“Ah… this…”
Reminded by Ning Yuqiao, Ning Qingyu finally came back to his senses from his earlier excitement, and said to Wei Changtian and Liang Zhen with some bitterness:
“Lord Wei, Lord Liang, Jiao’er was accidentally injured by a sharp object when she was young, leaving this scar on her face.”
“She rarely goes out, and if she needs to see people, she will always wear a veil… A woman values her face, so please keep this quiet.”
“Don’t worry, Your Majesty.”
Wei Changtian and Liang Zhen immediately nodded in unison, their eyes showing understanding, but also some doubt.
Especially Wei Changtian, who felt that this scar shouldn’t be as simple as Ning Qingyu said.
After all, this was the world of cultivation, where medical skills were far beyond those of the previous life.
If Ning Yuqiao were a child from a poor family, it would be understandable, but she was a princess!
A minor injury like this wouldn’t leave a scar with proper treatment.
Wei Changtian had the right to speak about this, as he had previously been injured almost every day during his time in the Suspension Mirror Department’s martial arts hall, but had never left a scar.
Therefore, he didn’t believe Ning Qingyu’s words.
Of course, Wei Changtian wouldn’t say anything more, and Ning Yuqiao had also somewhat calmed down, lightly speaking to him and Liang Zhen:
“Rou’an’s appearance is ugly; if I scare you, please forgive me.”
Unlike the princesses in TV dramas who would call themselves “This Palace”, Ning Yuqiao referred to herself by her title, showing her upbringing.
Moreover, her voice was extremely pleasant to listen to.
It was like the sound of a gentle brook, soft and gentle, with a hint of heavenly music.
Unfortunately…
Wei Changtian looked at those lively, exposed eyes outside the veil, and couldn’t help but feel a sense of regret.
……
After a while, Ning Qingyu briefly introduced his daughter to Wei Changtian and Liang Zhen.
When Ning Yu Ke heard the name Wei Chang Tian, a flash of surprise and delight appeared in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by disappointment.
“Ke’er, Wei Gongzi just said another great phrase! Hurry up and prepare the ink, I want to write it down right now!”
Ning Qing Yu had already regained his excitement, while Wei Chang Tian was just beginning to understand why he had suddenly called Ning Yu Ke over.
It seemed that Ning Qing Yu had a habit, which was that when writing, he had to have Ning Yu Ke by his side to prepare the ink.
Quite particular, indeed.
Wei Chang Tian secretly rolled his eyes, sipping his tea as he watched Ning Yu Ke prepare the writing tools.
However, Ning Qing Yu didn’t let him idle, and in just a short while, he gave him another difficult question.
“Wei Gongzi, what you said about the phrase being excellent is indeed correct, but you haven’t said how to write a good poem yet.”
“Poetic talent is certainly important, but there must be some techniques involved, can you tell me?”
“……”
Wei Chang Tian smiled and put down his teacup, but in his heart, he was already speechless about this poetry-obsessed prince.
Not finished yet, huh?
It seemed that if he didn’t say something substantial today, it would be a waste of time…… but what did he know about substance, anyway?
“This matter……”
Looking at Ning Qing Yu, whose face was full of expectation, and Ning Yu Ke, who was also looking at him, Wei Chang Tian suddenly had an idea and opened his mouth to say:
“Your Highness, what do you think makes a good poem?”
“Transcending the heavens, reciting for a thousand years!”
Ning Qing Yu didn’t hesitate: “This is truly a good poem!”
Wei Chang Tian nodded, continuing to ask: “Then, what do you think is needed for a poem to achieve such greatness?”
Ning Qing Yu replied seriously: “Atmosphere and tone, intent and rhythm, using the law without being stagnant, using the subject without being direct.”
What was he talking about?
Wei Chang Tian felt like he knew the meaning of these four words, but also didn’t know.
However, whether he understood or not didn’t affect his next move.
He saw Wei Chang Tian nodding seriously, first praising “that’s correct,” and then continuing to say:
“However, in my opinion, the tone of the poem is especially important.”
“Tone?”
“That’s right.”
Wei Chang Tian explained: “People’s understanding of things is not the same, with differences in high and low, refined and coarse, and biased and correct. Since poetry is written by people, it naturally also has tone differences.”
“Regardless of the intention or the wording, it’s all the same.”
“What you said is correct, but……”
Ning Qing Yu frowned: “But how can we create a poem with a high tone?”
The topic had returned to its original point, but after so much buildup, Wei Chang Tian finally got to the main point.
Those serious theories he definitely didn’t know, and couldn’t explain either.
However……
“Your Highness, why don’t I tell you a little story instead?”
“A little story?”
Ning Qing Yu suddenly became interested, straightening up and sitting upright: “Please, Gongzi, tell us quickly.”
“Okay.”
Wei Chang Tian cleared his throat, then slowly began to speak in a rhythmic tone:
“Your Highness, it’s said that in ancient times, there was a dynasty called the Great Tang, which had a world-renowned poet named Bai Juyi, whose poems could be passed down through the ages.”
“Da Tang? Bai Juyi?” Ning Qingyu looked puzzled.
“It’s just a story, Your Highness doesn’t need to pay attention to these details.”
Wei Changtian explained calmly, continuing, “This Bai Juyi’s neighbor was an old woman who couldn’t recognize big characters, let alone understand poetry.”
“But every time Bai Juyi finished writing a poem, he would always read it to the old woman first. If the old woman didn’t understand or thought the language was too complex, she would point it out, and Bai Juyi would go home to revise it before coming back to read it again.”
“Such repetition continued until the old woman had no more opinions.”
Wei Changtian paused, asking softly, “Your Highness, is that the story? Do you understand its implication?”
“……”
Ning Qingyu remained silent for a long time, suddenly slapping the chair, and surprisingly, he stood up with an excited face.
“I understand! I understand!”
“A poem that can be understood even by rustic villagers will naturally penetrate people’s hearts and will surely be widely spread!”
“Indeed, indeed it is!”
From noble mtl dot come
“Ah……”
Seeing Ning Qingyu’s reaction, Wei Changtian finally breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that he had finally dodged this hurdle.
“Your Highness understands, that’s good.”
“I understand! I understand!”
Ning Qingyu was so excited that he paced back and forth in the room, making Wei Changtian worry that he might get too agitated and faint.
Luckily, Ning Yuke had finally ground the ink ready.
“Father, the ink is ready.”
She glanced at Wei Changtian and then asked Ning Qingyu softly, “Didn’t you say you wanted to write?”
“Write, yes, yes, I want to write!”
Ning Qingyu, still in his excitement, took a step forward to the desk, picked up the brush, and wrote “佳句本天成，妙手偶得之” with a few strokes.
However, after finishing, he felt unsatisfied and wanted to record the small story he had just heard.
He changed to a new paper, looked up, and smiled at Wei Changtian.
“Mr. Wei, does this story have a name?”
“This……”
Wei Changtian originally wanted to say “no name,” but somehow managed to come up with a sentence.
“It comes from the people and returns to the people……”