I. The central question
Q: How should we evaluate Su Tungpo's life in the capital? ??
A: The two empresses saved Su Tungpo's life during the trial and temporary ended his political life outside the capital. When he came back to the capital, he still was the great genius preferred by the emperor and empress. He lived near the palace and wrote edicts for emperor. His position is more important than usual. However, we should notice that other politicians much more jealous and hate Su Tungpo than usual. Su Tungpo was a lucky person, his life in the capital turned into a glary page, but the other side was the hidden conspiracy. Su Tungpo knew this very well, that is why he agreed with Chaoyun's words. His independent thinking and impartiality were the main character which the party men heartily disliked.
II. The sentence
1. Modern democracy with universal suffrage is based upon the judgment of the common man, who often cannot follow a New York Times editorial.
universal suffrage ? ?普遍選舉權
follow ?明白、理解
editorial ?社論
2. The taunt stuck, for it fitted. It was a phrase that neither Cheng Yi nor his deriders were likely to forget. Nobody liked to carry such a label all his life. The seed of hatred between Su Tungpo and the Honan party, of which Cheng Yi was the leader, was planted.
The taunt stuck, for it fitted. ?一語中的，一針見血
the seed of hatred was planted ?種下了仇恨的種子，十分形象貼切
這幾句話講“程蘇之裂”，表面上看是蘇東坡與程頤對于司馬光喪禮的不同態度，而實際上則是蜀學與洛學的分歧。
3. There are decided social and material advantages in being a high official. In those days, the simple choice for the educated class was between being an official and obscurity—the latter usually meant poverty. One could achieve lasting fame, of course, by devotion to scholarship; but to many, immortal fame, even if one could be sure of it, was poor consolation for a hungry stomach.
對古代文人而言，做官無疑是名利雙收的，作為文人隱士固然能夠使盛名流于后世，但卻難以果腹。這幾句非常簡練地描寫了古代文人的生存選擇， poor consolation for a hungry stomach，十分有趣。
