In 701 AD, Wang Wei was born in Puzhou, Hedong (now Yuncheng, Shanxi), and his name is Maha. In his early years, he showed outstanding talent, and he was as smart as his younger brother Wang Jin, who was one year younger. When he was only 15 years old, Wang Wei broke into the capital to take the exam, and quickly became the focus of the princes and nobles with his outstanding poetic talent, excellent calligraphy and painting skills and superb talent.
Despite his talent, talent does not guarantee that Wang Wei will be among the top performers. However, in the seventh year of Kaiyuan (719), Wang Wei, who was only 18 years old, successfully won the Jingzhao Mansion Xie Yuan (the first place in the government examination). However, the harsh reality showed him the harsh side in the exam. At that time, "gan confession" (scholars and scholars visiting the powerful with their best works) was popular, and corruption in officialdom and science was becoming more and more rampant. In the absence of a pier and a lack of political resources, it was difficult for Wang Wei to gain an advantage in scientific research despite his outstanding talent.
Faced with the predicament, Li Fan, the king of Qi, gave Wang Wei a way out and asked him to meet the ninth princess (Princess Yuzhen, the half-sister of Tang Xuanzong). The next day, Wang Wei accompanied Li Fan to meet Princess Yuzhen. In the princess's mansion, Wang Wei did not rush to offer poems, but first played a song "Yulun Robe" for the princess, which amazed the audience.
Just when the princess and others were intoxicated, Li Fan cleverly introduced Wang Wei to everyone: this suave young man is not only good at playing the piano, but also an outstanding poet. Wang Wei took the opportunity to present his poems. The princess was amazed: "I am accustomed to irony, it is said to be an ancient work, and it is the best system of the son." She said that these poems are often read by her, and she thought they were the masterpieces of the ancients, but she didn't expect them to be Wang Wei's masterpieces. Princess Yuzhen immediately invited Wang Wei to take a seat and strongly recommended him to participate in the examination.
Princess Yuzhen did what she said, and the chief examiner Pei Mingfu could only obey. So, in the nineteenth year of Kaiyuan (731), when the champion of the scientific expedition was "determined" as Zhang Jiugao, Wang Wei took away this honor.
According to the new and old Tang books, after Wang Wei became the champion, he successively served as Taile Cheng, Jeju Sicang joined the army, right pick-up, and supervised the imperial history. However, he relied on his relationship to win the champion and his first-class poems and flattering singing and poems, which caused some criticism, and was ridiculed by literati of the same period and later generations, and was criticized as "high talent and poor character".
Despite Wang Wei's extraordinary talent, he has shown diligence and honesty in officialdom. However, it is precisely because he had to rely on his connections under the pressure of the environment to find a backer to win the champion, so that later generations of literati have always had some critical views on him. It seems that what is obtained through open, fair and just competition at any time is the most reassuring.
Wang Wei's life is full of legends and controversies, he has emerged in the literary world with his outstanding talent and art, but he has been controversial because he won the champion with the help of his connections in the scientific examination. Although some people have questioned his methods, his diligence and honesty in the officialdom cannot be ignored. This history is not only a legendary story of a talented man, but also a mirror of the power and relationships under the imperial examination system. Perhaps, for a literati, the choice in the face of adversity is often the intersection of talent and morality.