Yang Fan was startled. After thinking for a moment, he smiled and said, "To Yang Fan, Elder is a person of virtue and prestige. How can you tease Junior with your words?"
The white-haired old man was slightly surprised and asked, "How did I tease you?"
Yang Fan said, "A child from the countryside. His mother told him to gather pigweed to feed the pigs. He gathered a basket of pigweed and came back with a pile of mud to play with. I can't say that he only went out with a pile of mud, can I? By the same logic, Junior has never said that studying is to play with mud. Instead, I said that scholars spend all day reciting poems and composing songs, neglecting their main job. This is forgetting to gather pigweed and only caring about playing with mud. "
The white-haired old man raised his eyebrows and said, "Is there a difference?"
Yang Fan said, "There is a difference! There is a big difference! Scholars study and learn knowledge and reason. What they produce is wisdom. If you want to say that the use of poems and lyrics is like an army's command before a battle, the army's song during a battle, and the eulogy after a victory. It's like adding flowers to a brocade, but if it's not … ha-ha. It cannot be used when an official is in charge of the country's affairs. It cannot be used when an official is writing a memorial to the court. It cannot be used when Taishi Gong is recording history. Even when Junior is being questioned by the elders here, he cannot use it during questions and answers. What does Elder think it is if not the mud that is used to gather pigweed? "
The old man was slightly angry and said, "Today is Eunuch Li's birthday. The hall is full of joy and the guests are like clouds. Would Erlang be willing to put up a pile of mud to make Eunuch Li happy? "
Although people who were well-versed in poetry and books were good at composing poems, it was not easy to make them compose a poem in a short period of time. Moreover, Yang Fan's performance was clearly not good at poetry. In the end, this old man still thought that Yang Fan's contemptuous attitude towards poetry was because he was not good at poetry and did not want to lose face in front of those aristocratic families. That was why he pretended to be arrogant. Therefore, he still wanted to make things difficult for him and cut down his arrogance.
After the old man finished speaking, some people who appreciated Yang Fan felt that it was inappropriate to let Yang Fan lose face in front of so many people. Although Li Mubai also wanted to teach Yang Fan a lesson, he did not want him to lose face in front of so many people. However, the person who asked the question was the master of the Zheng Clan of Yingyang. As the master and the person who recommended Yang Fan, it was not good for him to be too partial. So, he winked at Dugu Yu and asked him to help Yang Fan out.
Dugu Yu understood and hurriedly coughed to find a way out of this embarrassing situation for Yang Fan. "Everyone here is an elder, Erlang need not be nervous. Just recite a few lines of poetry for the elders to appraise. Erlang was an expert in military affairs, an expert in the administration of culture, plus he was well-versed in the study of stratagem and change of tactics. A person's energy is limited. If he is not good at poetry, then it is nothing. Hehe … … "
Just now, after Elder Zheng spoke, Yang Fan lowered his head and did not speak. After Dugu Yu's words to help him smooth things over, Yang Fan still did not speak. He only lowered his head and pondered. This caused everyone's eyes to focus on him. They were curious in their hearts, "Could it be … … Yang Fan really wants to mix with a lump of mud?"
After a moment, Yang Fan slowly raised his head and smiled at Elder Zheng. He said, "How can this junior dare to refuse an elder's order? Then, this junior will mix with a lump of mud in this birthday hall. I only hope that this junior can coax the God of Longevity to laugh heartily. This can also be considered as doing my part. "
When everyone heard this, they revealed a surprised expression. Could it be that this Yang Fan really knew how to compose poetry? Could he really compose a poem in such a short time? In such a short period of time, it was not easy for him to compose a rhyme, a limerick that suited the mood and the situation. She wondered what kind of poem this Yang Erlang, who compared reciting poems and composing proses to mud, would produce.
For a moment, all the elders of the aristocratic families held their breath, ready to see the lump of mud that Yang Fan would come up with.
Ning Ke stared at Yang Fan intently with a slightly nervous look on his face.
Since Yang Fan disparaged writing poetry to mud, then it was not a big deal if he could not compose a good poem. In any case, he had already said that it was mud. It was normal for him not to have any attainments in this field. However, Ning Ke rarely cared about a person, and Yang Fan happened to be one of them. Of course, she still hoped that Yang Fan could be in a good mood. This inevitably made her nervous for him.
Yang Fan said, "Since Elder Zheng has set a topic, then I will compose a seven-rule poem to praise the grand occasion of the Li's Mansion today."
Elder Zheng was also a little surprised. He restrained his contempt and said in a deep voice, "I'm all ears!"
Yang Fan looked around, obviously looking for materials.
He glanced at the twelve carved red sandalwood screens on the opposite side, then looked at the incense burner on the small table in the corner, and finally fixed his eyes on the red carpet in front of the hall. Before Yang Fan came here, he had just performed the "Green Waist" here. On the red carpet in front of the hall, there was a red flower left by a singer and dancer.
Yang Fan smiled, raised the crescent-shaped feather cup, and recited slowly, "The painted screen covers the light of auspicious clouds, Luo Qihua flies to the white jade hall. The silver wine is poured, the fish tail is poured, the golden stove ashes are filled with the fragrance of duck heart. Gently shaking the green water, the green moth is restrained, touching the red silk, the white wrist is wild. Today, I promise to listen to the grace and honor together, I will not refuse to drink a thousand cups. "
It was quiet, very quiet.
In the hall were the heads of various aristocratic families and important elders, all of whom were well-read. Yang Fan's poem could not be regarded as a world-shaking work, but it could definitely be regarded as one of the best poems for birthday banquets. It perfectly described the happy and auspicious atmosphere of a wealthy family in accordance with the situation and the hall filled with riches and honor.
To compose such a seven-tone poem in such a short period of time was already not an easy feat. Yang Fan had repeatedly shown his disdain for poetry, so it was obvious that he had not spent much effort on it before. Thus, for him to be able to compose such a good poem, it was especially evident that he had a good foundation.
This strong contrast in attitude and achievement was the most amazing. Everyone was waiting for him to make a pile of real mud, but he made a vivid clay figurine. It seemed that his previous attitude was obviously not to make excuses for himself, but to really disdain it.
A strange light suddenly flashed in Ning Ke's eyes, and Li Mubai stopped twirling his beard. After a long while, he slowly smoothed it down and looked at Yang Fan with a smile in his eyes. Yang Fan finished reciting this poem. Seeing that no one responded for a long time, he had to continue the show. He cupped his hands and said to the crowd, "My incompetence! My incompetence! "
Yang Fan was educated by his family since he was a child. Especially after his father was banished to Lingnan, he pinned all his hopes of reviving the family reputation on his only son, so he put more effort into his education.
Later, Yang Fan went overseas with his master. Although his great master, Curly Beard, had a rough appearance and was the leader of the underworld in the past, he was the son of the richest man in Yangzhou. He had been taught by famous teachers since he was a child, so he was full of knowledge. When he wanted to fight for the world, he did not rely on unparalleled martial arts, but on his scholarly knowledge and ability to govern the world.
During these years overseas, Curly Beard did not instruct his little disciple in martial arts, but he personally taught him literature. Naturally, Yang Fan's literary talent was not bad.
An old man snorted, "Respect is the head of virtue, but be cautious! Young man, since you are good at poetry, when the young masters in the back garden invite you to recite poems, no matter how disdainful you are in your heart, why not casually say yes? Why deliberately belittle and play to the gallery? You must know that one should not rely on one's power, and one should not be arrogant. Being reserved and humble is the way of a modest gentleman. "
Yang Fan cupped his hands and said, "This elder is …"
Dugu Yu answered for the old man, "This elder is Duke Cui of Boling."
It turned out to be the Cui Family of Boling. Then whether he was the head of the Cui Family or an important elder of the Cui Family, he was an extremely outstanding figure. Yang Fan said sincerely, "How dare I not speak frankly in front of an elder? I have no intention of playing to the gallery, but this is indeed my view on poetry.
Since this junior disdains it, there is no need for me to conceal my disdain. Today in the hall, if it were not for the elder's request, this junior would not have composed this poem. If the world was at peace, this junior would not have needed to worry about the country and its people, nor would I have needed to run around for food. Perhaps I would have the leisure to recite poems with the young masters and enjoy myself.
But now that the four towns of Anxi have returned to our court, and they have been conquered, the Tubo and Turkic Khaganate have not forgotten to cut off our path of retreat and recapture Anxi. The various upheavals in the southern border have been pacified, but what is important is the various policies of the court. Otherwise, rebellions will rise again and become a great disaster.
Cruel officials run amok in the court. Since all the elders know this junior's affairs in great detail, you must also understand the bitterness of this junior's struggle with these cruel officials. In the face of such important matters concerning the national economy and people's livelihood, the path of poetry is naturally a lump of mud. If this junior's poem can enter the discerning eyes of all the elders, then in this junior's eyes, it is just a lump of mud that looks a little better and is of no great use. "
Cui Gong still wanted to speak, but Li Mubai smiled and said, "Old Cui, is the matter you want to discuss with Erlang about the country and the world or poetry? Are you planning to persuade Erlang to immerse himself in the path of poetry and become a master of poetry or a loyal minister of the court? "
Cui Gong was taken aback, then broke into laughter. There was indeed no need for him to get entangled with Yang Fan on this matter. In his mind, the most important things were the legacy of the clan and the peace of the world. He had not cared about things like poetry for many years. Li Mubai now liked to collect, while he liked to travel. If there was a need for important matters, these elegant interests could be sacrificed at any time. He had never cared whether Yang Fan cared about poetry or not, so why did he have to argue over this matter?
These elders were quite open-minded. Once they understood this matter, they dismissed it with a laugh. Cui Gong did not mention poetry at all. Instead, he sternly said, "Does Erlang know why we old men want to see you today?"
Yang Fan said with a smile that was not a smile, "Junior has guessed a thing or two. Elder probably wants to groom me to work for the legacy and existence of the family?"
There was no one in this room who could not be trusted. Even if there were people who were willing to betray others for the sake of profit, no one would betray themselves for the sake of profit. Furthermore, no one could pay a sufficient price for the people in this room to betray anything. Therefore, Yang Fan spoke openly and honestly without hiding anything.
Li Mubai smiled and said, "Erlang is a smart person, then this old man will not play dumb. As long as Erlang is willing to work for us, we can provide all the resources to help you. At the latest, in five years, you can become an assistant minister. In another ten years, you can become a minister. In another seven years, you can enter the Political Affairs Hall! Before fifty years, you can become a minister. Below only one, above millions. What do you think? "
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