Shadow of the Tomb Raider: A Complete Record of the History of Tomb Raiders in China

Chapter 66 Four Cultural Legends in the History of Chinese Tomb Raiders (2)
Wang Xizhi (AD 303-AD 361), courtesy name Yishao, was born in Langya Linyi (now Linyi, Shandong) in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and later moved to Shanyin (now Shaoxing, Zhejiang).Born in a famous family, the great-grandfather Wang Lan and Wang Xiang in "24 Filial Piety" are half-brothers, Wang Lan is an official to Dazhong doctor, and Wang Xiang is an official to Taibao.From uncle Wang Daoguan to Taiwei, father Wang Kuang was the governor of Huainan.When Xizhi was 16 years old, he was chosen by the Taiwei Xijian as "the son-in-law who rides the dragon quickly".He was Secretary Lang at first, and was later recommended as General Ningyuan by Yu Liang, the general who conquered the west.Due to conflicts with Wang Shu, the governor of Yangzhou, he resigned and no longer served.When Wang Xizhi was governor of Jiangzhou (AD 345~AD 347), he once built a house on the east slope of Linchuan County, named "Xincheng" (now in Wenchang School of Linchuan City). The ink-washing pool used for calligraphy is described in "Linchuan Ji" by Xun Bozi, a famous writer in the Liu and Song Dynasties of the Southern Dynasties and an internal historian of Linchuan, and "Ink Pond Ji" by Zeng Gong, a great writer in the Song Dynasty. The full text of "The Story of Mochi" is 285 characters, introducing the origin of Mochi and praising Wang Xizhi's hard work in calligraphy. During the "Cultural Revolution", Mochi was destroyed. In June 2002, the Fuzhou Municipal Government introduced foreign capital of 6 million yuan to rebuild the ink wash pool and restore its old appearance for tourists to watch.

Wang Xizhi is good at calligraphy. He learned calligraphy from Mrs. Wei (Shuo) at first, Zhang Zhi in cursive calligraphy, and Zhong Yao in Zhengshu. Li, Cao, Zheng, and Xing are all excellent, and they are regarded as "sages of calligraphy".There are no authentic works of his works, and those handed down are all copies.His running script "Lanting Collection Preface", cursive "Chu Mu Tie", official script "Huang Ting Jing" and "Yue Yi Lun" are most famous.

"Orchid Pavilion Preface" is also known as "Lanting Banquet Collection Preface", "Lanting Banquet Collection Preface", "Linhe Preface", "Xiao Preface" and "Xian Tie". It has the reputation of "the best running script in the world".

The article has 28 lines and 324 characters.It is said that when he wrote the "Preface to the Lanting Pavilion", he used cocoon paper and a mouse whisker brush, and the characters he wrote were powerful and graceful.There are a total of 20 "Zhi" characters in the article, all in different forms.Wang Xi later wrote dozens of books, but they were not as good as the original one. He loved this "Lanting Preface" very much and passed it on to his descendants as a treasure. Pass it on to your beloved disciples.

But it is said that Tang Taizong loved calligraphy in his later years, especially Wang Xizhi's calligraphy.The only regret is that I never got the "Lanting Preface", and I was so unhappy that I even thought of it in my dreams.

Leaders in ancient China often attached great importance to wisdom and strategy. They knew that in order to get what they wanted, it was not enough to have power or strength.

In order to find the authentic "Lanting Preface", Tang Taizong sent people to search around.Finally, I finally found out that the original "Orchid Pavilion Preface" was collected in the hands of the monk Biancai of Yongxin Temple in Yuezhou (now Shaoxing, Zhejiang).So he ordered Biancai to be transferred to the harem lecture hall as a monk official, and he was supported with generous treatment.Tang Taizong took this opportunity to have a close conversation with him. Once, he went to the "Lanting Preface" together by the chance of chatting, and kindly persuaded Biancai to admit that he had collected "Lanting Preface", but Biancai was not moved by it. , I only admit that I have seen the original work at the place of my former teacher Zhiyong before, but since the death of the master, there have been several mournings, and I don't know where the "Lanting Preface" has gone.Tang Taizong had to put Biancai back to the original temple.Tang Taizong still did not give up.Once he confided with Minister Fang Xuanling that the original copy of "Lanting Preface" must be in the hands of monk Biancai, you might as well find someone who is smart and cunning, and try to get it from Biancai on my behalf.

Fang Xuanling immediately recommended the Supervising Censor Xiao Yi to handle this matter.Xiao Yi is the great-grandson of Liang Yuan Emperor Xiao Yi, and he is cunning and deceitful.When Tang Taizong asked him to pick up the "Lanting Preface", he made two requests: one is not to send him publicly, and the other is to ask the emperor to lend him three or four authentic copybooks written by Wang Xizhi so that he can act according to circumstances.Tang Taizong readily agreed to these two requests.After Xiao Yi took three or four authentic works of Wang Xizhi, he disguised himself as a poor and down-and-out Shandong student, and took a merchant ship to Shaoxing, Zhejiang.At sunset, he came to Yongxin Temple and deliberately watched the murals in the temple corridor.Biancai saw Xiao Yi's appearance as a down-and-out scholar, felt pity for him, and took the initiative to say hello.Xiao Yi said that he was from the north, and this time he brought silkworm seeds to the south to sell, and whenever there were temples, he would stop by to have a look.Only then did he invite him into the room for a conversation.During the conversation, Biancai admired Xiao Yi's gentle demeanor and rich knowledge, respected him very much, and felt that he hated seeing each other later.That night, Xiao Yi stayed in the temple after being identified.In the next few days, Xiao Yi would often bring wine to the temple to drink and compose poems with Bian Cai.

One day, Xiao Yi and Biancai talked about calligraphy, saying that there were several calligraphy calligraphy handed down by Wang Xi in his ancestors, but they didn't know the authenticity, so he wanted to ask Biancai to verify the authenticity.He didn't know it was a fraud, so he told him that these ancestral objects were indeed Wang's authentic products, but they were not treasures, and casually told him that he had the "Lanting Preface" in his possession.Xiao Yi expressed disbelief, saying that the original "Lanting Preface" has long been lost.In order to prove what he said was true, Biancai told Pan how he got the "Preface to the Lanting Pavilion", and even took out the "Preface to the Lanting Pavilion" hidden on the beam for Xiao Yi to taste.Xiao Yi deliberately called the original work a fake to confuse people.

After going back and forth like this, Xiao Yi found out the location where the "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion" was hidden on the beam of the house. One day, when he was away from the temple, Xiao Yi stole the "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion" and fled back to the capital, dedicating the original work to Li Shimin. .It is said that when Biancai found out that the "Lanting Preface" had been stolen, he was so angry that he fell ill, and soon passed away.This is the rumored "Tang Taizong plan to earn "Lanting"".

After Tang Taizong got the "Lanting Preface", he put it next to his seat and watched it day and night as if he had found a treasure. He also asked people to copy several copies and gave them to the crown prince, kings, ministers and others.

However, there is another version that is completely different from this theory, which is also a new theory of "Lanting Preface".

The original "Lanting Preface" disappeared for the first time, and was brought into the tomb by Xi Tan in the 4th century AD.

Xi Tan came from a family of calligraphers and was as famous a calligrapher as Wang Xizhi in the Jin Dynasty.His father, Xi Jian, was also good at calligraphy, and his elder brother, Xi Min, was more proficient in calligraphy and was good at Zhang Cao. His representative work is "Zhi Qing Tie".Later generations commented that Wang Xizhi's early works were not as good as Xi Min's. How could "Lanting Preface" come into the hands of Xi Tan?Just look at the relationship between Xi and Wang.

It turned out that Xijian was Wang Xizhi's old father-in-law, that is to say, Xitan was Wang Xizhi's brother-in-law, and Wang Xizhi was Xitan's brother-in-law.Because of this relationship, it should not be a surprise that "Lanting Preface" fell into the hands of Xi Tan.It is said that in addition to "Lanting Preface", the official book "Yue Yi Lun" by Wang Xizhi is also collected by Xi Tan.After Xi Tan died, he brought a batch of calligraphy such as "Lanting Preface" into his tomb.

In the Southern Dynasties, a soldier named Yu Dantu robbed Xitan's tomb and got the calligraphy of Wang Xizhi and other calligraphers.Later, Yu Dantu's tomb robbed the east window, and Wang Xizhi's precious ink was also confiscated by the government.

The same thing happened in the Tang Dynasty. Taizong Li Shimin loved calligraphy very much. During his lifetime, he collected many authentic works of famous calligraphers of the previous generation. After his death, he brought these precious calligraphy works into the mausoleum.During the Five Dynasties, the warlord Wen Tao, who was called the No. 1 tomb robber in ancient China, robbed the Zhaoling Mausoleum of Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty, and the calligraphy of calligraphers such as Zhong Yao and Wang Xizhi was passed down to the world again.

The tomb robbers robbed the tombs for profit, but unintentionally planted willows and willows, and many lost classics reappeared in the world. Although this cannot be called the credit of the tomb robbers, people today should be lucky. We can still appreciate the charm of those historical classics and authentic works of famous masters today.

Calligraphers Steal "Bi Gestures"

It is rare for a person who loves calligraphy and is a calligrapher himself to use the means of stealing to get what he loves. Among them is a famous scholar named Zhong Yao, who is Zhong Yao. Will father.Many people may have doubts about why Zhong Yao, a famous person, was connected with tomb robbers, but this is the fact.

Zhong Yao (AD 151-AD 230), character Chang, a minister of the Wei Dynasty of the Three Kingdoms, a calligrapher, and a native of Yingchuan Changshe (belonging to Changge, Henan).The famous calligrapher and statesman of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period.From the official position to the Taifu, Wei Wendi, Hua Xin and Wang Lang, the famous scholars at that time, were the three princes, and had two sons: Zhong Yu and Zhong Hui.Zhong Yao was born in a prominent family in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and his ancestors were famous for their virtues for several generations.The great-grandfather Zhong Hao was "gentle, kind and prudent, knowledgeable in poetry and rhythm, and taught more than a thousand students" ("Three Kingdoms · Wei Shu · Zhong Yao Biography" cited "The History of the Sages"), and his grandfather Zhong Di did not serve as an official all his life because of the disaster of the party.His father died early and he was brought up by his uncle Zhong Yu.

It is said that Zhong Yao was very good-looking and very smart when he was young. He once went to Luoyang with his uncle Zhong Yu, and met a face-to-face person on the way. When you are in trouble with the water, try to be cautious" (this child looks rich, but there will be a flooded disaster, please walk carefully).As a result, after walking less than ten miles, Zhong Yao's horse suddenly panicked when he was crossing the bridge. Zhong Yao was overturned into the water and almost drowned.Seeing that the fortune teller's words came true, Zhong Yu felt that Zhong Yao would be promising in the future, so she redoubled her efforts to cultivate him. Zhong Yao lived up to her high expectations and worked hard. Lian became Shangshulang and served as county magistrate in Yangling (now Gaoling, Shaanxi), but he resigned due to illness.Zhong Yao also served as Tingweizheng and Huangmen servant in the palace, and became an attendant to the emperor. During Dong Zhuo's rebellion, Zhong Yao followed Cao Cao to quell the chaos and offered advice and advice, which was highly valued by Cao Cao.When Dong Zhuo hijacked Emperor Xian Liu Xie, Zhong Yao negotiated with Shang Shulang Han Bin to save Emperor Xian from Chang'an. Because of Zhong Yao's outstanding achievements, he was worshiped as Yushi Zhongcheng, moved to Shizhong, Shangshu Pushe, and named Dong Marquis Wuting.Zhong Yao played an important role in Cao Cao's unification of the north. When Ma Teng and Han Sui were forced to live in Guanzhong, Cao Cao ordered Zhong Yao to take charge of the duties of serving as a servant of Sili Xiaowei, and finally persuaded Ma Teng and Han Sui generals.During the Battle of Guandu, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao were at loggerheads. Zhong You sent more than a thousand horses to Cao Jun in time, and made great contributions to Cao Cao's defeat of Yuan Jun. Therefore, Cao Cao wrote to Zhong You and said: "The horses you get are very worthy of him. Urgently, Guan You is pacified, the imperial court has no worries about looking west, and the honor of one step. In the past, Xiao He guarded Guanzhong and had enough food to form an army, which is also suitable for you." Commend Zhong Yao's contribution.

Zhong Yao not only made important achievements in politics and military affairs, but also, more importantly, his calligraphy achievements were often praised, occupying a very important position in the history of Chinese calligraphy.Zhong Yao had a great influence on the history of Chinese calligraphy, and he has always been regarded as the ancestor of Chinese calligraphy history.He established regular script for the first time in the history of calligraphy and made important contributions to the development of Chinese characters.Tao Zongyi's "Book History Huiyao" said: "The variant of Zhong Wang began to be divided into ancient Li and modern Li. The husband used the ancient method as the Li, and the modern method is the regular script." After Zhong Yao, many calligraphers competed to learn from Zhong. For example, Wang Xizhi and his son have many kinds of clock styles.Later Zhang Chang, Huai Su, Yan Zhenqing, Huang Tingjian, etc. all absorbed the advantages of Zhong style and the essence of Zhong theory from all aspects in their calligraphy creation.

However, it was such a famous calligrapher who had a great influence on later generations who "digged graves and robbed books" in his early years in order to learn calligraphy, and became a tomb robber.It’s just that the reason why he robbed the tomb was quite in line with his status as a celebrity—he was not greedy for the precious burial objects in the ancient tomb, but for a calligraphic work—"Brush Style" by Cai Yong, a calligrapher in the late Eastern Han Dynasty.

Cai Yong (AD 133-AD 192), courtesy name Bojie (jiē), was born in Chenliuyu (yǔ). During Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty, he worshiped General Zuo Zhonglang, so later generations also called him "Cai Zhonglang".Cai Yong was a famous writer, historian, and calligrapher in the Eastern Han Dynasty. He had the greatest reputation and was the father of Cai Wenji, a talented woman who was well-known all over the world.Cai Yong has profound attainments in literature and calligraphy, and many stories about him, such as listening to the piano, Sanjue Stele, crying Dong Zhuo, etc., are well known to every household.Cai Yong has been proficient in calligraphy all his life and is the founder of "Feibai Style". "Brush Style" is a book about calligraphy theory written by Cai Yong.In 176 A.D., he wrote five scriptures in octant, "Book of Changes", "Book of Changes", "Gongyang Chunqiu Biography", "Book of Rites" and "Analects of Confucius". In front of the lecture hall, this is the famous "Xiping Five Classics" in history, which became a model of calligraphy in the Han Dynasty.Zhong Yao admired Cai Yong's achievements very much.After Cai Yong was killed, this "Brush Style", which condensed his lifelong calligraphy experience, fell into the hands of a person named Wei Dan in the Cao Wei period.Wei Dan was a famous calligrapher and ink maker at that time. He was good at cursive script and Feibai style, and created his own "scissors and seal script".

Zhong Yao and Wei Dan are ministers in the same hall.Once, he visited his friend Wei Dan's house and found Cai Yong's left ink in his home. He was so overjoyed that he would spare no expense to buy it, but Wei Dan regarded it as his favorite and would never give it up.Because he couldn't ask for it, Zhong Yao was very concerned about this matter.Later, when he learned that Wei Dan had brought his left ink into the grave after his death, he couldn't help feeling evil.He bought the tomb robbers with a lot of money to secretly excavate Wei Dan's tomb in the dark, stole Cai Yong's ink, and kept it for himself ever since.

After that, he worked hard to study and practice, and finally learned the essence of Cai Yong's calligraphy, becoming a generation of calligraphy masters.However, his stealing of the tombs of his colleagues at night has become a stain that cannot be washed away in his life, and has been criticized by future generations.

However, as people said, did Zhong Yao disregard the face of his ministers and celebrities in the court, and let people steal the tombs of his colleagues for a calligraphy work?But in fact, it's not.

The story of Zhong Yao's robbery of Cai Yong's suicide note can be found in a book called "Zhi Lin", which was written in the Western Jin Dynasty, and the author was Yu Xi, a famous scholar at that time.Judging from the time when the book was written, "Zhi Lin" was written not many years later than this story, but the suicide note of "Zhi Lin" is just a note, and Yu Xi is not a scholar specializing in history, so the authenticity of this story is also questionable .Zhang Yanyuan of the Tang Dynasty wrote in a book entitled "Fashu Yaolu" that Zhong Yao's calligraphy was passed down from Cai Wenji, and Cai Wenji naturally learned it from his father Cai Yong, which seems more reasonable.

From the point of view of time, Wei Dan died in 253 AD, and Zhong Yao died in 230 AD. When Wei Dan died, Zhong Yao had already passed away. The recorded stories are pure nonsense.

Zhong Yao imitated Cai Yong in calligraphy, so later generations far-fetchedly fabricated this story of Zhong Yao's tomb robbery. Later generations can reverse Zhong Yao's verdict through textual research.But this story shows that in the troubled times of the Three Kingdoms, tomb robbery was a very common thing. Even those well-dressed literati and bureaucrats may be nocturnal people in the cemetery.

(End of this chapter)