After Liang Xiaowang's death, Xiang Ru had to return to Chengdu. But the family is poor and there is no job to support themselves. Xiangru and Lin Qiong county magistrate Wang Ji have always had a good relationship. Wang Ji said, "Evergreen, you have been away from home for a long time and are not satisfied with your work. You can come and see me. " So Xiangru went to Lin Qiong and lived in a small pavilion in the city. Lin Qiong county magistrate pretends to be respectful and visits Xiangru every day. At first, Xiang Ru was treated with courtesy. Later, he lied that he was ill and asked his entourage to refuse Ji Wang's visit. But Ji Wang is more cautious and respectful. There are many rich people in Lin Qiong County. For example, there are 800 domestic slaves in Zhuo Wangsun's family and hundreds of domestic slaves in his family. The two men discussed with each other and said, "The county magistrate has a distinguished guest. We are going to have a banquet, please invite him. " Please also ask the county magistrate. When the magistrate arrived at Zhuojia, Zhuojia had hundreds of guests. At noon, I went to ask Sima Changqing, but Changqing refused to come on the grounds of illness. Lin Qiongling didn't come to see Xiangru, so she didn't dare to eat. She went to see Xiangru herself. As a last resort, I reluctantly came to Zhuo's home, and all the guests were amazed at his style. When the wine was hot, the magistrate of Lin Qiong stepped forward, put the piano in front of Xiangru and said, "I heard that Changqing likes playing the piano very much, and I hope to listen to a song to help me enjoy myself." Like a polite refusal, he played a tune or two. At this time, Prince Zhuo had a daughter named Wen Jun, who had just been widowed and liked music very much, so he pretended to be respectful to the county magistrate and secretly seduced his feelings with the piano. Xiang Ru came to Qionglai, followed by horses and chariots, handsome, quiet and elegant, very generous. When Zhuo Wangsun was drinking and playing the piano, Zhuo Wenjun peeked at him through the crack of the door. He is very happy and especially likes him, but he is afraid that he will not understand his mood. After the banquet, Xiang Ru entrusted a large sum of money to the waiter in Wen Jun to express her affection. So Zhuo Wenjun ran away from home overnight, eloped with Wen Jun and hurried back to Chengdu. When I walked into the house, there was nothing but four walls. When Zhuo Wangsun learned the news of his daughter's elopement, he was furious and said, "My daughter is extremely useless. I can't bear to hurt her, but I won't give her money. " Someone advised Zhuo Wangsun, but he wouldn't listen. After a long time, Wen Jun felt unhappy and said, "Evergreen, as long as you go to Lin Qiong with me, you can make a living by borrowing money from your brothers. Why not make yourself so miserable! " Xiangru came to Lin Qiong with Wen Jun, sold all his horses and chariots, bought a hotel and started selling wine. And let Wen Jun personally preside over the wine bureau to handle customer affairs, put on calf nose pants, work with employees, and wash wine in the downtown area. After hearing this, Zhuo Wangsun felt ashamed and stayed at home. Some brothers and elders tried their best to persuade Zhuo Wangsun, saying, "You have a son and two daughters, and what you lack at home is not money. Now, Wen Jun has become the wife of Sima Changqing, and Changqing has long been tired of running away from home. Although he is poor, he is really a talent and can be relied on completely. Besides, he is a guest of the county magistrate. Why is he so despised? " When he got married, Sun had to give 100 slaves, 1 million yuan, clothes, bedding and all kinds of belongings. Wen Jun returned to Chengdu, bought a field and a house, and became a rich family.
After a long time, Yang Deyi, a native of Shu County, served as a dog supervisor and served the Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty. One day, Emperor Wu read Zixu's Fu and thought it was well written. He said, "I can't be with this author at the same time." Yang Deyi said: "My countryman Sima Xiangru claimed that he wrote this poem." Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was very surprised, so he called in Xiang Ru to ask questions. Xiang Ru said, "There is such a thing. However, this fu is only written about princes and is not worth reading. Please let me write an article about the emperor's hunting, and then I will present it to the emperor. " Emperor Wu agreed and ordered Shangshu to give him a pen and a wooden slip. Xiang Ru uses the fictional word "Zi Xu" to state the beauty of Chu. This is the case with "Mr. Wu", which is used by Qi to refute Chu. "Doing nothing for the public" means that there is no such person to clarify the truth of being the son of heaven. So under the cover of these three people, I wrote an article, which interpreted the beautiful scene of the emperor and his ministers. The theme of the last chapter of Fu boils down to frugality to persuade the monarch. After giving Fu to the emperor, the emperor was very happy.
When this poem was written for the emperor, the emperor appointed Xiang Ru as Lang Guan. It is nothing more than the vastness of the nominal forest garden, valleys, springs, everything, and the so-called Yunmengze of Zixu. There are many things that are extravagant and wasteful, which are not advocated by etiquette. Therefore, delete the main points, return to the right path and comment on them.
As a Langguan for several years, just like Tang Meng was ordered to plunder Yelang and his Xibo, he recruited thousands of officials from Ba and Shu counties and more than 10,000 land and water transportation personnel from West County. He also killed the guards with wartime laws and regulations, which greatly shocked and frightened the Bashu people. Hearing this, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent Xiang Ru to blame Tang Meng, and took this opportunity to tell the people of Bashu that what they did was not the original intention of Qin Shihuang. A movement said:
Inform Ba and Shu Taishou that barbarians are good at soldiers, refuse to obey the imperial court, and invade the border for a long time, which makes the literati miserable. Today, the emperor ascended the throne, saved his shirt to appease the world, and made China peaceful and harmonious. Then the soldiers were sent to the north to crusade against the Huns, so that they were shocked by Khan's terror, bowed their knees and made peace. Kangju and other western countries also translated and communicated with each other, requesting to appear before Emperor Wu, kowtowing devoutly and offering tributes. Then the army pointed to the east, and the king of Fujian and Yue was killed by his brother. Then the army went to Panyu, and the king of South Vietnam sent Prince Ying to Korea. The king of Nanyi, the Lord of Xiqiao, always pays tribute and taxes, and dares not neglect it. Everyone craned their necks, held their heads high, admired the court and fought for justice. They are willing to be the courtiers of the Han Dynasty, but the road is long and the mountains and rivers are separated, so they can't meet the monarch of the Han Dynasty in person. Now, those who disobey are punished, but those who do good deeds are not rewarded, so the corps commander is sent to treat them with courtesy and let them surrender. As for Bashu's recruitment of 500 foot soldiers, it was originally just to present gifts and protect the emissary from accidents. Unexpectedly, it went to the battlefield and caused the disaster of the war. Now the emperor heard that the corps commander actually used wartime decrees, which frightened the children of Bashu and worried the elders of Bashu about disaster. It is not the emperor's intention for the two counties of Bashu to transport grain for the corps commander without authorization. As for conscripts, some run away and some kill each other, which is not the moral integrity of ministers.
When the foot soldiers in the border counties heard the news that the bonfire was held high and the smoke was ignited, they all bowed their heads and rushed to the battlefield, carrying weapons, and everyone was sweating for fear of falling behind; To start a war, you must encounter a sword, risk being hit by a stream vector, and never look back. You can never expect to turn around and run back. Everyone was angry, as if in revenge. Wouldn't they rather die than live? Are they not registered citizens, but monarchs like Ba and Shu? It's just that they are profound and long-term, preoccupied with the national crisis, and like to do their best to fulfill the obligations of their subjects. Therefore, some of them were rewarded by the government, some were knighted, located in Liehou, and their houses were arranged in the east. After their death, they can pass on the noble posthumous title to their descendants, and pass on the land they have given to them. They are very loyal to their work and are very comfortable when they are officials. Their good reputation will be passed on to future generations, and their achievements will be outstanding and will never die. Therefore, a virtuous person can spread his liver and brain all over the floor, and blood will not hesitate to moisten weeds. And now, just take the responsibility of giving money and silks to Nanyi, and they will commit suicide or escape and be punished, come to a bad end. Their posthumous title should be called "the stupidest", and their shame will implicate their parents and be laughed at by the whole world. Isn't the gap between people's tolerance and talent far away? But this is not just the applicant's fault. My brothers and sisters never gave him a strict education, nor did they carefully set an example for their children. People lack the virtue of honesty and shameless, so the world is dishonest. Therefore, it is natural that they were convicted of murder.
The emperor was worried that messengers and officials were like that, and ignorant people were so sad, so he sent messengers to tell the people clearly about the conscription, and took the opportunity to accuse them of disloyalty to the court and not dying for national affairs, and reprimanded the three old people and their filial brothers for not performing their teaching duties well. Now is the busy farming season, which has repeatedly troubled the people. I have seen the situation in the nearby county with my own eyes, and I am worried that people in remote valleys and mountainous areas will not hear the voice of the emperor. As soon as this article arrived, I quickly distributed it to the people of the county road to let them know the emperor's wish today. Don't forget!
Xiang Ru completed his mission and returned to Beijing to report to Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty. Tang Meng plundered Yelang and opened it. He took the opportunity to open the road to the southwest, recruiting from Pakistan, Shu and Guanghan. Thousands of people took part in the road construction. The road was built for two years, but it was not finished. Many foot soldiers died and spent hundreds of millions of dollars. People in Shu had many rivals with those in power in Han Dynasty. At this time, the monarchs of Qionglai and Ruan heard that Nanyi was related to the Han Dynasty and got a lot of rewards, so most of them wanted to be courtiers of the Han Dynasty, hoping to compare the treatment of Nanyi and ask the Han Dynasty to appoint them as official posts. When the emperor asked Xiang Ru about it, Xiang Ru said, "Qiong (Qiong), Zuo (Yesterday), Ran and Mang (Busy) are all close to Shu, and the road is easy to open. Counties were established in the Qin Dynasty, and they were not abolished until the founding of the Han Dynasty. Now it is really necessary to reopen the county, and its value exceeds that of Nanyi. " The emperor thought Xiangru was right, so he appointed Xiangru as a corps commander and ordered him to observe the festival and go to the embassy. Yu, Hu, Lu and so on. Riding four horses, driving a Mercedes, relying on the official property of Pakistan and Shu, I traveled all over the southwest. When Xiang Ru and others arrived in Shu County, the magistrate of Shu County and its subordinate officials greeted Xiang Ru in the suburbs, and the county magistrate led the way with bows and arrows, which made Shu people proud. So Zhuo Wangsun and Lin Qiong came to Xiangru's door by virtue of their relationship, offering cows and wine to Xiangru and talking about joy. Sun sighed and thought it was too late to marry his daughter, so he gave him a rich fortune to share with his son. Sima Xiangru suppressed the barbarians in the southwest. The monarchs of Qiong, Ru, Ran, Yan, and other countries all demanded to be courtiers of the Han Dynasty. So the old pass was demolished, and the border pass was expanded, reaching Moshui and Ruoshui in the west and Tsui Hark in the south. Taking this as the boundary, Lingguan Road was opened, and a bridge was built in Sun Mizunokami, connecting Qionglai and Ruwa directly. Xiang Ru returned to Beijing to report to the emperor, and the emperor was particularly happy.
Like going to the southwest, most of the elders in Shu County said it was useless to talk about the southwest, even some court ministers thought so. Xiangru also wanted to remonstrate with the emperor, but this suggestion was put forward by himself, so he dared not remonstrate. So he wrote an article, under the guise of the elders in Shu County, to cross-examine each other himself, so as to satirize the emperor, publicize his original intention of going to the embassy, and let the people know the emperor's mind.
So the doctors were at a loss, forgetting their own purpose and what they wanted to say, and they all said with deep feelings: "convincing, the virtue of the Han Dynasty! This is what humble people want to hear. Although the people are a little lazy, please allow us to set an example for them. " The doctors were so disappointed that they retreated voluntarily, delayed for a while and left.
After that, someone wrote to tell the other party that he went out to take bribes, so he lost his official position. He stayed at home for more than a year and was called to the court as a Langguan.
I like stuttering, but I am good at writing articles. He often suffers from diabetes. After he married Zhuo Wenjun, he was very rich. As an official, he never wants to discuss state affairs with officials, but stays at home because of illness and doesn't respect official positions. He once went hunting in Changyang Palace with the emperor. At this time, the son of heaven liked to kill bears and pigs himself, chase wild animals with horses, and admonish them, as if they were above. At the top, he wrote:
Ministers heard that although some things are similar, they have different abilities. They praised Wu Huo's strength, Qing Ji's agility and good shooting, and called Meng Zhi and Yu Xia's bravery. I am stupid, and privately think that people have this kind of situation, and animals should also have this kind of situation. Now your majesty likes to climb dangerous places and shoot wild animals. Suddenly, he met an agile beast. While you were unprepared, it attacked violently and rushed at your driver and entourage. Drivers don't have time to spin, and people don't have a chance to show their skills. Even with the skills of Wu Huo and Feng Meng, they can't exert their strength. Dead trees and rotten piles can be a disaster. It's like the Hu people and the Yue people appear under the wheel, and the Qiang people and Yi people follow the car. Isn't it dangerous? Although it is absolutely safe and harmless, this is not the place where the son of heaven should be close.
In addition, if you clear the road before you go, choose to run in the middle of the road, sometimes the armature in the horse's mouth will break and the hook of the axle will fall off. What's more, trekking in Artemisia grass and running on barren hills and ruins will make you happy to hunt wild animals in front, but you are unprepared for sudden accidents. It is likely that disaster will happen easily. As for demeaning the noble status of the king, I don't think it's happiness, but I'd like to be in a place that is a little dangerous despite all the preparations. Personally, I don't think your majesty should do this.
Probably a discerning person can see things before they happen, and a wise person can avoid them before they form. Most disasters are hidden in dark places and happen when people are careless. Therefore, the proverb says, "A thousand dollars is accumulated at home, and you don't sit under the eaves." Although this sentence is a trivial matter, it can be used to illustrate major events. I hope your majesty will pay attention to it.
The emperor thought that Sima Xiangru spoke very well. When I came back, I passed by Yichun Palace, paying tribute to the emperor and mourning Qin Ershi's mistake. Fu's exact words are:
Climb up the long sloping hillside and walk into the palace with tall buildings together. Overlooking the winding shore of Qujiang Lake, overlooking the rugged Nanshan. The rocks are high and deep, and the unobstructed valley suddenly opens up. The stream flowed away quickly and poured into the wide and low waterside highlands. Enjoy the beautiful scenery of lush trees and browse the dense bamboo forests. Run to the heaped-up mountains in the east, lift your clothes and walk across the rapids on the beach. Wandering slowly, passing by the tomb of II, mourning for him. His own indiscretion led to the destruction of the country and the loss of power. He listened to rumors and refused to wake up, making the ancestral temple extinct. Alas! His moral integrity is not right, his grave is deserted and nobody cares, his soul has nowhere to go, and no one sacrifices to him; Go far, far, beyond time, beyond darkness. Like a ghost, the soul flew into the sky and passed away after nine days. Alas!
Xiang Ru was awarded the order of Emperor Wendi's Cemetery. Emperor Wu praised Zi Xu's story and saw that the emperor liked Xiandao very much. He took the opportunity to say: "The story of going to the forest is not the best, there are more beautiful things. I once wrote "Adult Fu", but I haven't finished it yet. Please allow me to write it and dedicate it to the emperor. " Xiangru thought that the legendary immortal lived in a deep mountain swamp, and his physical appearance was particularly thin. This is not the immortal in the emperor's mind, so he wrote "Adult Fu".
Xiangru has already praised his adult, and the son of heaven is very happy. He has the spirit of transcending the sky and his mood is as comfortable as traveling between heaven and earth.
Xiangru has been relieved of his post due to illness and lives in Maoling. The son of heaven said, "Sima Xiangru is very ill, so you can send someone to get all his books back;" If you don't do this, you will lose it in the future. "He sent Zhong Zhong to Mauling, as if he were dead, and there were no books at home. When asked about his wife, she replied, "Evergreen has never had a book. He always writes books and others always take them away, so his home is always empty. Changqing wrote a book when he was still alive. He said that if a messenger came to get it, he would present it. There are no other books. "The book he left behind is about Zen and dedicated to his loyalty. Zhong Zhong dedicated the book to the son of heaven, and the son of heaven was amazed at his book.
Five years after Sima Xiangru's death, the son of heaven began to worship the land god. Eight years after his death, the son of heaven finally offered sacrifices to Songshan Mountain in Zhongyue, then sealed Mount Tai and went to Fu Liang, where Zen stood in awe.
Xiang Ru's other works, such as Ping (Wei, Wei) Book, Wu Zi Nan, and The Book of Grass and Trees, are not listed here, but his particularly famous works among his ministers are listed here.
Tai Shigong said: The Spring and Autumn Annals can delve into extremely subtle aspects of things, while The Book of Changes was originally subtle but easy to understand. Daya talks about the virtues of nobles and common people, while Xiaoya satirizes the gains and losses of humble authors, but his rumors can influence government politics. Therefore, although the external manifestations of characters are different, their educational functions are consistent with those of soft texts. Although Xiangru's articles are full of false words and exaggerated sentences, their main purpose is frugality. What is the difference between this and the satirical purpose of The Book of Songs? Yang Xiong believes that Xiang Ru's gorgeous ci poems have a relationship of 100 to 1 between encouraging extravagant words and advocating frugality, just like playing Zheng and Wei's voices to the extreme and playing a little elegant music at the end of the song. Isn't this demeaning the value of Xiang Ru Ci? I collected some explanatory words from him and wrote them in this article.