Please Compose a Poem, Brother Qingxiao

Secure the Nation.

As the Prefectural Lord's predicted topic was revealed.

Everyone's eyes fell on the white paper.

Xu Qingxiao was somewhat surprised. He had not expected the Prefectural Lord's prediction to be almost identical to his teacher's.

It seemed his teacher really knew a thing or two.

"Secure the Nation? That certainly fits the present circumstances."

"Indeed. The Great Wei Dynasty has stood for over seven hundred years, yet even the Martial Emperor's seven campaigns could not turn back the tide. The foundations of the state are tottering. Secure the Nation is a perfectly reasonable topic."

"If Secure the Nation is the topic, I imagine things in the north are still far from peaceful."

Discussion broke out. Everyone murmured their thoughts, gazing at those words with countless emotions stirring in their hearts.

Throughout the ages, scholars had sought only to cultivate themselves, bring order to their households, govern the state, and bring peace to the world.

If the nation knew no peace, how could there be a golden age?

And without a golden age, how could anyone pursue their studies?

"Gentlemen, this is the topic my father predicted. I invited you here today so we could discuss it freely."

"Of course, whether it truly is the topic will only become clear once the Prefectural Examination begins. My father was merely making an educated guess."

"Anyone here with ideas is welcome to speak. Let us talk without reservation and exchange our thoughts."

Li Xin spoke, pointing at the white paper.

Among those seated, Wang Ru took a sip of fruit wine and spoke quietly to Xu Qingxiao.

"Young Master Li Xin will also be taking the Prefectural Examination, so this prediction is almost certainly on the mark. The Prefectural Lord has put thought into it. Consider it carefully."

Wang Ru kept his voice low as he reminded Xu Qingxiao to listen and think carefully.

Xu Qingxiao nodded. He now understood the main purpose of this banquet.

Even the Prefectural Lord's son is taking the Prefectural Examination. His Majesty must truly attach great importance to it.

Revealing the predicted topic for everyone to consider is really just a way to test it and broaden their thinking.

People in ancient times weren't fools.

Xu Qingxiao instantly drew several conclusions.

Li Xin had invited everyone to dine, ostensibly to share the Prefectural Lord's prediction and give them a heads-up. His real purpose was to test his own response to the topic and broaden his thinking.

Presumably, Li Xin had already written a suitable essay and wanted to see whether everyone's ideas matched his own, or pick out the best among them.

Xu Qingxiao took a sip of fruit wine without saying much. He had some thoughts on this topic, but he did not know whether they were any good. He would listen to everyone else first.

"Young Master Li, gentlemen, I do have a few insights regarding Secure the Nation."

Someone spoke up.

Everyone who could attend this banquet had some standing and had spent several years studying. Naturally, a chance to shine was a good thing.

As he spoke, everyone nodded. Li Xin smiled and said, "Please go ahead, Young Master Xun. We are all ears."

The man, dressed in a blue-gray robe, set down his wine cup and looked at everyone.

"To secure the nation means to bring stability to the state."

"Yet the Martial Emperor undertook seven northern expeditions, only to taste bitter defeat at the Vast Sea. With unrest along the frontier, the northern barbarians have never ceased eyeing our Great Wei like tigers watching their prey."

"If the barbarians remain and the frontier is unsettled, how can we secure the nation?"

"Therefore, I believe that if Secure the Nation truly is the topic of the Prefectural Examination, its central concern lies abroad."

His every word was a pearl, delivered clearly and resonantly, brimming with emotion and anger at the frontier unrest and the barbarian scourge.

When he finished, many nodded in agreement.

"Young Master Xun is absolutely right. That was my thinking as well. If foreign unrest continues, how can the nation enjoy stability?"

"The Jingcheng Humiliation remains before our eyes, and our hatred of the barbarians is engraved upon our hearts."

Li Xin sighed, agreeing with what the man had said.

With him leading the agreement, the others gradually began to speak.

"Indeed. With the barbarians still around, how can we secure the nation? With the frontier unsettled, any talk of a golden age is empty."

"Exactly. During the Martial Emperor's reign, if not for that heavy snowfall, the barbarians would have been destroyed long ago. It truly leaves a bitterness that cannot be soothed."

"Now that His Majesty has ascended the throne, surely there is a desire to accomplish something great. Rooting out the barbarian scourge would be a blessing for Great Wei. I only fear that failing to eradicate them might bring another Jingcheng Humiliation. That would be a crime towering to the heavens."

"A woman claiming the imperial throne is unheard of throughout history. It marks the beginning of a new order and opens an extraordinary chapter for the ages. Who knows whether the achievements will live up to it?"

Everyone continued discussing. Perhaps they had drunk too much wine, for their remarks grew increasingly unrestrained and crossed ever further over the line.

Xu Qingxiao hurriedly coughed and raised his wine cup.

"Gentlemen, Great Wei's national humiliation remains etched in our hearts, but we must not lose heart. We ought to remember that shame, serve our country, share our sovereign's burdens, and bring prosperity to the people. Come, let us drink together."

Xu Qingxiao called out.

If he let them continue, they would probably start hurling abuse at the emperor before long.

If word reached the emperor's ears, it would be troublesome if he got dragged into it for no reason.

Whatever temperament the current emperor possessed, and whether frank advice was welcome or not, anyone who wanted to stay alive should avoid courting death.

Xu Qingxiao's words moved everyone, and they raised their cups to drink together.

However, something surprised Xu Qingxiao.

Everyone seemed remarkably unconcerned when the emperor came up, especially Li Xin. As the Prefectural Lord's son, he should have been more mindful of such matters, yet he showed no sign of stopping them.

Perhaps scholars enjoyed considerable freedom of speech.

Regardless, Xu Qingxiao chose to be cautious, lest disaster escape through his mouth.

After the drink.

Everyone continued discussing the topic of securing the nation.

But most of their discussion still centered on foreign invasions.

Xu Qingxiao remained silent and listened attentively, though he had ideas of his own.

What everyone said made plenty of sense.

Yet Xu Qingxiao felt that this was probably not what the topic meant.

After all, if that truly was the intended meaning, the emperor might as well give up the throne.

As the saying went, to repel external enemies, one must first bring peace within.

Whatever happened abroad, there was ultimately room to maneuver. Even if the barbarians once again fought their way to Jingcheng, they could not destroy the nation.

The arrangement of battle lines, popular support, resource allocation, governing the state and settling its households-which of these would not give the barbarians a headache?

Could killing alone accomplish anything?

Certainly not.

Therefore, "Secure the Nation" was definitely not about the frontier.

Scholars were useless in a hundred ways. Asking them to discuss warfare and history would produce nothing but battles fought on paper and a heap of wisdom after the fact.

Without going to the battlefield or understanding real warfare, everything they said was nonsense.

Surely the emperor was not foolish enough to ask a group of scholars to discuss war.

This business of securing the nation.

It should concern... the economy.

Yes.

Economic issues.

For a nation, external problems mattered less than internal ones. History served as a mirror: most nations collapsed because something had gone wrong within.

And those internal matters fell into just two categories.

The court and the people.

Vassal kings, powerful ministers, and factions were the roots of the court.

The economy, agriculture, and livelihoods were the wellspring of the people.

Court affairs were not for a group of scholars to point fingers at. Those fighting at that level could crush a whole batch of people with their little toes.

So if the emperor chose "Secure the Nation" as the topic.

Its essence should be "bringing peace and order to the state."

How could the nation be made peaceful, and its people given enough to eat and drink?

Once the people had full bellies, many disputes would diminish, and they would develop immense trust in their country.

To give the simplest example, if people lacked food and warm clothing, why would they give a damn when foreigners invaded? At worst, life would become a little harder. They might even wish the invaders would hurry up and arrive.

But if people had enough to eat and drink, and spare money to listen to songs at entertainment houses, who would not be furious if war broke out?

I'm enjoying a wonderful life every day, and you come to ruin my happiness? I'll fight you to the death.

Thus, a strategy for securing the nation.

Should focus on the people. The wellspring of their lives was firewood, rice, oil, and salt, and all of that came down to silver.

To put it more plainly.

Copper coins.

Xu Qingxiao settled on his direction inwardly but said nothing aloud. He was a scholar, not a saint.

Why tell them? To show off how capable I am? Then let them copy my answer?

He could keep saying pleasant things. They cost nothing.

But he should say less about matters like this. Whether others agreed or not was another matter altogether. There was no need to seek the limelight.

Yes. Keep a low profile, build myself up, and stay steady.

At the banquet.

When Xu Qingxiao came back to his senses, he discovered that everyone looked somewhat sorrowful. The gathering had been lively, but its mood had suddenly changed.

"Our nation's humiliation remains vivid before our eyes. We scholars can only toil over our books by cold windows, unable to contribute to our country. It truly fills me with shame."

"Indeed. The prosperity of our age would not exist without our forebears' sacrifices. The northern barbarians are worse than pigs and dogs."

"If one day I can enter the Ministry of War and campaign in the north, I will slaughter the barbarians until their line is extinguished."

At some point, the discussion had gradually shifted toward condemning the northern barbarians.

Xu Qingxiao had read many books at Zhou Ling's home, some of which mentioned the northern barbarians.

The northern barbarians were a thorn in the hearts of Great Wei's people, constantly stabbing everyone beneath heaven.

Those barbarians were naturally suited to becoming martial artists. They were strong and sturdy, and their meridians were open from birth. This was an advantage of their race.

Ten Great Wei soldiers could not defeat a single barbarian. That, too, was an indisputable fact.

Fortunately, when Heaven granted someone physical gifts, it diminished their intellect. Most barbarians possessed only ordinary intelligence.

When they invaded Great Wei, burning, injuring, and plundering were minor matters. The real issue was their utterly inhuman torture and slaughter.

The Jingcheng Humiliation was not merely about their advance to the vicinity of the Capital.

It was about their use of all manner of unspeakably cruel methods to torture and slaughter the people of the Central Plains.

That was the true source of the fury.

It was also what Great Wei had most wanted to accomplish since its founding: sweep away the barbarians, unify the northern powers, then conceal its strength and bide its time before subduing the frontier in a single stroke, achieving an unprecedented grand unification.

But nine generations of sovereigns had failed, and it would actually be even harder for this generation.

The Martial Emperor had held the greatest promise, but sadly, even he had failed.

"The barbarians' crimes could not be recorded even on every bamboo slip in existence. At a moment like this, I truly wish to compose a poem to vent the hatred in my heart. Alas, my literary ability is insufficient to produce anything worthy."

"Would anyone here be willing to compose a poem?"

Li Xin spoke, bitterly condemning the barbarians. He wanted to compose a poem, but lacking sufficient literary skill, he turned his gaze toward everyone else.

At that moment, the gathering fell quiet.

It was not that no one could write poetry. Rather, composing a poem on the spot was difficult. Improvisation was possible, but with so many people watching, would they not become a laughingstock if their recitation fell short?

Seated among the guests, Xu Qingxiao took a sip of wine. He understood their feelings perfectly.

After all, they had studied for a few years and could manage an essay, writing whatever came to mind. Poetry was different. Without real literary skill, they simply could not produce it.

It had to suit the occasion and the emotion, rhyme properly, and avoid sounding like doggerel. A mistake that invited ridicule could ruin their reputations.

He understood.

But just then, someone suddenly looked toward Xu Qingxiao, rose, and smiled.

"Young Master Li, I hear that Brother Chen Xinghe is an excellent poet. Brother Chen does not appear to be here, but his junior fellow disciple, Xu Qingxiao, has come. Why not ask Brother Qingxiao to recite a poem?"

The man spoke.

His face was full of smiles as he looked at Xu Qingxiao and made the suggestion.

In an instant, everyone's eyes converged on him.

Xu Qingxiao was a little stunned.

Huh?

You want me to compose a poem?

I can't compose jack shit. Do you know what jack shit means?

Besides, I don't think I've offended you, have I?

No, I even praised you earlier, and this is how you treat me?

Fine, just fine. I'll remember your name. I'm never praising you again.

Xu Qingxiao was rather dumbfounded. He had been enjoying his wine, and suddenly they wanted him to compose a poem?

He would do no such thing.

With his meager literary ability, any poem he composed would only make a spectacle of him. No way. Absolutely not.