Recently, I was listening to a series of stories called "Poetry Stories: Love Gossips of Talented Scholars and Beauties" in Youshu. In the happy or sad love stories of talented scholars and beautiful ladies, I couldn't help but follow them in joy or sorrow.
Lu You and Tang Wan were lovers who loved each other but could not stay together. In the end, Tang Wan died in depression, leaving Lu You alone to linger in Shen Yuan for decades. This poignant love story made me sigh; at the same time, , I couldn’t help but be despised by Sima Xiangru’s affectionate relationship, and felt unworthy of Zhuo Wenjun’s wholehearted dedication; moreover, Li Qingzhao and Zhao Mingcheng knew each other, loved each other, and cherished each other, but in the end they were separated by yin and yang.
However, among all the love and hatred between talented men and beautiful women, the one that impressed me the most was the love story between Zhao Mengfu and Duan Sheng.
Zhao Mengfu, whose courtesy name was Ziang and also known as Songxue Taoist, was born in Wuxing, Zhejiang in 1254. He was a famous calligrapher, painter, and poet from the late Southern Song Dynasty to the early Yuan Dynasty. He was erudite and versatile, and created a generation of literary and artistic trends. Together with Ouyang Xun, Yan Zhenqing, and Liu Gongquan, he was known as the "Four Masters of Regular Script".
The ancestor of Zhao Mengfu is the famous "Eight Wise Kings" in the TV series, and he can be regarded as a descendant of the royal family. It's a pity that Zhao Mengfu's family was in decline when he was born, and he will never have the glory he once had.
However, a skinny camel was bigger than a horse, so Zhao Mengfu still lived a life without worries about food and clothing when he was young. He has been extremely intelligent and articulate since he was a child, especially in writing and painting.
Unfortunately, the good times did not last long. The demise of the Zhao and Song Dynasties left Zhao Mengfu, who was only in his twenties, unable to serve his country. As a branch of the former imperial family, Zhao Mengfu's embarrassing status made him refuse to take office when called upon by the Yuan government, and he stayed at home for seven years.
It was during these seven years that he met the love of his life - Duan Sheng.
Who can be promoted through the pipeline?
Duan Sheng, courtesy name Zhongji, was born in Maoshan, Deqing, Zhejiang, and his ancestral home was Qingpu, Jiangsu. He was a calligrapher, painter, and poetry creator in the Yuan Dynasty. In terms of painting, he especially likes fresh objects such as bamboo, plum, orchid, and is known as the "Second Madam of Calligraphy" together with Mrs. Wei (Wei Shuo).
For this talented couple to have a happy marriage, they have to thank Zhao Mengfu’s future father-in-law, Guan Sheng’s father, Guan Shen, who personally brokered his daughter’s happy marriage.
Guan Sheng is smart, beautiful, talented, and famous at a young age.
Her father, Guan Shen, has a very high vision and feels that no man in the world is worthy of his precious daughter, and no one can catch his eye. Waiting in the boudoir, never married.
At a gathering of literati, Guan Shen saw Zhao Mengfu and instantly felt that his daughter was about to be a good match. So he invited the uncle he liked to his house and asked his daughter to come out for a "blind date."
Zhao Mengfu had long heard about Duan Sheng's talent, and now that he saw his gentle and pleasant person, he couldn't help but turn his admiration into admiration. One of them lowered his head and smiled, and the other had an expression on his face. Guan Shen knew it was done as soon as he saw it, and he was secretly happy.
His daughter’s life-long event was finally resolved, and she personally selected it. Mr. Guan was particularly satisfied. Although Zhao Mengfu has no fame at the moment, Mr. Guan believes in his own vision, and he believes that he has a keen eye for recognizing talents, and Zhao Mengfu will definitely become famous in the future.
Soon after, Zhao Mengfu and Duan Sheng got married. From then on, the newlyweds, a talented and beautiful couple, started a love story between you and me.
After getting married, Zhao Mengfu and Duan Sheng recited poems and painted together every day, playing the piano and the harp in harmony. They lived a leisurely and happy life, filled with deep love and sweetness. Guan Sheng was versatile in poetry, calligraphy and painting, and Zhao Mengfu was also quite impressed by his wife's talent.
Although Guan Sheng has never learned painting, she is no less good at painting than her husband. She is especially good at painting ink bamboo.
Once, Zhao Mengfu asked Duan Sheng why he could paint ink bamboo so well. Duan Sheng smiled and said, "I can paint whatever you like." This means that the reason why she painted ink bamboo so well was entirely because Zhao Mengfu liked it.
Zhao Mengfu was particularly moved when he heard what she said. He thought to himself, I, Zhao Mengfu, am so virtuous and capable that God would be so kind to me and allow me to meet such a good wife in this life.
However, no matter how deep the feelings are, they cannot withstand the baptism of time.
After being together for more than 20 years, as Duan Sheng got older, his beauty gradually faded and he lost his beauty. Zhao Mengfu, like many men, became interested in the little fresh meat around him. His attention gradually shifted from his wife to other women, and his love for his wife was not as strong as before.
In fact, Guan Sheng had already noticed this, so she asked someone to send a letter called "Ink Bamboo Picture" to Zhao Mengfu who was on a business trip, and she also wrote a small poem on it: < /p>
When my husband passed away, the bamboo was first planted, and the bamboo has become Lin’s future.
It is difficult to regain the beauty of jade once it fades, it is better to have flowers fall and bloom again.
Duan Sheng expressed his mood in a poem and expressed his hope that his husband would return soon. She also knew that she was no longer young and could not compare with those beautiful and delicate girls. She also used the ink bamboo picture to remind her husband not to forget their past affection.
Despite Duan Sheng’s constant reminders, Zhao Mengfu looked at the beauties around him, who were as beautiful as flowers and jade, and then looked at his colleagues, surrounded by their wives and concubines, hugging each other. Looking at these scenes and thinking of his old wife, he couldn't help but think of taking a concubine.
Once, when the couple was painting together in the study, Zhao Mengfu wrote a ditty:
I am a bachelor and your wife. Don't you hear: Scholar Tao has peach leaves and peach roots, and Scholar Su has morning clouds and dusk clouds. It’s not too much for me to marry a few girls from Wu Ji and Yue. You are over forty years old, just occupy Yutangchun.
The meaning is very simple, using the names of Tao Gu and Su Dongpo to find reasons for taking concubines. I am considered a person of status, so it is not too much to have two concubines. You are over forty anyway, so you just need to be the mistress of the family.
After finishing writing, Zhao Mengfu handed it to Duan Sheng with a smile. But Guan Sheng just glanced at it, put it aside, and continued to paint.
Zhao Mengfu felt extremely uneasy when he saw his wife's reaction. Having lived with her husband for more than twenty years, she knew her wife's temper very well. It seems a bit unreasonable to be so calm. So, he spent the whole day peeking at his wife's reaction and slowly guessing her thoughts.
From the bottom of his heart, although Zhao Mengfu wanted to take a concubine, he did not want Guansheng to leave him in anger.
So, in a worried and frightened mood, Zhao Mengfu spent a particularly difficult day. Even when he went to bed at night, he was anxious, tossing and turning, and couldn't sleep at night.
The next morning, when Zhao Mengfu got up, he found a written poem on the table in the study. Needless to say, this must have been the work of his wife Duan Sheng. However, judging from the ink stains, there are traces of water smearing in several places, which should be smudged by tears. It seems that this word was written by Duan Sheng in tears.
Zhao Mengfu couldn’t wait to pick up the piece of paper and couldn’t help but slowly read out loud:
You and I, we have many evil feelings, many places of love, as hot as fire . Take a piece of clay, knead you, and mold me. Break the two of us together, mix them with water, knead you again, and mold me. I have you in the mud, and you have me in the mud. I live in the same quilt with you and die in the same coffin with you!
This is the famous "Wo Nong Ci". The deep and affectionate feelings are vividly written on the paper and engraved in the words. "No matter what you think, I will always love you. When I was born, I wanted to share the same bed with you; when I die, I want to be buried with you."
After reading, Zhao Mengfu couldn't help but With tears streaming down her cheeks, I understood my wife's sincerity. From then on, he completely gave up the idea of ??taking concubines.
In ancient times, it was normal for men to have three wives and four concubines. As married wives, many people suffered silently but were unable to resist.
However, when Duan Sheng faced this kind of thing, he neither cried, made trouble, or hanged himself, nor did he accept the situation and endure it against his own will. On the contrary, she relied on her intelligence to win back her husband's heart with one word and her true feelings. Zhao Mengfu no longer wanted to take a concubine, and she was the only one in his heart for the rest of his life.
In real life, there are also many families that have been invaded by "mistresses". However, their way of dealing with it is often to make a big fuss, making it known to everyone and making it impossible to deal with it.
If we can all learn how to get better, we can crush the husband’s little thoughts with one move and eliminate the “mistress” virtually.
Perhaps, there will be fewer children growing up in single-parent families in this world.