China knows everything for 5000 years

Chapter 57

In 1599 AD, Li Zhi's other important work "Collection of Books" was published in Nanjing.The book has no scruples, boldly denounces current affairs, judges historical figures, and criticizes social systems. This offends the ruler and commits an unforgivable crime.In 1600 AD, sanctimonious Confucianists gathered thugs to destroy Zhifoyuan, leaving them without a place to stay.Then, he destroyed the burial tower and performed the most barbaric insult to Li Zhi.During the incident, Zhang Wenda wrote to the emperor, accusing him of publishing "Collection of Books" and "Burning Books", which "confuse people's hearts" and "must not be destroyed".As a result, Li Zhi was arrested and imprisoned.At that time, he was already a 76-year-old man and was ill.But he had no fear, his expression was dignified, calm and composed, and he would rather die than surrender.One day in 1602 AD, when the jailer was shaving his head, he suddenly grabbed the razor and cut his throat and committed suicide. Li Zhi died violently to protest the cruel persecution of him by the feudal system.

Li Zhi's writing Yingche was listed as banned books in Ming and Qing Dynasties. He was a special progressive thinker who was anti-feudal and anti-Confucianism in the late Ming Dynasty.The reason why Li Zhi's reputation has been passed down through the ages is that he has a strong and unyielding attitude towards the feudal rulers; that he dared to break the worship of Confucius for thousands of years; that he dared to directly criticize the spiritual weapons of the rulers—— Cheng Zhu Neo Confucianism lies in his rebellious spirit of "non-holy and lawless".

●Tang Xianzu's "Four Dreams of Linchuan"

Tang Xianzu was born in Linchuan, Jiangxi Province, in a scholarly family.He could do couplets at the age of 5 and poetry at the age of 12.His uncle loves opera very much and has also been engaged in opera performances. Tang Xianzu also became interested in opera since he was a child.Tang Xianzu was only awarded a Jinshi when he was 34 years old. He refused to be wooed by big bureaucrats several times and was arranged to be an idle official in Nanjing.Once he wrote a letter to the imperial court, accusing those in power and implicating the emperor, so he was demoted to a remote place as a county magistrate.But Tang Xianzu was not depressed. He managed the county in an orderly manner. Later, those who opposed him still wanted to dismiss him. Tang Xianzu had long been tired of officialdom, so he resigned and returned to his hometown in Linchuan, Jiangxi, where he began his opera creation. course.

Tang Xianzu built a new house under Xiangnan Peak in Linchuan City and named it "Yuming Hall". Here, Tang Xianzu devoted himself to writing scripts and personally directed rehearsals.Although Tang Xianzu lived in poverty in his later years, he got endless fun from drama creation.The dramas handed down by Tang Xianzu mainly include "The Story of the Purple Hairpin", "The Peony Pavilion", "The Story of Handan" and "The Story of Nanke". Because the content of these plays is related to dreams, they are also called "Four Dreams of Linchuan". "Linchuan Four Dreams" had a great influence in the late Ming Dynasty, and many dramatists learned his style, forming the "Linchuan School" in the history of drama in the late Ming Dynasty.

●Shi Naian and "Water Margin"

In Shijia Lane, Huaiken Bridge, outside Yanmen, Suzhou City, there is a family surnamed Shi, who is a descendant of Shi Zhichang, one of the 72 disciples of Confucius.In 1296 AD, the Shi family added a male.An old scholar named the baby Yanduan, which means that the child must be a well-behaved talent when he grows up.This infant Yan Duan was Shi Naian who later wrote the crown of books "Water Margin".

When Shi Naian was 7 years old, his family was too poor to go to school.But he was hardworking and studious, often borrowing books from others, and asking them for advice, and sometimes quietly went to the government school to listen.In this way, he read many books and learned a lot of knowledge when he was young. At the age of 13, he was already able to answer questions fluently in a large audience, and he could write in one stroke.Once, an old man in the neighborhood died of illness, and his family invited Ji Xiucai, who taught a private school in Hushuguan, to write a sacrificial oration.Ji Xiucai failed to arrive in time, so others suggested that Shi Naian try.Shi Naian didn't give in, just came over and did it all at once.Later, when Ji Xiucai read this sacrificial article, which was both childish and talented, he was full of praise, and proposed to take Shi Naian to Hushuguan to study without charging tuition fees.Later, he betrothed his daughter to Shi Naian.

In Hushuguan, Shi Naian not only familiarized himself with hundreds of schools of thought, but also browsed all kinds of books.In "The Legacy of Xuanhe of the Great Song Dynasty" published at that time, stories such as "Huang Gai outwitted the birth plan", "Song Jiang killed Yan Poxi", "Yang Zhi sold knives" and other stories aroused Shi Naian's strong interest.In his spare time, he also dances knives and sticks with his partners to practice martial arts.At that time, Suzhou City often sang stories and dramas such as "Stone Sun Li", "Green-faced Beast", "Flower Monk", "Warrior", "Happy with Yanqing Fishing", "Li Kui Bearing Jing", etc. Shi Naian sometimes sang He can appreciate it with interest, and he shows great admiration for these "heroes of righteousness" and "arhats who support the sky".

In the spring of 1331 AD, Shi Naian, who was 36 years old, went to Beijing to take the exam.Heaven obeys people's wishes, and he was named on the gold list in one fell swoop by Qiuwei, and he was named a Jinshi in Xinwei in Shi Naian.After the list was released, he met Liu Bowen, who was also on the list, from Qingtian, Zhejiang Province, and the two often talked about the past and the present together, and they were very speculative.Soon, the imperial court sent Shi Naian to Qiantang as the county governor.However, the officialdom was corrupt and corrupt officials were unscrupulous, and he was ashamed to join forces with others, so he resigned angrily two years later and went back to seclusion.

After Shi Naian returned from abandoning his official position in Qiantang, he opened a hall to teach apprentices at Shijiaqiao in the southeast corner of Suzhou.One day, a businessman brought a [-]-year-old boy to visit Shi Naian.The businessman, surnamed Luo, is from Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, and often travels to Suzhou and Hangzhou to do business.Because he had heard of Shi Naian's name for a long time, he made a special trip to bring his son Luo Guanzhong to study with him.Seeing Luo Guanzhong's elegant conversation and talent, Shi Naian liked him very much, so he accepted him.

Shi Naian had long planned to use his pen to display his ambition and talent.Once, when he passed by a bookstore, he saw a lot of handwritten story books, one of which was called "Zhang Shuye Captures the Thieves", which told the story of Liangshan Po Song Jiang and other hundred and eight generals killing the rich and helping the poor.He immediately bought it back, and planned to use it as a material to modify other stories about Liang Shanbo and write a "Biography of Jianghu Hawker".At this time, Shi Naian's father and wife Ji died of illness one after another, and his next wife was Shen.The Shen family is relatively wealthy, and they are also a scholarly family. They are very supportive of Shi Naian's writing, and they spent a special sum of money to ask an artist to copy 36 portraits of people according to the "Song Jiang 36 People Praise" published by Gong at the end of the Song Dynasty. Hang it at home for Shi Naian to refer to when writing.With the financial support of the Shen family, Shi Naian stopped teaching apprentices and devoted himself to professional creation.He only left his favorite student, Luo Guanzhong, to help him sort out the manuscript and to learn writing skills with him.

After Liu Bowen became Zhu Yuanzhang's military adviser, he recommended Shi Naian to Zhu Yuanzhang many times.Zhu Yuanzhang attached great importance to it and sent Liu Bowen to invite him.When Shi Naian heard the news, because he hated being an official, he had to hide for a while, and returned to Shijia Lane outside Yanmen, Suzhou, and continued to write his "Biography of Jianghu Haoke".In order to avoid Liu Bowen's pursuit and war chaos, and fulfill his long-cherished wish to publish a book, Shi Naian decided to find a pure land to devote himself to writing. He thought of Gu Ti, a good friend who had been a Songjiang Tongzhi and a Jiaxing Tongzhi.Gu Ti has resigned and returned to his home in Xinghua. Xinghua is a remote place, surrounded by mountains and rivers, without any noise. It is a good place to concentrate on writing.Shi Naian took his wife Shen, his second brother Yancai, and his student Luo Guanzhong to cross the river north by boat and headed for Xinghua.With Gu Ti's enthusiastic help, Shi Naian settled down in Baiju Town, Xinghua, near the Yellow Sea, and devoted himself to writing.

In 1367 AD, Zhu Yuanzhang's general Chang Yuchun attacked Pingjiang.Zhu Yuanzhang once again sent Liu Bowen to visit Shi Naian with an imperial decree.It took a lot of effort for Liu Bowen to find Shi Naian's new residence. He already understood the strong intention of Shi Naian, so he didn't say anything more, and went back to reply to the decree.Fearing that Zhu Yuanzhang would call again, Shi Naian went to his farmland 18 miles west of Baiju Town, built a house according to the pattern of Suzhou, and moved here to live.At that time, there was a reed marsh in the west of the village, covering an area of ​​more than ten acres. The reeds in the lake were luxuriant. Every autumn and winter, water birds came in groups.There is a miniature island in the lake, and Shi Naian used it to imitate Liangshan Lake. He often took a small boat with Luo Guanzhong, boarded it, looked for inspiration, and carefully conceived novels.

Shi Naian lived in Shijiaqiao for more than a year, and spent most of his time and energy on writing and revising "The Legend of Jiang Hu Hao Ke".When the book was about to be finished, he felt that the title of the book was more straightforward, and he was not very satisfied, so he asked Luo Guanzhong for his opinion.Seeing what the teacher was thinking, Luo Guanzhong said, "Teacher, the title of the book might as well be called (Water Margin"!" Shi Naian pondered for a moment, and then said: "'Water Margin' means the water's edge, implying 'in the wild'. There is an allusion. The Book of Songs says: "The ancient father should be his father, he rode horses in the court, led the West Water Margin, and as for Qi Xia." Thus, the title of the book was settled.

After "Water Margin" was completed, it was quickly circulated and copied to the society, and everyone rushed to read it.In the winter of 1368 AD, the manuscript of "Water Margin" was passed to Zhu Yuanzhang.Zhu Yuanzhang was always angry because he sent people to ask Shi Naian to come out as an official twice but was rejected.After reading this book, he became even more angry, and immediately made a comment: "This is a book that promotes chaos. There must be a conspiracy in the heart of a person, and the danger will not be eliminated." So he sent people to arrest Shi Naian, He was imprisoned in Nanjing Sky Prison.Liu Bowen was taken aback when he found out about this, so he hurried to visit him in the prison.Shi Naian asked Liu Bowen to think of a way to get him out, Liu Bowen said to him: "Brother is a very smart person, do you still need to ask me? How did you get in, so you can get out." After speaking, he smiled slightly and left. go.Shi Naian pondered Liu Bowen's words over and over again, and finally understood: I was imprisoned for writing a book, or I had to write a book to get out.My "Water Margin" wrote that Song Jiang and his gang rebelled and violated the taboo of the rulers, including Zhu Yuanzhang.If I could describe Song Jiang and others as accepting the Yuan Dynasty's recruitment like Zhang Shicheng, wouldn't it be fine?Then, after he clarified his idea to the Ministry of Criminal Justice, the Ministry of Criminal Justice allowed him to continue writing.Therefore, he continued "Water Margin" in the prison with Zhang Shicheng's descending of Yuan as the background, and wrote that Song Jiang and others accepted the recruitment and returned to the imperial court.

It took Shi Naian nearly a year to complete the last fifty chapters of "Water Margin".Finally, after sending the book to Zhu Yuanzhang for reading, and with the help of Liu Bowen, Shi Naian was released from prison.Shi Naian was imprisoned for more than a year, suffered from many tortures, coupled with the hard work of creation, he was already seriously ill.When he was released from prison, he was already a skinny old man with difficulty walking.

After Shi Naian arrived in Huai'an, he rented a house and stayed there temporarily to recuperate from his illness.In the spring of 1370 AD, Shi Naian's condition worsened.Shi Naian's second younger brother Yancai came from Baijuchang to visit him. Seeing this scene, he couldn't help crying.Shi Naian said to Yancai before he was in danger: "I have been working on "Water Margin" all my life! After I die, my descendants must not write books or be officials. They can just farm." After all, one generation The literary giant passed away forever!75 years old.His body was buried in Huai'an, and later, his descendants moved his tomb to Shijiaqiao in Baijuchang.

Shi Naian passed away, leaving the study where he huddled at his desk.His book was finished, but it was not published, and his long-cherished wish was not fulfilled.His beloved apprentice Luo Guanzhong knows the sincerity of the master.The master is gone, Luo Guanzhong wants to fulfill the teacher's will.Luo Guanzhong carefully sorted out the manuscripts of "Water Margin" in Huai'an.After months of hard work, the manuscript finally took shape.He was determined to find a publisher for the manuscript so that it could be handed down to future generations, fulfilling his master's wish during his lifetime.

At this time, he heard that engraved books in Jianyang, Fujian Province were very prosperous, so he took the manuscripts and packed his luggage and went to Jianyang.However, to his disappointment, he went to one engraving bookstore after another, but none of them accepted to engrave this book!Shi Naian's case is known all over the country, especially in the cultural circles. No one dared to publish this book at the risk of offending the emperor and being beheaded.

When Luo Guanzhong visited the last bookstore and found nothing, he had no choice but to rent a house and planned to live there for a long time, waiting for the right time.Because Jianyang is the national engraving bookstore center, there are many bookstores, if this place refuses to publish, the hope of other places will be even more slim.Since he had plenty of time, he read "Water Margin" carefully again, and then re-edited it carefully. "Water Margin" can only be shelved temporarily.

At this time, Luo Guanzhong also made a lot of preparations for the future creation of "Tun Guo Romance": collected a lot of materials, such as spiritual legends, researched historical materials, and conceived novels.Then, he began to write "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" at his desk. "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", like "Water Margin", is also a masterpiece through the ages.Later, he wrote "San Sui Ping Yao Zhuan", but unfortunately he only wrote [-] chapters and stopped writing due to illness.Soon, the prodigy Luo Guanzhong also died of illness.

After more than 150 years, there was a noble person in Xinghua who made "Water Margin" come out. His name was Zongchen. Zongchen, request permission to engrave and publish "Water Margin", so as to stimulate the fighting spirit of the army and the people to fight against the Japanese.At that time, Zongchen was in charge of reorganizing the military equipment and encouraging morale to fight against the Japanese, so he agreed immediately.That's why the eternal masterpiece "Water Margin" was able to see the light of day!It can be said that for the publication of "Water Margin", Luo Guanzhong's contribution cannot be lost, and Zong Chen's contribution cannot be lost!
Most of the earliest Fujian editions of "Water Margin" have been lost, and only one five-chapter fragment remains.In the tenth year of Emperor Shenzong's Wanli reign (AD 1582), an enthusiastic person collected the folk manuscripts of "Water Margin" and reprinted it for publication, and wrote a preface under the pseudonym of "Tiandu Foreign Minister".The "Water Margin" we published today is this version.This "Heavenly Capital Foreign Minister" also contributed a lot to the spread of "Water Margin".

●"Popular Romance of the Three Kingdoms"

"Popular Romance of the Three Kingdoms" was created by Luo Guanzhong, a novelist in the late Yuan and early Ming Dynasties, in the form of a combination of historical facts and legends. "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is its abbreviation.

Luo Guanzhong, name book, Zi Guanzhong, nicknamed Huhai Sanren, was born in Taiyuan, Shanxi. "Popular Romance of the Three Kingdoms" has a total of 120 chapters and about 75 characters. It is the main masterpiece and describes the historical stories of more than 169 years from the second year of Jianning (AD 280) to the first year of Emperor Wu of the Western Jin Dynasty (AD 110). It is created on the basis of historical classics, legends, story books and operas.

"Popular Romance of the Three Kingdoms" provides readers and listeners with a colorful portrait of historical figures, especially the image of Zhuge Liang that is most deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.Zhuge Liang is a symbol of wisdom in people's minds, which is the charm of the novel's rich and colorful rendering.Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are also well-known artistic images, and the novel highly appreciates their loyalty to Liu Bei as monarchs and ministers, like flesh and blood, and unswerving life and death.In addition, he warmly praised Zhao Yun, who is righteous, and heroes who were loyal to the Shuhan Group, such as Pang Tong, Huang Zhong, and Jiang Wei.

"Popular Romance of the Three Kingdoms" has achieved outstanding artistic achievements.The article involves countless large and small wars, each with its own characteristics, showing the diversity and complexity of wars.In the process of describing the war, Luo Guanzhong is good at grasping the key points, highlighting the characters, integrating military, political and diplomatic struggles, and writing about the reasons for the victory and defeat of the war and the characters, tolerance and resourcefulness of the generals.

"Popular Romance of the Three Kingdoms" has a profound influence on later generations. Its appearance makes the creation of novels no longer the monopoly of storytellers. It successfully reproduces history and has a pivotal position in the history of Chinese literature and among the people.

●Li Shizhen wrote books on medicine
Li Shizhen, courtesy name Dongbi, nickname Binhu, was born in Qizhou, Hubei (now Qichun, Hubei), and has practiced medicine for generations.His grandfather was a doctor of Xuanhu Jishi, who left many secret folk recipes (including folk prescriptions), and his father Li Yanwen was also very researched in medicine.

Li Shizhen was a scholar when she was 14 years old.After he was 17 years old, he participated in the Wuchang government examination, but failed repeatedly, so he had no intention of seeking fame.From then on, Li Shizhen followed her father to copy prescriptions or go up the mountain to collect herbs.In 1545 A.D., the Qizhou area was flooded, and the plague was prevalent after the disaster, and the people had no money to seek medical treatment.Li Shizhen had the ambition to study medicine and was sympathetic to the sufferings of the people. She took this opportunity to practice clinically and cured many patients.Due to diligent study, 37-year-old Li Shizhen has become a famous doctor in the Jingchu area, and there is an endless stream of people who "seek medicine from thousands of miles away".During his medical practice, he found that the ancient pharmacopoeia had not been revised for hundreds of years, and it was full of mistakes. People were often killed because of the wrong medicine stone. Li Shizhen determined to revise the pharmacopoeia.

Once, the son of King Chu fell ill and could not be cured for a long time.The king of Chu sent someone to ask Li Shizhen to treat his son, and Li Shizhen cured the son of the king of Chu.The king of Chu was very happy and asked him to stay in the mansion as "Fengcizheng" and the king's personal doctor. Li Shizhen agreed.He knew that the King of Chu had always been in close contact with Hao and Gu, two wealthy gentry, and that the two had a large collection of books. Taking this opportunity, he could obtain studies on pharmacopoeias such as "Shen Nong Baicao Jing" and "Zheng Lei Materia Medica", which could enrich his medical knowledge. Knowledge can also lay the foundation for future pharmacopoeia writing.Soon, Sejong ordered famous doctors from all over the country to be concentrated in the Tai Hospital, and the King of Chu had no choice but to recommend Li Shizhen to work in the Tai Hospital.Li Shizhen also took this opportunity to better discuss and exchange medical skills with famous doctors, and at the same time, read many rare medical classics that cannot be seen by the people.During this period, he proposed to compile the book "Materia Medica" several times, but was rejected.Li Shizhen only stayed in the Imperial Hospital for one year before reporting illness and returning home.After returning to his hometown, he practiced medicine while consulting the writings, pharmacopoeias, allusions, legends, etc. of former sages.In addition, he traveled all over the green mountains, tasted all kinds of herbs, traveled all over Henan, Hebei, Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu and other provinces, and climbed Tianzhu Peak, Maoshan Mountain, Wudang Mountain, collected specimens, asked medicine farmers and fruit farmers for advice, and ventured to taste Fairy fruit (Longmei), cooked drum flower (convolvulus).

(End of this chapter)