After traveling through time, I became Han Zhang’s grandson?

On November 9th of the first year of Xianyong's reign, the Great Wall Poetry Banquet, an exchange meeting between the two countries organized by the Liao Kingdom and the Song Dynasty as an auxiliary organization, was officially held.

As Han Ming and Su Zizhan expected, Xiao Guanyin, the most talented woman in the Liao Dynasty, appeared on the exchange list provided by the Liao Dynasty.

"It seems that Yelu Hongji has really taken ruthless action, even pushing his own queen out to compete with us in poetry!"

Su Shizhan put his hands behind his back, feeling somewhat moved by the other party's determination.

"But it also proves one thing in reverse: the Liao Kingdom doesn't have many talented people, otherwise they wouldn't let a queen show up like this."

Han Ming lay on his side on the plush blanket, taking a piece of northern specialty fruit and putting it into his mouth.

"My Lord, you are right. Maybe we can't lose!" Su Zizhan also gained a little confidence.

"Don't overthink it. If the enemy comes, we'll fight them with our troops. If the water comes, we'll block it with our earth. I still have confidence in our literary talent."

Han Ming chuckled softly. Whether he had confidence in Su Zizhan or in his own ability as a plagiarist was another matter.

On the morning of the 9th, Han Ming and others, accompanied by Xiao Ge, entered the completed banquet hall.

Looking at the building filled with guests, Han Ming and others all praised it. For a moment, Prime Minister Xiao Ge had an unshakable smile on his face.

"Please wait a moment, everyone. I have to go and host this poetry gathering. If you have any questions, we can discuss them later."

Calculating the time, Xiao Ge stood up and said goodbye, ready to make final preparations.

At three quarters past the hour of Si, as the sound of military drums resounded outside the banquet hall, Yelu Hongji and the dignitaries of the Liao Dynasty rushed in.

The two sides greeted each other politely and talked about the interesting things that happened at the winter hunting festival a few days ago.

Among them, Yelu Yixin and Du Jiyang were the ones who had the most pleasant conversation. As for Chongyuan and his son, they just nodded slightly and greeted Han Ming without much contact.

Yelu Hongji brought his whole family to have a brief chat with Han Ming and Su Zizhan, then sat down at the main seat in the banquet hall, waiting for the show to begin.

Han Ming couldn't help laughing as he watched the four children making faces at him, while Su Zizhan on the side looked at the scene with some confusion.

"My Lord, how many princes of the Liao Kingdom do you know?" Su Zizhan was referring to Yelu Jun's sisters and brothers.

"We may have met once, but that's not important. Brother Zizhan, we must give our all to today's Great Wall Poetry Banquet!"

Han Ming took Su Zizhan's hand, found a seat and sat down, and began to whisper to each other, seeming very excited about the upcoming poetry banquet.

"Everyone——!"

With Xiao Ge's loud shout, all the people who were chatting turned their eyes to him and listened to his speech.

"Today we are honored to hold this grand cultural exchange event between Liao and Song. Under the witness of His Majesty the Great Emperor of the Liao Dynasty, we solemnly hold this 'Great Wall Poetry Banquet'!"

"Poetry is a literary genre that strictly follows rhythmic requirements and uses refined language to artistically express the human spiritual world and social life."

"Poetry is an important part of the traditional culture of the Central Plains throughout the ages. It originated in the ancient pre-Qin period and reached its peak in the Tang Dynasty. In modern times, there are also a large number of excellent poems."

"As for ci, there's no need to elaborate on it. It originated in the Sui Dynasty and is still at its peak today. Ci is a derivative of poetry, known as the remainder of poetry, and is also called long and short sentences."

"..."

Xiao Ge talked about the birth and meaning of poetry, and he explained the process in great detail.

This also made Han Ming and Su Shizhan realize how thoroughly the Khitan people of Liao were sinicized, and it also shows their love and tolerance for Central Plains culture.

"Today we are honored to have invited Han Ming, Marquis of Anyang, an outstanding figure of the younger generation of the Song Dynasty!"

"And we should also have heard of his other title—the Immortal Poet of the Great Song Dynasty!"

"As a participant in today's poetry banquet for exchange between the two countries, it is fitting that I, therefore, declare: The Great Wall Poetry Banquet officially begins—!"

As Xiao Ge's voice fell, the entire reception room was filled with prolonged applause. Han Ming and Su Zizhan looked at each other, stood up at the same time, and walked to the center of the banquet hall.

Xiao Guanyin and others beside Yelu Hongji also watched Han Ming's every move with enthusiasm.

"Lord Han, we are aware of your poetic talent. How about you start today and let us enjoy it?"

A Khitan noble shouted loudly from not far away, attracting everyone's attention.

"Your Excellency is wrong. Today's banquet is hosted by your country, so it should be opened by your country's experts. Han Ming is an outsider and it is not appropriate for him to take the lead!"

Han Ming easily resolved the other party's language trap and pulled Su Zizhan to the location of He Zhengru and others.

"In that case, I will first show my ugliness."

The young man who had previously called on Han Ming to write a poem strode out, bowed, and then smiled confidently.

"A thousand-year-old crane perches on a ten-thousand-year-old pine tree, its frosty feathers touching the green branches.

The four seasons change, but this remains unchanged. May my life be as long as that of the Emperor."

As the poem was uttered, everyone present began to whisper to each other, muttering the profound meaning of the poem.

Especially the last sentence "I wish to live as long as the emperor", which seems to be praising and flattering Yelu Hongji.

Everyone carefully observed Yelu Hongji, who was stroking his beard and smiling in the main seat, and nodded secretly, knowing what was going on.

Then a group of people spoke out in support of the young man, expressing their affirmation and praise for him.

"This poem is wonderful! It uses the 'thousand-year crane' and the 'long-lived pine' to express that although the seasons change, there are things that remain eternal and unchanging."

"The phrase 'eternal and unchanging' implies eternal life, and the addition of the words 'Holy Longevity of Our Emperor' clearly expresses praise for Your Majesty."

"Using the 'crane' and 'pine' to suggest that Your Majesty will have an eternal life, a life of boundless prosperity, is wonderful, wonderful, beyond words!"

"At this time, your Majesty's rule will benefit generations to come, even if it lasts for thousands of years, it will never stop..."

"..."

Words of praise, affirmation, and flattery echoed endlessly from the audience, and Yelu Hongji's smile grew wider.

Only Han Ming vaguely felt that this was not the meaning of the poem, but considering the lively atmosphere, he decided to let them have fun.

Glancing sideways at Su Zizhan, who was stroking his chin, Han Ming felt even more confident. He couldn't help but secretly complain, "I'm a plagiarist and a top-notch lyricist, but I still can't beat you little lyricists!"

"My Lord!" Just when Han Ming despised the other party in his heart, Su Zizhan called out softly.

"Well, if you have an idea, go for it. There's no need to be polite today. Let them see what cultural heritage is!"

Han Ming raised the corner of his mouth, with a strange smile.

"Foreign minister Su Zizhan, upon hearing your poem, was inspired to compose an impromptu poem. I hope you will appreciate it."

Su Zizhan took a deep breath and paced back and forth.

"When you look at a mountain from the side, it looks like a mountain range. When you look at it from the front, it looks like a peak. It looks different from different distances and heights.

I cannot see the true face of Mount Lu because I am already in it.

As soon as Su Shizhan finished this poem, everyone present fell into deep thought and began to appreciate it, while Han Ming almost spit out a mouthful of tea.

"Cough cough cough..." Han Ming's appearance attracted the attention of many people. Could it be that this poem has some deep meaning?

"The poem can be simply summarized as follows: From the front and side, Mount Lushan's ridges are rolling and its peaks tower. From afar, near, high up, and low down, it presents different appearances. The reason I cannot discern the true face of Mount Lushan is because I am inside it."

"That is to say, every event, every scene, and every person should be viewed from multiple perspectives and cannot be simply categorized into one category. After all, 'looking at a mountain from the side, you see a peak.'"

"It's quite interesting. This poem is trying to express that because people's positions and starting points are different, their understanding of objective things is inevitably one-sided. To understand the truth and the whole picture of things, we must transcend narrow scope and get rid of subjective prejudices."

"Although the poem is simple, it is catchy and contains rich philosophical truths. It shows that this person has a lot of experience and insights!"

"But why does the Marquis of Han keep coughing? Is there something in this poem that we've missed?"

"..."

There are many different opinions, and everyone is a little surprised by Su Shi's short poem. Although it is not a masterpiece, it is full of profound meaning and charm, which makes people have endless imagination.

As for Han Ming's cough, it was simply because he did not expect that Mr. Dongpo would actually take out this poem which he wrote in later generations when he was demoted from Huangzhou to Ruzhou as the deputy envoy of the militia.

This doesn't fit your current mood at all, does it?! If you show it so blatantly and get criticized later, won't you have to make a few more songs to supplement it?!

Han Ming was overwhelmed when he thought that future students might learn more poems from Mr. Dongpo, because he had also gone through that time.

"It seems I have to work harder. After all, the ancestors wrote poems and the descendants suffered. As long as I don't suffer, it's fine."

Han Ming secretly made up his mind that he must give the children of future generations a copy of "Three Hundred Ancient Poems of Jingyuan" so that they can also experience and appreciate it.