Cai Xiang, a famous minister of the Northern Song Dynasty, was a politician, calligrapher, and tea expert. During his tenure as a Fujian transit envoy, he created the "Little Dragon Regiment" tea, which became a favorite of the Song Dynasty royal family. Cai Xiang not only promoted the prosperity of tea culture in the Song Dynasty, but also promoted local economic development. But Su Shi compared Cai Xiang to the adulterer, what is going on?
Recently, Guangxi Normal University Press launched a new book "A Thousand Faces of the Song People: The Scholar in the Letters of the World", the author focuses on more than 120 private letters between the Song Dynasty scholars, combined with historical materials to interpret these isolated historical fragments, from the handover of relatives and friends to the kindness of teachers and students, from court politics to border wars, outlining the thousands of faces of the Song Dynasty scholars. The surging art excerpt from the chapter "A Calligrapher with Political Consciousness" provides a glimpse of Cai Xiang's political wisdom and elegance.
The "Qingli New Deal" only existed for more than a year before it ended in failure, and the "Qingli Gentlemen" were released one after another. In October of the fourth year of the Qing calendar (1044), the 33-year-old counselor Cai Xiang was demoted to Fuzhou to serve as Zhizhou. Cai Xiang traveled for several months, and after settling down in Fuzhou, he received a letter from Han Qi. After the failure of the New Deal, Han Qi was demoted to Yangzhou, and they had not been in touch for a long time, so Cai Xiang replied to Han Qi with a letter (i.e., "Haiyu Post", also known as "Senior Counselor's Consultation Ming Official Post"), which read:
Goodbye:
Xiang, a person in the sea and a long acre, does not understand the affairs of the world, but only letters and letters, and there is nothing to make up for it. I have to invite the township and state, in order to serve the second relative, the grace of heaven, the luck of private doors, and the great gift of the public.
Since he heard that the Duke of Ming had dismissed the weight of the Shu You, he was not allowed to pass his name when he came out of the domain. Shiqi was born in the county, Fumeng taught the edict, and the blessing has been returned, and he is extremely ashamed.
Yangzhou, the rush of the world, Lai Gongzhenzhi. But before the guest is enriched, every word is silent, and he who obeys it is cautious! Looking at the door, humble feelings are full of gratitude.
Xiangshang, the senior minister consulted His Excellency Minggong. Be empty.
Cai Xiang's "Haiyu Post", Taipei National Palace Museum
This letter is to the effect that I grew up in a seaside village, I don't know the world, I can only read some books, and let me be an adviser, which really does not help the country in the slightest. It is a blessing that I can return to Fujian to serve and support my parents. Our family's fortune depends on your help. I haven't written to you since you took office in Yangzhou. The person surnamed Qi came to Fuzhou and brought your letter, thank you very much for your care and care, I am deeply ashamed. Yangzhou is an important town, and it all depends on your management. There are more people coming and going there, and your words and deeds will soon reach the ears of others, so be careful. There are no words to express my respect, admiration and gratitude for you.
After Cai Xiang was demoted to Fujian this time, he made full use of his strengths, turned passive into active, was recognized by the emperor in work and personal relations, and successfully transferred back to the capital and returned to the emperor. After that, Cai Xiang was also able to handle the relationship with the emperor while doing a good job, so even if he made another mistake and left the capital, he would still return to the imperial court and finally achieve the position of third envoy. So, how did Cai Xiang deal with the relationship with the emperor?
A smooth career for youth
Cai Xiang's political fortunes were generally good, just in time for an era of hard work, in which almost some of the most famous figures in Song history appeared.
Five years after joining the work, that is, the third year of Jingyou (1036), the 25-year-old Cai Xiang completed his first grassroots job, and then went to the capital to participate in the personnel transfer of the bureaucracy. At that time, just in time for Fan Zhongyan to draw a "hundred official diagrams" to impeach Prime Minister Lu Yijian failed and was degraded, the young Cai Xiang could not stand it, and wrote a long poem "Four Sages and One Unxiao", highly praising Fan Zhongyan, Yu Jing, Yin Su, and Ouyang Xiu, and criticizing Gao Ruonne. As soon as this poem came out, the government and the public caused a sensation, and even the envoys of the Liao State copied the poem back and posted it, and Cai Xiang's name was recited in the north and south for a while, and the first big vote in his political career was completed.
According to the experience of the "Four Sages", Cai Xiang should have been swept out of the capital immediately, but fortunately, another rising political star, 28-year-old Han Qi, saved him. As a result, Cai Xiang was not only not demoted, but was assigned a good position in this personnel transfer, that is, the remaining official of Luoyang in Xijing, in charge of pushing cases and judging cases, similar to his previous position in Zhangzhou, and Luoyang was the capital of companionship, and his status was much higher than that of Zhangzhou, so Cai Xiang and Han Qi became lifelong friends and political allies.
Cai Xiang's first leader in Luoyang was Zhang Shixun (964-1049), who was 72 years old at the time, and he was a very elegant old minister who had served as prime minister in both the Zhenzong and Renzong dynasties. It was really blessed that Cai Xiang served as an official under his curtain, and Zhang Shixun also wrote a letter to the imperial court to praise Cai Xiang. The second leader was Fan Yong, who later suffered a crushing defeat in the Northwest Battlefield. The third leader was Song Shou (991-1040), who was proficient in calligraphy and shared a common hobby with Cai Xiang, and Song Shou presented Cai Xiang with some famous literary items, starting his literary collection journey.
There are leaders who love and cultivate, and friends who indulge in the landscape, Cai Xiang's life is very moist. Years later, Cai Xiang also recalled his happy life in Luoyang during his illness, and wrote "Ten Songs of Sleepwalking in Luoyang", the first of which is:
The sky is dark clouds with heavy rain, and the red sun in front of the building is shining brightly.
Is Songyang a good time today? Green eyes see people in love.
The first two lines of the poem were obtained by Cai Xiang in a dream, and the last two were written after waking up, and this poem was later copied by Su Shi (i.e., "Skyrim Dark Cloud Post").
Su Shi "Skyrim Dark Cloud Post"
Cai Xiang's poem in Su Shi's "Skyrim Dark Cloud Post"
Cai Xiang also wrote another codex (that is, the "Door Screen Post") at about this time:
Xiangzhuan Yi door screen, Chen Xie pushed the official Lü Jun. On the day of September, Xiang Shang.
Cai Xiang's "Door Screen Post" Collection of the Palace Museum
This is not like a formal letter, more like a small note, it should be Cai Xiang came to visit Lu Tuiguan, but he did not meet it, so he left a note. If Cai Xiang's official position was a little bigger, he would not use the word "door screen", because the word means the door of power.
After the three-year period, the 29-year-old Cai Xiang was transferred to the capital to serve as the secretary of the province of Zoro and the proofreader of the pavilion, and became a colleague with Ouyang Xiu. This year is the first year of the Qing calendar (1041), from this year to the fifth year of the Qing calendar is a very important five years in the history of the Northern Song Dynasty, mainly two major events occurred: first, Li Yuanhao of Western Xia attacked the northwest border, at this time Cai Xiang took leave to return to Fujian to visit relatives; The second is the implementation of the New Deal by the reformists led by Fan Zhongxun. In March of the third year of the Qing calendar, Lü Yijian resigned as prime minister, Cai Xiang and Ouyang Xiu's common teacher Yan Shu was promoted to prime minister, Fan Zhonghuan was appointed governor, that is, deputy prime minister, Du Yan (978-1057) was appointed privy envoy, Han Qi and Fu Bi were appointed privy deputy envoys, Yu Jing, Ouyang Xiu, Wang Su, and Cai Xiang served in the advisory court, and the famous "Four Counsels" in history were born, and the "Qingli New Policies" also began.
(Editor's note: The Qingli New Deal eventually failed, reformists were exiled, and Cai Xiang was demoted to Fuzhou.) ）
It was degraded to Fujian New Tea
In March of the seventh year of the Qing calendar (1047), Cai Xiang, who had been demoted to Fuzhou, had been working in Zhizhou for nearly three years, and because of his good political performance, he was promoted to Fujian Road Transit Envoy. This position was similar to the current provincial governor, but not exactly equivalent, and the role of the transfer ambassador was initially established to coordinate the transportation of goods and financial resources, and later expanded to include personnel supervision. Although Fujian is not as rich as some areas of Jianghuai, it is rich in tea, and as early as the Tang Dynasty, it was a tribute tea production area. In the Song Dynasty, after the development of Prime Minister Ding Shi (966-1037), Fujian's tea became the best among tributes.
At dawn in the early summer of the seventh year of the Qing calendar, Cai Xiang, who had just been promoted to Fujian Road Transit Envoy, took the sick body to Jian'an Beiyuan to supervise the production of tribute tea. After arriving in Beiyuan, he personally inspected and participated in every process of tea making like a tea farmer, and worked for nearly two months before returning to the office. He stayed for so long not just to inspect the work, he had to develop a new tea, personally selected it, supervised the entire process, including the selection of spring water, and finally succeeded in developing a new tea that he was satisfied with, the famous "Xiaolong Tuan" or "Xiaotuan Tea".
Longtuan Tea Silver Model ("Xuanhe Beiyuan Gong Tea Record")
The reason why it is called this is compared with the previous larger dragon and phoenix group tea. Dragon and phoenix tuancha has 8 cakes per catty, while the small dragon tuancha made by Cai Xiang has 20 cakes per catty, each cake is only the size of a Wu Bake money and has a diameter of three or four centimeters. Why did Cai Xiang develop a new tea? Because he loves tea and is a master tea taster, tea, like his calligraphy and study, is a pure offering in his life. Now that he is in charge of the tribute tea work, he naturally wants to use the convenience to develop a good tea, and this will also become an important achievement of his government.
The number of the first batch of "Little Dragon Regiment" was very small, a total of only 10 catties, that is, 200 cakes, the quantity was limited, Cai Xiang could only give it to the biggest leader, the emperor, but Cai Xiang was not sure whether Emperor Renzong had the opportunity to drink this tea and whether he would like to drink this tea. In the second year of Emperor Yu (1050), the 39-year-old Cai Xiang was transferred back to the capital to revise the "Living Notes", responsible for recording the words and deeds of the emperor. Because of the close contact with the emperor, it was convenient for the monarchs to chat privately. One day Emperor Renzong asked about the Xiaolong Tuan, Cai Xiang was a little excited, which showed that Emperor Renzong had drunk the tea he developed and liked to drink it, otherwise there were so many tribute teas, how could he remember the tea he made and specifically ask? Since the emperor liked it, the Little Dragon Group naturally became a fine tea, and because the quantity was very limited, it was extremely precious.
Cai Xiang's "Tea Records" Qing Tuo Edition, in [Ming] Song Yu's collection "Ancient Xiangzhai Treasure Cai Thee" volume 2.
Cai Xiang Kaishu Tea Catalogue (partial) This is a copy of the Southern Song Dynasty, collected by the Shanghai Library.
After having the experience of developing tea with his own hands, Cai Xiang's tea art has become more profound. Renzong asked him many times about the tea making and tasting of Jian'an Gong tea, and he carefully wrote a "Tea Record" in the fourth year of the emperor's reign (1052), which introduced in very concise and clear text how to identify the color and aroma of tea, how to use tea utensils, and how to collect tea leaves, etc., and then used the calligraphy to copy a textbook dedicated to Emperor Renzong and became the emperor's tea drinking textbook.
The big bad guy is "inviting pets"?
It is said that when Su Shi was degraded to Huizhou, Guangdong in his later years, he tasted fresh lychees and felt that the taste was very good, but he hated it deeply, because he thought of Yang Guifei eating lychees, and remembered Du Mu's phrase "a red dust concubine laughs, no one knows that it is lychee". Things are delicious, but in order to eat, people work and lose money, how can this be! So Mr. Dongpo scolded, and he waved his pen and wrote a poem "Litchi Sigh" that is five times longer than Du Mu's poem, which has the following sentences:
Wuyi stream side millet buds, front Ding and back Cai Xianglong.
Compete for new pets to buy their own surprises, and this year's fighting products are full of official tea.
What a thing my king lacks, so that the mouth and body are bad!
"Former Ding" refers to the great traitor of the Song Dynasty, Ding Shi, and "Later Cai" refers to Cai Xiang, and when Su Shi criticized the behavior of ancient tribute lychees, he turned his pen and pointed his sword at the tribute tea of the dynasty, and cut down Ding Shi and Cai Xiang, saying that they "compete for new favors". From the perspective of poetry level, this is not ranked among Su Shi's excellent works at all, but the phrase "former Ding and later Cai" is remembered, and the two people who were scolded are very famous, and one loyal and one traitorous, catchy, Cai Xiang has become Ding Shi's accomplice. So did Su Shi scold correctly? To answer this question, we must first understand what "Qianding Houcai" did.
Ding is a famous traitor of the Zhenzong Dynasty. He had two major sins: one was to meet the emperor of Zhenzong without a bottom line, causing Zhenzong to indulge in Taoism in his later years, and he took the opportunity to dictate power; The second is that he killed Kou Zhun. This is the verdict of history, and there is no need to overturn the case for him. However, covering all of Ding Shi's actions with a mask of an evil man is not objective, and the villain is not refined in a day.
At the age of 27, Ding Shi was admitted to the junior high school entrance examination and won the fourth place in the A subject, such excellent results and a good age, most of them have a bright career. Ding Wei's first job was that of Raozhou (present-day Poyang County, Jiangxi), equivalent to a vice mayor, and four years later he was sent to Fujian as an interview envoy to supervise the people's situation in Fujian, somewhat similar to the minister of Qincha, who could achieve this position after four years as an official, indicating that Ding Wei was very capable. The key word came, that is, "Fujian".
Song Dynasty red pottery tea mill, Zhenjiang Museum collection
An important industry in Fujian is tribute tea. During Ding's envoy to Fujian, Emperor Taizong of Song died and the 30-year-old Emperor Zhenzong ascended the throne. After returning to the DPRK on a business trip, Ding wrote a detailed report that deeply analyzed the interests of Fujian's tea and salt to the country. I believe that this report must have moved the new emperor who was trying to make a difference at this time, so the 33-year-old Ding Wei was directly promoted to Fujian Road transfer envoy. In Fujian, tea is a specialty and one of the country's important materials, so Ding Shi's work is naturally focused on tea.
After Ding Shi took office in Fujian, he also had a heart of worrying about the country and the people, which can be seen from a poem he wrote at this time, "Yongquan Prefecture Thorn Tong": "I heard that the villagers said that the thorn tree, the leaf first flowers began to be abundant." I am here today to worry about the people, and I only love youth and not red. ”
In the eyes of posterity, this poem is not worthy of being recited, because Ding is a bad person, and such a poem that worries about the country and the people is certainly not the true thought of the heart. Similarly, Ding's work achievements in Fujian have been misinterpreted as winning the favor of leaders with tea.
In fact, Fujian's tribute tea has a long history. Before the Song Dynasty, Fujian tea, which was blocked by mountains due to geographical reasons, was not well known to northerners. Even Lu Yu, the "tea doctor" of the Tang Dynasty, only tasted it occasionally, and although he thought it was delicious, he did not rank it in the list of famous teas. But fortunately, Jiancha met a new owner, the Southern Tang Li clan. The Southern Tang Emperor Li Jing originally did not drink Yang Envy tea, since he tasted Jian Tea, he decisively abandoned Yang Envy Tea, upgraded Jian Tea to tribute tea, and also set up "Dragon Roast" and "Official Rong" and other institutions to be in charge of collecting tribute, and the place where tribute tea was collected was called "Beiyuan", and Jian Tea has since entered a prominent era. After the Song unified the south, Jiancha also became a tribute to the Song Dynasty, and its production was completely controlled by the authorities, and its sales were also controlled, and private sales were not allowed. In the third year of the Taiping Xingguo (978), Emperor Taizong of Song Zhao Guangyi specially sent people to Fujian to supervise the production of dragon and phoenix tea for the enjoyment of members of the royal family and princes and nobles.
As a transporter, paying attention to the tea industry is Ding's job. Judging from the available historical materials, Ding Wei's achievements in tribute tea are mainly manifested in strengthening the management and packaging transformation of Beiyuan tea farms. Under his supervision, all processes were completed with high efficiency according to quality and quantity, and the dignitaries of Jingshi were able to drink new tea at the first time. In terms of packaging, Ding Wei designed a variety of geometric tea cakes, breaking through the singleness of the earlier round tea cakes. From a sales point of view, impressive packaging and different tea cake shapes are beneficial to sales, and these improvements make Jiancha stand out among all tribute teas as an extremely precious gift.
Ding is designed with geometric tea cakes. [Song] Xiong Bo "Xuanhe Beiyuan Gong Tea Record" Taiping Jiarui Yin Model, quoted from "Jingyin Wenyuange Siku Quanshu", Taiwan Commercial Press.
Ding is designed with geometric tea cakes. [Song] Xiong Bo's "Xuanhe Beiyuan Gong Tea Record" Yinian Baoyu Silver Model, quoted from "Jingyin Wenyuange Siku Quanshu", Taiwan Commercial Press.
In addition, Ding Wei also wrote a book on the picking and production of Fujian Gong tea, called "Jianyang Tea Record". Although this book has died, it can be seen from the poetry records of Shi Dafu at that time that it was the appearance of this book that made many people who had never heard of Jiancha and those who had not been to Fujian know about Fujian Gongcha.
The work done by Ding Wei has led to a sharp increase in the sales of Jiancha, a smoother flow of materials, and of course more revenue from the treasury. Of course, the emperor was very happy, not only because he drank good tea, but also because he was preparing to fight with the Liao people and was in urgent need of military expenses! Ding Shi's work in Fujian proved to be a good hand at grabbing money, so Emperor Zhenzong promoted him to judge of the three divisions and became an official in the financial department.
Judging from the above facts, Ding Shi's thoughts and achievements in tribute tea can not only be regarded as "inviting favors", but can also be understood as a political achievement.
Is Su Shi a "poisonous tongue"?
Cai's duties and tasks are the same as Ding's, but he goes one step further and creates a top brand for his jurisdiction. In the same period of tribute, very few have been transformed by transshipment and become brands, such as Xuanzhou's tribute ginkgo, which is actually a good medicinal herb, or a raw material for the processing of skin care products, but the tribute can be paid from beginning to end is the original fruit, without any technical content, at most just wrapped in brocade. So after the ginkgo biloba was successfully transplanted to the north, its honorable status as a tribute was lost, and there were too many such examples.
[Song] Ma Shichang, "Ginkgo Kingfisher", Taipei National Palace Museum. Before the early Song Dynasty, apricot trees mostly grew in the area south of the Yangtze River. By the middle of the Northern Song Dynasty, the wealthy merchants in Kaifeng began to plant apricot trees in their courts as a novelty, and by the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, apricot trees could be seen everywhere in the capital.
Cai Xiang did not only develop new tea in Fujian, he improved the management of tea farms and tea transportation. For example, after the field investigation, Cai Xiang made a suggestion to the imperial court, asking the imperial court to select a lurk to join the army to supervise the tea farm, so that the tea could be transferred to other places in time, so as not to make the state spend a lot of money on the official tea farm every year without getting a return. Cai Xiang was later transferred to work in the Third Division, and combined with his experience as a transfer envoy, he suggested that the Commercial and Tax Institute should not appoint powerful family members with backgrounds and incompetence, but should use clean and capable people. From these point of view, Cai Xiang has put a lot of thought into the management of Fujian Gongcha. Therefore, the development of "Little Dragon Group" is only a small part of his work, or rather, he just uses the favorable conditions to make his hobby into a product.
Once something becomes a Tegon, it becomes a "double-edged sword". On the one hand, everyone wants a copy; On the other hand, it is also easy to bear the infamy. Mr. Dongpo, who is admired by thousands of people and has his own transmission accelerator, was compiled into "Qianding and Houcai", and Cai Xiang's personality collapsed in an instant.
Chen Dong (1086-1127), a famous imperial student in the late Northern Song Dynasty, wrote an inscription after Cai Xiang's "Tea Record", to the effect that: When I was a child, I heard old people say that when Cai Xiang was an official in Fujian, he managed to make a small group of tea and offer it to the emperor as a tribute. Fu Yi exclaimed after hearing this: "This is something that the servant concubine did to please the master, but I didn't expect Cai Xiang to do such a thing!" "As a child, I also felt this when I heard this. Now that he saw the topography of the "Tea Record", it was really a pity for Cai Xiang, why didn't he copy a copy of "Traveling Mastiff" and dedicate it to the emperor?
"Traveling Mastiff" is a famous chapter in the "Book of Shang", and "Mastiff" is a large dog offered by the Western Far Country at that time. At that time, Taibao wrote an article called "The Traveling Mastiff" to advise King Wu not to indulge in fun. Chen Dong's view is obviously also the "sequelae" of Su Shi's view, and he also pulled Fu Yi up as a cushion.
However, there are still people who understand things. When the editor of the Siku Quanshu was proofreading Cai Xiang's "Tea Records", he found the irrationality of the "former Ding and later Cai" argument, and he wrote a commentary, which roughly means:
First, tribute tea has been around for a long time, not starting with Cai Xiang;
Second, Cai Xiang, as a Fujian road transfer envoy, the development of fine tea is his job;
Third, Shi Chuan Fubi and Ouyang Xiu were surprised that Cai Xiang, as a scholar, did villains to flatter, which is likely to be a descendant relying on the name of Fubi and Ouyang Xiu to smear Cai Xiang;
Fourth, this kind of rumor is all attached to Su Shi's statement that "Former Ding Hou Cai" and "to nourish the mouth and body".
So why did Su Shi arrange "former Ding and later Cai" together to attack? It can't be said that Su Shi just wants to deliberately smear Cai Xiang, in fact, he has a very high opinion of this old-timer in many places. However, whether it is for Ding Shi or Cai Xiang, to examine their work on tribute tea, it is first necessary to have a clear understanding of the time, specific content and performance of their work, which was not possible in the Su Shi era, because at that time it was impossible to chronicle the deeds of "Former Ding and Later Cai". Or Su Shi himself can't do it, because Su Shi has never worked as a transfer envoy in his life, and his understanding of Fujian Gongcha is not deep. However, Su Shi had the purity and habits of a literati, and like many literati and doctors at that time, he was more accustomed to judging from the moral high ground, and he looked unpleasant to the eye on this kind of behavior of "inviting favors and flattering" with luxury goods, and when his temperament came, he wrote so.
[Song] Anon. Part of the "Eighteen Bachelor Diagrams"
Cai Xiang's "Calligraphy Politics"
On the sixteenth day of the first month of the fifth year of the emperor's reign (1053), the Huiling Temple in the palace of the Northern Song Dynasty caught fire, and a very sacred place that had existed for half a century suddenly disappeared, which caused trouble for Emperor Renzong. Do you want to rebuild? Renzong's mood is mixed, and the essence of whether to re-cultivate or not is how to evaluate his father, Zhao Heng, Zhenzong, the late emperor of more than thirty years, who has been criticized for his excessive religious beliefs.
After careful consideration, Emperor Renzong ordered a reconstruction, so a brand new palace was built on the original site, but instead of the original name, it was named "Jixi Guan", which means a place where longevity, wealth, well-being, virtue, and goodness are finally integrated, which is no longer the original Taoist temple. Isn't that a rebellion against the emperor? Renzong also built a new temple on the west side of the "Jixi Temple", named "Fengshen Temple", which is derived from the "Fengshen Shu" written by Shinzong, and the content of this article is to rank and confer knighthoods on the gods. The emperor of the Song Dynasty is surnamed Zhao, and the imperial system of the Song Dynasty and the Taoist emperor are in the same line, but one is on the ground and the other is in the sky, so the Renzong cultivation temple is just a family affair, rather than highlighting the old father Yu Dao, so that things are rounded.
To cultivate the temple, it was natural to carve the "Prayer to the Gods" written by Zhenzong, and Renzong decided to write the tablet himself, and the text was copied by the famous calligrapher Cai Xiang. Cai Xiang outlined the text written by Zhenzong and the inscription written by Renzong on the stele, and then gave the copy to Renzong, who stood solemnly before respectfully taking it. After that, he personally wrote the word "Jun Mo" and gave it to Cai Xiang. Cai Xiang held the word "Jun Mo" in the emperor's personal book, and his heart was very excited. It is very common for Emperor Renzong to give characters, he is also a calligrapher, loves to write, and has given words to many ministers, but these two words given to Cai Xiang this time have different meanings.
Cai Xiang's "Xie Zhi Yushu Poems", Taipei National Palace Museum
Part of Cai Xiang's "Xie Zhi Yushu Poems", Taipei National Palace Museum
Part of Cai Xiang's "Xie Zhi Yushu Poems", Taipei National Palace Museum
"Jun Mo" is Cai Xiang's character, and these two words have a special meaning, "Mo" means to plan and strategy, "Jun Mo" means to offer advice to the emperor, Cai Xiang's character acquisition is really "ulterior motives". And the emperor wrote these two words to him, apparently seeing its meaning and expressing appreciation. Cai Xiang was sensitive, and he immediately wrote a letter of thanks to the emperor (i.e., the "List of Poetry of the Imperial Book of Xie Zhi", fig. 47). This letter of thanks is divided into two parts, the first part first explains the reason for writing the letter, and then says that he comes from a remote area, comes from a lonely background, has no talent, and the emperor wrote in his own hand, inspiring him to give more advice to the country, which is really an incomparable honor for him, and he is inexhaustible, so he specially made a poem dedicated to the emperor. The second part is the long poem he composed, which is a typical poem of praise for virtue, with high specifications and intense feelings, some words are tailor-made for the emperor, such as calling the father-in-law who sent the words "Huanghua messenger", the hand scroll given by Renzong as "treasure scroll", and the ink on the roll as "fragrant coal".
And look at how Cai Xiang praises the emperor in the poem:
"The spirit is high and the sun and the moon are shining, and the power is majestic. The mixed nature cannot be written, but the knowledge is not naïve. "This is a compliment to the emperor and his calligraphy.
"Hide from the price of Xidai, who cares about the four walls and is empty." The emperor's gift will definitely be a rare treasure passed down by the Cai family to future generations, with this, who will care about the four walls of the family?
"Chenwen Emperor Shun You Holy Domain, Gaotao Dayu as his neighbor. Call on Yu's edict to become a canon, and the hereafter will be like a dome. His Majesty Renming plus Shunyu, Hao Yingjin uses Si Hongjun. "Such an outstanding person as Emperor Shun was accompanied by the equally outstanding Gaotao and Dayu, and many of the words they said became models for future generations, and Ze was born. The emperor's benevolence surpassed Shun and Yu, and the people used were all momentary heroes.
"The minister is the wisest and wise, and he has the ambition to pass through the economy. Du Dan Cheng embraces loyalty and simplicity, and often wants to praise ancient treasures. "I, Cai Xiang, am stupid and do not have a great talent who helped the emperor govern the country, but I have a loyal heart and hope to present to Your Majesty the very good experience of governing the country in ancient times.
"I also heard the Spring and Autumn Law of Confucius, and the words were praised and disparaged by the wise and foolish. I know that Confucius's "Spring and Autumn Law" is to use the simplest language to praise and discredit the wise and foolish, but I searched through the ancient books and thought for a long time, but I still couldn't find the right language to express my feelings, so I had to write the most important truth on my belt.
"Qiankun applied great application into flooding, and there was no reason for the effect of the map. Vows to do everything possible to seek righteousness, in case Tang Yujun. "Although I have ambitions, I have not yet had the opportunity to serve the emperor. I vowed to do what I learned and advise the emperor and achieve great things.
Renzong was very happy after receiving this letter of thanks, and he was very pleased that Cai Xiang understood the intention of his gift, so he replied with another letter to the effect that it was as follows: When I was not in the dynasty, I liked to read ancient scriptures and calligraphy classics, and found that the words given by Emperor Gaozong of Tang to his ministers Dai Zhide, Hao Zhijun, Li Jingxuan, and Cui Zhiti had special meanings. Your writing is gentle and profound, and the character "Xiang" in your name indicates that your orientation is "auxiliary", and the character "Junmo" further indicates that it is assisted by strategy, so I wrote the two words "Junmo" to give to you, in order to use the deep meaning to express my special favor for you. It's really good that you spread out this layer of my meaning and write it in a long poem, and use the ancient sages as examples to make my meaning clearer.
Cai Xiangkai Shu Yan Zhenqing Confession on Paper, 1055, Collection of the Museum of Calligraphy, Tokyo, Japan
In November of that year, the emperor sacrificed heaven and earth in the southern suburbs, took Cai Xiang with him, and after returning, Cai Xiang wrote a poem "Dear Poem on the Southern Suburbs" to the emperor. Soon, the emperor issued an edict to Cai Xiang's mother, Lady Lu, as "Prince of Renshou County" and Cai Xiang's wife as "Prince of Yongjia County". Cai Xiang was a great filial son, and to earn such an honor for his 80-year-old mother was more exciting than his own promotion, so he wrote a complete article about the emperor's gift, his own poems, the emperor's edicts, and the titles of his mother and wife, and presented them to the emperor and carved them into stones. In addition, he carved the emperor's edict into a separate stone.
Emperor Renzong was very happy after receiving the letter, and praised Cai Xiang's character, scholarship, and talent, and once again encouraged him to work hard and achieve a good reputation in his life.
"The Song Man with a Thousand Faces: The Scholar in the Letters of the World" book shadow
(Excerpted with permission, abridged by The Paper.) ）