Every year after the imperial college entrance examination, there would be a selection of outstanding poems and essays.
This was similar to Li Chencan's previous life, where every year after the college entrance examination, there would be a selection of outstanding essays...
Moreover, the empire placed great emphasis on ancient poetry and literature. In recent years, the Ministry of Culture had been working tirelessly to bring about a revival of ancient poetry and literature, aiming to recreate the splendid poetry of the Tang and Song dynasties. Because ancient poetry and literature generally did not have too many characters, once the annual selection of outstanding ancient poetry and literature was released, it would attract a lot of attention.
This year's best ancient poetry and literature came from Jiangnan Province, Zhongnan Province, and Tianfu Province.
The one from Jiangnan Province was a poem, which had a style reminiscent of Li Bai, full of grandeur and almost capable of igniting a flame in one's heart. The one from Zhongnan Province was also a poem, which described the scenery in a very moving way, with several famous lines that resonated with people...
Everyone thought the poems from Jiangnan Province and Zhongnan Province were very good, but they were not too surprised...
What truly surprised everyone was the best ancient poetry and literature from Tianfu Province...
To be precise, it was the person who wrote the best ancient poetry and literature from Tianfu Province, and that person was Li Chencan!
With the high ratings of "The Voice of China" and the promotion of several of Li Chencan's deeply touching songs, his name had already been etched into many people's minds. Moreover, his status as the top scorer in the humanities in Tianfu Province added to people's admiration and respect for him...
Now, they realized that they had not fully appreciated Li Chencan's talents!
He had actually written the best poem for the college entrance examination!
Everyone now understood that his talent was even more remarkable than they had imagined. Thinking about his titles—newcomer in the music industry, best-selling author, top scorer in the humanities in Tianfu Province! And now, he had added the identity of an ancient poetry and literature author. The attention on Li Chencan immediately increased significantly.
Of course, compared to the attention on Li Chencan himself, people were even more interested in his poem. After many people read it, they could not help but applaud and felt a warm, heartening power. This poem was different from the bold and unrestrained poem from Jiangnan Province and the vividly descriptive poem from Zhongnan Province...
This poem used very simple language, but the simple words were like pearls strung together with a fine thread. After being connected, they described a scene vividly and then added the scene to the emotions of the people, thus completely linking the scenery and the people.
Many people writing poems and essays always strive for obscurity, believing that the more obscure, the more irresistible their work would be... But ultimately, the goal of writing is to return to simplicity. Bai Juyi would even have his poems reviewed by an old woman to ensure she could understand them... Li Chencan's poem did not have any obscure or pretentious parts, but it used a subtle and unobtrusive way to turn the ordinary into something that tugged at the heartstrings.
His poem was written for the theme of farewell.
So, the title of his poem was "Farewell."
Including the tune name, it was "Xiqianying: Farewell."
"Beyond the long pavilion, by the ancient road, the fragrant grass stretches to the sky.
The evening breeze stirs the willows, the flute's melody lingers, the sunset beyond the mountains."
The eight typical images—long pavilion, ancient road, fragrant grass, evening breeze, twilight, weak willows, lingering flute, and sunset—immersed everyone in the warm scene of a farewell at sunset... The sun was setting, the flute's melody lingering, the fragrant grass soft and tender, the ancient road stretching, and the farewell to a good friend was about to take place in this gentle scene...
The description of this scene was so skillful that even someone who did not understand the rules of poetry would be moved to applaud and feel the soft and beautiful emotions conveyed.
"Heaven's edge, earth's corner, half of my friends have scattered.
Life is hard to gather, only parting is frequent.
When will you return? Do not hesitate when you come.
Drain the last of the turbid wine, tonight the parting dream will be cold." This was the climax of the poem. The images of the edge of the sky, the corner of the earth, friends, scattering, turbid wine, night farewell, and parting dreams touched the senses and stirred the heart, making everyone feel a sense of melancholy. In the future, friends would be far apart, how often could they meet? What could they say when they met? Would it be the same as before?
Here, the focus had shifted from the scenery, but the groundwork laid by the earlier description made this part flow smoothly and naturally!
At this point, everyone could not help but marvel at Li Chencan's ingenuity!
The first half described the gentle farewell scene, like the soft light of the evening sun illuminating the mountains, though painful, it was full of warmth. The second half turned into commentary and emotional expression, with a touch of melancholy and decay, and ended with turbid wine, elevating the earlier description to its peak!
At this moment, everyone was immersed in this poem!
Li Chencan really had some skills. Not only did he write songs so well, but he also had such talent in writing poetry and essays!
Suddenly, Weibo was filled with discussions—
"Li Chencan's name has appeared again! His name has been showing up a lot recently! But it's indeed worth it, he's done such a great job with these things!"
"No wonder his songs are so good, it turns out his poetry is also very deep, they must complement each other, right?"
"That Li Chencan is really something else! He just sang a popular song 'Sing If You Want to Sing,' and now he's written a tender and moving 'Farewell.' I'm really impressed, I really am!"
... Many discussions pushed Li Chencan to the forefront, and some journalists also had their eyes on him. Fortunately, "The Voice of China" temporarily protected him, so Li Chencan did not give any interviews. Even the internal staff of "The Voice of China" and the other contestants could not help but be curious about Li Chencan.
He was truly a legendary talent!
Xu Yang spent all his time with Li Chencan, eating, sleeping, and even going to the bathroom together, seemingly enjoying the glory of being Li Chencan's good friend. As for Qian Anyu, he was very conflicted, finding Li Chencan increasingly difficult to handle...
Now, those who knew Li Chencan and "The Voice of China" were most looking forward to the next episode of "The Voice of China," eager to hear what new songs Li Chencan would bring.
A Li Chencan who could write poetry and essays, who could excel in exams, and who could write catchy songs, what surprises would he bring in the new week? This became the topic everyone was eagerly anticipating.