"I hear you studied under the great scholar Zheng Xuan, Zheng Kangcheng, renowned throughout the realm. Come and see what you think of this poem of mine."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Trembling with fear, Cui Yan walked over to Liu Xie and craned his neck to look at the writing on the silk paper.
"Splendid calligraphy!"
The moment he saw the writing, the praise slipped from his lips.
Always fond of calligraphy, he suppressed his alarm and asked, "May I ask, Your Majesty, what style of calligraphy is this?"
Liu Xie said calmly, "This is a style I devised. I call it regular script, also known as Han regular script."
For the sake of his dignity as the Son of Heaven, he had put in considerable hard work to acquire his current skill in regular script.
And it was Yan Zhenqing's Yan-style script at that.
Now that he had received Cui Yan's heartfelt praise, he could not help feeling that all that hardship had been worthwhile.
Delighted at the sight of something he loved, Cui Yan stared at each character on the silk paper with shining eyes.
He felt that the characters were square and densely structured, the brushwork powerful, rounded, and weighty, with light horizontal strokes and heavy vertical strokes, giving them a majestic, imposing air.
He could not help exclaiming, "Square in form, straight in stroke-truly a model to follow. This regular script Your Majesty has created commands my utmost admiration!"
Liu Xie accepted all of Cui Yan's praise without the slightest blush.
After admiring the calligraphy, Cui Yan began to read the poem on the silk paper carefully.
The more he read, the more astonished he became, and the less fear remained in his heart.
"With wine before us, let us sing-how long does life endure?"
"Like the