Chapter 57: Moonlight Fantasy II
About the origin of Ci, Ci is a type of ancient Chinese poetry. It originated in the Liang Dynasty, took shape in the Tang Dynasty and flourished in the Song Dynasty. According to the "Old Book of Tang", it was recorded that "since the Kaiyuan era (the reign title of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang), singers used miscellaneous tunes from Hu, Yi, and other tribes." Due to the widespread spread of music, there were many professional musicians in urban areas at that time. According to the needs of singing lyrics and musical rhythms, they created or adapted some long and short sentences with different lengths, which became the earliest Ci. From the Dunhuang Ci, it can also be seen that the folk Ci emerged decades earlier than those written by literati.
But at that time, the lyrics were quite different from those passed down through the ages in terms of their essence and literary standards. They were mainly popular urban literature in rural areas, often using colloquialisms and slang, with little refinement in language, and had not yet formed their own unique style or format. Nor did they have the same level of profundity and loftiness as Song Dynasty poetry, which could overshadow other forms of writing. Moreover, it's more accurate to say that they were a byproduct of the process of singing and composing lyrics, a variant of folk songs and musical scores.
In the Tang Dynasty, folk songs were mostly about love and longing, so they were not considered refined enough for literary circles, being seen as inferior to poetry. Only those who emphasized absorbing the strengths of folk song art, such as Bai Juyi and Liu Yuxi, wrote ci with a simple and natural style, full of rich life atmosphere. Wen Tingyun and the "Flower Interval School" of the Five Dynasties, famous for their dense and flowery language, also had a certain position in the development history of ci. However, that was also decades later. Being considered as an innovative new literary genre was a natural thing.
This poem has a lingering charm reminiscent of the "Northern Dynasty Ballad" that has been passed down since the Northern and Southern Dynasties, with its refined language and profound meaning reaching an extraordinary height, showcasing the style of a master of the generation. In comparison, those scholars, Hanlin academicians, national elders, and lecturers who claim to be erudite and knowledgeable about the world have not even come close. However, while his poems are good, each has its own shortcomings, with some being too awkward in tone and style, and the language is sometimes stiff and abrupt when describing scenes and objects. It's clear that he still lacks the skill of writing with ease and spontaneity. This may be due to his foreign background, as the literary styles and linguistic nuances he learned are inevitably different from those of China. Nevertheless, this is a rare and unexpected gain.
The old emperor thought of many things, and then shook his head and sighed. Gao Lishi observed his expression and hurried forward to serve him. The "official" old emperor indicated that it was nothing.
"I only recall the past, when Ah Man first entered, the grand occasion of Qingyuan Xiao Dian. The sound of 'White-headed Ah Man' is still in my ears. Now, I've obtained a few things and am at peace... Alas, it's hard to bear the sighs of the changing times. (Historical records: At that time, the newly arrived female performer Xie Aman was skilled in dance, and Emperor Taizong of Tang was delighted by her. He held a banquet in Qingyuan Xiao Dian, with Ning Wang playing the jade flute, Empress Changsun playing the pipa, Ma Xianqi playing the sheng, Li Guinian, Zhang Ye playing the guqin, and He Huaiyi playing the drums. From dawn till noon, they reveled in joy, and Emperor Taizong jokingly asked Aman to play a tune to dispel his worries. As a result, he obtained three million from Qin Country as a wager.)"
Everyone was in a bad mood after hearing the song "Yu Mei Ren", and I didn't feel like continuing to sing along. After apologizing, I wiped away my cold sweat and was about to leave when Dong Lanting suddenly spoke up, "By the way, Rongruo, those songs you sang during the day were Qin Opera." He quickly changed the subject, noticing that the atmosphere wasn't good. I thought to myself that "Qin Opera" was probably a type of folk song from northern Shaanxi.
"Or maybe, I'm not even sure where it came from, it's just that I've traveled a lot and heard it from others." I quickly disavowed this kind of research as the most troublesome.
"It seems that someone has heard it before, and indeed, your family still has the skill of remembering by ear." Yang Taijun adjusted her mood and became interested again. "Rong Ruo, who has lived abroad for a long time, must have seen many exotic songs."
Under those two piercing gazes, "I know a thing or two, but they're just some unrefined foreign works" I broke out in sweat again.
"Originally you can also compose songs, that's good. I have also gained something." The old emperor said, and I secretly cursed myself for being too clever. "That would be very disrespectful to Your Majesty and the Empress, those are just some rustic folk songs that dare not enter your ears, fearing they would pollute your sacred hearing."
"It doesn't matter if the path is long"
。。。。
"I said I would pardon you, what does it mean to push back?" Seeing that pushing back was not possible, I secretly regretted it. I was so foolish as to forget that these two were famous music lovers in history. Yang Guifei was especially renowned for her mastery of all the arts and her extensive collection of musical scores from around the world. Her creation, the Rainbow Skirt and Feathered Dress Dance, even incorporated elements of Western music, such as the Kuchean and Indian music traditions, and she was particularly interested in new musical themes.
This selection of songs is a big headache, the popular songs in my memory are mostly love songs, things from that era, if they didn't have the word "love" in them, they wouldn't be popular. After much difficulty, I finally chose a few not-so-explicit ones, such as "Moscow Nights", "Three Suites", and "Small Road", those Soviet folk songs from the 50s and 60s. The old emperor frowned upon hearing these tunes.
When singing to "Meng Liu Ling", I saw a hint of appreciation in Yang Tai's eyes. The crowd, also with flying eyebrows and dancing colors, was joyful and colorful, either leisurely or thoughtfully.
There were people who applauded loudly, so I had to sing again carefully for their evaluation. "The lyrics are mostly straightforward, but the melody is rarely good."
And the melody continues, asking about the background of the lyrics, I couldn't help but talk about the origins of the song's meaning. The exotic lands beyond our borders, the majestic scenery of the Gobi Desert, where the sun can be scorching hot during the day and freezing cold at night, the endless dunes that block out the sky, the winds that blow like a battle, the sand that stretches like the sea, the camels that roam like ships, walking among them, wearing fur coats in the morning and silk robes at noon, gathering around the fire pit to eat watermelon at night (the famous story of "Dreaming of Camels"), and the ancient land of Loulan, the Dead Sea, the legendary Hu Yang tree (also known as the " Kashgar Poplar") that is said to have lived for 3,000 years, died for 3,000 years, and then revived again for another 3,000 years. The vast ice fields of the far north, the polar bears that run like the wind, the sea lions and walruses with tusks as long as a foot and flippers on all four limbs, the giant whales that can grow up to 100 feet long and breathe like a bellows. And the Eskimo people who tame wolves as pets and drink snow and build houses out of ice. As I continued to chat and joke around, I brought up various witty sayings and anecdotes, such as "the grapes are upside down" and "Socrates and the donkey", which were met with laughter. It turned out that I also had a hidden talent for being a jester.
The old emperor and that person who indulged in music and dance for many years, are absolutely masters of melody. That person is even a melody enthusiast. For this reason, I had to explain the difference between Western music - five-line staff seven-scale tone color and ancient China's traditional five tones twelve palaces, to dispel their idea of continuing to investigate me.
"It's all recorded, isn't it?" Behind the emperor stood many people. Seeing me sweating profusely and looking embarrassed, he spoke in a gentle voice to comfort me: "As I've heard, the Hu people are good at expressing their feelings and thoughts through songs, and all sorts of things can be put into lyrics. Now that I see it for myself, it's not surprising, so why would you be blamed?"
"Coos and chirps, it's human nature to be curious, how can one not see the strange? It's just that I'm curious, about that eternal wound, which family's daughter is it, does this palace have a chance to redeem itself?" Yang Taizhen also smiled and spoke after listening to "White Moonlight" twice.
She smiled with a thousand flowers trembling, and laughed at my little heart beating wildly. "This tune is quite pleasant to listen to, but the thoughts of admiring someone are too obvious, it's not something that can be tolerated in our imperial court, even if there's a promise of eternal love, you'd still be considered too forward," I could only nod in agreement, not daring to argue with this sharp-tongued person.
I saw you speechless for a moment, as if thinking of something again. Chuckled slightly.
"I understand your thoughts, but it's not suitable to keep a woman in the army. The customs of this Tang Dynasty are not different from those outside the domain. We need to take things step by step and be patient. Rushing to someone's window and singing loudly will likely cause trouble. Don't worry, I'll come up with an excuse for you tomorrow."
As I was about to leave, I was given a three-tailed golden fish bag, and Yang Taizhen also spoke up, saying that he would send someone to slowly teach me things from outside the domain in the future. I looked at Mr. Dong with vigilance, wondering if it was this old man who was going to do it. Seeing his eyes shining brightly like he had seen a rare animal, I felt a chill run down my spine.
People went to count the distance, Yang Tai Zhen suddenly said behind a cluster of trees, "Yuan'er, such a talented person, isn't it humiliating for you?" After a long time, a low and gentle voice came from the darkness, "But I will follow Your Majesty's and the Empress's orders."
I picked up a bowl of Jadeite Lotus Root Soup (actually it's just vegetable stew with egg drop soup, those people like this kind of grandiose name), after tasting the flavor, I added some pepper, ginger and salt to the powder for making "Virgin Boy Chicken", preparing to mix the egg whites and meat paste. This so-called "Virgin Boy Chicken" is actually fried chicken, originally it was something to coax little girls into liking, but when it got onto the emperor's dining table, someone fabricated a story about a young boy chasing a chicken, the chicken fell into the oil pot, thus becoming the legendary origin of this dish.
The eunuchs from the imperial kitchen have all run away, and these new ones are clumsy with their hands and feet. At first, they even had trouble digging a simple earth oven, and to this day, they can only assist me in minor tasks. The crucial steps of seasoning and ingredient preparation still require my own attention.
In addition to the three provinces and six ministries, there were also the emperor's direct secretaries, the Imperial Palace, and the inner eunuchs of the inner three provinces, as well as some affiliated institutions such as the Jixian Hall Academy and the Astronomical Observatory. Due to the chaos and dispersal of the imperial court, many officials from various departments and ministries had left, leaving only a few remaining. As a result, I, an outsider, had to take on the responsibilities of managing these inner officials, including the six bureaus of the Imperial Palace: the Bureau of Food, the Bureau of Medicine, the Bureau of Clothing, the Bureau of Transportation, the Bureau of Housing, and the Bureau of Carriages. This was an unavoidable measure.
According to Gao Lishi, the Nei Shi Jian and the Imperial Palace had six bureaus and twenty-four departments, with 1,696 officials serving in them. In addition, there were 2,932 eunuchs of various ranks. The Imperial Palace included the Daming Palace, Xingqing Palace, and other palaces for the emperor's sons and grandsons. There were also over 40,000 palace maids, more than 3,000 officials wearing yellow robes, and over a thousand wearing purple robes. This does not include the staff of various temporary palaces and gardens outside the capital. Only a small number of people escaped from Chang'an, and after some scattered and fled, and the crown prince took some with him when he went north, there were less than 100 people left to serve the emperor, so they had to make do with one person doing multiple jobs, even drafting outsiders like me to fill the quota.
Cats are really helpless, and someone has brought out that so-called "XX female university student likes Japanese men" nonsense again, causing a stir and attracting a group of anti-Japanese enthusiasts to follow suit and scold. I'm not saying that patriotism is bad, but everything has its limits. This kind of thing is like a dog barking loudly in a crowd for a few moments - most people wouldn't pay attention because those with brains wouldn't stoop to the level of dogs. It's natural that they wouldn't bother refuting or scolding the dog just because it barked. The best way would be to chase it away, but some people don't understand this logic, or perhaps they're unwilling to. The person who posted this article not only told others how to deal with the barking dog but also encouraged everyone to join in and condemn it. What's even more disgusting is that they recorded the dog's barks and the reasoning behind refuting the dog, playing them everywhere and polluting the environment and our senses. They even hope that we'll learn from the dogs and bark back at them, refuting their logic and condemning them. No matter how much you scold a dog, it will still be a dog and won't become human. This kind of waste of patriotic sentiment is infuriating at first glance, angering at second glance, and only leaves one feeling disgusted at third glance. If this kind of thing that causes mental fatigue is done repeatedly, people will start to suspect whether the person who forwarded the post is truly stupid or has an ulterior motive. After all, it's not just China that has anti-Japanese sentiment; inciting passionate young people to take the lead is also a specialty of certain democratic countries.
Many forums are filled with posts that blindly follow the crowd and curse, to be honest, if we really followed the logic of those hot-blooded young patriots who claim to love their country and kill enemies with their words, then the biggest traitor in modern Chinese history would not be Wang Jingwei, but rather Sun Yat-sen, the great pioneer revered by both the Nationalist and Communist parties. This is because he not only did not boycott Japanese goods, nor did he call on others to do so, but instead accepted financial support from Japan to carry out revolutionary activities, assassinations, subversion, and overthrow of the Qing dynasty, which was supposed to represent the "orthodox" China. Isn't this a typical example of being a proxy for foreign powers? Sometimes patriotism is not about appearances, but about results.
