Why was Chen Shimei killed? Uncovering the hidden political struggle in the Peking opera "Qin Xianglian"

mentioned Chen Shimei , people are no strangers. In order to climb the dragon and attach the phoenix, he did not hesitate to abandon his wife and abandon his son, almost becoming synonymous with ingratitude. In the end, he was killed by Bao Zheng with a guillotine. In folk literature, Chen Shimei was nailed to a pillar of moral shame.

However, if we put aside the moral dimension and erase the paint on the reverse character of Chen Shimei's face, we can find that, in fact, 's " beauty case " is very suspicious.

Next, we will use the Peking Opera movie "Qin Xianglian" to explore together why Chen Shimei was killed.

movie poster

Plot: The Ins and Outs of the Beauty Case

In 1964, the Beijing Peking Opera Theatre put the traditional Peking Opera "The Beauty Case" on the screen and launched the Peking Opera movie "Spanstrong5" Qin Strong "Span Strong5" span2span. This movie brings together Ma Lianliang, Zhang Junqiu, Qiu Shengrong, Li Duokui , Ma Changli, Tan Yuanshou and other top performers of Peking Opera. The lineup is very luxurious. Today, it is like the star scale of "The Founding of a Country".

Group photo of Ma Lianliang, Tan Fuying, Zhang Junqiu, and Qiu Shengrong

The movie "Qin Xianglian" tells a story:

During the Northern Song Dynasty, Jingzhou student Chen Shimei bid farewell to his wife Qin Xianglian to take the exam in Beijing. In the examination room, Chen Shimei performed well and won the first prize in one fell swoop. After Chen Shimei left, Qin Xianglian has been serving her in-laws at home, waiting for her husband to return. Unexpectedly, three years later, Chen Shimei’s parents passed away one after another.Chen Shimei still has no news. In desperation, Qin Xianglian had to take her two children, begging along the road, and went to Beijing to find her husband.

Chen Shimei refused to recognize each other

In the inn in the capital, the kind shopkeeper informed Qin Xianglian that there was a scholar named Chen Shimei staying here. He had no choice but to be the top pick in high school, and has now become a royal cohort. Qin Xianglian learned that she went to find her husband in the horseman's house. With the help of the guard at the gate, Qin Xianglian met Chen Shimei. However, after Chen Shimei hesitated for a while, she was still cruel and refused to recognize each other.

Wang Yanling and Qin Xianglian

After Qin Xianglian was driven out of the horseman's house by Chen Shimei, there was nothing to do. At this time, it coincided with the early reign of Prime Minister Wang Yanling. Qin Xianglian plucked up the courage to stop the sedan chair and complain. After Wang Yanling brought Qin Xianglian back to the mansion to ask the reason, he expressed willingness to help. On the birthday of Chen Shimei, Wang Yanling took the opportunity of celebrating her birthday to bring Qin Xianglian to the Ma Mansion to meet Chen Shimei. However, Chen Shimei still refused to recognize each other and directly refuted Wang Yanling's face. In anger, Wang Yanling signaled Qin Xianglian to take her fan to Kaifeng Mansion to seek redress from Bao Zheng. Chen Shimei appointed her general Han Qi to murder Qin Xianglian in order to avoid future troubles. Out of compassion, Han Qi didn't do anything, and died of self-clamping.

Wang Yanling and Chen Shimei

In the Kaifeng Mansion, Bao Zheng received Qin Xianglian's papers and wanted to take Chen Shimei to the mansion for questioning. The dynasty tricked Chen Shimei to Kaifeng. Faced with the interrogation of Tie Bao Gong, Chen Shimei insisted that there was no original wife. In the case of conclusive evidence, Bao Zheng ordered him to be executed. At this time, Guotai and Huanggu came to Kaifeng Mansion for dignitaries. Bao Zheng withstood huge political pressure and killed Chen Shimei.

Inventory: Chen Shimei has committed several crimes

From the plot point of view, Chen Shimei has the following crimes:

1. Killing his wife and son

2. Killing Han Qi

strong Three, bullying you on

Let's analyze one by one.To say that Chen Shimei killed his wife and son was actually an attempted murder. It is unreasonable to say that he forced Han Qi to death, because Han Qi committed suicide. It is also very wrong to say that Chen Shimei concealed the fact that she was married and was recruited as a husband is a deception. Judging from the plot, in the end, both Guotai and Huanggu knew about the existence of Qin Xianglian but still insisted on fishing out Chen Shimei, even at the expense of Kaifeng Mansion. It can be seen that the royal family doesn't care much about whether Chen Shimei has an original wife. The third crime is only established in name, but in fact it does not exist.

The imperial aunt celebrated Chen Shimei's birthday

There was a person in history who faced the same situation as Chen Shimei. He is the Song Hong from the Eastern Han Dynasty mentioned by Wang Yanling in the play.

According to "Zizhi Tongjian" records:

The new widow of the princess of Huyang, the emperor and the courtiers discussed together, microcosmic meaning. The lord said: "The Song Gong is very powerful, and the officials are beyond the reach." The emperor said: "Fang and picture it." Hou Hong was introduced, and the emperor ordered the lord to sit on the screen, because he said: "Proverbs: "Guiyi" "Hands, rich and easy wife', human affection?" Hong said: "The ministers know that the poor and the poor are not to be forgotten, and the wives of the chaff will not go down." The emperor Gu Wei said: "Things are not in harmony!" Liu Xiu

This record is very vivid, with a style similar to "Shi Shuo Xin Yu", It tells a story: the husband of Princess Huyang has just passed away, and Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu wants to find one for her sister Good son-in-law. Once, Liu Xiu took the opportunity to discuss the Minister of Korea and China with her sister to see who she liked. Princess Huyang praised Song Hong. Liu Xiu promised to find a way for her. One day, Liu Xiu summoned Song Hong and asked her sister to hide behind the screen to observe. As soon as the conversation started, Liu Xiu said roundly: "As the saying goes, a person will change his friends if he is famous; if a person becomes rich, he must change his wife. Is this true in the world?" Liu Xiu's original intention was to imply. Song Hong, as a high-ranking official, can put aside his moral burden and divorce his wife and marry again. Unexpectedly, Song Hong replied: "The knowledge of the poor and the humble cannot be forgotten.The wretched wife will not go to court. Seeing Song Hong's firm attitude, Liu Xiu said to her sister behind the screen with a slight embarrassment: "It can't be done!" "

Chen Shimei High School No. 1

Song Hong and Chen Shimei are both people who are favored by the royal family, but the two have made different choices: Song Hong does not abandon the chaff, Chen Shimei climbs the dragon with the phoenix. However, we can't just follow Morally criticize Chen Shimei, because Chen Shimei’s class background cannot be compared with Song Hong. Song Hong’s father Song Shang once served as Shaofu in the Western Han Dynasty, ranking Jiuqing. Song Hong himself After the founding of the Eastern Han Dynasty, he served as big Sikong and ranked three. It can be seen that Song Hong has the ability to reject the emperor. Chen Shimei is not the case. Chen Shimei is just an ordinary scholar, who won the top prize by hard study and luck. , Was recruited as a consort. himself neither wanted for granted nor dared to refuse the invitation of the royal family.

The Queen Mother recruited her son-in-law

I guess the story of Peking Opera "Qin Xianglian" is probably inspired by Song Hong's story Inspired and created. The author portrays Chen Shimei and Song Hong in contrast in the play. Because Chen Shimei’s approach may be the choice of most ordinary people. Chen Shimei’s artistic image therefore has universal significance. In addition, there is another one. Evidence proves that Peking Opera is related to Song Hong’s story. In "Qin Xianglian", Chen Shimei married Huanggu instead of the princess. The so-called Huanggu,Not the emperor’s aunt, but the emperor’s sister. The logic should be like this: the ancient subjects regarded the emperor as the "father of the monarch," and the relationship between the monarch and the subjects was like the relationship between father and son. From the perspective of the subjects, since the emperor is the father, the emperor’s sisters are of course "huanggu". Then, the question arises: Generally, in ancient dramas, the princesses married to the emperor are the daughters of the emperor. Why are the emperor’s sisters here? Recalling the relationship between Emperor Guangwu and Princess Huyang mentioned above is a sibling relationship, we can understand: presumably the author directly moved the relationship between the characters into the play intact. In addition, the author also used Wang Yanling's mouth to name Song Hong. Based on this, it can be concluded that "Qin Xianglian" should refer to the story of Emperor Guangwu recruiting a son-in-law for his sister.

Wang Yanling and Chen Shimei

From history and drama, we can see that the supreme ruler is not subject to moral constraints. Liu Xiu hopes that Song Hong will divorce his wife for the sake of her sister; Guo Tai and Huang Gu do not care whether Chen Shimei has an original wife. Therefore, Wang Yanling and Bao Zheng said that Chen Shimei deceived the monarch, but it is actually untenable.

Counting down, Chen Shimei’s only charge was 's attempted murder. The crime of attempted homicide does not lead to death, so why did Chen Shimei end up being slapped?

Dark battle: Wang Yanling and Chen Shimei's front clash

When watching the drama "Qin Xianglian", people often overlook a key figure-Xiangguo Wang Yanling. Wang Yanling's emergence of intensified has intensified the contradiction between Chen Shimei and Qin Xianglian, and made the case develop in the direction that is irreversible.

Let us return to the plot of Wang Yanling's meeting with Qin Xianglian.

Wang Yanling played by Mr. Ma Lianliang

Wang Yanling heard that Qin Xianglian would sue Chen Shimei,Surprised. here Ma Lianliang uses shaking hands, beards, and rolling eyes to express the psychological activities of the characters, which can be described as exquisite. Wang Yanling listened to Qin Xianglian's report and came up with an idea: On the birthday of her husband, Qin Xianglian pretended to be a village woman who played and sang to join the house, and took the opportunity to sing about the two to Chen Shimei and persuade him to change his mind. Wang Yanling did this, reflecting his doubts about what Qin Xianglian said, so he asked her to play and sing in person, taking the opportunity to observe Chen Shimei's reaction, and to verify the truth of the matter.

Wang Yanling gave Qin Xianglian an idea

On the birthday of Chen Shimei, Wang Yanling, the leader of civil service group , came to wish her birthday in person. Chen Shimei was overjoyed. Judging from his surprised expression, this seems to be Wang Yanling's first birthday to Chen Shimei. At this time, Chen Shimei has been a concierge for three years. It can be seen that the relationship between the two is relatively rusty. Wang Yanling seems to look down on Chen Shimei, and his words are slightly ironic.

Hearing that Wang Yanling is here, Chen Shimei was overjoyed and kept chanting: "The old country is here."

As a rule of thumb, Chen Shimei, as an upstart in the examination room, Wang Yanling should not have such an attitude. Only by supporting younger generations can we maintain our wealth forever.

Wang Yanling's words are thorny

Wang Yanling did this because Chen Shimei and herself belong to the camp. Although Chen Shimei himself entered the officialdom through the imperial examination, he crossed the civil official group and joined the royal family. We know that historically, the ruling class was not monolithic. Therefore, historians introduced the political group analysis method when discussing issues. In ancient times, the emperor and the civil official group were opposed to each other. During the Han Dynasty, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty set up inner dynasty and outer dynasty. appointed eunuchs to control confidential documents to contain the prime minister. In addition, the emperor of the Han Dynasty also used to use the relative as the Dasima general to command the inner dynasty, so as to fight against the foreign dynasty . In the Song Dynasty, the power of the civil official group increased so much that in the Song Shenzong period, the minister Wen Yanbo even reminded the emperor to “rule the world with scholar-bureaucrats, not with the people”, implied that Shenzong should not do so. Change the national policy to facilitate the people and benefit the people, and then damages the interests of the civil official group.

Civil officials wish Chen Shimei birthday

Therefore, if the imperial power is to be extended, it must find a way. Chen Shimei in the play played a role similar to that of a relative in the Han Dynasty. Chen Shimei is very talented and can win over people, as can be seen from the large number of officials giving him birthday . civil servants are all scholars, self-proclaimed high-ranking, and often advertise moral articles. If Chen Shimei merely used power to suppress others, presumably civil servants would not buy him. In the play, these civil servants come to celebrate birthdays one after another, which shows that Chen Shimei has a lot of skills.When Chen Shimei invited Wang Yanling and her colleagues to the table together, Wang Yanling said that most of those people are their own disciples, and it is inconvenient to drink together. Wang Yanling refused Chen Shimei's proposal, although it was because there was something to discuss with Chen Shimei, but seeing his disciples come to congratulate Chen Shimei on his birthday, he must not be happy in his heart. This shows that Chen Shimei has played some role in wooing, dividing, and checking and balancing civil officials, which caused Wang Yanling's dissatisfaction. On the contrary, members of the royal family are very satisfied with Chen Shimei, as can be seen from the attitude of Guotai and Huanggu. It can be seen that Chen Shimei is not a mediocrity, and he is dedicated to serving the royal family.

Wang Yanling

In this way, we can see that behind Wang Yanling's teasing of Chen Shimei, what is hidden is the struggle between the civil servants and the imperial power. Therefore, Wang Yanling brought Qin Xianglian on Chen Shimei’s birthday, which is undoubtedly a dismissal. Wang Yanling’s approach is foolproof: if Qin Xianglian is telling lies, she is not Chen Shimei’s wife, Wang Yanling has the right to be a joke; if Qin Xianglian is really Chen Shimei’s wife, Wang Yanling can use this to make peace and persuade him to admit it. Qin Xianglian. This is tantamount to suggesting from Chen Shimei: The complaint has come to me, and I will help you suppress it. does two things with one stone: first, sells personal affection to Chen Shimei; second, has a handle on . After all, this is a moral taint, and it is very vulnerable to public opinion attacks by civil officials.

Wang Yanling

Chen Shimei Although is not deep in the city, impulsive and irritable, and Wang Yanling show their feet without a few tricks, but he can see clearly.If they recognize each other, they will undoubtedly take the initiative to give away their handle, and it is hard to guarantee that they will not be liquidated in the future. Therefore, he resolutely denied it, complained about Qin Xianglian, and even suspected that she had colluded with Wang Yanling to harm himself.

Chen Shimei became suspicious

Wang Yanling saw that Chen Shimei was not taken the bait, so she continued to induce him.

Wang Yanling's inducement to Chen Shimei

After three years of playing in court politics, Chen Shimei must be a man. There are no permanent friends in the officialdom, and you cannot believe that you can't do the Lord's things by yourself. If he recognizes Qin Xianglian, the emperor really blames him, but when Wang Yanling lets go, he will be completely ruined and abandoned by both the royal family and the civil service group. Therefore, he stood firm and resolutely denied it.

Chen Shimei did not take the bait

Wang Yanling saw that Chen Shimei did not play cards according to the routine, and couldn't help but become angry. Seeing that Qin Xianglian insisted on redressing her grievances, he asked her to go to Kaifeng Mansion to find Bao Zheng. At this time, Chen Shimei also felt the seriousness of the situation, and immediately sent the family general Han Qi to chase down Qin Xianglian and her son. Chen Shimei here is not recognized by her six relatives, and her style of work is very similar to Liu Bang .

Chu ride chases the king of Han, Hanwang is anxious, pushes Xiaohui, Lu Yuan off the car, Teng Gong often downloads, if it is three, said: "Although it is urgent, you can not drive, how can I abandon it?"

When Liu Bang was chased by Xiang Yu, he pushed his children out of the car three times in a hurry. Had it not been for the help of Teng Gong, who was driving, I am afraid that the two children would have already died. In order to protect herself, Chen Shimei did the same as Liu Bang. It can be seen that Chen Shimei is an impersonal politicized figure.Doing things is only about the interests and not asking the right and wrong, lacking a sense of morality.

Killing the Temple : Righteous Han Qi's dilemma

The appearance of Wang Yanling made Chen Shimei aware of the crisis. If you can't seal Qin Xianglian's mouth, your political future will be ruined. However, Chen Shimei herself lacks Wang Yanling's sleek and old-fashioned, and she is not well-developed. In desperation, she wanted to sell her family general Han Qi to kill her.

The plot progressed to the small climax of "killing the temple" . In the play, Han Qi sees Qin Xianglian's mother and her son being pitiful, so they let them make a living, but she suffers from being unable to deal with each other and finally suffocates herself.

Han Qi kills the temple

The character image of Han Qi was probably not created out of thin air. We can find his prototype in "Zuo Zhuan" -the killer 鉏麑. The story of

is like this:

Jinling Gong has a political disagreement with the minister of Zhao Dun . Zhao Dun advised him many times and annoyed Lord Jin Ling. Jin Linggong himself was by nature and brutal, so sent 鉏麑 to assassinate and Zhao Dun .

Early in the morning, Nie Xiao came to Zhao Dun's house and prepared to do something. At this time, he saw that Zhao Dun had already put on court clothes, and took a nap while waiting for the upper court. Xiong thought to himself that Zhao Dun could be so respectful at home and was a good official, so he couldn't bear to kill him. He then thought, if he didn't kill Zhao Dun, he would be disobeying the king's order and would be unfaithful. In a dilemma, Nie Xiao chose to hit a tree and die.

Gong (Jin Ling Gong) suffers from it,Make it a thief. In the morning, the bedroom door is opened. Shengfu will face, it is too early, sit and sleep sleeplessly. He sighed and said: "Don't forget the respect, the lord of the people. The lord of the thieves is unfaithful; if you abandon the king's life, you don't believe it. If there is one here, it is better to die."

Han Qi kills the temple

Compared with 鉏麑, Han Qi may have another reason for suicide-the disillusionment of caused by the collapse of faith. Chen Shimei is kind to Han Qi, and Han Qi cited Chen Shimei as her confidant and role model. Finally, he found that Chen Shimei's human face and animal heart, contrasted greatly with the previous image. He could hardly accept that he would be loyal to such a person. The opposition between reality and belief prompted him to choose suicide.

Han Qi kills the temple

From another perspective, Chen Shimei can win over talents like Han Qi to be loyal to herself, which can prove his ability and ambition. Han Qi's death ruined Chen Shimei's affairs, and he must have regretted why he didn't find a cold-blooded killer like himself.

Guitou: Bao Longtu meditated in Kaifeng Mansion

Qin Xianglian's paper and the news of Han Qi's death have been listed as important evidence by Kaifeng Mansion. Bao Zheng was about to summon a consort at this time, but Chen Shimei would come to Xingshi to inquire first. It turned out that the dynasty pretended to be the ringing horse that killed Han Qi and deceived Chen Shimei to Kaifeng Mansion.

The portrait of Bao Zheng in "One Hundred Peking Opera Figures" in the Qing Dynasty

Bao Zheng met Chen Shimei and persuaded him to recognize Qin Xianglian. If Chen Shimei is guilty and he can be tried directly, why should he persuade and educate him on morals? As long as Chen Shimei confessed to Qin Xianglian, she would be innocent; if she did not confess, she would be guilty. No matter how you look at it, feels that this is not like a judicial trial, but like a political transaction.

Bao Zheng's persuasion to Chen Shimei

Historian Huang Renyu pointed out in his " fifteenth year " 's preface for two millennia:

_p ,Replacing the legal system with morality, even in the Ming Dynasty, was the crux of all problems.

Bao Zheng’s approach is obviously sacrificing the legal system to maintain morality : Chen Shimei recognizes Qin Xianglian and maintains the superficial benevolence and morality, so Chen Shimei can be spared. In many operas, Bao Zheng appeared in the image of , the defender of Confucian ethics and morality. This characteristic makes him have a special role in the civil official group. An inappropriate analogy: If Prime Minister Wang Yanling is the leader of the Democratic Party in the American drama "House of Cards" , then Bao Zheng is the party whip responsible for rectifying discipline.