vrcanaries Chapter 439 Sigh Wuxian, Wuxian sighs!
Chapter 439 Sigh Wuxian, Wuxian sighs!
After traveling all the way, Li Chengqian, Zhang Xianhuai and Qin Ruzhao stepped into a somewhat old inn.
The store was filled with the aroma of food and a faint scent of wine, and the noisy voices of people were intertwined.
They found a table in the corner and sat down, casually ordering three simple side dishes and a pot of local liquor.
As soon as Li Chengqian sat down, he took a deep breath and tried his best to control the waves in his heart.
As an emperor, he has cultivated his character over the years, always remembering to keep his emotions under control. This is the cultivation of an emperor, and it is also the key to maintaining royal dignity and court stability.
However, the various situations he had just witnessed along the way almost overwhelmed his calm rationality, which undoubtedly went against the principles he had always adhered to.
His eyes slowly swept over Zhang Xianhuai and Qin Ruzhao, with a hint of apology in his eyes, and he asked softly, "Xianhuai, Ruzhao, I know your child was born not long ago. This is the time to stay by your wife and child's side and enjoy the happiness of family."
"But I summoned you out now to accompany me on this journey. Do you feel the slightest bit of grievance?"
After hearing this, Zhang Xianhuai and Qin Ruzhao were slightly stunned at first, as if the softest part of their hearts was touched.
But soon, they shook their heads with determined eyes and said in unison, "Teacher, we have absolutely no grievances! Being able to follow you and help you solve your problems is our lifelong blessing. How can we say we have been wronged?"
Their voices were not loud, but they were full of sincerity.
Seeing this, Li Chengqian nodded slightly, with a hint of relief in his eyes.
It is a rare blessing to have two such loyal students by my side.
"Xian Huai, please record everything we saw and heard today in detail. As for how these records will be used in the future, we will discuss it after we return."
Li Chengqian gave the order with a serious expression.
"is teacher."
Zhang Xianhuai responded immediately, then took out paper and pen from his bag, arranged them neatly, and prepared to record every detail of the journey truthfully.
Li Chengqian's thoughts gradually drifted away, recalling the sixth year of Daye recorded in history books, a period that seemed glorious but was fraught with crisis.
At that time, Yang Guang was in power, and on the surface, the Sui Dynasty appeared to be prosperous everywhere.
Luoyang, the capital of the Sui Dynasty, was the core of international trade and communication. It was bustling with envoys and merchants from various countries coming and going every day.
The streets are bustling with traffic and people coming and going. People of different skin colors and clothing gather here, presenting a prosperous and bustling scene.
But beneath this prosperous appearance, there are many deadly crises hidden.
Yang Guang was ambitious and his pursuit of luxury was almost crazy.
In the sixth year of Daye, he actually ordered that the trees in the city be wrapped with layers of expensive brocade.
His main purpose was to show off the wealth of the Sui Dynasty in front of foreign envoys and merchants, and to create the illusion of extreme national strength in this extremely luxurious way, so that those who came from all directions would feel awe of the Sui Dynasty, thereby satisfying his inflated vanity.
Looking from the streets and alleys of Luoyang City, one can indeed see the remarkable prosperity.
The streets have been carefully repaired and widened, and the ground is paved with smooth stone slabs. The buildings on both sides of the road are magnificent, with carved beams and painted rafters, and are magnificent.
The unique sight of trees wrapped in brocade adds a touch of absurdity to the prosperity.
From a distance, the entire Luoyang city looks like a dreamlike paradise on earth, full of extravagance and luxury, which is dizzying.
But in reality, behind this false prosperity was the people's heavy tax burden and endless suffering of hard labor.
In order to meet the extravagance of the court, the construction needs of huge projects and the huge expenses of war, the people were ruthlessly exploited for every penny of their blood and sweat.
Countless farmers were forced to leave their land and homes and engage in heavy labor, resulting in large tracts of farmland becoming barren, a sharp drop in grain production, and people's lives falling into dire straits.
Now, the scene in Wu County made Li Chengqian feel as if he saw the shadow of the Sui Dynasty. This was the reason why he was so angry.
The Sui Dynasty just perished not long ago!
The painful historical lessons are still vivid in people's minds. The people have just struggled out of war and hardship. Is the Tang Dynasty going to go down the same path of destruction again?
During this trip to the south of the Yangtze River, Li Chengqian saw many things that made him sad.
With the rise of industry, many people seized the opportunity and made a fortune through industrial production and trade.
However, these wealthy people did not follow his expectations, care about the people of the world, and lead the poor people to become rich together.
On the contrary, they are selfish and regard the poor people as cheap labor, driving and exploiting them at will, completely disregarding the lives of the people and only seeking to maximize their own interests.
Thinking of this, Li Chengqian felt more and more powerless and sad, as if an invisible mountain was pressing on his heart, making it difficult for him to breathe.
"As summoned, grind the ink. I want to write a poem."
Li Chengqian broke the silence.
When Qin Ruzhao heard this, he immediately took out paper and pen from the package carefully and began to grind them attentively.
His movements were steady, and soon the ink was ground.
Li Chengqian picked up the brush, with the tip hovering above the paper, and paused for a moment.
What he saw, heard, thought and felt in Wu County today emerged in his mind. The scenes of the poor life of the people and the ridiculous behaviors of the officials for political achievements flashed before his eyes one by one.
Then, he picked up his brush and splashed ink, and lines of poetry slowly emerged on the paper.
He incorporated his deep concern for the people's livelihood, his indignation over official corruption, and his worries about the future of the Tang Dynasty into this poem, and every word he wrote seemed to be filled with tremendous power.
This action naturally attracted the attention of many people in the inn, and they gathered around, curious to find out what was going on.
The Jiangnan region has always been a place with a flourishing literary culture, and has produced many talented men and beautiful women. People there have a unique love and appreciation for poetry and songs.
However, the "elegance" before him was by no means the true elegance that Li Chengqian longed for and pursued in his heart.
Behind this seemingly prosperous Wu County, there are so many injustices and sufferings hidden, which is a blasphemy to the word "elegance".
By the time Li Chengqian put down his pen, a poem "Lament for Wu County" had already appeared on the paper.
Someone in the crowd murmured a line from a poem: "The winter wind in Wu County, south of the Yangtze River is so beautiful, how noble is the red cotton wrapped around the trees?"
"Officials adorn their ears and eyes for vanity, while the people live in poverty and hardship, huddled in huts and thatched huts."
"The rich and extravagant all gather in the woods, while the poor and hungry tend to endure hardship indoors."
"The wine and meat of the rich should still be warm, but the skinny and frail clothes are still lamenting."
"A madman has committed evil, leaving behind wounds and wounds. Who will heal them?"
"May it be the spring rain that washes away the decay and brings warmth to the cold trees."
When these verses reached the ears of the crowd, they all looked astonished, their eyes full of disbelief.
Poetry that so directly criticizes officialdom and exposes the dark side of society is undoubtedly an act of treason.
They didn't understand why the man in front of them dared to write such bold poems. This was simply challenging the authority.
Some people couldn't help but want to praise the poem, but when the words came to their lips, they looked around and saw the nervous and worried expressions of the people around them, as well as the figures of government officials not far away, so they swallowed the words back and didn't know what to do.
And just at this time, a county lieutenant from Wu County passed by.
He was originally patrolling the inn leisurely, but after hearing this poem, he suddenly became furious.
He slammed the table nearest him and shouted, "You ignorant scholars, you have such audacity! Don't you want to lose your heads?"
"How dare you write such an anti-Chinese poem to slander the officials of the Tang Dynasty and the current emperor?"
As he spoke, he clasped his hands together and bowed respectfully towards the sky, as if to apologize to the emperor and to show his loyalty to His Majesty.
It looked both funny and pathetic.
But even so, the people were powerless to resist, but fortunately.
He was scolding the master of the Tang Dynasty.