Chương 89: Fame Re-established in Luoyang

The Imperial Palace, the Greenhouse Hall.

Liu Hong was reviewing memorials, but he wasn't really reviewing them seriously; he was just playing around with the bamboo slips, poking at them with his imperial brush.

Zhang Rang rushed in excitedly, clutching a piece of paper in his hand, his voice trembling:

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! The Marquis of Champion... The Marquis of Champion wrote four lines at the Cai residence, and all the Confucian scholars in Luoyang are talking about them!"

"Just write it then," Liu Hong said without even looking up, leaving a dot of ink on the memorial with his pen.

"Didn't that kid write two poems a while ago? What's there to panic about?"

"This is no ordinary poem!" Zhang Rang stamped his feet in frustration and handed over the paper.

"Your Majesty, listen to these four lines: 'To establish a heart for Heaven and Earth, to establish a destiny for the people, to continue the lost learning of past sages, and to usher in an era of peace for all generations!' Cai Yong and others all say that these are words that will be passed down for a thousand years!"

"To usher in an era of peace for all generations?" Liu Hong's hand holding the imperial brush suddenly stopped, and the brush fell "plop" onto the memorial, splattering ink everywhere.

But he couldn't care less about that now.

He glared at the piece of hemp paper, snatched it, and held it up to the candlelight, even his breathing becoming soft.

The handwriting on the paper was Cai Yong's own, neat and elegant.

Four sentences, without any fancy words, yet every word hits you like a hammer blow.

Liu Hong read it three times.

Then he looked up and asked Zhang Rang, his tone full of disbelief:

"This... this really was written by Liu Ce?"

Zhang Rang quickly bowed and replied, "It's absolutely true! I heard that in the afternoon at Cai's residence, Lord Cai asked Marquis of Champion if he could write any other poems. Marquis of Champion said he couldn't write any at the moment, but he said these four sentences."

The backyard of the Cai residence fell silent. Cai Yong, Lu Zhi, and Kong Rong were all stunned!

He even copied it down, saying it was a "once-in-a-millennium masterpiece!"

Liu Hong stared at the paper, his fingers repeatedly stroking the words "to bring peace to all generations," and suddenly burst out laughing.

"Excellent! Excellent, Liu Ce! What a fine four lines of poetry!" He slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups jump.

"My younger brother is truly a source of pride for me! My Liu family has produced a genius, a sage among men! Our ancestors would be overjoyed to know this!"

He grew increasingly excited as he spoke: "Hang these four lines of poetry beside the couch in the Greenhouse Palace where I often sit! I want to look at them often!"

As he spoke, he suddenly remembered something and pointed at Zhang Rang, saying:

"Quickly! Issue my decree: inscribe these four sentences in gold powder on the plaque of the Imperial Academy! Let all Confucian scholars in the land study them! Let them see what true ambition is!"

Zhang Rang quickly bowed: "Yes! This servant will take care of it immediately!"

Liu Hong picked up the paper again, his eyes shining as if he had found a treasure.

The incense in the greenhouse was still wafting in the air, but he no longer had the heart to read the memorial.

He stared at the four lines of poetry on the paper, muttering to himself:

"To usher in an era of peace for all generations... If peace can truly last for ten thousand generations, then my reign as emperor will not have been in vain..."

After muttering to himself, he laughed again: "Liu Ce, you little rascal... you really know how to surprise me."

Imperial Academy Lecture Hall.

Normally, the students here can fall asleep while reciting the Analects, and reading the Book of Poetry is like listening to a lullaby.

But that afternoon, the entire lecture hall erupted in chaos.

A group of students surrounded an old scholar, their eyes wide open, staring at the manuscript of poems he was copying.

The old scholar, whose voice was usually barely audible when lecturing, was now gripping his notes and slamming them on the table:

"This is the spirit that Confucianism should possess!

'To establish a heart for Heaven and Earth'—Heaven and Earth have no heart of their own; we should take the heart of the sage as our own!

'To establish a destiny for the people'—to enable the people to live in peace and prosperity, this is the responsibility of scholars!"

He became more and more excited as he spoke, and his white beard started to tremble.

Several elderly scholars huddled together nearby, meticulously studying the manuscript word by word. One of them, with a white beard, even wiped away a tear.

"How many years... how many years has it been since I've seen such a sentence!

'To continue the lost learning of the sages,' this young man actually has such a sense of responsibility! He knows he must pass on the teachings of the sages!"

The students went even crazier.

People were copying notes with paper and pens, memorizing together, and discussing with each other; the whole lecture hall was in complete chaos.

"I think 'To usher in an era of peace for all generations' is the best! It sounds so powerful!"

"I still prefer 'To establish a moral compass for heaven and earth,' its meaning is profound!"

"How can the Marquis of Champion, a mere military general, possess such profound knowledge?"

"He's a member of the royal family, he's been educated since childhood! And to be able to write such sentences shows he has a truly broad mind!"

Amid the murmurs, someone shouted:

"I heard that His Majesty intends to inscribe these four lines of poetry in gold powder on the plaque of the Imperial Academy!"

"Really?"

"It's absolutely true! It's news from the palace!"

This is even more outrageous.

The students were so excited that their faces turned red, as if they had written the poem themselves.

The Yuan residence.

Yuan Wei sat in his study, leisurely sipping his tea. Before him lay the manuscript of copied poems, which he had already read several times.

Several clansmen nearby whispered among themselves.

"Uncle, this Liu Ce... is not simple."

"Four sentences sum up the whole Confucian doctrine."

"Cai Yong and Lu Zhi both praised it to the skies."

Yuan Wei put down his teacup, tapped his fingers lightly on the table, and said calmly:

"It's just empty talk. Realizing 'peace and tranquility' won't be that easy."

No sooner had these words been spoken than someone chimed in: "But His Majesty has already ordered the poem to be written on the plaque of the Imperial Academy."

Besides, Liu Ce has quelled the Yellow Turban Rebellion, has troops at his disposal, and now he also has such a reputation for literary talent…"

Yuan Wei paused, then remained silent.

Several tribesmen nearby continued to whisper among themselves.

Some said, "Why not find an opportunity to talk to Liu Ce?" Others were sarcastic, "How did such a conspicuous person emerge from the imperial clan?" Still others worried, "If he really becomes influential, will he get in our way?"

Finally, a younger member of the clan pointed it out:

"Regardless of whether it's boasting or not, getting closer to him now is better than getting entangled with the eunuchs. Look at He Jin, isn't he also trying to win him over?"

Yuan Wei glanced at the speaker, but didn't say anything, though a thoughtful look flashed in his eyes.

Teahouse in Luoyang's West Market.

The storyteller isn't telling the story of the Three Kingdoms today. Oh wait, there isn't a Three Kingdoms story yet.

He was telling the story of "The Suppression of the Yellow Turban Rebellion," but today he added a new anecdote.

"Speaking of Liu Ce, the Marquis of Champion, not only could he slay thieves, but he could also write poetry!" The storyteller pounded his gavel, his voice booming.

"That day at the Cai residence, Lord Cai asked him what other poems he could write, and guess what the Marquis of Champion said?"

The audience below perked up their ears.

"Champion Hou said: 'I have always used four sentences as my goals in life!'"

The storyteller cleared his throat and began to recite with great expression:

"To establish a moral compass for Heaven and Earth, to secure a destiny for the people, to continue the lost learning of past sages, and to usher in an era of peace for all generations!"

After finishing reading, he paused to let the atmosphere build up, and then continued:

"After hearing this, Cai Gong and the others were all stunned! Cai Gong grasped the Marquis of Champion's hand, his voice trembling with excitement, and exclaimed that this was a 'masterpiece that appears only once in a thousand years!'"

The audience immediately applauded, and a vendor selling flatbreads shouted in response:

"If peace truly prevails, I'll deliver sesame cakes to the Marquis every day!"

The crowd laughed.

The storyteller continued, "Upon hearing this, His Majesty was overjoyed! He decreed that these four lines be inscribed in gold powder on the plaque of the Imperial Academy, so that all scholars throughout the land could learn from them!"

"Great!" came another round of cheers from below.