The most romantic little emperor

Upon hearing this, the grey-robed old man showed a barely perceptible sneer on his face and said in a deep voice, "Mr. Qin is too modest. If it is true as you said, you have neither a famous teacher nor participated in the imperial examinations, and you are not even a scholar."

"How could one write such profound and brilliant poems with only a few years of superficial reading? Such talent is truly unbelievable."

Zuo Wenxuan's expression froze when he heard this, and he hurriedly took a step forward. Wen Yan, however, firmly dissuaded him, "Master, this is wrong. I have seen with my own eyes the talent of Brother Qin. He is truly a genius. How can you easily doubt him?"

Wang Zhenqing immediately stepped forward and said, "Old Xu, please don't be rude. We have known each other for many years. Although there have been many frictions between our two academies, I advise you to put away your inappropriate thoughts."

"Mr. Qin's talent is like the bright moon in the sky. Not everyone can belittle him. As teachers, you and I should teach tirelessly and build the glory of Daxia literature together, instead of being narrow-minded and harming others for our own benefit."

The old man in gray robe was none other than Xu Changshan, the president of Wenlan Academy and Zuo Wenxuan's mentor. He had always been proud and honored to have a beloved disciple like Zuo Wenxuan.

Therefore, he would not allow anyone to step on his favorite disciple to gain power.

Xu Changshan snorted coldly, not disguising his sarcasm, and sneered: "If Mr. Qin can't prove his innocence, I think there is no need for this fight."

Then, he frantically winked at the other disciples, indicating that they should come and support the occasion.

The scholar who had been sharp-tongued before could no longer hold back and stepped forward. His voice was as loud as a bell, and he said confidently: "Dean Xu is right. The poem written by Young Master Qin may not have been written by you."

Upon hearing this, all the students in Wenlan Academy responded like a whirlwind, with some sarcasm in their words.

"That's right. You haven't even passed the imperial examination, so how could you create such a profound work? You must have plagiarized someone else's work."

"Humph, you are plagiarizing others' hard work, which is really a shame among scholars. You even want to compete with my Senior Brother Zuo, which is simply arrogant and makes you laugh."

"..."

Upon hearing this, A Yue, Liang Hongyu and others' faces suddenly changed and they were furious. They mercilessly denounced these scholars for being shameless. Even Wenlan Academy, which has always been famous for its integrity, was not spared.

Qin Hao, however, seemed to be keeping out of the matter, with a faint smile on his face, as if he didn't take these things to heart.

He waved his hand gently, his movements were free and easy, and he said with a smile: "Mr. Xu, I have some doubts in my mind, and I can't figure them out. I would like to hear your opinions and guide me."

Xu Changshan heard this, a hint of complacency flashed in his eyes. He stroked his gray beard gently, and a meaningful sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth. He said: "You can say whatever you want. I will tell you everything I have learned in my life."

Qin Hao chuckled, his voice carrying a hint of cunning and expectation: "I would like to ask, why do people need to study?"

As soon as these words were spoken, not only Wang Zhenqing, but also the students around him could not help but listen attentively, looking forward to what unique insights this great scholar of the time could come up with.

Xu Changshan snorted coldly and said disdainfully: "I thought you could ask some profound questions. I didn't expect you to not even know why you study. It's really ridiculous."

He paused, then continued, "Listen to me carefully. Learn to read and write, know etiquette, understand morality, and understand the great principles. The Great Learning says: The way of the Great Learning is to cultivate virtue, to love the people, and to stop at the highest good."

Qin Hao smiled faintly and said, "Mr. Xu is indeed a great scholar of the time. He quotes classics and makes sense. It's really good."

"So, have you scholars learned etiquette, morality, and the ability to be close to the people?"

After saying this, he glanced at the people present and continued, "You are well-read and naturally know etiquette and morality. However, I don't see how you are close to the people."

Xu Changshan shook his head and said proudly: "You are totally wrong. We are close to the people, but you just haven't seen it."

"You only saw that we never spoke up for the disaster victims, and you saw that we never offered advice for the country, but you ignored that we also wrote poems and songs, which were widely circulated among hundreds of millions of people!"

"How many people's feelings are expressed in a farewell poem? How many wanderers' homesickness poems comfort their loneliness and helplessness?"

"How many soldiers defending the frontier have been inspired by a poem about the frontier? Even a graceful tune or a poem about flowers can comfort people's emotions!"

"When we write poetry, aren't we speaking for the people? Aren't we being close to the people?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the students present burst into thunderous applause, which continued continuously, and they resonated with the words from the bottom of their hearts.

The scholar who had been sharp-tongued and a little mean earlier could no longer conceal his excitement. He suddenly slammed the table and stood up, flattering his horse, "The president's remarks are profound and thought-provoking! We are close to the people, but the methods are different."

Qin Hao couldn't help but admire that Xu Changshan was not only eloquent, but also able to transform the delicate emotions and lofty ideals expressed by writers into a force that struck people's hearts.

In this way, the way of being close to the people is not just an idea, but also a warm current that can warm people's hearts and touch their souls.

To refute such a view, if we go straight to its core, it would be like hitting a rock with an egg, and it would be difficult to shake its deep foundation.

Therefore, we must find another way, starting from the phenomenon level, using a subtle and precise angle to allow the truth to emerge naturally as we peel off the layers, rather than engaging in a head-on confrontation.

Qin Hao nodded slightly, his tone full of deep thought: "Old sir, you are right. Poetry can express one's aspirations and become the emotional sustenance of the people. It can depict the sorrow of separation, express homesickness, promote the ambition to serve the country, or describe the hardships of guarding the border. All of them touch people's hearts."

“However, in my opinion, the pattern is still small.”

Xu Changshan couldn't help but frown, his doubts evident in his expression: "Small scale? What do you mean?"

Qin Hao smiled slightly, and that smile contained some insight and detachment from worldly affairs: "The beauty of poetry lies in its ability to be close to people's lives, soothe people's hearts, and allow thousands of emotions to be sustenance. It is indeed an immortal art."

"However, it only touches the emotional level and cannot touch the root of people's livelihood and help them solve their difficulties. This is its limitation."

“Just imagine, even if there are thousands of passionate frontier poems, can they make the soldiers guarding the border return home?”

“Or, even if there are countless poems about homesickness, can they turn into sails to carry the wanderers back home, so that they no longer wander?”

His words flowed through my heart like a spring, warm and powerful.

After a pause, Qin Hao continued: "For me, poetry is a solace to the soul, not an antidote to reality. Its charm lies in moving people with emotion, not helping people with force."

"So, I think that poetry is a minor art, but it also has its limitations that are difficult to overcome."