Chaos of Ming 1628

Strange gazes fell upon Sun Qing.

These people's eyes were full of doubt and skepticism.

After a long silence, one person hesitated, "Was this really done by Young Master Sun? How could this be... how could this be... sigh! How could this happen?"

"Speaking haltingly is unacceptable. Since this is a literary gathering, we should speak freely. Let me speak," another person said, shaking his head repeatedly, "Young Master Sun's efforts to benefit the people are certainly commendable."

"But your lyrics are simply awful; they're nothing but rambling, unstructured colloquialisms. How could they possibly be published at a literary gathering?"

Although others dared not speak out, they all nodded in agreement.

In this light, Song Xian and Yang Qingqing's comments were still too subtle.

Sun Qing could understand it too, after all, there were strict rules for composing lyrics in the Ming Dynasty.

Modern poetry demands adherence to tonal patterns, perfect parallelism, consistent rhyme, and standardized wording, and above all, a clear theme. It must not merely pile up superficial scenes or express empty sorrow.

The classical style emphasizes introduction, development, transition, and conclusion, with the text progressing layer by layer, and should not be written entirely in plain, colloquial language.

The lyrics must be written according to a fixed lyric pattern, and cannot be randomly pieced together with lines of varying lengths.

These few lines are, in fact, modern free verse, without fixed meter, and completely break all the frameworks of classical literature.

"Since you're going to talk about it, then I'll say a few words. When it comes to writing poetry, you either have to write regulated verse or quatrains, or ancient-style poems. When writing lyrics, you have to stick to the prescribed lyric patterns. I'm not saying this to be mean, but it's completely unorthodox, just like a country bumpkin humming something off the cuff."

"Yes!" another person commented, "Using the same sentence structure and the same words over and over again. We lyricists are very particular about refining words, and we spend days pondering even a single word. Alas, it's truly shallow and impoverished, with no skill in its diction."

What was just said was nothing more than the words of a commoner and a student. At this moment, another person stepped forward. He was dressed similarly to Song Xian and appeared to be neither a successful candidate in the imperial examinations nor a retired official.

He gave Sun Qing a serious look and sighed, "What a heroic figure Sun Qing is! How could the lyrics written by a member of his clan be so narrow-minded? They are nothing but petty musings from a young woman's quarters, nothing but affected lamentations. A true man should not write such things."

Clearly, the goodwill he had shown towards Sun Qing earlier was gone, replaced only by regret and heartache.

The rhythm of the piano music also rose at this moment, as if it were deliberately played to suit the atmosphere.

Sun Qing smiled wryly. He had only intended to write a sentence casually, but who would have thought it would cause such a stir?

Stripped of his old bark, Song Xian, you really are a wicked old man.

"I'm sorry to have made a fool of myself in front of everyone." Sun Qing stepped forward, bowed, and expressed his apology: "I just wanted to be different, but I didn't expect to make a fool of myself."

Song Xian quickly tried to smooth things over: "It's not entirely without merit. At least the words are full of affection and are easy to read aloud."

The others weren't stupid; they knew it was just polite talk.

They echoed, "It is indeed quite novel, but we who have studied hard for years, if we want to create something new, we cannot abandon the three bottom lines of meter, structure, and elegant writing."

Sun Qing nodded, simply smiling, and offered no further rebuttal.

If you speak again, it will be a clash of eras, a cultural process that cannot be changed by quoting classics and arguing logically.

Immediately, everyone commented on Sun Qing's poems, saying, "We must take this as a warning."

Oh well, as long as I'm not embarrassed, it's others who are embarrassed. In short, since I didn't write it, what I say doesn't matter.

Sun Qing remained completely calm, even more so than the music.

Such openness and honesty do earn one respect.

Yang Qingqing, who was playing the piano beside her, couldn't help but lose herself for a moment. Her hands trembled slightly on the strings, producing a barely audible vibrato.

"Sun Quan of Gaoyang has arrived."

A soft call came from outside the door, and Sun Quan had already walked inside.

Sun Quan?!

Sun Qing's heart skipped a beat, and he secretly thought, "This is bad."

Neither Song Xian nor Shen Junru are as good as Sun Quan!

Who was Sun Quan?

He is Sun Chengzong's eldest son and is currently the magistrate of Gaoyuan County, Shandong. He is the only one of Sun Chengzong's seven sons to be serving as an official outside the county.

In the eleventh year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, when his family was in distress, he was not in Gaoyang. The entire Sun family perished for their country, and he alone survived.

The county government he managed was one of the few places that fared well during the Chongzhen era. He was known for his integrity in Gaoyuan, not only suppressing local bandits of all sizes but also repairing city defenses to defend the isolated city and implementing measures to benefit the people, earning him high praise from the populace.

He never colluded with the eunuch faction, nor did he want to leave the county government; he was determined to create a place of integrity and justice.

Who would have thought he would come here?

Sun Qingxin's heart began to pound wildly, her hands unconsciously tucked into her sleeves, her nails digging fiercely into her flesh.

Not to mention Sun Qing, even Song Xian broke out in a cold sweat and stepped forward, seemingly intentionally or unintentionally blocking Sun Qing's way.

His footsteps were firm and powerful. Although he was dressed as a civil official, his voice was strong and his eyes were sharp, showing no trace of the aloofness of scholars.

Upon entering, his gaze fell upon Song Xian, and he quickly stepped forward.

He knelt on one knee, cupped his hands, and bowed three times to his eyebrows: "This humble servant, Gao Yuan, only wishes to pay homage to Sun Quan. Hearing that Song Zhongshan has come here, I have come to pay my respects."

Since the second year of the Tianqi reign, Song Xian had followed Sun Chengzong out of the pass alone, devoting four years of his life to guarding the frontier together. From then on, the entire Sun family regarded him as a trusted confidant and old friend.

Sun Quan, worthy of being a descendant of Sun Chengjiao, referred to himself as "humble servant" and never mentioned his father's authority as a military commander, acting only as a subordinate to his superior.

"Get up quickly," Song Xian hurriedly helped him up, bowing twice in response, "I have already distanced myself from the court's strife, there is no need for such formalities between us."

The two exchanged a smile, then looked at Yang Qingqing beside them.

Sun Quan frowned, a hint of barely concealed disgust flashing in his eyes. He turned back to Sun Quan: "Alas! The eunuch faction has invited me twice. I was originally sworn enemies, but I didn't expect them to actually come today."

How could he refuse when the other party invited him using Song Xianzhi's name?

Song Xian understood the meaning behind Sun Quan's painting, but was also slightly surprised: "Could it be that someone had already posted about it before?"

"Yes!" Sun Quan said with a puzzled look in his eyes, "They didn't explain why, which is quite strange."

"I think it's a letter from Li Donglin, the chief eunuch of the eunuch faction. I'm too lazy to even look at it, let alone obey his orders."

The two chatted idly, and Sun Qing was already trembling with fear.

Zhou Ji and Li Donglin had been wanting to call Sun Quan over for a while, but luckily he just didn't want to bother with them.

If he had actually come then, and had never met Old Yu, nor had he attacked him in any way, no matter how eloquent he was, he probably wouldn't have survived.

The two reminisced, and no one dared to disturb them.

A mere county magistrate is not enough to silence or force people to back down; it is Sun Chengzong's reputation that is so great that even without any official position, he commands respect.

Moreover, this is Sun Chengzong's eldest son, who is also an official with considerable achievements.

"Lord Sun," Yang Qingqing slowly rose and bowed gracefully.

Unexpectedly, Sun Quan turned away as if he couldn't see the man.

Despite this treatment, Yang Qingqing remained unperturbed and smiled, saying, "It is truly an honor for me to have two members of the Sun family present at today's literary gathering."

"Of course, it's all for Lord Song's sake."

"What, you two?" Sun Quan, not wanting to listen to Yang Qingqing's nonsense, darkened his expression. "Members of the Sun family? Where did you come from?"

"I am from the Sun family of Gaoyang," Yang Qingqing said in a voice as melodious as a nightingale.

Sun Quan's brows were already furrowed: "There are more than forty people living in this mansion, young and old. Why haven't I heard of any members of the Sun family coming to Jiahe County?"

"That's utter nonsense!" He glared at Yang Qingqing, his tone displeased.

"Lord Sun, are you sure you're not mistaken?" Yang Qingqing smiled, pointing behind Song Xian: "Look, he's right there."