister during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong. Jianzhou Tuancha, a type of small tea cake, was first made when Ding Wei served as the transport commissioner of Fujian. Initially, it was exclusively for consumption within the imperial palace. Later, as production increased, the population that could drink it gradually expanded during the reign of Emperor Renzong.

Jianzhou Tuancha (a type of compressed tea) also has different grades. Although they are all collectively called "Big and Small Dragon and Phoenix Tuancha", there are actually many different interpretations.

Based on the time of picking and processing, location, bud shape, and quality, compressed tea is divided into many grades, which are formally called "grades". There are five grades of fine color and seven grades of coarse color. The five grades of fine color are listed with the names of each grade and the number of tributes. The seven grades of coarse color do not list the names of the grades, but only the number of tributes is listed for each grade. In addition to these official tea-making workshops, there are also private tea-making workshops in the private sector.

"There's nothing wrong with the price; it's an honor for these tea cakes to be worthy of Ouyang Gong's palate," Yan Jidao said with a smile.

Yan Shu served as prime minister for so many years and has just passed away. Of course, he experienced the coldness and warmth of human relationships, but it is impossible to say that Yan Jidao's standard of living immediately plummeted.

Yan Jidao still maintains his life as a noble young master, but some people around him may have started to deliberately keep their distance from him.

It was precisely for this reason that Yan Jidao funded the Qingsong Society gathering. Although Yan Jidao was certain to be granted an official position through imperial favor, he also intended to get to know some talented young people and expand his circle of friends.

Ouyang Xiu also showed great respect to Yan Jidao, as can be seen from the seating arrangement. Yan Jidao was the young man closest to Ouyang Xiu. The reason is simple: although Yan Shu held an important position for many years, he was approachable and liked to mentor younger generations. People such as Fan Zhongyan, Han Qi, Fu Bi, and Ouyang Xiu were all cultivated and recommended by him when they were young and were given important positions. Fu Bi even became Yan Shu's son-in-law. Yan Shu was also the chief examiner of Ouyang Xiu's imperial examination that year.

Therefore, although Yan Shu had passed away, Ouyang Xiu still recognized this kindness and wanted to repay it to Yan Jidao.

"Excellent tea!" Ouyang Xiu was the first to pick up his teacup, sniffed the aroma, took a small sip, and praised, "Qingfenglou's Longtuan tea is cooked to perfection in terms of heat and brewing. Please enjoy."

Everyone raised their cups to enjoy the tea, creating a relaxed and harmonious atmosphere.

Lu Beigu followed suit, experiencing the elegant daily life of this top literary circle in the Song Dynasty, and the tension in his heart finally relaxed completely.

This isn't a school or an exam hall, so you really can't be too tense, otherwise you'll seem out of place.

"Is today's gathering similar to that of Xijing in the past?" Mei Yaochen asked with a smile.

"of course."

Ouyang Xiu burst into laughter.

This dialogue has a story behind it. Ouyang Xiu's style was quite different from that of the strict and rigid traditional scholar-officials like Zhao Bian and Song Xiang. He was the kind of person who knew how to enjoy life. The source of this style was his superior, Qian Weiyan, the governor of Xijing, whom he met when he first entered officialdom.

Qian Weiyan was the son of Qian Chu, the King of Wuyue, and came from a very high social standing. At that time, Ouyang Xiu and Mei Yaochen served under him. Qian Weiyan was particularly kind to these talented young people, not only sparing them from trivial administrative tasks, but also openly supporting them in their leisure activities so that they could better engage in literary creation.

Once, Ouyang Xiu, Mei Yaochen, and others left Luoyang to visit Mount Song. It started to snow in the evening. Soon after, Qian Weiyan's messenger arrived, bringing with him a cook and courtesans. He conveyed Qian Weiyan's message: "There's nothing going on in the Luoyang government offices, so you don't need to rush back. Enjoy the snow on Mount Song."

It was with Qian Weiyan's support that Ouyang Xiu, Mei Yaochen, and others began to devise a method to break the stale literary style of the time and promote "classical prose" by emulating the ancients of the pre-Qin and Han dynasties.

The root of the Classical Prose Movement in the Song Dynasty lies in this experience.

Therefore, Ouyang Xiu never hid his penchant for feasting and revelry, living in the moment. His timeless masterpiece, "The Pavilion of the Drunken Old Man," was born from this mindset.

After the tea was finished, everyone was served some snacks and candied fruits. The snacks were small and exquisite "dripping crisp abalone snails", which are snail-shaped snacks made of milk crisps and stacked into a tower shape.

Finally, writing implements were added to each person's desk, in preparation for impromptu poetry or calligraphy later.

(End of this chapter)