At that time, Wang Xizhi was in high spirits and improvised on cocoon paper with a eight-character pen. He was calm and fluent, and wrote 28 lines and 324 words of Preface to Lanting Collection, which was praised as "the best running script in the world" by later generations. At that time, it was world-famous and sought after. Emperor Taizong loved calligraphy and was an accomplished calligrapher, collector and calligraphy theorist in the Tang Dynasty. He devoted his life to collecting Wang Xizhi's original works, and it is said that he has obtained more than 2,200 pieces. "Tang Yao Hui's Calligraphy" records: "On the eighth day of the first month of the sixth year of Zhenguan, he was ordered to rectify the original works of Zhong and Wang, and got 1,510 volumes." He also said, "Try to buy Wang Xizhi's calligraphy with gold and silk. The world is vying for ancient books, and I want to give it." After enjoying Preface to Lanting Collection, he enjoyed it very much. When he wrote for the Book of Jin and the Biography of Wang Xizhi, he admitted that he was "keen on pursuing Wang Xizhi's calligraphy works". He also talked about his experience in copying Wang's books in the Theory of Pen Meaning: "Those who study books will be wonderful and proud of the prophet: the real book" On Music and Righteousness ",the running script" Lanting "and the cursive script" Seventeen Posts ",so don't have a dead point painting, and the brushwork is also good." Therefore, it is completely reasonable for Emperor Taizong to be buried with the Preface to Lanting Collection after his death.
Zhaoling was once stolen in history, and Wen Tao, a warlord of the Five Dynasties, recorded that "the palace system is magnificent and beautiful from the bottom of the road". As you can imagine, the inner sleeping halls of this "palace under the mountain" are layered and magnificent.
However, Zhaoling has not been officially excavated, and it is difficult to fully grasp the situation of its cemetery palace now. The historical records of Zhaoling are only the old and new histories of Tao Wen Chuan in the Five Dynasties and Yao Hui Lingyi in the Tang Dynasty. According to these historical records, Zhaoling carved a stone from the mountain into the Yuan Palace (tomb), about 75 feet from the tomb to the tomb mountain, with five stone gates in front and back. The mausoleum is magnificent, just like Chang 'an Jiugong. There are many stone seals in the east and west chambers of the tomb, which contain iron boxes and precious funerary objects. It is said that Wang Xizhi's Preface to Lanting Collection and many famous ancient calligraphers in Han Dynasty such as Mo Bao in Zhong You are among them. Lu You, a great poet in the Southern Song Dynasty, once wrote a poem lamenting: "Cocoon paper hides Zhaoling, which will not be seen again for a thousand years", which also confirms the statement that the preface to Lanting Collection buries Zhaoling.
Recently, there was a saying that when Zhaoling was stolen, the Lanting Preface had disappeared. Therefore, The Preface to the Lanting Pavilion may not be buried in Zhaoling according to the wishes of Emperor Taizong, but was left by his son, Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi, and finally buried in Ganling where he and Wu Zetian were buried together. Because Ganling is recognized as a tomb of the Tang Emperor that has not been stolen so far, the whereabouts of Preface to Lanting Collection are even more confusing.
Li Shimin's achievements and fame are first-class among emperors. The worship and pursuit of Wang Xizhi and Preface to Lanting Collection made his calligraphy level far higher than that of other emperors. His representative works Wen Quanming and Jin Zi Ming have been handed down to this day and are recognized as excellent calligraphy art treasures. How much of his calligraphy skill was influenced by Wang Xizhi? How much is the difference between the original preface to Lanting Collection and the handed down Dragon Book, Dingwu Book and Chu Suiliang Copy? With the firmness and profundity of Zhaoling, can grave robbers take the Preface to Lanting Collection away? Why has the original preface to Lanting Collection never appeared in front of the world? Today, among Wang Xizhi's numerous copying works, can we finally see this supreme original calligraphy that has been pursued by people for more than 1,600 years? The world is still waiting to see.