Tang Dynasty Little Godfather

Chapter 85 A Demonic Wind Strikes (Three chapters today, one more this afternoon)
Wang Xi didn't want them to come to school too early, since the academy had a lot of things to do recently. The Ministry of Rites would also send a batch of courtesans, so he gave them half a month to prepare.

And that's how they were dealt with.

Today was a holiday for the imperial court, so Zhang Shuo invited Zhang Jiuling to Zhang Baishou's shop in the East Market.

"Master Zhang, Mr. Qujiang."

The moment the two entered, they attracted everyone's attention, and many people even came up to pay their respects.

Although Zhang Shuo has only just returned, his status in the current poetry scene is, without exaggeration, that of a towering figure. Zhang Jiuling, on the other hand, is no longer a newcomer and is already highly talented, having gained recognition from many.

Zhang Shuo cupped his hands in return to the crowd, and asked with a smile, "What were you all talking about just now?"

One of them said, "In reply to Lord Zhang, we are discussing the poetry competition."

Another person asked, "Will Master Zhang be there then?"

Zhang nodded and smiled, "How could I possibly miss such a grand gathering of poets?"

The man then asked, "I've heard that poetry and prose will be included in the imperial examinations."

"Ah."

Zhang nodded: "This time there will be no mistake, His Majesty is determined to revitalize the poetry world."

The implication is that poetry and prose make up a significant portion of this content.

Everyone was overjoyed upon hearing this.

This is truly great news for scholars.

After a brief conversation, Zhang Shuo and Zhang Jiuling, led by the bartender, sat down at a private table on the balcony.

After ordering, Zhang Jiuling asked, "I heard that His Majesty has entrusted the matter of the imperial examination to Your Excellency."

Wu Xin was only in charge of educational reform, which meant increasing the proportion of poetry and prose instruction in education. However, the imperial examination was a matter of paramount importance to the country and was definitely the responsibility of the prime ministers, so it would not be entrusted to Wu Xin, a relative of the emperor.

Zhang said with a smile, "Isn't this precisely why His Majesty summoned me to the capital?"

Objectively speaking, Li Longji was not confused at all in his early personnel choices; he followed a very methodical approach, and every step was just right.

The appointment of Yao Song was to crack down on the maternal relatives and imperial clansmen, rectify officialdom, establish the court order, and broaden the channels for public opinion. The appointment of Zhang Yue was for civil and military achievements. Zhang Yue's status in the literary world was beyond doubt, and he had also served as a high-ranking official on the frontier.

He can be described as being proficient in both literary and martial arts.

Zhang then added with a smile, "That's why I promoted you."

"I dare not, I dare not. I am deeply honored by your high regard, but I am unworthy of such praise," Zhang Jiuling said modestly. He then asked, "What are your plans, my esteemed sir?"

Zhang Shuo stroked his beard. “Without rules, there can be no order. The same applies to the literary world. First of all, we must formulate policies to make poetry more principled and valuable, rather than just the kind of boudoir-style inquiries about warmth and comfort. That does not conform to the spirit of our Great Tang Dynasty, nor does it meet His Majesty’s expectations.”

Zhang Jiuling nodded repeatedly as he listened.

Li Longji wanted to reshape the appearance of the Tang Dynasty and depict the golden age, so he could not simply write whatever he wanted. If he wrote whatever he wanted, it could not be called "reshaping". He still had to meet the needs of the era. Therefore, he had to set up a literary and artistic policy to provide general guidance.

This is not just talk, because poetry and prose are linked to the imperial examinations. So the court set this policy, and you have to go in this direction, otherwise, your results will not be good.

Zhang asked, "Jiuling, what suggestions do you have?"

Zhang Jiuling humbly replied, "I hope Your Excellency will give me some pointers first."

Zhang thought for a moment and said, "We should emphasize practicality, integrity, and momentum."

Zhang Jiuling pondered for a moment and replied, "I admire elegance and literary talent, and appreciate flavor."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shuo was overjoyed, stroked his beard, and laughed heartily, "I knew I hadn't misjudged you!"

Zhang Jiuling smiled modestly and said, "I'm afraid my esteemed minister has already thought of that."

Zhang simply smiled and did not deny it.

Practicality, integrity, and grandeur – these are the characteristics of the Four Great Poets of the Early Tang Dynasty.

Chong Lizhe, on the other hand, valued literary talent and appreciated flavor—this was the style of the Four Friends of Literature.

In fact, they were the founders of Tang poetry. There was a great difference between the poetry and prose before and after the Sui and Tang dynasties, and they were the reformers. Li Bai and Du Fu stood on their shoulders and pushed poetry and prose to their peak.

Zhang said that he intended to integrate the style of his ancestors to shape the appearance of the Tang Dynasty during this period.

This also reflects the current civil officials' longing for the Zhenguan and Yonghui eras.

Suddenly, a roar came from downstairs: "The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao."

The two looked down at the sound and saw a naive young man holding a piece of silk, walking around while shaking his head.

Then another person across the street said, "The name that can be named is not the eternal name."

Looking up, I saw another clueless young man.

Suddenly, the young man swayed his shoulders and said, "The minnows swim leisurely; that is the joy of fish."

The young man opposite him stroked his beard with feigned concern, "You are not a fish, how can you know the joy of a fish?"

Just then, a carriage passed by, and a childish voice came from inside, "You are not me, how do you know that I do not know the joy of fish?"

Upon seeing this, Zhang Yue couldn't help but laugh happily, saying, "It seems that the Imperial Academy is doing a good job. These lads don't forget to study even while traveling. This is truly a blessing for our Great Tang Dynasty."

Zhang Jiuling, however, was puzzled: "But why does one have to strike a pose while reciting?"

Hearing him say that, Zhang also felt something was strange.

Just then, a bartender brought over some food and drinks and interjected, "Sir, you don't know this, they're not reciting a poem, they're putting on a show."

"Performance?"

"Yup!"

The bartender nodded and said, "These young men are all students from the Nameless Academy. I heard they're going to take some kind of subject-specific exam soon, so they're all memorizing words. But that's nothing compared to what's to come."

“Even more terrifying?” Zhang said in surprise.

The bartender was about to speak again when he suddenly heard a warning cough from behind. Zhang Shuo looked up and saw the shopkeeper, Zhang Huai, staring at them, while the bartender quickly bowed and retreated. This made both Zhang Shuo and Zhang Jiuling feel very strange.

After the bartender left, Zhang said somewhat awkwardly, "So they were students from the Nameless Academy. I thought..."

The two did not rush to leave, but wanted to see what the bartender meant by "even more terrifying."

Before they knew it, the shop was full. Then, a courtesan and a musician came up to the stage in the middle.

Those who come here are either scholars or nobles. They have no interest in just eating and drinking. The restaurant also often arranges for courtesans to sing.

After a short while, the courtesan began to sing: "Green grass by the riverbank, lush willows in the garden. Graceful woman upstairs."

Zhang Shuo and Zhang Jiuling were both skilled in music and loved it very much. They sipped their wine, shook their heads slightly, and hummed along.

Suddenly, a ghostly wail rang out, "Green grass by the riverbank, clatter clatter!"

Like a thunderclap, Zhang Shuo and Zhang Jiuling were so frightened they almost collapsed. They were covered in cold sweat. Turning their heads to look, they couldn't see who it was before they heard another howl.

One note after another, and in the blink of an eye, it turned into a grand chorus.

But the courtesan stopped singing.

Even if they sing, you can't hear them!

"Ouch!"

Hearing the wailing and howling, Zhang Shuo felt a splitting headache and quickly got up to walk with Zhang Jiuling towards the door. When they arrived at the door, Zhang Shuo complained to the shopkeeper Zhang Huai, "You clearly knew, why didn't you say so earlier?"

Shopkeeper Zhang Huai said awkwardly, "Sir, actually my shop is not bad. After all, with you here, other shops are much more terrifying."

"???"

It seems you're still worried that we'll escape one danger only to fall into another.

I freaking thank you.

However, what Zhang Huai said was not an exaggeration at all. In any restaurant where there were courtesans singing, you would inevitably hear the wailing and howling of rich kids.

There was no other way. They needed to pass the music exam, so where could they practice? They would definitely go to restaurants and sing with courtesans. There they would have the tune, the original singer, and the atmosphere.

That's how Datang KTV came to be.

That's not all. On the streets and in the alleys, you can see several spoiled brats posing and flaunting themselves, sometimes even scaring passersby so much that they fall to the ground.

Although they were reciting the words of sages, but...!

All I can say is that a sinister wind has quietly swept in.

However, their efforts were certainly worthwhile.

An unnamed academy.

Cui Gu'er, Xue Jun, and the others were all lying in the grass in the corner of the wall, their lecherous eyes staring at the rows of beautiful young girls in the classroom, their mouths watering!

These are all future junior sisters!

After some probing, Li Qiao finally realized just how much Li Longji loved opera. Therefore, with the help of Gao Lishi, he quickly selected one hundred palace women from the music academy and sent them to this nameless academy.

But seeing Wang Xi looking back and forth in front of these palace courtesans and actually choosing them, Li Qiao was so angry that he gritted his teeth and scolded him, "You brat, you just say a hundred, your uncle almost moved the whole brothel here."

Wang Xi quickly smiled apologetically, "Uncle, I was just joking at the time. I never expected you to actually do it!"

“This is a matter of government affairs and national education. How can you joke about it?” Li Qiao snorted and then said in a low voice, “But since your uncle supports you so much, you should also repay him.”

Wang Xi hurriedly asked, "How will you repay me?"

Li Qiao said, "Go and ask your uncle if he can think of a way to overshadow the poetry competition."

He managed to turn his fortunes around in the Ministry of Rites, but outside the ministry, poetry still held sway.

Now that the offense and defense are different, he naturally wants to beat a dog when it's down.

Wang Xi asked curiously, "Why doesn't Uncle ask him himself?"

"The gentleman dislikes getting involved in politics, so how could my uncle possibly ask him?"

"Oh."

Wang Xi said, "Then I'll go ask, but I can't guarantee whether it will work."

"Ok?"

"Do your best! Do your best!"

"That's pretty much it."

Turning around, he saw his son, Li Jie, staring blankly at the junior female students. He thought to himself, "What a spineless son!" He took a step forward and slapped him on the head.

"Ouch!"

Li Jieman immediately covered his head and squatted down.

Wang Xi felt a chill run down his spine just looking at it, while Wang Shuang quickly looked around.

Li Qiao said in a low voice, "You bunch of brats better behave yourselves. This place is full of palace prostitutes. If anything happens, I'll be the first to take your lives."

"Palace prostitutes?"

Ignoring the pain, Li Jieman stood up immediately.

A glint of light flashed in Wang Xi's eyes.

Being a palace prostitute meant that you were nominally Li Longji's woman, and whether or not Li Longji would sleep with you, if you did, you would be cuckolding Li Longji.

It's not impossible, but the risk factor is still a bit high!
Wang Xi said in a serious tone, "Uncle, could you please send us a different batch?"

(End of this chapter)