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When it comes to "Qinhuai Eight Beauties", people often think of eight Gone with Trouble in the Peak of Wealth in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. In fact, strictly speaking, Ma Xianglan is the most unsuitable prostitute who is the word "神".
From the perspective of appearance, her appearance is relatively mediocre. Not only is she not as outstanding as other Qiyan, but even ordinary brothels are probably more charming than Ma Xianglan.
From the perspective of love, her experience is even more ordinary, far less than that of Bian Yujing and Chen Yuanyuan , with a sad, touching or earth-shaking "Romantic History". At the
Festival, Ma Xianglan did not have the noble sentiment of "blood-stained peach blossom fan".
Even in daily life, Ma Xianglan lives as much as Dong Xiaowan's mood and taste.
In general, the only extraordinary thing about Ma Xianglan in the "Eight Beauties of Qinhuai" is that she is too ordinary. It is so ordinary that people naturally believe that Ma Xianglan's existence is to become the "green leaf" of the other seven beauties, and to foil and decorate them. Just as the literati and scholars of the same period believed that the number "seven" is far less auspicious than "eight", and they insisted on pulling her to make up the numbers.
If a talent show was held at the end of the Ming Dynasty, it is estimated that Ma Xianglan's popularity and popularity are the smallest among these famous prostitutes.
However, if our thinking is so "drifting with the flow", it would be a bit underestimated by the literati of the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. Any famous prostitute who can be included in the "Eight Beauties of Qinhuai" may have outstanding looks like a god, noble and elegant temperament, or have a touching or thrilling life experience, or have noble sentiments that refuse to surrender in troubled times. Ma Xianglan has none of the above qualities, but she has unparalleled talent.
Therefore, even though Ma Xianglan is inferior to other famous prostitutes in many aspects, she can win the favor of people of the times with her "talent".
When it comes to painting skills, Ma Xianglan is definitely above other famous prostitutes and can compete with famous masters of the world.
Most literati and scholars are keen on piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, and high-ranking officials and nobles are even more erotic. This is the same in both troubled and prosperous times. Therefore, Ma Xianglan can rely on her exquisite painters to stand out from the Qinhuai River where famous prostitutes gather, becoming one of the eight irreplaceable beauty.
Ma Xianglan's birth year was earlier than other "Eight Beauties of Qinhuai". She was born in 1548 and died in 1604. Ma Xianglan was fortunately unable to encounter most of the troubled times experienced by the "Eight Beauties of Qinhuai". In the era when Ma Xianglan lived, the decline of the Ming Dynasty first appeared, but it was not yet at the level of the country's danger.
At this time, the Ming Dynasty was like a sick sleeping lion. Although the country was weak, it had no internal and external troubles. Therefore, we cannot see the beauty in troubled times in Ma Xianglan's life experience. From this perspective, she is much luckier than beauties such as Chen Yuanyuan, Li Xiangjun, Liu Rushi , and Dong Xiaowan.
Ma Xianglan, born in Jiajing, does not belong to the same generation as other "Eight Beauties of Qinhuai". She is old enough to become the grandmother of other Qiyans. "Qinhuai Guang Ji" contains a lot of information about the "Eight Beauties of Qinhuai", and this document records Ma Xianglan's life. The name Ma Xianglan is just the word "Beauty". Her original name is Ma Shouzhen .
Because there are three brothers and sisters above Ma Xianglan, people at that time also like to call her "Si Niang". The reason why literati habitually calls her "Ma Xianglan" instead of "Ma Shouzhen" is because Ma Xianglan likes to paint flowers and bamboos. Her paintings are mostly based on orchid , and each painting is titled "Xianglanzi".
So, most people will call her "Ma Xianglan" when they mention her. Over time, people gradually forgot the name "Ma Shuye".
"Qinhuai Guang Ji" and other documents do not include too many records about Ma Xianglan's life. It only mentions that Ma Xianglan was born in a wealthy family in southern Hunan. As for why her family declined, how Ma Xianglan went to the Qinhuai River to accompany her to drink and laugh, the plot was not mentioned at all.
I personally believe that the so-called "Miss Girl" is mostly false and unbelievable. Because, in order to increase the popularity of prostitutes and increase the "selling price" of drinking and sleeping, the madams on the Qinhuai River often tailor a set of stories about wealthy origins for prostitutes. Obviously, there was a prostitute who had a fallen world experience. Her experience was more likely to arouse the sympathy of sentimental scholars and sell for a good price.
Therefore, Ma Xianglan is very likely to be like most prostitutes on the Qinhuai River, either from poor families or young girls who were abducted and trafficked onto a pleasure boat. Her elegant temperament and outstanding talent were learned from childhood in the fireworks land. Of course, Ma Xianglan's early experience is no longer evidenced, and as later generations, we don't need to dig deeper into the bottom line.
The orchids in the valley are fragrant alone, allowing the butterflies to be jealous and bees to be crazy.
Orchid heart is like water and has no vulgarity, and I believe it is the most fragrant in the world.
This poem "Ode to Orchid" is Ma Xianglan's work that expresses her ambitions through objects, and is also a true portrayal of her life ambitions. Just like her name "Lan", when reading Ma Xianglan's name, people always think of Tao Yuanming's words "a gentleman of flowers is."
Ma Xianglan is a person who loves orchids. In the courtyard where she lives, countless orchids are planted. Every day, this beauty will carefully water these orchids, making the entire courtyard shrouded in the refreshing orchid fragrance. Ma Xianglan's life is like the orchids she planted. Although people can smell the fragrance outside the alley, ordinary people cannot get close to the orchids that are independent of the world.
No matter how many spectators she has met with, in Ma Xianglan's life, the only one who can touch her is the talented man Wang Zhideng. For some reason, the two failed to achieve a marriage in the end, and Ma Xianglan could only live in the brothel but had no choice but to live in the brothel. Her experience is not a miserable person, but it expresses the bitterness of famous brothels in ancient times, just like her inscription in a famous painting:
bags bought from the streets, and read on the fragrant paper by writing it.
The brothels on the banks of the Qinhuai River are slightly different from those of fireworks in other dynasties. In the early years, Zhu Yuanzhang established a prostitute in the name of the official in order to promote the economy. The support of the founding emperor made the Qinhuai River stand in large numbers of brothels and countless beautiful women. In the Ming Dynasty, if literati and scholars had never visited the Qinhuai River and had not left a love history in this dusty place, it would be hard to be called "romantic".
Ma Xianglan's appearance can only be considered middle and upper class. From the descriptions of people at that time, we can roughly infer the appearance of this beautiful person: slender eyebrows, narrow eyes, white and tender skin as white as milk, thin figure, walking like a willow to support the wind, which makes a man's desire to protect himself.
But in the "Eight Beauties of Qinhuai", Ma Xianglan's writing style and painting skills are definitely superior.
Although "a woman without talent is virtue" is just an exaggeration, most famous ladies will not make such achievements as Ma Xianglan in literature and art. Therefore, in the Ming Dynasty, the happiness brought by prostitutes to talented men was not endorsed by good women. We can see this through the strange work "Jin Ping Mei".
Speaking of the reason why Ma Xianglan became famous, in addition to her outstanding literary talent and painting skills, it is mostly due to her big feet. Since the Northern Song Dynasty, the foot-bound trend that was passed down from the Southern Tang Dynasty has been popular all over the country, and the bad custom of women's feet binding has been passed down for hundreds of years. Ma Xianglan is completely different from those women with small feet. She has a pair of big feet of normal size (this further shows that Ma Xianglan is not embroidered by a large family). For people, alternative things can always bring a different sense of freshness.
I don’t know what mentality it was. At that time, Lu Bi, a talented man named Lu, wrote a poem specifically for Ma Xianglan’s big feet. "Give Jinling Ma Ji":
The apricot flower corner sounded the spring dove, and Shen Shuixiang was lazy to go downstairs.
cut the pomegranate into a new look, and it doesn’t teach people how to see jade double hooks.
In this poem, "Jade Double Hook" refers to a woman's beautiful feet.
This poem says that Ma Xianglan once asked someone to make a new skirt, but when she put on the new skirt, she carefully hid her feet in the hem so that the guests would not see her big feet. Obviously, this poem is full of jokes, and the author's original intention of maliciousness is obvious.You should know that in ancient times, women's feet were equivalent to physical organs such as chest and buttocks, and they should not be easily shown to others. Even if you don’t have big feet, women will most likely not show off their shoes.
I personally believe that this talented man Lu, who claims to be humor, probably saw that Ma Xianglan is not as outstanding as other famous prostitutes, but his "appearance fee" is higher than that of ordinary famous prostitutes, so he wrote this sour poem and insisted on picking some bones in the eggs.
Given that Ma Xianglan has a reputation and does not have outstanding appearance and charming figure, those who are willing to spend money to let Ma Xianglan accompany her are mostly those literati who want to discuss talent and art with her. After contacting Ma Xianglan, I found that the woman's words and behaviors were very appropriate, and she felt like spring breeze and was very understanding.
So, this kind of "inner beauty" is something that other beauties like vases do not have. Therefore, Ma Xianglan will leave an extraordinary impression on every guest.
When writing articles, some history enthusiasts often say that Ma Xianglan's popularity is from ordinary people to ordinary people and nobles, and everyone believes that everyone knows it. For the peddlers, the pleasure boats and brothels on the Qinhuai River are beyond their reach. Judging from the economic level of the Ming Dynasty, the single appearance fee of the prostitutes in the pleasure boats and brothels can be worth the half-year expenses of the hard-working public, let alone famous prostitutes like Ma Xianglan.
What's more, most of the peddlers' demands for prostitutes are sexually satisfied and solve their physiological needs. Therefore, most of them choose low-priced secret prostitutes. The "cost-performance ratio" of brothel prostitutes is not high, so the ordinary class is not interested in the scenery on the banks of the Qinhuai River. Therefore, it is credible to say that Ma Xianglan has a very famous reputation in the upper class, but it is biased to say that her popularity is spread across all classes.
For the scholars in the "literati circle", being able to visit Ma Xianglan's courtyard on the banks of the Qinhuai River is undoubtedly something worth boasting about. Therefore, there are countless noble people visiting Ma Xianglan's family every day. They are truly elegant people or art-like people. The large number of "customers" makes the choice taken in Ma Xianglan herself, and she can freely select the guests she likes.
Don’t talk about “a love love” first. If you want to meet Ma Xianglan, you have to go through a test first, that is literary talent and art. Even if a person with artfulness knocks on Ma Xianglan's house with a gold and silver offensive, he will probably have to drink tea with the beauty. It is difficult for a non-elegant and elegant vulgar person to find a common topic with Ma Xianglan. Ma Xianglan is not as enchanting and affectionate as other famous prostitutes, so it is better to spend silver on other prostitutes.
There is a rumor among the literati and scholars of the Jiajing and Wanli dynasties: "It's useless to visit all the brothels when I search for the Fang and I don't know Ma Xianglan."
Meeting Ma Xianglan is not only a life adjustment, but also a topic of conversation to show off my talents to people in the circle. Therefore, many literati and scholars were proud of being summoned by Ma Xianglan, and those who were rejected by Ma Xianglan were all classified as mediocre people. Most of Ma Xianglan's "guests" have a wealthy family, so Ma Xianglan saved a lot of money by relying on the expensive "appearance fee". With this money, Ma Xianglan built a unique building on the banks of the Qinhuai River.
Ma Xianglan's taste and vision are gone. The orchids we mentioned in the previous article were planted by Ma Xianglan in the courtyard of a small building. Ma Xianglan named this unique building "Youlan Pavilion", and this Youlan Pavilion is exactly the same as the small courtyard where other Qiyan lives, and has become a more noble place than ordinary painting houses. Every time Ma Xianglan goes out, she rides in a luxurious carriage led by four horses, and beside her is a group of slaves who are in their prime.
Therefore, whenever Ma Xianglan is out, those who do not know about it think that the one who goes out is a noble lady from a wealthy family, not a fair woman.
We know that since the pre-Qin period, prostitutes and musicians have all been classified as "musical" and their household registration is different from ordinary people, and their status is the lowest among all the religions and the next level. It is rare in history that people who live a noble life in music and live a noble life.As the saying goes, "a bitch is ruthless and a actor is unrighteous." In the eyes of the world, most women who engage in prostitutes are only the leader of money, and their desire for money is much stronger than that of ordinary people.
Ma Xianglan may have been tired of gold, silver and jewelry, so she has the temperament of treating money like dirt. From Ma Xianglan's life experience, we seem to be able to read a trace of the meaning of heroes in the world. Ma Xianglan's move was very generous, and it was not an exaggeration to call it a waste of money. She went in and out of her left hand with her right hand without even blinking her eyes. Usually, she is quite generous to the people around her. Whether it is a prostitute or a maid, she will respond to all requests. Even those poor scholars, businessmen who have suffered setbacks in the business world, and the elderly, weak, sick and disabled near the "Youlan Pavilion" can be helped by Ma Xianglan.
One time, Ma Xianglan was tidying up her makeup in front of the mirror, and the new maid accidentally broke her favorite hairpin. Speaking of which, the value of this jade hairpin is higher than that of a maid. The maid had just come into contact with Ma Xianglan and thought that Ma Xianglan would definitely beat and scold her like her former master. She was so scared that she burst into tears and kowtowed to apologize.
Who knew that Ma Xianglan did not blame her at all. Instead, she helped up the maid who was scared and trembled and told her that she had never heard such a crisp musical sound of broken jade hairpin, so that she would not have to worry about it.
Although Ma Xianglan has become a commoner, her popularity and reputation give her the right to choose customers. She is not a bitch who can do as much as possible. As long as someone can take out enough gold and silver, she can make the prostitute submit. This situation will definitely not happen to Ma Xianglan. Whether it is a famous gentry or a wealthy businessman, as long as Ma Xianglan feels that this person is vulgar, he will not be allowed to step into Youlan Pavilion.
Even if some literati who are famous outside are famous, as long as Ma Xianglan feels that this person is only talented in exams and has no real material, he will be kept out. In the early years, a filial and honest man from another place (a filial son recommended by the local government to the central government) came to Youlan Pavilion to ask for Ma Xianglan. Seeing that he was vulgar in his words and deeds, Ma Xianglan did not invite him into the door. Xiaolian was neglected by famous prostitutes and held grudges, hoping to retaliate against Ma Xianglan.
Later, this filial and honest official was able to enter the officialdom and was appreciated by the emperor as the top scholar of the same year. He was named the head of the Ministry of Rites . This year, Ma Xianglan offended many ordinary people because of her high vision (Lu Caizi mentioned in the previous article may be one of them). These people gathered together and imposed some crimes on Ma Xianglan and reported them to the Ministry of Rites. The head of the Ministry of Rites had a long time to have a quarrel with Ma Xianglan, so he personally interrogated the case and ordered someone to bring Ma Xianglan to him.
Ma Xianglan knew many high-ranking officials and nobles, so many people came to ask the head of the Ministry of Rites. However, the head of the Ministry of Rites wanted to avenge the revenge he was rejected in his early years and refused to give up.
When Ma Xianglan was taken to the court, the head of the bureau ridicule said, "Everyone said that the famous prostitute Ma Xianglan is famous, but today it seems that he is just a false name."
Ma Xianglan is kind-hearted and responded immediately, "It is because he has only false name for himself in recent years that he has caused the nameless disaster."
The subtle meaning is that this head of the bureau is waiting for an opportunity to be favoritism and abuse the law.
The head of the director saw that Ma Xianglan's answer was neither humble nor arrogant, but instead made him very embarrassed. So he gave Ma Xianglan freedom and gave himself a step.
Although Ma Xianglan was not the most charming prostitute on the Qinhuai River during the Jiajing, Longqing and Wanli periods, she was definitely the most famous one. Even when Ma Xianglan was old, her fame still remained unabated. This is enough to see that the reason why Ma Xianglan became famous is not her youth, and her "customer stickiness" is very great.
According to legend, a young man in Wuyang has long heard of Ma Xianglan, so he came to visit the Youlan Pavilion on the banks of the Qinhuai River. After meeting Ma Xianglan, the young man immediately fell into a year-old love and was obsessed with Ma Xianglan. The young man was talented and treated sincerely. Ma Xianglan felt that he was like his own brother and treated him sincerely.
After a long time, the two of them became closer and closer, and the young man lived in Youlan Pavilion for a long time.The boy's love for Ma Xianglan became deeper and deeper, and he fell into madness for a while. He pointed to the surging Qinhuai River and said to Ma Xianglan, "I must marry you." At first, Ma Xianglan just felt that this boy was joking like an ordinary guest, but he didn't expect that one day the boy would actually go home to explain the situation to his parents. It was not until this time that Ma Xianglan realized that the young man really wanted to marry him.
Generally speaking, prostitutes on the Qinhuai River must find a home before they get old, otherwise they will only become lowly prostitutes and live in their old age alone. Although Ma Xianglan was still well-known when she was nearly fifty years old, her best destination was undoubtedly to get married and become a good person and leave her own family. At that time, Ma Xianglan's colleagues thought she could marry a young and rich boy and tied the knot. However, Ma Xianglan rejected the boy and asked him not to waste his youth and make a decision on his own future because of his own waste of youth, and advised the boy to go to Beijing to take the exam.
Ma Xianglan said: "I am old and ugly. Now I am a bit too late to marry a business woman. How can I marry a young man like you?"
Even so, the young man was still reluctant to leave in the Youlan Pavilion, waiting for Ma Xianglan to wait for the day when she changed her mind. Seeing that the young man was getting more and more depressed, Ma Xianglan made up his mind to inform the government and drove him out of the Youlan Pavilion.
When people heard about this, they thought that Ma Xianglan's noble sentiment actually made Ma Xianglan's reputation even more.
In ancient times, many prostitutes had outstanding appearances when they were young, but once they passed their youth, their appearance would pass away. In that era without "fairy water", few women could maintain their appearance when they were young. For most prostitutes, the lost years are like capital for depreciation, which makes them lose the capital to settle down.
Ma Xianglan is definitely an alternative. Although she has never had an outstanding appearance, her reputation has not diminished at all. Even at the age when other women are old, Ma Xianglan is still the hottest prostitute in the Qinhuai River. When Ma Xianglan celebrated her birthday at the age of 50, Wang Zhideng, who was close to her, visited her in person, and many literati and scholars personally held a birthday banquet for her.
For a moment, Ma Xianglan's "reduced less and charm is the same" was rumored to be a good story. A beauties like Ma Xianglan who are over 50 years old who are so popular with the times are rare in any era.
Although this is a bit unrigorous, Ma Xianglan is really like a gentleman from a prostitute, generous and approachable. She made countless celebrities and scholars throughout her life, and more than half of the talented men in the literary world were her friends. When Ma Xianglan passed away, many celebrities wanted to write a tribute for her, so hundreds of elegiac couplets were appeared at Ma Xianglan's funeral.
These elegiac couplets are without exception, and they all call Ma Xianglan elegant and beautiful. Those who don’t know what they are, probably think that the one who died was a noble and elegant lady.
Among the talented men who wrote the sacrificial text for Ma Xianglan, Zhang Binwang said that his sacrificial text was the best. People were very curious about this and asked what was the wonderfulness of Zhang Caizi's sacrificial text.
Zhang Binwang said: "My sacrificial text imitates "Red Cliff Fu" by Su Shi . The charm and modification are similar to that of Master Su."
Zhang Caizi's boasted words aroused everyone's curiosity, so everyone rushed to ask him to take out his sacrificial text and recite it.
When Zhang Binwang said, "This is the female of a lifetime, but how are you here now!", someone laughed silently. This is not an imitation, it is just a replacement for Su Shi's "hero" in "This is a hero for a lifetime, but now how can he be there" to "female".
Although this is just a joke, no one can deny the true feelings contained in Zhang Binwang's tribute. This sentence seems to be nothing to describe the gentleman of flowers, Ma Xianglan.
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Compared with other seven beautiful women, Ma Xianglan's love story is not tortuous, but it is as ordinary as her life experience. Lucky as Liu Rushi, she married the prominent figure Qian Qianyi, held in her palm by Lord Qian, and enjoyed the happiness of an ordinary woman. Dong Xiaowan is equally lucky. She married Mao Pijiang and got along well with the Mao family.
There are luck, and naturally there are misfortunes. Koubaimen finally married his sweetheart, but his lover was abandoned. Chen Yuanyuan married the great hero who dared to be angry for himself, but she was also treated coldly in her later years and became a monk. Ma Xianglan's love cannot be called luck or misfortune.
However, ordinary love may not be untouchable.
Send the Zhao family’s son away and welcomes the Sun family’s son. The life of every famous prostitute is similar. They live a life of rich and beautiful life with young heroes or dignitaries. Others seem to be extremely glamorous, but in essence, they are always a musical source with a lower status. Whether it is because of being abducted or growing up in a fireworks place since childhood, most of the prostitutes are lonely and lonely. In their "working career", they have seen the warmth and coldness of the world, but have to greet the indifferent society with a smile. Some difficulties and pain cannot be compensated by luxury and food.
It can be said that no prostitute is willing to be imprisoned in the fireworks alley in this life. They are more willing to live a poor and ordinary life like ordinary women, even village girls and peasants. There are not many ways for prostitutes to change their situation, and getting married is the easiest one. The wish of most prostitutes is to choose a man who is satisfied with among all the guests, and let him be the hero in his life and save himself from the fire pit. However, not every man in this world can tolerate the prostitutes at the bottom of society like Mao Pijiang and Qian Qianyi, so few prostitutes can meet heroes who come by colorful auspicious clouds.
, and some even waited in brothels for more than ten years, while others waited hard all their lives.
Ma Xianglan in her early years, like those prostitutes who long for love, wanted to choose a hero from the guests who saved himself from the fire and fire. She waited hard until she was twenty-four years old, and finally met the candidate who was the best fit in her partner in her mind - the talented man in Jiangnan, Wang Zhideng.
On the banks of the Qinhuai River, the most inseparable thing is the love story between literati and prostitutes.
Prostitutes are famous for celebrities, and literati are also famous for prostitutes.
Compared with the great writers and celebrities such as Mao Pijiang, Qian Qianyi, Wu Meicun, and Hou Fangyu who have entrusted the "Eight Beauties of Qinhuai" for life, Wang Zhideng is definitely much inferior to them.
Mao Pijiang and Qian Qianyi, who are famous all over the world, can still be kept in history and known to future generations even if they are not accompanied by famous prostitutes.
In comparison, if Ma Xianglan had not appeared in Wang Zhideng's life, I'm afraid Wang Zhideng's popularity is far less than that now. Although he is not unknown, his fame cannot reach the height of Mao Pijiang, Qian Qianyi and others.
Wang Zhideng was born in Jiangyin , and later moved his family to Wumen. When he was young, he was quite talented and skilled in calligraphy and painting. His youthful experience was like a child prodigy like Zhongyong. When he was four years old, he could answer the first couplets proposed by others. When he was six years old, he could copy famous copybooks to the perfect appearance. When he was ten years old, he had already started to create and wrote poems that were praised by others.
In the late Jiajing year, Wang Zhideng entered the Imperial Academy to study (the Tai students in the Ming Dynasty were equivalent to the current doctoral degree), and later participated in the compilation of national history. After gaining a certain status, Wang Zhideng met Wen Zhengming , which was as famous as Tang Bohu, and joined him to learn calligraphy and painting, and since then he has made great progress.
With Wen Zhengming's full teaching, Wang Zhideng finally became a young calligrapher. His official script, seal script and cursive script are quite praised, and many elegant people have begun to collect his works. Yuan Zhongdao (one of the three Yuans of the Public Security Bureau) once praised Wang Zhideng's calligraphy as "the official script is sophisticated and ancient, and it is better than the real cursive script." People at that time once believed that Wang Zhideng was the successor of the Wumen school.
Generally speaking, talented people with good calligraphy are good at writing poetry, and Wang Zhideng is no exception.
Wang Zhideng's poems were also well-known at that time. In the three dynasties of Jiajing and Wanli, more than a dozen literati who became famous for poetry were born, among which Wang Zhideng was the most famous.
According to records, Wang Zhideng wrote 21 kinds of poems and 45 volumes in his life.The main ones include "Wang Baigu Collection", "Jinling Collection", "Jinchang Collection", "History of Games", "Danqing Zhi", "Wu She Edited", "Yan Shi Collection", and "Keyue Zhi", etc. The last four types were included in "History of Ming Dynasty·Yiwenzhi", and "History of Games" was included in "Four Stock Catalogues". At the same time, Wang Zhideng was also a famous playwright during the Wanli period. He wrote the legends "The Legend of Colorful Robe" and "The Legend of Quande", which was quite influential in the Jinling drama world.
During the Jiajing period, southern student Wang Zhideng came to the capital, hoping to find an official position based on his own abilities and enter the official career. Wang Zhideng thought he was lucky. As soon as he arrived in Beijing, he was taken to the school by Yuan Weiyan, a senior secretary of the dynasty, and became a guest. However, Wang Zhideng never expected that Yuan Wei was involved in a political storm and was repeatedly suppressed by the prime minister Xu Jie . Because Wang Zhideng was Yuan Wei's disciple, he was not valued by the court.
Seeing that there was nowhere to display his talents and ambitions, the young Wang Zhideng was discouraged and simply said goodbye to Yuan Wei and returned to Jiangnan. He was wandering in brothels and restaurants every day, intoxicated by the flowers and willows and alleys to relieve the unsuccessful time. Until one time, Wang Zhideng came to the famous Youlan Pavilion and met the famous prostitute Ma Xianglan.
In the first part we said that Ma Xianglan is a very understanding woman, and all the depressed and unsuccessful literati can be comforted by her. Moreover, Ma Xianglan has a relatively in-depth study of calligraphy, painting, poetry and prose, and has endless common topics with Wang Zhideng.
The two discussed their understanding of poetry, songs, calligraphy and paintings. They felt very close to each other, and they even felt that they met too late. From then on, Wang Zhideng became a regular visitor to Youlan Pavilion and no longer visited other brothels in the pleasure boats.
Wang Zhideng found a feeling of equality in Ma Xianglan. In his difficult life, only Ma Xianglan and his childhood sweethearts are brewing wine, looking down on him.
In fact, why didn’t Ma Xianglan gain the feeling of equality in Wang Zhideng?
Wang Zhideng is completely different from those talented men who claim to be superior. It’s so great to appreciate flowers and paintings together. It can be said that Wang Zhideng and Ma Xianglan spent the most comfortable time in each other's lives in the Youlan Pavilion. For Ma Xianglan, Wang Zhideng is not only his sweetheart, but also a talented confidant. Although Ma Xianglan created many famous paintings at that time, few people at that time could understand the true meaning of her paintings. Wang Zhideng was her first confidant.
In order to please his beloved, Wang Zhideng specially found He Zhen, the craftsman who was best at carving at that time, and asked him to carve a seal with the "List Deep in Li" and spent a lot of money to buy her a She inkstone. After receiving these two gifts, Ma Xianglan wrote a few inkstones:
The product of hundreds of grains is born with wonderful quality.
Yi is like Huinon, and she lives in the orchid room for a long time.
It can be said that this is the first time that Ma Xianglan expressed his feelings to her lover. Wang Zhideng's word is "Bogu", which is the homonym of "Baigu". Ma Xianglan's inscription is actually telling Wang Zhideng what he wants, hoping that he can stay with him forever.
One day, Wang Zhideng came to Youlan Pavilion and he asked Ma Xianglan to paint for him. Seeing that her lover had something to ask for, Ma Xianglan was very happy. She immediately prepared her pen and ink and drew a picture of Ye Lan that she was best at.
Speaking of the orchid in this painting, it uses Ma Xianglan's original technique. There is only a touch of oblique leaves under the orchid, setting off the elegant and noble orchid on it. This painting method highlights the orchids very elegantly, not as bloated as other orchid pictures. After the painting was finished, Ma Xianglan also mentioned a seven-character quatrain "Orchid" on the painting:
A leaf of orchid and a arrow of flowers, who would cherish being alone at the end of the world?
Since it was written into the silver paper, I am not afraid of wind, cold, rain and slant.
The first poem describes the quiet and helpless nature of orchids, which is actually Ma Xianglan using this to set off her situation. The following article changes, saying that if the orchid is written into silver paper, it will no longer be afraid of the storm. What the orchid refers to is naturally Ma Xianglan himself, and what the silver note says is Wang Zhideng. In this poem, Ma Xianglan's desire to agree with her body is obvious.Perhaps Ma Xianglan felt that this poem alone was not enough to express her feelings to her lover, so she specially drew a picture of "Cliff Hanging Orchid", and also wrote a poem with a seven-character quatrain:
The cliff blew a strange fragrance, and the hanging leaves were empty to make passers-by busy;
If it weren't for the high position, it would be inevitable that the rich party would accompany the evening makeup.
This poem embodies Ma Xianglan's other mentality. She was afraid that her lover would regard herself as an ordinary brothel woman and thought that her affection for him was just a show. Therefore, she once again expressed her feelings by using the orchid on the cliff, saying that she was definitely not a woman with the best choice and aquatic poplar.
Wang Zhideng's literary talent is outstanding, and he can see the affection in these two poems at a glance. However, Wang Zhideng was very hesitant.
Wang Zhideng was thirty-seven years old at this time and had already passed the age of "establishment", but his career has not improved at present. I am about to enter forty years, but I still have no fame and fortune, and I don’t know where the road ahead is. Obviously, Wang Zhideng is a person who is more conservative and responsible in his relationships. He did not easily accept Ma Xianglan because he was not a frivolous person. Wang Zhideng believes that he should give his lover happiness and provide her with shelter.
However, Wang Zhideng can give Ma Xianglan very limited. After such a long period of contact, Wang Zhideng has discovered that Ma Xianglan is a deeply affectionate woman. If she makes a promise easily, it may not be a good thing for her, but it will be a kind of harm. It’s better not to make a promise for the time being, so that the two can continue dating with a relatively relaxed attitude. In addition, based on Wang Zhideng's identity, he may have another hidden concern.
Although Ma Xianglan is kind-hearted and the most understanding woman in the world, and is in line with Wang Zhideng's affection, she is still a prostitute on the banks of the Qinhuai River. Wang Zhideng was born in the feudal era. Even if his thoughts are open, he will not be unfair about Ma Xianglan's identity. After all, before Wang Zhideng, Ma Xianglan had met countless romantic celebrities, which made Wang Zhideng, who was in a patriarchal society, at a loss.
Moreover, Wang Zhiden came from a scholarly family and was a well-known figure at that time. If Wang Zhideng married Ma Xianglan, even if the two got along well, this matter would not be blessed by the people of the time. Moreover, Ma Xianglan is a "music citizen". If she cannot leave her family, it would be illegal to marry her to join her family. Even if the court does not pursue the matter, it will have a great impact on Wang Zhideng's reputation. Taking into account the above factors, Wang Zhideng had to pretend to be confused. After
, he just rolled up the two paintings and put them away, politely expressed his gratitude to Ma Xianglan, and turned around to say goodbye.
This action undoubtedly has another interpretation in the eyes of the sensitive Ma Xianglan.
Ma Xianglan believes that in Wang Zhideng's heart, he is still a bitch that everyone tastes red lips, so Wang Zhideng will not be with him. The understanding Ma Xianglan did not have an attack, and she still acted as usual in front of Wang Zhideng, but she couldn't help crying when there was no one around.
Reasonablely, if this matter is on other famous prostitutes, I'm afraid that a ruthless person like Wang Zhideng will be blacklisted, but Ma Xianglan loves Wang Zhideng too much after all, so she has an ambiguous contact with Wang Zhideng as always, but since then she has never taken the initiative to talk about the future of the two again.
What happened soon after made Ma Xianglan admire Wang Zhideng's character and character even more, and his love for him increased day by day.
Ma Xianglan became famous when she was young. The dignitaries who visited her spent a lot of money and put mountains of gold and silver in the orchid hall. "Pipa Xing " Bai Juyi's sentence "Wuling young people compete for their heads, and a song of red silk is unknown" just describes Ma Xianglan's popularity. However, as mentioned in the first section, there is never a shortage of jealous jealous people in this world.
Some guests, local officials or down-and-out literati who were not favored by Ma Xianglan often collude and bully Ma Xianglan and blackmail her. As the saying goes, "There are many troubles in front of the widows." The vulnerable groups are often unprotected in the old society. Most of the money Ma Xianglan earns by accompanying wine and selling laughter are squeezed out by these people.
Wang Zhideng had close contacts with Ma Xianglan and witnessed several similar incidents here. So he found his good friend Xitai Censor and asked him to come forward to help Ma Xianglan rescue the siege. With the support of the Western Taiwan Censor, fewer and fewer people dare to make trouble at home, and Ma Xianglan is happy to be quiet.
Ma Xianglan is very grateful to Wang Zhideng for everything he did, but she doesn't know how to repay her sweetheart. She thought that since Wang Zhideng had not yet married, she might as well marry Wang Zhideng, even if she could only be a concubine in his house, in order to repay his kindness. When Ma Xianglan mentioned this just now, Wang Zhideng said, "I saw you in danger, so I just made a big effort. If I had other plans, I would be too upright."
is gold that will always shine, and talents like Wang Zhideng will not be buried.
Before Wang Zhideng was forty years old, he finally waited for the opportunity. Zhao Zhigao, a great scholar in the capital, knew the hero with a keen eye and recommended Wang Zhideng to compile the national history. Wang Zhideng was full of confidence and thought that his wish for many years had finally been fulfilled. He packed his luggage with great enthusiasm and took a passenger boat to the capital. When he left, he was still full of joy: After making great achievements in the capital in the future, he must help Ma Xianglan get rid of her family and restore her normal identity, so that the two of them can spend the rest of their lives together.
I heard that Wang Zhideng was going north to Beijing, and Ma Xianglan was in a very complicated mood. She was worried that Wang Zhideng would go there forever. When she held a banquet to practice for Wang Zhideng, she tried her best to squeeze out a smile and congratulated Wang Zhideng on her final hope for a bright future. However, thinking that the two of them would meet again after they parted this time, Ma Xianglan's tears couldn't stop flowing. Seeing the beauty crying, Wang Zhideng couldn't help but feel moved.
After three rounds of drinking, Wang Zhideng slightly revealed his intention to join forces with Ma Xianglan. However, Ma Xianglan thought that Wang Zhideng had rejected him before, thinking that he was still bound by his humble identity and did not dare to express his feelings. She just buried the seeds of hope in the deepest part of her heart, hoping that it would sprout and bear fruit.
The fragrance of wine and clothes are allowed to follow you, why does the east wind send you sadness?
The flowers are thin on the stream and the willows are swaying in the Jin Pavilion;
The sails are far away from the walkers, and the hearts of losing their partners are late with the setting sun;
The eyes are full of light and you will return home, so don’t teach the difference between spring scenery.
This poem "Farewell in the Mid-Spring Road" is full of sentimentality about parting, and Ma Xianglan longs for her to meet her sweetheart as soon as possible. Although Ma Xianglan had already fallen into the dust, she still wanted to keep her virginity for her lover, so she closed the Youlan Pavilion and waited patiently for Wang Zhideng's reply.
She looks forward to Wang Zhideng returning home in glory one day, and she can get rid of this day of sending people to drink and laugh. Day after day, Ma Xianglan's mind was full of thoughts on his lover Wang Zhideng, who was working hard in the capital. Ma Xianglan closed the door to thank the guests and no longer met any romantic people.
For a moment, all the romantic and elegant men lingering on the Qinhuai River were regretful and lamented that a famous flower belonged to.
Unfortunately, luck makes people feel bad, and God always likes to joke with those who are looking forward to reunion. The more Ma Xianglan wanted to see Wang Zhideng, the harder he could hear about him.
Ma Xianglan's heart had already flew out of the Youlan Pavilion and out of Jinling City, but it could not find Wang Zhideng, who had no news about it. Ma Xianglan, who cannot relieve her longing, can only write poems every day to masturbate. This song "Autumn Boudoir Song" is one of them:
The lotus dew is cold and the moon is faint, and the little wind is clear and the wild geese fly;
Hearing the jade gate thousands of miles, where can I send cold clothes in the deep autumn?
On the other side, Wang Zhideng did not usher in his career as he expected. Just like the last time he came to the capital to seek opportunities, Wang Zhideng was also not appreciated this time. The rift between Xu Jie and his disciples and Wang Zhideng caused the civil servants in the capital to exclude and suppress Wang Zhideng. Although Wang Zhideng participated in the compilation of national history, he was unable to be promoted. As the saying goes, "Why can a person not bow his head under the short eaves?" For the sake of his future, Wang Zhideng did not dare to have an attack, and could only silently engage in some miscellaneous jobs, waiting for the opportunity to come.
Wang Zhideng has worked hard in the capital for a whole year, and his various experiences have prevented him from seeing hope for the future.Therefore, Wang Zhideng made the same choice as he did back then, packing his luggage and returning to his hometown. This time, when he entered Beijing, he not only failed to return home in glory, but returned in disgrace, which made Wang Zhideng unable to let go. Wang Zhideng had no face to face the elders of Jiangdong, and had no face to meet Ma Xianglan. Thinking of the promise he made to Ma Xianglan when he was full of energy in his early years, Wang Zhideng couldn't help but smile bitterly. When he heard that Ma Xianglan closed the Youlan Pavilion and was waiting for his return wholeheartedly, Wang Zhideng went crazy several times.
Wang Zhideng decided to break up with Ma Xianglan, so he moved to Gusu , hoping that this would break Ma Xianglan's thoughts.
Ma Xianglan, who was waiting for it, heard that her lover was frustrated again. In order to avoid her, she moved to Gusu City . She immediately came to Gusui regardless of everything to comfort Wang Zhideng.
During the period when Wang Zhideng moved to Gusu, Ma Xianglan would go to Gusu for a while every now and stay with Wang Zhideng. With this experience, Wang Zhideng no longer talked about piano, chess, calligraphy and painting with Ma Xianglan. The topic between the two changed from art to human feelings and the worldly style.
, however, the two never expressed their love to each other again.
Even when they were not together, the two kept communicating with each other. The relationship between the two lasted for thirty years. In "Books of Famous Socialites of All Ages", letters from Ma Xianglan and Wang Zhideng are still included. In the eyes of later generations, these letters are not like love letters that lovers say longing for each other, but rather like family letters that exchange feelings between brothers and sisters. Therefore, many people mistakenly believe that Ma Xianglan is a relative of Wang Zhideng, or that Ma Xianglan's ancestral home is Gusu.
Ma Xianglan's lovesickness is seen by brothel sisters. Every prostitute is lonely on the Qinhuai River, so most of the time they can only gather together to keep warm, so they are all worried for Ma Xianglan. Many prostitutes advised Ma Xianglan, "There is no fragrant grass everywhere in the world." Instead of guarding Wang Zhideng who has not entered the world for the rest of his life, it is better to find a lover who can give her a temporary happiness. Unlike other prostitutes, Ma Xianglan has never lacked romantic, rich, talented and passionate celebrities around her. There are countless people willing to marry her home. I wonder how many celebrities have a lot of eyes are about her.
However, Ma Xianglan couldn't listen to the advice of her sisters and believed that if she could not stay with Wang Zhideng forever in her life, she would be better than being alone for the rest of her life.
Even in modern times with open minds, we cannot find many amazing women like Ma Xianglan. Ma Xianglan's understanding is something that most women do not have. Anyone who is blinded by love may be with Wang Zhideng at all costs. However, traditional literati like Wang Zhideng who takes establishing a career as their mission will never focus on love before they can fulfill their life ambitions, so the two will not have any results.
It is precisely because Ma Xianglan is familiar with this that she chooses to give her sweetheart enough respect. Ma Xianglan neither fell into fanaticism nor fell into sadness and melancholy, nor did she forget this love by deceiving herself. Ma Xianglan chose to continue to be a watchman and wait loyally behind this love, even if this would make her lonely for the rest of her life.
Time flies, thirty years are in the blink of an eye.
In the past thirty years, in addition to going to Gusui regularly to accompany Wang Zhideng, Ma Xianglan lived alone every day, and the song "Sad Farewell" best reflects her mood.
The diseased bones are flooded for a long time, and Wang Sheng once saw mercy.
is always on orchids and bamboos, and collects poems every night.
Cold rain and three rivers, autumn wind sleeps overnight.
There is nothing to do in the boudoir, I hope to return to the boat all day long.
Sometimes, Ma Xianglan will also meet with some talented and knowledgeable scholars, but she will never open her heart to other men. She is talking about pure literature and art, and has nothing to do with romantic affairs. As her youth passed, Ma Xianglan's popularity inevitably faded, and only some real celebrities were visiting her, and those with artful elegance would not come to visit her again. Ma Xianglan was happy to live such a leisurely life, and her heart became more and more calm and she gradually got used to this kind of life.
The deep courtyard is floating on the sycamore, the tall buildings are hanging on the moon, the two stars are pursuing the promise, and the separation and reunion on earth is difficult to last.
facing the sky, quietly occupying the magpie, and want to stop shuttle. When we meet, we can tell you nothing. The Yao steps sing independently and gently, and the thin shadows blow the cool breeze.
always meet Xiao Zhu, collecting poems every night, there is nothing to do in the boudoir, and I look forward to returning to the boat all day long. As written in this song "The Fairy of Magpie Bridge", Ma Xianglan spent most of her youth in the sky facing the orchid and bright moon. She built a small world of "Yu Lan Pavilion", raising orchids and painting orchids, and drinking with guests from far away. She is the lamp in Wang Zhideng's confusing world, the winter clothes in the cold night, and the sound of the piano in the silent place.
Before she knew it, Ma Xianglan had been waiting for half a century. She had been betting on waiting for this matter for half a lifetime, but she did not get any reward. Ma Xianglan’s suffering is not something that ordinary people can understand. Only she knows best how tormented and bitter she is.
1604, that is, the 32nd year of Wanli, Wang Zhideng was already in his seventies.
As the saying goes, "It's rare to be in the seventy years." At this age, what people think about is no longer the future that can be calculated, but the regret of not being able to fulfill the past. What Wang Zhideng cannot let go of the most in his life is the unsuccessful love between himself and Ma Xianglan.
In these thirty years, hasn’t Wang Zhideng thought of breaking up with his sweetheart?
But due to ethics, he did not dare to take the step of combining with Ma Xianglan, and he refused to completely break up with Ma Xianglan out of love. As Wang Zhideng was about to celebrate his 70th birthday, he finally made up his mind to invite Ma Xianglan to participate in his birthday banquet, but fulfilled this thirty-year vow.
After receiving the invitation from his sweetheart, Ma Xianglan, who was already fifty-six years old, specially replied a sincere letter, in which he explained his years of experience and his longing for Wang Zhideng. Ma Xianglan has not put on heavy makeup and dressed in her clothes for many years. She specially bought the most beautiful clothes and spent a lot of money to invite more than ten beauties who are best at singing and dancing on the Qinhuai River. The group took a boat to Suzhou Flying Floating Garden to celebrate Wang Zhiden's birthday.
It is said that these singers performed for more than two months in a row, and this incident was circulating in the streets and alleys of Suzhou for a while. At the birthday party, Ma Xianglan, whose voice is no longer as old as before, once again offered a song to her sweetheart:
Check out a cup to celebrate her birthday and recall her past, and she thinks deeply indefinitely.
If there is faith in the three lives on the stone, we will share the same wings with each other.
If this song comes from a singer who is in his prime, it may make people feel a little pretentious. But Ma Xianglan sang this song, which made people cry and tell the bitterness of love.
After listening to the song sung by my lover, Wang Zhideng was extremely moved. To this day, there is no future between them. Both of them have reached the end of their lives, and perhaps they can only place this relationship in their next life.
The passionate Ma Xianglan, the talented Ma Xianglan, and the versatile Ma Xianglan, have not let Wang Zhideng dream of it for so many years? Thinking that he would never be able to get along with Ma Xianglan in this life, because the so-called ethics and status have also delayed the beauty's precious years. Is all this worth it?
After giving all of this to Wang Zhideng, Ma Xianglan seemed to have completed her mission. Because of the hardships of boating and driving in the past two months and she was exhausted, Ma Xianglan fell ill shortly after returning to Nanjing. Not long after, Ma Xianglan, who had a premonition that she was about to reach the end of her life, took a shower and changed her clothes on a quiet afternoon, lit a furnace of sandalwood, and sat in the hall of Youlan Pavilion to worship Buddha.
On this day, Ma Xianglan asked the maids to put orchids in the lobby, sat quietly on chairs, and ended their fifty-six years of life in the orchid fragrance.
That's it. The most talented woman on the Qinhuai River waited for a man for half her life, and finally left the world quietly, ending her ordinary life in loneliness.
After Ma Xianglan died, people buried her near Bifeng Temple.
Because the communication conditions were not developed at that time, and it was always between Wang Zhideng and Ma Xianglan that Ma Xianglan took the time to see Wang Zhideng in Suzhou. Wang Zhideng thought that Ma Xianglan and she were both old people, and it was difficult for her to come to Suzhou to visit her like she had been for many years. Therefore, although Wang Zhideng missed Ma Xianglan very much, he still did not set off to Nanjing to find his lover.
It was not until eight years later that Wang Zhideng came from a distance among his friends. He heard that Ma Xianglan passed away shortly after returning to Nanjing. After hearing this bad news, Wang Zhideng burst into tears: "A talented woman is infatuated by love, but she will mislead you for decades! Ethics and religions kill people, and their reputation will be detained, and fame and fortune will be degraded..." Wang Zhideng could not be freed from his grief for half a day. After
, Wang Zhideng personally wrote a biography for his lover and left a poem "Elegy Poem" at the beginning:
Song and dance were the first-class at that time, and his name won the brothel.
Diet before he has fulfilled his affection, and he turns into a lotus and has a head full of his head.
Of course, this poem is included in Ma Xianglan's biography after all, so Wang Zhideng cannot leave too many subjective feelings in the poem. Regarding Wang Zhideng’s feelings for Ma Xianglan, we also need to look at the song "Parquet Table" he wrote to mourn Ma Xianglan:
The water is cloudy and the sky is light, Hengyang Broken geese.
is sad and only to Zhongshan , and I am confused when I grow old.
Talent is nowhere to be seen, leaning against the slanted bar.
Remembering the past, there were several night colors, and now I can’t bear to see the autumn light.
It is said that on the night after writing this song "Particle Dressing Table", Wang Zhideng fell ill in bed and fell ill, and died suddenly more than ten days later. Perhaps, Wang Zhideng saw Xin Xinniannian's sweetheart under the 9th fountain. Although the two could not get married in this life, they could stay together for the rest of their lives.
It can be said that the only unmarried among the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai is Ma Xianglan. She and Wang Zhideng are not only a relationship between men and women, but in the later period, Wang is also a friend and brother to her. Facing Wang Zhideng's timidity, Ma Xianglan neither forced each other to force each other, nor gave up this emotion. Instead, she always followed her heart and just loved you, but it had nothing to do with you. She didn't have to make any promises from the other party, and used her life to sing Wang Zhideng's poems and essays.
If you say you have no fate, you will get together, stay together and cherish each other; if you say you have no fate, you will be far away from each other, and you will go your separate ways. Since you have no chance to be a husband and wife, then be friends, confidants, and relatives.
No matter how future generations lament, "It's a pity that they have nothing to do with the fallen flowers and flowing water," Ma Xianglan finally lived out a real self, just like the orchid she loved, spotless and noble.
3
Most of the beauties in the "Qinhuai Eight Beauties" are known for their beauty and talent. Unlike other Qiyans, Ma Xianglan is slightly inferior in appearance and figure, so the reason why she can rank among the Eight Beauties is entirely because her talent is more praised than other Qiyans.
Since Guan Zhong founded a prostitute for the sake of national income, prostitutes have become a business. Many people believe that women who engage in flesh-related business are prostitutes, which is actually a fallacy. Strictly speaking, the "prostitute" in the modern sense was "prostitute" in ancient times, and this industry was widely present in the middle and lower classes. Prostitutes are not only engaged in flesh and blood business, they also have to have a skill, either playing music, singing, or poetry, or lyrics, or lyrics, or proficient in the same talent to make them gain a foothold in the world of turmoil.
In ancient times, it was a very normal phenomenon for prostitutes to have talent. This situation naturally occurs because of the needs of consumers and the cater to prostitutes.
In most feudal dynasties (mainly in the pre-Qin period and even in the late Qing Dynasty), women must pursue the "Three Obediences and Four Virtues".
So, what is the "three obediences and four virtues"?
In plain words, it means being closed-minded and willing to become a patriarchal obedient.
As the saying goes, "A woman without talent is virtue", it means that a good woman cannot get too much talent. Like the Li Qingzhao in the Song Dynasty, it was once regarded as a rebellious existence after the prosperity of Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism. Writing poems, lyrics, piano, chess, calligraphy and painting are the patents of men, and women who are involved in it are contrary to their morals. In a sense, brothel women may be more "free".
They have the opportunity to get in touch with books written by people at that time and can also learn various skills freely. Although prostitutes learn these things mostly to cater to guests. But in the process of learning, their horizons are often broader and their thoughts are also more open, which can be regarded as a small fortune born in the misfortune of feudalism.
Generally speaking, scholars or literati who like arts and elegance pay more attention to mood and atmosphere. Since they are the main consumer group of brothel pleasure boats, prostitutes must "keep up with the times" and learn culture and art so that they can have a common language with celebrities. A prostitute who simply pleases people with sex will not reach the height of "Eight Beauties of Qinhuai".
When studying the "Eight Beauties of Qinhuai", we often find in the literature that there were many prostitutes with better appearance than Eight Beauties at that time, but their popularity was far less than that of the "Eight Beauties". Obviously, prostitutes with both sexes and even outstanding talents are more popular among customers.
Prostitutes need culture, and culture is not just a skill to decorate their appearance.
Talented and knowledgeable prostitutes have more opportunities to gain popularity and excel, and they make more noble guests, and they have more opportunities to get married as good people. Although prostitutes are difficult to become a good wife.
In fact, it is not just culture and art, what prostitutes pursue is actually "inner beauty".
This pursuit of "inner beauty" can be traced back to the Han Dynasty at least. Just imagine, if the Han girl Zhao Feiyan did not have the unique skill of dancing on her palm, how could she win the favor of the emperor? If Xue Tao was an illiterate woman who could not read a big word, I am afraid that literary masters such as Yuan Zhen, Bai Juyi, and Du Mu would not have any interaction with her.
There was such a trend in the ancient prostitute culture.
The more famous a prostitute is, the more opportunities you will have to contact with the literary world, and the main service objects of social engagements and performances you experience on weekdays are more elegant. In the gatherings of literati and scholars, famous prostitutes can appreciate more works by famous masters, hear the insights of literati, and even have the opportunity to get personal tips from literary giants. Over time, prostitutes who passively enter the literary circle will become higher and higher under the influence of this atmosphere.
In addition, in the Ming Dynasty, the court included "punishing good and prostitution" in the criminal law, and those politicians who failed in the political arena would mostly fall into chaos. Because they are women with certain literary literacy or high quality, their temperament and grade are naturally higher than those of the common women.
Among the "Eight Beauties of Qinhuai", Ma Xianglan is best at poetry and painting. Her orchid poems and orchid pictures are unique in the world. Ma Xianglan's ability to paint orchids is not only the best in the Jiajing and Wanli dynasties of the Ming Dynasty, but even if it is placed in the painting world of ancient and modern times, it can be compared with those of us.
Because Ma Xianglan has a character "orchid" in its characters, and its favorite flower is also orchids, Ma Xianglan's usual paintings are mostly orchids. Of course, while painting orchids, Ma Xianglan will also decorate them with bamboo, stone and other things. Even in the eyes of famous experts with clever vision, Ma Xianglan's orchids are remarkable.
or even, Cao Xueqin's grandfather Cao Yin in "The History of Paintings of Paintings in the Past Dynasties" commented that her painting skills were "Orchid Zigu, and bamboo method Zhongji can all inherit her rhyme." He wrote poems for "Ma Xianglan's long scroll of painting orchids" three times in succession, with a total of 72 sentences, recorded in Cao Yin's "Dongting Collection". The fine calligraphy and painting works of the Forbidden City in Beijing are also mixed with Ma's orchid albums, radiating unique brilliance. Her paintings have always been regarded as treasures abroad.
Most of the friends who study Chinese painting have seen Ma Shouzhen's name in their works that evaluate Chinese painting. It can be said that Ma Xianglan's achievements in the field of painting are beyond the reach of other famous prostitutes.
As the saying goes, "People are afraid of being famous and pigs are afraid of being strong." Ma Xianglan's achievements in painting orchids have made her popularity soar. Although feudal society regarded Ma Xianglan and others relatively lowly, everyone in the art field admitted that Ma Xianglan was a masterpiece of painting orchids. Many nobles in the palace are proud of having a picture of Ma Xianglan's orchid at home.
, even the eunuch who was the most famous and powerful at that time was Wei Zhongxian .
Speaking of Wei Zhongxian, it really has nothing to do with the word "Feng Ya". Wei Zhongxian is from Suining, Hebei Province. He is just a thug. He once married the family daughter Feng as his wife. The two have a daughter. Later, when Wei Zhongxian was gambling with others, he was humiliated because he lost all his family's belongings. He was so angry that he castrated himself to pay off his debts.Wei Zhongxian, who had left the power, became a famous eunuch. He could not survive in his hometown and could only go to the capital to find a way out.
For a eunuch, the best place to go is undoubtedly to enter the palace and be a eunuch. Wei Zhongxian spent money to bribe the people in the palace and was able to enter the palace to find a job. Because Wei Zhongxian is very good at flattering, as soon as he entered the palace, he tied the line with Keshi, the nurse of the emperor of the dynasty. He relied on his own speculation to leverage the influence of Hospit, and became the leading figure in the inner court. Afterwards, Wei Zhongxian extended his claws to the outer court and gradually became a "nine thousand years old" below one person.
Wei Zhongxian has lost his ability to have fertility, and his psychology is inevitably incomplete. Wei Zhongxian's pursuit of life is only wealth and power. In order to achieve this goal, Wei Zhongxian formed a clique for personal gain, recruited many lackeys and harmed loyal and kind, which was a great deal of evil. Once the poor have improved their status, they will inevitably have a "nova" mentality and become art-like, and Wei Zhongxian is no exception. Wei Zhongxian heard that the most popular thing nowadays is the orchid painted by Ma Xianglan, so he also wanted to be more elegant.
So, in order to collect a beautiful work, Wei Zhongxian sent his dog-legged boy to Youlan Pavilion to ask Ma Xianglan for the painting. What Ma Xianglan comes into contact with on weekdays are all real gentlemen and elegant people, and mediocre people like Wei Zhongxian have always been turned away. Ma Xianglan is noble in her heart and despised the most is a civilian like Wei Zhongxian who is not elegant and powerful. After hearing about the things he did that harmed the country and the people, he gritted his teeth.
Originally, Ma Xianglan decided not to paint for Wei Zhongxian, but Ma Xianglan lived at the foot of the emperor after all, and she could not offend Wei Zhongxian at the peak of her life. After repeated thinking, Ma Xianglan's plan came to her mind and drew a picture of orchids emitting a faint fragrance, which she gave to Wei Zhongxian's lackey. After receiving the painting, Wei Zhongxian immediately hung it in his bedroom. Although Wei Zhongxian is an illiterate person who doesn’t know a single word, he also has the most basic aesthetic ability.
Looking at the lifelike orchid pictures hanging in the room, Wei Zhongxian couldn't help but get intoxicated. Ma Xianglan's painting skills are indeed the best in the world. This painting not only looks like a red orchid printed on rice paper, but also exudes a refreshing fragrance, which makes people feel that this is a true orchid rather than a scroll. The first thing Wei Zhongxian does when he wakes up every day is to look at the front of the orchid picture, which has been like this for many consecutive days.
Of course, Wei Zhongxian’s original intention of asking for the orchid picture is far more than that.
What he hates most in his life is that others say he is a eunuch with no ingenuity. In the court, Wei Zhongxian always feels that all the civil and military officials in the court are laughing at his cultural level. This time, he can use this orchid picture to show his appreciation ability to his colleagues.
So, Wei Zhongxian issued a notice, inviting well-known people from all over the capital to invite them to their mansion to hold the "Pin Lan Festival". Any literati with some fame was invited by Wei Yin. No one knew what Wei Zhongxian sold, but no one dared not to give him face, so he could only go to the meeting with a tough bullet.
At the banquet site, Wei Zhongxian discussed the insightful opinions on tasting orchids with everyone in the lobby, and then said to everyone proudly: "The miscellaneous family has collected a picture of orchids, so you might as well taste it for me."
Wei Zhongxian opened the scroll in front of everyone, revealing the orchid pictures painted by Ma Xianglan.
Anyone with some vision could tell at a glance that this was Ma Xianglan's work and praised it all. Wei Zhongxian saw everyone nodding and said that there was another magical feature of this orchid picture, that is, there was a scent of orchid on this painting, so that everyone could come and smell it.
The literati who participated in the banquet smelled a smell as soon as they arrived at the lobby. It was not until everyone smelled the orchid picture that they realized that Ma Xianglan's painting was the source of the smell.
Wei Zhongxian is a castration person. The most annoying thing in his life is words such as "shao" that are linked to "that word". Besides, everyone was invited to the house after all, and no one could say in front of the owner that there was a strange smell in the room. Therefore, no one dared to tell the truth, for fear that telling the truth would make Lord Wei dissatisfied.
So, a group of literati and scholars gathered in front of the painting with their noses and sucked the smell in the painting. After smelling it, I had to endure the vomiting and show an expression immersed in front of Lord Wei.
Wei Zhongxian only thought that the orchid picture he collected shocked everyone present. Who dares to say that he is not elegant in the future? As a result, although the literati did not say that Wei Zhongxian was an illiterate person who could not even write his own name, it was secretly said that there was an lingering smell in Wei Zhongxian's home, and even Ma Xianglan's orchid picture was polluted. This Lord Wei was really a vulgar person.
So, why did Wei Zhongxian smell the refreshing fragrance of orchids but become an unpleasant smell when others smell it?
It turns out that these are all Ma Xianglan's plans.
When painting this painting for Wei Zhongxian, Ma Xianglan specially used his urine to grind ink. Originally, there is a rich rosin in the ink, which can effectively block the smell of urine. Later, Ma Xianglan also sprinkled some dried pollen and dew on the painted orchids, making the painting exude the fragrance of orchids.
When the painting was delivered to Wei Zhongxian, the smell of rosin, pollen and fragrance was still there, so Wei Zhongxian smelled naturally full of fragrance. But after a few days, most of the fragrance dissipated and the only smell of urine remained on the rice paper. Since Wei Zhongxian couldn't put it down after obtaining the scroll and watched it for a long time in the bedroom every day, he had gradually adapted to the smell of urine on this painting. However, the literati and scholars did not adapt to this twist, and they could only smell a smell of urine from the painting.
Ma Xianglan has a great status in the literary circle. Even after people later learned that this was Ma Xianglan's painting with urine, they did not think that this was an indecent thing. Wei Zhongxian, who only said that he killed thousands of swords, was put on a story by Ma Xianglan and passed it on as a good story.
In addition to painting, Ma Xianglan's poems are also unique.
Her poems were included in "Xianglan Sub-Section" (the work was written by Wang Zhideng). The author likes Ma Xianglan's poem "The Work of the Peony Gift by President Fenghe Zhu Xiaoyuan" the most:
The spring breeze curtain is competing with the flower god, and after parting, I miss you frequently.
The new pavilion has become a flower, who is the person who paints the thrush in his dream?
This poem not only tells Ma Xianglan's ill-fated life experience, but also expresses Ma Xianglan's desire to find a close friend in her early years.
There are red flowers in the rain, people are in the tall buildings, the green water is setting sun, the new swallows are camping for the old building, the Hunan smoke cuts the way when they come, and the heartbreaks are broken on the Xiaolang paper!
March orioles are in a state of chaos, no mood, who can talk about this feeling silently? The faint fragrance floated towards the silk skirt.
In contrast, this song "Butterfly Love Flower" is a work of Ma Xianglan when she was separated from her lover for a long time after meeting Wang Zhideng. If you want to understand this poem, you must also look at it based on the emotional experiences between Ma Xianglan and Wang Zhideng in the previous article.
Why can Ma Xianglan portray flowers so superb?
This is naturally because Ma Xianglan is a flower lover.
In addition to preferring orchids, Ma Xianglan also likes to observe other famous flowers. Moreover, when Ma Xianglan painted and wrote poems, she did not focus on depicting the external form of flowers, but focused on expressing the inner part of flowers and used it to express the true feelings in her heart.
In the Tokyo Museum in Japan, it contains a collection of Ma Xianglan's proud work "The Picture of the Orchid". There is also a poem written by Ma Xianglan in this painting:
Where is the wind coming from like orchids, and the small standing in front of the curtain to withstand the cold spring;
buys it from the street in the air and reads it on the fragrant paper.
Occasionally write a secret posture, who can I give it to?
Once you move, you must cherish yourself. It is difficult to get out of the mountain than when you are in the mountain.
This molan picture is a collection of orchid poems by Ma Xianglan in her life. But unfortunately, this picture was lost to Japan during its circulating process. Chinese friends may have to buy a cross-border air ticket if they want to see its true appearance.
From Ma Xianglan's stories, poems and paintings, we can basically appreciate the charm of this peerless talented woman. If I were asked to evaluate Ma Xianglan, I would not regard her as a prostitute who had fallen into a dusty place, but would regard her as a strange woman loyal to love and an artist who was persistent in literature and art.
It can be said that Ma Xianglan is the first woman who changed my prejudice against ancient famous prostitutes. Of course, other "Eight Beauties of Qinhuai" also have valuable sentiments and qualities, but Ma Xianglan's gentlemanly style left the most profound impression on me.Even though they are hundreds of years apart, I still feel that a sentimental woman like Ma Xianglan who is considerate, fearless and generous, and is righteous and generous is unique in the world.
It is no wonder that the literati and scholars of the Ming Dynasty flocked to Ma Xianglan. If I were born in the Jiajing period, I would probably have been fascinated by such a strange woman.
Finally, you might as well end a poem by Ma Xianglan, which is also the best interpretation of Ma Xianglan's noble love and elegant charm throughout her life.
The orchids grow in the empty valley, and no one contains the fragrance;
I want to send my heart to go together, and the long river road is long.
