The videos I watched became popular in ancient times

The ancients are not seen before, and the comers are not seen later.

Reading the leisure of the world, but sullenly.

It was the greatest loner, Chen Zi'ang, who wrote this unprecedented and unparalleled tragic song of life.

This was also the most outstanding achievement of Chen Zi'ang's life. With just one poem, he was deified and became the greatest poet in the early Tang Dynasty.

When looking through the history of Tang poetry, Chen Zi'ang is a figure that cannot be skipped, after all, his poetry and poetry theory are too dazzling.

Of course, what is also dazzling is his bumpy and extremely tragic life.

As the greatest loner, Chen Zi'ang's life was truly extremely lonely.

There were so many talented people in the early Tang Dynasty that it could be described as a battle between gods, and Chen Zi'ang was undoubtedly the most arrogant poet in the early Tang Dynasty.

As a genius who appears only once every five hundred years, Chen Zi'ang's poetic style profoundly influenced all Tang Dynasty poets who came after him.

No matter whether it is Li Bai or Du Fu, all the poets who can be ranked in the top of the Tang Dynasty are die-hard fans of Chen Zi'ang, which is enough to show Chen Zi'ang's status as a big brother in the literary world of the early Tang Dynasty.

"In 684 AD, the streets of Chang'an were bustling with people."

"Among them, there was a young man in gorgeous clothes, walking forward alone with his head down, muttering something from time to time."

"He seemed a little absent-minded. There was no smile on his handsome face. His brows were tightly furrowed, and he looked like he had a lot on his mind."

"The exam that the young man in Chinese clothing is talking about is the imperial examination that originated in the Sui Dynasty and flourished in the Tang Dynasty. And he is Chen Ziang."

"When talking about Tang Dynasty poets, there are many who could write poems at the age of seven and compose fu at the age of ten, but Chen Zi'ang is an exception."

"The family is rich, the second generation of the rich. The master of the Chen family, Chen Yuanjing, is from a famous family. He is generous and righteous, brave and kind."

"And this young master of the Chen family has learned his father's generosity, righteousness and courage. He is also generous and chivalrous."

"Although he is very intelligent, he has no interest in writing. He likes to hang out outside with a sword on his back all day."

"Chen Zi'ang wielded the spear and the stick like this, and when he was seventeen or eighteen years old, he was still unrestrained and played around as he pleased."

"I haven't read many books, and I haven't made any achievements, but I often get into trouble."

"If things continue like this, if you're lucky you'll become a warrior, if you're unlucky you'll end up being a gangster."

"An accidental event changed Chen Ziang's life and added a dazzling star to the sky of Tang poetry."

"At that time, Chen Ziang accidentally injured someone, and my father had to step in, make arrangements, pay compensation and apologize, and finally the incident was settled."

"The father also reflected on it and felt that his son's behavior was not a long-term solution and that he had not done a good job in educating his child."

"So he had a serious talk with Chen Zi'ang. When Wang Bo was nine years old, he dared to point out that the great scholar Yan Shigu's annotations to the Han Shu were wrong."

"Perhaps stimulated by this incident, Chen Ziang suddenly came to his senses and vowed to give up military career and pursue literature."

"I put my weapons into storage, threw my precious sword aside, went into my study, turned a deaf ear to what was happening outside, and focused on reading the books of sages."

"He studied hard, delved deeply into classics and history, and set up the political ideal of saving the world and serving the country."

"It wasn't long before he had read a hundred schools of thought and his literary level surpassed that of his father."

"Student Chen Ziang has also become a model young man who has turned over a new leaf and successfully transformed himself."

"Learn the arts of literature and martial arts, and sell them to the emperor."

"This was almost the only way out for scholars in the feudal period, and Chen Ziang was no exception."

"Conscious that he had learned something, Chen Zi'ang packed his bag and set off towards Chang'an, the place of his dreams, facing the morning glow."

"After arriving in Chang'an City, Chen Ziang still understood his weakness of poor cultural foundation. He still had to find a cram school to make up for the lessons and let the teacher highlight the key points for the exam."

"The best cram school in the capital is naturally the Imperial Academy, which has the dual nature of a national education management agency and the highest institution of learning."

"The students who can get in are either from wealthy or powerful families, either rich or noble."

"After studying in the Imperial Academy for a period of time, in the spring of the second year, Chen Ziang walked into the examination room full of confidence."

"But their foundation is too poor. They all studied very hard for more than ten years."

"How can he be compared to Chen Ziang, who changed his career halfway and had to suffer the bitter fruit of failing the exam."

Zhang Jiuling: Chen Zi'ang, from a dissolute rich second-generation to the flag bearer of Tang Dynasty poetry.

In the fourth year of Xianqing reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang Dynasty, Chen Zi'ang was born into a wealthy family in Shehong County, Zizhou.

From the moment he was born, his life was destined to have a goal: spend money, spend money, and pay back money.

As a willful rich second generation, he often traveled around with a group of rich kids since he was a child.

They gathered together all day long, riding horses and holding swords, self-righteously taking it as their responsibility to suppress the strong and help the weak.

This went on day after day, until Chen Zi'ang was seventeen or eighteen years old, he still did not understand classical Chinese poetry.

While he was doing his best to help others, he accidentally injured someone with his sword. The sight of the injured person bleeding profusely made Chen Zi'ang at a loss, and even the sword in his hand became unusually heavy.

Gradually, more and more people gathered around, and some in the crowd even began to angrily accuse him of bullying the weak.

The young Chen Zi'ang stood there in a daze, not knowing how to face the sudden accusations from the people.

This also made him doubt his own actions for the first time in his life.

Fortunately, the injured person was rescued later, and with the help of his wealthy father, the problem was finally properly resolved.

After Chen Zi'ang returned home, he began to reflect on himself.

He found that his years of chivalry and justice seemed to be in the wrong way, and he realized that the freedom to travel the world with a sword was conditional.

Freedom needs to be constrained by rules and cannot be allowed to act recklessly and lawlessly.

It was this incident that allowed Chen Zi'ang, who had been living a life of drunkenness and dreams, to calm down for the first time and reflect on his life over the past nearly twenty years.

The Tang Dynasty at that time had already begun to show signs of prosperity. The people born in such a vast empire all wanted to make contributions to the country and were eager to leave their own names in this great history.

When everyone around you is studying the books of sages like crazy, just to get into Chang'an and pass the imperial examination.

Chen Zi'ang, who had never had any interest in studying for the imperial examinations, finally put down his sword and reined in his horse, and put away his desire to be a knight-errant. Like most young people in the Tang Dynasty, he also embarked on the path of preparing for the imperial examinations.

To outsiders, Chen Zi'ang, who was seventeen or eighteen years old and was planning to start learning from scratch, was just a whim of a playboy.

But soon these people discovered that the young master Chen, who used to drink and have fun in the streets of Shehong County every day and led Huang Qincang, was missing.

For two or three years, Chen Zi'ang was like an old monk in meditation, swimming in the sea of ​​books and literature.

It took Chen Zi'ang only three years to read through the poetry and literature that would take others a lifetime to complete.

It was during these three short years that he transformed from an illiterate and uneducated man into a scholar with a wealth of knowledge.

It was as if his Ren and Du meridians were suddenly opened, and the articles written by Chen Zi'ang were profound and long-lasting.

Many people who have read his articles have expressed their feelings that his words reflect the character of Yang Xiong and Sima Xiangru.

Chen Zi'ang, who already possessed sufficient talent, finally officially left Sichuan in the first year of Emperor Gaozong of Tang's Tiaolu reign. In order to make himself known to the public, he entered the Imperial College in Chang'an to study.

He took the imperial examination the following year, and as expected, failed.

Such failures were not over yet, because two years later, the 21-year-old Chen Zi'ang received his second failure in the imperial examination.

Talent without fame is like fine wine hidden deep in a cellar. In the first year of Wu Zetian's reign, Chen Zi'ang rushed to Chang'an in a dusty state, preparing to take part in the imperial examination for the third time.

The two failures had made him deeply aware of the crux of the problem. If he couldn't make the dignitaries in Chang'an City remember him, it would be useless even if he took the exam thirty times.

At this time, a vendor selling huqin on the streets of Chang'an attracted Chen Zi'ang's attention.

The merchant asked for a million dollars, which immediately attracted countless heroes and dignitaries to watch, but no one dared to answer.

Chen Zi'ang, who had always been unknown, immediately thought of a way to increase his popularity. This rich young man bought the huqin without blinking an eye.

The next day, he spent a large sum of money to book a luxurious restaurant in Xuanyangli, Chang'an, and entertained the heroes and nobles who were present yesterday to drink and appreciate the piano.

When everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Chen Ziang destroyed the million-dollar erhu on the spot.

While everyone was stunned, Chen Zi'ang distributed the poems he had written in the past to everyone present.

Although Chen Ziang's marketing campaign cost a lot of money, the fame he gained was far beyond imagination.

When talent meets sufficient fame, it becomes natural for Chen Zi'ang to be on the list.

Thus, in the early years of Wu Zetian's reign, the 23-year-old Chen Zi'ang finally passed the imperial examination and stepped half a foot into the officialdom of the Tang Dynasty he had always dreamed of.

"After failing the exam, Chen Ziang did not commit suicide, nor did he complain about the heavens or the earth. Instead, he obediently returned to his hometown, Jinhua Mountain, to continue his studies."

"After studying hard for a while, I took the next exam, but I didn't expect the sound of the waves to remain the same."

"Although he failed the exam twice in a row, his creative level improved rapidly during this period of study, and it also laid a solid foundation for his future literary innovation."

"Chen Ziang, who stood on Chang'an Avenue for the third time, had become more mature after years of experience, and his social experience was no longer comparable to that of his rookie days."

“Without a name and a recommendation, it’s hard to get admitted.”

"Although Chen Zi'ang's family is considered wealthy in Sichuan, they are not well-known in the capital and are nothing."

"If no one appreciates you, it will be hard to get into high school."

"After finally figuring out the reason, Chen Ziang smiled with relief. To become famous, that's easy. Just rely on your real talent and knowledge."

"Chen Ziang, who was in a good mood, suddenly heard a commotion in front of him. He looked up and found that he had walked to the West Market without realizing it."

"There is a large group of people gathered in front, and they seem to be discussing something."

"As I got closer, I saw that there was a man in the middle holding a guqin in both hands, looking very excited."

"Since Fuxi invented the zither, it has become the favorite of ancient Chinese scholars."

"During the Han, Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties, scholars and hermits would be embarrassed to greet others if they could not play a few pieces of music."

“Therefore, the qin often appears in the daily conversations of the rich and powerful and celebrities, and matters related to the qin easily become the focus of their attention.”

"Chen Ziang struggled to squeeze into the crowd, walked up to the merchant, took a look at the zither, and bought it without bargaining."

"Chen Ziang naturally understood everyone's thoughts. He smiled slightly and spoke loudly to everyone."

"Tomorrow at this time on Xuanyangli Street in Chang'an, I will play this zither live. Everyone is welcome to come and watch."

"Everyone in the streets and alleys, in every market, is talking about this matter. Naturally, the news has also spread to many powerful and wealthy families."

"The next day, Chang'an Xuanyangli Street was crowded with people early on."

"Everyone wants to see what this rich kid looks like, and then hear what sound is worth a million dollars."

"Many of the rich and powerful, as well as famous people and scholars, came here."

"So the desire to watch excitement and unusual things does not discriminate between the rich and the poor; it is human nature."

"Under the eager gazes of the crowd, Chen Ziang made a grand appearance holding the newly-purchased violin, and everyone's emotions reached a climax at this moment."

"Looking around, after the voices died down for a while, Chen Ziang smashed the zither to the ground and stepped on it several times."

"While everyone was stunned, he calmly took out the original poems he had prepared and distributed them on the spot."

"It turns out that what Chen Ziang wanted people to appreciate was not his piano playing, but his literary works."

"This hype was undoubtedly a huge success. The piano-smashing incident made Chen Ziang's reputation spread throughout the capital."

"His poems and essays spread throughout the capital, and were praised by the powerful and literati."

"Among them was a man named Wang Shi, who was then the Minister of Works of Jingzhao and was quite talented." "After reading Chen Zi'ang's article, he was amazed and praised this man as a great literary talent in China!"

"With the praise and endorsement of celebrities, Chen Ziang became an instant hit in the capital."

Li Bai: Chen Zi'ang, who opened the golden age of Tang poetry, sang a tragic song throughout his life.

Officials in the Tang Dynasty must have been outstanding people, except for the extremely abnormal number of Jinshi candidates.

Even after going through so much trouble to pass the imperial examination, one would only enter the talent pool of civil servants in the Tang Dynasty.

After the imperial examinations, a series of more professional and difficult selection examinations awaited the candidates of the Tang Dynasty.

But what no one expected was that the maverick Chen Zi'ang bypassed all the examinations and broke into the officialdom of the Tang Dynasty in a way that others dared not even think of.

From the moment he put aside his nature and decided to study and enter officialdom, Chen Zi'ang had already prepared himself to be both lonely and upright.

He always wanted to serve his country and was afraid that he would be lost in the crowd.

For Chen Zi'ang, being an official was not for the sake of wealth and honor. If it was just for wealth and honor, why would he leave Sichuan?

He wanted to be like Wei Zheng, a loyal minister who was not afraid of death and could advise the king on his mistakes.

However, when an official has the common people in his heart, he will be seen as an outlier who breaks the rules of the game in the eyes of those who are in the officialdom of the Tang Dynasty who are greedy and frivolous and who do nothing but eat and drink.

When Chen Zi'ang decided to become the second Wei Zheng, he had already laid the groundwork for his bleak official career and tragic life.

In the first year of Emperor Gaozong of Tang's Hongdao reign, the Tang Dynasty lost a gentle emperor.

With the end of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Zhi, the era of Wu Zetian officially arrived.

Li Zhi died in Luoyang. Whether to transport his body back to the imperial capital Chang'an became the focus of debate among civil and military officials in the court.

Just as Wu Zetian was looking at the confusion of civil and military officials in the hall, an article titled "A Letter to the Emperor on His Imperial Entry into the Capital" caught her eye.

Wu Zetian seldom praised others. The last person she praised for his talent was Luo Binwang, one of the Four Talents of the Early Tang Dynasty.

When Wu Zetian finished reading "Letter to the Emperor on His Return to the Capital", she was immediately attracted by the unrestrained and vast writing style and the ability to cite classics. The three words "Chen Zi'ang" appeared in her mouth for the first time.

At that time, Chen Zi'ang was just a Jinshi with honors but no official position. When he heard that Wu Zetian was going to summon him in person, all the literary and military strategies that he had hidden in his heart after years of hard study were released in an instant.

Facing questions from the highest authority of the Tang Empire, the frail Chen Zi'ang talked about the foundation of the country, the division of territory, the harmony between the monarch and his subjects, and the way of being a monarch. The generosity in his words moved even the decisive Wu Zetian.

This meeting earned Chen Zi'ang a minor official position below the ninth rank, whose daily duty was to proofread texts.

But this meeting means much more to Chen Zi'ang than that.

In the Tang Dynasty where aristocrats were in power, Chen Zi'ang, who was not from a noble family, was summoned and recognized by the supreme ruler. He must have been very grateful to Wu Zetian in his heart.

When a loyal minister meets a wise ruler, Chen Zi'ang must have thought of the combination of Li Shimin and Wei Zheng decades ago.

From that moment on, he decided to repay the emperor's kindness with his life.

But Chen Zi'ang was wrong, very wrong.

When Wu Zetian cleared all obstacles and officially became emperor, Chen Zi'ang, with great excitement, wrote "Song of Zhou's Mandate", and the words were full of praise for the empress.

Unfortunately, Wu Zetian never truly understood him.

In the eyes of the Queen, Chen Zi'ang's usefulness is actually limited to this.

All she needed from the beginning to the end was someone who would sing praises for her rule, so Wu Zetian could not see what kind of political passion Chen Zi'ang possessed in his heart.

For Chen Zi'ang, this was a kind of sadness of being thrown off his horse by a good mentor.

Later, Wu Zetian gradually began to reveal her ambitions.

She began to employ cruel officials and fabricated charges to attack her political enemies, making the court chaotic and fearful.

At this time, Chen Zi'ang also saw through Wu Zetian completely, and his heart was filled with despair with this discovery.

Even though he was later promoted to You Shiyi, he did not feel happy at all.

Chen Zi'ang's greatest sorrow also came here, when he found that his impassioned speech received no response from the king.

When he found that his ambitions were wasted with the passage of time, Chen Zi'ang felt the first sense of frustration after entering the officialdom.

A person can be as humble as dust, but cannot be twisted like a maggot.

In the end, Chen Zi'ang, who often expressed opposing views, could not escape the clutches of the cruel officials and was arrested and imprisoned for two years.

In prison, he turned all his unfulfilled ambitions into ink.

The barrier of extravagant literary style that continued the Six Dynasties suddenly collapsed under his writing.

"Chen Zi'ang's hype of buying a zither for a huge sum of money in order to pass the imperial examination is quite in line with the true meaning of buying bones for a huge sum of money."

"Among the literati, he is considered a master of self-promotion and packaging, which is much better than writing poems to pay homage to others."

"In the subsequent imperial examination, Chen Zi'ang, who was famous in the capital, finally got what he wanted and became a Jinshi, opening a new chapter in his life."

"For a period of time thereafter, Chen Zi'ang's political career went quite smoothly."

"He was first summoned by Empress Wu Zetian, and she spoke passionately and with unique insights."

"Soon after, Chen Ziang was promoted to the 8th rank Right Picker, and his deputy section level was changed to section level."

"Wu Zetian appreciated Chen Ziang's talent, and everything he reported was not for his own personal gain."

"At first, I was quite tolerant of him, but later I simply stopped listening to Chen Zi'ang's memorials."

"In 694, during the political struggle at the imperial court, Chen Zi'ang was imprisoned because of his involvement in the rebellious party."

“Life is like a roller coaster, going from highs to lows all of a sudden.”

"Later, although Chen Zi'ang was released by Wu Zetian, he had lost the emperor's trust."

"Besides, he has offended many powerful people, so his friends dare not approach him."

"At this time, Chen Ziang felt the fickleness of human nature and the difficulty of his career."

"Frustrated and frustrated, Chen Ziang plans to join the army in the frontier to change his world and the way of life."

"In the second year of Chuigong, he followed Wu Youyi, the King of Jian'an, on an expedition to the northeast to suppress the Khitan despite his illness, and served as Wu Youyi's advisor as the Right Picker of Relics."

"Wu Youyi is Wu Zetian's nephew. He knows nothing about military affairs. He gave blind orders on the battlefield and the vanguard was quickly defeated by the Khitan."

"Chen Zi'ang repeatedly volunteered to go into battle, which annoyed Wu Youyi, who demoted him to acting sergeant."

"I was neglected in the imperial court, and I had no chance to serve my country in the army, and my ambitions were not realized."

"Chen Ziang climbed up the Youzhou Terrace with a feeling of loss and depression."

"Chen Zi'ang stood on the Youzhou Terrace, which had experienced thousands of years of vicissitudes, looking at the vast land and reminiscing about the past."

"I thought of the heroic figure of the famous Yan general Le Yi, who once galloped across this land, killing enemies and avenging his master."

"It reminds me of my own miserable life, where my talent is not appreciated."

"He could only turn his full heart of sorrow into poetry, and with tears in his eyes he sang the famous "Song of Climbing the Tower in Youzhou". The lonely Chen Zi'ang had completely given up on politics."

"In 698, after returning to the capital with the army, Chen Zi'ang submitted a petition to resign from his post and return to farming, citing his father's old age and illness as an excuse."

"And just like that, Chen Ziang returned to his hometown in Shehong."

"The following year, his father passed away, and Chen Zi'ang stayed at home in mourning."

"During the mourning period, he cried incessantly, was almost out of breath, and was in very poor physical condition."

"Although Chen Ziang had already left the Jianghu, he was unable to spend the rest of his life in peace."

"Shehong County Magistrate Duan Jian was corrupt, violent and cruel. After receiving instructions from the bigwigs above and knowing that the Chen family was wealthy, he fabricated all kinds of charges against Chen Ziang and threw him into jail."

"The family gave 200,000 strings of cash to save Chen Zi'ang."

"But Duan Jian did not let Chen Ziang go. Instead, he thought the money was too little and tortured Chen Ziang, who was already very sick."

"Chen Ziang finally understood that the other party wanted both his money and his life."

"In prison, Chen Zi'ang, who had lost all his spirit, read his fortune for himself and finally cried out to the sky, 'I'm almost dead.'"

"In 702, Chen Zi'ang died unjustly in prison at the age of ."

"Chen Zi'ang's life was short, but it was also a life of generosity and tragedy."

Du Fu: Chen Zi'ang wrote the loneliest poem, became famous by smashing his zither, but was framed by the powerful and died in prison.

In the first year of Tongtian, the Khitan cavalry rebelled and invaded the border, and Wu Zetian decided to send troops to suppress it.

This incident once again rekindled Chen Zi'ang's extinguished inner love. He seemed to have seen his own way to serve his country, so he resolutely gave up his pen and took up arms, following the Prince of Jian'an, Wu Youyi, into the war.

Chen Zi'ang didn't know at the time that this war was still full of the flavor of power.

Wu Zetian dispatched a full 5 troops to attack Yingzhou in order to establish the prestige of the Wu family in the army.

But Wu Youyi was reckless and had no military strategy, and he did not know how to lead troops at all.

After causing the defeat of the vanguard army, he directly ordered the entire army to station in Youzhou and refused to advance a single step.

At this time, Chen Zi'ang was serving as a staff officer in Wu Youyi's court. He realized the danger of keeping the troops stationed, so he advised Wu Youyi and took the initiative to request to go to war.

However, Wu Youyi, who did not seek to achieve anything but to avoid mistakes, not only did not accept his advice, but demoted him to a sergeant and forbade him to participate in any decision-making.

Chen Zi'ang's passion suddenly dropped to freezing point, and his burning desire to serve the country was extinguished.

The yellow sand was rolling and the body was wrapped in horsehide. Wu Youyi's stubbornness resulted in complete defeat.

Chen Zi'ang, filled with grief and indignation, revisited his hometown and sighed out the "Song of Climbing the Tower in Youzhou" which was the eternal loneliness that belonged only to him, Chen Zi'ang.

The ancients are not seen before, and the comers are not seen later.

Reading the leisure of the world, but sullenly.

Some people say that Chen Zi'ang must have experienced unforgettable frustration before he could write about this loneliness so thoroughly.

In fact, the reason why Chen Zi'ang's loneliness can shine brightly and stand out in the long river of history is that the essence of this loneliness is written with passion.

Just as there is no greater sorrow than a dead heart, there is as much sadness in loneliness as there was passion in the past.

The disheartened Chen Zi'ang resigned and returned home on the grounds that his father was old and ill, and was treated favorably by Wu Zetian by retaining his official position and salary.

After returning home, Chen Zi'ang planned the rest of his life and decided to let go of all his ties.

He built a house in the mountains and forests of his hometown, Shehong County, and devoted all his time to writing books.

Since I can't change the world, I'll just pass on my thoughts and ideas to future generations.

But Chen Zi'ang forgot one thing: political persecution never ends until one is dead.

When Chen Zi'ang chose to leave, a pair of eyes in Chang'an City were staring at his receding back.

In the third year after Chen Zi'ang returned to his hometown, at the instruction of the powerful official Wu Sansi, the magistrate of Shehong County fabricated charges and threw him into jail.

The frail Chen Zi'ang suffered every kind of humiliation in prison. Although his family tried to rescue him in many ways, he ultimately could not bear the humiliation and died unjustly in prison.

When Chen Zi'ang died, the prelude to the prosperous Tang Dynasty was about to begin, and the glorious moment of the Tang Dynasty poetry world had gradually emerged.

Chen Zi'ang was like a bridge between the early Tang Dynasty and the prosperous Tang Dynasty, and he promoted the innovation of poetry and prose with his own efforts.

This completed the transformation of Tang poetry from being obsessed with the decadent style of Qi and Liang to pursuing elegance. (End of this chapter)