Chapter 345: Origin of the Dragon Boat Festival

The scene on the sky screen darkened.

Dark clouds pressed down, the river roared.

The army of the Qin general Bai Qi broke through Yingdu, the flag of Chu was torn down from the city wall and replaced with the black flag of Qin.

The commoners fled in all directions, and the palace caught fire.

Qu Yuan stood by the Miluo River, looking north.

There were no tears on his face, no anger, only a kind of indescribable peace.

【Qin general Bai Qi broke Chu, Yingdu fell, the Chu State collapsed, Qu Yuan saw his country overturned, and jumped into the Miluo River on the fifth day of the fifth month, sacrificing his life for his country's ideals and his lifelong right path.】

The villa was quiet.

No one spoke.

Liu Bang put down the popcorn in his hand.

Ying Zheng's lips pressed into a line.

Liu Che and Liu Xiu stood side by side, motionless.

Li Shimin looked at the sky screen, his eyes slightly red.

The comments were also quiet.

No flooding, no teasing.

After a long time, Liu Bei's comment drifted out—

【Comment from Liu Bei, Three Kingdoms】

Country broken, body dead.

Qu Yuan used his life to tell future generations what "loyalty" is.

Not just talking about it, but truly using one's life to guard it.

Cao Cao's comment changed from his usual ostentation—

【Comment from Cao Cao, Three Kingdoms】

I, Cao Cao, am convinced, truly convinced.

What I pursued all my life was "success," achieving hegemony, achieving the world.

What Qu Yuan pursued was "guarding," guarding his original heart, guarding his country.

He didn't achieve anything, but he guarded himself.

Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi's comments appeared at the same time—

【Comment from Zhuge Liang, Three Kingdoms】

Devoting one's life to the end.

Qu Zi's heart coincides with my lifelong wish.

【Comment from Sima Yi, Three Kingdoms】

Liang, you and Qu Yuan are the same type of person.

Once determined, you don't look back.

【Comment from Zhuge Liang, Three Kingdoms】

Zhongda, you are too.

You just recognize different things.

Sima Yi did not reply.

On the sky screen, golden light lit up again.

The scene of Qu Yuan jumping into the river slowly faded, replaced by two thousand years of time—

Dragon boats raced on the river, commoners threw Zongzi into the river, children tied five-colored ropes, and the elderly told stories of Qu Yuan.

【Cultural thousand-year influence: Derived the thousand-year folk customs of Dragon Boat Festival, dragon boat racing, and throwing Zongzi to commemorate, becoming one of the few humanistic memorial totems in China that has lasted for two thousand years.】

Liu Che looked at these scenes and sighed: "Two thousand years, still commemorating."

Liu Xiu nodded: "Those who can be remembered for two thousand years are either emperors who opened up the world or scholars who truly touched the soul."

"Qu Yuan is the latter."

Li Shimin said: "I finally understand why Qu Yuan can rank fourth."

"It's not that his poetry is better than Wang Wei's or Bai Juyi's, but his spiritual height has transcended literature itself."

Ying Zheng said something that surprised everyone:

"I burned books and buried scholars, but I kept *Li Sao*."

Liu Bang was stunned: "Brother Zheng, aren't you the harshest on scholars?"

Ying Zheng was expressionless: "True scholars are different from corrupt scholars who only know how to play with words."

"Qu Yuan is a true scholar, I respect him."

The comments were lively again—

【Comment from a modern netizen 1】

He is the purest poet in China, the most sincere loyal minister, preferring to be broken jade rather than whole tile.

【Comment from a modern netizen 2】

Without Qu Yuan, there would be no Chu Ci romance.

The backbone and romance of Chinese poetry would lose half of its territory.

【Comment from a modern netizen 3】

"The world is muddy, I am clear; everyone is drunk, I am awake"—

These words express Qu Yuan's thousand-year loneliness and purity.

【Comment from a modern netizen 4】

He is not foolishly loyal, he is guarding the Dao.

Guarding his own original heart and country for a lifetime. In a thousand years, only this one person.

The golden light on the sky screen began to condense, and the reward terms appeared—

【Sky Screen now begins to distribute rewards:】

【In view of Qu Yuan's pioneering Chu Ci, defining the poet, and sacrificing his life for the country, he is specially rewarded: 20 years of lifespan.】

"Twenty years?"

Liu Bang's eyes widened. "Is this the highest among the poets so far?"

Liu Che said: "Worth it. Just because he is China's first poet, he is worth this number."

Liu Xiu added: "And he didn't just write poetry, he used his life to guard his beliefs. This integrity is worth twenty years."

The comment section was lively on time.

【Comment from Hu Hai, Second Emperor of Qin】: Twenty years?! I really can't stand it!

【Comment from Zhao Ji, Emperor Huizong of Song】: Brother Hu Hai, I feel the same!

【Comment from Zhao Huan, Emperor Qinzong of Song】: Seconded.

【Comment from Zhu Qizhen, Emperor Yingzong of Ming】: Seconded +1.

This time, the ones who took action were the old nobles of Chu—of course, the virtual images projected by the sky screen.

【Comment from Old Nobles of Chu · Virtual Projection】

A thousand years later, we know that we were treacherous villains, destroying wise ministers, disrupting the country, and leaving a bad name for ten thousand years!

Hu Hai's comment just popped up and was slapped to death by Ying Zheng—

【Comment from Ying Zheng, First Emperor of Qin】

Rebellious son, shut up.

If Qu Yuan were in Qin, I would definitely promote him.

A dim-witted emperor like you is not even worthy of carrying Qu Yuan's shoes.

Hu Hai's comment disappeared.

Zhao Ji just wanted to speak, and Zhao Kuangyin's comment flew over—

【Comment from Zhao Kuangyin, Emperor Taizu of Song】

Zhao Ji, if you speak again, I will kick you out of the Zhao family tree!

Zhao Ji's comment disappeared.

Qianlong popped up again—

【Comment from Qianlong, Qing Dynasty】

I wrote forty thousand poems, am I not worth twenty years?

This time even Kangxi couldn't stand it—

【Comment from Kangxi, Qing Dynasty】

Qianlong, shut up.

Forty thousand? Do you have one that can compare to *Li Sao*?

【Comment from Qianlong, Qing Dynasty】: Imperial Grandfather, how can you...

【Comment from Kangxi, Qing Dynasty】: I told you to shut up!

Qianlong's comment disappeared.

On the sky screen, Qu Yuan's phantom slowly appeared.

He stood by the river, his sleeves fluttering, holding a scroll of bamboo slips, looking into the distance.

Not looking in any direction, but looking in all directions—looking at everyone a thousand years later.

【Sky Screen Conclusion: Warring States wind and clouds, Chu land poetic soul.】

【He is China's first poet, and also China's purest poet.】

【He used his life to tell future generations—poetry is not a word game, it is backbone, it is integrity, it is an unyielding original heart.】

【Ranking the Ten Great Poets in History, Number Four—Qu Yuan, well-deserved.】

【Number Three will be revealed in three days, please look forward to it.】

In the villa, it was quiet for a while.

Liu Bang was the first to speak, his voice a bit hoarse:

"I've lived to this age, and today I'm almost moved to tears by a scholar."

Liu Che didn't laugh at him.

Liu Xiu said: "I am too."

Li Shimin looked at Qu Yuan's phantom gradually dissipating on the sky screen and said: "The first poet, only ranked fourth."

"I am very curious, who will be the top three."

Ying Zheng said: "No matter who it is, it is impossible to shake Qu Yuan's position."

"A pioneer is always a pioneer."

Gu Shanhe nodded.

In the living room, the projection screen lit up again, and the hovercar flew over the skyscraper again.

But no one was in the mood to watch the movie.

The five people stood by the window, looking at the direction where the sky screen disappeared, silent for a long time.

Outside the window, the night deepened.

The distant Chang'an city was brightly lit, as if looking at the Miluo River two thousand years ago.

Qu Yuan couldn't see these lights.

But the people in the lights still remembered him. ===== CHAPTER 346 =====