Chapter 192: Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng
The banquet at Tengwang Pavilion continued. Lin Ye did not disturb . Instead, he sat there quietly drinking wine, waiting for Wang Bo's moment of glory.
The banquet was in full swing.
The protagonist, Governor Yan, came on stage, made some polite remarks, and finally pointed out the key point.
In the fourth year of Tang Yonghui (653), Li Yuanying, Prince of Teng, was appointed governor of Hongzhou in the south of the Yangtze River and built a pavilion named "Tengwang Pavilion" in Hongzhou.
In the second year of Shangyuan in the Tang Dynasty (675), Yan Boyu, the governor of Hongzhou, rebuilt the Tengwang Pavilion.
Today, the Tengwang Pavilion has been rebuilt, and Governor Yan Guang invited the scholars of the state to attend the banquet and write a record to describe this grand event.
It is a bit like when a modern tourist attraction is completed and opened to the public, and some writers are invited to come and write poems to commemorate this major event.
After Governor Yan spoke, the guests present became very enthusiastic and began to ponder. Some even stood up and walked back and forth, going to the attic railings, looking for inspiration at the beautiful scenery on the river.
After a while, someone wrote a poem, which drew applause from the whole room.
The person who dared to recite first must have prepared well before coming and was quite confident in himself. The quality of this poem is indeed not bad.
Lin Ye could understand these literati. After all, not all of them were like Cao Zhi, who could compose a poem in seven steps. The so-called impromptu creations in some poetry gatherings were probably planned a day in advance, or the poems they wrote when they were inspired were presented on the same day.
Throwing a brick to attract jade is just a polite way of saying it. The first person to show up, the more confident he or she is.
Following the first scholar reciting the poem, several others followed and wrote their own "improvisational" poems. Lin Ye couldn't help but sigh that after all, the scholars were able to attend Governor Yan's banquet. The poems they wrote were all excellent, and some of them used allusions he had never heard of.
Lin Ye paid attention to Wang Bo and found that Wang Bo lowered his head and seemed to be thinking about something. At the same time, he also discovered an interesting phenomenon, that is, Governor Yan actually glanced at Wang Bo several times at the banquet.
As the governor of a city, there were no less than thirty scholars present, and Wang Bo was sitting in a corner. Logically, he should not have attracted the attention of Governor Yan so many times.
"You are all talented people in Hongzhou City. I have impressions of many of you. It would be unfair to judge you in this way. I have an idea. You can write down your poems and articles. I will look at your excellent works behind the screen and select the rankings."
"Mr. Yan's words are fair."
"As expected of Lord Yan, he is so thoughtful."
A servant brought a screen from the side hall, and the maids collected the wine and drinks on the long table and laid out pens, ink, paper and inkstone. When one of the maids was cleaning Lin Ye's table, she accidentally touched Lin Ye with her arm, and her pretty face blushed slightly, with affectionate brows.
Lin Ye: ...
Wang Bo looked up at Lin Ye. Lin Ye felt a little embarrassed. It was not his fault that he was handsome.
"Brother Lin is not in a hurry, I think he has a lot of ambitions in mind."
Wang Bo made way for Lin Ye. Lin Ye's mouth twitched. I'm not being ambitious. I just know that no one here can write better than you, let alone write an article. It's natural that I feel relaxed just watching the fun.
"I'm just here to join in the fun, I don't plan to write an article. Brother Zi'an is very talented, so I'll leave it to him to show off."
Lin Ye stood up consciously and gave the long table to Wang Bo. It was also an exciting thing to be able to witness the production of the Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng in person.
Wang Bo didn't hesitate. He spread the paper on the long table, picked up the brush, ground it, looked at it for a while, and then started writing.
"Farewell Preface to the Tengwang Pavilion in Hongfu in Autumn"
"Yuzhang is the old county, Hongzhou is the new capital."
"good!"
When Lin Ye saw that the first sentence was the same as the one he had learned in The Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng, he couldn't help but cheer.
This sound frightened Wang Bo's hand and caused a few drops of ink to tremble on the paper. Lin Ye felt very distressed when he saw it. When the people at the nearby tables heard Lin Ye's cheers, they all gathered around curiously.
"Yuzhang is the old prefecture, Hongzhou is the new prefecture. What's so good about this? Isn't it just writing down the place name?"
"Pretending to be surprised, do you understand the article?"
Facing the questioning of the onlookers, Lin Ye looked a little embarrassed. These two sentences were indeed not very good, but the following ones were exciting. He immediately looked at Wang Bo, who also looked at Lin Ye with a strange expression, steadied his pen, and continued to write: "The stars are divided into Yi and Zhen, and the land is connected to Heng and Lu. It embraces the three rivers and the five lakes, controls the barbarians and leads to Ou and Yue. The natural resources are rich and the dragon's light shines on the ruins of Niu and Dou; the people are outstanding and the land is blessed, Xu Ru sleeps on Chen Fan's bed."
After writing this paragraph, the expressions of the onlookers changed, from disdain at the beginning to seriousness.
"The majestic state is covered by mist, and the brilliant talents are like stars. The palace is the border between the barbarians and the Chinese, and the host and the guests enjoy the beauty of the southeast. The elegant reputation of the governor, Lord Yan, is seen from afar with his halberd and flag; the virtuous model of Yuwen Xinzhou, is temporarily stationed with his canopy and curtain. During the ten-day vacation, there are many good friends; when you meet a thousand miles away, the room is full of distinguished guests. The soaring dragon and the phoenix are the masters of poetry of Meng Xueshi; the purple lightning and the blue frost are the arsenal of General Wang. My father is the governor, and the road leads to a famous area; how can a child know that he will personally witness the victory banquet."
Immediately afterwards, Wang Bo wrote these sentences in succession.
All the onlookers gasped.
This article, this content...
Lin Ye looked at the dumbfounded expressions of the onlookers and laughed in his heart. This was shocking enough, but even more shocking things were yet to come.
If the first part of "Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng" is majestic, then the plot and inspirational words expressed by Wang Bo in the second part will probably shock you to death.
“But has anyone written a good article?”
Governor Yan behind the screen also learned about the commotion outside from his servants. Immediately, a servant came over, wrote down what Wang Bo had written, and passed it to Governor Yan.
"Ten days off, good friends are everywhere; thousands of miles away, the house is full of distinguished guests, great!"
Governor Yan's hearty laughter came from behind the screen, and the next moment Lin Ye saw Governor Yan walking out from behind the screen and walking towards Wang Bo's table.
"The plot is wrong."
Lin Ye looked at Governor Yan who came out. According to historians, this Tengwang Pavilion Banquet was actually held by Governor Yan to promote his son-in-law, but Wang Bo came out to disrupt the situation. Even if Governor Yan wanted to promote his son-in-law, he could do nothing under Wang Bo's Preface to the Tengwang Pavilion.
In the face of an absolute gap in literary talent, power is ineffective.
Although this article is good, it hasn't reached its best part yet. So Governor Yan has given up?
At this time, Wang Bo ignored the onlookers around him and focused only on the paper in front of him, writing quickly with passion.
"It is September, the third month of autumn. The muddy water has dried up and the cold pond is clear. The mist is condensed and the evening mountains are purple. I ride on horseback to visit the scenery in Chong'a... The clouds have disappeared and the rain has stopped, and the sky is bright. The setting sun and the lone wild goose fly together, and the autumn water and the sky are the same color. The fishermen sing in the evening, and the sound reaches the shore of Pengli; the geese are startled by the cold, and their cries stop at Hengyang Port."
"Alas! Luck is not equal, life is full of twists and turns. Feng Tang grows old easily, Li Guang is hard to be appointed. Jia Yi was exiled to Changsha, not because there was no wise ruler; Liang Hong was exiled to Haiqu, not because there was no enlightened time? It is because the gentleman sees the opportunity, and the wise know the destiny. The old man should be stronger, and the heart of the white hair should not be changed; the poor man should be more determined, and the ambition of rising to the sky should not be lost...!"
"Bo, I am a humble scholar..."
hiss!
Lin Ye could already hear the many scholars at the scene gasping for air.
Wang Bo's Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng completely shocked them. Although he did not write this article, Lin Ye felt quite proud of it.
"This... this article is amazing."
"It will be passed down through the ages, and it will definitely be passed down through the ages!"
Some elderly people were so excited that their bodies were shaking.
"If I could hear the truth in the morning, I would be happy to die in the evening. I have no regrets in my death as I have been able to see a peerless article published and to see it with my own eyes."
"Congratulations to Governor Yan, congratulations to Governor Yan for receiving such a good article. Today's feast will surely be remembered for generations to come."
There were also people who reacted quickly after being shocked and started to flatter Governor Yan.
This article mentioned Governor Yan, and such an article will surely be passed down through the ages. So Governor Yan, who hosted this banquet, will also be remembered forever.
This is the charm of poetry and prose.
Just like Li Bai's gift to Wang Lun, and Master Cen and Danqiu Sheng in "Song of the Wine", what these people did was to invite Li Bai to dinner and drink, and it was because of this that their names became known to later generations through Li Bai's poems.
Besides, Governor Yan is different from these passers-by. Governor Yan is a high-ranking official, and his information can be found in the Records of the Grand Historian. Whenever people talk about the Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng, they will definitely mention Governor Yan, the organizer of the event. Governor Yan's descendants can even make a living from this.
Of course, the ancients might not have thought that far, but Lin Ye knew that there were indeed such people in reality. Because their ancestors had a close relationship with a celebrity, and if this celebrity happened to have no descendants, these people would serve as tour guides at the celebrity's former residence and could live a very comfortable life.
Governor Yan was very happy. When Wang Bo finished writing the preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng, he could not help laughing and said, "Well, this is a really good article. With such a talented writer, he must not be an unknown person. May I ask your name, little brother?"
"Wang Zian, from Longmen."
"But the Beijing prodigy Wang Bo?"
Someone in the crowd exclaimed, and then someone else read out, "Could it be that Wang Zian, the one who sent Shaofu Du to take up his post in Shuzhou?"
"A bosom friend is always a friend indeed. This poem is always hanging in my study room for my appreciation."
Listening to what the people around him said, Wang Bo said modestly: "If there is no second Wang Zian, then it will be me."
"He is indeed a great writer. Seeing him today is even better than hearing about him."
Lin Ye looked at Wang Bo who was surrounded by everyone, but his attention was on Governor Yan. Governor Yan was indeed very happy, but Lin Ye always had a feeling that Governor Yan was not particularly excited, as if he had anticipated this scene in advance.
And then, naturally, everyone surrounded Wang Bo and Governor Yan to flatter him. The maids once again put out fruits and fine wines, and a group of scholars began to drink and have fun, shuttling among the beautiful maids...
Lin Ye looked at this scene and could only sigh, what a dissolute person.
Never mind, when in Rome, do as the Romans do.
…
…
After the lunch banquet.
"Commander-in-chief, Zi'an still has to go to Jiaozhi to visit his father, so I'll take my leave now."
"I wanted to keep you for a few more days, but kindness comes first. Since you are going to visit your father, I will not try to keep you."
Governor Yan personally sent Wang Bo on board, and later a servant put an envelope of travel money on board. Wang Bo did not refuse, as it was actually a reward for his writing.
The captain began to row the boat, watching the boat moving farther and farther away from Tengwang Pavilion, until it finally disappeared in the distance on the river bank and could no longer be seen. The smile on Governor Yan's face also disappeared.
"Master, that old immortal is really good at predicting things."
"What immortal, but..."
Governor Yan stopped talking halfway, and after a while he said, "But since you have reached a deal with me, I cannot go back on my word. Tell the government to prepare a ceremony for the sacrifice. Well, let's say that there is a flood this autumn, and I want to sacrifice to the river god and pray for good weather and good harvests for the people of Hongzhou."
"Okay, I'll take care of it right away."
…
…
On the boat that had already sailed away, Wang Bo looked at Lin Ye who appeared in front of him, feeling a little surprised.
"Why is Brother Lin on my ship?"
"If I wasn't on your ship, you would be dead soon."
Lin Ye's words startled Wang Bo: "Brother Lin, why do you say that?"
"You said that you met an old immortal yesterday, who asked you to travel a thousand miles a day to Hongzhou and write an article that will be remembered for generations. Why did the old immortal send you to Hongzhou? And it just so happened that Governor Yan was holding a banquet at Tengwang Pavilion? Is it just such a coincidence?"
Lin Ye looked at Wang Bo with interest. Wang Bo showed a thoughtful look on his face. After a while, he said, "Brother Lin, what you mean is that between this immortal old man and Governor Yan..."
"One seeks immortality, the other seeks incense and worship. They are just different people who get what they want."
Wang Bo understood what Lin Ye meant and said, "I understand what Brother Lin meant. Governor Yan rebuilt the Tengwang Pavilion and asked for an article that would be passed down through the ages. The immortal old man wanted to use Governor Yan to gain support from the people of Hongzhou. But this is a win-win situation for all three parties. I can also use the immortal old man's magical powers to see my father sooner."
"I'm afraid you won't be able to see your father again, and you will end up drowning in this river."
When he was in school , Lin Ye also joked with his classmates that most of those artists were poor during their lifetime, and their works became popular only after their death. What was the reason?
If these artists were still alive, their works would not be unique and businessmen would not dare to hype them. Only the works of dead artists are valuable.
The same principle applies to Wang Bo.
It is undeniable that "Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng" is a peerless article, but the undeniable point that makes "Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng" so popular among later generations of scholars is Wang Bo's untimely death. "Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng" became Wang Bo's last masterpiece.
However, this was just icing on the cake for Governor Yan. Wang Bo's life or death had nothing to do with him. It was just that someone was greedy.
Looking at the literary aura that was three meters high behind Wang Bo, to be honest, Lin Ye felt that he was also moved.
Confucian literary energy is a very special kind of energy. It can be transformed into merit, into incense and offerings, and into spiritual power.
It was after Dong Zhongshu proposed the unity of heaven and man that Confucianism acquired this characteristic, which was why it was the most respected school of thought at that time.
