Tang Dynasty: A Guide to Avoiding Pitfalls for Li Er at the Start

Chapter 301 Who are you to dare speak to me like that?
In Merlin.

Ma Zhou and several poor scholars dressed in coarse clothes were surrounded by a group of aristocratic sons in fine clothes.

The young man in the blue robe at the head of the group glanced at Ma Zhou with disdain: "Don't think that you can rise to the top just because you've climbed someone's high branch. The way to be an official lies in talent and learning. Those who are neither talented nor virtuous will surely be discarded like worn-out shoes in the future!"

Shangguan Yi, standing beside him, had a calm expression, but a hint of undisguised smugness crept onto his lips.

He was already resentful.

Not long ago, we were all scholars in plain clothes. Ma Zhou only became a censor by taking advantage of Wen He's influence. How did he do that?
Therefore, they specially invited Ma Zhou and other poor scholars to come here to "appreciate the plum blossoms," ostensibly to exchange ideas, but in reality, they wanted to publicly suppress Ma Zhou and use him to enhance their own reputation.

However, they miscalculated the most crucial point.

Wen He, who was usually lazy, was forcibly dragged here by Li Shimin.

They were making veiled accusations, unaware that the real target was watching them closely.

Ma Zhou's face was ashen, and he clenched his fists.

He wanted to refute, but Shangguan Yi's poem was indeed outstanding, and the surrounding aristocratic youths were making a fuss, so he couldn't find the words to say for a moment.

"If you can't do it, you'd better leave now, lest you become a laughingstock here!"

Another richly dressed young man mocked.

A burst of laughter erupted around him, the piercing sound like needles pricking the hearts of the poor scholar.

Not far away, Li Shimin watched this scene with an eerily calm expression, and said indifferently, "The sons of these aristocratic families and gentry are quite harmonious today."

As soon as he finished speaking, the expressions of the crowd watching the show around him changed drastically.

His Majesty's tone clearly carried a hint of reproach!
The old man Lu felt a pang of unease, but forced himself to remain calm and said, "Reporting to Young Master Li, literary gatherings and exchanges have always existed. It is common practice for the capable to rise and the incapable to fall."

He knew perfectly well that making things difficult for Ma Zhou today was a tacit agreement among the gentry.

Even the fact that Li Shimin "happened" to witness this scene was secretly arranged by them.

The intention was to suppress those from humble backgrounds in front of His Majesty, to let him know that the aristocratic families and powerful clans already have enough talented people and there is no need to promote them from humble backgrounds.

"Really?"

Li Shimin let out a cold laugh, a laugh that carried an icy chill.

"The capable rise, the incompetent fall, very well! Today I will choose a capable one for you!"

As he spoke, he suddenly grabbed Wen He's collar and pulled him forward, his eyes sharp as knives: "You'd better compose a proper poem for me. If you make any more jokes, I'll punish you with a year's salary!"

Wen He was pulled so hard that she stumbled, and when she looked up, she met Li Shimin's cold and stern gaze.

Well, they're really trying to make him show off in front of everyone.

"Second Brother, I'm afraid this is not appropriate," Changsun Wuji said, wanting to offer some advice.

He knew Wen He's identity.

However, the people around them didn't think so. The old man from the Lu family laughed and said, "Since Young Master Li is interested, there's no harm in giving it a try."

"Absolutely right, absolutely right. There is no reason to discourage others from composing poetry during a literary gathering."

Apart from Cui Dunli, the other members of the aristocratic families did not take Wen He seriously.

The poem they just read had convinced them that what Wen He had written must have been commissioned by His Majesty.

Even though His Majesty gave Wen He a poem that would make him famous before he came here today, it was just one poem, and Shangguan Yi's literary talent allowed him to handle it with ease.

Upon hearing this, Changsun Wuji sighed inwardly and remained silent.

You guys are just asking for trouble.

You'll regret it if you insist on making Wen He famous.

He simply stopped paying attention and took a step back.

"I wonder how long it will take for the magistrate of Gaoyang County to produce a masterpiece?"

One of the gentry raised his voice and asked a question, the provocation in his tone impossible to conceal.

Wen He glanced at him sideways, her gaze indifferent yet carrying an inexplicable sense of oppression.

The man felt a jolt in his heart and involuntarily took a half step back.

Wen He immediately chuckled: "What are you afraid of? Am I that fierce?"

"Cough...it's just a bit cold in the wind."

The man stubbornly defended himself, but his hand unconsciously tightened his collar.

They almost forgot that this young man made a name for himself in Chang'an not through poetry and songs, but through the real, ruthless methods of the Hundred Cavalry Camp.

“Gaoyang County Resident, today is a literary gathering.”

The old man, surnamed Lu, spoke at the opportune moment, his tone seemingly gentle, but in reality, he was offering a reminder.

This is a place where literary skills are tested; relying on the power of the imperial court is useless.

"understood."

Wen He responded lazily, her face showing some reluctance.

"Alright, stop nagging," Li Shimin said in a deep voice from the side.

"Jiaying, don't disappoint me." He knew the boy's background too well. With his knowledge of the future, there was no problem in him producing a masterpiece. He was just afraid that the boy would be lazy again and deliberately produce that kind of doggerel.

"got it."

Wen He yawned deeply and strode towards the center of the crowd.

Lu Shaoyou, Shangguan Yi, and the others had noticed him earlier, and were all taken aback when they saw this teenager walking straight towards them.

"What is this little baby going to do?"

"Could it be that he's going to write poetry too?"

"He looks no more than ten years old, I'm afraid he can't even recognize all the characters, right?"

Those around who didn't know Wen He chuckled at the sight.

Those who knew his identity held their breath and watched silently.

Shangguan Yi, in particular, never expected Wen He to appear at this moment, let alone that he would dare to step forward.

"Who are you?"

Lu Shaoyou frowned and questioned him sharply, his tone carrying the arrogance typical of scions of noble families.

Before Wen He could answer, Ma Zhou suddenly stepped forward and bowed respectfully to Wen He: "This humble official greets the magistrate of Gaoyang County."

"The scion of Gaoyang County? He must be Wen He?"

Lu Shaoyou and his entourage of aristocratic youths were immediately astonished. They had only heard of him by name but had never seen him in person, and had no idea that this legendary young county magistrate was really so young.

"You are too polite, Imperial Censor Ma."

Wen He smiled and returned the greeting, then turned to look at Shangguan Yi and the others, her face still bearing that lazy expression.

“Someone asked me to teach you a lesson for your arrogance. To be honest, if it weren’t for the literary gathering today, I would really like to beat you up.”

"If you can do it, do it; if you can't do it, do it" has always been Wen He's motto.

Shangguan Yi recalled the time she witnessed him beating up Changsun Chong at Wangchun Tower, and involuntarily took a half step back, her face turning pale.

"This guy..."

Li Shimin, standing behind the crowd, muttered angrily.

"This is utterly disgraceful!"

He's still young.

Empress Zhangsun gently tugged at his sleeve, a smile in her eyes.

Li Shimin shook his head helplessly: "Fine, let's see what kind of poem he can come up with."

"Today is a literary gathering, not a martial arts competition."

Although Lu Shaoyou was wary, he refused to back down in front of everyone and forced himself to continue.

"I wonder what advice the magistrate of Gaoyang has for me?"

"I don't deserve your advice."

Wen He waved his hand.

"Didn't you want to compose poems about plum blossoms? I'll give you one."

Lu Shaoyou immediately scoffed: "So, even a scion of Gaoyang County can write poetry?"

As he spoke, he was completely unaware that Shangguan Yi's expression had already changed.

“Gao Yangxian’s previous works, ‘Linjiang Xian’ and ‘Hu Wuren,’ have already spread throughout Chang’an. How could he not know how to write poetry!” Ma Zhou retorted indignantly.

Lu Shaoyou, however, remained unconcerned, believing it to be the emperor promoting the young man.

Wen He was too lazy to argue with him, and said leisurely with her hands behind her back, "Just now, Lord Shangguan used red plum blossoms in his poem, and today Qujiang Pool is also full of red plum blossoms. However, I just saw a few white plum blossoms in the corner of the wall, which are quite interesting."

"I was moved by something at the moment, and that's when I wrote a few clumsy lines."

After he finished speaking, everyone looked in the direction he pointed.

Sure enough, amidst a vibrant red plum grove, several small white plum trees quietly bloomed, their simple elegance going unnoticed unless Wen He had mentioned them.

Just as everyone was marveling at the elegance of the white plum blossoms, Wen He's recitation began softly, clearly echoing throughout the plum grove:

"Plum blossoms and snow vie for spring's favor, neither willing to yield; poets lay down their pens, struggling to find words to describe them."

The plum blossom may be three parts less white than the snow, but the snow lacks the plum blossom's fragrance.

His words fell like a thunderclap from a clear sky.

Those who had just been laughing at him for composing a strange poem were now speechless.

Was this poem really written by this young man?
He actually used poetry to illustrate his point, writing about what had just happened in a poem.

This also proves that this poem was definitely not written in advance to make Wen He famous.

If Lu Meipo's poem were translated, it would mean that both the plum blossoms and the snowflakes believed they had captured the essence of spring, and neither was willing to admit defeat.

This, however, posed a challenge for the poet, making it difficult to write critical essays.

To be fair, plum blossoms must yield three points to snowflakes in terms of their crystal-clear whiteness, while snowflakes lose to plum blossoms in terms of their delicate fragrance.

However, in today's context, it takes on a different meaning.

Aren't scholars from humble backgrounds like Ma Zhou just like the white plum blossoms in the corner?
Despite his humble origins, he possessed a noble character.

Lu Shaoyou, Shangguan Yi, and their ilk are like the snow falling all over the sky; they may seem impressive, but they may not be able to overshadow the fragrance of the white plum blossoms.

"Is Gao Yangxian using poetry to describe people?" someone in the crowd suddenly exclaimed.

"This compares the poor scholars of Ma Zhou to plum blossoms, while the aristocratic scholars are like the heavy snow. It uses the scenery as a metaphor for people, and the objects as metaphors for people. What a good poem, what a good poem."

Wen He was somewhat surprised by the praise from those around her.

He thought he would have to wait a while before someone could understand what he meant.

I didn't expect that someone would figure out the connection so quickly.

Upon hearing this, the eyes of the poor scholars lit up, and their previous frustration vanished.

Ma Zhou watched Wen He's retreating figure, his lips trembling with excitement.

This poem not only extricated the poet from a difficult situation, but also revealed the truth that people from humble backgrounds and those from noble families should be equal!

Lu Shaoyou's face turned deathly pale. He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

His face alternated between pale and green.

Is this really what the boy did?
Shangguan Yi's face turned ashen. His proud poem seemed so deliberately shallow in the face of these four lines.

Li Shimin, standing at the back of the crowd, clapped his hands and laughed: "Well said! 'Plum blossoms may be three parts less white than snow, but snow lacks the fragrance of plum blossoms.'"

This is exactly the principle he wants to understand.

The aristocratic families have their own accumulated knowledge and experience, while those from humble backgrounds have their own spirit and drive. The two should complement each other, not compete with each other.

Changsun Wuji nodded to himself as he looked at the dejected appearance of the aristocratic youths.

Sure enough, having Wen He take action yielded different results.

Wen He glanced at everyone's expressions and said calmly, "The poem is finished. You can take your time to critique it. If you're not satisfied, just keep it to yourself."

After saying that, he turned and left, too lazy to pay any more attention to these people.

"Wait a minute!"

Suddenly, Lu Shaoyou spoke up, trying to call out to him.

"Since you, the magistrate of Gaoyang County, are going to stand up for them, one poem might not be enough. How about we change the topic and have another competition?"

Wen He paused, then calmly turned to look at Lu Shaoyou and Shangguan Yi.

"You, a mere commoner in white robes, with no status whatsoever, dare to speak to me like this!"

(End of this chapter)