Old Han told a story: dancing horses

In the late autumn of 783, the weather in Chang'an City became colder. In order to relieve the siege of Xiangcheng, Tang Dezong ordered the soldiers and horses of jingyuan provinces to rescue Xiangcheng. The officers and soldiers who rescued Xiangcheng thought that they could get a generous reward from the imperial court, who knows, when they left Chang'an City, they would not see the rewards and would not have enough to eat. In anger, the soldiers threatened one after another: We are about to die in battle, but we can't even eat enough, so what do we have to take against the enemy? I heard that there were gold and silver treasures in the treasury of the palace, so we might as well share them. Thus, the "Jingyuan Mutiny" broke out.

On the day that the rebels invaded Chang'an, Liu Zhen heard the noise outside the house getting louder and louder, and urged his wife to quickly collect the gold and silver. Madame was busy putting the gilded dancing horsebit cup silver pot into the package, and Liu Zhen unexpectedly recalled the grand scene of Xuanzong's birthday for no reason.

On the fifth day of August of that year, Emperor Xuanzong feasted on his courtiers at the Qinzheng Building of Xingqing Palace, and a hundred dancing horses helped him. I saw rows of dancing horses dancing neatly with the song "pouring cup music", sometimes in an elegant posture, sometimes in a cute posture. After the performance of the group of horses, a dancing horse was led to the forefront, holding a golden cup and bending his knees to pay homage to the emperor. At that time, he had just entered the DYNASTY and stood in the midst of the crowd with great vigor.

The lady packed up, and Liu Zhen and his family tried to escape from the south gate of Chang'an City. As early as yesterday, his nephew Wang Xianke had already taken his orders to load the taxes, silver, gold, silver, and treasures collected by the imperial court in recent days and load twenty carts to flee first.

At this time, the rebels of Zhu Zhu and others had occupied the Hanyuan Hall of daming palace. When the guards saw that Liu Zhen was going to flee, they said that they did not dare to let him go, and Liu Zhen had to return home.

Liu Zhenping retired from the idle people and whispered to his wife: "You and I have not escaped from the city this time, and the future is really difficult to predict." You quickly go and take two clay urns and bury them in the ground, hoping that the court will fight back, and they will see the light of day. Madame listened and burst into tears.

Liu Zhen sat down in a chair, stroking the silver sachet of grapes and birds, and his heart became a pot of porridge. Remembering the "Anshi Rebellion" of that year, he fled with Xuanzong to Ma Songpo, and Xuanzong strangled his beloved Yang Guifei with a ribbon to reassure the army. After quelling the chaos, Emperor Xuanzong ordered Gao Lishi to go to Ma Songpo to find the remains of the noble concubine, and when Gao Lishi returned, he only said, "Inside the grave, only the sachet is still there."

In the midst of the turmoil, the noble concubine could not be saved, that time he luckily escaped with his life, this time?

The lady folded the clay urn in her hand, and the two hurriedly packed the valuable treasures of the family and the silver cakes collected from Huaiji, Huan'an and other places into the urn, and ordered the servants to be buried in the backyard.

The next day, Liu Zhen watched the domestic servants clean up the house that had just been turned over by the rebels, and his heart was both happy and uneasy. Fortunately, the tax and silver jewelry had been transferred and buried the day before and yesterday, and although the rebels had rummaged through the entire house today, they had found nothing except for some scattered silver and two pieces. What is uneasy is how will tomorrow face the early dynasty of the pseudo-emperor Zhu Zhu, whether to yield or surrender?

At night, Liu Zhen looked at the moonlight outside the window and pondered bitterly, and did not sleep all night. At dawn, he dreamed of the dancing horse that offered wine to Xuanzong. The dancing horse was full of tears, and said to Liu Zhen, after the "Anshi Rebellion", it went out with the rebels, and because it danced with songs in the army, it was considered to be possessed by the lonely Tian Chengsi, and ordered the soldiers to beat him to death. Liu Zhen woke up in the tears of the dancing horse, and cold sweat soaked through his clothes.

In July of the following year, another rebel leader, Li Huaiguang, broke with Zhu Zhu, who was killed by his subordinates while on the run, and Emperor Dezong of Tang returned to Chang'an.

On the night that Emperor Dezong returned to Chang'an, Lady Liu said to Liu Zhen, "Husband, should we dig up the treasure buried in the backyard?" The emperor has returned to Beijing, and everything is in ruins to be revived, and it is precisely when the silver is used that we must ask about the tax and silver of the national treasury, and we will dedicate it to the imperial court, and perhaps we can also be promoted to an official. ”

Liu Zhen frowned and paced back and forth, not saying a word for a long time. Madame asked, "Husband, why don't you talk?" ”

"You know what! I have ordered someone to send a letter to Wang Xianke, and if he rushes back to Chang'an before the emperor punishes the rebels, you and I can still save our lives, otherwise there will be no excuse. ”

Without waiting for Wang Xianke to return, Emperor Dezong ordered liu Zhen's family to be imprisoned, and did not give him any chance to plead.

"Shangshu was a hypocrite officer, and both he and his wife were sentenced to capital punishment." In just two sentences, Liu Zhen and his wife, together with all the officials who surrendered during the "Jingyuan Mutiny", were executed.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, the sun was poisoning.

Before the execution, Liu Zhen clearly shouted out two words: "Dancing horse! (Author Tong Treasurer)