The historical allusion of "Three Tunes of Plum Blossoms" is that the Eastern Jin Dynasty general Huan Yi played "Three Tunes of Plum Blossoms" for the madman Wang Huizhi. This allusion has been recorded in "Book of Jin·Biography Fifty-One" and "Shishuo Xinyu·Ren Dan No.23".
Wang Huizhi was summoned to Jiankang, the capital of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and the boat he took was anchored at Qingxi Wharf. Huan Yi happened to be passing by on the shore, but Wang Huizhi didn't recognize him. At this time, a guest on the boat said, "This is King Huan Ye (Huan Yi's word is Ye Wang)." Wang Huizhi then ordered someone to say to Huan Yi, "I heard that you are good at playing the flute. Please try playing for me." At this time, Huan Yi He was already a high-ranking official, but he had also heard of Wang Huizhi's name for a long time, so he got off the boat and boarded the ship. Huan Yi sat on the Hu bed and played the plum blossom tune three times on the flute, which was superb. After playing, Huan Yi immediately got in the car and left. The host and guest did not exchange a word. The people of Jin are open-minded, informal and upright, which can be seen from this incident.
According to the introduction of "Book of Jin", Huan Yi was a military general who was named General of the Right Army and was in charge of all military affairs in Yuzhou. Perhaps it was music that cultivated his character. Huan Yi was modest and simple, with an unassuming personality. He had made great achievements but never faced taboos. It is precisely because of this personality that he can calmly study music carefully. "Book of Jin" praised his outstanding talent in this area, "He is good at music, and he is the best in Jiangzuo. He has a flute in Yongke Pavilion and often plays it by himself."
Taiyuan of the Eastern Jin Dynasty Eight years later (AD 383), Qin Fu Jian led an army to attack the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Huan Yi, then the Zhonglang General, together with the champion general Xie Xuan and the auxiliary general Xie Yan, defeated Fu Jian at Feishui (the famous "Fei River" in history). Water War"). The Prime Minister Xie An was also promoted to Taibao because of his contribution to the preservation of the Jin Dynasty. Later, Sima Daozi, the brother of Emperor Xiaowu of Jin Dynasty, had a power struggle with Xie An. He repeatedly made slanderous remarks and slandered Xie An. Emperor Xiaowu of Jin Dynasty became suspicious of Xie An and gradually began to ignore Xie An. Huan Yi was very unhappy about this. At a banquet, Huan Yi played a tragic song "Poem of Resentment" for Emperor Xiaowu of Jin Dynasty. The poem sang: "It is not easy to be a king, but it is difficult to be a good minister. If loyalty is not shown, there will be doubts. Zhou Danzuo In terms of civil and military affairs, "Jin Rui" was not published. He promoted the emperor's political affairs, but his second uncle opposed the rumors. "His voice is generous and his admiration is considerable." This made Emperor Xiaowu of Jin feel very ashamed, and Xie An was also moved by it.
Wang Huizhi, another protagonist in the "Three Plum Blossom Lanes" allusion, is the son of the great calligrapher Wang Xizhi and once served as the Huangmen Minister. Wang Hui's behavior was weird, he pretended to be detached, he was talented but uninhibited, and he was an official but did not care about things.
Wang Huizhi once served as a cavalryman under Chariot General Huan Chong and joined the army. Once Huan Chong asked him: "Which government office do you work in?" He replied: "I don't know what government office it is, but I often see horses brought in, it seems to be horse cao." Huan Chong asked again: "How many horses are there in the government office? He replied: "If you don't ask about the horses, how can you know the number of horses?" Huan Chong asked again: "How many horses have died recently?" He replied: "If you don't know life, how can you know death?"
Wang Huizhi's answers were humorous, but they all had their origins. In the Western Han Dynasty, there was a Ma Cao in the prime minister's palace, but in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, there was no such position in the army. Wang Huizhi deliberately called him Ma Cao to show that he was aloof and unconcerned with secular affairs. Later, in the Song Dynasty, Lu You once wrote a poem, "A doctor of literary studies writes donkey coupons, and he joins the army and judges Ma Cao", which refers to this allusion of Wang Huizhi. The "don't ask about the horse" in the above dialogue comes from "The Analects of Confucius Xiangdang". It originally said that Confucius' stable was on fire, and Confucius "didn't ask about the horse", but only asked if anyone was hurt. "If you don't know life, how can you know death?" This sentence comes from "The Analects of Confucius·Advanced", the original text is "Ji Lu asked about ghosts and gods, Confucius said: 'If you can't serve people, how can you serve ghosts.' Dare to ask about death. He said:' If you don't know life, how can you know death? '" Wang Huizhi's answer was not exactly what he asked, but it was hilarious, but every sentence had its origin. His wonderful adaptability and profound knowledge are admirable.
Huan Yi was gentle and elegant, while Wang Huizhi was arrogant and knowledgeable. Although the two did not exchange a word, it was a rare opportunity. It was the unexpected encounter between Huan Yi and Wang Huizhi that led to the creation of the eternal masterpiece "Three Lanes of Plum Blossoms".