Film and Television World Life Record

To be honest, Xue Jin's performance wasn't very technically sophisticated, and his expressions were somewhat exaggerated. However, there were plenty of people who disliked his status as a son-in-law or were unhappy that he married Su Tan'er.

Immediately, many people began to chime in and echo this sentiment.

Xiao Chan said angrily, "Young Master, they..."

Su Tan'er also showed a worried expression. She felt that her husband should be talented, but she was not sure. She was not afraid of losing face, but she was afraid that Li Mu, a grown man, would not be able to bear losing face.

Li Mu smiled helplessly. He hadn't wanted to show off, but they insisted on making him the center of attention.

He cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Since Brother Xue and everyone else are so hospitable, I do have a poem to share."

Xue Jin, thinking his scheme had succeeded, was overjoyed upon hearing this: "Brother Ning, the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone are all prepared here, please..."

Li Mu smiled and, without any ceremony, walked over, and the crowd immediately gathered around. Some were there to see him make a fool of himself, while others wanted to see just how talented he really was.

Li Mu picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and first wrote the four characters "Shuidiao Getou".

The title of this musical piece is not unusual; the tune "Shuidiao" was composed by Emperor Yang of Sui. It is said that "Emperor Yang dug the Bian River and composed the 'Shuidiao Song'."

By the Tang Dynasty, "Shuidiao" had become a famous song that was sung for generations. Wang Changling wrote "Listening to the Exile's Shuidiao"; Bai Juyi wrote "Listening to Shuidiao".

The title of the poem is ordinary, but Li Mu's calligraphy is a revelation. It is so skillful and elegant, yet seemingly simple, full of strength and vitality, with its own unique style, and even subtly revealing the demeanor of a master.

With just this one skill, even if the writing is a little bad, no one will dare to laugh at it anymore.

Following Li Mu's flowing calligraphy, some readers even read aloud.

When will the bright moon appear?

I raise my cup to the heavens and ask.

I wonder about the celestial palaces.

What year is it tonight?

I wish to ride the wind and return home.

And I fear the magnificent palaces and towers,

The height is not cold.

……

After those few words were read, the room fell silent; a silence so profound you could hear a pin drop.

Most people have some ability to appreciate poetry, whether it's good or bad. Ordinary poems are fine, but perhaps their skills are too shallow to distinguish between them.

However, once a certain level is reached, the good and the bad become clearly visible.

"I only hear the question 'When will the bright moon appear?' and raise my cup to ask the blue sky." One can already perceive the ethereal, grand, and timeless imagery of this poem.

At this time, the literary world was flourishing, and various poems and lyrics inevitably pursued complexity and exhaustive variations.

Even in poems about the moon, it would be best if the word "moon" did not appear at all.

This poem, "Prelude to Water Melody," begins with the line "When will the moon be bright?" which, combined with the next line, instantly unfolds the poetic imagery. When the poem then describes the celestial palace, the poetic imagery naturally and seamlessly transforms from a babbling brook into a majestic mountain stream.

Then I wished to ride the wind and return, transforming the entire first half of the poem into a grand atmosphere like a rushing river, ethereal yet devoid of any worldly concerns. With just a few words, I depicted a celestial palace scene that one longs for.

Li Mu continued writing and finished it in one go.

Turn Zhuge, low tenants, and sleepless.

There should be no resentment, so why does the moon always seem to be full when we are apart?

People experience sorrow and joy, separation and reunion; just as the moon waxes and wanes.

Nothing in this world is ever perfect, but may we all live long and share the beauty of the moon, even from afar.

The scene was completely silent.

After what seemed like an eternity, Xue Jin swallowed hard and whispered, "Brother Ning, did you write this?" He simply couldn't believe Ning Yiru possessed such talent. Wouldn't it be better to take the imperial examinations with such talent? Who would want to marry into his family?

Li Mu smiled and said, "This was written by a Taoist priest who goes by the pen name Dongpo."

Xue Jin was overjoyed and laughed loudly, "So it wasn't you who wrote it, Brother Ning, but a Taoist priest. I knew it, how could you possibly..." He stopped mid-sentence.

However, those around them couldn't help but show surprised expressions.

Someone asked curiously, "Master Dongpo, how come I've never heard of him? To be able to write such a masterpiece, he shouldn't be an unknown person."

Xue Jin walked up to Li Mu, looking like he was doing it for his own good, and said, "Brother Ning, I'm not trying to criticize you, but if you can't write it, you shouldn't have written it at all. You just copied it directly, really... sigh!"

He shook his head and casually asked, "Where is Su Dongpo? Where did you hear this poem, Brother Ning?"

Li Mu laughed and said, "I don't know either, it was all in my dreams."

Xue Jin opened his mouth wide: "I dreamt... I dreamt about it." The others were equally astonished.

Li Mu said, "That's right! I once dreamed of a Taoist priest named Dongpo, and I remembered this poem after hearing him recite it. I couldn't refuse Brother Xue's kind invitation, so I'm just passing on this poem."

Everyone looked at each other speechlessly, and they actually said that they dreamed about it. Isn't this what you wrote?

When we were kids, we didn't believe in gods appearing in our dreams.

Li Mu cupped his hands in farewell to everyone and said, "I won't disturb your enjoyment any longer, farewell!"

After saying that, he led the astonished Su Tan'er and several maids away.

Chapter 588 Waves

On the other side, at the Pan family's Still Water Poetry Gathering.

The poetry gathering was held in the Turtle and Crane Garden of the Pan family mansion, a quaint and grand garden. At this time, lanterns with riddles were set up, and the guests set up a banquet in the garden. The women sat on one side, the students on the other side, and the host and a group of famous and learned elders on the other side.

A courtesan recited the evening's best poems in a light and melodious voice, and sheets of paper with various poems written on them were passed around among the crowd.

The atmosphere here, compared to the Pu family's Pu Garden Poetry Gathering, is less luxurious and more solemn.

After all, this place not only gathers many talented people, but also several important guests.

However, the various performances still created a lively yet elegant atmosphere. Most of the top performers who were able to attend this poetry gathering were quite famous, and they had clearly put a lot of thought and effort into it.

At this moment, Qin Siyuan sat on one side of the banquet table, next to Kang Xian, who was dressed quite elegantly. Generally speaking, by this time, the truly excellent poems and lyrics had already been written.

Kang Xian said, "Lord Qin, Li Pin's poem 'Gazing at the Moon on Mid-Autumn Festival' from the Lichuan Poetry Gathering is quite good. Although there is no first place in literature, in my opinion, this poem will probably be the most outstanding tonight."

Qin Siyuan picked up a poem: "The sky is as blue as water, the silver river is clear and shallow..."

"Cao Guan's poem is also good. In my opinion, these are the two best poems of the night."

At this moment, Cao Guan of the Zhishui Poetry Society and Li Pin of the Lichuan Poetry Society were indeed among the most renowned talents in Jiangning. The crowd below mostly agreed with this statement and subconsciously compared their poems.

Just then, someone brought in new poems, which were divided into three parts and passed around among the people.

People didn't pay much attention. By this time, truly good poems had already emerged, and perhaps there were some decent ones, but they weren't as outstanding.

The three sheets of Xuan paper were quickly passed around. One of them reached Qin Siyuan and Kang Xian. Qin Siyuan picked it up and looked at it. He was clearly stunned for a moment, somewhat incredulous, yet also somewhat relieved.

Kang Xian was greatly surprised: "Lord Qin, why do you have such an expression? Could it be that you have composed another masterpiece?"

Qin Siyuan laughed loudly, "It really is a masterpiece, Lord Kang. We both know this person."

Kang Xian asked curiously, "Oh, we both know each other. There are quite a few people like this. Who is this great talent?"

Qin Siyuan handed him the Xuan paper and said, "Take a look for yourself."

Kang Xian took it and first looked at the signature at the bottom. He exclaimed in surprise, "It's actually young friend Ning!"

As he spoke, he went to look at the contents of the book again: "Prelude to Water Melody".

When will the bright moon appear? I raise my cup to ask the heavens.

……

Kang Xian slowly read the poem aloud, his face showing surprise.

"Great words, great words..."

Turning to look at Qin Siyuan: "This...this really was written by young friend Ning?"

Qin Siyuan said, "It's written on it: Su family, Ning Yi, Ning Liheng."

Kang Xian said, "I knew that my friend Ning was talented, but I never expected him to be so talented."

Qin Siyuan also remarked with emotion: "Just a few days ago, I advised my young friend Ning that if he studied diligently for a few years, he might be able to make a name for himself through poetry competitions, but I never expected..."

The two exchanged a few words of reflection. By this time, the poem had gradually spread, and everyone, possessing a certain level of appreciation, naturally recognized its excellence and showered it with praise.

Someone asked, "Who is Ning Yi? Which family is the Su family?"

Everyone looked at each other, and no one spoke for a moment.

After a long pause, someone finally said, "I know of the Su family, and I also know someone named Ning Yi, but I don't know if it's the same person?"

Someone chimed in, "Since he's from the Su family, and his name is Ning Yi, how could he not be the same person?"

When the man saw everyone looking over, he whispered, "But he's a son-in-law who lives with his wife's family."

Seeing that everyone was still puzzled, he quickly added, "My family has some business dealings with the Su family. I heard that Miss Su Tan'er of the Su family recently took in a son-in-law named Ning Yi."

"However, if Ning Yi, who wrote the poem 'Shuidiao Getou,' had such talent, he certainly wouldn't be Ning Yi, the son-in-law of the Su family."

Everyone discussed it animatedly, nodding in agreement. With such talent and learning, who would want to be a live-in son-in-law? Of course, it wasn't just one person.

Someone then summoned the servant who had just delivered the "Shuidiao Getou" (a type of folk song) to inquire about the situation, and the result surprised everyone.