Confucianism under Heaven

Chapter 3: Composing Poems! "Bamboo Lodge" and "Autumn Evening in the Mountain Dwelli

Chapter Three: Composing Poems! "Bamboo Lodge" and "Autumn Evening in the Mountain Dwelling"

Looking around, everyone immediately fell silent. Ye Ru stood with his hands behind his back, softly reciting:

"Sitting alone in the secluded bamboo grove."

"Playing the zither and then letting out a long sigh."

After hearing the two sentences, Master Xu's eyes widened in shock, and then he began to savor them carefully.

After reciting the two lines, Ye Ru slowly spoke again:

"Deep in the forest, unknown to people."

"The bright moon shines upon us."

This is a five-character quatrain written by Wang Wei, a great poet of the Tang Dynasty, during his later years when he lived in seclusion in Lantian.

After the poem was completed, its artistic conception spread like wildfire throughout the entire Huangzi Class, and a burst of talent erupted once again, causing the tabletops to tremble.

Because it was not written on paper, no resonance of talent occurred.

The students were so captivated by the poem's tranquil and serene atmosphere that they remained silent for a long time.

"Whether describing scenery or people, this poem is plain and unremarkable, but its beauty lies precisely in its simplicity. The stillness of the night and the loneliness of the people blend seamlessly with the scene, making it perhaps a masterpiece of primordial poetry."

As a scholar who had passed the county-level imperial examination, Master Xu possessed a deeper understanding of books than these students. He gasped in astonishment as he listened to the poem, feeling as if he were immersed in the scene, his mind and the natural landscape becoming one.

"Did Ye Ru really do this? From that perspective, Ye Ru's poem is superior to Wang Xiaoyang's."

"I never expected Ye Ru to be so talented. Compared to his poems, I really don't think Wang Xiaoyang's poems are anything special."

After about ten minutes, everyone started whispering among themselves, which made Wang Xiaoyang's face even more gloomy, and he wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Seeing this, Master Xu quickly said:

"Ye Ru's poem is quite good, almost on par with Wang Xiaoyang's. The two are evenly matched."

Upon hearing this, Ye Ru took a deep breath. This poem was a work by Wang Wei in his later years. It was a poem that combined emotion and scenery, reality and illusion, and was an excellent description of the poet's attitude towards life. The whole poem had a quiet and leisurely tone, and was far superior to Wang Xiaoyang's terrible poem.

Wang Xiaoyang, who had been humiliated, had an uncertain expression on his face. He had originally wanted to make Ye Ru look bad, but he never expected that he would end up shooting himself in the foot.

"Ye Ru, how dare you plagiarize poetry! Don't you know that doing so violates the law!"

"I'll copy poems? How about this, you write one, I'll write one, and we'll see who can do more!"

After being provoked repeatedly, Ye Ru was completely enraged.

"Hmph, this... this landscape poem, although not difficult, still requires careful thought."

Wang Xiaoyang was speechless, somewhat timid.

While landscape poetry isn't particularly difficult, requiring tonal patterns, rhymes, and evocative imagery is certainly not something easily conceived.

"think?"

Ye Ru sneered, then straightened his chest and said in a loud voice:

"After a fresh rain in the empty mountains, the weather turns autumnal in the evening."

"The bright moon shines among the pines, and the clear spring flows over the rocks."

"The bamboo rustles as washerwomen return, and the lotus stirs as fishing boats descend."

"Though spring's beauty fades, the noble prince may still linger!"

Wow!

As the last word fell, the entire class of students in the "Huang" class erupted in cheers. This poem was even better than the previous one, and it was a five-character regulated verse. The rhyme and artistic conception of each line were excellent.

Even a scholar like Master Xu wouldn't have been able to compose such a poem so easily in such a short time.

The praise was endless, but Ye Ru remained unmoved, his face as calm as still water.

Wang Xiaoyang's eyes widened. He was quite talented, but compared to these two poems, he was probably still far behind.

These are simply two top-notch poems about the primordial chaos.

This time, he felt a mix of emotions.

Ye Ru's demeanor seems to have changed.

"Wenxing Private School has actually produced two top-quality Primordial Poems!"

"If he composes another poem, this student will likely reach the level of a child scholar."

While Ye Ru was reciting poetry, Magistrate Zhang of Qingyun County looked at the literary treasure on the table: the Awakening Poetry Wood, and suddenly stood up, looking towards Wenxing Private School.

“It truly is a poem of virtue.”

Wen, the registrar, also looked at the first-rank literary treasure, the wooden apothecary, his face filled with shock.

The literary treasures are divided into nine grades, with the first grade being the lowest and the ninth grade being the highest.

County Magistrate Song muttered to himself:

"Even before reaching the level of a child scholar, he can compose two poems on the primordial chaos. He will surely have a bright future. With encouragement, he may even reach the level of a provincial scholar or even a metropolitan scholar."

The three exchanged a glance, and their expressions all changed.

"Yes, our Congyun Kingdom has a population of tens of millions. Those who can create two Primordial Poems before becoming a child scholar are extremely rare. It is truly a blessing from heaven for our Congyun Kingdom!"

Registrar Wen took a deep breath, his face flushed with excitement:

"Our Qingyun County is truly a place where hidden talents abound. Even Han Dingsheng, the prodigy of Wenxing Private School, couldn't possibly produce two poems in one go.

Mentioning Han Dingsheng made all three of them look somewhat uncomfortable, but then Magistrate Zhang changed the subject with a wave of his hand:

"Find out who this student is and protect him well. We can't let other counties poach his talent this time."

"Yes!"

The remaining two spoke in unison.

Inside Wenxing Private School, Master Xu was utterly shocked, while Wang Xiaoyang's face turned ashen. He then sneered at Ye Ru:

"Where did they get this poem from to try and fool us? It's utterly shameless!"

Ye Ru's lips twitched slightly; he was utterly speechless at Wang Xiaoyang's inability to distinguish right from wrong.

Seeing Wang Xiaoyang's strange expression, Master Xu, though knowing it was Ye Ru's own creation, still spoke up for the sake of his own future:

"Ye Ru's act of copying poems this time was extremely bad. Everyone should take this as a warning. Let's let Ye Ru off this time. Okay, let's continue the class."

As soon as he finished speaking, a chorus of boos erupted. Everyone knew that Master Xu was trying to curry favor with the Wang family for their wealth, which made the latter's face turn somewhat unpleasant.

"These are my own original verses. How can you say I copied them? If you don't believe me, please, Master, consult the three thousand classics of Confucianism and see if these two poems are found among them!"

Ye Ru stepped forward, his face showing no fear, and said.

"How dare you talk back to me! Don't you know how to respect your teacher? I'm so angry, so angry!"

Master Xu was so angry that his beard bristled, and he pointed at Ye Ru and scolded him loudly.

"A teacher is one who imparts knowledge, teaches skills, and resolves doubts, but you have turned black into white. Such a teacher is unworthy of being called a teacher!"

Ye Ru snorted coldly, showing no fear whatsoever.

These words, once spoken, transformed into a beam of brilliant light that enveloped Master Xu, causing his face to turn deathly pale.

It's another sacred saying!

This quote is from Han Yu's famous work "On Teachers" from the Tang Dynasty. It means that teachers are not just simple instructors, but also teach students the principles of conduct and the valuable quality of taking initiative in learning.

But Master Xu in front of us is manipulating black and white, confusing what is clearly Primordial Poetry with ordinary poetry.

Therefore, the sacred words triggered a sacred judgment, and the light of the sacred way descended, enveloping Master Xu. If Master Xu still does not change, he will forever remain at the level of a scholar and will be unable to advance any further.

"Do you want to rebel?! Believe me or not, I'll expel you from the 'Desolate Class'!"

Master Xu almost spat out blood. In the past, when he humiliated Ye Ru, the latter would only laugh foolishly. Why was Ye Ru so eloquent now?

Moreover, a divine judgment was issued.

Ye Ru showed no fear, his gaze sharp as knives, and his faint laughter echoed in the classroom, instantly silencing everyone present.

"Before I became a student, I created two poems on primordial chaos and even recited sacred words. If I were to tell the county magistrate or have the arbitrators of the saints judge this matter, do you think they would side with me or with you?"