Not long after, Fang Da Niu said, "We've left the city."
"Mm."
After a while, Fang Da Niu said, "We're about to cross the river. There are many people standing at the inn, I wonder who they're waiting for."
Fang Yun opened the door and saw a stone bridge in front of him. Further ahead was the inn of Ji County. It was originally the place where the imperial court sent letters and officials in charge of their travel.
However, due to the flourishing of the talented system, the imperial court's letters were sent using the "Swan Goose Letters" of the Institute of Literature. The inn was no longer responsible for sending official letters and was instead responsible for mailing letters.
Non-official letters were sent using the "Swan Goose Letters" of the Institute of Literature. It was very expensive. One tael of silver for the same province, ten taels for the same country, and a hundred taels for the same country.
Fang Yun was surprised to see that County Magistrate Cai, Wang Yuanjun, High Scholar Su and other important people of Ji County were all present. The barbarian man behind County Magistrate Cai was over seven feet tall and was very eye-catching.
Fang Yun was stunned at first. He thought that they were here to welcome an important official. However, when he saw someone waving at him, he understood that they were here to send him off.
Fang Yun's heart was filled with warmth. He immediately jumped down from the carriage and followed the carriage towards the inn's pavilion.
The sun had not risen yet and many places were covered in frost. Fang Yun did not allow Yang Yuhuan to come down.
Fang Yun walked to the front of the crowd and bowed, "Fang Yun, how can I receive such good treatment from all of you?"
High Scholar Su said, "You're wrong. You, Fang Yun, are like a young phoenix. In the future, you will soar into the blue sky. It is my honor to send you off. You are 'Ji County Fang Yun'. As a fellow citizen of Ji County, it is only right for me to send you off. Oh yes, are you going to marry my daughter or granddaughter? "
Everyone laughed. News of High Scholar Su's failed attempt to find a wife had spread throughout the city. Knowing that Fang Yun did not abandon Yang Yuhuan, the scholars of Ji County had a better impression of Fang Yun.
County Magistrate Cai took out three letters and handed them to Fang Yun. He said, "I'm from the same hometown as Magistrate Sun, and I'm on the same roll as Inspector Zhang from the Judicial Division. I'm also good friends with Registrar Zhou from the Provincial Academy of Arts. Since you're going to the Grand Source Mansion, please help me deliver these three letters."
Magistrate Sun was the highest civil affairs official in the Great Origin Manor, and he was a fifth-grade official. On the other hand, the chief justice of the province's Judicial Division was in charge of a province's criminal prison, and he was a fourth-grade official. The registrar of the State Academy of Literature was a sixth-ranked official. In terms of rank, he was higher than County Magistrate Cai.
Fang Yun knew that County Magistrate Cai was paving the way for him. County Magistrate Cai wanted him to meet the three high-ranking officials through these three letters. If anything happened in the Great Origin Palace in the future, the three of them would definitely help him out of respect for County Magistrate Cai.
"It seems like the three of them are subordinates of the Minister of Arts. The Minister of Arts is the head of the Academy of Arts, but he must have subordinates who are also civil officials. Although Minister of the Left, Mount Liu, is only the head of the civil officials, his students and old friends are also in the military and the Academy of Arts. "
Fang Yun thought to himself as he received the three letters and thanked County Magistrate Cai.
Another prominent family in the county, Patriarch Wu, handed over a small red cloth bag and said, "This is a ten-tael calendar. I wish you a safe journey."
Following that, a few people also handed over their calendars, which Fang Yun thanked them one by one.
It took less than four hours to travel from Ji County to the Great Origin Palace by carriage, but these people gave him more than a hundred taels of silver. Many of them gave more than the amount of money that Fang Yun received. It could be seen that Fang Yun's position in their hearts was constantly rising.
Everyone chatted about the Great Origin Palace and gave some helpful pointers to Fang Yun. When the sun was about to rise, someone told Fang Yun to leave quickly and not delay the journey.
However, Wang Yuanjun said, "I don't know when we will meet again after today. Fang Yun, why don't you compose a poem here so that our trip won't be in vain."
Fang Yun smiled and said, "So Lord Wang isn't here to send me off, but to test me. You are really diligent as a College Magistrate. Why don't you take the test next year?"
"No! Today's matter ends today! "Wang Yuanjun's words caused everyone to laugh.
Many people looked at Fang Yun curiously. Fang Yun's talent and reputation for poetry had already spread throughout Ji County. They wondered what kind of poem he would compose today.
"Let me think about it."
Fang Yun said as he looked around.
Everyone was even more curious. Fang Yun was obviously preparing to use the materials here. If he could compose a good poem here, it could be said to be "composing a poem in seven steps".
Fang Yun slowly looked around. There was a relay station nearby, a farmhouse and a thatched cottage not far away, and a rooster was crowing. The waning moon in the sky was getting fainter.
Leaves fell on the mountain path in the distance, and unknown flowers bloomed by the walls of the relay station. However, because he was leaving Ji County, he was reluctant to leave this place.
Fang Yun asked, "Do you have a brush and ink?"
Everyone around the pavilion suddenly laughed and took the initiative to stand to the side, making way for Fang Yun to reach the stone table in the middle of the pavilion.
There was a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone on the stone table. The four treasures of the study were all present, and even the ink had been ground.
Fang Yun smiled bitterly and shook his head. He walked over and picked up the brush. After pondering for a moment, he dipped it in thick ink and wrote in the willow style. He recited as he wrote.
"Rising in the morning, the traveler mourns his hometown."
After he finished writing, he did not immediately start writing, as if he was thinking.
Everyone nodded, and some people looked at the bell on the horse's neck.
Fang Yun continued writing and recited at the same time, "The rooster cries in the thatched cottage under the moonlight, the traveler's footsteps on the bridge under the frost."
Many people's eyes lit up. This sentence was very vivid. Fang Yun did not seem to be writing a poem, but painting.
Following that, Fang Yun finished writing the last few sentences, forming a five-word poem.
Rising in the morning, the traveler mourns his hometown.
The rooster cries in the thatched cottage under the moonlight, the traveler's footsteps on the bridge under the frost.
The oak leaves fall on the mountain road, the citrus flowers brightly illuminated the relay station wall.
Because of the dream of Ji County, the ducks and geese return to the pond.
Finally, Fang Yun wrote the words "Early Journey to Ji County" on it.
When the poem was completed, County Magistrate Cai frowned and walked to Fang Yun's side. He stared at Fang Yun's poem for a long time without saying a word.
Wang Yuanjun nodded and praised, "I'm afraid this poem is also a talent from Mingzhou. It's poetic and touching. It starts with the poet's departure, then the scenery along the way, and finally the yearning for the mountains and rivers of Jixian in his dream. Wild ducks and wild geese floated in the lake, like tourists returning to their hometown. It's full of sincere feelings.
High Scholar Su then said, "This poem is very well written and the words are very beautiful. This is the most beautiful poem I've ever seen."
Everyone nodded one after another. Scholars had poems to send off, poems about frontier fortress, and poems about traveling. This poem, "Early Journey to Ji County," was indeed very outstanding.
"Among them, the phrase 'the rooster crows, the thatched roof is full of moon, the trail of people on the plank bridge is full of frost' is very interesting. The rooster crows, the thatched roof, the moon, the trail of people, the plank bridge, frost, the six images are arranged perfectly. What's rarest is that the rhyme is sonorous, and when you read it, it's like a clear spring water flowing down your throat." One of the scholars said.
Liao Jin was a rhetorical technique. The whole sentence was a noun or noun phrase, and it was cleverly arranged. The most famous and artistic one was "the withered vine, the old tree, the dusky crow, the small bridge, the flowing water, the thin horse on the ancient road". However, it was not as good as this "Early Journey to Shang Mountain".
This poem was written by a famous poet of the Tang Dynasty, Wen Tingyun. Wen Tingyun was the founder of the "Flowery School of Poetry". Huang Yi's novel, "Twin Dragons of the Tang Dynasty", was based on the "Flowery School of Poetry". The reason why the poetry of the later generations was so prosperous was because of Wen Tingyun.
Although Wen Tingyun and Li Shangyin were both called "Li Wen", they were only better than Li Shangyin in terms of words. In terms of poetry, they were far inferior to Li Shangyin. The only poem that could compete with Li Shangyin's poem was this "Early Journey to Shang Mountain", which was a "classic" poem in both ancient and modern times.
The second last sentence was originally "Because of the dream of Du Ling", but it was obviously inconsistent with this poem. Hence, Fang Yun changed the "Du" to "Ji", and the two words were both oblique, which did not affect the tone and artistic conception of the poem.
Everyone was discussing, but Fang Yun kept his mouth shut.
County Magistrate Cai suddenly said loudly, "Fang Shuangjia, I was wondering why you didn't say anything after you finished writing. So you were testing us! Everyone, you have underestimated this poem. This is not a poem from Mingzhou, but a poem that 'stabilizes the country'! "
Fang Yun could not help but smile. He thought that County Magistrate Cai was indeed a Jinshi. He had discovered the beauty of this poem so quickly.
"County Magistrate, you are exaggerating, aren't you?" Wang Yuanjun was stunned. Based on the current situation, it was difficult for this poem to reach the level of stabilizing the country. This was because poems at the level of stabilizing the country and higher all had extremely outstanding performances in a certain aspect. They were either emotional, majestic, or as sharp as a knife. They were incomparably magnificent, strange, and so on.
County Magistrate Cai asked with a smile, "Can't you see that this is a classic poem?"
A classic poem was not a classic sentence, but it meant that this poem was extinct in a certain aspect, and it was very difficult for it to be the same.
"This …"
Everyone was discussing, but they could not see what was so "unique" about this poem. After all, a classic poem was too rare. Many scholars could not come up with one in their entire life. Poems of this level could only be found and not sought.
County Magistrate Cai said word by word, "Rooster, Sheng, Mao, Inn, Moon, Man, Trace, Board, Bridge, Frost! It can be said that every word is beautiful, unprecedented, how can it not be unique! "
Many people's expressions changed, and they rushed to the stone table to take a closer look. They actually pushed Fang Yun aside.
County Magistrate Cai cleverly grabbed onto the stone table, otherwise he would have been pushed away too.
"Indeed, every word is beautiful. This poem is unprecedented, unique for hundreds of generations. It is amazing, amazing!" High Scholar Su shouted, his face flushed red with excitement. Those who did not know would have thought that he had written a good poem.
Wang Yuanjun was so excited that the corners of her mouth were trembling, "Could it be that the saints have taken care of me, and my luck has changed? I actually have the chance to witness the birth of a poem that stabilizes the country? "
A few of the older Elementary Scholars had looks of infatuation on their faces. Their expressions were even more fanatical than a rapist who had been abstinent for twenty years and suddenly saw a naked woman.
"To be able to witness a poem that stabilizes the country, I can die without regrets, I can die without regrets!"
"A peerless genius, a peerless genius!"
The group of High Scholars were all shouting and wailing like crazy.
Wang Yuanjun could not hold himself back and stretched out his hand to take a closer look at the poem. In the end, he could not hold the piece of paper.
"This …" Wang Yuanjun had no choice but to use more strength before he could lift it up with both hands. It was obvious that he was using a lot of strength, as if he was holding a large rock.
Wang Yuanjun sighed, "A page weighs a hundred pounds. It is indeed a poem that stabilizes the country, there is no mistake about it!"
The piece of paper was not big and was very thin, but it was unusually heavy. Many people were seeing it for the first time and were extremely shocked.
"Why is the ink not scattered? Isn't this ink not touching the skin? An Elementary Scholar can do this, how can Fang Yun's words be like this? "
"How can a scholar be like you and me?"
"That's true."
"Nonsense! Even a scholar would not be able to do this in ten days. This is obviously Fang Yun's hard work. "
"Good."
The crowd took turns to observe and comment. Unknowingly, the sun had risen.
The morning light shone on Fang Yun's words and each word seemed to emit a faint glow.
"Every word is a gem." High Scholar Su praised.
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