The Tang Dynasty: Wu Zetian made me her imperial tutor

Lu Jun suddenly uttered some outrageous words, leaving Cui Shi dumbfounded.

He was the closest, but he hadn't expected Brother Chu Yu to be so arrogant, and for a moment he didn't know how to smooth things over.

Li Qiao, Su Weidao, and Song Zhiwen had only met Lu Jun when attending court and had no private interactions with her. They thought to themselves:

"Wasn't Lu Chuyu very humble just now? Why does he seem like a different person now? He's only written a poem, while Brother Bi Jian has a long-standing reputation. How dare he challenge him?"

They each shook their heads inwardly.

Shen Quanqi was closest to Lu Jun, so he quickly put his arm around Lu Jun's shoulder and turned around to say:

"Chu Yu, the literary world is different from the imperial court. Talent and reputation are respected, regardless of official rank or power."

"Although you are currently enjoying the Emperor's favor, you have not yet reached the ranks of prime minister or court official, so no one will respect you in private gatherings..."

"Du Xiaoshu became famous at a young age, but due to his eccentric personality, his official career was still unsuccessful even after he passed the imperial examination and reached the twentieth year, which made him even more arrogant and conceited."

"Actually, his poems and essays are of lofty style and his expression is fluent, it's just that his words are a bit harsh, so just bear with it."

When Lu Jun came to thank him for saving her life, she did so with the respect due to a disciple, which prompted him to offer some criticism.

bass--

Du Shenyan had just sat down when he suddenly jumped up, extending his right hand and glaring angrily: "What article? Show it to me! I don't believe you can write anything better than mine!"

He pointed to the seat with his left hand: "If you truly have a masterpiece, this seat is yours; I'll never write another article!"

Tuanzixuan used to entertain friends over tea. The private room was decorated in a very simple and elegant style, reminiscent of the refined conversations of the Wei and Jin dynasties. But at this moment, the atmosphere suddenly became tense and hostile.

"No need, just help me write a preface." Lu Jun smiled slightly.

If he never wrote anything in his life, that poet saint would have missed out on the influence of literature from a young age, and future Chinese textbooks would be missing a famous painting...

Lu Jun's provocative words were not without reason.

Promoting "The Classic of Tea" requires literati to create momentum, and writing prefaces and postscripts by famous scholars is a common method; the more people who write prefaces, the better.

However, famous scholars are often arrogant and consider themselves seniors, so if you ask them for help, you will owe them a great favor.

Especially with someone as aloof as Du Shenyan, the more you flatter him, the less he'll respect you.

Although Li Qiao, Su Weidao, Song Zhiwen, and others were polite to each other, they all looked down on them in their hearts.

Although he had a good relationship with Shen Quanqi, his influence was ultimately limited by relying on himself alone.

Instead of asking, use provocation.

Du Shenyan was immediately enraged, his face turning red. He shouted, "It's a deal! Bring me the article!"

Reaching out to grab the scroll of paper from Lu Jun's hand, Lu Jun pulled back, smiling and saying, "Wait a minute, let me make it clear beforehand, this writing is not about literary talent..."

"Bullshit! We writers don't compete on literary talent, we compete on who's prettier!" Du Shenyan swore.

Even renowned scholars can swear.

Li Qiao, Su Weidao, Song Zhiwen, Cui Shi, and others were also stunned, exchanging bewildered glances.

It wasn't that I was surprised by Du Shenyan's use of profanity, but rather that I didn't understand Lu Jun's words either: if we're not comparing literary talent, what are we comparing?

Since the Southern Dynasties of Qi and Liang, a style of elaborate writing has flourished, with poetry, short essays, and long poems all employing exquisite diction.

The literary officials were masters of this art. To prevent the emperor from getting tired of their writings, they had to frequently use obscure and rare words to match the grandeur of the imperial court.

For this reason, in recent years, the Jinshi examination, which tests literary talent, has gradually surpassed the Mingjing examination, which tests classical knowledge.

Although the official rank was slightly lower, in the eyes of scholars, the talent of a Jinshi (进士) was far superior to that of a Mingjing (明经), who merely memorized scriptures.

Writing is not about literary talent...

What else can we compare?

Only Chen Ziang's eyes lit up upon hearing Lu Jun's words, and a hint of anticipation appeared on his face.

Lu Jun countered by asking Du Shenyan:

"I know that 'words without substance will not go far,' but when you gentlemen write, is it all just for the sake of literary style?"

"Confucius transmitted knowledge but did not create new works; did he become a sage for all time because of his literary talent?"

"Since the Han Dynasty, great Confucian scholars have been renowned for their mastery of the classics, and were studied and emulated by scholars throughout the land. Was it solely due to their literary talent?"

"What use is writing flowery language that is empty in content, except for the self-satisfaction one feels when reading it? What use is it to the country? What use is it to future generations?"

After a few questions, she was full of momentum and, without waiting for Du Shenyan's reply, continued her counterattack:

"When I say my name will be widely praised, I mean I will be immortal!"

"The so-called immortality, as stated in the Zuo Zhuan, is achieved by 'establishing virtue,' 'establishing merit, and then establishing words.'"

The Zuo Zhuan Commentary states that establishing one's words means "speaking the essentials and making the reasoning sufficient to be passed down."

"A senior colleague asked, 'If writing isn't about literary talent, what is it about?'"

"In my humble opinion, the competition is about 'reason'!"

Even today, a group of Tang Dynasty literati have begun to dislike the superficiality of Southern Dynasties poetry and prose.

The Four Great Poets of the Early Tang Dynasty are representative of this group; their prose remained ornate, but their poetry was highly innovative.

From writing about romance and nature to describing rivers and mountains, from the inner chambers of women to the frontier regions, the poems began to come alive.

Following the Four Masters, the Four Friends of Literature, Shen and Song devoted themselves to studying the rules of prosody, trying to break free from the constraints of the Yongming style and also attempting to transcend the eroticism of palace poetry to express their own feelings.

However, the themes ultimately revolve around court banquets and women in their boudoirs, making it difficult to achieve any major breakthroughs.

After the Four Masters, the one who truly took up the banner of innovation in poetry themes was Chen Zi'ang, the youngest among those present.

In terms of literature, at this time, in Jinyang and Taiyuan counties of Bingzhou, three young men successively published their works—

Wu Shaowei

Fujiamo,

Gu Yi.

The three men, known as the "Three Heroes of Bingzhou," advocated for the study of classics as the foundation, and valued elegant writing while rejecting superficiality, gradually developing a bold and vigorous style.

His writings were sometimes referred to as the "Wu Fu style," and were admired by some scholars.

Unfortunately, the imperial court ultimately preferred elaborate and ornate language to reflect its majesty and nobility, and scholars and officials followed suit, making it difficult for the new literary style to have a greater impact.

Upon hearing this, Chen Zi'ang's eyes lit up, and he shouted at Lu Jun, "Well said!"

Li Qiao, Su Weidao, Shen Quanqi, Song Zhiwen, and others also lowered their eyes and pondered, seemingly lost in thought.

Du Shenyan gave a cold laugh: "Then tell me, what is reason? And what kind of reason can you write?"

Cui Shi, standing to the side, felt a pang of worry for Lu Jun and secretly shook his head: "Lu Chuyu has suddenly become famous and is favored by the princess. She's become extremely arrogant. Let's see how you handle this."

Lu Jun calmly replied:

"The concept of 'reason' is not difficult to explain..."

"Or it stems from genuine feelings, rather than affectation;"

"It speaks of the ways of the world, not of clichés and trite clichés;"

"It is better to examine things to find their quality, rather than to make general assumptions;"

"Either practice what you preach and remember the essentials, rather than engaging in empty talk and empty rhetoric."

"If it is based on genuine feelings, exploration of the subtle and profound, in-depth study of knowledge, and explanation of experience, then it is a work rich in meaning and principles."

"If one is merely feigning illness, echoing others' opinions, fabricating stories, or feigning profundity, then even the best writing is worthless."

The principle is actually very simple, but from poetry to prose, it took a detour before it turned around.

Poetry became more concise and entertaining. During the High Tang period, there were many scholars but few officials, leading many literati to wander the world. Based on their own experiences and talents, they greatly expanded the content of their poems, thus breaking free from the constraints of the Qi and Liang styles.

The writing style, however, is concentrated in admonitions, inscriptions, and odes, which are relatively formal and difficult to change easily.

It was only through the two large-scale classical prose movements of the Tang and Song dynasties that the prevailing trend of emphasizing parallel prose gradually changed.

Therefore, Lu Jun's words, though seemingly unremarkable, belonged to the radical reformists at the time.

He put forward this view for two reasons: first, to lay the groundwork for the "Classic of Tea," and second, to explore the direction of article reform.

Later, people like Han Yu, who added their own personal agendas and excessive ethical and moral considerations, also went astray...

Snap, snap, snap—

Chen Zi'ang slammed his fist on the wall a few times and shouted, "Well said! That's exactly what I wanted to say!"

Chen Zi'ang bowed deeply to Lu Jun: "Although Chu Yu is a handsome and refined young man, he is not a decadent or vulgar person. Chen Zi'ang is willing to discuss poetry and literature with you!"

Shen Quanqi also suddenly raised his eyes, his gaze shining brightly, thinking:

"No wonder his essays, though not embellished with flowery language, possess the power of thunder and lightning; it is precisely the strength of his words being substantial."

Li Qiao and Su Weidao secretly thought, "It speaks of true feelings, the ways of the world, and the principles of all things; its theme is indeed brilliant!"

Song Zhiwen nodded silently: "'Only the peony is truly a national beauty'—only a young man with genuine feelings could write that..."

Cui Shi opened his mouth wide, his eyes flickering uncertainly.

Now I finally understand why Brother Chu Yu won the princess's favor. His courage and insight are truly remarkable and admirable.

If my younger sister heard these words, she would probably feel the same way. I can't tell her...

Du Shenyan was also lost in thought for a long time before he suddenly realized that he was making a bet and could not show weakness.

He raised his head and asked, "That sounds nice, but can your articles actually deliver on that promise?"

"I have indeed done my part in 'speaking of the ways of the world' and 'practicing and remembering the essentials.' I suggest you take a look, Master Du."

Lu Jun smiled and handed over the scroll of paper.