Although Gao Qi read poetry and books, he had no intention of pursuing an official career. He could not be summoned by the king, so he only wanted to live in seclusion in the city, write books, collect poems and essays, and devote himself to restoring and carrying forward the Chinese literary tradition that had been damaged by the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty.
Among them, he paid special attention to poetry, believing that "poetry can reach far and clarify aspirations." I vowed to collect the poems and lyrics of the Ming Dynasty that can illuminate the history of the Ming Dynasty and pass them on to future generations.
However, the literary culture of the Ming Dynasty had not yet recovered, and the poetry world was not prosperous. Although there were one or two excellent works, they were far inferior to those of the Tang and Song Dynasties. While Gao Qi sighed with regret, he could only secretly resent the Meng Yuan for how much damage it had done to Chinese literature, and hoped that one day, the Chinese literary world would be prosperous again.
Unexpectedly one day, I suddenly heard Zhu Su's "Rolling Waters of the Yangtze River Passing East", and I was shocked for a while. Then I heard "Look at the Sky at Dawn and Look at the Clouds at Dusk" written to the daughter of the Xu family. I danced with joy, thinking that The literary world of the Ming Dynasty will prosper, and poetic talents have been born in the Ming Dynasty. This is a clear proof that the literary world of the Ming Dynasty is about to be revived.
Therefore, Gao Qi highly praised Zhu Su. After he came to Suzhou, he willingly used his reputation to assist Zhu Su under the prefect Wei Guan, recruit students, and provide relief to the victims.
Gao Qi also attended the previous New Year's Eve banquet with others, thinking that during this festive occasion, His Highness King Wu might have some good poems coming to the world. Unexpectedly, His Highness showed no intention of reciting a poem in celebration until he captured the gangsters in the city.
Gao Qi was about to give up at first, lamenting that His Highness King Wu had too many noble people to attend to and had no interest in reciting poems and writing poems.
But I didn’t expect that there would be such an unexpected surprise today!
"You poetry idiot..." Luo Guanzhong nodded to his old friend Gao Qi, and then unfolded the page under Gao Qi's expectant eyes. With just one glance, the whole person was shaken to the spot.
"You old guy, why are you so stunned!" Gao Qi was very worried when he saw that he stopped talking. "Whatever His Highness wrote, you recited it!"
"I just realized today that what Prime Minister Wen said is 'great righteousness'." Luo Guanzhong's pupils narrowed slightly and he sighed in a loud voice. Gao Qi was so anxious that he didn't care that it would be disrespectful to watch privately. He leaned over to take a look. With just one glance, his whole body was shocked to the spot.
"Lime...groan?"
He unconsciously recited the name of this poem. The whole poem consists of just four sentences, which reads:
Thousands of hammers carved out the mountains,
The fire burns as if it were idle.
Not afraid of being shattered into pieces,
To remain innocent in this world.
"Don't be afraid of your bones being shattered into pieces... You want to keep your innocence in this world..." Gao Qi couldn't help but murmured.
"The scholar who raised his arms and shouted outside the city, but was killed by the thieves, can rest in peace!" Gao Qidao, his eyes even showed extremely strong envy. "To receive this poem from His Highness, I, Gao Qi, wish I could die!"
These were Gao Qi's heartfelt words. To be honest, the scholar who raised his arms and shouted was not worthy of these four sentences from His Highness King Wu. These four sentences are more like describing a hero who faced a desperate situation but never looked back and turned the tide.
For the sake of the truth in his heart, even if he is burned by fire and struck by thousands of hammers, even knowing that his fate will be shattered into pieces, he still maintains his innocence and has no regrets.
What a supreme conduct!
"Your Highness is not writing just for that scholar. Your Highness is... setting a destiny for us and other Ming literati." Luo Guanzhong was also shocked. "Keep innocence in the world...Keep innocence in the world...If all literati are like this, the Ming Dynasty will prosper!"
"Hurry and tell this poem to the whole city!" Gao Qidao said. "Such a good poem cannot be shelved in a high cabinet. It needs to be spread throughout the world to clarify the aspirations of Ming scholars like us!"
"Not bad." Luo Guanzhong also said. He turned around and asked Gou'er: "May I ask my father-in-law, I don't know the name of that scholar, but can you find out?"
"I will write the story of that scholar into a script, and together with this poem, I will teach the whole city Mingzhi. We must let the people know that the bandits outside the city are vicious and vicious, and the integrity of this martyr is strong!"
…
Luo Guanzhong, Gao Qi and other literati were filled with fighting spirit inspired by the song "Yan of Lime", and a highly provocative article "Remembering Zhao Sheng's Unyielding Victims by Zhang Thief" was soon captured in Luo Guanzhong's writing Write it out. The people of Suzhou were already frightened by the thieves outside the city, and everyone was concerned about the war. This story is a record of the war. It is the news that Suzhou people are most concerned about now, so it spreads very quickly.
Therefore, the story of Zhao Sheng and many brave people dying generously to win the opportunity for His Highness the King of Wu to rescue the people, as well as the song "Song of Lime" by His Highness the King of Wu to pay tribute to the literary integrity of this life, also spread rapidly at an extremely fast speed. All over the city of Suzhou Prefecture.
"Have you heard? This story is about the war that happened in the east of the city today! Descendants of the Zhang family brought Japanese pirates and forced the people outside the city to use them as human shields to attack the city!" In a teahouse somewhere in the city, a Wensheng disciple of Gao Qi , flushed with excitement, telling the people the story of what happened in the east of the city.
The common people continued to gather around the scholars who were explaining the latest news about the war. Behind them, several common people were talking in low voices.
"Isn't this a disregard for human life? King Cheng is so kind, why is his son so cruel!"
"Hey! What kind of kindness is just to win over the hearts of us in Suzhou and win over the world! Didn't his son reveal his true colors in order to seize the city? We originally lived outside the city. If we were slower to enter the city, I'm afraid it would be too late. Get caught by them and die!"
"You are right! When I heard the story of Huang Chao before, I knew that none of the heroes had any good intentions. Now it is a big day. Emperor Zhu finally expelled the Tatars and is the emperor of our Han people. He is also kind to us. Those people want our Han Dynasty to be divided for their own selfish purposes, so why don’t they go back to the time of the Yuan Dynasty when they attacked each other?”
"Besides, if his son, His Highness King Wu, were not here, the city gate might be broken down today!"
"It's absolutely true! If the city gate is broken down, none of us Suzhou people can escape! Then Zhang Li and the Japanese are working together, and if the Japanese invaders enter the city, can they still have a way to survive?"
"We brothers are strong and healthy. Why don't we go and help His Highness the King of Wu? Or we can help the defenders deliver some meals and deliver some rocks and logs. Maybe we can do our best."
"At least you don't have to watch that thief Zhang lead the Japanese dog into the city!"
"That's right! I heard that His Highness will be on the east wall of the city tonight to pay homage to the souls of the people who died in vain today... If His Highness hadn't moved us into the city, I'm afraid that among the dead souls, there will also be two brothers, you and me."
"Then Zhao Sheng can be considered as having died for us, and we should go pay homage to him!"
…
Conversations like this continue to occur throughout Suzhou City. In the evening, Zhao Sheng's bones were put into a coffin under the city wall. Zhu Su was worried that the thieves would not dare to go down to the city during the night battle, so he held a memorial ceremony for Zhao Sheng on the city wall. When he stood on the city wall, Zhu Su was surprised to find that many people carrying lanterns were already densely surrounded under the city wall. People lowered their eyes and murmured, looking at Zhao Sheng's coffin and the hundreds of people standing in the front row who were lucky enough to survive and be rescued into the city.
"Your Highness, do you want to say something?" The dog beside Zhu Su asked in a low voice.
"...After all, there is no need to make things complicated during wartime. Just follow the original plan and make it simple." Zhu Su thought for a while and shook his head. Too much is not enough. If you continue to incite the people, the people will be too excited at night and accidents will happen.
"Yes." The dog bowed his head and retreated. Then he brought Zhu Su a Kongming lantern that had been prepared for a long time. Zhu Su lit the flame for the Kongming lantern in full view of the city. On the city, Zhu Xi, Zhu Di, King Wu and King Wei of Qin, and the surviving people below the city, also lit up the Kongming lanterns that had been prepared long ago. Thirty-five members of the King's Guard cavalry were robed and died trying to get out of the city to fight, and 735 others were on the scene. The people outside the city who died in vain prayed for blessings.
"The heroic soul is not far away, go on your way with peace of mind!" The Kongming lantern made a buzzing sound in Zhu Su's hand, and he was about to swing up. Zhu Su shouted, and then let go of the hand holding the paper lantern. The sergeants also shouted in unison, and then, a total of 771 Kongming lanterns flew into the sky together.
More than seven hundred lights, like the souls of more than seven hundred people who died today, swayed upward in the dark blue night sky. The people were all solemn for a moment, looking at these souls leaving them in trance.
"Everyone, we should recite in unison so that the thieves outside the city will know the integrity of our wise men!" Suddenly, some scholars below the city shouted loudly.
"Thousands of hammers have carved out the deep mountains, and the fire has burned them as if it were nothing. I am not afraid of my bones being shattered into pieces, I want to leave my innocence in the world!"
Immediately, under the guidance of this person, many scholars in the city began to chant the "Lime Chant" they had just heard today. At first, only one person was chanting, and gradually there were six or seven people. In the end, there were hundreds of thousands of people chanting. Even the common people who had never been illiterate also followed the scholars, watching the sky lanterns getting higher and higher, with sacred faces on their faces. Reciting this poem, they may not even know the specific meaning.
"...Are these, are these really the people of my Ming Dynasty..." On the city, Zhu Xi looked at the ordinary people below the city who chanted in unison with extraordinary momentum, and murmured to himself in shock.
Next to Zhu Su, Gou'er, a Jurchen, also looked at the crowd of people reciting poems with envy in his eyes.
(End of chapter)
