Chapter 14: Shui Diao Ge Tou
"Gentlemen, uncles and elders, today is the day of my humble abode's opening. Perhaps in the future, I will still have many things to trouble you with, so please take care of me then!" Li Yunfei said to a group of civil and military officials at the banquet, while the crown prince Li Chengqian sat at the top, looking at Li Yunfei with disdain as he humbly greeted this group of officials. He thought to himself, "As a member of the imperial family, why should I pay respects to these people?" and drained his wine cup in one gulp, pursing his lips.
"I'm telling you, Sixth Brother, it's not that I'm saying this to you, but what can be done by finding outsiders? Moreover, even if you find them, which one of them isn't serving you like a master? Do you still need to beg? From now on, if there's anything, just come directly to the Crown Prince's residence to find me, and I'll take care of it for you!" Then, he downed the full cup of wine that the servant had just poured in one gulp. This was indeed a fine wine from Father Emperor's collection, who would have thought it would be given to this annoying guy? He must drink his fill."
"Haha! The Crown Prince said that, how dare we make things difficult for King Qin? If there's anything, just give us orders directly!" Many people echoed in agreement, led by General Cheng Yaojin and Li Jing, as well as some truly noble individuals who didn't mean it, but instead furrowed their brows. Li Chengqian's words were very heavy-handed, making everyone feel like they were slaves of the Li family. It was uncomfortable for those who came from humble origins or were originally from aristocratic families. Even the current Emperor wouldn't say something like that.
"Haha! Has the Crown Prince had too much to drink? How can he be so unseemly?" Longsun Wuji slightly furrowed his brow, then said in a lukewarm tone, intentionally awakening Li Chengqian's excessive words. Originally, all attention was focused on Li Chengqian, but it was resolved by Longsun Wuji, living up to his reputation as an old fox. "I've heard that the King of Qin is quick-witted and clever, even the Emperor has been lavishly praising him. Especially Duke Lu, who has been showing off Your Highness's poetry everywhere. Today, on this fine day with a full moon, it's also the anniversary of Your Highness's inauguration. Why not compose another poem, so we can admire your masterpiece?"
"Hmph!" Li Chengqian looked at Zhangsun Wuji with dissatisfaction. He was originally enjoying the flattery of the crowd, but didn't expect to be interrupted by this old thing. If it weren't for the Empress Dowager letting him listen to his words, he would have given him a good scolding! "Since Uncle wants to hear poetry so much, Sixth Brother will compose a poem for us to appreciate! The other day I also heard Father Emperor say that Sixth Brother is really admirable!"
"Haha! Uncle and big brother are joking, as the saying goes, 'good sentences come from heaven, wonderful hands occasionally get them!' How could I possibly think of doing it? Don't make things difficult for me!" Li Yunfei listened and suddenly felt a bit dizzy, when did he become so famous? Didn't he just sleep for a while? Is that all? Is becoming famous really that simple?
"Good! What a great phrase, born of heaven and earth, obtained by chance! Since the King of Qin calls me uncle, I'll pull rank once and call him nephew! Just based on this one sentence, it's clear that what the King of Qin said earlier was just an excuse. Does he think I'm not worthy of a poem from His Majesty? And it's not just me, but all the officials of the imperial court are watching! Longsun Wuji is really good at this! It seems like if Li Yunfei doesn't compose a poem, it would be an insult to everyone in the world. Cheng Yaojin couldn't bear it anymore and wanted to step forward to help Li Yunfei speak, but just then he was held back by a strong hand."
Cheng Yaojin took a look and found that he was being held back by Li Jing, and another general with a sallow complexion also shook his head at him. "I say, Uncle Bao, what do you mean by this? Haven't you seen how the old fox of the Longsun family is having a hard time? They're jealous, jealous that Qin Wang wrote a poem especially for us, so they're making things difficult for Qin Wang's mansion. Writing poetry isn't as easy as it looks, if I, Old Cheng, had to do it, I'd probably need half a month to come up with a decent poem!" Cheng Yaojin said, speaking up for Li Yunfei.
"You, a rough and unrefined person, dare to compare yourself with the noble Prince of Qin? His poem last time was indeed a masterpiece. You, who don't even know how to appreciate it, are going around boasting about it, which is even more ridiculous than those self-proclaimed literary masters!" Li Jing gave Cheng Yaojin a white eye, took a sip of wine, and carefully observed the expressions of the crowd, discovering that many people had a schadenfreude look on their faces. It seems that these people are all supporters of the Crown Prince!
"Come on! Don't worry, maybe this King of Qin will surprise us after all? And for the King of Qin, this is also a test, isn't it? If he can't even handle a situation like this, how can he do great things in the future?" Qin Qiong said calmly to Cheng Yaojin. The words had already been spoken, and Cheng Yaojin couldn't say anything more. However, Qin Qiong's words somehow gave off a sense of surrender, but this prince was really not worthy of being plotted with!
"Boom!" A loud noise drew everyone's attention, and to their surprise, the one who made the sound was none other than the Crown Prince. However, he quickly returned to normal, as if nothing had happened. This prince was very intelligent, but also extremely arrogant and proud, with a hint of jealousy towards those more capable than himself - anyone better than him would inevitably suffer a blow.
"I'm talking to you, Sixth Brother. Can't the Crown Prince listen to your masterpiece for once!? You're being like this too......" Li Chengqian looked at Li Yunfei with a face full of discontent, but his eyes seemed to be waiting for Li Yunfei to refuse.
"Since that's the case, I'd rather obey than show respect. Please, Your Highness and uncle, give me a topic! That way, even I can use it as inspiration to come up with something!" Li Yunfei looked at Li Chengqian, whose face was six-tenths similar to his own, and suddenly felt annoyed. How could he be so difficult on his own brother? If you want to hear poetry, then I'll compose some for you. And this Gongsun Wujie is not a good person either; everything should prioritize my nephew's interests. In history, if it weren't for him advocating for that guy Li Zhi to become emperor, Wu Zetian wouldn't have risen to power and ultimately died in infamy!
"Hmm!? Since that's the case, let's make the wine in the cup and the bright moon in the sky the theme! How about it? This is the best topic, and it's not to make things difficult for you, after all, everyone is waiting for you!" Li Chengqian didn't expect Li Yunfei to agree so readily, but quickly came up with a topic. Writing a poem on the spot was quite challenging, especially this kind of impromptu poetry, let's see how you do it!
Li Yunfei burst out laughing when he heard Li Chengqian's topic. In later generations, there were many such poems, among which Su Dongpo's "Water Tune Song Head" was the most famous. Hehe, otherwise, people wouldn't call Su Dongpo the "Poetry God"! "Your Highness, please listen carefully, and also to all the ministers, this was originally written by me on a moonlit night when I missed my mother, and today I'll present it to you!"
"When will the bright moon be? I ask the blue sky with a cup of wine. What year is it tonight in the heavenly palace? I want to ride the wind and go home, but I fear that the jade halls and crystal palaces are too high and cold. I dance and play with the clear shadows, what's it like being among people? Turning the vermilion pavilion, lowering the embroidered door, shining without sleep. Why should there be resentment, why always looking back at parting? People have joys and sorrows, reunions and separations, the moon has its phases of fullness and emptiness. This is a difficult thing to complete since ancient times. But I wish that people will last long, sharing the beauty of the moon together."
