Top Scholar

Chapter 490 I have a soaring pen, which I wield to quell the wind and rain.

Midway through the banquet, the Imperial Music Bureau played the "Taiping Yue," its clear and melodious strings and bamboo instruments filling the air. Thirty-six musicians from the Imperial Academy filed in and presented a six-row dance.

The musicians, holding flutes and pheasants, danced gracefully, their wide sleeves fluttering as apricot blossoms fell in the courtyard, just as the line "Flutes and pheasants played music frequently in the courtyard, the fragrance of flowers wafted through the air as the dancers performed" perfectly describes the scene.

As expected of a national-level professional dance student, her elegant and graceful dance was truly fluid and graceful, far more beautiful than the 'mechanical dance' that Su Lu and the others danced back then...

As the dance ended and the music faded, Duke Zhang Mao of England stroked his white beard and laughed loudly, "We've drunk the wine and enjoyed the dance; isn't it time to compose a poem?"

It was a customary practice at the Imperial Banquet for newly appointed scholars and the officials reading their examination papers to compose poems on the spot. The content was nothing more than praising the emperor and embellishing the peace and prosperity. Countless such occasional "obedience literature" poems have been written over the centuries, yet not a single one has truly been passed down to posterity.

But rules are rules, and this step is essential. The ministers immediately agreed, their eyes all falling on Su Lu, whose hair was adorned with silver flowers: "Then let our top scholar compose a poem to commemorate this momentous occasion!"

Jiao Fang, who had been observing coldly, finally seized the opportunity to launch an attack. He forced a smile and said sarcastically, "I heard that the top scholar composed a poem at last year's Deer Cry Banquet: 'The vast sorrow of parting lingers as the sun sets, my whip points east to the ends of the earth. Fallen petals are not heartless things, they turn into spring mud to protect the flowers.' It can be called a masterpiece rarely seen in recent decades!"

Upon hearing this, a chorus of praise and agreement arose from the room: "This poem is truly exquisite! The top scholar is not only unparalleled in literary talent, but also possesses extraordinary wit!"

Su Lu politely declined repeatedly, but inwardly he was already on high alert. It would be strange if Jiao Fang came up with anything worthwhile; he was probably trying to sabotage him.

Sure enough, Liu Yu chimed in, "This Qionglin Banquet is a banquet bestowed by the Emperor, far superior in status to the Deer Cry Banquet. The poem the top scholar composed today must be even better than the last one, to live up to His Majesty's great favor, right?"

"Exactly, exactly!" the eunuch faction echoed. "The top scholar can't let this imperial banquet be inferior to your province's Luming Banquet!"

"Nonsense!" Ever since Jiao Fang blocked his door and insulted him, Wang Ao had given up all pretense of civility and no longer bothered to pretend. He sneered, "You yourself said it's a masterpiece that's been seen only once in decades, how can you just say you've made it up? This is utterly ignorant and incompetent!"

"Why can't you compose one?" Jiao Fang said in a pretentious tone. "This top scholar is no ordinary top scholar; he is the first of six top scholars in history, the top scholar among top scholars! Composing a good poem is a piece of cake for him."

"Oh, alright, alright!" Zhang Mao quickly stepped in to smooth things over when he saw the atmosphere had become tense. "It was just to liven things up, why make things difficult for a junior like this?"

"Your Excellency misunderstands," Jiao Fang said innocently, spreading his hands. "I had no intention of making things difficult for the top scholar. I simply admire his talent and wish to see his masterpiece again."

After saying that, he turned to Su Lu, waved his hand with a forced smile, and said, "If you can't do it, it doesn't matter. Just pretend I didn't say anything."

Even the newly appointed scholars could tell that Jiao Fang's seemingly conciliatory words were actually putting Su Lu in a difficult position—if he couldn't produce a work, he would be undeserving of his reputation; if he produced a work that was inferior to his previous ones, he would be unworthy of the title.

However, due to their status, they dared not speak out against their anger, and could only curse Jiao in their hearts for being shameless in bullying the weak.

Moreover, Jiao Fang was particularly cunning, and he managed to say all the nice things. Li Dongyang and the others wanted to say something for Su Lu, but they couldn't find a good angle to do so...

As for the other officials, it was even less likely that they would offend Jiao Fang, this mad tiger of the eunuch faction, for the sake of a newly appointed top scholar.

Of course, there is a way to break the deadlock: write a better one and you can give this guy a good slap in the face!
But how easy is it to do so? The poem's theme, style, and connotation have completely surpassed ordinary poems written for official occasions; to surpass them is as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Just as the air seemed to freeze, Su Lu suddenly smiled slightly and said loudly, "Grand Secretary Jiao is flattering me to death. That poem was not written for the banquet, but was written last year to bid farewell to three gentlemen who had been kind to me. The tone was inevitably a bit melancholy, and it is really inappropriate for the festive atmosphere of today's banquet."

"Which three?" the adults asked each other in hushed tones.

“Two Lius and one Xiao,” someone who understood the situation replied.

"That's it." Everyone was stunned.

Last year, after Liu, Liu, and Xiao entered the capital, they were all imprisoned for offending the eunuch faction. Knowing this background, and then rereading the poem "Fallen petals are not heartless things," one feels that every word is heartbreaking and full of respect for loyal and virtuous officials.

The gazes of the crowd towards Su Lu were now filled with even more admiration.

"It's alright, it's alright." Jiao Fang wouldn't give up, pressing on step by step, "Poetry expresses one's aspirations! The top scholar can still express his feelings, there's no need to be bound by a festive tone."

“Yeah,” Liu Yu chimed in, “We’re tired of hearing it anyway, it’s good to cleanse our ears.”

“In that case, this junior will make a fool of myself and recite another miscellaneous poem.” This was exactly what Su Lu had been waiting for, so he paced back and forth in the courtyard, lost in thought.

Everyone fell silent, awaiting the top scholar's masterpiece. Only the musicians continued to gently pluck the strings, providing background music.

A short while later, Su Lu stopped, his previously calm tone turning somber and forceful, each word resounding like metal striking the ground, echoing throughout the banquet:
"The vitality of the land depends on the wind and thunder; the silence of ten thousand horses is truly lamentable. I urge Heaven to rouse itself once more and bestow talents without regard to convention!"

As the four lines of poetry were recited, the room fell silent; you could hear a pin drop. The musicians' fingers froze on the strings, forgetting to play. All the officials and scholars present were dumbfounded, completely lost in thought.

Many people turned pale with fright...

Even the musicians could tell that "the vitality of the land depends on wind and thunder" clearly depicted the predicament under Liu Jin's dictatorship, and that the people of the world were waiting in vain for the storm that would purify everything!

The phrase "a chorus of voices" aptly depicts the true state of officialdom at the time. Liu Jin monopolized the court, forged imperial edicts to frame dissidents, and loyal officials were either dismissed or exiled. The remaining officials either curried favor with the powerful or remained silent to protect themselves. The vast court was utterly lifeless, like stagnant water!

This isn't poetry! This is practically a battle manifesto!

Such a direct and uncompromising question, such a fearless and resolute cry, struck a chord with countless people present, earning them their utmost respect for this courageous top scholar!

Many officials who reviewed the papers initially had reservations about Su Lu's policy essay, believing that it was somewhat pandering to the emperor and not in line with the collective interests of the civil servants.

But upon hearing Su Lu's poem, he realized he had misunderstood him. His policy essay was not flattery, but a sincere hope that the emperor would prioritize the people, emulate the ancestors' original intentions, reclaim power, and cease tolerating the eunuch faction's continued harm…

"Excellent, excellent poem!" The third-ranking scholar and his fellow Sichuanese exclaimed in unison.
Jiao Fang's face turned ashen. He slammed his fist on the table and shouted angrily, "Nonsense! What 'silence of all horses'? His Majesty is now exceptionally wise and the court is enlightened! How dare you speak ill of the government and slander the current situation!"

"You've misunderstood, sir." Su Lu shook his head and smiled, his gaze open and honest.
"When I spoke of 'a multitude of horses remaining silent,' I was lamenting how many talented individuals are buried and unable to find their place in the countryside! When I spoke of 'recruiting talents without being bound by convention,' I was hoping that Your Majesty would appoint people based solely on their abilities and select truly capable pillars of society who can share the nation's burdens and speak up for the people! Isn't this the ideal that scholars should have? Isn't this the peaceful and prosperous scene that Your Majesty hopes to see?"

"Well said!" Li Dongyang clapped and cheered, his eyes fixed on Su Lu with admiration.

"What a wonderful line, 'I urge Heaven to rouse itself anew and send down talents without regard to convention'! This is the kind of magnanimity a top scholar should have! Grand Secretary Jiao, do you understand now? The worries in this poem are for the sake of the world and the nation, not for making irresponsible remarks about politics, much less for attacking any specific person!"

“That’s right, I think you’re addicted to biting people randomly!” Wang Ao snorted.

"Excellent! Excellent!" Upon hearing this, all the scholars present seemed to awaken from a dream, bursting into thunderous cheers!
Jiao Fang's face turned pale and then red. She wanted to refute him, but found that Su Lu's words were not wrong either, and could indeed be interpreted in another way. The key was that Li Dongyang had given a definitive answer and patched it up, leaving her completely speechless.

But Old Li is always tactful; Su Lu dared to offend Liu Jin, but he wouldn't. So he smiled at Su Lu and said, "However, Scholar, while this poem is indeed superb, its tone is too intense, and it is indeed a bit inappropriate for this Qionglin Banquet. Could you perhaps choose a more soothing one, so that the Ministry of Rites can inscribe it as a record of today's banquet?"

“Indeed.” Tianbutang hurriedly presented a golden cup with his own hands: “For this grand banquet, let’s compose another poem to suit the occasion, so that we may also enjoy the feast for our eyes.”

"I will obey your command." Su Lu nodded with a smile, his emotions completely unaffected.

He accepted the golden cup offered by Tianbutang and drank it all in one gulp. Then he walked to the table, picked up a brush, and began to write.

The officials then left their seats to admire Scholar Su's masterpiece.

Then, with a flourish of his brush, lines of elegant and graceful characters leaped onto the paper:
"I have a soaring pen, which I wield to drench the wind and rain as they may."

Li Bai's calligraphy is so lofty that the heavens themselves are the paper, and his brushstrokes depict golden carp leaping in the Jade Pool!
My loyal heart has been pledged to a peaceful world; my noble spirit will forever shine as brightly as the sun and moon.

Do not laugh at a scholar who has no support; in the future, his name will be inscribed on a stone at Yanran Mountain!

He wrote a sentence, and the crowd read it aloud. When the last sentence was written, thunderous cheers erupted once again!
This time, praising was much safer, and the gentlemen couldn't wait to offer their lavish compliments—

"What a fine line, 'I have a soaring brush, which I wield to unleash the wind and rain.' This line is no less impressive than Li Bai's!"

"What a magnificent 'Ultramarine as paper'! Using the heavens as paper and the stars as ink, truly the breadth of mind of a top scholar!"

"This poem begins with a wild and unrestrained style, continues with a grand and magnificent style, transitions with a sincere and earnest style, and concludes with a resounding and powerful style! The line 'Golden carp enters the Purple Palace' not only describes the glory of passing the imperial examination, but also expresses the ambition to serve the country! We should raise a big toast!"

"Come on, let's all toast the top scholar and thank him for bringing us such a magnificent chapter!" Zhang Mao also chimed in with a smile.

Everyone raised their glasses to toast the top scholar, their laughter mingling with the resounding strains of "Taiping Yue"—truly a harmonious and joyous occasion…

(End of this chapter)