Chapter 336: The Sixth of the Ten Great Poets in History: Bai Juyi

The following afternoon.

At the foot of Zhongnan Mountain outside Chang'an, a building full of futuristic aesthetics stood abruptly amidst the green hills and clear waters—

Pure white exterior walls, streamlined contours, and massive floor-to-ceiling glass windows reflecting the summer sun, creating a sharp visual contrast with the ancient landscape surrounding it.

This was a modern villa Gu Shanhe had casually conjured from his space.

The five emperors who had unified China were currently sitting in the second-floor e-sports room, engaged in an unprecedented electronic competition.

Five top-tier computers were lined up, light and shadow flickering across the screens as the battle raged on.

"Push the tower! Push the tower! Push it fast!"

Liu Bang stared at his screen, shouting at the top of his lungs, his fingers hammering frantically on the keyboard, creating a cacophony of clacking sounds.

"Your Majesty Gaozu, retreat! You're playing an ADC, why are you charging into the front line of the solo lane??!"

Liu Che sat next to Liu Bang, his voice filled with helplessness.

He was playing Li Bai in the jungle, desperately trying to salvage his ancestor's outrageous gameplay.

"Naigong is outputting damage!" Liu Bang retorted righteously.

"You're feeding the enemy!" Liu Che gritted his teeth.

On the other side, Liu Xiu was playing Zhang Fei as a support, conscientiously protecting the team's ADC—Li Shimin.

Li Shimin's gameplay was incredibly steady; his last-hitting, positioning, and team-fight awareness were all on point.

"Your Majesty Taizong, your operation is impressive." Liu Xiu praised him sincerely.

Li Shimin smiled slightly: "I've played for two days and have already grasped the patterns of this game."

"The key lies in one's state of mind—don't be impatient, wait for the right moment; it's the same principle as governing a country."

Sitting at the far end, Ying Zheng stared at the screen with a blank expression. He was playing the mage Ying Zheng—

The fact that a hero in this game shared his name and was also an emperor left him feeling conflicted.

But it had to be said, this hero was indeed powerful; his ultimate move, a volley of thousands of arrows, dealt explosive damage.

"Your Majesty First Emperor, use your ultimate! Use it!" Liu Bang shouted.

Ying Zheng coldly pressed the ultimate key, and on the screen, thousands of arrows rained down, instantly claiming three enemy heads.

"Beautiful!" Liu Xiu couldn't help but cheer.

Ying Zheng's lips curled up by a single pixel: "My hero is naturally the strongest."

Gu Shanhe lounged in a beanbag chair to the side, a tablet on his lap, watching a show while wearing headphones.

He occasionally glanced up at the emperors' battle, a helpless smile on his face—

Who could have imagined that these legendary emperors would be no different from ordinary internet-addicted teenagers when playing games?

Just then, the Sky Screen suddenly lit up.

Golden light poured in from outside the villa's floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the entire e-sports room.

The five computer screens flickered simultaneously and then froze—

Not because of a game glitch, but because the descent of the Sky Screen caused everyone to stop what they were doing.

"It's here, it's here!"

Liu Bang took off his headphones, his eyes glowing.

Li Shimin put down his mouse and stood up, walking to the window to gaze at the golden scroll slowly unfurling in the sky.

"Which poet is being ranked this time?"

Ying Zheng also stood up, hands behind his back, his gaze calm.

His Ying Zheng hero was still standing in the middle lane with his ultimate active—but no one cared about that anymore.

Liu Che and Liu Xiu walked to the window, the five of them standing side-by-side, looking through the glass at the sky.

Gu Shanhe closed his tablet and walked over, laughing: "Your Majesties, the sixth of the ten great poets in history is about to be revealed."

On the Sky Screen, golden light swirled, and a poem slowly emerged—

【Le Tian's poetic brush saves the common people, his clear, simple tones move the imperial city.

A new volume carries the suffering of the masses, for a thousand years, Bai Fu has crowned the Mid-Tang.】

【Sky Screen Ranking: The Sixth of the Ten Great Poets in History: Bai Juyi】

"Bai Juyi?"

Li Shimin read the name, a flash of light in his eyes, "He is a poet of my Great Tang!"

Liu Bang asked curiously: "Bai Fu? Did this man serve as a Grand Tutor?"

Gu Shanhe shook his head: "Your Majesty Gaozu, 'Bai Fu' is an honorific title given to him by later generations."

"He served as the Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince, hence he is called 'Bai Fu'."

"But that is not the point; the point is—this Bai Juyi is the poet with the largest number of surviving poems in the Tang Dynasty, having written over three thousand in his lifetime."

"Over three thousand?!"

This caused the five emperors to be slightly shocked.

Liu Xiu pondered: "Mid-Tang... the Tang Dynasty after the An Lushan Rebellion?"

Gu Shanhe nodded: "Your Majesty Guangwu is correct."

"Bai Juyi lived in the Mid-Tang period, an era when the Great Tang was transitioning from prosperity to decline."

"He experienced the chaotic times firsthand and witnessed the suffering of the people, which is why his poems mostly write about the warmth of human life and the hardships of the populace."

Ying Zheng suddenly spoke: "The High Tang had Li Bai and Du Fu, and the Mid-Tang has him?"

Gu Shanhe gave a thumbs up: "Your Majesty First Emperor summarizes it precisely."

"Later historians concluded—Li Bai is the 'Poet Immortal', Du Fu is the 'Poet Sage', and Bai Juyi is the 'Poet Demon' or 'Poet King'."

"Immortal, Sage, and King—the three of them divide the Tang poetry world."

The barrage began to liven up—

【Barrage · Tang Dynasty Netizen】

Bai Letian! The conscience of my Great Tang!

【Barrage · Song Dynasty Netizen】

Over three thousand poems, every single one a masterpiece; this is truly 'high output like that thing'."

【Barrage · Modern Netizen】

Bai Juyi! I can recite the entire 'Song of Everlasting Regret'!"

【Barrage · Elementary School Student Netizen】

"Grass on the plain, withering and flourishing in a year"! Learned it, learned it!

On the Sky Screen, the scene shifted to Bai Juyi's youth.

A thin, lean youth sat in a dilapidated room, studying by the light of a dim oil lamp.

Outside the window were the ruins left by war, and the sound of weeping drifted from afar.

Text appeared in the scene—

【Basic Biography: Bai Juyi, courtesy name Letian, art name Xiangshan Jushi, Zuiyin Xiansheng; a great realist poet of the Tang Dynasty, born in chaotic times, grew up amidst ups and downs, lived to the age of seventy-five, a versatile master of the Tang poetic world known for his longevity, high output, and high prestige.】

Seventy-five years old—in the Tang Dynasty, where the average life expectancy was only forty or fifty, this was indeed considered a long life.

Li Shimin sighed: "Seventy-five years old; if I could live to that age, I wouldn't have any regrets."

Liu Bang chuckled: "Your Majesty Taizong, you are still young; don't think so far ahead."

Ying Zheng remained silent, but his gaze flickered—one of his greatest obsessions in life had been immortality.

(However, fortunately, one of the rewards from the previous ranking of the Ten Great Emperors was immortality, so he no longer had that obsession; if he had one, it was to keep following Gu Shanhe to cultivate immortality.)

Seventy-five years old didn't mean much to him, but for a Tang person, it was truly not easy.

【Bai Juyi was upright by nature, compassionate and kind, never envied vanity or power, and upheld his original intentions throughout his life.】

【He was incorruptible as an official, sincere in his writing, and spoke for the people; despite the ups and downs of his official career, he always kept the common people in his heart, possessing both the integrity of a scholar and the responsibility of a minister.】

Liu Che read this text and nodded: "Incorruptible as an official, sincere in writing, speaking for the people—these nine words are easy to say, but hard to do."

"I have seen too many scholars who talk about speaking for the people, only to turn around and fawn over the powerful."

Liu Xiu added: "And he did this during chaotic times, which makes it even harder."

"It is easy to uphold integrity in times of peace, but hard to keep one's heart in times of chaos."

【Personal Trait: Broke the shackles of the elegant and obscure poetry of the High Tang, advocating that poetry should be grounded, reflect real emotions, and convey the will of the people; he is one of the few 'poets of the people' in history.】