Chapter 320

The ranking on the sky screen continued, but the minds of the five emperors in the hall had already begun to stir.

Liu Bang was the first to speak: "Master Gu, I have a question—among these top ten poets, are there any from my Great Han?"

Gu Shanhe said, "No."

Liu Bang instantly felt he had lost face, turned his head away, and said nothing more.

Although Liu Che was itching with curiosity, he couldn't press further and had to endure his curiosity and continue watching.

Liu Xiu was more concerned with another question,

"Master Gu, since this Meng Haoran is the founder of landscape and pastoral poetry, who are the other famous landscape and pastoral poets after him?"

Gu Shanhe replied, "The most famous is Wang Wei, known together with Meng Haoran as 'Wang-Meng'."

"Wang Wei's poetry is more refined than Meng Haoran's, and the artistic conception is more ethereal, but Meng Haoran's poetry is more simple and natural."

"Both have their own strengths and are the pinnacles of landscape and pastoral poetry."

Li Shimin hurriedly asked, "Master Gu, may I ask which dynasty this Wang Wei is from?"

Gu Shanhe smiled. "Wang Wei is also from the Tang Dynasty, a few decades later than Meng Haoran."

"His poetry and painting are both excellent; Su Dongpo evaluated him as 'there is painting in poetry, and poetry in painting'."

"And Wang Wei served as an official, reaching the position of Right Vice-Director of the Department of State Affairs, doing much better than Meng Haoran."

Li Shimin nodded. "If there is an opportunity, I must read Wang Wei's poetry."

Ying Zheng suddenly spoke: "Master Gu, I have a question."

Gu Shanhe felt a chill in his heart. "Your Majesty the First Emperor, please speak."

Ying Zheng's gaze fell on Meng Haoran's portrait on the sky screen, and he said slowly:

"This man was a commoner his whole life, never served in office, yet could become famous through the ages for his poetry and prose."

"And my Great Qin also has many scholars and poets, but I have never heard of anyone who could reach this height."

"I want to ask—how much does the achievement of poetry and prose have to do with the era?"

Once this question was asked, the hall fell silent.

This was not an ordinary question, but an emperor's reflection on "civilization."

Gu Shanhe was silent for a moment and answered earnestly: "Your Majesty the First Emperor, this question is well asked."

"The achievement of poetry and prose has a great deal to do with the era."

"Meng Haoran could become a great poet, first because he was born in the Tang Dynasty—"

"That was an era of openness and inclusiveness, with cultural prosperity, where the status of poetry and prose was high, and scholars had relatively free creative space."

"Secondly, he caught up with the golden period of poetry development; before him, Chen Zi'ang started the trend of reform, and after him, Li Bai and Du Fu were the great masters; he found his position in this era and created his own style."

"But more importantly," Gu Shanhe paused, "Meng Haoran's poetry writes about the common emotions of humanity—"

"Love for nature, longing for freedom, cherishing friendship, and insights into life."

"These emotions transcend eras and regions; as long as one is human, one can understand them."

"That is why his poetry can be passed down for thousands of years and move generation after generation."

Ying Zheng was silent for a long time and finally said something that surprised everyone: "My Qin land also has landscapes."

Gu Shanhe was stunned, then immediately understood—

The First Emperor was using his own way to acknowledge that Meng Haoran's poetry had also moved him.

Li Shimin interjected at the right time: "If Your Majesty the First Emperor likes landscape poetry, I can have the scholars of the Hanlin Academy collect more and send them to you for appreciation."

Ying Zheng nodded. "You have a heart."

The scene on the sky screen began to close.

Meng Haoran's life slowly rolled up like a painting, finally freezing under the sunset of Lumeng Mountain.

That hermit in white stood on the mountain peak, looking at the clouds and mist in the distance, a faint smile at the corner of his mouth, as if saying—this life is enough.

【Summary: Meng Haoran's life was a life wandering between entering the world and leaving it, a life of collision between ideals and reality, and even more, a life of leaving a name through poetry and moving the world with truth.】

【He failed to become a minister to save the world, but he became a poem for the ages.】

【There are no high official positions or generous salaries in his poetry, no fame or fortune, only the purest landscape and pastoral life, and the most sincere human warmth.】

【This is exactly—his romantic spirit belongs to Xiangyang for a thousand years.】

The golden light on the sky screen gradually converged, but no one in the hall spoke for a long time.

Finally, it was Wei Zheng who broke the silence.

"I have read books my whole life and consider myself knowledgeable, but seeing Meng Haoran's poetry today, I still feel it is refreshing."

"His poetry was not written with the brain, but with the heart."

Fang Xuanling nodded. "Exactly."

"Some people write poetry with gorgeous rhetoric, but you can't remember anything after reading it."

"Meng Haoran's poetry seems plain, but it makes people unforgettable. This is true skill."

Du Ruhui sighed. "It's a pity he never served in office in his life; otherwise, with his talent, he might have made more contributions to the Great Tang."

Li Shimin, however, shook his head. "Lord Du, this statement is wrong."

"Although Meng Haoran did not serve as an official, the influence of the poems he left behind on later generations is probably greater than that of most officials."

"Being an official can only influence a moment, but poetry and prose can influence a thousand years."

"From this perspective, although Meng Haoran had no official position, his achievements have already exceeded those of the vast majority of officials."

Ying Zheng suddenly spoke: "What if this man were born in my Great Qin?"

No one could answer this question.

But Gu Shanhe thought for a moment and said:

"Your Majesty the First Emperor, if Meng Haoran were born in the Warring States period, given his personality, he would probably be a hermit, just like Zhuangzi."

"He certainly wouldn't come out to be an official, nor would he cater to the powerful; he would find a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters to live, fishing, farming, and writing poetry, living a carefree life."

"As for whether his poetry could be passed down... that would be hard to say."

"After all, in that era, paper had not yet been popularized, and the spread of poetry and prose was not easy."

Ying Zheng was silent for a moment and suddenly said: "If I were born in the Prosperous Tang, perhaps I would have a drink with him."

These words were too vivid—

The First Emperor who unified the six states and the commoner poet who never served in office, sitting together drinking and chatting...

Everyone present couldn't help but imagine this scene, and the atmosphere suddenly became subtle.

Liu Bang laughed. "First Emperor, are you praising him or praising yourself?"

Ying Zheng was expressionless. "I am just stating a fact."

"Stating a fact" again.

Everyone in the hall held back their laughter, not daring to make a sound.

Liu Che thought about it seriously.

"I think that a person like Meng Haoran would be a poet in any era."

"Because his poetry does not come from fame and fortune, but from his love for the landscape and his insights into life."

"These things exist in every era."

Liu Xiu agreed. "Great-uncle is right."

"A true poet is not trapped by the era, but can transcend it."

Li Shimin concluded: "Meng Haoran is the pride of my Great Tang."

"Although he never served in office in his life, his poetry makes the culture of my Great Tang even more brilliant."

"He deserves to be remembered by later generations."

Gu Shanhe looked at the evaluations of Meng Haoran by the five emperors and felt a thousand emotions in his heart.

The original intention of this ranking was to let the emperors and generals of various dynasties understand these poets; he didn't expect these emperors to also be moved by Meng Haoran's poetry.

Sure enough, good poetry and prose have magic.

It can transcend eras, transcend identities, and strike directly at the soul.