Tang Dynasty: A Guide to Avoiding Pitfalls for Li Er at the Start

Chapter 300 You call this poetry? (Seeking monthly votes)

"Oh? Someone has already composed a poem so quickly?"

Li Shimin raised an eyebrow and glanced down at the plum grove below.

Before he came, he had heard that the topic of the literary gathering had just been announced, and in the short time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a finished product had already been produced.

He simply couldn't believe that those aristocratic sons hadn't prepared their poems in advance.

After all, today's literary gathering is held at Qujiang Pool, and the most eye-catching thing around it is the red plum blossoms covering the mountains. The topics will most likely be related to the word "plum blossom," so with a little preparation, one can seize the initiative.

He glanced discreetly at the several elderly aristocratic men beside him, noticing the perfectly measured smiles on their faces, and understood what was going on.

Fang Xuanling spoke up at the opportune moment, his tone carrying a hint of probing: "Young Master Li, would you be interested in taking a stroll in the plum grove?"

"Most of the scholars who have come today are going to participate in the spring imperial examinations. Among them are many talented individuals. Although there are many people, with me here, Erlang need not worry about losing face."

Changsun Wuji chimed in from the side.

Of all those present, only he dared to call Li Shimin "Second Son" so affectionately.

"Alright."

Li Shimin nodded in agreement.

The upper floor was mostly occupied by court officials and gentry, which ultimately made it less comfortable.

If we go to the plum grove, we can walk hand in hand with Empress Zhangsun and Lizhi, which is more like an ordinary family outing.

Seeing that he agreed, a hint of triumph flashed in the eyes of those aristocratic elders.

They had originally planned to wait until the literary gathering ended before copying and distributing the outstanding poems of the scholars of the day so that His Majesty would know about them.

Unexpectedly, His Majesty came in person.

If any of those people downstairs could compose a poem that His Majesty would appreciate, they would surely be on the list of successful candidates in the imperial examinations next spring. This would be an incredible opportunity.

"Jiaying".

When Li Shimin got up, the first person he called was Wen He.

The latter was leaning against the windowsill, holding a piece of plum blossom cake in her hand and stuffing it into her mouth. Upon hearing this, she turned her head in a daze.

Li Shimin beckoned to him, and Wen He was immediately troubled. He was just looking for some peace and quiet, but Li Shimin's eyes clearly said, "You dare not come and try."

Left with no other choice, he could only put down the pastries, brush the crumbs off his hands, and reluctantly follow behind Li Shimin.

Li Shimin sent someone to inform Empress Zhangsun, while he himself, along with Wen He and several important officials, descended the stairs on the other side.

As soon as I stepped into the courtyard, I was greeted by a red plum tree covered in snow, its subtle fragrance wafting through the air, refreshing and delightful.

"With such a lively literary gathering today, Jiaying, would you be willing to compose a poem?"

Li Shimin gazed at the red plum blossoms on the branch, then suddenly turned and asked, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger.

Wen He's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly lowered her voice: "Your Majesty, I am not feeling well today, and I would like to stay by your side for a while, is that alright?"

He really didn't want to get involved in this mess, lest he be targeted and attacked by those aristocratic families again.

Li Shimin, however, seemed not to hear him and deliberately raised his voice: "What? Does our Gaoyang County Magistrate think that these scholars are not as good as you, little brat?"

Damn it! Li Er tricked me again!
Wen He cursed inwardly, and sure enough, the eyes of all the aristocratic youths and elders around him suddenly turned towards him.

With a hint of scrutiny, a hint of hostility, and a hint of mockery waiting to see him make a fool of himself.

The same principle applies to writing poetry and prose; without the accumulation of knowledge from extensive reading, it is difficult to produce excellent works.

However, many people present had doubts.

Although Wen He had two poems circulating before, the magnificent and grand "Linjiang Xian" with its sense of vicissitudes, and the murderous and imposing "Hu Wuren" were different.

It doesn't seem like something a teenager could write.

Some people inevitably speculated that His Majesty might have intentionally promoted these poems to spread them throughout Chang'an.

"Young Master Li is joking. I am just a ten-year-old child. Of course, I am not comparable to the scholars who have come today. They are all great talents. How could I dare to show off my limited skills in front of an expert?"

Wen He yawned deeply, her tone nonchalant.

As soon as she finished speaking, Empress Zhangsun, holding the hands of Li Lizhi and Wenrou, walked gracefully towards them.

Upon seeing this, everyone present stood up and bowed.

"Today is merely a day for enjoying the flowers and strolling in the garden; there's no need for such formalities."

Empress Changsun offered a helping hand, then turned her gaze to Wen He, asking with a hint of curiosity, "Is Jia Ying going to compose a poem today?"

Wen He's heart skipped a beat.

They really are a couple in the same boat; are they teaming up to tease him?

Well, well, since I can't avoid it, I might as well show my skills and I won't get through this.

"nature."

He straightened his back and smiled, "Since Madam wishes to hear it, I will humbly offer a poem."

Upon hearing this, everyone couldn't help but cast curious glances at them.

Even the old aristocratic elders who were originally waiting to see him make a fool of himself narrowed their eyes, wanting to see what skills this young man could demonstrate.

Li Lizhi held the gentle little hand, her eyes sparkling like stars.

Behind them, Wu Erniang pursed her lips, tilted her head slightly, and looked on with anticipation.

Wen He looked around, her gaze finally settling on the falling snowflakes. She cleared her throat and slowly recited:
"Six snowflakes flutter down from the heavens, like jade maidens descending from the heavens."

The first sentence elicited various reactions from the crowd.

Someone nodded slightly.

"Six-petaled" refers to snowflakes.

The name "Qiong Yao" is Yu Xue, and it's fairly well-written.

Some people secretly shook their heads, feeling that although the sentence was safe, it lacked originality and was not particularly amazing.

Li Shimin frowned slightly, feeling that this brat had agreed too readily today. Could it be that he was trying to curry favor by taking advantage of Guanyinbi's influence?

Before he could think it through, Wen He's second sentence came in: "One day the sky will clear."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Shimin's expression changed drastically, and everyone around him was stunned.

The first sentence was quite elegant, so why did the style suddenly change so drastically in this one?
It's as plain as everyday slang; where's the poetic flavor?

Before anyone could react, Wen He had already loudly uttered the last two sentences:
"Those who use brooms use brooms, and those who use shovels ...."

After reciting it, he clapped his hands and laughed heartily, as if he was extremely satisfied with his "poem".

The scene was deathly silent; you could even hear the sound of snow falling.

A moment later, only a gentle, crisp voice rang out: "Brother did a good job, those who use brooms use brooms, and those who use shovels use shovels!"

She genuinely found it interesting; wasn't the poem describing the scene of shoveling snow after it had stopped?
The four little ones opened their mouths, but for a moment they didn't know what to say.

This...this can be called poetry?

Li Chengqian frowned, as if he were solving a difficult problem.

Li Tai's mouth was open, and he couldn't close it for a long time.

Li Ke suppressed a laugh, but his eyes were full of mischief.

Li You moved closer to Wen He and whispered, "Sir, is this really a poem?"

Li Shimin's face flushed red and then turned pale, as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water over his head.

He finally understood: this brat wasn't composing poetry at all; he was clearly just deliberately causing trouble!
Although this was his original intention, he wanted Wen He to copy a poem from a later era to suppress those aristocratic scholars.

Unexpectedly, Wen He's mischief, while disruptive, was completely contrary to his intentions.

"You brat!" Li Shimin pointed at Wen He and questioned him irritably.

"You call this poetry? Even street performers are more refined than you!"

"Your Majesty's words are wrong."

Wen He bowed respectfully.

"Poetry is about expressing one's aspirations. It's a fact that we need to sweep the snow after it stops, so why can't it be included in poetry? Does it mean that only 'jade palaces and pavilions' count as poetry, while the brooms and shovels of ordinary people are not worthy of being called poetry?"

These words caused several senior officials to fall into deep thought.

Fang Xuanling stroked his beard and smiled, "What Wen County Boy said makes some sense. Poetry should be unconventional. As long as it can express true feelings and real scenes, it is good."

Empress Zhangsun shook her head with a smile: "It's amazing that you could come up with such a poem. There's probably no one like you before."

Li Lizhi seemed to understand but not quite, yet she found it amusing. Holding Wenrou's hand, she murmured, "Those who use brooms use brooms, those who use shovels use shovels... Brother, next time it snows, I want to go shovel snow too!"

Wen He laughed even harder, but secretly thought to herself, 'This is a masterpiece by Zhang Dayou, the progenitor of "doggerel" in the mid-Tang Dynasty, as famous as "The landscape is all in one place, a dark hole above the well." Bringing it out today will certainly broaden the horizons of these renowned scholars of the High Tang Dynasty.'

The members of the aristocratic family were taken aback at first, but then couldn't help but laugh.

Just now I was so nervous, as if facing a formidable enemy. Now it seems that even if Wen He is precocious, she is still a child. How can she compare to the scholars who have studied hard for more than ten years?

Those two poems from before were probably just His Majesty trying to boost his image.

"You, you, you, step back."

Li Shimin waved his hand impatiently, his eyes filled with disappointment as he looked at Wen He.

Just then, a burst of cheers erupted from the crowd ahead, the sound so loud it drowned out the rustling of the falling snow.

"What happened?"

Someone asked out of curiosity.

A moment later, a palace attendant rushed in to report: "It is Shangguan Yi, a scholar from Shanxian County, who has composed a poem praising plum blossoms, which has drawn praise from everyone!"

Having said that, he began to recite it aloud.

As soon as the poem was recited, a chorus of praise arose from the surroundings.

Perhaps it was because Wen He's limerick was so down-to-earth that this poem seemed all the more elegant, its words revealing the proud and noble spirit of plum blossoms, truly a masterpiece.

Li Shimin glared at Wen He with annoyance: "Listen to this, now that's what you call poetry!"

"Erlang, please don't be too harsh on him."

Empress Zhangsun covered her mouth and chuckled softly, then reached out to protect Wen He.

"Jiaying is still a child, why should she compare herself to scholars?"

Li Shimin sighed helplessly, ignoring Wen He and turning to savor Shangguan Yi's poem, his brows furrowing slightly.

The poem is good, but it lacks a certain sharpness; it seems to have been written specifically for the gentry.

Just as they were pondering, a haughty sneer suddenly came from ahead: "You Shao's poems perfectly capture the spirit of plum blossoms. I wonder if any of you have a masterpiece that can compare to them?"

Li Shimin frowned upon hearing this; the provocation in the tone was far too obvious.

"Sounds like the newly appointed Censor-in-Chief, Ma Zhou?" someone whispered in the crowd.

"Ma Zhou?"

Wen He was taken aback. The voice was rough and sharp, unlike Ma Zhou's calm tone.

Moreover, given Ma Zhou's personality, he would never flatter Shangguan Yi.

"This Lu Shaoyou actually used Shangguan Youshao's poem to make things difficult for poor scholars, how shameful!"

Someone else angrily cursed.

The old man from the Lu family behind Li Shimin's face changed drastically, and he immediately retorted: "Since ancient times, the way of the literary world has been a game of strategy! Although poetry is a matter of elegance, it can still determine who is superior. How can it be considered shameful?"

He was openly supporting his own people, and the arrogance in his words made the scholars from humble backgrounds around him angry but dared not speak out.

Li Shimin's expression darkened, and he stepped forward.

The guards quickly cleared a path, and the onlookers, seeing this, stepped back and made way for them.

Wen He followed closely behind, and when his view opened up, the scene before him immediately made him frown.

(End of this chapter)