But it’s not difficult to understand. No matter how cool the title of the poem is, you can’t eat or drink, and you have to throw in a lot of money to pay for socializing and singing. In the final analysis, it’s not because the imperial examination system in the Tang Dynasty was not perfect, and most of the official positions in the court They were all divided by the noble families, and very few were offered for the imperial examination. However, although these two family backgrounds were good, their reincarnation skills were not full. One was from Hebei, the other was from Hedong, and neither of them were from Guanzhong Long. Your right man, you have suffered a disadvantage from birth. Even if you enter the official career and have an official status, it is very difficult to get ahead. If there had been imperial examinations like those in the Tang and Ming and Qing dynasties, the two people in front of me would have memorized the Four Books and Five Classics and written eight-legged essays at home, and they would not have known how to write poems and rhymes, and would not have done their jobs properly!
"With your reputation for talent and knowledge, as long as you wait patiently, it will only be a matter of time before you can return to the court!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "There is no need to be too anxious!"
"Hey!" Lu Zhaolin sighed: "Your Majesty, we are young and old. Brother Zian Xian should still have a chance. I am now nearly forty years old and my health is not as good as before. If I delay for another two years, even if the court requisitions me, I'm afraid There is too much ambition but not enough strength!”
Wang Wenzuo glanced at Lu Zhaolin. It was indeed as he said. There were some white hairs on his temples. He was thin and his face was full of weather. His physical condition was indeed not good. In comparison, although Wang Bo's face was also full of He was depressed and frustrated, but after all, he was only in his early twenties, and the unique vitality of youth was still ready to come out. The selection of officials in the Tang Dynasty was based on the theory of "body, speech, writing, and judgement". The first is body, which is magnificent in appearance; the second is speech, which is dialectical; the third is calligraphy, which is beautiful in regular script; the fourth is judgment, which is excellent in arts and sciences. In today's terms, In other words, he looks tall and tall, can speak eloquently, can write well, and can write good official documents. With Lu Zhaolin's current situation, even if the imperial court wanted to use him, the first clause would be removed.
"Brother Lu's appearance is indeed somewhat diminished!" Wang Wenzuo said: "But Brother Lu is about the same age as me. He is in his prime at this age, so why should he be so depressed?"
Hearing what Wang Wenzuo said, Lu Zhaolin already had a wry smile on his face. He was about the same age as Wang Wenzuo, both in their thirties and less than forty. The problem was that he was already a feudal official, a favorite in the hearts of the emperor and the prince, and he called out when traveling. His back is like a cloud of tooth flags; and he has been working as a pawnbroker in Prince Deng's Mansion in his early twenties, and has traveled around with Prince Deng Li Yuanyu for more than ten years. Prince Deng is indeed very good to him, but the problem is that he is only the seventeenth son of Emperor Gaozu of the Tang Dynasty. The son had no achievements and had never entered the core of power of the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, although Li Yuanyu had gone through all the joints for him, in the end he could only go to Xindu, Yizhou to become a mere county captain. Three years later, when the county captain's term expired, his evaluation was average and he was not promoted, so he simply stayed in Sichuan. , immersed in poetry and wine.
From the perspective of later generations of literary lovers, this is of course a blessing. Usually, the worse a poet is, the better he is able to write good works. If Lu Zhaolin had been prosperous since then, and would have been blessed with gold and purple, he would later write "The Ancient Ideas of Chang'an" Naturally, I could not write such masterpieces as "The Difficulty of Traveling", "The Essay on Diseases", "Five Sorrows", "Ode to the Sick Pear Tree", etc. But for Lu Zhaolin himself, it was a different matter. Although the article was true through the ages, it was still better than not getting promoted and getting rich!
"How can the next scholar dare to compare with the prince?"
"You can't say that!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "Right now, I am indeed a little prouder than the two of you, but in the future, people will probably remember you two, but they may not remember me!"
"Wang Ping Ping Baekje, destroyed the Japanese country and Goguryeo, his achievements are unparalleled, even in a thousand years, the world will never forget it!" Wang Bo said.
"I hope it will be as Zian said!" Wang Wenzuo smiled: "It is fate that I met you two today! I think you two are quite willing to return to Chang'an. If there is anything I can do, please speak up!"
When Wang Bo and Lu Zhaolin heard this, their faces showed joy. After all, Wang Bo was younger and not as rich as Lu Zhaolin: "If the prince is willing to say a word, he can help me like water or fire!"
"Zi'an wants me to speak up for you in front of the emperor?" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile.
"That's not necessary!" Wang Bo said with a smile: "It was a few years ago when the emperor scolded me. I'm afraid the emperor himself has forgotten it. If you mention it again in front of the emperor, it will make the emperor think of it again. , it can be said to be a mixed bag of good and bad!”
"That's true!" Wang Wenzuo nodded, thinking to himself that Wang Bo is indeed a child prodigy, extremely alert, and very clear about the psychology of superiors: "Then what do you want me to do?"
"Can the prince please recommend Brother Lu and me to the prince?" Wang Bo said.
"This Wang Bo is really evil! He wants to plunge into the center of the political whirlpool. It seems that he will probably not be able to escape the knife in future generations even if he is not drowned!" Wang Wenzuo sneered in his heart when he heard this. Out of respect for the venerable person, future generations will treat Wang Bo and Wang Bo. Famous poets such as Lu Zhaolin usually emphasized the part of them that were writers, but left the part of them that were politicians unclear. If you understand the lives of Wang Bo and Lu Zhaolin, you will find that after they entered the official career, their first step was to enter a certain prince's palace as a literary attendant. However, Lu Zhaolin followed the relatively marginalized King Deng, while Wang Bo followed King Pei Li Xian. (The later Prince Zhanghuai, the second son of Tang Gaozong and Wu Zetian).
Different from those after Tianbao in the Tang Dynasty, the clan kings in the early Tang Dynasty also played a very important role in court politics. For example, the prince had his own army and subordinate officials. Although the sparrow was small and had all the internal organs, it was like a small court; Kings generally also have their own fiefs, their own civil and military attendants, and can hold official positions. They recruit talents, expand their reputation through editing books and various social activities, and actively participate in various struggles in the court and within the palace. This is also the reason why various palace coups occurred frequently from the founding of the Tang Dynasty to the reign of Emperor Xuanzong.
All this is not accidental. After all, the early Tang Dynasty was not far away from the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the autocratic imperial power was not yet stable, and the lessons of the demise of the Sui and Northern Zhou Dynasties were not far away. The trend of enfeoffing clan kings and using the wings of emperors to fight against internal and external threats such as nobles and relatives has not yet been eliminated. It is also a normal choice for writers with outstanding literary talents like Lu Zhaolin and Wang Bo to participate in the politics of the clan as a literary daring and think tank in exchange for their own promotion. In normal times, they wrote poems and organized articles to increase their master's political prestige and embellish their glory; once the weapons met, they wrote essays to repel thieves and directly attacked the enemy.
The well-structured and magnificent Si style prose has extremely special advantages in this regard, such as Chen Lin's "A Prosecution against Cao Cao", Wei Shou's "A Prosecution for Liang Liang in the Eastern Wei Dynasty", and King Luo Bin's "A Prosecution against Wu Zhao for Xu Jingye". It is the top of the list. These gorgeous articles had a very powerful mobilizing and agitating effect in the gentry political environment at that time. It is not an exaggeration to say "spiritual atomic bomb". Cao Cao was scared into a cold sweat after reading Chen Lin's article; Wei Shou said that he could Let the people of the world rise to the sky and bow to the earth; Wu Zetian sighed after reading King Luo Bin's article, saying that he had such a talent, but it was not accidental that he was reduced to the prime minister's fault! They all have a historical background.
Wang Bo was originally driven out of Chang'an by Li Zhi because he casually wrote "Call to the King of Ying's Chicken" to cheer up the cockfight between King Li Xian of Pei and King Li Xian of England (the third son of Li Zhi and Wu Zetian). Li Zhi's reason was: There was a cockfight between the two kings. Wang Bo, as a doctor, did not give any advice, but instead wrote a proclamation (a government announcement in ancient times used for recruiting, issuing instructions, or a document to denounce or expose crimes, etc. It also refers to a highly combative criticism and denunciation). article), deliberately fabricated and exaggerated the situation, this person should be expelled from the palace immediately.
But obviously this is not all the reasons. Li Zhi also came from the crown prince. Of course, he will not forget the tragedies of fratricide between his father and his own two generations who fought for the throne. Of course, Li Zhi would not attribute this tragedy to the feudal autocratic imperial power itself, but believed that there were treacherous villains around the princes who instigated brotherhood among the princes, which eventually led to tragedy. The solution was to remove these treacherous villains The villain is driven away from the prince and replaced by a benevolent gentleman, so that the princes can stay in their respective positions and live in harmony.
Seeing Wang Wenzuo's silence, Wang Bo became more and more anxious: "I heard that the prince has the trust of the prince. If the prince says a word, it will be as good as his next life!"
"Zian!" Wang Wenzuo smiled: "As far as I know, you served in Prince Pei's Mansion when you were in Chang'an, right?"
"good!"
"Since you have already served in Prince Pei's Mansion, the distinction between monarch and minister has been decided. If you return to Chang'an this time and then go to the Prince's East Palace, where will His Highness Prince Pei be?"
Wang Bo suddenly became speechless, his face as pale as a death. As Wang Wenzuo said, although the prince is the crown prince, theoretically King Pei is a minister and the prince is the king. But as long as the prince does not ascend the throne, it is not certain who will be the next emperor. Since you, Wang Bo, have fooled around with King Pei in this fight for the throne, and now you want to come to the prince's side, where should you put King Pei's face? Even if the emperor doesn't speak, he will be bitten to death by the admonishment officer.
"What the prince said is true!" Lu Zhaolin sighed, and he patted Wang Bo on the shoulder: "Brother Zian Xian, the path of the prince is not between you and me, so we should find another path!"
"Looking for another way?" Wang Bo gave a bitter smile: "Brother Lu, don't you understand? A person joins an official from the eighth rank, gets promoted one level in two years, and is promoted to a seventh rank official in ten years. My beard is all white. Just the governor of Xiazhou! Study hard for half your life, just for this?"
When Lu Zhaolin heard this, he was speechless for a moment. The Tang Dynasty inherited part of the nine-rank Zhongzheng and Qingzhuo official systems from the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. If your family background is not good, even if you become an official, you will only be a subordinate in your life. This For ordinary people, that's fine. After all, being an official is already progress. But it is different for the children of aristocratic families with outstanding literary talents like Wang Bo and Lu Zhaolin. They originally had the opportunity to rise directly to the top and take over the ministers. At least Wang Bo had this opportunity. He was suddenly kicked off the clouds and left in the mire. Struggle, this feeling is particularly painful.
"Wang Bo, don't blame me for being cruel, otherwise if you go back to Chang'an like this, Junchen and Zhou Xing will definitely make you miserable!" Wang Wenzuo thought to himself, but said: "If you two just want to go back to Chang'an, that's fine. It’s not difficult! Why don’t you come with me, but I really can’t recommend it to the prince!”
Wang Bo and Lu Zhaolin looked at each other, shook their heads together and said, "I still have some trivial things to do in Chengdu, so I don't dare to disturb the prince anymore!"
"Come here!" Wang Wenzuo called his servant and brought him a hundred taels of silver and two famous thorns. He said with a smile: "It costs a lot to feed that Haidongqing. These one hundred taels of platinum are for feeding. If it happens someday, When you two come to Chang'an, you can name assassins and come to my house to conspire to get drunk together!"
Wang Bo and Lu Zhao received the gift of gold and famous thorns and left the camp. Acton presented the things needed by the sea turtle and said with a smile: "Be careful, you two, this bird needs to survive for a while." Day, otherwise you will be disobedient!"
Wang Bo also knew how to "boil the eagle" and nodded. He remembered what the Mohe boy said before: "You didn't lie. This bird is indeed much stronger than my original one!"
"That's natural!" Acton smiled: "You two, be careful on the road!"
Wang Bo nodded. He and Lu Zhaolin got on their horses and walked on the road. After walking for a while, Wang Bo suddenly said: "Brother Lu, do you feel that Wang Wenzuo doesn't want us to return to Chang'an?"
"Why do you say that? Didn't he invite us back together later? And gave us assassinations?" Lu Zhaolin asked back: "As for recommending to the prince, what he said makes sense!"
"That's not what I'm saying!" Wang Bo said, "I just have a feeling that he doesn't want us to go to Chang'an in his heart!"
"Isn't this impossible?" Lu Zhaolin frowned: "With his current status, he is as different from us as heaven and earth. Besides, he is a military general and not a literary person. There is no need to worry about us going to Chang'an and blocking him. out of his way!"
Wang Bo nodded. He was a young man after all, and his emotions came and went quickly. After a moment, he shook his head: "Well, I don't think about this anymore, but anyway, we didn't lose this time. We got a hundred gold for nothing. With such a good eagle, if it were in Chang'an, it wouldn't make those guys' envious eyes bulge out!"
"Yes!" Lu Zhaolin looked at the Haidongqing on Wang Bo's arm with envy, and said with a smile: "This kind of divine thing is indeed rare!"
"By the way, I almost forgot about today's bet!" Wang Bo suddenly laughed and said: "Brother Lu, you still owe me a five-character poem, so hurry up and do it!"
"This -" Lu Zhaolin finally thought about it: "It shouldn't count, right? You didn't catch the eagle at the beginning, right?"
"Why didn't I catch him? He was just shot by that Mohe boy's arrow!"
"Then let me think—"
"Hurry up, Cao Zijian wrote a poem in seven steps. Brother Lu, you can't take more than fourteen steps today!"
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"This Lu Zhaolin is really unlucky!" Cui Hongdu watched the two figures disappear under the horizon, and sighed to Wang Wenzuo: "Sanlang, you recruited him, but he refused to stay!"
"Although Lu Zhaolin is older, his temper is softer than Wang Bo. If Wang Bo doesn't want to stay, Lu Zhaolin will naturally not stay either!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile.
Thanks to book friends such as Xuefu Wuche Kong Yiji and Long Zhan Yuye for their rewards!
I worked overtime all night at the unit last night. My whole body is sore and weak. I really can't stand it anymore when I reach middle age!
(End of chapter)
