How does Empress Wu Zetian view articles that insult her? This is a question that many readers are concerned about. Next, the editor of the History Encyclopedia will learn about it together with readers and provide them with a reference.
Speaking of which, Xu Jingye couldn’t stand Wu Zetian’s court system and rose up in Yangzhou in September 684, opposing Wu Zetian on the grounds of supporting the restoration of Emperor Zhongzong. In ancient times, when starting an army, it was important to have a renowned commander. So Xu Jingye asked the skilled writer Luo Binwang to write a proclamation against Wu Zetian. Luo Binwang is truly one of the Four Great Masters of the early Tang Dynasty, writing articles with great eloquence and grandeur. The article was well written, and Xu Jingye was overjoyed after reading it. He ordered someone to copy it and announce it to the world. Wu Zetian naturally also saw this proclamation. When she read ‘Emei refuses to let people go, fox charm tends to confuse the master’, she just smiled slightly. And when she read ‘A handful of soil is not yet dry, how can a six foot orphan rely on it’, she was very unhappy. Why are you unhappy? Is it because Luo Binwang cursed her too harshly? Of course not. She is because the prime minister did not fulfill his obligation to recruit talents from all over the world. She said, ‘Why did the prime minister gain or lose such a person!’
It is said that in this article “On behalf of Xu Jingye, we must punish Wu Cong”, King Luo Bin cursed Wu Zetian, saying that Wu Zetian was “obsessed with snakes and dragons, possessed by jackals and wolves, possessed evil and depraved nature, harmed loyal and virtuous people, killed sisters and brothers, and killed monarchs and mothers. People and gods are jealous of each other, and heaven and earth do not tolerate it”. Ordinary people may feel extremely angry after reading it, but Wu Zetian not only did not get angry, but also blamed the prime minister for not discovering the talent to write such a good article. It can be seen that Wu Zetian has a broad demeanor, a broad mind, and extraordinary insight. This is the realm of a queen of a generation. Oh, by the way, Luo Binwang’s article is indeed very provocative. Thousands of years later, when we read this proclamation, we still feel a sense of excitement as if we have been beaten to death, and the impulse to carry weapons and join Xu Jingye in a big fight. Please see whose family’s world is in today’s domain “is from this article. After finishing speaking about Empress Wu Zetian’s reading of articles, let’s talk about another Tang person’s feelings about reading good articles. This person’s name is Yan Boyu. What, haven’t you heard of it? It doesn’t matter if you haven’t heard of it, Wang Bo. You must have heard of it, right! This is Wang Bo’s official article for public reading.
When Yan Boyu served as the governor of Hongzhou (Nanchang), he organized personnel to repair Tengwang Pavilion. After the completion of the restoration project, he held a banquet at the Tengwang Pavilion on the day of the Double Ninth Festival, attended by both literati and scholars, as well as the children of officials and the son-in-law of Yan Dudu, Meng Xueshi. Yan Dudu intended for his son-in-law to show off his skills in such a grand scene, and informed Meng Xueshi in advance to be prepared. Chinese people value face the most, and even if they cheat, they should act accordingly. So the on-site commander Yan ordered someone to take out paper and pen, pretending to invite guests present to write a preface for Tengwang Pavilion. People know Yan Gong’s intentions, but no one is willing to step forward. They all recommend Master Meng to write. However, before Master Meng could take the stage, a young man stood up and took the initiative to self recommend, requesting to write an essay. Since someone has volunteered, it’s not easy to refuse! I can only let him write. The plan was disrupted by someone, and Commander Yan felt like he was being forced into a bow by someone else, which made him very unhappy. When Wang Bo was writing an article, he angrily left his seat and went to the back hall. But he still wanted to hear what this young man could write, so he arranged for someone to spread the article written by Wang Bo – I guess his idea at the time was like this: hoping that this young man who doesn’t know how to read people’s words would write a piece of dog poop and make the people present laugh at him.
When the messenger said that Wang Bo wrote “Nanchang Old Commandery, Hongdu New Prefecture, Star Divided Wing Lane, Ground Connected to Henglu.” Yan Dudu smiled and said, “It’s just a clich é. Then it was reported that Wang Bo had written: ‘Conquer the three rivers and raise the five lakes, control the barbarian Jing and lead the Ou Yue.’ Upon hearing this, Commander Yan remained silent. When the messenger said that Wang Bo had written “Falling clouds and solitary pursuits fly together, autumn waters grow in the same color as the sky”, Yan Dudu couldn’t help but jump up and praise him repeatedly, “This kid is really a genius!” After finishing his clothes, he walked to the table with a smile and watched Wang Bo write the entire article. Everyone present praised Wang Bo’s talent. Yan Dudu’s selfishness almost caused a great article to be aborted. If that’s the case, his charges would be too serious. However, Yan Gong is still worthy of admiration. On the one hand, he knows how to appreciate and has a keen eye for recognizing talents; Secondly, he is able to correct his attitude in a timely manner. If he still harbors resentment after reading Wang Bo’s exquisite articles, it is unacceptable and will be condemned.
Remember the article “Lush grass on the plains” read in primary school? This is the work that gave Bai Juyi the name of his youth, originally titled ‘Farewell to the Ancient Grass’. The so-called ’empowerment’ refers to the title of ‘so and so’. This is a poem written by Bai Juyi when he was sixteen years old. In order to make a name for himself in the poetry world, young Bai Juyi selected some of his works that he thought were good and went to pay respects to the renowned poet Gu Kuang, hoping to receive his recognition and guidance. Gu Kuang heard that the person who came was called “Bai Juyi” and jokingly said, “All things in Chang’an are precious, and living in a big place is not easy.” This is not only a joke, but also a reminder to Bai Juyi that it is not easy to establish a firm foothold in the poetry world. He opened the poem sent by Bai Juyi and the first one was’ Farewell to the Ancient Grass’. When he read ‘The wildfire cannot burn out, the spring breeze blows again’, he couldn’t help but exclaim, ‘There is a saying that goes, it’s not difficult to live in the world. I am the ear of the play!’ This immediately spread, and Bai Juyi’s name began to become popular in Chang’an city.
After reading the article by Luo Binwang attacking her, Wu Zetian questioned the prime minister why she lost such a talented person! After reading Wang Bo’s article, Commander Yan recognized that the author was a genius and no longer held grudges against Wang Bo for disrupting his plans. After reading Bai Juyi’s poem, Gu Kuang immediately expressed that it is not difficult for him to live in the world.
