Chapter 1 For the First Time

For the great essayists invited by Tan Xiaopei, this was a novel experience. Indeed, deducing a person's disposition and emotions from poetry was one of the ways these people appreciated and interpreted literary works. Those well-versed in poetry and prose understood better than ordinary people, even better than those with a smattering of knowledge about poetry and songs, that the verses and essays that survived the relentless scouring of history, that continued to be copied and circulated, were often not pieced together by writers skilled in prosody through momentary cleverness and emotion. Instead, they were flashes of inspiration driven by intense emotion. When such a momentary flash could interpret one's emotions, resonate with the history and figures of the time, connect with the vigorous background of that era, and simultaneously showcase the unique characteristics of an individual or a type of person, then such articles and verses could become classics.

And in the eyes of these great essayists, Tan Weishi's two poems had already essentially qualified to become classics.

However, their duty was not to critique poetry but to speculate and infer something through its appraisal. For these great essayists, Tan Xiaopei summoning them to do such a thing was certainly an affirmation of their abilities in writing, as well as a trust in their ability to keep such court secrets confidential. For these people, their abilities were originally limited to writing; they had no particular talents in other fields. Naturally, they could not serve as practical officials in the increasingly professional Dongping court. This kind of affair related to writing was already the closest they could get to the kingdom's top echelons. However, faced with such a task, everyone could only offer a wry smile.

In the side hall, Tan Xiaopei sat in a dim corner, not letting those present easily notice his rather unpleasant complexion. He didn't understand poetry very well, and he was far less familiar with these things than with military books and battle strategies. But upon reading what his daughter had written, looking at sentences such as, "It does no harm to be melancholy and unconventional," he could roughly form some of his own ideas.

Several great essayists looked at each other, unsure how to convey their thoughts to His Majesty the King. Their deductions were similar, but who would speak and how they would speak was still a matter of skill.

Finally, in the somber atmosphere, Yu Pingbo, a scholar of the Wenhua Hall, cleared his throat and began, "Your Majesty, the Princess's two poems can be called masterpieces. Although we have already learned why Your Majesty summoned us, the Princess's literary talent is equally enlightening to us humble servants."

Yu Pingbo continued, "In my humble opinion, what is expressed in the Princess's poem is limited, and the core is longing and melancholy. To infer from the line, 'Lingbo only crosses Hengtang Road, but watches, the fragrant dust departs,' the Princess and her beloved may have only met by chance, or perhaps, the Princess only developed feelings for that person from a chance encounter. 'Who will spend the gilded years with me? Moonlit bridges, flower-filled courtyards, locked windows, vermilion doors, only spring knows.' Here, the Princess's feelings for that person are already quite deep. Especially the line, 'Who will spend the gilded years with me?' it seems the Princess once had the thought of spending her life with that person. 'If you ask how much idle emotion I have? A river of misty grass, city full of willow catkins, plum rain season!' This self-question and answer can be called a peerless line. It cleverly matches the current seasonal scenery, listing a series of three metaphors as a repeated answer: grass, catkins, and rain, all extremely numerous things, so numerous that they cannot be counted. However, the connotations of these three are not entirely the same. 'Misty grass' connecting to the sky represents the boundless vastness of 'idle melancholy'; 'willow catkins' flying all over the city represent the confusion and disorder of 'idle melancholy'; 'plum rain' is continuous, representing the length of sorrow, never-ending. In such a vast space, for such a long time, something that is inherently elusive is written so vividly, realistically, and richly without feeling abstract. At the same time, these three sentences are not only metaphors but also depictions of scenery and expressions of emotion, consistent inside and out, without leaving a trace. With this sentence alone, the Princess can join the ranks of contemporary lyricists. However, melancholy is melancholy. You can’t see much worry or despair in this poem. Linking the three sentences of melancholy with the sentence 'New lines of heartbroken phrases written with a colored pen,' it seems that the Princess is quite pleased with herself for being able to come up with such metaphors, with a hint of banter. It is conceivable that when writing this poem, the Princess's state of mind was quite relaxed. Indeed, words are the voice of the heart, and verses are even more a reflection of a person's state of mind at the time. When scholars discuss poems and articles, they often say, 'Sentences reach poignancy when assigned to vicissitudes.' The Princess can create such...such exquisite poetry, although it must be that Heaven favors the emperor's family, allowing the Princess to have outstanding literary talent, but it is also moved by the heart and touched by the feeling of lovesickness. Judging from the different emotions in the two poems, one can see the changes in the Princess's state of mind over a period of time. In my opinion, this poem was written much earlier than that verse."

"However..." Yu Pingbo's tone took a sharp turn, "The Princess's poem is a bit...a bit puzzling."

Yu Pingbo turned to Bai Xianyong, who cooperated by continuing, "The meaning of this poem is very simple. And the couplet in the neck uses two allusions, but one can hardly feel the trace of using allusions, truly achieving the level of driving ancient allusions as if they were already out. It is written as the Princess's recollection of the encounter of her emotions. The upper sentence uses the story of the goddess of Mount Wu meeting the King of Chu in a dream, and the lower sentence uses the Yuefu *Shenxian Song Qingxi Little Girl Song*: 'The little girl lives alone, without a lover.' It means that, recalling the past, although there have been fantasies and pursuits in love like the goddess of Mount Wu, in the end, it was just a dream; until now, it is still like the little girl of Qingxi, living alone without a lover, without entrusting her life to anyone. Especially this couplet is very concise, but not abstract, because the myths and legends contained in these two allusions can lead to rich associations."

As soon as Bai Xianyong spoke of poetry, his eyes lit up, as if he had completely forgotten the reason for being summoned until someone next to him cleared his throat, and he woke up. He lowered his head and said, "What is more puzzling is the couplet in the waist. The combination of the images of 'water chestnut branches' and 'wind and waves' seems to imply that they have encountered strong suppression and destruction, but they cannot get help. It could have nourished the cassia leaves but did not, seeing the ruthlessness of the 'moon dew'. The wording is euphemistic, but the meaning is extremely painful... But as I know, regardless of the Princess's status or the numerous protections around her, there is absolutely no such possibility. It seems more appropriate to understand this couplet as emotional waves and helplessness."

Bai Xianyong said carefully, "And the last couplet, 'Directly saying that lovesickness is useless, it does no harm to be melancholy and unconventional' seems to say that even if lovesickness is completely useless, it does not prevent one from embracing infatuation and being melancholy for life. In the face of near disillusionment, the persistence of unswerving pursuit, the unforgettable 'lovesickness' can be imagined."

Silence filled the hall. For quite a long time, no one dared to make a sound. Even in the shadows, Tan Xiaopei's dark face was too obvious. Both of these works were found in Tan Weishi's closet, written on a blank piece of paper, carefully folded and placed in a silk handkerchief. If the people from the intelligence agency hadn't been so careful, they wouldn't have found it at all. But from this, it can also be seen that Tan Weishi cherishes these two poems, which can be called masterpieces of the time, and understands her own emotions revealed by the two poems.

"Your Majesty, there is a small issue that I want to add," Jin Xingyao said softly. Among these people, Jin Xingyao's status was somewhat special. Originally, Jin Xingyao was a woman favored by Tan Xiaopei's elder brother. Although she came from a humble background, she was talented. He originally intended to marry her after a battle, and before the marriage, Jin Xingyao and Tan Xiaopei's elder brother had already consummated their relationship and even lived together for a short time. Unexpectedly, Tan Xiaopei's elder brother failed to return from that battle. After Tan Xiaopei ascended the throne, he invited Jin Xingyao to serve as a female official in the royal palace. Over the years, Jin Xingyao has devoted herself to poetry and literature and has become a great master. But in Tan Xiaopei's eyes, Jin Xingyao was at least three-tenths of an elder sister-in-law. There were many things that other ministers dared not say, but she could say without any problem.

Jin Xingyao said seriously, "The words 'originally' and 'originally' in the first couplet are quite meaningful. It seems to imply that there was not only pursuit but also a brief encounter."

"What?!" Tan Xiaopei was furious. If that were really the case, then it wouldn't be a simple palace affair but a palace scandal. Tan Xiaopei paced back and forth in the side hall. After a long time, he said heavily, "...In that case, I understand. I shouldn't need to remind you to keep your mouths shut about what happened today, right? If even a little bit of rumor spreads out, you know in your hearts what will happen. Don't blame me for not giving you a chance to explain and clarify things."

After saying that, Tan Xiaopei left the side hall without looking back. Everyone in the hall looked at each other. Indeed, no one dared to spread such a thing, but for these ministers, being threatened like this by His Majesty was not a pleasant thing. On the contrary, Jin Xingyao was not worried at all. She originally lived in the royal palace and was relatively detached. Since His Majesty had left, she bade farewell to everyone and returned to her residence as if the content that made Tan Xiaopei most angry had nothing to do with her at all.

Tan Xiaopei returned to the imperial study and calmed down a bit. He carefully thought about the whole thing and felt more and more that his guess was correct. After thinking for a long time, among those he suspected, he further selected a few targets. The final conclusion seemed to be on the verge of being revealed.

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I know there have been fewer updates recently, but these two chapters are really difficult to write. Please understand... Working hard.