He Ludong immediately stepped forward to stop them, saying, "The person chosen by Prime Minister Gu is very inappropriate. The two men before were not much different in age from Fang Xusheng, and it was normal for them to give gifts to each other. But Zong Wuyuan is quite old, and his literary position is Hanlin, so he can't be considered a young man of Qing Country."
Zong Wuyuan stepped forward and said with a smile: "Compared with Fang Xusheng, our achievements are insignificant and we can all be called young people. It's just a title, General He, don't be so fussy about it. What's more, the three of us are getting older, and there seems to be no one more suitable except me. Otherwise, someone in my Qing country will definitely stand up and oppose it. General He, please ask."
He Ludong looked at the scholar from Qing State and was speechless.
Most people in Qing thought it was normal. Zong Wuyuan was indeed qualified to say such things. As a direct descendant of a semi-saint family and a thirty-year-old Hanlin, if even he was not qualified to speak up, then no one present was qualified.
However, Fang Yun found that some of the officials had cold faces and were obviously disgusted with Zong Wuyuan's words.
Fang Yun nodded and said, "Yes, Brother Wu Yuan is very famous. He became a Hanlin scholar before he was 30 years old. He can be regarded as the leader of the younger generation of scholars in Qing Kingdom."
When those who originally disliked Zong Wuyuan heard this, the disgust in their eyes became even stronger.
Zong Wuyuan's eyes flashed, and he immediately took off the sword from his waist and said, "Swords are given to heroes, and poems are given to celebrities. Fang Xusheng is both a hero and a celebrity, so it is natural that the sword and the poem are given together. This sword is definitely not an ordinary one, it is the sword of Gu Qingyuan, a famous general of my Qing country."
When they heard the name "Gu Qingyuan", the smiles on the faces of many people in Jingguo disappeared, and even Fang Yun's expression changed slightly.
A hundred years ago, this Gu Qingyuan was known for his unparalleled military strategy and he suppressed the Jing State. Now Yongzhou, which is adjacent to Xiangzhou, was taken away by Gu Qingyuan from the Jing State.
At this moment, everyone knew that there must be something wrong with the poems given by Zong Wuyuan.
Zong Wuyuan was seen holding the sword with both hands and reciting poems slowly.
"Tourists go to all the sights,
The sword is worth a thousand gold.
Break up and give each other gifts.
A heart for life."
Many Jing people were puzzled at first, but then they became angry, but they could only suppress their anger in their hearts.
On the surface, this poem seems very ordinary. It just says that Fang Yun is going back to Jingguo, and Zong Wuyuan gives him a sword to represent his sincerity. The words are simple but the feelings are deep. It is a good poem in itself.
However, scholars are not reckless people, and many poems and essays are not as simple as they seem.
Fang Yun was already on guard. After hearing this poem, he immediately thought of an allusion in "Records of the Grand Historian".
According to the Records of the Grand Historian, when Ji Zi was on his way to a diplomatic mission, he met the Lord of Xu. The Lord of Xu liked the sword in Ji Zi's hand very much, but he did not ask for it. Ji Zi also saw it. However, Ji Zi wanted to wear the sword when he went on a diplomatic mission to another country, and he did not say anything.
After the mission was completed, Ji Zi returned and prepared to give the sword to Xu Jun, but Xu Jun was already dead. So, Ji Zi hung the sword on a branch in front of Xu Jun's grave.
This is a story praised by the ancients.
The same allusion, the same poem, if Yan Yukong used it, it must be sincere. But if Zong Wuyuan wrote it, it clearly meant to curse Fang Yun to death.
If Zong Wuyuan was not a descendant of an aristocratic family, facing this curse, Jingguo had the right to appeal directly to the Criminal Court and investigate this person strictly. After all, it was a very serious violation of etiquette. However, Zong Wuyuan was not only a direct descendant of an aristocratic family, but the Zong Sheng was still alive. Even if they tore their faces and sued Zong Wuyuan, there would be no result in the end. At most, Zong Wuyuan would verbally admit that he was wrong to use the allusions indiscriminately.
Everyone in Jing State was furious.
Some people from Qing State showed a proud look. Exchanging poems and essays, and arguing with each other were the skills of scholars. Qing State lost a state, so they could vent their anger by cursing Fang Yun.
However, most of the scholars of Qing State who had higher literary status bowed their heads slightly. They obviously disdained to participate in such a fight, but being in Qing State, they could not oppose people from the same country, so they could only remain silent.
Fang Yun knew that the people of Qing were all laughing at him and wanted to make him lose control of his emotions and say something rude, but he just smiled indifferently.
Whether it was Zong Wuyuan, Qing Jun or anyone else, no one understood why Fang Yun didn't care.
The Minister of Literature of Qing State was cunning and cunning. He immediately coughed lightly and bowed his hands, saying, "Fang Xusheng, the three of us from Qing State have finished giving poems. If you don't mind, please give me one in return. You are the one leaving, so according to convention, there is no need to write a farewell poem. It is spring now, the peach blossoms are blooming, and the river is roaring. Any scene can be put into a poem."
Fang Yun smiled and said, "I want to write two poems. Since this place is Jiangnan, the first one will be "Remembering Jiangnan"."
"Looking forward to the great work of Saint Xu!" Gu Fu took a step back to show his respect.
Fang Yun put his hands behind his back, raised his head slightly and looked towards the Yangtze River.
Most people present nodded slightly immediately, and some even bowed slightly to show their respect for the other party.
Fang Yun walked slowly a few steps, arrived at the Shili Pavilion, and started reciting a poem.
"The south of the Yangtze River is beautiful, and I have known its scenery before. The flowers on the river are redder than fire at sunrise, and the river water is as green as blue in spring. How can I not miss the south of the Yangtze River?"
After Fang Yun finished reciting this famous poem by Bai Juyi, there was thunderous praise.
"good!"
"As expected of Fang Xusheng, he is the best among three men in the same impromptu performance!" An old Hanlin from the Qing Kingdom did not hesitate to praise him.
"The colors are rich and extremely bright. This one sentence fully describes the beauty of Jiangnan in spring!"
At this moment, the people of Qing were discussing the matter at hand. No one dared to criticize, and no one was willing to criticize, after all, it was written very well.
"The river flowers at sunrise are redder than the river flowers in the fire. They should be the red flowers by the river, right? No mistakes, no words"
"It's hard to say. The rising sun can dye the waves in the river red."
"Green is as blue as blue, it's a good choice. The green of the river water is greener than the dye used to make cyan. The bright color jumps out before our eyes."
Everyone was talking, but the voices suddenly died down because a young scholar suddenly asked a question.
"Fang Xusheng has never been to Jiangnan, so why does he say 'I've known the scenery before'? How can he say he's familiar with the scenery if he hasn't seen it?"
Zong Wuyuan and the others looked gloomy and said nothing.
Everyone looked at each other, and after careful consideration, someone suddenly realized.
This sentence obviously means that many places in Jiangnan are originally the territory of Jingguo. As a Jingguo native, Fang Yun should have been familiar with it long ago. If this statement is true, then the first sentence Jiangnan is good is too obvious.
It would be better to say that Fang Yun returned to Jiangnan as a winner rather than reminiscing about it!
Everyone in Jing State nodded and smiled slightly, probably understanding Fang Yun's intention of writing this poem. Fang Yun only used one poem to prove that he was the winner and to fight back against Zong Wuyuan from a higher level.
Jiangnan is great because its past scenery will surely reappear!
Just like the people of Jing were unable to fight back against Zong Wuyuan, the people of Qing were also unable to accuse Fang Yun of anything. Moreover, Fang Yun did not make any personal attacks. He wrote the poem with the dignity of a victor. Even if he acknowledged the metaphors in the poem, it was beyond reproach.
Gu Fu didn't want the situation to continue to be awkward, so he asked, "Excuse me, Fang Xusheng, where is your second song?"
Fang Yun glanced at Zong Wuyuan, then looked deeply at Qing Jun, then turned around and walked away, his tongue blabbing as he walked.
"In the future, I will come to the Imperial Palace of Qing, bring this precious sword, and present the second poem to King Qing!"
Qingjun's face changed drastically.
(To be continued…)