Chapter 338: The Charcoal Seller and the People's Hardships

On the sky screen, the scene became heavy.

An old man with a face covered in soot drove a broken ox cart, struggling forward in the wind and snow.

His charcoal was forcibly seized by palace envoys, who gave him only a few feet of red silk and a few yards of damask as "payment."

The old man squatted in the snow, weeping silently.

【Contribution of documentary heritage: "The Charcoal Seller"】

【The charcoal seller, cutting wood and burning charcoal in the Southern Mountains.】

【Face covered in dust and smoke, temples gray, ten fingers black.】

【What does he sell charcoal for? For clothes on his back and food in his mouth.】

【Pitifully, the clothes on his back are thin, he worries about the low price of charcoal and hopes for cold weather.】

【... Half a bolt of red silk and a yard of damask, tied to the ox's head as the price of the charcoal.】

In the villa, there was silence.

Liu Bang put away his playful demeanor, his expression heavy: "This... is this real?"

Gu Shanhe nodded: "Your Majesty, this is something that truly happened during the mid-Tang period."

"Palace envoys, in the name of palace procurement, forcibly seized the commoners' property and gave worthless silk as 'payment'."

"The commoners dared to be angry but dared not speak, because they could not afford to offend the palace."

Li Shimin's face turned livid: "My Great Tang, there were such things?!"

Gu Shanhe said softly: "Your Majesty, this was the chaos of the late mid-Tang."

"Bai Juyi wrote this poem to expose this darkness, hoping to draw the court's attention."

Liu Che clenched his fists: "A poet using poetry to expose the darkness of the court—this in itself is an indictment of that era."

"Bai Juyi is not just a poet; he is the conscience of that era."

Ying Zheng suddenly spoke: "Writing these things, was he not afraid of being demoted?"

Gu Shanhe smiled bitterly: "Your Majesty, it was precisely because Bai Juyi wrote these satirical poems that he offended the powerful and was demoted to places like Jiangzhou and Zhongzhou."

"But he never regretted it. Even after being demoted, he continued to write and continued to speak for the people."

Liu Xiu sighed: "This is the true backbone of a scholar."

"Not fearing the powerful, not fearing suppression, only following one's heart, only seeking to be worthy of the people."

The comments exploded—

【Comment from a Tang Dynasty netizen】

"The Charcoal Seller"! I want to cry every time I read it!

【Comment from a Song Dynasty netizen】

Bai Letian's satirical poems—every word is blood, every line pierces the heart.

【Comment from a modern netizen】

This is the true "speaking for the people"—not a slogan, but action.

【Comment from Cao Cao, Three Kingdoms】

Cao Cao was silent for a long time after finishing "The Charcoal Seller."

I, Cao Cao, fought across the world to end the troubled times.

But what about after the troubled times ended?

Are the people living well?

Bai Juyi let me see the suffering of the people in the shadow of a prosperous age.

【Comment from Cao Zhi, Three Kingdoms】

Father, this is the power of poetry—letting those in power see what they cannot see.

【Comment from Zhuge Liang, Three Kingdoms】

Reading this poem, I think of the people in Shu.

Those who govern should take the people as the foundation.

Although Bai Juyi was just a scholar, he understood this principle better than many officials.

On the sky screen, the scene became beautiful and sorrowful.

The love story of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang and Yang Guifei slowly unfolded in the painting—

From "born with natural beauty that could not be hidden" to "the six palaces lost their color";

From "spring nights were short, rising when the sun was high" to "the war drums of Yuyang shook the earth";

Finally freezing at "On the seventh day of the seventh month in the Palace of Eternal Life, whispering in the middle of the night when no one was around."

【Creating the two peaks of Chinese long narrative poetry: "Song of Everlasting Regret" and "Song of the Pipa Player"】

【"Song of Everlasting Regret" excerpt】

【The Han emperor valued beauty, thinking of a woman who could topple a country, ruling for many years but finding none.】

【The Yang family had a daughter just grown, raised in the deep boudoir, unknown to others.】

【Born with natural beauty that could not be hidden, one day she was chosen to be by the emperor's side.】

【Looking back and smiling, a hundred charms were born, the six palaces lost their color.】

【... On the seventh day of the seventh month in the Palace of Eternal Life, whispering in the middle of the night when no one was around.】

【In the sky, we wish to be birds flying wing to wing; on earth, we wish to be branches intertwined.】

【Heaven and earth may last forever, but this regret will never end.】

Li Shimin read the last few lines and said softly: "In the sky, we wish to be birds flying wing to wing; on earth, we wish to be branches intertwined... This Emperor Xuanzong of Tang actually had such deep affection?"

Gu Shanhe deliberated on his words: "Your Majesty, although this love is moving, it also led to the An Lushan Rebellion."

"In his later years, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang was obsessed with beauty and neglected state affairs, eventually causing a great disaster."

"Bai Juyi wrote 'Song of Everlasting Regret' not only to write about love but also to write about the lesson."

Liu Che sighed: "The most powerful part of this poem is linking an emperor's love tragedy with the rise and fall of the country."

"It is not just a simple love poem, but an epic."

On the sky screen appeared an excerpt from "Song of the Pipa Player"—

【"Song of the Pipa Player" excerpt】

【Seeing off a guest at the Xunyang River at night, maple leaves and reed flowers rustling in the autumn.】

【... Called a thousand times before she came out, still holding the pipa, half-covering her face.】

【Turning the pegs and plucking the strings a few times, before the tune was formed, the emotion was already there.】

【... We are both fallen people at the ends of the earth, why must we have known each other before to meet!】

【... Who in the audience shed the most tears? The Jiangzhou Sima's blue shirt was soaked.】

"We are both fallen people at the ends of the earth, why must we have known each other before to meet!"

Liu Xiu recited these two lines and let out a long sigh.

"These words express the inner voice of so many frustrated people."

Liu Che sighed: "Bai Juyi was demoted to Jiangzhou and met a pipa player who was also fallen by the river; the two felt sympathy for each other."

"He wrote this emotion into the poem, allowing readers thousands of years later to feel that loneliness."

Li Bai's comment drifted out—

【Comment from Li Bai】

We are both fallen people at the ends of the earth, why must we have known each other before to meet!

Letian's line captures all the poetic meaning in the world.

Although I am unrestrained, I am also moved by it.

Du Fu's comment followed closely—

【Comment from Du Fu】

I have spent my life worrying about the country and the people; Letian inherited my ambition and wrote of the people's suffering with an even more accessible brush.

The mid-Tang poetic world is fortunate to have Letian!

Su Shi's comment also arrived—

【Comment from Su Shi, Song Dynasty】

Read "Song of the Pipa Player" once, sigh once; read it ten times, sigh ten times.

Bai Letian's poem, mentioned alongside "Song of Everlasting Regret" as a twin masterpiece, is well-deserved.

On the sky screen, the scene switched to Bai Juyi's time as an official.

He stood by the West Lake in Hangzhou, directing the people to dredge the river and build embankments.

A long embankment stretched across the West Lake, and the people cheered on the embankment.

【Bai Juyi's political and livelihood achievements: Served as the Inspector of Hangzhou and Suzhou, promoted water conservancy, dredged rivers, reduced taxes, pacified displaced people, and left behind the Bai Embankment, an eternal project for the people.】

Liu Bang looked at the long embankment: "This is the 'Bai Embankment'? He built it?"

Gu Shanhe nodded: "Yes."

"During his tenure as Inspector of Hangzhou, Bai Juyi presided over the construction of this embankment, which still exists today and is one of the ten scenes of West Lake."

Li Shimin sighed: "For a scholar to become an official and achieve this much is not easy."

"It's not just about writing articles, but about getting things done."

Liu Che sighed: "He did these things while being demoted."

"Most people, when demoted, either complain about heaven and others or slack off."

"Bai Juyi, on the other hand, worked even harder for the people after being demoted. This mindset is rare."

Ying Zheng suddenly said: "If this person were in my Great Qin, I would promote him."

These words carried great weight.

The number of scholars who could make the First Emperor say the words "promote him" could be counted on one hand.

The comment section was lively again—

【Comment from Zhu Yuanzhang, Ming Dynasty】

A good official! This is a good official!

Not greedy, not corrupt, doing practical things for the people!

Ten thousand times better than those who only know how to write memorials to claim credit!

【Comment from Zhu Di, Ming Dynasty】

Father is right.

If there were a few more officials like Bai Juyi, why worry that the world wouldn't be peaceful?

【Comment from Kangxi, Qing Dynasty】

I have observed Bai Juyi's life: as an official, he was diligent and served the people; as a writer, he wrote realistically and left a legacy. He is a model for civil officials.

【Comment from Qianlong, Qing Dynasty】: I... I have also built gardens...

【Comment from Zhu Yuanzhang, Ming Dynasty】: You built gardens, he built water conservancy projects. Can they be the same?

【Comment from Qianlong, Qing Dynasty】:... ===== CHAPTER 339 =====