In the ancient history of our country, many scholars, for the sake of glory and wealth, climbed the emperor's relatives and relatives, hoping to use their strength to soar to the sky. The best way to attach to the relatives of the emperor is to marry them. Among them, the typical representative is Chen Shimei, who actually abandoned his wife and children in order to become a donkey. Of course, not every man is willing to become a donkey, and some people even commit self-harm in order to escape marriage. Today, Xiaobian will introduce you to a young talent who does not want to be a donkey.
The name Wang Xizhi must have been heard of by everyone. This person is not only a famous calligrapher in ancient China, but also played a positive role in promoting the development of the history of calligraphy in China, and his masterpiece "Orchid Pavilion Preface" is also known as "the first line of books under the heavens". Even a person like Tang Taizong, who had seen the world, would be buried with his Orchid Pavilion Preface after death. Under the influence of Wang Xizhi, his sons' calligraphy achievements were also extraordinary, especially the younger son Wang Xianzhi, who was collectively known as the "Second King" by posterity.
Wang Xianzhi (王献之), courtesy name Zijing (字子敬), was the seventh son of Wang Xizhi (王羲之). He was very talented and prestigious from an early age, and although he stayed at home all day, no one dared to underestimate him. He grew up learning calligraphy with his father, and he was also fascinated by this way, and had no intention of pursuing a career. Coupled with the fact that his father bought a lot of pastoral villas, he was even more worried about eating and drinking. Once, Wang Xianzhi, together with his brothers Wang Huizhi and Wang Cao, visited Xie An, the chancellor of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. The two brothers tried their best to express themselves in front of Xie An, and Wang Xianzhi greeted Xie An without being salty.
After the Wang brothers left, the people around them asked Xie An, "Which of the three brothers do you think is better?" Xie An said: "The small one is better." The people around him asked, "Why do you say that?" Xie An said: "But whoever achieves great things must be less silent, and you see that he does not talk much, so he must be the best person." Later, under his mother's arrangement, Wang Xianzhi married his cousin Xi Daomao.
After Wang Xianzhi got married, he and Xi Daomao were harmonious and lived a very happy life. But the good times did not last long, and this happy life was broken. It turned out that Sima Daofu, the daughter of Emperor Jianwen of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, had a crush on Wang Xianzhi. Sima Daofu's ex-husband was Huan Wen's son Huan Ji, who was demoted after Huan Ji's usurpation of military power, and Emperor Jianwen divorced his daughter. After Sima Daofu divorced, Emperor Jianwen vowed to find a good family for his daughter. Sima Daofu picked and chose, and finally fell in love with Wang Xianzhi.
On the one hand, Wang Xianzhi is a young talent and a family member. On the other hand, Wang Xianzhi was born in the Langya Wang clan of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and his identity was also worthy of the royal family. But there was still a major obstacle at that time, that is, Wang Xianzhi's wife Xi Daomao. Soon, Sima Daofu thought of a way to drive xi Daomao away, that is, the problem of heirs. The ancients said: "There are three filial pieties, and no queen is greater." And this "queen" mainly refers to the son. Xi Daomao had only one daughter, and he was unable to give birth to a son to the Wang family, and according to the etiquette system, he could divorce his wife. So Sima Daofu went to his father and asked him to order Wang Xianzhi to divorce his wife and remarry.
A holy decree came down, and Wang Xianzhi was momentarily confused. In order to resist marriage, Wang Xianzhi burned his legs to the bone with wormwood, and then told the princess: "I am now a cripple, and I am not worthy of the princess, so the princess should choose another son-in-law!" But the princess said, "Even if you are really lame, I will marry you." Later, under political pressure, Wang Xianzhi was forced to marry a princess, while Xi Daomao never remarried for the rest of his life and kept the festival for Wang Xianzhi.