The gorgeous aria of the heart of a generation
------Looking at the old master of the Southern Tang Dynasty, Li Yu
1
Emperor, no matter In every dynasty and generation, due to the absolute centralization of power and truth-telling, there have always been very few people with a sound spiritual personality. Murderers, sadists, nymphomaniacs, paranoiacs and the like abound. No wonder some people will say: "The emperor is definitely not a proud memory in the development of mankind."
Of course, objectively speaking, there are a few individuals who are either outstanding in martial arts, or extremely talented, or both. Added together, they achieved great achievements in the prosperous times, such as the Tang Dynasty and Song Dynasty, the Kangxi and Qianlong Dynasties.
To mention Li Yu, the empress of the Southern Tang Dynasty, he is a very different one.
Although he is extremely incompetent as an emperor, he is definitely a first-class scholar. Although his family was ruined and his country was destroyed, he was imprisoned and killed, but it is not an exaggeration to call him "the first generation of Ci poets".
2
In 944 AD, Li Jing (the father of Li Yu), the leader of the Southern Tang Dynasty, carried out a large-scale construction project in Jinling Palace. A high-rise building was built from the ground, with carved railings and jade inlays. After the tour, the ministers praised it greatly. Only an official named Xiao Yan sighed: "It's good! The only drawback is that there is no well downstairs!" Li Jing asked why, and Xiao Yan replied: "If there is no well, then there is no well." It’s not as good as Empress Chen’s Jingyang Tower!”
Jingyang Tower was built by Empress Chen in the Southern Dynasties. It was a place where he and his ministers and concubines sang and sang “Flowers in the Backyard of Yushu” during the troubled times. In 589 AD, the Sui Dynasty army captured Nanjing. In a panic, Empress Chen, Concubine Zhang, Concubine Kong, and Concubine Haha hid in the well downstairs in Jingyang. They were surrounded by red, green, and concubines.
This was a typical bubbling and harmonious occasion. Xiao Yan suddenly mentioned this matter, which made Mr. Li Jing very unhappy. Long Yan was furious and demoted Xiao Yan with a wave of his hand. He went to Shuzhou to serve as a local official. Demoted officials return to demoted officials, the fact is a fact, it was the middle and late period of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, the same historical background - troubled times, the same capital - Jinling, different kings and the same hobby - music, poetry, song and dance, how similar! So people say that history is always surprisingly similar. What Li Jing never expected was that 31 years later, his son Li Yu really did what Xiao Yan said and lost his family and his country. The difference was that Li Yu did not hide in a well but responded non-violently when the troops came to the city. , No resistance----I surrendered obediently, and my treatment was similar to that of Empress Chen - Empress Li!
3
In 907 AD, the last young emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Ai of the Tang Dynasty, Li Zhu, gave way to Zhu Wen, the Taizu of the Later Liang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty, which had once been so prosperous and prosperous all over the world, completely withdrew from the stage of history, kicking off the bloody battles, cannibalization and annexation of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. The Yellow River Basin changed into the Liang, Tang, Jin, Han, and Wu dynasties in 1953. During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, there was not much space in the history textbooks and was never taken seriously when students were in school, but there was always content in the exams, so everyone was familiar with this history. I'm full of opinions, and the facts do make people have opinions. In the 53-year history of the five dynasties, there have been 14 emperors. That's a mess. Think about how long Kangxi reigned alone. In 1961, it is said that the diligence index of emperors of all dynasties was calculated, and Emperor Kangxi ranked first. Let’s talk about the Southern Tang Dynasty. Due to its relatively weak strength, it was a dilapidated country among the ten countries.
Li Sheng, the founder and leader of the third generation of the Southern Tang Dynasty, changed his name later to become the leader and emperor. It is said that he was born into a poor family and was later adopted as an adopted son by Xu Wen, a powerful minister of the Wu State. He was named Xu Zhigao. Because of his outstanding talents, he was entrusted with important tasks by Xu Wen. He assisted the leader of the Wu State, Yang Bo, and essentially controlled the military and political power of the Wu State. Later, he replaced him, changed his name and surname, and established the Southern Tang Dynasty. This year is 937 AD, which is the year when Li Yu was born.
Li Sheng is not an outstanding person as the leader of the country, but he should be considered very competent. After succeeding to the throne, he "stopped his troops to feed the people, and recruited talented people to recruit scholars." During the few years in power, the small Southern Tang Dynasty, which was under the eyes of powerful enemies and survived in the cracks, made great progress. He had a bachelor's degree in business and commerce and a decent appearance, but he was only in power. It’s been six years.
Li Jing, the core of the second generation of leadership, ascended the throne.
Because she has a strong father, Li Jing has always been blessed and prosperous. She has never suffered any hardships or suffered any sins. She has been interested in music, singing, dancing, and poetry since she was a child, and has received a good and systematic education. For an ordinary person, there is no harm in being fond of these things, and he will be regarded as a gifted scholar, a beautiful woman, and a man of great wealth. But for a powerful emperor or the emperor's successor, it is a bit of a problem to indulge in such things too much. An emperor is an unusual profession. There are many things that need to be learned and understood, and there are many things that need to be decided and dealt with. You cannot indulge in any kind of hobby. Some people say that as an emperor, you can do whatever you want. This view is silly and naive. You can do whatever you want, in any society - it will either not be tolerated or it will cause extremely bad consequences. Comrade Li Sheng saw this very clearly, so when he saw Prince Li Jing repairing musical instruments, he became very angry. Not to mention throwing the musical instrument from the fifth floor, it almost destroyed his status as a prince.
Despite this, Li Jing was still interested in and indulged in it, and he was quite famous for his poetry. Although few of them have been handed down, they are all the best among the best. , you might as well take a look at these sentences: "The blue bird does not convey foreign news, the lilacs are empty and sad in the rain", "The dream of drizzle returns to the chicken plug far away, the small building blows through the cold jade pipe", they are definitely top-notch products among professional works, Later, "History of Ci" said: "The speaker must count three Li, which is called Taibai of the Tang Dynasty, the two masters of the Southern Tang Dynasty and Yi An of the Song Dynasty."
Especially after he became the emperor, he was very popular in poetry. He has gone a long way in creation and made considerable contributions to the prosperity of the art form of Ci. He appointed a minister named Feng Yansi, who often drank wine to discuss the art of poetry. Feng Ke is a famous poet in history. An official named Sun Sheng of the same generation said of Mr. Feng: "With great writing skills, I will never be as good as you in ten lifetimes; with witty songs and wines, I will never be as good as you; in flattery and deceit, you will never be as good as you." ". To speak objectively and harshly, it should be realistic. In this way, Li led and guided a group of literati to create a good cultural atmosphere throughout the Southern Tang Dynasty, and also laid the groundwork for shaping Li Yu into a poet and poet, and for the prosperity of Song Ci.
But what about his job---governing the country? It's not a complete mess but something close to it. If you eat, drink, sing and dance every day, how much better can the country's destiny be? Moreover, without any strategic and tactical thinking or experience in commanding the three armies, he just took advantage of the situation and sent large armies to conquer Wuyue and Fujian several times. It was somewhat similar to the posture of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty in his expedition to Goryeo. It was purely a mistake to subjugate the country and was nonsense.
How weak is the country? Let us give two examples:
The first example: In 952 AD, Sun Lang and Cao Jin rebelled. Wang Yi asked Sun Lang: "Back then, I followed King Wumu of Chu and won many battles with the Huainan army. Now, I plan to use Langzhou's tribe to capture Hunan again. Is it okay?" Sun Lang said: "I have been in Jinling for many years. , a detailed inspection of the political affairs of the Southern Tang Dynasty showed that there were no wise ministers in the court, no good generals in the army, no distinction between loyal and traitorous people, and serious misalignment of rewards and punishments. It was lucky to be able to retain the country, so what time did it have to take care of Hunan's affairs?"
Second example: Li Jianxun, an official of the Southern Tang Dynasty who retired and was idle at home, confessed to future generations before his death: "In such a world, I am very lucky to die well. After I die, do not put earth on my tomb or erect a monument, so as not to become a legend in the future." A sign of illegal excavation." I'm so lucky! The implication is that even the ancestral temples and ancestral tombs of the Southern Tang Dynasty made the dead worry about it.
Sure enough, in 955 AD, the army of the Later Zhou Dynasty invaded the south. Before the war started, the Southern Tang Dynasty hurriedly surrendered the fourteen states in Jiangbei, canceled the imperial title, and declared itself a vassal to the Later Zhou Dynasty.
Li Yu grew up in this environment. On the one hand, he was influenced by poetry, songs and fine culture, and on the other hand, he was coveted by powerful enemies and pressured by mountains, rivers and the country. He naturally developed the emperor's body and poetry heart. It creates a kind of dual personality and ambivalence with a dilemma between head and tail. These appear frequently in his words. Such as:
The spring flowers have faded, too hastily
The cold rain has come in the morning
The late wind
Rouge Tears
p>When will we get drunk again?
It is true that life grows and hates water.
4
The history of the Southern Tang Dynasty was very short: 39 years.
The leader of the first generation of leadership, Li Sheng, reigned for 6 years, and the leader of the second generation, Li Jing, died of illness after 15 years of reign. From then on, Li Yu, the third-generation core leader, succeeded to the throne and interpreted the great glory and loneliness of life with a heart of poetry. His life can be roughly divided into three stages: before the age of 25, he was a prince and prince; from 25 to 39 years old, he was the leader of the Southern Tang Dynasty; from 39 to 42 years old, he was a minister of the Song Dynasty. His life can be summarized in eight characters: a peerless talent, a fateless king!
First of all, measured by the value and moral pedigree of that time and even modern society, Li Yu is a good person! True innocence and heart! Be filial to parents, be friendly to brothers, be harmonious between husband and wife, and be generous to others... As an emperor, it is easy to do the first point, but it is quite difficult to do the last three points. In the past, very few emperors did well in the last three points. Not much. Brother, if you have competitive strength for the throne, even if it is potential strength, you would be considered soft-hearted if you don't kill him! Husband and wife, there are three to five thousand beauties in the harem, there are so many of them since ancient times! As for treating people, in the whole world, it’s the king’s land; it’s the king’s ministers who lead the land’s guests. If you can treat the common people as human beings and die well, then it’s quite bad. There are too many families confiscated and clans exterminated. Give them all Just look at the corpse and thank the Lord for His grace! And Li Yu is definitely a model in this regard. His parents died of illness and were heartbroken; his brother was suppressed by Zhao Guangyin, and he begged with humble words and courteous words. When he failed, he often faced the north and cried, which made people feel pitiful; after his son died at the age of four, Empress Zhou Due to excessive grief, he died of illness a week later. Mr. Li Yu was heartbroken and wrote many elegy that he couldn't bear to read. Later, he made the sister of the Empress Zhou his queen, and their relationship has never been bad. Except for the occasional wrongful killing of a certain person, he always treated his subordinates with kindness, regardless of their good or bad character, and never resorted to traditional tricks such as confiscating their homes or exterminating their families. If he is not an emperor, he must be a man who walks through life with bare feet and a bright head. However, history cannot tolerate assumptions, not even the slightest bit.
Secondly, in terms of talent, Li Yu is a versatile artist! In terms of poetry, his works, whether in terms of institutional changes or emotional expansion, are all integrated with clarity, absoluteness, elegance, and eternity. They are "unkempt and disheveled, not concealing the national beauty", which has great innovative significance in keeping pace with the times. It can be said that when he came to him, the form of words was given a new artistic style and pushed to the pinnacle of art. At present, he has about fifty extant works, and they have always been highly praised. Wang Guowei commented: Wen Tingyun's poems are beautiful in sentences; Wei Zhuang's poems are beautiful in bones; Li Yu's poems are beautiful in spirit. Just like the evaluation of warriors and assassins during the Warring States Period, bravery is the most courageous! Shen Qujin commented: Among men, Li Houzhu and among women, Li Yian, they are both in their true colors... Therefore, the appearance of Yi Guang must not be stained with powder, and why should the jade from Lantian be decorated with red paint. That is to say, Er Li's poetry is a national master Tiancheng! There is no room for two!
In terms of painting, he is also a master of painting. Although no works have been handed down to the world, you can generally know Li Yu's level by looking at the painters in the Southern Tang court at that time. Dong Yuan is a master of landscape painting, Xu Xi is a master of flower and bird painting, Zhou Wenju is good at painting ladies, and Gu Hongzhong is good at painting figures. It is said that the famous "Han Xizai Night Banquet" was painted by them together. It can be imagined from this that Li Yu's painting level is not much worse than that of the later emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty who was good at painting! "
In terms of writing, historical books record that he wrote more than ten works, but none of them have been preserved and handed down. The most famous one is "Miscellaneous Comments", which was modeled after Cao Pi's "Classics" This book discusses his opinions and views on Yue Ji, Xiangguo Yansu, ancient and modern honesty, Confucianism, life and death, etc. This book has not been preserved, and all 11 articles have been lost after the Ming Dynasty. They are official documents such as letters, memorials, and comments. Among them, the most literary one is a letter to Song Taizu expressing his retirement.
In terms of calligraphy, he took a new approach and created a unique style. There is also a classic theory about "The Golden Sword and the Wrong Book". It is said that he is as thin as a bone and his charm is extraordinary. Thinking about it makes fans crazy.
In terms of singing and dancing, he has been re-arranged by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. , the large-scale palace song and dance "Nancy Clothes and Feathered Clothes" during the reign of Concubine Yang Guifei.
After Li Yu, this set of songs and dances, which were regarded as a sign of national subjugation, were completely lost and extinct! Alas! Alas!
It is definitely a blessing for an ordinary person to have such a dazzling artistic talent with such peak attainments. But if it is placed on a generation of emperors, it seems too gorgeous. No wonder future generations The poem goes:
The falling flowers and flowing water are a sigh of relief,
Such talent is rare.
Who sends this man to be the emperor?
The country will be filled with tears and its clothes will be stained with tears.