Da Tang Si Zi: My Six Super Rich Little Nuggets!

Chapter 41 A Friendship Across Ages: Grandpa Liu Xiangdao

Night Talk at the Inn:

Scholar A (stroking his beard, mysteriously):

"Have you all heard of Wang Bo? He was hailed as a child prodigy at a young age, but unfortunately, his ending... tsk tsk, what a pity!"

Merchant (puts down his wine glass and blinks):

"Oh, what makes someone a child prodigy? My son is incredibly smart too! How was Wang Bo so smart? What were his extraordinary qualities?"

Scholar B (self-satisfied, fanning himself):

"It is said that when he was still a baby, a high-ranking official of the court, Liu Xiangdao, caught him and praised him, saying that he was incredibly talented. He even wrote a memorial to the emperor recommending him. Tsk tsk, this is a golden word and a platform that can only be envied!"

Scholar A (responding):

"Indeed, the emperor was pleased and appointed him as a Chaosanlang. Although the position is small, he is still a proper court official and receives a government salary."

Merchant (takes a sip of wine and waves his hand):

"Having an official position isn't all that's impressive. He's very clever; I heard he even managed to infiltrate the Prince's residence?"

Scholar B (nods, with a solemn expression):

"That's right! Later, Prince Pei, Li Xian, invited him to be his teacher, and he was quite the star in the prince's palace for a while. But... his good fortune didn't last long."

Merchant (raising eyebrows):

"Oh? What's wrong? Is this child prodigy being too flashy? Or has he offended someone?"

Scholar A (shaking his head and sighing):

"That's right—alas, this young man was hot-blooded and wrote an article called 'A Proclamation Against the King of Ying's Rooster'... He lost his composure when faced with problems, and in a moment of excitement and self-satisfaction, he pushed himself into the eye of the storm."

Merchant (stunned):

"Huh? Chicken? Why are you writing about chickens?"

Scholar B (suppressing laughter, slaps his thigh with fan):

"It's not just about chickens; it includes both real and fake chickens. Wang Bo satirized Prince Li Xian in that piece, but it ended up looking like he was instigating infighting among the princes!"

Merchant (smacking his tongue):

"I knew it! This is a huge taboo! The Emperor hates discord among brothers the most. Sure enough, he was kicked out of the game like that???"

A quaint teahouse.

The setting sun casts a warm light through the old wooden window lattice.

Wang Bo was sitting opposite his close friend, Grandpa Liu Xiangdao, each holding a teacup, and once they started talking, they couldn't stop.

Liu Xiang said, "Zian, you are not at all at ease. I heard that your 'Proclamation to the King of Ying's Rooster' has alarmed the Emperor. Do you think you are an invincible prodigy? Alas, one article has stirred up a storm in the court."

Wang Bo (with a wry smile): "Alas, no matter how stubborn a child prodigy is, he can't go against the emperor's temper. That article was originally meant for amusement and amusement within the palace. Who could have predicted that someone with ulterior motives would make the emperor think that I was sowing discord between the princes?"

Liu Xiangdao (shaking his head and sighing): "If you had been born into an ordinary family, you would have been a master of eloquence. It's a pity you chose to be a tutor in a prince's palace. Little did you know that serving a king is like walking on thin ice."

Wang Bo: "You're right! Alas, I'm a bit too headstrong. I didn't stay in my teaching job for long before I was kicked out. But I've come to terms with it. I took a trip to Sichuan and Chongqing, and the scenery there was more delightful than any official career for me."

Liu Xiangdao (smiling and taking a sip of tea): "Maybe if you were to write another 'Proclamation Against the Tigers of Mount Emei,' all those mountain kings would jump out and vie to become your disciples!!"

Wang Bo (laughs heartily): "Forget it! Although that article didn't cost me my head, it basically got me far away from the center of power."

Later, when I was a military advisor in Guozhou, I accidentally killed a government slave and was supposed to be beheaded. Fortunately, there was a general amnesty, otherwise Lord Tongshou would be seeing the devil right now..."

Liu Xiang said, "Hahaha! You're lucky, Zi'an! It's a pity that later..." (He lowered his voice and leaned closer mysteriously)

"Later, you followed your father to the south, and the following year, on your return journey, you perished at sea, shocking the world!! But I heard that some scholars have researched and concluded that you may not have drowned???!!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Bo was startled. He woke up in a cold sweat, thinking to himself, "It was just a dream! Lord Liu passed away in 666!"

Quickly gather your thoughts: In 666 BC, which was the first year of Emperor Gaozong's Qianfeng reign, he was hired by Prince Pei, Li Xian, as a tutor in the prince's palace. That same year, his mentor and close friend, Lord Liu, passed away.

Two years later, he angered Emperor Gaozong by writing an article titled "A Proclamation Against the Rooster of Prince Ying," which led to his expulsion from the palace.

Then, he went out to travel to Sichuan and Chongqing.

In 672 BC, the third year of the Xianheng era, he was appointed as a military advisor in Guozhou. However, he was nearly beheaded for arbitrarily executing government slaves. Fortunately, a general amnesty was granted, which allowed him to be removed from the list of officials.

In the teahouse, Lord Liu's voice and smile dissipated along with the morning mist...

Liu Xiangdao came from a privileged family and inherited his father's title. His official career was smooth sailing from childhood.

But he always felt that he had lost a close friend despite the age difference, a younger brother who was one of the Four Great Poets of the Early Tang Dynasty, which was a great pity. That's why he appeared in the dream to remind the young man.

However, this arrogant young talent didn't care about the principle that "the tallest tree in the forest will be felled by the wind."

Someone could use one of his entertainment articles to create a scandal and force him to leave the Prince's residence; someone else was plotting against him behind his back!

In the second year of the Shangyuan era in 675 AD, he followed his father south. When they returned the following year, he drowned while swimming in the sea. He was so frightened that he died in the Dragon Palace. No matter how talented he was, he could only face the sea and wait for spring to arrive...

Alas, alas, alas.