Li Shimin summoned Xu Hui to wait for a long time, Li Shimin was about to be furious, and Xu Hui resolved the crisis with a poem. This sentence sounds curious and makes one want to know more about what happened. What kind of woman is Xu Hui who can dissolve Li Shimin's anger with a single poem? How did she do it? Why did Li Shimin become angry? There must be a wonderful story behind it. Let's find out what this historical anecdote is all about.
Xu Hui's background and talent
During the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty, Xu Xiaode served in the history of Zhejiang Thorn, and the governance side was impressive. His only daughter, Xu Hui, has shown extraordinary talent since she was a child and is known as "someone else's child".
When Xu Hui was four years old, he was able to recite the Analects, and his articulation was far better than that of his peers. She has a special talent for ancient poetry, and can often recite dozens of poems in one sitting. Seeing this, Xu Xiaode was deeply gratified and determined to cultivate Xu Hui into a generation of talented women.
When he was eight years old, Xu Hui wrote "Xiaoshan Chapter" based on Qu Yuan's famous article "Lisao", which showed his talent between the lines. Xu Xiaode took his daughter's masterpiece to show off everywhere, and Xu Hui's reputation spread. Once, Xu Xiaode took Xu Hui to inspect with him, and when he passed by a small bridge, Xu Hui suddenly chanted a poem: "The small bridge and flowing water are ancient roads, and the twists and turns are suspicious." This improvised poem has a beautiful artistic conception, which impresses all the literati and scholars who accompany him.
Xu Hui, who has been influenced by a good family education since childhood, is not only talented, but also outstanding. Although she was born in a wealthy family, she never put on a show, and she was humble and polite. One spring, Xu Hui saw the koi swimming in the pond, so he wrote a poem about the fish: "There is a silent trace of Ling Bo's micro-steps, and you can enjoy the spring at ease." This poem describes the scene of fish swimming freely in the pond, revealing Xu Hui's pure heart and love for nature.
Xu Hui's talent and morality have made her famous since she was a child. By the time she was ten years old, her reputation had become a household name, and even spread to Chang'an City. When the emperor Li Shimin heard about this, he ordered Xu Hui to be summoned into the palace and canonized as "Xu Cairen".
Xu Hui's journey into the palace to sleep
After Xu Hui entered the palace, he did not compete for favor like other concubines, but immersed himself in poetry and books. She would go to the library every day to read, sometimes even for a whole day, completely oblivious to the passage of time.
This unique style of work has deeply attracted Li Shimin's attention. As a generation of wise monarchs, Li Shimin pays more attention to character and talent than appearance when choosing concubines. Xu Hui is the ideal beauty in his mind.
One day, Li Shimin opened the sign of the harem and found that Xu Hui's name was prominently listed. He remembered that this talented woman had been famous for a long time, and he longed for it in his heart, so he decided to summon her to sleep.
That night, Li Shimin waited for Xu Hui's arrival in the dormitory early. However, time passed little by little, but Xu Hui did not appear for a long time. In the past, concubines never dared to be so lazy, and Li Shimin couldn't help but feel surprised and dissatisfied.
After a long time, Li Shimin's patience had been exhausted, he slapped the table case angrily, and shouted: "How can this be reasonable! I must teach her a lesson today, otherwise what discipline is there in the palace?"
Just when Li Shimin was angry, Xu Hui was late and walked slowly into the dormitory. She is wearing a white gauze dress, her posture is graceful and graceful, and her fairy spirit is fluttering like a fairy out of the dust.
In the face of Li Shimin's reprimand, Xu Hui did not appear panicked, but calmly took out a piece of rice paper from his sleeve, handed it to Li Shimin, and said: "The concubine knows that she is guilty, and please give Your Majesty a sneak peek." ＂
Li Shimin took the rice paper and looked at it, only to see Xu Hui's beautiful handwriting written on it: "Towards the mirror platform, the makeup is lingering for a while." The daughter smiled at the beginning, and a summons can come. ＂
A poem to relieve anger when Xu Hui was sleeping
is just one or two lines of poetry, but it vividly depicts the shy and delicate demeanor of the girl in order to see her sweetheart. Li Shimin saw it, his anger suddenly subsided, but he was impressed by Xu Hui's wit and intelligence, and immediately smiled, took her hand and said, "You are really smart!"
It turned out that the inspiration for the creation of this anger relief poem came from Xu Hui's preparation for the bed. That day, after Xu Hui learned the news that Li Shimin would summon her to sleep, she was very excited, but she also felt a little uneasy. As a lady from a famous family, she has been taught to be dignified and generous and behave elegantly since she was a child. But in the face of such a major event, Xu Hui was inevitably a little at a loss.
So, Xu Hui invited the maidservants in the palace to dress her up. The maidservants took great pains to put on light makeup for Xu Hui, and chose a white embroidered dress for her. After all the makeup was ready, Xu Hui walked to the front of the mirror to look at his face.
What catches your eye is a peerless beauty with bright eyes and graceful demeanor. Xu Hui was amazed by her beauty, and couldn't help but smile with joy on her face. At this moment, she suddenly thought of a wonderful poetic metaphor, so she put pen to paper: "Towards the mirror platform, put on makeup and linger for a while." The daughter smiled at the beginning, and a summons can come. ＂
In the poem, the four words "Towards the Mirror Tower" write the scene of the woman's makeup. The sentence "Makeup lingers for a while" depicts Xu Hui being attracted by her beauty and inadvertently wandering in front of the mirror. And the eight characters of "a daughter starts with a smile, and a summons can come" is an explanation of being late for being summoned by Li Shimin.
With this poem in hand, Xu Hui let go of the apprehension in his heart and went to the dormitory calmly. When Li Shimin angrily scolded her for being late, she replied with a poem and skillfully resolved the crisis.
Xu Hui's later life in the palace
This time the sleeping left a deep impression on Li Shimin. Soon, Xu Hui's status in the harem rose, and she was named a noble concubine, becoming the most favored beauty around Li Shimin.
Unlike other concubines who rely on their appearance to be favored, Xu Hui won Li Shimin's favor with her talent and wisdom. Whether it is a hunting trip or a garden to enjoy flowers, Li Shimin will always be accompanied by Xu Hui. Sometimes, Li Shimin would even invite Xu Hui and the Minister of Civil and Military Affairs to have a drink and discuss national affairs.
Although Xu Hui is deeply favored, he is never arrogant and arrogant, always cautious in words and deeds, dignified and polite. She is not only talented, but also has strict ethics and noble morals, which can be called a generation of virtuous concubines.
During the Zhenguan period, Taizong Li Shimin decided to build a majestic palace in Chang'an City in order to show the prestige of the empire. This project cost a lot, Xu Hui knew the suffering of the people, so he dissuaded him, hoping that Taizong could "stop the army and strike the army".
"Concubines have traveled through cities and villages, and have seen the people work hard to feed their wives and children. If we build a large number of buildings and recruit people's husbands, I am afraid that the burden on the people will be increased...... May Your Majesty think twice and put the welfare of the people first. ＂
Seeing Xu Hui, who has always been docile, so outspoken, Li Shimin was stunned at first, and then lowered his face and reprimanded her: "I have my own measure in doing things, how can you understand national affairs as a concubine?"
Xu Hui did not flinch because of this, he was still stubborn, and replied with a poem: "The king loves the people like a son, how can he hurt the agricultural power in vain? ＂