Chapter 2617
The real difficulty of this question asked by Tao Hongfang is not to memorize poems and write words, but to express one's aspirations through the content of ancient poems. As Zhu Zian, it is really embarrassing to have to grovel and seek a future under Haihan's rule. If the poem is not chosen correctly, it can easily fail to convey the intended meaning or even have a negative effect.
However, Zhu Zian's response was really quick, and he nodded almost without thinking: "Just as you said! Brother Shi, if you have a pen and paper, I will answer it right now!"
Shi Chengxin immediately ordered someone to get a pen, ink, paper and inkstone. Zhu Zi'an dipped his pen in the ink and immediately began to write a poem on the paper. Everyone watched from the sidelines and saw his brushwork, iron painting, silver hooks, and dragon and snake racing. He was not at the level of a young man at all, but rather like an expert who had practiced calligraphy for many years. Tao Hongfang and others secretly considered that this man's calligraphy was far better than his own, and it seemed that he had worked hard in this area.
The ancient poem written by Zhu Zian is indeed selected to be very relevant. It is the first poem in the "Traveling is Difficult" series written by the Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai.
The poem says: A gold bottle of wine is worth ten thousand dollars, and a jade plate is worth ten thousand dollars of treasure. Stopping the cup and throwing chopsticks, I can't eat. I draw my sword and look around at a loss. If you want to cross the Yellow River, which is blocked by ice, you will have to climb the snow-covered mountains of Taihang. When I was free to fish on the Bixi River, I suddenly took a boat and dreamed of the sun. The journey is difficult, the journey is difficult, and there are many divergent paths, where are you now? There will be times when the wind blows and the waves break, and the clouds and sails are hung directly to help the sea.
The literary level of Li Bai's poem naturally does not need to be commented by those present. The image of a depressed and frustrated young man has already appeared on the page.
The first two sentences can be understood as a portrayal of the aristocratic life Zhu Zian enjoyed in the past, the third and fourth sentences are about the impact on his mentality after Qian Ming lost power and the rise of Haihan, and the fifth and sixth sentences show that he had no ambition but was trapped by The helplessness of the actual situation.
The seventh and eighth sentences quote the allusions of Jiang Taigong fishing and Yi Yin Mengzhou, expressing his hope to be appreciated by Bole. At the moment, it undoubtedly refers to the help given by Shi Diwen. The last few sentences show that he is not satisfied with the status quo and hopes to make a difference in the future.
This poem was originally Li Bai's expression of his emotions after encountering difficulties in his official career, and the various metaphors in it coincided with Zhu Zian's identity and circumstances. It was because Shi Diwen had previously introduced Zhu Zian's identity that Tao Hongfang and others were able to associate the content of this poem with Zhu Zian without any obstacles. The choice was just right.
Zhu Zian was able to choose such a relevant ancient poem to answer in such a short period of time. Firstly, it is enough to prove that his attainments in poetry and literature are indeed not bad. Secondly, it shows that he usually has similar thoughts, so he came up with it so quickly. I picked up this ancient poem that can express my feelings.
The quality displayed in this moment is enough to prove that Zhu Zian is not mediocre and is indeed qualified to participate in the imperial examination as a qualified student. Whether his level can win the prize is another question, but at least he won't be cheating.
Zhu Zian put down his writing brush, raised his hands to the spectators and said, "I've made a fool of myself, please give me your advice!"
Since Bai Letong and others have seen that Zhu Zian's level is not bad, and is even better than him in this aspect, it is not easy to belittle him in front of Shi Diwen. But when they were asked to praise Zhu Zian, they still couldn't let go. However, Shi Diwen took the initiative to speak up and relieve everyone's embarrassment: "Zi'an's calligraphy is considered to be the best among the younger generation! You may not know that Zi'an's parents have invited many experts to teach him since he was young. There is a scholar named Kong from Shandong, and there is also a cabinet scholar who retired and returned to his hometown. Compared with ordinary civilian scholars, his starting point is much higher."
After hearing this, Bai Letong was secretly glad that he had not impulsively asked the question just now. Otherwise, with his level of study of the classics and history, he would probably have humiliated himself in front of Zhu Zian.
Tao Hongfang secretly lamented that the educational conditions Zhu Zian enjoyed were indeed not comparable to those of ordinary scholars. His masters were all outstanding ones who eliminated countless competitors in the imperial examination. He has profound insights into the examination standards and guidelines. To guide this apprentice through the selection of the provincial examination, the difficulty may not be much higher than the question I just asked him.
Zhu Zian responded: "Master Shi, thank you! I have studied the Four Books and Five Classics in the past, and I always feel that the books are about the art of slaying dragons. No matter how well I learn, there is no use for it. If you are lucky, you can attack the King of De, but if you are not lucky, it will probably be A prince of a county, a general of a country, with a title and a salary from the court, and he will stay in Jinan City for the rest of his life. But now that the world has changed drastically, if the descendants of the Zhu family cannot adapt to the times, it will be difficult for them to get ahead in the future. . Haihan is looking for talented people from all over the world, regardless of their background. I, Zhu Zian, am not talented, but I want to give it a try to see if what I have learned in the past is useful!"
Zhu Zian's words were obviously meant for Tao Hongfang and others. If not for the rise of Haihan, as a descendant of the Zhu family, he would have a great chance to enjoy glory and wealth in the future under the title of Prince Taiping. But now that the Ming Dynasty has been exhausted, it only retains a symbolic ruling area in North China as a condition for the peaceful handover of power with Haihan. And descendants of vassal kings like Zhu Zian naturally have no France no longer enjoys fiefdom and special privileges.
According to the agreement reached between Haihan and the Ming court, the vassal king and his descendants either chose to settle in the North China reservation, or they had to settle under Haihan as civilians. In order to ensure their own safety, most of the vassal kings moved their families to the north and lived together with the Zhu clan.
But not everyone was willing to accept such an arrangement. Naturally, some vassal kings who were far away from Haihan's actual control area would set up their own troops and refuse to recognize the edict issued from the Forbidden City. There are also some people who are unwilling to be resigned to this and want to take this opportunity to get rid of the shackles of the past and strive for a different future for themselves.
As a descendant of King De, Zhu Zian's fiefdom was under the rule of the Haihan North Region, so naturally he could not escape this wave of impact. But whether he went to the north to retire or stayed as a commoner, he was unwilling to do so. At this time, Chen Yixin, a senior official in charge of the northern region, offered his family an alternative plan. The third option is to publicly surrender to Haihan and join Haihan's bureaucracy in the future.
This arrangement is obviously based on political considerations. As long as you are selected, you will definitely be treated as a high-ranking official and generous salary in the future. It should be better to live as a run-down noble in the north. But Chen Yixin also set a threshold for this, that is, he only recruits young and talented children of the Zhu family. It is not acceptable to just eat and wait for death. However, such a request is in line with Zhu Zian's wishes.
(End of chapter)