From ancient times to the present, love is a word that makes countless resentful men and women cry for it, and the situation of birds flying in the blue sky is certainly desirable, but the cruel reality often shatters the dreams of countless couples, leaving only the legend that makes future generations strangle their wrists, and the love affair between Xiao Fengxian and Cai Yi in the Republic of China period is one of them.
She used to be a famous prostitute in Beijing, helped Cai E to escape from Beijing, and when she died of illness in her later years, she still held a photo of Cai E in her hand, but Cai E's descendants said that there was no real affection between them. Why?
Unfortunately, he fell into prostitution at an early age
Originally named Zhu Xiaofeng, Xiao Fengxian was born in August 1900, and her life experienced the most painful era in modern China. Zhu Xiaofeng has suffered misfortune since birth, and her father was a military attaché of the Fallen Eight Banners of Hangzhou. Her mother was a partial house, so she was always bullied by the main room in her life, and later she couldn't stand it and forced the mother and daughter to leave the main house to live alone.
After leaving the Zhu family, the days were worse than a day, and soon, her mother died of illness, and a nursing mother surnamed Zhang took her in. Therefore, Zhu Xiaofeng changed his surname to Zhang, and his name was also changed to Fengyun.
In 1911, when the Wuchang Uprising, Zhang Fengyun was staying with her nurse in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, working as a maid in the home of an official. The revolutionary army in Zhejiang attacked Hangzhou, and the artillery bombarded the patrolling Yamen, and the people in the city were in a panic.
Under the flames of war, Zhang Fengyun fled to Shanghai with his adoptive mother, and in the absence of a place to live, his adoptive mother let Zhang Fengyun learn to sing with an artist surnamed Hu, and later went to Nanjing City to sell singing for a living, and took a stage name, called Xiao Fengxian.
In the second year of the Republic of China, that is, in 1913, war broke out in Nanjing. In order to oppose Yuan Shikai's dictatorship and traitorous behavior, the Kuomintang launched a second revolution, the revolutionary army and the Beiyang army attacked each other in Nanjing, and the war that had stopped a few years ago was once again rekindled in the city of Nanjing, and Xiao Fengxian had to flee back to Shanghai from Nanjing with the artist surnamed Hu.
At this time, Xiao Fengxian had grown into a young girl, and she was favored by the novelist Zeng Pu and bought back as a slave. With Zeng Pu in Beijing, he was sold to Yunjiban, Shaanxi Lane, in the eight hutongs of Beijing, and thus became a prostitute.
Talented and beautiful, just happened to meet
Xiao Fengxian has suffered all kinds of ups and downs since childhood, learned many people's sophistication in the white eyes and bullying of others, and became a little beauty who was smart and clever in the eyes of others. And Xiao Fengxian herself is also very good at learning, rough ink, enjoy the lyrics, both can pull erhu, but also play the pipa, but also can sing Peking Opera, color in the capital, talent is outstanding, gradually, her reputation began to be known throughout the city.
At that time, Cai Yi was the governor of Yunnan, young, but with heavy troops in his hands, he was a powerful figure with considerable prestige in Yunnan. In order to win him over, Yuan Shikai recruited Cai Yi into Beijing, and at first Cai Yi also had illusions about Yuan Shikai, believing that he was the hope of saving China, so he gladly went to Beijing.
Cai Yi entered the capital, and after spending some time with Yuan Shikai, he sensed Yuan Shikai's ambition to become emperor and discovered Yuan Shikai's true face, and when Cai Yi objected, Yuan Shikai directly put Cai Yi under house arrest. Monitor Cai Yi and restrict him from leaving the capital to prevent uncontrollable threats.
Cai Yi had the ambition to maintain the republic and serve the country in his heart, and he also had loyal subordinates in Yunnan, and as long as he returned to Yunnan alone, he could immediately rebel against Yuan. But this is not easy for him to achieve at this moment in Beijing City, under the supervision of people. On the surface, Yuan Shikai had a lot of affection for him, but in fact, he was staring at him with a hundred eyes open, and once Cai Yi accidentally exposed his attempt to return to Yunnan, he might encounter the disaster of killing himself.
His inner thoughts encountered obstacles, and Cai Yi could only play around in the capital, hoping to use these pleasures to erase his inner depression.
At that time, Cai Yi lived in Cotton Hutong in Beijing's Xicheng, and after being monitored by Yuan Shikai and unable to return to Yunnan, he often dressed up as an ordinary person and wandered around the markets, theaters and eight hutongs to have fun in these places. In the Bada Hutong, he happened to meet Xiao Fengxian, and the first time of the two began.
When they first met, Cai Yi's superficial appearance was just an ordinary businessman, not a rich family. The old bustard of the brothel hated that he did not have any financial resources, so he beckoned Xiao Fengxian, who was not a prostitute at that time, to come and entertain him. The clever and clever Little Fengxian, at a glance, saw that Cai Yi was not an ordinary person, concluded that this guest had a hidden identity, and vigorously entertained, while secretly curious about his true identity in his heart. And Cai Yi also has a good feeling for this woman who talks well, but unfortunately falls into the dust.
Heroic liver and courage, help Cai Yi out of trouble
Early autumn of the 4th year of minkoku
Yang Du, Sun Yujun and others set up a preparatory committee in Beijing, intending to use this as a way to advocate for Yuan Shikai's restoration. Yang Du was a legendary figure in the political circles of the Republic of China period, believing in constitutional monarchy, while Sun Yujun was the elder of the League and a political leader of the Republic of China. At this time, both of them served as members of the Senate to participate in politics, and were co-opted by Yuan Shikai to fight for his restoration.
Cai Yi, who was in the capital, naturally could not escape Yang Du's invitation and had to deal with these people. At that time, Yang Du's personality was flowing, and the other people around him were also singing and dancing all day long, and Cai Yi wanted to enter this circle, so he had to find a female companion. Thinking about it, Cai Yi thought of Xiao Fengxian and felt that she was not an ordinary Qinglou woman, and it was convenient for him to cope with these payments. As a result, Xiao Fengxian has been with Cai Yi for a long time, and has been in and out with him.
In the process of getting along, Xiao Fengxian liked the young and handsome general more and more, so he told Cai Yi about his bumpy life without reservation, and Cai Yi was also honest with Xiao Fengxian, and the feelings between the two gradually warmed up.
But for Cai Yi, the national affairs are heavier than the love between men and women, although he is ostensibly raising a glass and laughing in the happy field, in fact, he still looks forward to returning to Yunnan as soon as possible in order to raise troops against Yuan and maintain the republic. The clever and clever Xiao Fengxian perceived the bitterness of the people around him, and after many exchanges, Cai Yi also confided in Xiao Fengxian his inner depression, and asked Xiao Fengxian to act with himself and help him get out.
The heroic Xiao Fengxian agreed to Cai Yi's request. In the following days, the two people got along every day, and the fight was fierce, Cai Yi couldn't even take care of his own wife, and there seemed to be only Xiao Fengxian in his eyes.
He couldn't take care of his official duties, and he was full of dogs and horses all day long, and in the eyes of others, the young general had been worn away by wine and his ambitions had been completely depraved.
Because of Xiao Fengxian, Cai Yizheng's wife had a big quarrel with him, and Cai Yi's house was also messed up, and a family farce was set out. When Yang Du saw this situation, his original wariness of Cai Yi was instantly relaxed. He went back to report to Yuan Shikai, who lamented that Cai Yi was an able talent who governed the country's major affairs, but he was not proper in governing the family.
Seeing That Cai E was caught up in family chores, Yuan Shikai greatly relaxed his custody of Cai E. One day, Cai Yi and Xiao Fengxian pretended to go out of the city to play, Cai Yi
He took the opportunity to flee Beijing
。 After Cai Yi escaped from his predicament and returned to Yunnan, he soon sent a telegram to attack Yuan Shikai, and Yuan Shikai's ambition to claim the title of emperor was also crushed in a wave of opposition.
In his later years, he fell, but his feelings were difficult to break
In November of the following year, Cai Yi fell ill
Laryngeal tuberculosis died in Japan
，
He was only 34 years old.
The news of Cai Yi's death reached Beijing, and Xiao Fengxian, who was still thinking of Cai Yi, was greatly shocked. Many people in Beijing's Central Park public worship Cai Yi, Xiao Fengxian also came to this sad place. The last place of separation between Cai Yi and Xiao Fengxian was Central Park, and Xiao Fengxian did not expect that the hasty parting at that time was so far that it was separated by people.
Xiao Fengxian may have hoped that Cai Yi would be able to remember himself and take himself back after completing his ambition to maintain the republic, but reality always made it difficult for lovers to make wishes. Now Xiao Fengxian can only wear a black veil to come here to pay tribute to her beloved.
Since Cai Yi's death, Xiao Fengxian began to fade away from her figure and live a life of incognito, and the world's attention to her gradually decreased. After that, Xiao Fengxian married a Liang surname of the Northeast Army
brigade
Chang, and followed him to move to Shenyang, and later, this Liang division commander died tragically.
In 1949, New China was just founded
She was married to a boilermaker surnamed Li in the northeast, who also carried a 14-year-old daughter. Soon after, the boilermaker died, leaving only Xiao Fengxian and a 14-year-old daughter. These days are sad, but they always have to live.
In 1951, Mei Lanfang rushed to Korea with the troupe to prepare to comfort the volunteer army to resist the United States and aid Korea, passing through Shenyang on the way, and happened to meet Xiao Fengxian. Mei Lanfang and Xiao Fengxian met, and he saw this depressed life of Xiao Fengxian and entrusted someone to arrange for Xiao Fengxian to work in a kindergarten.
In 1952, Xiao Fengxian unfortunately suffered from Alzheimer's disease, and his body was not as good as a day, and in 1954, Xiao Fengxian, who was in a bumpy state, unfortunately died, and before he died, he still held a photo of Cai Yi in his hand.
However, Cai Yi's descendants felt that Xiao Fengxian was self-made and sentimental, and there was no real affection between his father, Cai Yi, and Xiao Fengxian, and between them, they were just using each other. The exchange between the two people is only a part of Cai E's strategy of returning to Yunnan and raising troops to maintain the republic, Cai Yi has never moved his heart, and naturally there is no problem of falling in love with each other.
epilogue:
Cai E's descendants told this story, or the truth, or to maintain Cai E's reputation, the real inside story, under the haze of time, we do not know. However, Xiao Fengxian did have indelible feelings for Cai Yihu, and she did play a certain role in the process of Cai Yi escaping Yuan Shikai's surveillance and returning to Yunnan, and she also had some merits in maintaining the republic.
The past is like smoke and rain, the story of Xiao Fengxian and Cai Yi has long gone, leaving only the lamentation of love and endless reverie of posterity. The feelings between the two of them are the epitome of decades of modern history, reflected in the dreamlike love bubble, mixed with the turbulent and unstoppable historical tide, quietly passing away.