Yingtao Hua aggressively pulled out one of her hairpins nestled in her hair and pointed at Jiang Li with it with a threatening look on her face. The rest of the girls suddenly panicked at the sight of Yingtao Hua's baleful look. They wouldn't want to see her drilling a hole on someone's face with the hair pin she was holding.
Each of them wanted to regulate her but it seemed like something was holding them back. They were afraid of something most mediators normally went through when they involved themselves in negotiations involving physical fights. It was easy for a mediators to be easily turned into victims. Princess Wen Xiang mustered up courage and grabbed Yingtao Hua's hand that was holding the hairpin. She tightened her grip around Yingtao Hua's wrist and helped her to cool down her temper.
Matron Zhao walked in to the scene and began questioning them.
"Matron Zhao,we were just making jokes here and there who knew Sister Yingtao would take it seriously and attack me?"Jiang Li spoke in a low pretentious tone.
Matron Zhao took a glance at her and glanced back at Yingtao Hua. Since Matron Zhao had dealt with several generations of servant girls ,she could easily analyze the situation. The ones who were quick to play victims were normally the assailants. Moreover ,most victims were responsible for their own suffering especially those who provoked their assailants. Matron Zhao simply gave them an earful and allowed them to resume their needlework.
It was a bright Monday morning, some of the learners assembled in Wenxue Hall for their second Literature lecture. Considering Mizi Yue's lenience some of the students arrived late and when they arrived the class was in session. Mizi Yue allowed to get in with a mysterious smile on his face.
"I hope you have all familiarized yourself with the rules Master Zhuang conveyed to you,"Mizi Yue spoke lightly ,the mysterious smile still lingering on his face. It was a polite reminder but considering his temper no one took it seriously.
"Today we are going to learn one of the most important aspects of literature, poetry. We've all read or heard a few poems. Before we dig deeper into poetry, I want us to look at our Poetic Anthem that captures the grace and abundance of our dynasty. Can you all recite our Poetic Anthem?" Mizi Yue continued.
This Poem Anthem wasn't a new concept. Nearly everyone recited it in their childhood like a nursery rhyme . If you asked most of them it was probably the first poem they ever learnt.The poem was simple and consisted consisted of two stanzas each with four lines. In unison,they all recited the poem.
Beneath the sun,where flowers bloom,
Southern Blossom Dynasty escapes the gloom.
Petals on water, drifting free,
A dynasty's grace for all to see.
The fragrance of power swiftly flows,
In lands where the eternal summer glows.
Their reign is gentle,their touch is kind ,
In the blossom's beauty,their strength you'll find.
After the recitation,Mizi Yue introduced the topic of the day . He introduced the three classical poetry forms;Shi Poetry ,Ci Poetry and Qu Poetry.
For that day,Mizi Yue decided to tackle Shi Poetry to ensure better understanding of the concept and the fact that Shi Poetry was a little complicated than the other two.
Shi Poetry was the classic form of Chinese poetry with a strict tonal pattern and rhyme scheme. It often focused on expressing emotions, depicting scenes, or reflecting on philosophical thoughts. He looked at a few examples to explain further what Shi Poetry entailed of. He read out a poem to them to note down for future reference;
Amidst the jade groves,whispers rise,
As dawn unfurls its rosy guise .
The Southern Realm in splendor lies ,
Where lotus blooms meets azure skies.
The gentle zephyr's tender sigh,
Bears tales of old ,of days gone by.
In Blossoms heart, where secrets die,
The poets' pens will never dry.
The poem followed a regular rhyme scheme of AABB where each pair of lines rhymed with each other, which was an important feature of Shi Poetry. Specifically the first and second line rhymed(A),the third line and fourth line rhymed(A),the fifth line and sixth line rhymed(B) and lastly the seventh and eighth lines rhymed(B). The poem also used a regulated eight-line form, a basic feature of Shi Poetry.
The poem depicted the persona's emotions such as admiration and awe where the persona was in awe of the jade groves,the unfolding dawn and the splendor of the Southern Realm. It also depicted the persona's nostalgic emotions by the mention of "tales of old, of days gone by ,"suggesting longing for the past
Overall the poem captured the ephemeral beauty of the present and the timeless echoes of the past creating a harmonious blend of emotions and imagery. Therefore the poem was perfect example to explain the concept of Shi Poetry.
After answering a number of a few relevant questions,Mizi Yue concluded the lecture by giving out an assignment where the students were supposed to write a Shi Poem about the changing seasons in the Southern Blossom Dynasty using the regulated eight-line form with a set rhyme scheme.
"Please come early tomorrow so you won't miss out the basics in the lecture,"Mizi Yue insisted before he left.