Seeing this title, I am afraid it is easy to think of the story of Wu Dalang in "Water Margin". Wu Dalang was selling cooking cakes for a living, accidentally married his wife Pan Jinlian, but was inserted by Ximen Qing, and died at the hands of Pan Jinlian, ending in a tragic end. However, "Water Margin" is a novel story after all, and what we are talking about today is a real scene of history, and it is Li Xian, the king of Ning of the Tang Dynasty, who snatched his wife.
Li Xian, whose original name was Li Chengqi, was the eldest son of Li Dan of Tang Ruizong. Logically, after Li Dan ascended the throne, he should be the ironclad heir to the throne. However, the reason why Li Dan was able to become emperor was because the third son Li Longji and his sister Princess Taiping launched the TangLong coup and supported him to sit on the dragon chair. Don't say that Li Xian has not made any achievements in this process, even Li Dan does not have the prestige of Li Longji.
At that time, history seemed to have entered a new cycle. Li Xian is very similar to Li Jiancheng, and Li Longji is a copy of Li Shimin. However, the cowardly Li Xian made his own choice, he took the initiative to ask his younger brother Li Longji to be crown prince, willing to become an idle prince, was named the King of Ning, and even posthumously awarded the title of Emperor Rang after his death.
This concession really changed history, and only then did it have the later Kaiyuan prosperity and the anshi chaos. However, Li Xian can tolerate his strong brother, but he is not so polite to ordinary people. Meng Di of the Tang Dynasty once recorded in the "Benshi Poem":
King Xian of Ning was rich and prosperous, spoiling dozens of prostitutes, all of whom were absolutely beautiful. There is a wife of a bread seller on the left side of the house, who is white and clear, and the king sees the genus, and he leaves his husband to take it, and spoils him.
Here, Li Xian is not much different from Ximen Qing, he obviously has dozens of pet concubines, good color and art, but he still cares about the wife of the cake seller. After falling in love with him at first sight, he gave a lot of money to the bread seller and took away the wife of the family. Of course, his status was much higher than Ximen Qing's, and naturally there was no need to harm people's lives. This incident is also recorded in the "Ancient and Modern Poetry", "Wine Garden Poetry" and other documents, which is highly credible.
If the wife of the bread seller is like this, but she is dead, of course, it will not attract attention. After all, stories like this have been countless in thousands of years of feudal dynasties. However, the subsequent development became a good story.
Li Xian, the King of Tangning, was very fond of this concubine, but rarely saw her smile. So he asked the concubine if she was still worried about her original husband. The woman was silent, and of course Li Xian saw her thoughts and ordered someone to call a cake seller. As a result, when the husband and wife met, they burst into tears, and the woman's tearful eyes were full of affection, and it was no longer the usual ghostly appearance.
The people who were present at that time all sighed. Li Xian is also a person of elegance, and seeing this scene, there is actually Yaxing who orders people to write poems. The author is the great poet Wang Wei, who wrote this poem "Lady Xie":
Don't be spoiled in the present, unforgettable old days.
Look at the flowers full of tears, do not share the words of the king.
The title is called Lady Shi, as if it has nothing to do with this scene, but in fact, it involves another allusion. Lady Xi was originally the wife of the monarch of the State of Chu, and after the State of Chu was destroyed, the King of Chu took her for himself and gave birth to two sons. However, Lady Xi never said a word in the Chu Palace, and the King of Chu was curious and asked her why. Madame Xi said, "A maid and a second husband, even if she can't die, what else can she say?" ”
Neither Mrs. Shi nor the wife of the bread seller responded to the powerful with the most resolute attitude. By the standards of feudal society, they were not martyrs. However, according to human nature, it is very rare for them to give their lives without forgetting their roots, and to be deeply loved but to resist silently. Whether in ancient times or in modern times, there are too many people who love vanity, men can abandon their wives for the sake of glory and wealth, and women prefer to sit in a BMW and cry for enjoyment.
In contrast, the two weak women, who have endured humiliation and burdens, have made admirable choices. Therefore, Wang Wei will borrow the ancient irony of the present and sing the praises of their virtues. Every word in the whole poem is in the narrative, but every word is expressing feelings. It seems to be euphemistic and subtle, but it portrays the unreasonable hegemony of the powerful and the silent resistance of women to the fullest. It is a five-word poem, only 20 words, but it captures the most conflicting and inclusive moment, inspiring the reader to think endlessly.
Perhaps Li Xian's conscience found out, or perhaps Wang Wei's poem was too contagious, he made a decision on the spot, let the cake seller take his wife, and let the couple break the mirror and reunite. Modern people may not think much of this, but in ancient feudal society, this was already a great grace. Although he did something wrong, he can still start from human nature and be a good person.