Chu Suiliang: Tragic Life

Tang Gaozong Chu Suiliang's Notes on Sanzang Shengjiao Chu Suiliang was a great calligrapher in Tang Dynasty and a native of Yuzhou, Henan Province. He comes from a noble family. His father, Chu Liang, was elected to the Literature Museum by Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong, and served as State Advisor. He is one of the famous 18 bachelors. More than 100 years after the death of Chu Suiliang, Tang Dezong wrote a letter and painted his portrait on Lingyan Pavilion, so that he could enjoy the same glory as the founding heroes in the early Tang Dynasty. Such a great man spent his life in despair ... Chu Suiliang was good at calligraphy and was one of the "four great calligraphers in the early Tang Dynasty". He is also an important official of the imperial court. When Li Shimin died, Emperor Taizong entrusted him with an orphan. However, he made extraordinary achievements in art, but experienced ups and downs in politics and finally died in another country. It took 100 years for his loyalty to be recognized. Chu Suiliang's Preface to Tang Sanzang 0 1 rejected Li Shimin's comments on the book. Since Wei and Jin Dynasties, the tradition of "family learning" has been formed. Chu Suiliang was born in an official family and was good at calligraphy since childhood. No one expected that it was with his profound calligraphy that he became an important official of the imperial court. In the twelfth year of Zhenguan (638), Yu Shinan, a great calligrapher who had been regarded as a teacher by Emperor Taizong, passed away, which made him particularly sad: "After Yu Shinan's death, there was no one to talk about calligraphy! Hearing this, Wei Zhi, the minister, said to him, "Chu Suiliang's handwriting is very good, and it is very strong, and it feels a little like Rainbow's learning." Emperor Taizong was overjoyed and immediately appointed Chu Suiliang as a "book assistant". Chu Suiliang is not only first-class in calligraphy, but also knowledgeable. In the seventeenth year of Zhenguan (643), Emperor Taizong asked Chu Suiliang doubtfully, "Shun made lacquerware, and Dayu carved the chopping block and cut the meat. At that time, there were more than ten people who advised Shun and Yu to eat utensils. Why do ministers protest so fiercely? " Chu Suiliang replied: "You can't encourage luxury. If sculpture is given priority to, it will hinder agricultural production; If lacquerware becomes popular, some people will make utensils out of gold and jade in the future. If you waste too much, the country will not be far from danger. Therefore, the courtiers must persuade things to gradually develop, and there is nothing to persuade when they develop to the extreme. " Hearing this, Emperor Taizong nodded. Chu Suiliang always talks about the past and the present in this way, which is convincing. Later, Emperor Taizong said with emotion: "It is also necessary to rely on knowledge to tell the truth well. He is well-informed and respected. " Yin Fu, a great man in Sui Tang's works, is not only knowledgeable, but also honest and frank. He dared to stick to his principles, sometimes even losing face to Emperor Taizong. Every word and deed of ancient emperors were recorded and kept as historical materials. Chu Suiliang was responsible for this for some time. One day, Emperor Taizong asked him, "May I see what you remember?" "He replied," The reason why I was set up to record these things today is to act as an ancient historian. Good and evil must be remembered so that the emperor will not make mistakes. I haven't heard that the emperor wants to see these things himself. " Emperor Taizong asked again, "If I have anything bad, must you write it down?" He replied simply: "I am responsible for writing, and I will definitely record your words and deeds." "In the eighteenth year of Zhenguan (644), Emperor Taizong wanted to personally levy Korea and pacify Liaodong. In view of the historical lessons of the demise of the Sui Dynasty, Chu Suiliang said that he could not go on an expedition to prevent accidents. Emperor Taizong refused to listen, and Chu Suiliang went to the library again, thinking that the emperor's personal expedition was unreasonable: "I have turned over all the history books. Since ancient times, the emperor has never personally fought Liaodong, and there is a precedent for sending ministers to fight. " Therefore, it is enough to "send two brave generals and send 40,000 to 50,000 troops". However, Emperor Taizong went his own way, which led to heavy losses and ended in failure. On his way back to our company, Emperor Taizong deeply regretted Lao Shi's expedition. When he came back, he promoted Chu Suiliang to assistant minister of Huangmen and participated in the political affairs. Later, he was appointed as the secretariat, and Chu Suiliang became an important official in the political arena of the Tang Dynasty. Chu Suiliang's cursive script Wang Xizhi's "Changfeng Post" 02 Wu Zetian left a testament for him in the twenty-third year of Zhenguan (649). The seriously ill Emperor Taizong called Sun Chang Wuji and Chu Suiliang to the bedroom and said to them, "When Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty left Huo Guang alone, Liu Bei left Zhuge Liang alone. I entrust my future to you. Prince Li Zhi said, "I am relieved that Sun Chang Wuji and Chu Suiliang are here." Chu Suiliang became the trustee of orphans because he was the most powerful defender of Li Zhi. Former Prince Li Chenggan was deposed for his crime. Many courtiers thought that Nine Princes and Li Zhi, the king of Jin Dynasty, were the best candidates for the crown prince, but Emperor Taizong preferred Wang Wei and Lee Tae, the fourth prince. One day, he said to the minister, "Yesterday, the bluebird (Lee Tae's nickname) jumped into my arms and said,' I just became your closest son today, and this is the day of my rebirth. I only have one son. A hundred years later, I killed him for your majesty and passed the throne to the king of Jin. "Father-son ethics should be natural. When I see him like this, I feel sorry for him. Everyone looked at each other and said nothing, but Chu Suiliang came forward and said, "You are also a king. How could a king in power kill his son and pass it on to his brother? Emperor Taizong came to their senses and became Prince Li Zhi of Hitachi. Appreciating Tan Futie in Chu Suiliang's Calligraphy Works. After Li Zhi acceded to the throne, he was very grateful to Chu Suiliang, and made him the Duke of Henan. He was promoted to the Duke of Henan the following year. In the fourth year of Yonghui (653), Chu Suiliang was worshipped as the right servant of Shangshu (equivalent to the prime minister) and was in charge of state affairs. But Li Zhi never dreamed that Chu Suiliang had become his biggest stumbling block because of the establishment of a queen. In the sixth year of Yonghui (655), Li Zhi wanted to depose the Queen Wang and made Wu Zetian the queen. One day, he called four senior officials from Sun Chang Wuji, Chu Suiliang, Li Ji and Yu Zhining to the inner hall for a meeting. These people got the news and discussed how to remonstrate, but no one wanted to shoot the first shot. Chu Suiliang volunteered and said, "I'll come. "I was assisted by the last emperor's testament. If I am not completely loyal, I will have no face to see the last emperor. " As soon as Li Zhi opened his mouth, he fully explained the reasons for the abolition: "The sin is greater than the loss of the heir. The queen hasn't given birth for a long time, and Wu already has a prince. What do you think? " Before anyone could speak, Chu Suiliang stood up first and said, "The queen is a noble family, and the late emperor married your majesty. On the occasion of my late emperor's death, I took the minister's hand and said, I now entrust my daughter and wife to you. Your Majesty was there, so you must have heard clearly. I haven't heard of any mistakes made by the Queen, so how can I repeal the legislation lightly! I will never go against my late emperor's will to flatter your majesty. "Chu Suiliang's regular script" Epitaph of Sima Qian's concubine's entertainment "was left to Li Zhi for interpretation, but Chu Suiliang just disagreed, and the meeting broke up that day. The next day, Li Zhi called another meeting. Chu Suiliang said bluntly, "Your Majesty can change the queen, but please choose someone else. Everyone knows that Wu served the late emperor. How can you hide it? How would everyone feel if she became the queen? " This sentence struck a nerve with Li Zhi, who was too ashamed to speak. Chu Suiliang became more and more excited: "I deserve to die for violating the dignity of the holy family. He just wants to live up to his great kindness, my late emperor. He doesn't care about his own life. "Then he took off his hat, put the hand board he held in court on the steps, and said," Give me my hand board back, and I will retire and go back to my hometown! " Li Zhi was furious and ordered the guards to let him out directly. In the end, despite the opposition of Chu Suiliang and others, Li Zhi made Wu Zetian the queen. Chu Suiliang was demoted as the governor of Tanzhou (now Changsha, Hunan) for violating the imperial edict. In the second year of Xianqing (657), he was demoted to Guizhou (now Guilin, Guangxi) as the viceroy. Wu Zetian was still unconvinced, and was soon demoted to the secretariat of Aizhou (where he is now in Vietnam). In 659, in the fourth year of Xianqing, Chu Suiliang died in exile in despair. In the first year of Shenlong (705), the life of Wu Zetian came to an end with Chu Suiliang's handwritten scroll Preface to Chu Mo Lan Ting. Before she died, she wrote a testament, which was particularly striking: "Wang, Xiao, Chu Suiliang, Han Yuan and other relatives were tired at that time and ordered them to return to work. "This is equivalent to * * to chu suiliang and others. When she became emperor, Wu Zetian read all the ministers. Although she hates Chu Suiliang's pedantry, she has to admire his integrity and loyalty. Of course, Liu Yue's death caused right and wrong. During his political career, Chu Suiliang also suffered many criticisms, the most controversial of which was Liu Yue's death. This incident is recorded in Liu Yuechuan: In the eighteenth year of Zhenguan (644), Emperor Taizong personally levied Liaodong, ordered Prince Li Zhi to supervise the country, and at the same time ordered Liu Yue, Gao Shilian and Ma Zhou to assist the prince. In the second year, because of the failure to levy Liao, Emperor Taizong was anxious and got a poisonous sore. When I returned to Dingzhou, my condition was once very serious and my life was dying. Liu Yue and Ma Zhou rushed to visit. When he came out, Chu Suiliang asked about the situation. Liu Yue shed tears sadly and said, "It is very worrying that the Eucharist has carbuncle. However, Chu Suiliang later said to Emperor Taizong, "It is not enough to worry about the country." Liu's adult feels that he doesn't have to worry about the country now. When the sick Emperor Taizong heard this, his mood could be imagined. After Chu Suiliang's running script "Family Nephew Post" recovered, Emperor Taizong summoned Liu Yue to ask about it. Liu Yue told the truth and said that Ma Zhou was also present and could testify for himself. When Emperor Taizong asked Ma Su, Ma Su said the same thing as Liu Yue. But Chu Suiliang insisted that what he heard was true. Finally, Emperor Taizong decided to believe him and committed suicide for Liu Yue. The biggest controversy in this matter is whether Chu Suiliang framed Liu Yue, and if so, what is his motive? Sima Guang said in As a Mirror that he did not believe that Chu Suiliang would frame Liu Yue for three reasons: first, Chu Suiliang was a loyal minister and would not do such a despicable thing; Second: Chu Suiliang and Liu have no resentment or enmity, and have no motive to do such a thing; Third: Historical Records was written by Xu, but Xu made bad friends with Chu Suiliang, probably because he blamed Chu Suiliang for his death. Sun Fu, a scholar in the Northern Song Dynasty, and Su Shi, a great writer, basically hold the same view. Chu Suiliang's calligraphy "Epitaph of Sima Qian's concubine's entertainment" (biography) However, based on the argument of personal character, Sima Guang categorically denied that Chu Suiliang was suspected of false accusation, which seemed unconvincing. Although Chu Suiliang and Liu Yue have no personal enmity, their political views are not consistent. After the former Prince Li Cheng * * *, Emperor Taizong hesitated to establish a reserve army, thus forming two major political forces supporting Wang Tai and Li Zhi. Chu Suiliang is a supporter of Li Zhi, and Liu Yue belongs to the Lee Tae faction, so we can't rule out Chu Suiliang's motivation to get rid of his political opponents. Of course, with the wisdom of Emperor Taizong, it is impossible to kill such an important official as Liu Yue with a word from Chu Suiliang. After Li Zhi was made a prince, Emperor Taizong had to consider whether Li Zhi could control Liu Yue. Killing Liu Yue may just clear the way for the prince, so what Chu Suiliang said was just an excuse made by Emperor Taizong. The only certainty is that in this case, there is absolutely no pursuit of self-interest. Otherwise, on the issue of Wu Zetian, if Chu Suiliang had a little brains and a little knowledge of have it both ways, he would have kept his official position and wealth, and would not have ended up in a foreign land. Chu Suiliang's calligraphy work "Preface to the Wild Goose Pagoda" 04 "Great Educator" of calligraphy in the Tang Dynasty In the early Tang Dynasty, most of the inscriptions on many important commemorative activities were written by Chu Suiliang. For example, the Monument to the Memorial of the Grandson in Yique Buddhist Cave, the Monument to the Memorial of the Famous Names and the Most Famous Preface of the Wild Goose Pagoda, etc., wrote articles for Emperor Taizong and Emperor Li Zhi respectively, showing the status of Chu Suiliang's calligraphy. On the one hand, Chu Suiliang's superb calligraphy level lies in his personal talent, on the other hand, he benefits from the guidance of calligraphers such as Shi Ling, Ou Yangxun and Yu Shinan. In addition, Tang Taizong's enthusiasm for Wang Xizhi's calligraphy also benefited him a lot. Emperor Taizong is a die-hard fan of Wang. He once offered a large reward for buying Wang Xizhi's calligraphy posts, and people rushed to submit them, regardless of good or bad. Fortunately, Chu Suiliang has a good knowledge of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy, and he can casually tell the origin and provenance of calligraphy. The argument is sufficient, and the authenticity of calligraphy is unambiguous. As a result, no one dared to send a fake to take credit. In the first month of six years (632), when Chu Suiliang, a famous calligrapher in the Tang Dynasty, wrote thousands of words in small letters, Emperor Taizong ordered the collation of the original works of Zhong You and Wang Xizhi in the Imperial Palace, with a total volume of 15 10. Chu Suiliang was naturally the main participant in this sorting activity, so he also sorted out the Bibliography of the Right Army and hid it in the Imperial Palace. Seeing so many original works by Wang Xizhi has opened Chu Suiliang's eyes and greatly influenced the formation of his book style. Su Shi summed up Chu Suiliang's calligraphy in four words: Qingyuan Xiaosan. His calligraphy evolved from pursuing a kind of structural beauty to pursuing artistic conception beauty. Yu Shinan's calligraphy pays attention to "the gentleman has it", but Chu Suiliang's writing process is different. The book review post written by the Qing Dynasty said: "Chu Shu's pen is empty and clever." Thin, hard and clear, it is a masterpiece. "He is willing to show this trace, falling together, mentioning and pressing, and creating a lively rhythm. Therefore, some people say that Ou Yangxun is a "master of structure" and Chu Suiliang is a "master of lines". His lines are full of life, reflecting the beauty of flying. Calligraphers in the Tang Dynasty lamented: "If Yaotai is green and trivial, it will reflect the spring forest and be beautiful. It seems that Luo Qi is not allowed, and the protagonist is graceful and I am grateful. " In his view, since Chu Suiliang, calligraphy has moved from "aesthetic function" to "heroism", and the art of calligraphy has also moved from classicism to romanticism. Interestingly, this aestheticism tendency influenced Chu Suiliang's choice of paper and ink. It is not surprising that calligraphers pay attention to the use of ink on paper and pens. But looking at calligraphers in ancient and modern times, Chu Suiliang's pursuit of paper and ink is very harsh. Pei Xingjian, a Tang Dynasty man, once said, "Chu Suiliang is not good at writing and has never learned anything. "Without a good pen and paper, he would rather not write. Chu Suiliang is very strict with his calligraphy. He had a conversation with Yu Shinan. He asked, "Is my calligraphy comparable to that of Zen Master Zhiyong?" Yu Shinan said, "I heard that his sentence is worth fifty-two thousand gold. Can you do it? Chu Suiliang asked, "How does this compare with Ou Yangxun?" ? "Yu Shina said," Ou Yangxun doesn't choose pen and paper to write, and he can write well with any pen and paper. Can you do it? " Chu Suiliang was a little discouraged and said, "What about my calligraphy?" Yu Shinan said: "If you write fluently, you can write well." Chu Suiliang left happily. In the Tang Dynasty and even the whole history of China calligraphy, Chu Suiliang played a connecting role. He not only inherited the characteristics of calligraphers Ou Yangxun and Yu Shinan in the Tang Dynasty, but also absorbed the essence of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Mi Fei in the Northern Song Dynasty was critical of the calligraphers in the Tang Dynasty, but he was full of praise for Chu Suiliang, saying that he was "like a swift horse" and acted according to people, but he had a different kind of pride. Mi Youren, the son of Mi Fei, put it better: "Chu Shu is the most outstanding among the philosophers of Tang Xian and knows Xi best." . The mantra has its own way and can be compared with others. Yan Zhenqing and Xue Ji, calligraphers in the Tang Dynasty, both studied with Chu Suiliang, Huang Tingjian, Mi Fei and Evonne in the Song Dynasty, and also learned rich nutrition from his calligraphy. Liu Xizai, a scholar of the Qing Dynasty, said in the Outline of Books: "Chu Henan's books are the main educators in the Tang Dynasty, Yan Pingyuan has his strength, and Xu Jihai and others have their flesh." The word "educators" is enough to describe Chu Suiliang's unique position in the calligraphy circle of the Tang Dynasty. In the fifth year of Zhenyuan (789), more than one hundred years after Chu Suiliang's death, Tang Dezong wrote to paint his portrait on Lingyange, so that he could enjoy the same glory as the founding hero of the early Tang Dynasty.