The debate about the Palace of Eternal Life has been intermittent since the publication of the Palace of Eternal Life, and more recently, it started with the big discussion of 1954, until now. Although ancient and modern scales are different, terms are different and arguments are different, the struggle is always inseparable from writing about politics or love. In fact, writing about politics is not necessarily good, and writing about love is not necessarily bad. Writing about politics or love is not the crux of evaluating the Palace of Eternal Life. The main content of the Palace of Eternal Life is about love rather than politics, which is an obvious fact and needs no argument. The crux of the matter is whether this kind of love description has positive significance. This is really a difficult question to answer. Only in this way can theorists at all times and all over the world use their own wisdom to explain that those who hold the theory of love often inevitably ... love condensed by peach blossom fans.
Li always carries a fan with him. The fan is white plain silk with a colorful peach blossom picture painted on it, so it is called "Peach Blossom Fan". This fan was not painted by a famous artist, but why did Li regard it as a treasure? It turned out that the peach blossom on this fan was not painted with dyes, but was outlined with a love story, which reflected her touching and sad love with her lover Hou Fangyu and all her hopes in this life. Li is the red girl in the building beside Qinhuai River. This Xiangmei building is beautifully built and located by the water. Standing on the railing upstairs, you can see the Qinhuai River with clear smoke and water and colorful paintings. The owner of Xiangmei Building is Aunt Li. When she was young, she was also a matchmaker by the Qinhuai River. When she was old, she used her savings to build the Xiangmei Mansion, adopted several adopted daughters and entertained guests with poems and wine. She is quite famous in Nanjing. Li is the most face-saving person. The girl grew up beside Aunt Li. She wrote poems, played the piano and painted songs and dances. She was trained by Aunt Li to be proficient in everything, and she also learned from Aunt Li's generous chivalry in temperament. It is really lovely. Speaking of Li's appearance, she has her own characteristics. She is petite, with fine features and slightly upturned lips, which is somewhat playful. The whole lovely appearance, because she is petite and fragrant, with a fragrant word in her name, all the guests call her: Xiangfan pendant, which really suits her charm;
When I first met and fell in love at first sight, Li was only sixteen.
Hou Fangyu was born in Shangqiu, Henan. His grandfather, Hou Zhipu, was Tai Changqing of the Ming Dynasty, and his father, Hou Yao, was a minister of the Ministry of Housing, both of whom were honest and loyal ministers. I studied poetry with Ni, a famous scholar in my hometown since childhood. Min Hui is versatile and has made rapid progress. In the sixteenth year of Chongzhen, 22-year-old Hou Fangyu came to Nanjing to attend the ceremony. Self-reliant, talented and handsome, Hou Fangyu, a young man, didn't take exams seriously. When he came to the flashy place of the Six Dynasties, he had to set foot in a romantic place. This day. Introduced by his friend Yang Longyou, he came to the building to see the elegant demeanor of "Xiang Fan Falling" Li. As soon as I entered Li's room, I saw that the indoor paintings, calligraphy and antiques were fully furnished and had a fresh breath, which was very different from ordinary brothels. Li smiled and asked the guests to sit down, and then a poem maid brought tea and fruit. At this moment, Hou Fangyu was attracted by a big banner hanging on the front wall. This is a "small map of the Hanjiang River". On the Qingjiang River, which is full of cold and snow, a lonely boat swings in the middle of the river. The sky is gray and the water is boundless, and there are few people. It is a distant and indifferent artistic conception. There is also a poem in the painting: the west wind is clear and the sky is high and the clouds are light. I don't know where the waves dry and the fishing boats drown at sunrise. There is no inscription on the painting, which is not expected to come from a famous artist. Hou Fangyu asked, "Who painted this picture?" Seeing that he was so concerned about painting, Li said shyly, "This is a little girl's graffiti, not enough." "Did you do it?" Hou Fangyu couldn't believe it. It's really impressive that such a young and beautiful brothel woman should make such verve poems and paintings. Since this painting, they have become more and more speculative. Their admiration and admiration suddenly increased, and they met. Before leaving, I asked for a pen and wrote a poem as a gift for our first meeting.
Graceful little fairy, born sixteen years; Snow at half peak in Yushan, a lotus in Yaochi. Xiang stayed in the hospital in the evening and slept in the moon in the spring night; When he left, he could not speak, and his mother was beside him.
One is a charming young man, and the other is a brothel girl who is tender and affectionate. After several contacts, they both fell in love and were inseparable. According to the fashion at that time, if a guest fell in love with a prostitute, as long as a grand ceremony was held and a large sum of money was given to the brothel, the prostitute could serve the guest exclusively. This process is called "combing". The funds needed for carding vary with the location of the carding object. A famous prostitute like Li is sure to invite a large number of prominent people to join us. The level of the banquet is naturally higher, and a generous gift will be given to the wife to avoid losing face. Now Hou Fangyu has gone out for the exam. Of course, he didn't bring much money. He wants to clean up Li, but he can't do anything. Just when he was in trouble, his friend Yang Longyou gave him great financial support. At that time, he was in a hurry and didn't carefully consider why Yang Longyou sent him money. He only said that he would definitely pay him back later. With the capital, the carding ceremony was successfully completed. That night, a first-class ivory white silk gongshan was given to Li Ding as a token of affection, with an amber fan pendant handed down from Hou Jiazu hanging on his shoulder. Li was deeply moved by Houlang's sincerity and has lived in the building ever since. One day, Hou Fangyu happened to think that Yang Longyou's family was not rich. Where did he get such a large sum of money to support himself? He talked to Li about it and felt something was wrong, so he asked him to inquire. After some questioning, I finally found the reason. It turned out that the money was not taken out by Yang Longyou, but was given to Hou Fangyu by Ruan Dayue through Yang Longyou. What kind of person is Ruan Dazhao? Why did he send money to Hou Fangyu? Everything happens for a reason. Ruan Dacheng was buried in Ming Shenzong Wanli for forty-four years and served as an official in North Korea for many years. He is insidious and treacherous, and he is in cahoots with eunuch Wei Zhongxian. Provoke North Korea's foul smoke. In the first year of Chongzhen in Ming Dynasty, eunuch Wei Zhongxian was killed. Ruan Dayou, as a thief, was dismissed by the court and retired to Nanjing. Ruan Dacheng, who lost his position, is not willing to bury himself. He made friends with Jianghu people in Nanjing and secretly planned to make a comeback. The righteous men in Jiangnan and Wu saw through Ruan Dayue's sinister intentions and exposed his conspiracy. Ruan Daguo was angry and afraid, but at this time he had no right and no way to do anything with them. He had to close the door and live in seclusion. He only goes out with Ma Shiying in secret. He, Wu, and others have formed close friends because of their like-mindedness. When Ruan Daguo learned that Hou Fangyu was short of money in Nanking, he immediately got through the joint and wanted Yang Longyou to give the money to Hou Fangyu. In order to prevent him from refusing, he began to let Yang Longyou hide temporarily. The purpose of doing this is nothing more than trying to ease the relationship with Chen Zhenhui and others by wooing Hou Fangyu, so that they will not kill each other and do whatever they want. Hou Fangyu was very angry when he learned the truth. He has always hated Ruan Dayue's character and treachery. He once praised the criticism of Chen Zhenhui and others. Now he unconsciously used Ruan Dayue's money. How could he not be disgusted? He is determined to return the money to Ruan Dayue immediately to cut off the traitor's bad intentions, but where can he raise the money at once? Li soon sensed his heart. Of course, I strongly support his idea to help him tide over the difficulties. Li sold some beloved jewelry and borrowed some money from his sisters. Finally, he scraped together enough money and gave it to Houlang. Xiang Jun's understanding deeply touched Hou Fangyu. He hugged her petite body and was too grateful to speak. The money was returned to Ruan Dazhao through Yang Longyou's hand. Ruan Dazhao was greatly humiliated when he saw this scene. He gnashed his teeth and said to himself, I am interested in climbing with them. These boys are too arrogant. I think one day I will give them some color to see see! As expected, things changed quickly. Li Zicheng attacked Beijing, and Emperor Chongzhen hanged himself. With the support of old ministers, Axe King and Zhu Yousong established a new dynasty in Hong Guang, and Ma Shiying became the ruling minister. Then Ruan Dayou was appointed assistant minister of the Ministry of War, and was later promoted to minister of the Ministry of War. Ruan Dacheng was in power, got carried away, and immediately set out to eliminate dissidents, and Wu was arrested and imprisoned in an instant. When Hou Fangyu learned the news, he knew that the black hand would reach out to him soon. Only by running away can he escape from this difficulty. This is a night without the moon and stars. The dim candlelight of Xiangmei Building reflects two inseparable people, and time goes by little by little. Tried to move several times, but stopped, hugged Li in her arms, and her eyes were full of sadness. He sighed and said; A bosom friend is rare in life, and it is sad to stay on earth. Why can't we not leave! With tears in her eyes, Li comforted her lover and said, "Only through the pain of parting can we have the joy of reunion. A good man is rewarded, how can he stifle his lofty aspirations in the Mei Building? Besides, the clutch of life depends on the heart, not the shape. If we can't be each other's soul mates, even if we share the same bed every day, it's like thousands of miles apart. As long as you and I are together forever, even though we are far apart, we can still dream of each other! Li's words gave a kind of fortitude and strength. He finally left Nanjing with tears in his eyes, crossed the river to the north and defected to Shi Kefa, an official of Yangzhou. Shi Kefa, a proté gé of Hou Fangyu's father, is honest. He stepped up training in Yangzhou, ready to resist the southward movement of the Qing army. Hou Fangyu was assigned to do clerical work beside Shi Kefa to fight against the Qing Dynasty and serve the country.
And make Hou Fangyu ambitious. He and Li often write to each other, pouring out the pain of lovesickness and talking about debt. Their hearts are closely linked. Since Houlang went, Li got the consent of Aunt Li, washed away the lead skin, closed the door and stared at the silk fan every day. Make it very clear that you should wait for the return of your son wholeheartedly. Many curious and gorgeous high-ranking officials refused to give up and came to her door one after another. However, the woman insisted on eating heavily and refused resolutely, so the guests had to look at the floor and sigh. However, it didn't take long for a difficult person to appear, that is, Tian Yang, who was responsible for supervising the grain transportation from Yangzhou to Nanjing. He was a great help to the Hong Guang Dynasty and became a favorite of Emperor Hong Guang. Ma Shiying and Ruan Dacheng held a grand banquet in Hong Guang to welcome Tian Yang. During the dinner, Tian Yang said that he had heard the name of Li, a famous prostitute in Qinhuai River, and wanted to accept her as his concubine. This will allow Ruan Daguo to seize the opportunity. He had long wanted to get back at Li, but he was about to leave, and he couldn't start. Now, if you give Li to Tian Yang as a concubine, on the one hand, you will please Tian Yang, on the other hand, you will tear up their mandarin ducks to vent your anger. Isn't it killing two birds with one stone! The next day, Ruan Dayue sent someone to the building with a large sum of money, but Li refused without consulting. She said: "Although Hou Gongzi is wandering, he will come back one day. I have refused many people's hospitality before, and it is certainly impossible to accept Tian's dowry today. Who knows that there is still persuasion, and the sedan chair that got married there has come to Xiangmei downstairs. This is a strong marriage plan ordered by Ruan Daguo. The wedding team was outnumbered, and Aunt Li couldn't stop it. She has rushed into the building, and she didn't have the strength to stop until people were carried away. Li was cornered and had to pretend to agree. It is said that you should go back to your house to dress up and get on the sedan chair at once. The married man sat in the living room downstairs for quite a while when he suddenly heard a muffled sound outside the building, and then the maid-in-waiting exclaimed, "No, miss jumped off the building!" " "The people in the house were taken aback and hurriedly jumped up and ran outside to check. I saw Li lying in the yard, motionless, and a stream of blood flowed from her head, staining her cheeks and skirts. The white silk fan sent by Hou Fangyu is still in her arms, and it is covered with blood. Seeing the murder, the married man was too scared to pester again and slipped back silently with a sedan chair. Aunt Li and the sisters of Meixianglou carried Li back to the house and called for a doctor at once. Yang Longyou, who lives nearby, heard the news and rushed over. The yard was empty, only the bloody silk fan fell to the ground alone. Yang Longyou picked up the silk fan and looked at it for a long time. Li's chastity left a deep impression on him, and a wonderful idea formed in his mind. After visiting Li, who was unconscious, Yang Longyou left the building with a silk fan, returned home, immediately sat down in the study, took out an unused sheepfold, stained some blood on the fan, and the blood turned into a bright peach blossom. Then he used ink to make a little contrast on the branches and leaves, and a burning peach blossom picture was completed. Yang Longyou pondered the fan for a long time and wrote three small peach blossom fans on it.
Later, many things happened. Lang was framed. Li had no choice but to go to Suzhou under the care of Su Kunsheng. Because of the hard work all the way, she was extremely sad mentally and she was seriously ill. The situation in Suzhou is relatively calm. After many twists and turns, Li found his old friend Bian Yujing. Bian Yujing was a famous prostitute in Qinhuai and befriended Li. Two years ago, she moved to Suzhou and built an elegant yard in the mountain pond of Tiger Hill. Seeing friends fleeing, Bian Yujing warmly accepted Li to stay in the small courtyard and invited famous doctors to treat her. After several diagnoses, Li realized that he was suffering from tuberculosis. At that time, there was no cure for the disease, and he could only nourish and recuperate, barely extending his life.
Ill Li misses Houlang very much. She held the bloody peach blossom fan day and night, remembering Hou Lang's voice and smile, and tears soaked her skirt.
Later, on her deathbed, she struggled to get Bian Yujing to cut off a lock of hair for herself, carefully wrapped it, tied it to a peach blossom fan that was more precious than life, and then gave it to Bian Yujing to give it to Hou.
Yu Fang, who left his last words, said, "Your son should keep a festival for Daming and not become a foreigner. I will remember your son's love in the grave. "