History can't bear to look at the complete collection

Chapter 102
Gong Zizhen and the widow gossip

In Beijing during the Daoguang period, a scandal spread all over the streets and alleys. The protagonist of the scandal was Gong Zizhen, a famous poet in the Qing Dynasty who wrote "Luohong is not a ruthless thing, it turns into spring mud to protect flowers."Gong Zizhen is a decent and upright person, but he was involved in a scandal and had a scandal with a widow.This matter also needs to start with the heroine of this scandal case, that is, Gu Taiqing, a poetess in the Qing Dynasty.

Gu Taiqing, from the Xilin family in Manchuria, lived with relatives in Suzhou.She has been smart and eager to learn since she was a child, and she writes a good article, and her poetry is even better.When Gu Taiqing was in his youth, he happened to meet Baylor Wang Yihui who traveled south to Suzhou, fell in love with her at first sight, and accepted her as a side Fujin.Marrying into a wealthy family was the life that all women yearned for at that time.Gu Taiqing was also considered lucky, but it was a pity that the happy days were only a few days away. Nine years after their marriage, Baylor fell seriously ill and passed away in less than a month, leaving Gu Taiqing and his two children alone in the world.

Gu Taiqing, who became a widow, only wanted to live a peaceful life, but she didn't want to cause trouble, but the trouble came to her.After Baylor's death, she has been living in the house that Baylor had before he was alive, in the palace on the shore of Taiping Lake in the west of the capital, living in seclusion, writing poetry and essays for a living.

But there is a romantic literati in Hangzhou, Chen Wenshu. He edited a collection of poems called "Lan Yin Collection" and collected some ladylike poems. Gu Taiqing, the leader of the lady's literary world, asked for a poem, but Gu Taiqing really didn't want to participate in these trivial matters, so she refused.Chen Wenshu has been brooding over this incident.

Later, after "Lan Yin Collection" was released, Gu Taiqing actually had a signed poem in it. Gu Taiqing thought it was absurd, so he wrote a poem satirizing Chen Wenshu, which made Chen Wenshu even more bitter.But Gu Taiqing soon forgot about this trivial matter, she has always had poetic associations with literati in the capital, and Gong Zizhen is one of them.One autumn, Gong Zizhen wrote a poem:

The empty mountain is leaning on the tired body, dreaming of the spring in Langyuan in the west of the city;
Yiqi Chuanzhu Zhu Di night, wind hand and onyx man.
There is also a note at the end of the poem: "Recalling the lilac flowers in Taiping Lake in Xuanwu Gate". There is a lilac tree not far from Taiping Lake in Baylor Mansion. After Chen Wenshu saw this poem, he believed that Gong Zizhen and Gu Taiqing had an affair , so he spread the scandal between the two, Gu Taiqing couldn't argue, and Gong Zizhen also left the capital to avoid suspicion.This scandal is also known as the "lilac flower case".

Because of this scandal, Gu Taiqing was expelled from his residence by Zai Jun, the son of Mrs. Miaohua, Yihui's wife. In desperation, he took his two children and rented a few dilapidated houses in Xicheng to make ends meet.She once wrote a poem expressing the difficult times:
There are several rafters in the alleys, what is the difference between empty valleys;
Woo woo children cry, mournful heart Jing Jing.
I want to die in the spring, but I dare not take it lightly;
How can a lowly concubine feel sorry for the emperor and teach her children.
This poem can show the hardships of her life at that time, but at the same time, it can also see the strength of her heart. Later, Gu Taiqing lived until the age of 73 in Qingping life. Chen Wenshu can only be hidden in the dust of history and be cast aside by others.

(End of this chapter)