Chapter 340: Ranking the Ten Great Poets in History, Number Four—Wang Wei

Great Tang, 10th year of Zhenguan.

Behind the imperial palace sat a modern villa.

On the first floor of the villa, a large round rosewood table was placed in the center.

The soup base in the copper pot bubbled, the spicy fragrance and the richness of the bone broth mixing together, permeating the entire dining room.

Thin-as-cicada-wing lamb rolls, tender white tofu, emerald green vegetables, and crystal-clear vermicelli were arranged on plates on the table, surrounding it in a full circle.

The five emperors sat around the table, each with a bowl of dipping sauce in front of them, chopsticks lying across the edge of the bowl, ready to start shabu-shabu.

Gu Shanhe sat in the main seat, holding a bottle of ice-cold beer, watching the scene leisurely—

The First Emperor of Qin, the Founding Emperor of Han, the Emperor Wu of Han, the Emperor Guangwu of Han, and the Emperor Taizong of Tang—five emperors who unified China, sitting together eating hot pot.

This scene... everyone can post pictures.

"Brother Zheng, swish the lamb for eight seconds; any longer and it'll be tough." Gu Shanhe pointed to the meat slices in the pot.

Ying Zheng expressionlessly picked up a slice of lamb, swished it in the pot, put it in his mouth, chewed, and nodded: "Not bad."

Liu Bang had already started eating, his mouth stuffed, saying vaguely:

"This hot pot is good stuff!"

"If I had this when I was young, I wouldn't have had to shiver while holding a quilt in winter."

Liu Che looked at Liu Bang with disdain: "Your Majesty, eat slowly, no one is fighting you for it."

"What do you know, Che'er?"

Liu Bang picked up another chopstick of lamb. "I am cherishing food!"

Liu Xiu silently poured a plate of vegetables into the pot and said softly:

"Martial Ancestor, you eat too, don't just keep talking."

Li Shimin picked up a piece of tripe and swished it in the red oil pot, his technique as skilled as an old hand.

His skill in hot pot was practiced over the few days in the villa.

"Immortal Master Gu, why is there no movement on the sky screen today?" Li Shimin asked while swishing.

Gu Shanhe glanced at the direction where the sky screen might appear,

"It should be soon."

Ying Zheng put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth: "It would be better if it were soon."

"I want to watch the ranking after eating hot pot."

Liu Bang smiled: "Brother Zheng, do you want to watch the ranking or avoid washing the dishes? It was agreed that you would wash the dishes today."

Ying Zheng looked at Liu Bang expressionlessly: "I don't know how to wash dishes."

"If you don't know, you can learn!"

"I am an emperor."

"Who here isn't an emperor?" Liu Bang said righteously.

Ying Zheng was silent.

Liu Che and Liu Xiu looked at each other, seeing the schadenfreude in each other's eyes—

The only one who can make the First Emperor eat humble pie is probably this outspoken Founding Emperor.

Li Shimin was about to smooth things over when the sky screen lit up.

Golden light poured down from the dome, piercing through the villa's glass ceiling, illuminating the entire dining room.

The soup base in the pot shimmered with golden light, the lamb rolls looked like they were plated with gold foil, and everyone's faces were reflected in gold.

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

Liu Bang put down his chopsticks, his eyes shining.

Ying Zheng looked up at the sky screen, his gaze calm.

Li Shimin picked up his teacup and took a sip, a smile on his lips—

Every time a Tang Dynasty poet is ranked, he feels honored.

This time, who will it be?

On the sky screen, golden light flowed, and a setting poem emerged—

【Clear poetry and light ink dye the mountains and rivers, one realization of Zen heart sheds the world's net.】

【The clouds and mist under the brush all enter the painting, in the world, there is no 'I' and not much else.】

Liu Che recited it once and frowned: "This poem... is a bit ethereal. Unlike the previous ones, which were either heroic or tragic."

"This is more like... the feeling of someone sitting in the mountains watching the clouds."

Liu Xiu nodded: "Martial Ancestor is right, the temperament of this opening is different."

Liu Bang scratched his head: "Is this person a monk?"

Gu Shanhe shook his head with a smile: "Not a monk, but known as the 'Poet Buddha'."

"Because he wrote the Zen meaning of Buddhism into his poetry; one poem, one Zen, no one in history can compare."

Ying Zheng suddenly spoke: "From the prosperous Tang?"

Gu Shanhe nodded: "From the prosperous Tang. A few years older than Li Bai and Du Fu, they are of the same generation."

Li Shimin's eyes lit up: "Another one from my Great Tang!"

Liu Bang glanced at him: "Li Erfeng, can you not be so excited every time?"

"My Great Han hasn't appeared yet, what's the rush."

Li Shimin laughed: "Your Majesty, your Great Han's poets will definitely appear later, no rush, no rush."

The comments began to be active—

【Comment from a Tang Dynasty netizen】

Wang Wei! Poet Buddha! The ceiling of landscape poetry!

【Comment from a Song Dynasty netizen】

Su Shi said "there is painting in poetry, and poetry in painting," that is Wang Wei.

【Comment from a modern netizen】

Reading Wang Wei when in a bad mood is more effective than drinking chicken soup.

【Comment from a primary school student】

We have learned "Painting"!

"Looking from afar, the mountains have color; listening up close, the water makes no sound"!

On the sky screen, the scene slowly unfolded—

Not golden spears and iron horses, not the smoke of war, but among green mountains and clear waters.

A scholar in a green robe sat by the stream, a guqin in front of him, his fingertips plucking lightly, the sound of the qin flowing like water.

A few white egrets skimmed across the stream, and the distant peaks were hidden in the clouds and mist.

The text in the picture emerged—

【Ranked figure: Wang Wei】

【Dynasty: Prosperous Tang (Kaiyuan, Tianbao prosperous age)】

【Known as: Poet Buddha, Wang Youcheng, Saint of Landscape Painting】

【Core tags: Four perfections in poetry, calligraphy, painting, and music; Ancestor of landscape poetry; First Zen poet in history; Half-official, half-recluse, famous scholar of the ages】

"Four perfections in poetry, calligraphy, painting, and music?"

Liu Che recited these four words and raised an eyebrow. "Poetry is good, calligraphy is good, painting is good, and he also understands music? One person occupies all four?"

Gu Shanhe nodded: "And each one is at the top level of the prosperous Tang."

"Poetry is the peak of landscape poetry, painting pioneered the scholar's ink landscape painting, calligraphy is also first-class, and he was so proficient in music that he could compose for the royal elegant music."

Liu Xiu gasped: "This... this is no longer a problem of partiality; this is all-around."

Liu Bang picked up a chopstick of lamb and said while chewing: "I have seen those who can write, those who can paint, and those who can play the qin."

"But I have never heard of anyone who is great at all four."

Ying Zheng looked at the sky screen and said lightly: "If this person were born in the Qin Dynasty, I would have him revise the 'Qin Music'."

Li Shimin laughed: "Brother Zheng, don't talk about the Qin Dynasty, he is doing quite well in my Great Tang."

The sky screen continued to display text—

【Wang Wei was born in the late years of Wu Zetian, grew up and became famous during the Kaiyuan prosperous age and the full prosperity of Tianbao.】

【This was the golden age when the Great Tang's national power was at its peak and the literary style was most brilliant:】

【Ten thousand nations came to pay homage, the world was peaceful, the literary world was full of stars, and geniuses like Li Bai, Du Fu, Meng Haoran, and Gao Shi gathered together.】

【The literary style of the prosperous Tang was divided into two poles: one was Li Bai's heroic romance and sword-wielding across the world, and the other was Wang Wei's quiet and indifferent observation of mountains and rivers.】

【In the prosperous Tang, where everyone pursued fame and prosperity, Wang Wei took a unique path, guarding a piece of purity amidst the hustle and bustle of the prosperous age, and walked a unique path for scholars.】

Liu Che looked at this text, thoughtful,

"Li Bai looks outward, looking at mountains and rivers, looking at the world, looking at fame; Wang Wei looks inward, looking at himself, looking at his heart, looking at mountains and waters."

"Two people, two paths, both reached the extreme."

Liu Xiu also expressed his point of view,

"And the most rare thing is that he did this in a prosperous age."

"There are many temptations in a prosperous age; being able to keep a pure heart is harder than living in seclusion in troubled times."

Cao Cao's comment drifted out—

【Comment from Cao Cao, Three Kingdoms】

Keeping purity in a prosperous age, keeping one's original heart in troubled times.

Wang Wei being able to do the former is already not easy.

When I was young and an official in Luoyang, it was full of prosperity, and I couldn't calm down at all.

【Comment from Cao Zhi, Three Kingdoms】

Father, that's because your ambition was too big to calm down.

Wang Wei's ambition was to calm down.

【Comment from Cao Cao, Three Kingdoms】

Zhi'er, are you praising him or insulting him?

【Comment from Cao Zhi, Three Kingdoms】

Praising him.

Being able to take "calm" as a lifelong pursuit and achieving it is a powerful ability in itself.

... ===== CHAPTER 341 =====