xymnovel Chapter 45 A Gathering of Distinguished Guests
Chapter 45 A Gathering of Distinguished Guests
The story of idle talk is a long one.
Decades ago, gatherings among scholars were not called "pure conversation" but "pure discussion."
A single word can make a huge difference in meaning.
"Discussion" refers to the discussion of politics.
Those who talk about it discuss principles.
From the mid-Eastern Han Dynasty onwards, the power of the empress's relatives and eunuchs alternated, and the government deteriorated day by day.
Seeing the nation on the verge of collapse, the scholar-officials were extremely anxious and took the opportunity of gatherings to discuss politics and evaluate people.
The reputations of those who have been praised often spread throughout the world overnight; while the powerful and influential who have been criticized often become infamous and feel ashamed.
Public opinion was so powerful that it could even influence the promotion or demotion of officials and the advancement or retreat of talented individuals.
In the ninth year of Emperor Huan's reign (1646), the first "Party Prohibitions" broke out.
More than two hundred people, including Sili Xiaowei Li Ying, Taipu Du Mi, and Taiwei Yuan Fan Pang, were arrested and imprisoned on charges of "forming a faction and slandering the court."
Li Ying, courtesy name Yuanli, was a leader among scholars throughout the land, and people at the time said: "Li Yuanli is the model for the world."
He was convicted simply for speaking ill of the eunuchs in public opinion.
In the first year of Jianning, the second purge of the partisans broke out. At this time, Li Ying was already over sixty years old, but he still refused to bow his head and eventually died in prison.
There were also Chen Fan and Chen Zhongju, who rose to the position of Grand Tutor.
He was older than Li Ying and more passionate.
In the first year of Yongkang, Emperor Huan died. He conspired with Dou Wu to kill the eunuchs, but the plot was exposed and he was killed.
He once said in a public critique: "A great man should strive to bring peace to the world; why concern himself with the affairs of a single room?"
This saying spread far and wide, and countless scholars regarded it as a guiding principle.
But in the end, the one who wanted to sweep away the world was swept away.
The two purges of the Party resulted in the purging of hundreds of scholar-officials and implicated thousands of others.
Imperial edicts came one after another, and arrests were launched in waves across the prefectures and counties.
Scholars throughout the land fell silent, no longer daring to speak recklessly about state affairs.
The term "pure discussion" gradually disappeared from gatherings in Luoyang.
Instead, a new word with a similar pronunciation but a far deeper meaning was introduced—"qingtan" (清谈).
We won't discuss politics, we'll only talk about scholarship.
Let's not discuss advantages and disadvantages, but only principles and morals.
Let's not talk about the present, but only about the past.
We will not discuss the right or wrong of rulers, but only the profound meaning of scriptures.
On the surface, this is the purification of scholarship and the elevation of one's realm.
But every scholar who experienced the persecution of the partisans knew that this was just a helpless compromise.
One morning three days later.
The residence of Cai Yong in Luoyang.
The "Talk Conference" is about to begin.
At Lu Zhi's residence.
"Have you memorized them all?" Lu Zhi looked at the disciples in front of him.
Liu Bei was dressed in red, Gongsun Zan in black, Liu Deran in yellow, and Liu Quan in white.
Upon seeing Liu Quan dressed in white, Lu Zhi frowned almost imperceptibly.
These days, people admire black, red, and yellow.
Because black was favored in the early Han Dynasty, yellow in the reign of Emperor Wu, and red in the Eastern Han Dynasty, these three colors were very popular during the two Han Dynasties.
The sons of aristocratic families often used black, red, and yellow to signify their status.
White is the most common clothing color for ordinary people, representing simplicity.
At this moment, Liu Quan was dressed in white, and Lu Zhi felt uneasy about it.
But there's no denying that it's visually stunning.
The four men stood in a row. Liu Bei and Gongsun Zan were both handsome men, but next to Liu Quan, they seemed to have little presence.
"Got it!"
Liu Quan's four sons answered respectfully, startling Lu Zhi from his slight daze.
He continued the previous topic, saying, "The rules of pure conversation are quite simple. Refutation is allowed, but attack is not; questioning is allowed, but insults are not; extensive references are allowed, but empty talk is not; reliance on classical texts is allowed, but discussion of politics and contemporary figures is not."
He emphasized the eight characters "not allowed to discuss politics or people of the time" very heavily.
Liu Bei and the others nodded in unison.
Lu Zhi nodded and straightened his clothes.
"Let's go," he said. "The carriage is waiting outside. Don't keep Bojie waiting."
Cai Yong's residence was located in the south of Luoyang, near Hongdu Gate. Although it was not large, it was very well-organized.
After passing the screen wall and walking through a blue brick path, the view suddenly opened up before you.
The courtyard, about half an acre in size, has an old locust tree planted in each of the four corners. Although it has not yet sprouted buds, its gnarled branches are like dragons and snakes coiling around it, exuding a vigorous and ancient charm.
The courtyard was paved with bluestone slabs and swept very clean.
The doors to the main hall were wide open, and looking inside, one could see that many people were already seated.
They might gather in twos and threes to whisper, or kneel alone behind a desk with their eyes closed to rest, or stand under the eaves to admire the calligraphy and paintings on the wall.
The air was filled with the fragrance of fine clothes and the rustling of hairpins, the jade pendants jingling like phoenixes. Though there was no music, there was an indescribable elegance and refinement about them.
Liu Quan and the other three followed Lu Zhi into the courtyard.
"Lu Zigan is here!"
Someone shouted, and all eyes in the corridor, courtyard, and hall turned to look.
Those gazes first lingered on Lu Zhi, then swept over Gongsun Zan, Liu Bei, and Liu Deran, and finally landed on Liu Quan's face.
"Is this the handsome young man?"
"Tsk tsk, indeed a handsome face, well-deserved reputation."
"Hmph, just a pretty face with no substance."
"They're really good at playing Cuju (ancient Chinese football)."
"Cuju? That's vulgar! The imperial court doesn't care how well you play Cuju when selecting talents!"
"Fine, you say Cuju is vulgar? Then I'll tell Cao Mengde."
"Cao Mengde? He's just relying on his eunuch grandfather!"
"Then I told Yuan Gonglu that he was also a Cuju (ancient Chinese football) enthusiast."
"Uh, I was just joking."
Amidst a buzzing sound, Cai Yong emerged from behind the hall.
Interestingly, this person was also dressed in white today.
"Brother Zigan! You've finally arrived. Are these your prized disciples?"
"That's right! This is Gongsun Zan, courtesy name Bogui; this is Liu Bei, courtesy name Xuande; this is Liu Quan, courtesy name Yuangu; this is Liu Deran, courtesy name Mengzhou. Shugao (Gao You) has gone back to his hometown for the New Year."
He then turned to Liu Bei and the others and said, "Hurry up and pay your respects to Bo Jie."
"Gongsun Zan (Liu Bei, Liu Quan, Liu Deran), a junior scholar from Youzhou, pays his respects to Lord Cai."
Cai Yong returned the greetings one by one, showing no airs of a powerful figure.
They paid particular attention to Liu Quan.
"This child is indeed very good-looking, and he even shares the same aesthetic sense as me."
His gaze fell on Liu Quan's white clothes.
"I just don't know how well he understands the scriptures?"
As Cai Yong pondered this, he led Lu Zhi and his entourage into the hall.
The interior of the hall is more elaborately decorated than the exterior.
The floor was made of nanmu wood, polished smooth as a mirror, and covered with silk mats, with bronze weights pressed down on the edges of the mats.
In front of each table is a small table with a teacup, writing brush, inkstone, bamboo slips, and a small dish of delicate snacks.
Several calligraphy and paintings were hanging on the north and south walls. Liu Quan glanced at them and was immediately attracted by one of them, Cai Yong's calligraphy of "Nine Styles".
"With its vigorous strokes and lively spirit, this is the world-renowned Feibai style of calligraphy!"
While he was admiring the calligraphy and paintings, the people in the hall were also admiring him.
Cai Yong invited only about thirty guests today, but any one of them in Luoyang City had a renowned reputation.
Qiao Xuan, Grand Master of Ceremonies, was a 68-year-old veteran official who had served three dynasties.
He successively served as Left Commandant of Luoyang, Chancellor of Qi, Prefect of Shanggu and Hanyang, Chief Clerk of the Minister of Works, and Grand Master of Works.
At the end of Emperor Huan of Han's reign, he was appointed General Who Crosses the Liao River, and defeated the invasions of the Xianbei, Southern Xiongnu, and Goguryeo, protecting the borders and ensuring the safety of the people.
In the early years of Emperor Ling of Han, he was transferred to the positions of Governor of Henan, Minister of the Imperial Treasury, and Grand Herald. In the third year of Jianning (170 AD), he was transferred to the position of Minister of Works.
The following year, he was appointed Minister of Works.
He held the highest position in the court.
Later, because he submitted a memorial to dismiss Gai Sheng (a favorite minister of Emperor Ling of Han and a master of corruption), the emperor not only rejected his memorial but also promoted Gai Sheng to the position of Attendant-in-Ordinary.
In a fit of anger, he resigned from his post, but the emperor refused. He resigned again, but the emperor still refused. Finally, as a compromise, he was appointed as a Grand Master of the Palace.
Sitting right next to Qiao Xuan was Yang Ci, who was also a Grand Master of Ceremonies.
Yang Ci was from the Hongnong Yang clan, whose ancestors had held high-ranking positions for four generations, and he himself held the official position of Grand Commandant.
Yang Ci was an honest and upright official who dared to speak out.
He had already risen to the position of Minister of Works, but he offended many people by submitting several memorials criticizing the government's shortcomings.
He was dismissed from his post, but was later appointed Grand Master of the Palace.
Beside Yang Ci was Ma Ridi, who was still a Grand Master of the Palace.
He was looking at Liu Quan with curiosity at this moment, and thought to himself, "Zigan was clearly flattering me that day. This boy is much more handsome than me."
Others included Zhang Xun, the Grand Counselor; Shan Yang, the Grand Historian; and Tang Xidian, the General of the Five Offices, all of whom were high-ranking officials in the court.