The literary giants of the late Ming Dynasty began by copying books

Chapter 130 Expressing one’s spirit alone
The opera everyone is discussing today is the script "Handan Ji" specially sent by Tang Xianzu two days ago.

After Tang Xianzu resigned and returned to his hometown, he concentrated on writing in Linchuan. Now he has created three operas: "The Peony Pavilion", "Nanke Ji" and "Handan Ji". The next one "The Purple Hairpin" will complete his immortality in the history of opera. The famous collection "Four Dreams of Linchuan".

"Handan Ji" tells the story of a scholar surnamed Lu in Handan who wanted to get ahead. He got a porcelain pillow from Lu Dongbin and fell asleep on it. He first married a lady from your noble family, then won the first prize in the exam, conquered Tibet, and went through many hardships. Banshi returned to the court and took sole control of power. He was a highly respected minister and served as prime minister for more than 20 years. He lived to be eighty years old, had a mansion and beautiful concubines, and had many children. Finally, he died in wealth.

When Lu Sheng opened his eyes, he realized that everything was just a dream on the porcelain pillow, and the rice he cooked when he fell asleep was not yet cooked.

This work is adapted from the story of Huang Liang Yimeng in the Tang Dynasty legend. Tang Xianzu's adaptation is emotional and reasonable, bringing people into the situation of the work at once.

Scholars of this era saw rapid social changes in their eyes, and their thoughts were also experiencing great conflicts.

A large number of businessmen who were originally thought to have low-level jobs have emerged. They are proud of their talents but often have no chance to become officials. Society is changing rapidly, and scholars can't help but feel at a loss.

Works such as "Handan Ji" discuss precisely such changes, which inevitably left huge ripples in the hearts of the literati in Wushan Society.

For example, Xi Langxian sitting in the middle is a depressed scholar.

He had a reputation for talent when he was young. Teachers from private schools to county schools praised Xi Langxian for being a good scholar, and his family also thought that he could cultivate a noble son from a poor family.

Xi Langxian gritted his teeth and studied, and his whole family tried their best to support him.

However, Xi Langxian was born in Huangpi, Hubei, where the imperial examination was not easy, and grew up during the Wanli period when the commodity economy developed rapidly and the civil society changed rapidly.

When Xi Langxian was young, the elders of the previous generation thought based on their own experiences that as long as Xi Langxian studied hard, he would definitely be able to achieve something in the future. However, when Xi Langxian grew up, the scientific examination he faced was far more difficult than the previous generation.

Xi Langxian only passed the exam to become a scholar, but he failed repeatedly when he tried to take the imperial examination. His family was unable to support him to continue his full-time studies. In the end, Xi Langxian could only come to Suzhou to make a living as a vassal of high-ranking officials.

After these few days of interaction, Wang Wenlong already knew that Xi Langxian was the author of "Stone Nodding", and his pen name was "Naturally Chisou".

The version of "Stone Nod" that has been circulated in later generations is a collection of short stories, which describes many sinister things in the dark officialdom and the land of fish and meat.

It is obvious that Celestial Immortal has a lot of complaints about society, but at the end of each article he turns to preaching very conservative ethics such as loyalty, filial piety and righteousness.

The whole work is like a very divided person, who is obviously on the edge of society, but forcibly tries to pull himself back into the orbit of society.

This is inevitable under the great era - the times are changing too fast. When Xi Langxian and others are in it, they feel that yesterday's right suddenly becomes today's wrong, and today's wrong will become tomorrow's right. Unknowingly, Being abandoned by the times makes me feel at a loss and very difficult.

He obviously studied hard since he was a child and wanted to put his knowledge to practical use and help the world. However, when he grew up, he found that he could only become a poor man who did not work hard and did not care about food. He earned his food and clothing by chanting the wind and the moon.

They live their lives in a way that they most despise, and this is where the pain of people like Xi Langxian comes from.

Under such circumstances, the outlook on life in "Handan Ji" in which everything is a dream and nothingness became a way of escape for the literati at this time.

Xi Langxian was half drunk. When his ears were full of wine, he picked up the script of "Handan Ji" and sang with Ye Zhouze:
Xi Langxian pretended to be Lu Sheng and read: "I am the prime minister. I have a golden house and a famous garden. I have countless singers and dancing girls. My relatives are all princes. My descendants are nothing but kindness. I have been an official for more than fifty years. I live to be over 80 years old!" "

Ye Zhou pretended to be Lu Dongbin and replied: "You said that a real man should make meritorious deeds and establish a reputation. He should be a general and a prime minister. He can arrange the cauldron and eat. He can choose the sound and listen to it. Make the clan prosperous and the family rich, and then he can be proud of himself. How can it be like what happened to you? Otherwise? Now I think about it, where is the pride?"

Xi Langxian made a thinking gesture and suddenly realized: "That's right. The yellow rice is so delicious!"

Ye Zhouze said: "You just set up the tripod and eat. How rare is this yellow rice rice..."

……

Xu Shupi's family class played the wooden board and played music to the tune of "Clusters of Royal Forests".

Although Xi Langxian brought wine, his rhythm was not messy at all when he spoke:

"It's hard to tell the story of romantic affairs, life and death, love in the sky. People who are immersed in noon dreams are bumping into each other? Just waiting for the flower shade to pass through the window and the sound of chickens to cross the wall. What is the right time to put on the lights and provide food? That's all! Fame and fame are other things. I don’t even bother to take care of him, I just worship him as a master! Like yellow beams and floating grains of rice, they are all given to a boiling pot of soup!”

"Oh no, it's all boiling soup!"

This section is sung long and precise, and Xi Langxian's voice is extremely melodious. When he sings, the people around him seem to be immersed in the scene, looking at a cultivator who has seen the hardships of the world and has no love in the world anymore.

Every time he sang, the sadness and etherealness in his voice made Wang Wenlong feel as if a chill was coming from his spine.Those who think opera is long and boring have never heard a live performance of a real opera singer. The touching and appealing appeal is so strong that just this piece of music performed in front of you can directly shake people's souls.

"Okay!"

After Xi Langxian's singing ended, everyone praised him.

Xi Langxian closed his eyes for a long time, and then sat down straight. He put all his effort into the performance just now, and his brain and body were running rapidly. Sitting down at this moment seemed to be a body with his soul entrusted, big and small Sweat beads rolled down directly from his forehead, instantly soaking his neck and back.

Then he roared loudly, his eyes clear, and he actually woke up from the wine.

Everyone praised Xi Langxian's performance.

Everyone sighed and commented on "Handan Ji", and then Yuan Hongdao stood up and said: "This time we will find two pearls in the literary world, one is "Handan Ji" by Yumingtang, and the other is Wang Jianyang's "Congratulations to the Bridegroom". ". One is born and the other enters the world. It is really a reflection of the two, which is rare in the world!"

Wang Wenlong could only smile bitterly. The charm of "Congratulations to the Bridegroom·Reading History" is too great. Although it has not been completed yet, it has already been regarded as the same level as Tang Xianzu's works.

In the past few days, everyone has discussed this work in detail. Commenting on poetry is not just an appreciation of the work during the exam, but is supported by a complex set of theories. The level of critics who can become famous is not random.

The discussion about "Congratulations to the Bridegroom" in the past few days actually allowed them to interpret some of the charm of the original work.

Yuan Hongdao first commented: "What I love most about this word is that it has an unexplainable flavor. It has a bold style, a powerful atmosphere, solemn but not formal, humorous but not joking. It seems narrow to say that it is heroic, and it seems tough to say that it is talented. I just found it joyful to read it.”

Yuan Wuya said: "I admire the sentence 'It's rare in this world that one opens his mouth to smile', which is adapted from Du Mu's "Climbing a Mountain in Nine Days": 'It's rare in this world that one opens one's mouth to smile'. The original sentence is about sadness, but in this word it is It is truly a stroke of genius to turn it into an extremely free and easy sentence.”

Feng Menglong nodded: "'Man and ape say goodbye, only a few stones have been rubbed, it's the time of childhood.' These four words, 'the time of childhood', are words that no one else can say. I have never seen such a humorous comment before. He said humorously Come, but no one dares to despise him.”

Wang Wenlong knew that the temperament of this poem had a very appropriate description of "the spirit of revolutionary optimism," but it would take hundreds of years for this term to appear.

Xu Shupi nodded: "The writing of this poem is often unexpected. It is agile but also reveals a solemn and steady style. It is really a style of writing that I have never seen before. It is like a flying stone, exactly what I, Wushan Society, want. The realm of pursuit!”

What Wushan Society pursues is to reform the literary style, but all literary styles are not born out of the ordinary. They must be inherited from previous literature, and we cannot avoid it even if we try to avoid it.

However, due to the author's personality, this poem copied by Wang Wenlong has a magnanimous image that is rare in the world of poetry for thousands of years. However, it perfectly implements Wushan Society's unconventional literary pursuit.

Literary figures at this time were divided into seniority factions. Wang Wenlong didn't even finish the term, but he was directly promoted to such a status. In the future, he will probably be regarded as a representative figure of the Xingling faction in literary history.

Everyone kept chatting at the cultural meeting until evening before returning to the garden for dinner.

As soon as Wang Wenlong stood up, Xi Langxian came over and asked in a low voice: "Jianyang, I heard that you want to open a residence newspaper in Fuzhou. What kind of thing is it?"

Xi Langxian was a famous man at that time. Wang Wenlong saw that he was interested in going to Fujian and quickly took the opportunity to say: "That is the property of Fujian Chief Minister Si Yamentang. It employs dozens of people and is planning to do it in a big way. Langxian is a great talent." , if you are willing to join the newspaper industry, why not follow me to Fujian to be an editor, you will definitely have a bright future!"

Xi Langxian was a little moved. He worked as a housekeeper in Suzhou, and his income was always unstable. He also always felt that he was a follower of people, and felt very ashamed.

If he could go to Fuzhou and earn a stable salary based on his own ability, at least it would be much easier for him to accept.

But he was still hesitant. He was in Suzhou not only to make a living, but also to make friends with dignitaries, hoping to have a chance to be recommended and stand out.

And once he went to Fuzhou to work as an editor, it meant that he would be further and further away from his career, and he might just be a book editor for the rest of his life.

Xi Langxian did not agree immediately, but just said: "Thank you Jianyang, I will think about it when I go back."

Wang Wenlong was not willing to let go of such a good writer: "When I went to Fuzhou, I was also working in the Chief Envoy's Yamen. There would still be many opportunities to go in and out of the official office. What's more, such a formal newspaper is something that has never been seen before in the world. If it succeeds, , we will be the first to create a trend in the world, and we may be able to leave a name in history in the future.”

"My dear brother, following me south will be better than wasting years in Sanwu!"

Wang Wenlong's two sentences just hit Xi Langxian's psychology. He was heartbroken and immediately nodded and said: "If this is the case, I will follow my brother south."

Wang Wenlong was very happy and added another general to his "Xun Bao".

(End of this chapter)