The second volume is full of glory and splendor in the capital, and the spirit is full of vitality in the foggy city. Chapter 195: The Banquet of Eight Horses (End)
Subtitle of this chapter: Flatter each other
"If you are not a saint, then you are a beast!"
When the eight-character mantra came out, the eight heroes became quiet.
“Crack!”
Just at this moment, a dazzling flash of lightning suddenly flashed outside the window, followed by the sound of thunder.
“Clatter…”
The heavy rain followed, making the banquet table full of guests even more silent.
This time, not to mention Wu Yuseng, even Chen Heshou kept silent.
Of course, Mr. Hongjian was able to make these two Harvard heroes speechless, not because his posture and level could really be compared with the three Harvard heroes.
Yes, he was carrying a Master Ball system that was even more Wikipedia-like than Baidu, but how could a last-minute search compare to someone who had thoroughly mastered it? And he was only using some common stuff.
What really shut up Masters Wu and Chen was...facts and reality!
The fact is, there are really, really, really too many black spots on Confucianism in history.
Our Master Yuan hasn’t even mentioned “itchy scalp”, “the water is too cold”, or the glorious deeds of the Yansheng Dukes of all generations.
The reality is that Seris is now in its most, most, most decadent state.
Since the formation of Chinese civilization, this is the first time in history that it has encountered a civilization that surpasses it in all aspects and even crushes it in some aspects.
This is much more terrifying than the Three Kingdoms period at the end of the Han Dynasty, the Five Barbarians' Invasion of China, the An-Shi Rebellion, the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, the Yuan Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty.
Because at that time it was not just the Seres people who were failing, but the entire Seres civilization.
So, as the mainstream ideology of Serbia for thousands of years, if Confucianism doesn't take the blame, who else should?!
"Brother Hong, Hong, Hongjian..."
Just when the rain kept falling and the atmosphere was not harmonious, Tang Yongtong, who had been "silent under the same roof", finally spoke: "I, I, I came here to read your masterpiece..."
"Those works that even Mr. Einstein admired..."
"To be honest, Brother Hongjian, I'm completely impressed by your talent. Not only me..."
Master Tang, speaking more and more fluently, glanced at Wu Mi, whose face was ashen, and said, "Actually, Brother Yu Seng was full of praise for your A Song of Ice and Fire, calling it a magnificent imagination, powerful writing, and novel subject matter. It is truly an epic masterpiece that pioneered a new generation!"
Master Wu was a deeply contradictory figure. As a leading figure in the Xueheng School, he naturally championed classical Chinese and opposed vernacular Chinese. Yet, he was also a lover of modern fiction, particularly the works of Mao Dun. He even considered writing a vernacular novel, but unfortunately never got around to it.
Upon hearing this, Yuan Yan suddenly glanced at Wu Mi and reluctantly pretended to be embarrassed and said, "Oh, so Brother Yu Seng is so fond of my humble work. I am so ashamed."
He raised his glass and said, "Brother Yuseng, I'm sorry for offending you just now. I'll drink a glass as punishment!"
Anyway, he has a 16-point physique, so it's no big deal if he drinks a few more glasses.
With the host saying so, a traditional Serbian intellectual like Wu Mi could only suppress his displeasure and say, "How dare I! I, Meng Lang, deserve a drink."
As he spoke, Master Wu also picked up the wine glass and drank it.
"That's not all!" Tang Yongtong pointed at Master Chen and said, "Brother Heshou believes that A Song of Ice and Fire not only draws on the writing techniques of traditional Chinese novels like Water Margin, but also blends English historical mythology with Western medieval social systems . It can be said that it connects ancient and modern times, China and the West in one novel!"
Chen Yinke said a little embarrassedly: "Brother Xiyu, actually I..."
"Brother Heshou, why should you be embarrassed?"
Master Tang turned and continued to Master Yuan, "What he admires most is your writing style, Brother Hongjian. It's so sophisticated that it doesn't seem like it was written by a young man in his twenties, or a non-native English writer. Instead, it reads like the work of a mature, prolific author. This can only mean that Brother Hongjian is a gifted writer, worthy of being called the foremost writer of English novels in China."
Did you hear that? Copying "A Song of Ice and Fire" was the right decision!
When Martin wrote this book, he was almost fifty years old, which is the golden age for a professional writer.
Generally speaking, a professional writer in his or her fifties should still be in good physical condition, while his or her values should be stable, his or her experience should be rich, his or her style should be mature, his or her techniques should be well-rounded, and his or her thoughts should be profound.
Although their works have lost the fearless sharpness of young people, they are definitely deeper and richer than those written by young people.
Moreover, the writing style of "A Song of Ice and Fire" is indeed unique, and Martin is very frugal with words, which is very different from the writing style of most British and American authors at that time.
Ordinary readers who are just there to watch the fun may not understand anything, but in the eyes of the Harvard Three, the masters of the humanities who are "in the know", they can naturally see everything clearly.
"Hahaha..." Yuan Yanshu was really a little embarrassed now... No way.
Our Master Yuan would absolutely not accept the title of "the first writer of English novels in China".
He is obviously the world's number one... Never mind the language, the novels... Never mind the genre, he is the number one in literature!
He raised his glass to Chen Yinke with a beaming smile and said, "Brother Heshou, it turns out that my little brother's net of swallows can also catch a white crane in the clouds like you!"
“Puff…hahahaha…”
The first people to understand this very "advanced" joke were naturally the three Harvard scholars who were well versed in Chinese studies. Even though Chen Yinke and Wu Mi were very unhappy with Yuan Yansu's retort, they couldn't help laughing when they heard this.
“Oh…oh…oh…oh…hehehe…”
The three great mahjong masters were a little inferior in comparison, but these three had some education when they were young, so after thinking about it, they finally figured it out.
"Um?"
The only one who was from Nanyang was Huang Zongyi, after all, his foundation in Chinese studies was not as solid as others.
LOOK LOOK, if you don’t have some basic knowledge of Chinese studies, you won’t even understand a joke these days.
In the third month of the lunar year of Xinyou, Yuan Shikai was stationed in New York. He hosted a banquet at a friend's house for the three Harvard scholars, Chen, Wu, and Tang, as well as the four other scholars, Luo, Lu, Yang, and Huang. This banquet was later known as the Banquet of the Eight Horses.
In a gathering of great masters, there is bound to be a clash of opinions. There were heated debates and even a few falling outs during the meal.
Fortunately, Mr. Tang spoke softly and said that Mr. Wu and Mr. Chen both respected Mr. Yuan's talent.
Yuan Gong smiled and said: "How can my net for sparrows catch a white crane in the clouds?"
This quote comes from "A New Account of Tales of the World - Chapter 8: Praise and Reputation": "Gongsun Du said to Bing Yuan: 'The white crane in the clouds cannot be caught by a net for swallows or sparrows.'"
Yuan Gong used this allusion, giving Ying Yanshu a name and He Shou a character. His talent and ability to achieve this are truly admirable.
At the right moment, the whole room burst into applause and laughter, and everyone joined in the conversation."
——Excerpt from "A New Account of Tales of the Republic of China: Language"
