The second round of the imperial examination was not difficult. Zhu Ping'an had already memorized the official documents. After the test papers were distributed, Zhu Ping'an finished all the questions except the Qingci in one and a half days.
On the afternoon of the next day when the test papers were distributed, Zhu Ping'an only had this Qingci question left.
Because he anticipated that this Qingci question would be the focus of the examination, Zhu Ping'an paid enough attention to it and reserved enough time for it.
This Qingci topic is very simple, the title is just a sentence with eight words, "Please do your wish and try to write a Qingci."
What does this title mean
If you want to understand the meaning of this title, you have to briefly talk about this Qingci.
Qingci, also known as "Qingci", is a kind of talisman used by Taoist priests to report to the heaven or to summon gods. Because it is written with a red brush on green rattan paper, it is called Qingci, also known as Lusu. Since there were many gods in ancient times, there were more things that the mortals had to tell the gods, so literati came together to write Qingci. Later, Qingci gradually evolved into a genre, and Taoist priests gradually lost their "patent".
In other words, Qingci is a memorial or congratulatory speech that people present to the gods.
"Pray for your wish, and try to write a poem"
The meaning of this topic is to write a poem about your wish. You can write whatever you want to pray to the gods. It is generally an open-ended topic. In simple terms, it is the topic of the essays that we often write in elementary school: "My Wish"; or the topic that we often encounter in English exams in high school and college: "I have a dream."
Although the topic is simple, it is difficult to write.
Because Qingci is not easy to write, it requires people to express their respect and sincerity to the gods in heaven with gorgeous words. It is a kind of article in the style of poetry and fu. Generally speaking, Qingci is divided into two types, one is Qingci with poem title, and the other is Qingci with fu style. Generally speaking, there are more fu-style Qingci, because Qingci is mostly gorgeous in words, and fu-style Qingci is easier to be gorgeous in words.
Seeing this topic, 90% of the candidates cursed. They did not write a Qingci. Fortunately, they are good at eight-part essays. If you are good at eight-part essays, you can write poems or fu. Although Qingci is not easy to write, you can write it by racking your brains and searching your brains. However, for them who are new to this field, the quality of the Qingci they write is not guaranteed.
Most of the candidates racked their brains and spent a lot of effort on the choice of words and sentences, and they were so worried that they didn't know how many hairs they had to pull out.
Compared to them, Zhu Ping'an was much more relaxed and happy.
Writing Qingci is not a problem, and writing a good Qingci is not a problem either. The only thing Zhu Ping'an is considering is how to write this Qingci brilliantly.
Emperor Jiajing believed in Taoism. He spent the whole day in the palace practicing Taoism and held fasting and offering sacrifices from time to time. Qingci was in short supply. The big leaders liked it, so it was necessary to follow suit. So, the ministers presented their green seals and Qingci to join in the celebration. Qingci became the most popular style of writing in the Jiajing Dynasty. Several people were promoted to prime ministers because of their good Qingci writing skills. Yan Song, the current chief minister, is a master of this, and of course his son is much better than his father.
There are so many people writing Qingci, so it is not easy to write something outstanding.
At present, the most favorite Qingci of Emperor Jiajing is a Qingci fu-style couplet presented by the Imperial Tutor Yuan Wei: "The black tortoise on the Luo River first presents auspiciousness. Nine is a yin number, nine is a yang number, nine times nine is eighty-one, and the number is connected to the Tao. The Tao is in harmony with Yuanshi Tianzun, and one sincerity is moved; the red phoenix on Mount Qishan presents auspiciousness, the male sings six times, the female sings six times, six times six is thirty-six, and the sound is heard in the sky. God gave birth to Emperor Jiajing, and he will live forever."
The parallelism is neat, the language is gorgeous, and the flattery is popular. How could it not be easy for the emperor to like it
Therefore, it is not easy to write an outstanding Qingci!
After this Qingci is written, there is a 100% or 100% chance that it will be seen by Emperor Jiajing. This is not only related to this joint examination, but most directly related to the palace examination, and of course, more directly related to your official career.
Those bigwigs who were promoted because of their good writing of Qingci, such as Yan Song, are good examples!
Therefore, we cannot ignore it!
Zhu Pingan, wearing a mask, placed the test paper on the side of the table, pressed it with a stone, stretched himself, thought for a moment, dipped the brush in ink, and then wrote a draft of the poem on a blank paper:
"I respectfully address this to the Jade Emperor (Your Majesty), the Supreme Creator of Heaven, the Master of Calendars, and the True Daoist Jade Emperor: I am humbled by your boundless blessings and the protection of the heavens. The auspicious day has come, and the rituals are performed according to the old rules. I offer you the sincere talismans to be pure, and invite the saints to gather together. I hope that the spiritual gifts will be bestowed upon the people, and that the four seasons will be peaceful, and that all people will be healthy and prosperous. I am extremely sincere. Sincerely."
But after finishing writing, Zhu Ping'an shook his head again. Such a Qingci was legal and acceptable, but if he wanted to stand out and be outstanding, it was far from enough to just be in the emperor's favor!
Putting down the brush, Zhu Ping'an rubbed his forehead and began to think.
What other famous Qing Ci poems were there after this period in history? I haven't studied Qing Ci much before, so I'm not very clear. Moreover, after the Ming Dynasty, the Qing government despised this style of writing, so Qing Ci fell into obscurity.
Oh, yes, there is another particularly famous Qing Ci in the Qing Dynasty, so famous that people have overlooked that it is Qing Ci.
Gong Zizhen of the Qing Dynasty: Miscellaneous Poems of the Year of Ji Hai
The vitality of the Nine Provinces depends on wind and thunder, so it is a pity that all the horses are silent.
I advise the God to shake himself up and send down talents in all kinds of ways.
That's right, this poem is a famous Qingci. In it, Gong Zizhen used the tone of praying to the gods, calling for thunder-like changes to break the lifeless situation caused by the Qing Dynasty's constraints on thought and stifling of talents. It expresses the author's desire to liberate talents, change society, and revitalize the country.
Gong Zizhen was dissatisfied with the darkness and corruption in the officialdom. On his way back to his hometown, he resigned from his post and passed by Zhenjiang. He saw a huge crowd of people on the street, and it was very lively. After asking around, he found out that there was a god competition in the area. People were carrying the Jade Emperor, the God of Wind, the God of Thunder and other gods to worship devoutly. At this time, someone recognized Gong Zizhen. Upon hearing that the contemporary literary giant was also here, a Taoist priest immediately came forward and begged Gong Zizhen to write a eulogy for the gods. Gong Zizhen wrote the poem "The Nine Provinces' Vitality Depends on Wind and Thunder" in one stroke.
However, if you put this Qingci up as it is, you will be beheaded. Because although this Qingci is famous, it also describes the country as dull and corrupt, dead and lifeless. This special examination was specially granted by Emperor Jiajing because the country was peaceful and the people were safe, and auspicious signs were frequent.
Now you submit this Qingci poem, you may be famous, but you will lose your life. This is a slap in the face of Emperor Jiajing! If you want to use it, you have to change it.
"The Nine Provinces' Vitality and the Wind and Thunder"
The nine provinces are filled with vitality, and the thousands of horses galloping are truly a delight.
I humbly hope that God will be in high spirits and send down talented people in all kinds of ways.
In this way, the meaning has changed. The country is full of vitality, the wind and thunder are smooth, and the situation is good. I think that the spirit of God is vigorous and good, and I hope that talents can be selected in a non-standard way. In other words, it expresses that the country is in a good situation, and I hope that I can be selected and pass the examination, so that I can contribute to the country.
Qingci and the prayer are a perfect match, um, it should be good. (To be continued.)