There were so many people outside the city that it was not convenient to talk much, so Zhu Su got on the carriage and went to the Deyue Tower, a famous building in Suzhou, to catch the wind and wash away the dust.
In the Deyue Tower, Wei Guan had already booked a private room. Zhu Su, Chang Mao, and Wei Guan were seated as guests and hosts, and Gao Qi and Luo Guanzhong joined them. After being polite, Wei Guan asked: "Just now, I saw His Highness's demeanor when we were outside the city. Could it be that he knows Guanzhong?"
"I do know him. I have admired his name for a long time." Zhu Su replied.
The so-called young people don’t read Water Margin, and old people don’t read Three Kingdoms. As a senior Three Kingdoms fan, how could he not know Luo Guanzhong?
From this perspective, he could be considered to have met his idol this time.
However, unlike the great literary giant in my impression, this Mr. Luo Guanzhong Luo has a stooped figure and a sad face. He looks like an ordinary farmer who can be seen everywhere on the fields. He looks really ordinary.
I originally thought that the literary giant who could write such a heroic masterpiece as the Three Kingdoms must be the kind of scribe who said, "How can I be a Penghao person?" Unexpectedly, he turned out to be a middle-aged man who had experienced many hardships.
"Is there such a thing? Has Guanzhong's reputation spread to the capital? He has been on good terms with His Highness for a long time!" Wei Guanzhong looked at Luo Guanzhong, twirling his beard and smiling.
"I am not talented in learning, so I dare not bear the words that His Highness has admired for a long time." After hearing Zhu Su mentioning himself, Luo Guanzhong did not dare to neglect, and stood up immediately: "It is just a blessing that I am a student, and my humble work is fortunate enough to be viewed by Your Highness."
"Those twelve volumes of "Popular Romance of the Three Kingdoms" were passed down to the world because of His Highness's misplaced love. I would like to thank Your Highness at the end of my studies!" After saying that, he bowed deeply to Zhu Su.
"Oh! Look, I forgot! Your Highness continued to write the story of the Three Kingdoms. He must have read the first twelve volumes of your "Three Kingdoms". How could he not know you, Luo Guanzhong?" Wei Guan patted his head. "It's strange that you came all the way from Hangzhou and asked me to introduce you."
"I thought you had finally thought about it and were preparing to pursue a career under His Highness's command!"
"Don't dare, don't dare." Luo Guanzhong quickly bowed and bowed. "I have wasted my whole life studying and accomplished nothing. Your Highness is a hundred times more talented than me, and I am qualified to make suggestions for Your Highness."
"I just want to say that it took me several years to write the first twelve volumes. I only have some vague ideas about the following chapters, but I have never been able to write them."
"His Highness is a gifted scholar. In just a few months, he wrote the following text that he had been pondering for a long time but could not write. Its brilliance is no less outstanding than the first twelve volumes."
Speaking of this, Luo Guanzhong looked excited, and his previous submissive attitude was no longer there. There was even more sparkle in his eyes, and he looked directly at Zhu Su with admiration.
After a moment, he sighed again. "Sigh. I may be exaggerating to say it. Many of the plots in the continued volumes written by Your Highness are the same as those I have thought up over the years."
"But it took me several years of hard work to get it, but Your Highness showed no hesitation and accomplished it in just a few months."
"Sometimes I always have the illusion of learning at the end of my career, and I always seem to be living in the shadow of His Highness's talent..."
"Ashamed, ashamed..."
Luo Guanzhong looked self-deprecating, even though Zhu Su was as thick-skinned as a city wall, his face was slightly red at this moment.
The conscience of heaven and earth, I really didn’t want to copy these three countries at first.
At first, I just told the story of the Three Kingdoms to my younger sister for fun, but later my eldest brother Zhu Biao listened to it, and he had some requests, so he couldn't help telling it.
Later I learned that Luo Guanzhong had already written about the Three Kingdoms, so I had no scruples about using it again. The amazing claim is that you can see it accidentally. But who knew that Luo Guanzhong's Three Kingdoms at this time only wrote the first twelve volumes?
There was no other way, so I had to pretend to claim the following chapters and pretend that I was "continuing writing" them. How could it not be embarrassing to be looked at by the real owner with such eyes?
In a few years, after Yang Shen and Tang Bohu are born, they will feel like they are living in my shadow... Zhu Su thought with some bad taste.
"Your Highness's talent is indeed rare to see in a hundred years." Gao Qi, who was sitting beside him, also said.
"In my opinion, Your Highness is a sign of great prosperity for our literary world in the Ming Dynasty!"
"I usually write some crooked words, but compared with His Highness's "Linjiang Immortal" and "Yijianmei", I really fall behind!"
"I have no other ambition in this life. I just want to collect all the poems and lyrics of our Ming Dynasty that can be handed down to the world, and compile them into one publication, so that the world will know that our Chinese literature still exists. The prosperity of our Ming Dynasty's literary style should not be weaker than that of the Tang and Song Dynasties."
"Today I have the audacity to ask the prefect of Wei for a recommendation. I just ask if your highness has any poems that have not been handed down to the world. Please take a look at them next."
After saying that, he stood up and bowed to Zhu Su in a very sincere manner. Even Wei Guan, Luo Guanzhong and Chang Mao, who was eating and drinking by himself, looked at Zhu Su.
"Uh...here, I was concentrating on other things while I was in the capital and didn't do anything new..." Zhu Su made excuses to avoid it.
"Is there any other matter that is more important than the resurgence of our Chinese literary world?" Gao Qi looked in disbelief: "With such a talent for poetry, how can he waste his time on worldly affairs?"
"Otherwise, Your Highness can just chant a few words..."
Yes, this is another poetry idiot. After finally deceiving Fang Xiaoru into the direction of philosophy, another Gao Jidi appeared...
Zhu Su looked embarrassed and was about to refuse, but Chang Mao next to him said: "Why don't you just chant a sentence to him, Your Highness?"
"Aren't there a lot of poems recited along the way? What about cars, horses, spring sleepers..."
"Oh? Your Highness has been traveling all the way. Do you have any good poems?" Gao Qi's eyes lit up and he leaned forward.
"Well, they are all old poems from ancient times..." Zhu Su smiled awkwardly, never expecting that Chang Mao would make up for himself at this time. He looked over with resentful eyes, only to see Chang Mao with an innocent face and leisurely throwing a grape into his mouth.
"Haha, your highness, don't be angry." Seeing Zhu Su's reluctance, the prefect Wei Guan laughed and tried to smooth things over. "This person is a literary idiot. He only cares about poetry and articles, but he has no intention of offending His Highness."
"In the past, His Majesty was gracious and wanted to promote him to be a member of the Ministry of Household Affairs. However, he refused to resign on the grounds that his secular duties were too heavy and he could not concentrate on reciting poems and writing essays."
"His whole heart is just to revive our Chinese civilization in the chaos of Meng Yuan. He is also somewhat unpopular in our Ming Dynasty Jiangnan. If His Highness has words, say them and send him away. With his mouth, he will soon be The spread of Jiangnan literati must be known to everyone, and the origins of His Highness’s family can also be known to the world.”
"If not, then it's okay to ignore him. He's broad-minded and doesn't hold grudges."
"It turns out he is a high scholar." Zhu Su was immediately in awe. "Mr. Gao's actions are quite a bit like 'I wish I would die of old age and spend my time drinking wine, rather than bow in front of a carriage'!"
"'I hope that I will die of old age while spending time drinking and drinking, rather than bowing in front of carriages and horses'..." Gao Qi was suddenly startled. Then he slammed the table:
"Wonderful, wonderful! Your Highness recited it casually, and it is a masterpiece of poetry!"
"Compared with this sentence, the poems I usually write are really only worthy of burning a furnace!"
"Your Highness! Please tell me this poem in full! If you can't hear it, Qi will hardly be able to live!"
Gao Qi was extremely excited!
(End of chapter)
