The videos I watched became popular in ancient times

China has been a country of poetry since ancient times. For thousands of years, every state of mind of the Chinese people seems to have been expressed in ancient poetry.

Tenderness and affection, family, country and the world, use poetry to accompany wine, use poetry to make friends, use poetry to convey feelings, and use poetry to express aspirations.

Thousands of years later, we sit alone in the hustle and bustle of the world, recalling the events of those years, with a thousand thoughts in our hearts.

The poems express the poets' noble patriotic sentiments and their lofty ambitions.

It records their joys and sorrows, conveys their happiness, anger, sorrow and happiness, and also expresses their thoughts and experiences on life.

Based on the life stories of poets such as Li Bai, Du Fu, Bai Juyi, and Meng Haoran, the artistic conception of their poems is explained.

The book uses detailed allusions and extensive citations to tell the fascinating stories behind the prosperous Tang poetry and unfold the picture of the poets of the Tang Dynasty.

"In the second year of Emperor Gaozong's reign, Shen Quanqi, who was only 19 years old, passed the imperial examination and made a brilliant debut in the political arena of the Tang Dynasty as a young talent."

"Song Zhiwen was also a fellow Jinshi in the same year. Later, the two of them served as Xielü Lang and Kaogong Yuanwailang together, becoming the twin peaks of the imperial court poets."

"From then on, the literature and life of Shen Quanqi and Song Zhiwen became intertwined."

"The court poets are often despised by the upright gentlemen. In fact, in terms of talent alone, it is definitely much more difficult to be a court poet than to be a real poet."

"The latter only needs to be responsible for themselves and write out their true feelings."

“The former is like an actor. Every creation means playing a certain role well.”

"You also need to have the ability to read people's expressions and produce the most appropriate work at the most appropriate time, with the sole purpose of pleasing the emperor."

"This kind of work is not easy to do even for many natural slaves."

"Whether writing poetry or serving as an official, Shen Quanqi and Song Zhiwen were both unwilling to lag behind others, and the position of court poets indeed provided them with an excellent competitive stage."

"Tang Zhongzong once held a poetry competition and appointed Shangguan Wan'er, the most talented woman at the time, as the chief judge."

"Legend has it that when Shangguan Wan'er's mother was pregnant, she dreamed of an immortal descending and handing her a scale, saying that the scale could measure the talents of people all over the world."

"Although the legend is groundless, the fact that it has spread so widely naturally shows the status of Shangguan Wan'er in the hearts of scholars all over the world."

"It was an unprecedented event, and ministers wrote poems in response to the order."

"This kind of poetry is really difficult to write. Realism is not desirable. No one dares to criticize current ills and describe the suffering of the people in such an occasion."

"Critical realism is certainly unacceptable, and romanticism doesn't seem appropriate either."

"And all these little self-pitying sentiments are obviously too narcissistic. If you're not careful, they might be mistaken for blaming Your Majesty for not being able to use his talents properly."

"After much searching, the only suitable writing style is magical realism."

"Just sing praises and glorify the country as much as you can, whitewashing the situation. Doing politics is propaganda, and propaganda is magic."

"Of course, no one with any sense of morality would want to do this. At most, it's just a perfunctory move."

"Everyone knows that the people who are really unwilling to deal with this kind of competition in a perfunctory manner must be people like Song Zhiwen."

Xin Qiji: The statement that Mr. Quanqi also flattered Princess Taiping, Zhang Yizhi and other noblemen does not conform to historical facts.

All the political affairs and palace discussions that took place within the Li Tang Dynasty, especially during the more than 30 years when Empress Wu was in power and Princess Taiping participated in politics, involved more than a thousand people.

However, there are very few direct mentions of Shen Quanqi, and it is only indirectly mentioned that he and Song Zhiwen were both Shangyuan Jinshi.

They were both Xie Lu Lang and Kao Gong Yuanwai Lang, and were both famous court poets at that time.

Song was implicated in the Princess Taiping affair and was executed on the way to exile. As for his friendship with Zhang Yi, not a single word was mentioned.

One thing that needs to be clarified is that the case of Princess Taiping and Zhang Yizhi was an ironclad case at the time.

If Quanqi Gong was really involved in the incident, he would not have been rehabilitated during the reign of Emperor Ruizong, because these two people were also mortal enemies of Emperor Ruizong Li Dan.

But it is a fact that Shen Quanqi was exiled to Guanzhou.

Why was he exiled? What was the reason?
For the Shen family members, especially the descendants of Quanqi, it would be a pity if they don't verify it clearly.

As the 49th generation grandson of Quanqi, we can find some evidence of his injustice from his poems.

In the poem "Being Deflated", Quanqi Gong first said that it is not easy to know people, and it is easy to lose what is not valuable.

Why do you follow the national rules and scold others without any guilt?

These four sentences make it very clear. The first two sentences are exclamations, meaning that the candidate is not virtuous and is instead falsely accused.

The last two sentences mean that he was impeached and interrogated by the person he had recommended, but the person who interrogated him did not abide by the laws of the time. The villain was in power and imposed some false charges on him.

Next, it is said that when I was young, I was an official, and I had never opened the law. Once the law was enforced, I was busy and restless.

This means that when he first entered officialdom, he wrote poems for the emperor. He focused on his professionalism and did not understand the intrigues in officialdom.

Being convicted without reason and feeling at a loss is a kind of reflection after suffering a blow.

According to textual research and analysis, there are three real reasons why Quanqi Gong was convicted, imprisoned and exiled.

One is that he is young, honest, talented, and has been favored for a long time, which makes people jealous.

Mr. Quanqi passed the imperial examination and entered the officialdom at a very young age. He was an upright person who did not care about the rules of being an official and loved to speak his mind, which offended people.

Also, during the reign of Emperor Wu, he often wrote poems with the emperor's relatives and relatives, which made him very talented and attracted envy.

Such things are not uncommon today, let alone during the period when feudal society was prosperous.

Secondly, when serving as a Censor or a Minister, he violated the taboo that the later official should not bring shame upon the previous official, thus making enemies.

According to what Quanqi described in his poems, he was a man of quiet nature and austere lifestyle.

When he was a high-ranking official, he did not accept disciples or form cliques, and lacked the basic foundation to be a high-ranking official.

He is neither rude nor secretive about the mistakes made by his ex. He corrects them when necessary and overturns them when necessary, and he is a bit stubborn.

One thing that can be seen is that he offended too many people when he was in favor, so that after he was impeached, no one in the court came out to speak for him, and most people took advantage of his misfortune.

Third, he was implicated and became a victim of court political struggle.

It is worth mentioning that the three major events of the Cambodian coup, Empress Wei’s interference in government affairs, and Wu Zetian’s death all occurred in the first year of Shenlong.

Empress Wu Zetian was forced to move to Shangyang Palace in Luoyang. A group of her trusted old ministers in Chang'an were completely looted, and Duke Quanqi was among them.

After the Wei family intervened in the government, they hunted down and killed many people of the Wu Zhou Dynasty. Those who committed serious crimes or those against whom there was solid evidence were often executed, and the rest were imprisoned, numbering more than a thousand.

The reason why Duke Quanqi was not executed by imperial decree was that Emperor Zhongzong issued an imperial decree that the ministers of Wu Zhou could not be killed indiscriminately, and also because there was no confirmed evidence against the person he falsely accused.

To sum up, the first and second reasons are just superficial phenomena, and the real reason for going to jail is the third one.

That is, the Emperor Wu, whom he followed, withdrew from the stage of history, and was forced to do so.

The new powerful people will not let the old people go, not to mention that Wei is a vicious woman with a strong sense of revenge.

On his way to being demoted to Fangzhou, Zhongzong made a promise to Wei that once he came to power, he would allow Wei to participate in state affairs.

Duke Quanqi was a favorite of Emperor Wu of Han. Emperor Wu of Han always looked down on Wei, even though they were mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

But the main issue was the relationship between political enemies. Could Wei let go of Quanqi Gong, the favorite minister of Emperor Wu? Obviously not.

If someone impeaches him, he will suffer this disaster. If no one impeaches him, he will still not be able to escape this disaster.

The family members implicated along with Duke Quanqi included two young sons, two older brothers, and three younger brothers.

He suffered a lot in prison and was often tortured by the jailers. The prison environment was very poor.

There were bed lice everywhere, I couldn't eat for three days, and I hadn't combed my hair for two months.

It was midsummer and I contracted malaria, almost tormented to death.

However, he was unwilling to accept the injustice he had suffered and his determination to redress the shame kept him going.

He set out from Chang'an and traveled through Sichuan, Hunan and Yunnan for a year before arriving at his place of exile, Huanzhou, where he lived for five years.

"Song Zhiwen happened to meet his match. Shen Quanqi is not only as talented as himself, but also as upright as himself."

"Shangguan Wan'er stood upstairs, reviewing the poems from a high position. She threw down any poems she disliked. This was truly the most artistic high-altitude throwing of objects in Chinese history."

"Of course, there are very few poems that can please the well-informed Shangguan Wan'er. The poems keep flying down from the top of the building like snowflakes."

"Soon, the only poems left were those of Song Zhiwen and Shen Quanqi."

“Although there is a saying that there is no best in literature, as long as there is a judge, the good and the bad can be distinguished.”

"Shangguan Wan'er considered for some time, and finally decided to abandon Shen Quanqi's poems, and then summarize."

"The poems of Shen and Song are equally good, but after careful appreciation, Shen Quanqi's conclusion is that I am a humble official with a rotten character, ashamed to see the talent of Yuzhang, and my literary spirit has ended here."

"Song Zhiwen's concluding sentence is: Don't worry about the moon ending, there will be night pearls. The words are finished but the meaning is not, the sound is still lingering."

"As a literary criticism, Shangguan Wan'er's words are quite fair and insightful even today."

"Poetry and prose are not always like the person, but are actually based on the individual's temperament."

"Song Zhiwen is treacherous and cruel in his actions, always leaving no stone unturned and leaving no room for maneuver."

"So he had a life of ups and downs, and in the end he was ordered to commit suicide."

"Shen Quanqi was much gentler, although he was also corrupt and committed crimes like Song Zhiwen, and he also suffered in prison for standing on the wrong side of politics."

“But I finally made it through, and finally saw the sunset that Song Zhiwen had never seen.”

"Regular poetry was not formally formed until the hands of Shen Quanqi and Song Zhiwen, so even in ancient times when the orthodox concept was to discard literature because of the person who wrote it, people had to acknowledge the classic status of these two despicable villains."

"In fact, the motives for Shen Quanqi and Song Zhiwen to study the rhythm and parallelism of poetry were neither noble nor elegant."

"As a court poet, I can't innovate in content, so I can only innovate in form." "A poem that sings praises and glorifies the good and the evil, no matter how well it is written, will always be of low quality."

"The only way to make up for it is to refine it to the utmost so that the beauty of the poem's form completely overwhelms the beauty of its content."

"In other words, if you want to sell radishes at a high price, you have to carve them into flowers, line them with gold foil, and serve them on exquisite porcelain plates with aristocratic silver tableware."

"Dirty motives, combined with genuine talent, finally created the new style of poetry, the regulated verse, which is extremely beautiful in form."

Li Qingzhao: The past of Tang Dynasty poets, the originator of Tang Dynasty regulated verse by Shen Quanqi.

It is not quite clear what Quanqi Gong did after entering politics. Based on the birth and death years of Quanqi Gong and some fragmentary records mentioned in his poems, we can only make a brief examination.

Mr. Quanqi was born in Neihuang County, Xiangzhou Prefecture, Henan Province in the first year of Tang Xianqing. He became a Jinshi in the first year of Shangyuan at the age of 18.

It was rare for him to pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi at the age of 18. He could be considered a child prodigy and could be said to have achieved success at a young age.

In December of that year, Wu Zetian reported twelve things to Emperor Gaozong of Tang in order to win over the hearts of the people and consolidate her political position.

This is the famous Twelve Imperial Decrees in history. One of the twelve articles is related to Duke Quanqi, namely, promoting officials with high talent but low rank.

Therefore, as soon as Duke Quanqi entered the official career, he directly entered the circle of the highest power group in the Tang Dynasty. His initial positions were Xielülang and Shizhi.

That is, when there was nothing to do, they would do clerical work or study poetry in the Southern Province. When the emperor went on a tour or had large-scale events, they would follow him and write some poems and essays in response to the emperor's orders.

As a poet of the time, he might have completed the standardization of regulated verse when he was working as a musician.

It can be found from his poems that this type of poetry has gorgeous words and strict rhythm, but it has no actual content and is rather empty.

At around the age of 30, he was promoted to the position of Kaogong Yuanwailang, a fifth or sixth rank official.

In the Tang Dynasty, officials above the fifth rank were nominated by the prime minister and appointed by the emperor. The Ministry of Examination was mainly responsible for matters related to the imperial examinations.

The imperial examinations in the Tang Dynasty were generally held every three years. As a Beijing official, you were not very busy in the years other than the major examinations.

Apart from official duties, his main job was still to serve Emperor Wu and compose poems in response.

Empress Wu Zetian was very good at writing five-character poems and was also famous for her calligraphy. Her flying white calligraphy was unique in ancient and modern times.

Therefore, she also attached great importance to talented people, and Quan Qigong was one of the talented people she valued at that time.

The five-character poems of Quanqi Gong and Song Zhiwen were the best among the poets who wrote poems in response to imperial orders in the court at that time.

Duke Quanqi was promoted from Kaogonglang to Jieshizhong, and then became Shangshu.

The term of office for the Imperial Censorate is 3 years, and the term of office for the Minister of State is 5 years.

Jieshizhong was a very high-ranking official in the Tang Dynasty, of the third rank, and was specifically responsible for the daily government affairs of the Secretariat.

In the Tang Dynasty, the position of Shangshu was usually held by officials of the third rank or above, and was among the Nine Ministers, which could be described as very prominent.

These verses aptly describe the status and prestige of the official position of Jieshizhong in the Secretariat.

In the Tang Dynasty, important positions like Jieshizhong could only be held by people trusted by the emperor or his confidants.

During the reign of Emperor Wu, Duke Quanqi's official career was indeed smooth sailing. He was always active around the highest power group and had never served as a local official.

It can be seen from his poems that no matter what position he held, the emperor attached great importance to him and he was always invited to any activities.

In his official career, he was a middle-level official before he was 40 years old, but he was very favored.

After he turned 40, he became a high-ranking official and was favored for more than 30 years, which is rare in officialdom.

"Before Shen and Song, the form of poetry was quite simple and crude, and it was almost dominated by five-character poems, and its model was the works of pseudo-Su Wu and Li Ling."

"Later, seven-character poems gradually became popular, and the rules of rhythm and parallelism became more complex and strict."

"If it weren't for Shen Quanqi and Song Zhiwen's development and integration of the beautiful form of regulated verse."

"I'm afraid I won't be able to read Du Fu's "The endless fallen leaves rustle down, while the endless Yangtze River rolls on."

"And Li Shangyin's beautiful verses: The silkworm may not stop spinning silk until it dies, and the candle may not stop shedding tears until it is burned down to ashes."

"As a founder, Shen Quanqi's seven-character regulated verse is certainly not as good as Du Fu and Li Shangyin's."

"But you can also appreciate the beautiful and tender appearance of a butterfly just emerging from its cocoon."

"Shen Quanqi's most famous seven-character poem is "Unnoticed"."

"'Du Bu Jian' is an old title of Yuefu, and it often describes the feelings of missing someone but not being able to meet them."

"What Shen Quanqi wrote was exactly the longing of a wife for her husband who was guarding the frontier."

"The young lady of the Lu family lives in the yujintang, and the sea swallows live together on the hawksbill beams."

"The cold anvil in September urges the leaves to fall, and I miss Liaoyang after ten years of military service."

"No news from the north of Bailang River, long autumn nights in the south of Danfeng City."

"Who is the one who is so sad that he does not see it? The bright moon shines on the flowing yellow."

"In a gorgeous house, a beautiful young woman is alone and sad."

"She saw the swallows returning in pairs and building nests on the beams, and she couldn't help thinking of herself alone in her empty room, wondering when she would be able to reunite with her lover."

"The autumn wind in September is bleak, and the yellow leaves are blowing down one after another. Winter is about to come, and I wonder how cold it must be in Liaoyang in the north where my husband has been stationed for ten years."

"We are thousands of miles apart and have no way of communicating. No matter how much I miss you, I can't write to let him know."

"I can only face this long night alone, struggling to get through the time in sleepless nights."

"Am I the only one who has to bear this sadness? Look at the bright moon shining on the tassels of the empty bed, as if it is comforting this sadness."

"This kind of poetry is already a true rhythmic form."

"The wind starts from the tip of the green duckweed, which is the torrent of regular regulated verse after the heyday of the Tang Dynasty."

"A song like "Du Bu Jian" is just the tip of the iceberg that has been overlooked by people."

"Shen Quanqi's courtesy name is Yunqing. The name and courtesy name echo each other, indicating that he has the appearance of an immortal and aspiration to become an immortal. This is a sign of the prevalence of Taoism in the Tang Dynasty."

"However, Shen Quanqi never transcended worldly matters throughout his life, and always struggled in the world of fame and fortune."

Wen Tianxiang: A controversial poet in the Tang Dynasty, Shen Quanqi's ten poems perfectly integrate scenery and emotions.

The poems of Shen Quanqi, a poet in the early Tang Dynasty, have never been praised.

Because he stayed in the palace for a long time and mainly wrote poems in response to imperial orders, poems on this subject have never been taken seriously.

Putting aside issues of his character and history, and appreciating his works purely from the perspective of poetic art, Shen Quanqi made outstanding contributions to regulated verse.

Shen Quanqi passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi at the age of 19. In the following years, his official career went smoothly and he was highly appreciated by Wu Zetian.

The stable period of his official career was the first stage of his poetry creation, and the poems at this time were mainly commissioned poems.

The poems reflect the legacy of Qi and Liang dynasties, with a gorgeous style and mostly eulogizing the merits of others.

However, compared with the poems written in the Qi and Liang dynasties, Shen Quanqi's poems in response to imperial orders during this period showed a more majestic and refined quality, pursued parallelism, and had more profound thoughts.

In the first stage of his creative career, in addition to commissioned poems, there were also some farewell poems and poems expressing his feelings.

The poems on these themes are more substantial in thought, simpler in language, and more down-to-earth in artistic conception, which are completely different from the commissioned poems that pursue a gorgeous style.

In addition, in terms of poetic style, Shen Quanqi's poems during this period shifted from ancient style to new style.

In particular, new style poems account for the vast majority, mainly pentasyllabic poems, which pay attention to rhyme and rhythm.

The second stage was the most unsuccessful time in Shen Quanqi's political career.

He was impeached and imprisoned for taking bribes during the imperial examination, and was later implicated by the two Zhang brothers and demoted to Lingnan.

During the four or five years, the poems created by Shen Quanqi became richer in content and more substantial in ideological realm.

Instead of pursuing gorgeous words, he used real emotions to create an alternative poetic realm.

In addition, the poet's heart is conflicted and fragile at this time.

He often uses objects around him to describe people, and uses scenery to express his emotions and express his own thoughts.

From the perspective of artistic value, the art of poetry at this time is much higher than that of the first stage.

It is worth mentioning that when he was exiled to Lingnan, he witnessed the scenery of Lingnan with his own eyes.

He expresses his melancholy, homesickness and frustration, and also describes the mountains and rivers of Lingnan, reflecting an alternative aesthetic connotation.

Furthermore, during the second creative stage, Shen Quanqi was pardoned and returned to the north. He was naturally happy to hear the news and expressed his urgent desire to return to the north in his poems.

On his way back north, he again used objects to express his emotions, and this time his mood was no longer heavy.

It reflects a hint of joy, while at the same time reflecting deeply on one's own situation and future.

The third stage was from his return to the capital until his death.

During this period, Shen Quanqi returned to the palace to write poems in response to imperial orders, but the poems he wrote at this time had higher artistic value than those in the first stage.

Although his poems in response to imperial orders could not escape the ornate style, his writing also showed a lively and fluent side.

In addition, he pursues the beauty of nature and the beauty of the realm, the blending of emotion and scene, and with his rich imagination, he moves from scene to emotion, forming a seamless whole.

Shen Quanqi attached great importance to the use of imagery. In his poems of exile, he used imagery to express his inner thoughts and outlook on life. This writing technique is also influential.

Shen Quanqi also made a major contribution. He was the creator of the pentasyllabic regulated verse, in which he used natural and appropriate rhythms.

Giving his poems the right rhythm played a vital role in the poetry world of the heyday of the Tang Dynasty. (End of this chapter)