Chapter 191: The Immortal Old Man
Bright green light!
It even illuminates the entire third floor.
This is a manifestation of the soaring literary spirit.
Lin Ye knew very well that at the Tengwang Pavilion Poetry Banquet hosted by Governor Yan, only one person could reach this step.
He is Wang Bo, the one whose literary talent is so high that even God is jealous of him.
Young people become famous, but God is jealous of their talents.
To be honest, I still admire Lin Ye very much. After all, he was able to write an article like "Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng" and so many famous poems. This alone is enough to make all scholars admire him.
Compared to other people sitting at the table and laughing loudly, Wang Bo sat alone at the table, reading, looking at the river view outside the window, and drinking a glass of wine from time to time.
Lin Ye walked over and asked, "Brother, may I have a seat here?"
The long table in front of Wang Bo had seats for three people, but perhaps because of Wang Bo's indifferent attitude, other people did not choose to sit at this table.
"Brother, please do as you please."
Lin Ye smiled and sat on the right side of Wang Bo. Although he was 100% sure in his heart, he still asked, "I haven't asked for your name yet?"
"Wang Zian."
"Brother Zi'an, my name is Lin Ye."
When Lin Ye heard the other party say his name was Wang Zian, he confirmed that this was the person.
Wang Bo, whose courtesy name was Zi'an.
Wang Bo was not in a good mood to talk, but how could Lin Ye miss such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? He also wanted to know what kind of mood Wang Bo was in when he composed this Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng.
"Brother Zi'an, judging from your accent, you don't sound like a native of Hongzhou?"
"No." Wang Bo replied simply, obviously not wanting to talk too much.
But Lin Ye didn't care about Wang Bo's mood and continued, "Brother Zi'an, are you here to visit Hongzhou or to visit relatives and friends?"
"I was just passing by, and when I heard there was a banquet here, I shamelessly came here to eat and drink."
Wang Bo spoke very modestly. Lin Ye's mouth twitched. Men's words can lie. If I hadn't read the Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng, I would have really thought you were here to get free food and drinks.
However, Lin Ye was indeed curious about why Wang Bo came to attend the banquet at Tengwang Pavilion.
According to the analysis of historians and writers, Wang Bo was on his way to visit his demoted father. In terms of route, Wang Bo did not need to pass through Yuzhang City. Even if he really passed by Yuzhang City, given Wang Bo's mood at the time, he probably would not have been in the mood to attend the banquet.
After all, Wang Bo was convicted and sentenced to prison, and his father was demoted to Jiaozhi as a county magistrate because of him. Although being a county magistrate is still an official, in ancient times, many officials died of illness on the way to a remote area like Jiaozhi due to the ancient traffic conditions. If they really arrived there, they would fall ill due to many reasons such as acclimatization.
Ancient times were not like modern times. In ancient times, remote areas were uncivilized places, and communication was a problem. The so-called officials were not as effective as the powerful people among the local indigenous people.
In this context, Wang Bo was a filial son. How could he have the mood to attend this poetry banquet since his own affairs had implicated his father?
"Brother Zi'an, you're not telling the truth. It's not on your way here."
Lin Ye tried with words, staring at Wang Bo closely, and after hearing his words, Wang Bo indeed showed something wrong.
Wang Bo's body trembled, and his facial expression changed slightly, appearing a little nervous.
Seeing this scene, Lin Ye suddenly had a premonition that Wang Bo’s appearance in Tengwang Pavilion might be due to some hidden story.
"Who exactly is your Excellency?"
This time, Wang Bo finally set his sights on Lin Ye. Lin Ye smiled and said, "Like you, I am also a passer-by passing through Hongzhou. The difference is that I know you will write an article here that will be passed down through the ages."
"You...how do you know I want to write an article?"
This time Wang Bo was really shocked. Although Governor Yan hosted a poetry banquet, not every guest who attended would make a fuss about it. Most of them just came to show their support and join in the fun. The locals were like this, let alone outsiders like Wang Bo.
No one else knows that I am going to write an article except myself.
"I know more than that. Brother Zi'an, why don't you just tell me why you want to attend this Tengwang Pavilion Banquet? Otherwise, I'm afraid I might accidentally ruin Brother Zi'an's plan."
Lin Ye pretended to be mysterious, but he was just using words to trick Wang Bo.
The ancients were relatively simple after all, and a great talent like Wang Bo was not good at scheming, otherwise it would be impossible for him to be so talented but end up in prison and demoted.
"I came to Tengwang Pavilion under the guidance of an old immortal."
Under Lin Ye's deception, Wang Bo told the truth.
"Old Immortal?" Lin Ye's heart skipped a beat. He must not believe that the Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng was written by some immortal in a dream.
No, the literary aura of Wang Bo cannot be faked . The Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng must have been written by Wang Bo himself.
"Yesterday, the ship stopped at Madang, and an old man came to me and told me that there would be a banquet at Tengwang Pavilion in Hongzhou tomorrow, and I could go there to write it, and it would surely go down in history."
"So you agreed?"
Lin Ye stared at Wang Bo. Wang Bo smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying, "My father suffered because of me, so he has no mood to care whether his article will be remembered forever. But the old man said that if I write a note at Tengwang Pavilion and win the laurel, it will enable me to make rapid progress and see my father sooner."
Wang Bo saw Lin Ye's frowning expression and thought that Lin Ye didn't believe it, so he continued, "I didn't believe it at first either. A ship can travel a thousand miles a day, which is faster than a spaceship. It wasn't until the old man waved his hand and the wind blew up on the river that my ship was blown to Hongzhou, which is hundreds of miles away. It really is traveling a thousand miles a day. I had to believe what the old man said. He must be a god."
"Did the old man send you to Hongzhou?"
Lin Ye didn't quite believe in gods or something like that, but this person was able to predict that Wang Bo would write an article that would be passed down through the ages in Tengwang Pavilion, and he was even able to use the wind to send Wang Bo to Hongzhou. His strength should not be underestimated.
"Wait... You said that after you win the crown, he will send you to where your father is and let your ship travel at a rapid speed?"
Lin Ye suddenly thought of something. Historians have analyzed it, and most of them believe that Wang Bo died on the way to visit his father, which means that he had not yet seen his father.
If this statement is correct, isn't it contradictory?
With this god-like old man escorting Wang Bo thousands of miles a day, how could he be shipwrecked just because of a little wind and waves at sea?
"Yes, that's what the immortal old man said." Wang Bo nodded in response.
Lin Ye pondered for a moment, and the expression on his face suddenly became playful. It seems that the identity of this immortal old man is probably not simple.
