Wang Li said: "Let's wait here for the results, and then go down the mountain after we get the results."
"Okay! Let's talk about poetry and essays first today. However, we can't just talk about it in vain. We need to each prepare a poem related to this moment and write it down here before we leave. When we write more poems in Zhucheng in the future, we can compile them into a collection and publish them." Zhang Qingfeng said.
"Good!" The eyes of the other generals lit up. Fang Yunwen's reputation was at its peak now, and he had some legendary poems that would be passed down through the ages. If they could publish a collection of his poems, it would certainly be mentioned in the future.
Fang Yun smiled and nodded.
Time passed slowly until the afternoon, when Zhang Qingfeng held the official seal and said, "The court meeting is over. There was a lot of controversy."
Fang Yun said: "Tell me."
"You have made great contributions by writing poems that have been handed down from generation to generation, and you deserve a generous reward. However, a few people demanded that all rewards be abolished on the grounds that the 'country is destroyed' in 'the country is destroyed but the mountains and rivers remain' curses the destruction of the State of Chu. Some people, however, believe that the 'country is destroyed' obviously refers to the lost territory, and that the destruction of the State of Chu is a fact, not the destruction of the country, so you deserve a generous reward, otherwise the world will be in an uproar."
"Like a mad dog!" Wang Li couldn't help cursing, and the other generals also looked angry.
Zhang Qingfeng continued, "This poem will soon be reviewed by the Holy Court. If nothing unexpected happens, you will receive a lot of military merit. That is the military merit of the Holy Court, which is extremely precious. Even the Holy Court recognizes your military merit, so why doesn't the State of Chu recognize it? Some upright censors and officials argued for their rights. Some of them once impeached you, but now they stand on the side of justice."
"If I have the chance, I will definitely thank you." Fang Yun said.
"What's the result?" Wang Li asked.
Zhang Qingfeng smiled bitterly and said, "In the end, the dispute was unresolved and the decision was made by the King of Chu. The King of Chu only asked, 'What should be done if the heir of the family is rebellious?' For a moment, all officials were silent, and the matter ended in vain. If I am right, the King of Chu will neither reward nor deny the reward. I am afraid he will delay until everyone forgets about it, or until..."
Zhang Qingfeng didn't say anything else, and everyone looked at Fang Yun.
Fang Yun smiled indifferently, knowing that Zhang Qingfeng wanted to say that the King of Chu wanted to drag him to death.
Wang Li sneered, "Impossible! No matter how stupid the King of Chu is, he can't kill a legendary figure."
"He can kill someone with a borrowed knife." Zhang Qingfeng said.
Many generals sighed.
Suddenly, Wang Li was stunned, and then burst into laughter.
"What?" Everyone looked at the old general in surprise.
Wang Li smiled and said, "My good friend in Zhao sent me a letter telling me something important. Can you guess what it is?"
"Stop keeping us in suspense and tell us now!" Zhang Qingfeng said.
"Just a quarter of an hour ago, the King of Zhao suddenly issued a royal decree, announcing that the article "Zhang Longxiang's Teaching His Children" compiled by Zhurong Academy of Chu State should be listed as a must-read book for children in Zhao State." Wang Li laughed heartily after saying this.
"Okay!" Zhang Qingfeng slapped his thigh.
"Zhao is indeed a great power that can stand shoulder to shoulder with Qin. The king of Zhao has such vision and such a broad mind. I admire him!"
"That was a hard slap! It felt so good! It felt so good!" Wang Li drank the tea as if it were wine.
No one agreed, but everyone knew who the slap Wang Li was talking about was aimed at.
"I will use tea instead of wine to congratulate the Marquis on his rising literary reputation and a bright future!" Su Lun said, holding up his teacup.
"Thank you!" Fang Yun smiled and clinked glasses with tea.
"The discussion list must be very lively right now, let's go take a look!"
The ten people present all took up their official seals and entered the discussion list.
The first article Fang Yun saw was titled "On Zhang Longxiang". After taking a closer look, he found out that the author was actually the Prime Minister of Zhao State!
Fang Yun quickly browsed the full text and found that the article used himself as an example to discuss the way of employing people, and the article was full of allusions to the State of Chu.
The two most powerful people in Zhao State actually joined forces to enhance the literary reputation of one man!
Fang Yun quickly read the replies from scholars from various countries. All of them praised the magnanimity of King Zhao and Prime Minister Zhao. Some even encouraged Fang Yun to simply defect to the State of Zhao.
"The dragon and the elephant swallowed charcoal to express their gratitude." Fang Yun replied with six words.
Soon someone noticed Fang Yun’s reply, and almost everyone showed a strange smile and followed suit.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the righteous man Yu Rang attempted to assassinate Zhao Xiangzi in order to avenge his master, but failed.
Zhao Xiangzi released him because he was a righteous man. In order to continue his revenge, Yu Rang changed his appearance, painted his whole body with paint, swallowed charcoal to become mute, and went out to beg on the street. Even his relatives could not recognize him. So he hid under the bridge and tried to assassinate Zhao Xiangzi again, but was captured by Zhao Xiangzi's guards again. This time Zhao Xiangzi could not let him go, so he asked for Zhao Xiangzi's outer coat and hit his coat with a sword to show that he was avenging his master, and then committed suicide.
"A gentleman will die for his confidant, and a woman will dress up for the one who pleases her" is a famous saying left by Yu Rang in "Records of the Grand Historian".
And that Zhao Xiangzi was the actual founder of the State of Zhao. He was highly respected by scholars because of his gift of clothes to Yu Rang.
Fang Yun's answer at this moment with the story of Yu Rang and Zhao Xiangzi is very intriguing.
Soon someone praised: "On the day when Yu Rang swallowed the charcoal, Zhao Xiang took off his clothes. When the dragon and the elephant were in danger, the King of Zhao gave him clothes again."
Soon someone started comparing the words of the King of Zhao and the King of Chu. The entire discussion board became almost one-sided, with 99% of the people criticizing the State of Chu, and some even bluntly saying that the King of Chu was a tyrant.
All kinds of gossip filled the discussion list.
There were rumors that kings of various countries mocked the King of Chu in private, and some even planned to take Fang Yun away in the name of paying homage to the Emperor of Zhou.
Faced with the violent attacks from various countries, all the civil and military officials of Chu State suddenly wilted like eggplants hit by frost, and no one appeared on the discussion list at all.
Fang Yun was looking at the discussion board when Qin's Prime Minister Zhu Fengqiong sent a letter.
"Strike while the iron is hot and write another poem full of grief and indignation to add fuel to the fire and let more people know about your predicament. We can also help you improve your literary reputation. When the storm subsides, you can write a few more romantic poems to ease the conflict between you and the King of Chu."
"What if the King of Chu becomes desperate and kills me in advance?" Fang Yun said.
"He would never dare to kill you. Go and write a poem quickly." There was some impatience in Zhu Fengqiong's words, and he seemed to be very busy.
"I can't write it!" Fang Yun replied bluntly.
"Oh? Are you resisting my orders? You know, the last person who disobeyed me had his limbs chopped off and thrown into a dung bucket! If I didn't have something important to deal with today, how could I let you go!"
"Don't push your luck!" Fang Yun was angry.
"How dare you! Even the princes of the seven kingdoms dare not say that I am pushing my limits! Don't think that you can be above me just because you wrote a poem that will be passed down through the ages. We can raise your literary reputation, but we can also grind you into the mud and make you worthless!"
"It's ridiculous! If you could really find someone else, you would have praised their literary reputation and challenged Fang Xusheng! If I'm not mistaken, you have already tried to praise other people, but whose literary reputation can be compared with Fang Xusheng? Even if their articles were added together, they might not be as important as Fang Xusheng's! Prime Minister Zhu, I, Zhang Longxiang, am a Hanlin after all. I know my limits, so there's no need for you to criticize me! I can't write a single word of the new poem of grief and indignation!"
Fang Yun smiled coldly. If he was really Zhang Longxiang, he would probably be inferior to Zhu Fengqiong in order to survive. After all, the other party was a university scholar and the prime minister of Qin State, who could manipulate hundreds of millions of people at will. But, he was not Zhang Longxiang after all.
"You are just a university scholar, and you dare to boss me around? When the matter of the Ninth Mountain is over, we will settle all the old and new accounts together! By then, I will see how you can make me worthless!"
Fang Yun ignored Zhu Fengqiong and continued browsing the discussion list.
(To be continued.)