1600 years after her death, she is still the most sassy woman in China

That winter, the sky was covered with goose feathers and snow. My uncle held a cultural salon in the mansion in Wuyi Lane, Jiangnan, inviting men and women from the clan to discuss the anthology, and she was only about eight years old.

Snow, the heavier it falls. My uncle suddenly became interested, and turned around to test the junior of the clan: "What is the white snow like?" ”

Cousin Xie Lang was the first to rush to answer: "The difference between sprinkling salt in the air can be comparable." ”

Xie Lang was known among the clan as "knowledgeable and talented", so as soon as he spoke, everyone gave a thumbs up, only the uncle who asked the question did not say no.

"Not as if the willow rose because of the wind."

After a moment of silence, her answer rang loudly, breaking the tranquility of the air.

The uncle looked back and was deeply impressed by the immature figure of the little niece.

It was such an answer full of early wisdom, which changed her life trajectory and historical image, and she became a unique "talented woman" in the Wei and Jin era - Xie Daoyun.

01

Xie Daoyun's era was the golden age of the medieval aristocracy. Since the establishment of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the Shi clan gate has obtained absolute privileges in all aspects of society, and the weak imperial power has made the power pattern of "government in the Shi clan, priest Sima" continue the entire dynasty.

When Xie Daoyun's uncle Xie An stood tall in the court by defeating Huan Wen and defeating Fu Jian, people only followed the head of Chen Jun's Xie clan. Based on family fame alone, Xie Daoyun's starting point in life is the end of many people's struggle in a lifetime.

Xie Daoyun's uncle, named Xie An. Source: Network

As the "proud daughter of heaven", heaven also cares for her very much, in addition to her uncle Xie An, who loves her very much, there is also a father Xie Yi who has a deep influence on her.

Unlike Xie An's later confrontation with Huan Wen in the court, Xie Yi maintained a brotherly friendship with Huan Wen in his early years. At that time, Xie Yi and Huan Wen, one who loved to drink and was bold and unrestrained; A handout, timid as a mouse. Huan Wen couldn't drink Xie Yi, so he could only hide back in his wife's room and use the jealous Princess Nankang as a "shield". Xie Yi had no choice but to wander around the lobby of Huan Wen's house with good wine, and casually pulled a soldier to drink bitterly, saying that this was "a lost veteran, a veteran gained."

Comparing a horse to a big-headed soldier is already "disrespectful." Moreover, Xie Yi was still Sima under Huan Wen at that time, and such an impolite behavior was considered to be contempt for Shangfeng. But Huan Wen is not harsh on this. He called Xie Yi his "Fangwai Sima", and after he took control of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, he made this good brother the general of Yuzhou and Anxi. The rapid elevation of Xie Yi's status created conditions for the all-round rise of the Xie clan of Chen Jun later.

Xie Daoyun inherited his father's wild and unruly, dashing and frank personality.

She liked Zhuangzi's "wuwei" and was open to Confucius's etiquette. She believes that the eldest husband should do something, and Fang will live up to the seven-foot boy's drive. Therefore, when she saw that her younger brother Xie Xuan had nothing to do at home, and even learned badly from the disciples of the door, she was angry and angry: "Why do you grow a body and not a brain?" Isn't it addicted to the mundane world and thinks that his talent is limited? These words were like a basin of cold water that woke Xie Xuan up. Under the spur of his sister, Xie Xuan worked hard to become stronger, and later not only established epic military merits in the Battle of Shuishui, but also passed on the literary style of the Xie clan of Chen County to his descendants.

Xie Daoyun's younger brother and famous general Xie Xuan. Source: Network

After that heavy snowfall, Xie An once again convened the children of the clan to discuss learning, and Xie Xuan won full praise after his sister.

Xie An asked his son and nephew, with the prestige and wealth of our family, you don't have to worry about your livelihood, and you don't need to rack your brains in the court like your fathers to support the society, so why does the Xie family also pay attention to culture and education, requiring everyone to become talented?

Xie An's questions have always hit the nail on the head. Just when everyone hesitated and didn't know how to answer, Xie Xuan stood up and said, "For example, the Zhilan Jade Tree, I want it to be born in the court step ear. "It's like Zhilan jade trees, you always want them to grow in your own garden."

Xie An'an moved, and from then on he was impressed by Xie Xuan.

02

In the blink of an eye, the little talented girl who became famous in the snow has already come out.

In the marriage matter, Xie An hopes to find someone who can be trusted for life for his niece Xie Daoyun. But the marriage of the family in the Eastern Jin Dynasty was not a momentary hormonal impulse. The marriage between wealthy families pays attention to the matching of origin and the right of the door. Can be compared with the Chen County Xie clan, and can make Xie An move the mind of marriage, and there is only the Langxie Wang clan who "shares the world with the king and the horse".

At this time, most of the descendants of Wang Dun and Wang Dao were married. Only Xie An's good buddies, the "Book Saint" Wang Xi, still have a few school-age teenagers in the house.

Xie Daoyun's family and book saint Wang Xizhi. Source: Network

Although Xie Daoyun is talented, she can neither personally select Ruyi Langjun, nor does she know about marriage matters. Therefore, Xie An's opinion greatly influenced Xie Daoyun's future life.

During that time, Xie An did not run to Wang Xi's house. Wang Xizhi's six sons (the eldest son died early), he looked at them one by one, and the degree of fineness in choosing his son-in-law was more than when the imperial lieutenant Xi Jian came to the Wang family to recruit a son-in-law.

Among the children of the Wang family, selfishly, Xie An's favorite is Wang Xianzhi, the youngest son of Wang Xizhi, because he is less prestigious and talented, and Xie Daoyun is simply a talented woman, and he is very well matched. But Wang Xianzhi's sincerity was only willing to pay to his cousin Xi Daomao, and there was no way, Xie An could only turn his gaze to Wang Huizhi, "Wang Lao Fifth". Although Wang Huizhi did not become famous as his younger brother, his calligraphy attainments were deeply rooted in his father's essence.

Wang Huizhi knew that Xie An repeatedly visited the Wang family to choose a son-in-law, and the anecdote of his father Wang Xizhi's "East Bed Son-in-law" is now heard by the world, so he also wants to learn from his father's practice back then and show his truest side to Xie An. Unexpectedly, when Xie An saw the unpolished and unkempt image of Wang Huizhi, he was almost frightened. In line with the attitude of being responsible for his niece, Xie An believes that it is better than letting Xie Daoyun marry a mediocre person than letting her live with such a prodigal for the rest of her life. Therefore, Xie An finally retreated and married Xie Daoyun to Wang Huizhi's second brother Wang Ningzhi.

But in fact, Wang Huizhi's debauchery was not only learning from his father, but also paying tribute to Wei Jin's demeanor. Since Ji Kang, Ruan Cheng and others pioneered the bamboo forest flow, it is precisely such a natural and casual image that is famous in the world. Xie An couldn't pay attention to this, which could only mean that what he valued in his bones was only the form of talking, and he didn't really understand the hidden state of mind of the "Seven Sages of the Bamboo Forest".

Qiu Ying's "Prince Seed Bamboo Diagram", Prince You is Wang Huizhi, and the man sitting under the forest is pictured. Source: Network

Xie An would not have expected that a good person does not mean that he is the most suitable person, and the tiger father is not necessarily without a dog. His seemingly safe decision to choose a son-in-law actually plagued his niece Xie Daoyun for the rest of his life.

03

On the day of the wedding, Xie Daoyun, who saw Wang Ningzhi for the first time, couldn't be happy.

Just as today, when introducing blind dates, boys with mediocre qualifications are often described as "filial to their parents and steady", Wang Ningzhi is basically such an existence for Xie Daoyun. Although Wang Ningzhi inherited Wang Xizhi's calligraphy charm, it was useless to further discuss poetry and songs.

Part of Wang Ningzhi's "August Post". Source: Network

Not only that, when the Wang family traveled south, they also brought the family's Tianshi Dao ideas to Jiangnan. As Mr. Tang Changxiu said: "During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the Jiangnan Tianshi Road seemed to have been introduced from two routes, one was the Immortal Dao that Ge Hong believed in, and the other was the Wudou Mi Dao introduced from Jiangbei by the Langxi Wang clan surnamed Qiao. It can be seen that the Wang family belief is a family lineage, but Wang Ningzhi is more religious than his father, younger brother and everyone in the clan. He often researched at home how to use Fushui to cure diseases, and sometimes he would become a "Wang Banxian", set up street stalls to tell fortunes for people, or gather a group of Wudoumi Daoists to talk about "secrets of the heavenly court".

In short, Wang Ningzhi's beliefs and hobbies are incompatible with Xie Daoyun. Over time, the two looked at each other speechlessly, living as each other's passers-by.

Xie Daoyun often returned to his mother's house to discuss poetry collections with his uncles and brothers, and when it came to his husband, he was very contemptuous. At one point, Xie An called his niece to him and patiently said good things for Wang Ningzhi: "Wang Lang, the son of Yi Shao (Wang Xizhi), his body is not evil, why does Ru hate Nair?" ”

Unexpectedly, after listening to his uncle's persuasion, Xie Daoyun said bluntly: "An uncle, there is A Da and Zhonglang; The group of brothers has Feng, Hu, Curb, and End. In the midst of the world, there is Wang Lang! In this sentence, "A Da, Zhonglang" refers to the Xie An brothers, while "Feng, Hu, Cur, and End" are the diminutive names of Xie Shao, Xie Lang, Xie Xuan, and Xie Yuan. Xie Daoyun's meaning is very clear, since Wang Xie's family is recognized as a first-class clan disciple in the world, why are all our Xie family heroes in the world, but the Wang family has Wang Ningzhi's "iron han"?

The historical records do not record Xie An's reaction when he heard this sentence, but "there is Wang Lang in the world", Xie Daoyun used a few words to disparage her husband as useless, but it was enough to show that she was extremely dissatisfied with her uncle's messy "Mandarin Duck Spectrum".

However, in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, which emphasized the "dual cultivation of Xuan-Confucianism", ruling the country with Confucianism and cultivating nature with Xuanxia has always been the underlying theory of Wang and Xie leading the trend of thought in the world. On this basis, even if Xie Daoyun is independent, open, and talented, she wants to make peace with Wang Ningzhi, after all, it is just an unattainable wish.

Talented girl Xie Daoyun. Source: Network

04

Since Wang Ningzhi was puzzled, Xie Daoyun had to constantly enrich his personal spiritual world.

Mr. Tang Yongtong said: "In the Han Dynasty, the Qi family ruled the country, hoping for peace, and returning to Wei and Jin's getaway, and the proudness of the period was also proud. "With the loss of Jiangshan and the decline of classical learning, the social trend of the Wei and Jin dynasties has changed from the shackles of the Confucian system to the awakening of self-awareness. At this time, the scholar believed in the self-sufficiency of human nature and valued the value of the individual. They defied ritual law and tried to break free from the spiritual shackles of Confucian ritualism in the Two Han Dynasty.

After Xie Daoyun married Wang Ningzhi, although he was bored every day, the Wang family was full of guests. The purpose of their visit is not only for daily government affairs, but also to talk about Xuanxian Dao and Lanting gatherings is the norm for this group of celebrities to collide ideas. Xie Daoyun liked this kind of occasion, and every time she talked about Xuan, she ordered the maid to move a stool behind the curtain to listen to the lecture, and she enjoyed such a time.

However, marriage in name only is maddening. Several times she saw the man in front of the curtain talking among everyone, and she had a feeling of eagerness. But because of the woman's identity and the face of the Wang family, she could only silently endure this feeling that even the air was embarrassing.

Talking clearly is not an easy task. Dongfang Shuo of the Western Han Dynasty said that before Qing talks, it was necessary to "see all the Xuan, be determined to be easy, draw for it, specialize in one book, recite dozens of family notes, from young to old, hand in hand, and dare not speak lightly." Therefore, in the ever-changing talk field, there is no "victorious general" at all. Wang Xi's family, except for Wang Xianzhi and Wang Huizhi, who knew a little about the art of clear talk, the rest of the children had not yet started.

Tang Yin's "Wang Xianzhi Xiu Xi Daomao Remarries Princess Xin'an". Source: Network

Once, Xie Daoyun hid behind a curtain to listen to the little uncle Wang Xianzhi and his friends. Before he was halfway through the argument, the point of view given by the other party made Wang Xianzhi unable to refute it. Losing in the clear talk field is somewhat humiliating. Wang Xianzhi's face was thin, and he was unwilling to admit defeat, and his face was red in an instant, and his heart beat faster. Just as everyone was about to count down, Xie Daoyun decisively made a move and asked the maid to hand Wang Xianzhi a small note, telling him: "My sister-in-law is willing to relieve the siege for Xiao Shu." ”

Although the women at that time were open-minded and there were many people who wrote poetry and elegant collections, they could wrestle with a group of men and talk, and everyone was also very curious about how much Xie Daoyun behind the curtain had some skills.

Soon, Xie Daoyun, who took the place of Wang Xian, refuted the men who had just risen speechless through side quotations and powerful arguments.

Wei Jin Shi people value Qingtan the most, and those who are called great talents by later generations are all masters of Qingtan. Xie Daoyun's appearance undoubtedly allowed the participants to see a female middle school master figure with "the wind under the forest".

Since then, there has been an endless stream of gentlemen who come to Wang Xi's house every day to ask Xie Daoyun for teaching. Among them, there are also people with hidden ambitions, such as Huan Wen's son Huan Xuan.

Huan Xuan seems to be a little worried about his father's failure to change the dynasty by the hands of Xie An that year. He specially ran to Wang Ningzhi's mansion, split his head and covered his face and threw a question to Xie Daoyun: "Taifu (Xie An) has been in Dongshan for more than 20 years, and it has never ended, what is the reason?" ”

Huan Xuan's question refers to Xie An's original statement that he had ambitions for the East and hoped to live in seclusion for the rest of his life and not return to the imperial court. But why after insisting on it for more than 20 years, he still broke his original promise, went out of the mountains as a face, and helped the society, is this considered a lie to himself?

In fact, this problem has also plagued Xie An for many years. Soon after he left the mountain, he was ridiculed by Hao Long, a scholar, saying that he was "ambitious everywhere, and small grass when he is out". At that time, Xie An could only look ashamed and smile bitterly.

Now, Xie Daoyun gave Huan Xuan an explanation: "The deceased uncle Fu Xian is thinking of uselessness, showing concealment as advantages and disadvantages, and the beginning and end are just moving and quiet. This means that concealment is better or obvious is inferior, or that is superior to everywhere and inferior is inferior, these are all prejudiced views of the world, and have nothing to do with my uncle's past practice. Moreover, my uncle is useless and conforms to nature, which is originally a mentality beyond things, why does it have the meaning of "hypocrite" as you say?

Xie Daoyun's words raised Xie An's artistic conception of metaphysics to a higher level. Huan Xuan was still a shallow learner in the end, and did not dare to say more.

05

Xie Daoyun spent decades in the Wang family in this way, and when the green silk changed to gray hair, the Eastern Jin Dynasty also reached the late stage. In 399, after Huan Xuan, together with Wang Gong, Yin Zhongkan and others, launched the "Qing Jun side", Sun En and Lu Xun took advantage of the situation to occupy Shangyu, Zhejiang, and planned to send troops to attack Huiji Commandery.

At this time, Wang Ningzhi was appointed as the official of the local parents. Even though his identity, status, and age have changed, Wang Ningzhi is as lukewarm as he was to Xie Daoyun when he was a teenager, and he is obsessed with Wudou Mi Dao.

Coincidentally, Sun En's uncle, Sun Tai, is the recognized Wudoumi Taoist master. Hearing that Sun En, a "fellow practitioner", planned to attack Huiji, Wang Ningzhi was overjoyed, thinking that things would be easy to handle. But he didn't understand at all that Sun En's rebellion was to die and be born. His uncle Sun Tai once felt that the Eastern Jin Dynasty was overturning and provoked a rebellion. Fortunately, Shi Xie Hui, the auditor at that time, detected Sun Tai's conspiracy and immediately told the powerful minister Sima Daozi that a great rebellion that overthrew the rule of the Jin Dynasty disappeared invisibly.

Wudou Mi Dao is not shallow, Tao Yuanming once said, "I can't bend my waist for Wudou Mi, fist the villain in the township!" "Source: Network

This time, Sun Enlai was menacing, and Xie Daoyun stood up to advise her husband for the safety of the people in the county. Wang Ningzhi always believed that Sun En's so-called rebellion was to save the toiling masses from fire and water. As the parent official of Huiji County, he should pray for heaven for the people of the county, and if Sun En's behavior is not in line with the way of heaven, then his prayer can also summon the heavenly soldiers and generals, so there is nothing to worry about.

As the saying goes, you can never wake up someone who pretends to be asleep. Seeing that her husband was so pedantic, Xie Daoyun could only silently wipe a handful of tears, and then recruited hundreds of Ding to practice in advance in the mansion. Although this force confronting Sun En's army is tantamount to hitting a stone with a pebble, Xie Daoyun seems to remember his uncle's teachings back then: "But do everything you can, each according to the destiny of heaven!" She had no complaints, only hoped to hold her home as much as possible before Sun En's army came.

War is always merciless, and Sun En led his army to kill in the city of Shanyin in Huiji County, not thinking that Wang Ningzhi was his Taoist friend. When the knife fell, Wang Ningzhi and the four sons of Pingzhi, Yunzhi, Hengzhi, and Enzhi born to him and Xie Daoyun were all killed. The royal family, which was once prosperous, with the children and servants of the clan, died and wounded, as if it had become a purgatory on earth.

Faced with the murder of her husband and son, Xie Daoyun did not flinch. She decisively picked up the sword, intending to fight to the death to protect the last "bamboo forest wind bone" of Wei Jin. But in the chaotic army that came like a tide, Xie Daoyun, who was close to Huajia, was finally alone, his strength was limited, and he was unfortunately captured. Surviving with her is her little grandson Liu Tao.

The moment he saw Sun En, Xie Daoyun did not bow his head. Sun En's subordinates wanted to kill Liu Tao, and Xie Daoyun shouted at the top of his throat: "The matter is in the royal gate, why care about other races?" If so, it is better to kill first. ”

A roar shook Sun En, he had heard about the glorious deeds of this old aunt, and now seeing that although she had no chicken power, she had the arrogance to lead her neck to kill, and he could not help but have a heroic reverence for her. He ordered Xie Daoyun and her little grandson to be released.

Xie Daoyun, who suffered from this great difficulty, could no longer find his former radiance. With the last trace of bamboo forest wind on her body, she went into seclusion.

06

In his later years, Xie Daoyun, who was born in a troubled world, was like forgotten by time, no one knew, let alone talked about.

Liu Liu, who succeeded Wang Ningzhi as the auditor of internal history, was a good student of "Laozi". Xie Daoyun's early demeanor of Qingqing, although Liu Liu has not seen it with his own eyes, he has always yearned for it. After the internal affairs of the meeting were calm, he went to visit the widow of the former Neishi.

Liu Liu's arrival aroused Xie Daoyun's long-forgotten memories and left the world with the demeanor of the last clear talk. However, it is a pity that this debate did not involve historical officials, and people admired Xie Daoyun's talent, and only saw some clues in Liu Liu's evaluation of her when he left.

Liu Liuyu: "Mrs. Neishi's style is lofty, the words are unsettling, the sincerity is touching, and the benefits are endless. ”

Liu Liu was gone, and the sky was snowing again.

A piece of snow in memory. Source: Photogram

I don't know whether to remember the past or feel something, Xie Daoyun took the pen and wrote the "Song Poems in the Quasi-Ji Zhong":

Looking at the pines on the mountain, it cannot wither in midwinter.

I want to swim down and see the Ten Thousand Articles.

Tengyue failed to rise, and suddenly Wang Qiao.

When the time is not with me, the luck is flying.

Fate can't do what I want, so I will be as independent as a green pine.

I am me, the woman who became famous for the snow and withered away from the snow.

Bibliography:

[Tang] Fang Xuanling: Book of Jin, Zhonghua Bookstore, 1974

[Song] Sima Guang: Zizhi Tongjian, Zhonghua Bookstore, 1956

Tang Changxiu: "Historical Treatise on the Northern and Southern Dynasties of Wei and Jin", Zhonghua Bookstore, 2011

Tian Yuqing: The Politics of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Peking University Press, 2012

Mou Zongsan: Talent and Metaphysics, Guangxi Normal University Press, 2006

Wang Meng: "Xie Daoyun Research", master's thesis, Shandong University, 2012

Cheng Gang: "The Evolution of Ideology and Belief in the Langxi Wang Family: On the Relationship between Wang Dao, Wang Dun, and the Political Situation in the Early Eastern Jin Dynasty", Master's Thesis, Sichuan University, 2007

Ma Pengxiang: "The "Atmosphere Under the Forest" of Xie Daoyun, a Female Middle School Master, Journal of Three Gorges University (Humanities and Social Sciences Edition), No. 5, 2007

Liu Yi: "The Death of Wang Ning and the Origin of the Tianshi Dao of the Jin and Song Dynasties", Studies in Chinese History, No. 2, 2011