Chương 771: All the scholars in the world have to kneel down.

Liu Ce snapped out of his daze, laughed heartily, and waved his hand:

"It's nothing, Grandfather just suddenly remembered something from the past. Let's continue."

Where were we? Oh right, Rome. When our Han army arrived, the Romans thought it was a divine intervention...

He continued telling the story, his voice steady and powerful, and the children were drawn in again, their little eyes sparkling.

The sunlight fell on several generations of grandparents and grandchildren, warm and cozy, peaceful and beautiful.

After teaching him for a short time, Liu Ce discovered that his eldest grandson, Liu Chengqian, was truly intelligent.

They have a photographic memory, can apply what they've learned to other situations, can master what they've been taught in one go, and can even figure out new problems on their own.

At only eight years old, he could understand simple memorials to the emperor and speak fluently about the geography of the world and the history of past dynasties.

He is also steady in temperament, unlike other children who play wildly. He can sit still and has composure.

Liu Ce grew to like him more and more and decided to focus on cultivating this eldest grandson.

In addition to regular classes, he received extra tutoring, learning the art of rulership, strategies for governing a country, and the art of employing people, just like he had trained Liu Chen in the past.

Sometimes they would even take him to the imperial court to listen to the proceedings, so he could see how the ministers discussed matters and how the crown prince handled state affairs.

Liu Chengqian lived up to expectations, studying diligently and without any arrogance or impatience, displaying a remarkable composure at a young age.

Liu Ce saw this and felt very gratified.

With three generations of reliable people, the Han dynasty's rule is secure.

..................

Teaching children in the palace must be incredibly boring.

Liu Ce loved to stroll around, and while he was still in good health, he simply took the Empress, several concubines, and a few imperial grandsons with him and went out on an inspection tour in a grand procession.

It was called an inspection tour, but it was really just a nationwide trip.

Take a steam train or a steamship, from north to south, from east to west, go wherever is fun.

See the grasslands of the north, the water towns of the south, the sunrise over the East China Sea, and the vast deserts of the west.

He didn't put on airs like an emperor along the way. He wore ordinary clothes, stayed in ordinary inns, visited markets, and ate snacks, just like an ordinary wealthy old man taking his family on a trip.

In Jiangnan, he took his grandsons to stroll through the gardens of Suzhou and Hangzhou, to eat West Lake fish in vinegar sauce and Longjing shrimp, and to watch the misty rain over West Lake...

In Lingnan, he took the children to see lychee trees, eat fresh lychees and longans, visit the ports of maritime trade, and watch the 10, 000-ton ocean-going freighters come and go...

In the northern frontier, he took the children horseback riding, watching the sunset over the grasslands, eating roasted whole lamb, and drinking mare's milk wine...

In the Western Regions, he took the children along the Silk Road, to see the Gobi Desert, to visit the sites of the former thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions, and to tell them stories of the Han army's westward expedition...

We traveled at a leisurely pace, stopping frequently along the way, and had a great time.

Liu Chen was overseeing the country in the capital and was quite sensible. He would never bother his father unless it was something important, so that his father could play without worry.

When he has nothing to do, Liu Ce likes to draw and write.

Looking at the beautiful scenery before me, and recalling the popular poems and lyrics of later generations, my hands start to itch to write.

Since he had nothing better to do, he simply found a notebook and began to write down classic poems from later generations one by one.

I selected classic Tang poems, Song lyrics, and Yuan dramas, choosing those that fit the mood and setting, and wrote poems based on whatever scene I saw.

When visiting Mount Lu, he wrote "The waterfall plunges three thousand feet"; when touring West Lake, he wrote "Whether lightly or heavily adorned, she is always beautiful"; and when climbing Mount Tai, he wrote "Looking down on all the mountains from a high vantage point".

As I wrote, I accumulated four thick volumes, totaling more than a thousand poems.

There are bold and unrestrained poems, delicate and graceful ones, frontier poems, and pastoral poems—all kinds of styles are represented. (Minor adjustments have been made to the inconsistencies in the poems.) The accompanying eunuchs, upon reading it, assumed it was a new work by His Majesty and were all filled with admiration. They thought His Majesty was incredibly talented, writing as he traveled, and every single one of his poems was so excellent!

Liu Ce smiled without saying a word, concealing his merits and fame.

This trip took almost three years before I finally returned to Luoyang at a leisurely pace.

Just two days after returning to the palace, Liu Ce summoned Crown Prince Liu Chen to the Ganlu Hall.

"Chen'er, come here, I've got something good to show you."

Liu Ce smiled and handed over the four bound collections of poems, looking completely nonchalant.

Liu Chen took the book, somewhat puzzled, and asked, "Dad, what's this?"

"During these past few years of nationwide inspections, I've had some free time on the road, so I casually jotted down some poems," Liu Ce said, picking up his teacup, taking a slow sip, his tone nonchalant.

"Not many, just over a thousand. Take a look."

Liu Chen paused for a moment, then casually flipped to the first page.

He was stunned after reading just two songs, his eyes widening as he forgot to turn the page.

The opening poem, "Bring in the Wine," with its lines "Have you not seen the Yellow River's waters come from the sky?", is so powerful that it makes his scalp tingle.

Turning the pages further, one finds "Nian Nu Jiao: Reminiscences of Chibi," "Ascending the Heights," and "Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng"...

Each song is more stunning than the last, each song is more classic than the last.

Some are bold and unrestrained, some are tender and poignant, some are concerned about the country and its people, and some are fresh and natural.

Their styles are ever-changing, yet every single one of them is a timeless masterpiece!

Liu Chen became increasingly shocked as he read, going from sitting to standing, his hands almost trembling as he turned the pages.

He knew his father was powerful; he could conquer the world, develop industry, write poetry... he knew a great deal.

But he had no idea that his father was such a great poet!

More than a thousand songs, every single one a masterpiece? Is that even possible for a human?

He looked up at his father, who was leisurely sipping tea beside him, with an expression as if he were looking at a monster, and his words became slurred:

"Dad... Dad, did you write all of these? Did you write them over the years while traveling?"

Liu Ce put down his teacup, smiled, and waved his hand, looking smug as if to say, "This is no big deal."

"Stay calm, stay calm, it's nothing. I just wrote it casually, it's not worth mentioning."

Liu Chen: "..."

He didn't know what to say.

My dad's act was so smooth and flawless, it was completely convincing.

More than a thousand masterpieces, and you call them "written casually"?

"Just a piece of cake"?

What were those little things written by that scholar? Was it just graffiti?

He took a deep breath, calming his shock for a long time before he could barely find his voice:

"Father, this... this is too much... If these poems get out, all the scholars in the world will kneel down in awe."

"That's why I called you over," Liu Ce said with a smile.

"Take these to the Ministry of Rites and let them take a look. They can then decide which ones are suitable for inclusion in textbooks and which ones can be included in the imperial examinations."

The rest should be publicized by the Ministry of Rites through official publications for several days.

Let the world see that our Han Dynasty is not only militarily powerful, but also culturally advanced.

Liu Chen nodded, clutching the four poetry collections as if they were priceless treasures, and left Ganlu Palace in a daze.

Walking down the street, I was still thinking: How many more skills does my dad have that I don't know about?

How can there be such a huge difference between people?

..................

Liu Chen, carrying the poetry collection, went directly to the Ministry of Rites.

Just then, Guan Ning, the Minister of Rites, was discussing matters with several vice ministers and Hanlin scholars. Liu Chen placed the book on the table:

"Look, everyone, these are poems that His Majesty composed during his inspection tour."

Upon hearing that the poem was written by His Majesty, everyone curiously gathered around to take a look.

Upon opening it, the entire room fell silent instantly.

The hall, which was just a moment ago noisy, is now so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone stared wide-eyed and gaped, as if they had been frozen in place.

An old scholar, watching the music, trembled with excitement, muttering to himself, "This music should only exist in heaven; how often can it be heard on earth..."

Absolutely masterpieces! They're all absolute masterpieces!

As they listened to the songs one by one, the crowd went from shock to numbness, and from numbness to worship.

More than a thousand poems, each a classic, with a variety of styles, including those for occasional occasions, those for singing in response, those set in the countryside, and those set in the frontier—all of them are written to perfection.