Chapter 29 Four elegance and talent

If we examine the love of prostitutes, it is not difficult to find that most of this love happens to so-called "talented men". This also seems to be a model of traditional Chinese love, that is, the "gifted scholar and beautiful woman style", which is very different from the Western "heroic and beautiful woman style".We have already said in the first chapter of this book that at least half of the heroes in ancient China were advertised as "not lecherous".If prostitutes want to love heroes, they will inevitably "shave their heads—the head is hot", just like Pan Jinlian teasing Wu Song to make fun of themselves.Geniuses are different.They have always been "mocking the wind and making fun of the moon, pity the jade and pity the fragrance" as their true nature, which is naturally easier to please women, just like the aforementioned Guo Shixiu loved Wang Yuanding, "love" was born out of "pity".

What's more, there are a considerable number of Chinese brothel women who are extremely talented.Just to give an example, Zhao Pin, a famous official in the Song Dynasty, when he was a transfer envoy of Yizhou Road and a bachelor of Jialongtuge and knew Chengdu, once happened to see a prostitute wearing apricot blossoms. He liked it very much, so he casually praised: "It's really lucky to have apricot blossoms on the topknot." Who would have thought that the little honey star turned her eyes, and replied in response: "The plums on the branches have no seeds." This is so right! "Xinghua" is to "Meizi", "Lucky" is to "No Match", and "Xing" and "Lucky" are homophonic, "Mei" and "Mei" have the same rhyme, the rhythm is neat, the antithesis is appropriate, the artistic conception is subtle, and the level is high. , impressive.

If a little-known and unknown prostitute has such talent, one can imagine the level of other famous prostitutes.For example, Liu Guorong, a famous prostitute in Chang'an in Tang Dynasty, fell in love with Guo Zhaoshu, a Jinshi.Later, Guo Zhaoshu was awarded the Tianchang Book by the official and had to take office immediately, so the two had to break up.Unexpectedly, as soon as Guo Zhaoshu arrived in Xianyang, Liu Guorong's love letter caught up with him.This love letter is only a few short lines, but it is like a little poem.The book says: "Happy bedtime is thick, and I hate the sound of chickens to cut off love; I have no love for pity, and I am ruthless when I lament the horse. It makes me work hard, and I eat less because of you. I will meet again later, so that I can tie my eyebrows together." Such beautiful words I am afraid that most of today's professors will not be able to do it, and in Chang'an at that time, it was widely recited for a while.For another example, Yan Rui, the famous prostitute in the Southern Song Dynasty who was framed by Zhu Xi as we mentioned earlier, was also a talented woman who was good at piano, chess, calligraphy, painting, silk, bamboo, singing and dancing.Zhu Xi accused her of having "improper male-female relations" with Tang Zhongyou, the governor of Tiantai County. In fact, Tang Zhongyou appreciated her poetic talent, and the two became "literary friends".It is not known whether Zhu Xi, who was sour and dry, framed them, was "envious of talent".In short, after Yan Rui was arrested, she refused to accept the punishment and could not close the case.When Zhu Xi left office, Yan Rui was "acquitted" by the new official.Yan Rui took up a poem on the spot: "It's not that I love wind and dust, it seems to be misunderstood by the front. When the flowers fall and bloom, they always rely on the monarch of the East. When you go, you have to go, and you can live no matter how you live. If you have mountain flowers all over your head, don't worry." Ask where the slaves will return." Such ingenuity, such poetic sentiment, I am afraid that today's poets will feel ashamed.

In fact, there is a long list of prostitute poets in China. In addition to Su Xiaoxiao, the first prostitute poet with evidence, the earliest and most famous one was Xue Tao in the Tang Dynasty.Xue Tao, courtesy name Hongdu, was born in Chang'an, originally a girl from a good family.Later, when she traveled with her father and lived in Sichuan, she became a registered prostitute.Her eloquence and literary talent are excellent. When she was 15 years old, she was ordered by the town general Wei Gao to serve wine and compose poems, and she almost became a "school secretary".In his later years, Xue Tao retired to Huanhuaxi, Chengdu, where he wore a women's crown and made paper into paper, which is known as "Xue Tao's paper".Xue Tao's poems were also published in a collection called "Hongdu Collection".

Although most of Xue Tao's poems take love as the theme, their style and style are quite elegant.For example, the poem "Liuxu" says: "In February, the poplar flowers are light and faint, and the spring breeze is swaying to attract people's clothes. His house is originally a ruthless thing, and it flies south and north." Another example is the poem "Ying Wushan Temple": "The chaotic ape Visiting Gaotang at the place where weeping, the passers-by are smoky and the grass and trees are fragrant. The scenery of the mountains can not forget Song Yu, and the sound of the water is like crying Xiangwang. On the balcony of the morning and night, it is rain and clouds. Doubling eyebrows." Perhaps it was because of Xue Tao's talent that he couldn't find a good husband in his life.Therefore, her poems are especially appreciated by frustrated literati.

Another prostitute poet of the Tang Dynasty with great talents was Yu Xuanji.Yu Xuanji is also from Chang'an, with a young character and a word Huilan. He has read thousands of volumes and is quick-witted.Once, when she saw the newly announced list of successful Jinshi in Chang'an City, she was deeply moved and wrote a poem: "Yunfeng is full of spring sunshine, and the silver hook finger is born. Self-hateful clothes cover the poem, raise your head Empty envy the list." This is simply a public expression of dissatisfaction with men's dominance of the world, and they are going to come out to fight.As a result, Yu Xuanji turned herself into a high-class prostitute, and used her poetic talent to attract literati and officials, and her reputation rose for a while.The Xianyi Temple where she lived became a famous "cultural salon" at that time; her couplet "It is easy to find a priceless treasure, but it is rare to have a lover" has also become a famous sentence through the ages.

The poetic talent of a prostitute can sometimes play an unexpected role.Nie Shengqiong, a famous prostitute in Song Dynasty, fell in love with Li Zhiwen, an official.After Li Zhiwen returned home, Nie Shengqiong sent him a love poem "Partridge Sky".The word cloud: "Jade miserable flowers are sad out of Fengcheng, and Liu Qingqing is downstairs in the lotus building. After Zunqian sings Yangguan, everyone else is on the fifth journey. Finding a good dream is hard to come by, and who knows what I am at this time. Before the pillow Tears share the rain in front of the curtain, dripping to the light through the window." This poem is really full of emotion and emotion, and even Li Zhiwen's wife, after reading it, "likes the cleanness of his sentences", and even took out his own words. Li Zhiwen asked Li Zhiwen to marry Nie Shengqiong back home.

It is a miracle that poetry has triumphed over envy. This miracle may never happen again in the future. Those who can really appreciate the talents of prostitutes are of course not bureaucrats, let alone merchants, but only literati. The literati are the bosom friend of the prostitute. The reason why literati are literati is probably because they are talented.Talented people have two problems: one is "being proud of their talents", and the other is "sympathizing with each other".Although talented people look down on those without talent, they respect them quite a lot.Therefore, if a person is talented, then he will definitely make friends with many talented people.If this talented person turns out to be a young and passionate woman, then all the talented people in the world will definitely flock to him.

Xue Tao mentioned earlier is such a talented woman.Therefore, famous literati and scholar-bureaucrats at that time, such as Yuan Zhen, Bai Juyi, Linghu Chu, Zhang Hu, Liu Yuxi, Pei Du, Niu Sengru, Yan Shou, etc., were happy to sing and communicate with her.It is said that Yuan Zhen had heard Xue Taofang's name before, and he had a hard time seeing her beauty, and he was immediately fascinated by it. He wrote a poem saying: "Jinjiang's smooth eyebrows are beautiful, and it turns out Wenjun and Xue Tao. The words steal the parrot's tongue, and the article gets the phoenix's hair." One after another, all the poets stopped writing, and all the princes dreamed of swords. Farewell to the lovesickness and the fireworks, the calamus blossoms are as high as the sky." This poem is not very well written, but the meaning is very clear: what Yuan Zhen appreciates is talent. , not color.

In fact, from the very beginning, literati appreciated prostitutes more than talent or beauty.From the earliest literary works about prostitutes, such as Liu Shao's "Zhao Du Fu", Wang Can's "Seven Interpretations", and Fu Xuan's "Chaohui Fu", art and talent have always been the focus of descriptions by literati poets.As for Du Fu's "Watching Gongsun Da Niang's Disciples Dancing Swords" and Bai Juyi's "Pipa Xing", they described the skills of geisha superbly: "As fast as a game of chess, shooting nine sunsets, as graceful as a group of emperors and dragons flying, come and go. It is like the thunder that gathers the anger, and it is like the river and the sea condensing the light"; "The big strings are noisy like torrential rain, the small strings are like whispers, and the loud strings are mixed with bombs, big and small beads fall on a jade plate"... how touching it is!

If it is said that qin, sword, music and dance are still the true nature of geisha, then the talent and cultivation in poetry, music and prose are really commendable.Once, someone sang Qin Guan's "Man Ting Fang" and accidentally sang "The sound of drawing horns breaks Qiaomen" in the first sentence as "The sound of drawing horns breaks the setting sun", which was recognized by a prostitute named Qin Cao. , corrected aside.The man turned Qin Cao into the army and asked her if she could change the whole poem to the rhyme of "Yang". Qin Cao chanted on the spot (the original part is in brackets): The sound of drawing horns breaks the setting sun (Qiaomen). Pause to collect the bridle, and chat with each other to get away (bottles). How many old Penglai couples, looking back frequently, the smoke is vast (smoke and mist). In an isolated village, (outside the setting sun), there are thousands of jackdaws , running water around the red wall (solitary village). Soul injury (ecstasy). At this time, lightly divide the belt, and secretly solve the sachet (the sachet is secretly solved, and the belt is lightly divided). 谢 wins, the brothel is lucky and famous (save ）. When will I see you here? On the sleeves, the lingering fragrance (cry marks) will be left in the air. At the sad (feeling) place, the long (high) city will be broken, and the lights will be dim (dusk). " Only savor carefully, It is not difficult to find that what has been changed here is not only the rhyme of the words, but even the artistic conception has also undergone subtle changes. Who wouldn't love such a quick-witted prostitute? "Caixiu held the jade bell diligently, but he was drunk when he fought hard. Dancing with the heart and moon in the willow building, singing to the end of the peach blossom fan. After farewell, we meet each other, and the soul and dream are the same as the king several times. Today, there is nothing left to fight for nothing. I am afraid that meeting is a dream." Yan Jidao's poem "Partridge Sky" fully expresses the love of talented scholars for geisha. There are many reasons why a talented man and a prostitute fall in love. First of all, there is undoubtedly a sexual content in it, but this kind of sexual love has an aesthetic meaning. "If you have no color, you can't be a prostitute." Prostitutes always have to be pretty.But in the eyes of talented scholars, what can really "enhance" them is not their bodies, but their hearts, their talents and tastes.This is obviously an aesthetic vision, which can sublimate "sex" into "love".On the other hand, talented scholars themselves, due to their cultural accomplishment, are generally more romantic and suave.Needless to say, young talents, even old poets, because of their temperament and demeanor, also have an aesthetic charm, which wins the sincere admiration of prostitutes.When two people are in love, love is born in it, which is a very natural thing. Secondly, when a talented person enters a brothel, the first thing he appreciates is the talent and skill of a prostitute, which is several grades higher than the simple "buying meat" of dandy merchants picking up prostitutes and peddlers visiting brothels.Since talented scholars value talent and skills more, this means treating prostitutes as talented "people" like themselves, and the two parties are in an equal relationship of mutual respect and mutual appreciation.Once people are equal to each other, it is possible to know each other from a bosom friend, then from a bosom friend to a caring heart, and finally to a heart-to-heart bond. Third, gifted scholars and prostitutes also depend on each other.Talented scholars and famous prostitutes are people with certain "famousness" in the society.Talented scholars are cultural celebrities and social elites.A prostitute can double her worth if she gets close to a talented man.If you are appreciated by a talented person, you will be able to improve your status, and it will also help you overcome your inferiority complex and increase your self-confidence.Prostitutes are cultural media and social hot spots.When a talented man gets close to a prostitute, his works can be sung everywhere, and he will naturally become famous, and he can also add a romantic and suave color to his image.There are many stories in this regard.For example, when a prostitute in the Tang Dynasty applied for a job, she asked for a price increase on the basis of "reciting it in vain" and got it.For another example, when Su Dongpo was the prefect of Hangzhou, one of his subordinates named Mao Zemin was also a poet, but Su Dongpo didn't know about it.Later, Mao Zemin resigned at the expiration of his term. Before leaving, he wrote a song "Regardless of Flying", and presented it to the prostitute Qiongfang.One day, when Su Dongpo was having dinner with guests, he heard Qiong Fang sing this poem. When he asked about it, he realized that it was written by Mao Zemin. A special letter invited Mao Zemin back, and the two became friends.Just imagine, if Mao Zemin had no prostitute Qiongfang to help him "publish" his works, in the eyes of Mr. Su, he would be just an ordinary subordinate.So prostitutes are actually very important to talented people. The most important reason why it is possible to have true friendship and love between a wit and a prostitute is that they have a lot in common. First, they are all unusually remarkable.Famous prostitutes should be "excellent in both sex and art", and talented people should be "both literary and emotional", these are beyond the capabilities of mediocre people.It was enough to amaze each other at the excellence of the other.People with good self-quality often have high taste; people with high taste are of course better at digging for gold.Once there is a relationship, it is natural to hit it off. Secondly, unusual people all hope to be appreciated by others, and cannot bear to bury their talents.Talented scholars are high-ranking and widowed, and prostitutes are low-class. On the surface, their status is very different, but in fact their sense of loneliness is the same.Lu Youyun: "Beside the broken bridge outside the post, there is no one to be lonely. It is already dusk to worry about alone, with wind and rain. I have no intention of struggling for spring, and I will be jealous of the crowd. Scattered into mud and dust, only the fragrance remains the same." wrote Although it is a plum blossom, is it not a human being?Trees are still like this, how can people be embarrassed?Poets are like this, so why not prostitutes?In normal times, "sorrow alone at dusk", "lonely without a master", once someone knows each other with insight, how can they not promise each other with their body and love with each other? Third, talented scholars and prostitutes are people with a particularly strong sense of vicissitudes.Prostitutes, because they have seen all the turmoil in the world, and talented men, because they are familiar with the rise and fall of history, have some thoughts about life, fate, destination and other "ultimate concerns" issues, at least they have a keen and hazy feeling.On the surface, they look like they are well-clothed and well-fed, with silk and bamboo strings, enjoying their youth and showing off their limelight, but everyone knows in their hearts that the good times don't last long. "Seeing him building a tall building, seeing his building collapse." Where is the return journey in life?No one has any idea.Prostitutes make their homes in brothels, and talented men make their homes all over the world. It sounds cool to say it, but in fact it is very bitter.Therefore, once a prostitute with some experience and a gifted man with some hardships meet, they will "look at the tearful eyes, and the heartbroken person meets the heartbroken person", creating a kind of sympathy that "the same is a fallen person in the end of the world, why should we know each other when we meet", and love, It is also possible to arise from resonance. Undoubtedly, in most cases, the relationship between prostitutes and wits is more of a play on the spot.This is actually the result of the aforementioned sense of vicissitudes.Life is like a dream, the past is like smoke, why not enjoy yourself in time, if you have wine today, you will be drunk today?The brothel is not lucky, the poetry and wine years are good, taking advantage of the good spring, "enduring the false name, and changing it to a shallow pour and sing", isn't it also a way of living?What's more, in the fireworks alley, "fortunately, there is someone you like, and it's worth looking for"? Therefore, looking for flowers and willows, cuddling with red and emerald greens, has become a kind of romantic and elegant thing for literati and scholars.When you are on the gold list and when you are proud of the spring breeze, you can listen to "Whispering Congratulations to Yulang" here. The natural scenery is very beautiful;Therefore, "drinking with prostitutes for pleasure" was one of the basic lifestyles of ancient Chinese literati. It is no accident that there are as many as two thousand poems of other prostitutes and pregnant prostitutes.