Xu Wei, a famous writer, calligrapher, painter, dramatist and military strategist in the Ming Dynasty.
Seeing so many "titles", people who don't know him think that he has achieved success in his life and at least has a good life and ending.
Unfortunately, the answer is no.
Xu Wei’s life is most appropriately quoted from Wen Boling’s words:
“His life was full of ups and downs. His second brother died early, he had three marriages, he helped everywhere, he had five cars and a lot of education, and all six relatives were separated. After seven years in prison, he failed eight tests, committed suicide nine times, and lamented ten times." In 1521, Xu Wei's father died 100 days after he was born.
He was reading at the age of six, able to compose at the age of nine, and at the age of ten he imitated Yang Xiong's "Jie Moo" and wrote "Shi Rui", and was called a child prodigy.
Perhaps because he is called a child prodigy, neither his family nor outsiders regard him as a child.
When he was ten years old, his biological mother was kicked out of the house by his adoptive mother because of her humble background.
For a 10-year-old child, watching his mother being kicked out of the house will leave so much trauma and shadow in his heart.
When he was about 20 years old, the mother who raised him passed away, and he was forced to live with his half-brother, who was nearly 40 years older than him.
Since he and his brother had no sibling relationship since childhood, when he was 21 years old, he married into the Pan family, a wealthy family in Shaoxing.
After getting married, the status of being dependent on others did not change at all. It was just transferred from my own home to my father-in-law's home.
Being a door-to-door son-in-law was basically the only way out in a feudal society where men were superior to women.
Some time after his marriage, he followed his father-in-law in handling official documents and gained a preliminary understanding of official work.
When he was 26 years old, his wife passed away, and the Pan family kicked him out of the house on the grounds of "incompetence."
Misfortunes never come singly. After he was kicked out of his father-in-law's house, his two brothers also died one after another, and the family home was plundered and occupied by powerful men.
At this time, there was no chance of living under someone else's roof. He had no relatives and no home.
In desperation, Xu Wei opened a school and brought his mother over the next year.
In 1554, the invasion of Japanese pirates turned Shaoxing Prefecture into a place of war. Xu Wei, who usually liked military exercises, participated in several discussions and actively made suggestions. His military talents attracted the attention of Hu Zongxian, the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang. .
Hu Zongxian was usually serious about words, and because of his high official position, his civil and military officials were all respectful in front of him.
But Xu Wei was unique. He looked down upon the collusion between Hu Zongxian and the powerful minister Yan Song.
However, for the sake of Hu Zongxian's resistance to the Japanese, and for the sake of Hu Zongxian's sincere invitations several times, he still went to work as an aide in the Governor's Mansion.
This also ushered in the peak of his career, because this was the only time he worked seriously in the officialdom for several years, and he also received preferential treatment from the governor.
Tao Wangling recorded in "The Long Biography of Xu Wen" that Governor Hu's Mansion could not find him due to something, so he opened the door and waited.
Someone reported to the Governor that Xu Wei was drinking outside and yelling loudly, but Governor Hu didn't pay attention.
Xu Wei was drinking outside and saw several sergeants drinking and being unreasonable and rogue downstairs. He wrote a "little note" and told Governor Hu, who immediately took these people to Bound and killed.
With Hu Zongxian's sincerity, Xu Wei started the "use of scholars for confidants" policy.
First of all, he helped Governor Hu formulate the anti-Japanese strategy of "deciding the overall situation first and planning later".
Secondly, he is actually Governor Hu’s secretary, and all the official documents of Governor Hu go through his hands.
Once again, he helped Governor Hu capture Xu Hai, the leader of the pirate group during the Jiajing period, and trapped Wang Zhi, the leader of the maritime smuggling team.
Finally, he wrote "Entering the White Deer Biao" and "Reentering the White Deer Biao" for Hu Zongxian to Emperor Jiajing, which established Hu Zongxian's status in the court.
Later, Yan Song fell, and Hu Zongxian was also implicated. In 1562, he was arrested and imprisoned, but was released for his meritorious service in resisting the Japanese.
In 1564, Hu Zongxian was arrested again, this time. Being executed, many people were involved. Xu Wei seemed unable to help, and was afraid that he would be implicated, and would collapse to the point of committing suicide.
He hit his head with a sharp ax, blood flowed all over his face, and his skull was broken; he inserted a three-inch long nail into his ear; he smashed his kidney capsule with an awl...
1568 In 1573, under extreme depression, he suspected that his later wife was unfaithful, killed her, and was sent to prison. In 1573, the world was amnesty. With the help of friends, Xu Wei was released from prison after seven years in prison. door.
During these seven years, he also briefly came out for a few days to take care of his mother's funeral.
After being released from prison, 53-year-old Xu Wei no longer had any intention of pursuing an official career. He began to travel around and make like-minded friends.
During this period, Wu Dui, the governor of Xuanda, invited him to write an essay. He regarded this "job" as a "relief" from his boredom after traveling around the mountains and rivers.
Qi Jiguang introduced him to Li Chenghai in Liaodong. After he passed there, he guided Li Chenghai's son Li Rusong in the art of war and also taught him his previous anti-Japanese experience.
It can be said that Li Rusong later defeated the Japanese army in Korea and was related to the teacher Xu Wei.
Although Wu Dui, Qi Jiguang, and Li Chenghai all respected Xu Wei, Xu Wei did not work with them for a long time and still mainly traveled around. Perhaps it was because Hu Zongxian had given him too much blow in the past. Big, perhaps because he has seen clearly what is right and wrong in officialdom. No longer interested in career.
In short, at this time, Xu Wei was free and easy, and he no longer had the fetters of the world, and no longer had the feeling of being dependent on others.
When he was 60 years old, he came to Beijing at the invitation of his friend Zhang Yuanbo.
Zhang Yuanhao is the great-grandfather of Zhang Dai, an essayist in the late Ming Dynasty. Zhang Dai mentioned the reason why Xu Wei and his great-grandfather could not get along:
Zhang Yuanhao was a person with a severe personality and abided by ethics, while Xu Wei's character Indulge, and regard feudal ethics as non-existent. Once Zhang Yuan uses feudal ethics to restrain Xu Wei, Xu Wei will say:
"I kill people and deserve to die, but I only get a knife in the neck. You are going to chop me up." "Become minced meat."
Because he couldn't get along with his friends and didn't like to move around in official circles, Xu Wei returned to Shanyin after three years in Beijing.
After returning to Shanyin, Xu Wei made a living by selling calligraphy and paintings. When he needed a silver hour, he splashed ink like a sprinkling, but when he didn't need a silver hour, he cherished the ink like a treasure no matter how much anyone asked for it.
Later generations spoke highly of Xu Wei's calligraphy, poetry, and paintings.
Zhang Dai: "Now that I see the paintings of Ivy, the flowers are strange and detached, and the beauty leaps out from the vitality."
Artist Mu Xin said:
"Total " Genius."
Yuan Hongdao:
"The gentleman calls the Sansheng of Bafa, the knight of Zi Lin."
"Ink Grape Picture" by Xu Wei. ”, in addition to the otherworldly images of grapes and branches and leaves, this picture also contains a poem mentioned above:
“I have become a man after half my life, and my independent study whistles in the evening breeze
Pen There is nowhere to sell the pearl, so I throw it idle among the wild vines."
It not only describes the author's situation, but also expresses the author's mood. The main reason is that the spacing and irregularity of the lines of the poem make it look like grape vines. Hanging in mid-air, it is integrated with the overall painting style, as free as painting, and the painting is like words.
"Picture of Plum Blossoms and Banana Leaves" and the poem "Plum Blossoms Accompanying Plum Blossoms" was inscribed on it. This was painted by Wang Wei.
Plum blossoms in the north, bananas in the south. The intersection of yin and yang creates an extraordinary artistic conception.
At that time, many people wanted to learn calligraphy and painting calligraphy from Xu Wei. Xu Wei’s answer was:
But even if they are just a few inches apart, how can my real face be there..."
Xu Wei's answer was very direct. Good works are all created spontaneously, not by copying.
I think Xu Wei’s best calligraphy and paintings were created when he did not need silver to satisfy his hunger and was in a state of mind. Because the state of mind is unified, the works are outstanding.
If Xu Wei had no worries about food and clothing, I think he would have left more paintings. Unfortunately, he was extremely poor in his later years, and sometimes he had to do some traveling in order to fill his stomach.
Even so, when he was too poor to be able to cook every meal, he still created the Zaju Opera Four Voices Ape.
Tang Xianzu, a dramatist and writer in the Ming Dynasty, said: ""The Four Voices Ape" is a flying star in the world of poetry."
Xu Wei has been taking the examination since he was a scholar in his 20s. Even in his 40s, he was still not “qualified”.
This has a lot to do with the fact that he did not focus entirely on the Four Books and Five Classics, because he extensively dabbled in calligraphy, poetry, painting, art of war, etc.
He was favored or invited by famous governor generals such as Hu Zongxian, Wu Dui, Qi Jiguang, Li Chenghai, Zhang Yuanhe, etc. It was because they all saw Xu Wei's abilities and abilities.
In his old age, Xu Wei sometimes drew and wrote for others for a meal, but many of his works were deceived by some students, disciples or friends, because he was not an immortal after all. , he also needs to eat and drink.
But in general, after the age of 53, Xu Wei regards fame and wealth as nothing, and money as dirt. He only does what he likes, reads his favorite books, writes his favorite calligraphy, and draws his favorite paintings. Painting, creating your favorite dramas...
Not only did he leave so many famous works to future generations, the main thing is that he truly lived out himself in a free and easy way.
I think this is why Xu is praised, respected and admired by so many adults!
Zheng Banqiao called himself: "The lackey of the Qingteng Sect"
Qi Baishi said: "I wish I could have been born 300 years earlier, grinding ink and sorting paper for the gentlemen, but the gentlemen would not accept it, and I would remain in the sect." If you don’t go away when you are hungry, you will soon have an accident. ”
Shi Tao: “Ivy pen and ink is a treasure that has not been available in the world for decades. ”
Finally, I would like to add something superfluous:
In our spare time, it is better for us to read more books and develop more hobbies that we can complete by ourselves to enrich our thoughts and experiences.
Because only the books we have read and the paths we have traveled can accompany us when life is hopeless and dreams are broken, so that we can live our own lives no matter what the situation. Wonderful!