Chương 86: Gossip Among Scholars - Liu Ce's Visit

Lu Zhigang's glass of herbal tea, which he had just brought to his lips, froze in mid-air.

Yang Biao stopped stroking his beard.

Han said with his mouth open, as if he was about to reply.

Cai Yong even forgot to wave his bamboo fan.

Lu Zhixian reacted first and said:

"I was puzzled at the time. Wasn't that... a place of music, wine, and meat? How could someone who wields weapons write poetry?"

Yang Biao chimed in, his tone also filled with disbelief:

"I heard about it too; it spread throughout Luoyang that very afternoon. I'm puzzled too. Zuichunlou? Writing poetry? How can these two things be connected?"

Han quickly put down his teacup and began gesturing with his hands:

"You all don't know! My son was reciting 'Having fought a hundred battles in golden armor, I will not return until Lou Lan is conquered' just the day before yesterday! The sheer energy he had was just like the way he'd brandish a sword and charge into battle!"

He became more and more excited as he spoke: "And this line, 'If only the Flying General of Longcheng were here, the barbarian horses would never dare to cross the Yin Mountains!' So powerful! Absolutely so powerful! This is the spirit that the soldiers of our great Han Dynasty should possess!"

Han slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "I never imagined this kid would be so fierce in battle, and his poetry is just as good as ours, these old pedantic scholars!"

"Not only are we not inferior to them!" Huangfu Song, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up, his voice even louder than Kong Rong's.

He slapped his thigh with a "smack," the force of a martial artist's blow causing the table to shake and the teacup to nearly tip over.

"The last time I drank with him at the military camp..."

Huangfu Song beamed, "He also told me: 'Writing poetry is like fighting a war; you have to have energy! Poems without energy are like soldiers without strength—they're all useless!'"

He imitated Liu Ce's tone of voice perfectly:

"At the time, I laughed at him for talking nonsense, saying, 'Writing poetry requires elegance, while fighting requires bravery; how can they be the same?' Now it seems that he's putting his energy into the right place!"

Huangfu Song looked around and smiled:

"That's much better than us, flipping through the Book of Songs and looking at maps, trying to cobble together 'frontier poems'!"

These words were so blunt that they made the scholars present feel a little embarrassed.

Indeed, most of the "frontier poems" written by these people are based on imagination; things like "..." sound alright, but...

But Huangfu Song, who had actually been to the frontier, knew that when the smoke of war rose over the desert, there was nothing good to be had. All that was left were dead bodies and blood.

"You can't say that!" Kong Rong immediately frowned and said:

"Writing poetry requires refined taste; it must be done in a study, with a gentle breeze and bright moon, grinding ink and laying out paper... Who would write poetry in a brothel, listening to the sounds of string and wind instruments? That's just too unrefined!"

He looked heartbroken.

"Poetry is a refined pursuit; to write poetry in such a place is simply... an insult to literature!"

Cai Yong quickly fanned himself to smooth things over: "Wenju (Kong Rong's courtesy name), don't take it so seriously. The general knows a lot; what he wrote is 'the real deal'."

We write about the frontier based on imagination, he writes about the frontier based on experience—it's based on real battles, it's different!

That makes sense.

Kong Rong opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but didn't know where to begin. In the end, he could only hum and take a big gulp of tea.

The topic was thus steered away from the annotations of the "Nineteen Ancient Poems" and turned to Liu Ce.

Lu Zhi put down his iced tea and said in a more serious tone, "Speaking of fighting, this Marquis of Champion is truly formidable. I besieged Zhang Jiao in Guangzong for a long time, but I couldn't break through his defenses."

Later, when Dong Zhuo took over, the same thing happened. But when Liu Ce took over, Guangzong fell within days.

He paused, then remarked with admiration, "The younger generation is truly formidable."

Yang Biao nodded in agreement: "That's right! Some people used to say he was a 'hothead among the royal family,' someone who only knew how to act recklessly."

Looking back now, he was a man of both courage and wisdom. He was a formidable warrior and a brilliant poet; such a person is rare.

Han interjected, "It's not just rare, it's practically unheard of! Think about it, how many people throughout history have been both literate and skilled in martial arts?"

Huo Qubing was a skilled warrior, but I've never heard of him writing poetry; Sima Xiangru could write prose, but sending him to the battlefield? He probably couldn't even ride a horse steadily.

Ma Ridi, who hadn't said much until now, finally spoke up:

"His Majesty bestowed upon him the titles of Marquis of Champion, General of the Cavalry, and Governor of Youzhou... This is quite a generous reward."

"Yes!" Huangfu Song said decisively.

"Such merit and such ability deserve no reward whatsoever! Compared to those who only know how to talk big and skim off the top, Liu Ce truly has real talent!"

He became more and more excited as he spoke: "The Marquis of Champion's martial arts skills are unparalleled! I have personally witnessed him practicing martial arts. That Heavenly Dragon City-Breaking Halberd weighs at least two or three hundred pounds, but he wields it as if it were child's play!"

Unlike some scions of wealthy families who, knowing a little bit of martial arts, become arrogant and think they're invincible!

Everyone in the courtyard burst into laughter.

Kong Rong was still muttering "There are rules to writing poetry" and "It can't be improper," but a smile was playing on his lips.

After all, who wouldn't like a younger generation who can "slay bandits with a sword and write poetry with a pen"?

Compared to the eunuchs in the court who only knew how to bicker and make money, Liu Ce's unconventional approach made these old men feel that the Han dynasty could still be revived.

Just as they were chatting enthusiastically, a servant from the Cai household hurried into the backyard, bowed, and said to Cai Yong:

"My lord, the Marquis of Champion has come to visit."

Upon hearing this, Cai Yong was first taken aback, then burst into laughter!

He looked around at the crowd, his bamboo fan waving rapidly:

"Oh, look, we were just talking about Champion Hou, and here he is! It's like... perfect timing! Haha!"

The others laughed too.

Lu Zhi stroked his beard:

"Speak of Liu Ce, and Liu Ce arrives."

"Quickly, invite him in!" Cai Yong ordered his servants, "Please invite the Marquis of Champion to the backyard!"

"Yes."

The servants withdrew.

The group of people in the courtyard exchanged glances, all seeing anticipation in each other's eyes. The main character had arrived; they were going to have a good chat.

……

A short while later, footsteps approached from afar.

Liu Ce was dressed in casual clothes, with a jade belt around his waist and his hair tied up with a simple jade hairpin.

He looks neat and tidy, lacking the rough and bold air of a military general, but possessing the demeanor of a scholar-general.

He walked into the backyard and saw a crowd of people. Unfazed, he clasped his hands in a respectful greeting.

"Lord Cai, General Huangfu Song, and all seniors, I, Liu Ce, have taken the liberty of visiting you. I apologize for disturbing you."

Be respectful, but not servile.

Cai Yong quickly stood up: "Bo Lue is here! Please sit down! We were just talking about you!"

The others also stood up to return the greeting.

After some introductions...

Name: Lu Zhi, courtesy name Zigan Gender: Male Age: 45 [Strength]: 78 (Third-rate) [Leadership]: 91 (First-class) [Politics]: 88 (Second-rate) Intelligence: 92 (Top-tier) [Appearance]: 83cm - Second-rate... second-rate...

……

Huangfu Song was the most enthusiastic, immediately stepping forward and pulling Liu Ce to sit down:

"Come, come, sit next to me! Let's have a good chat!"

Liu Ce sat down next to Huangfu Song.

Immediately, servants added cushions and served tea.

The conversation naturally began.

First, there were those two poems from Zuichunlou.

"Bo Lue," Cai Yong asked with a smile.

"We've read both of your poems. They're well-written! But there's a question: what made you think of writing poetry at Zuichunlou?"

Liu Ce smiled wryly: "Lord Cai, to be honest, I was dragged there by Cao Cao that day."

When I got there, it just so happened that Su Shi was setting a poetry question, and the poems written by the people downstairs... I couldn't stand listening to them anymore. Cao Cao wanted to show off, so I just wrote two poems for him on the spot.