Chapter 13 2. Mrs. Wang passed away suddenly during childbirth
It turned out that Mrs. Wang was too tired in the past few days, leading to premature labor and dystocia. After struggling painfully in bed for a day and a night, she finally passed away with endless nostalgia, and the child was not kept.Zhang Zhidong held his wife's cold hands tightly, wept bitterly, and refused to let go for a long time.
Zhang Zhidong originally made very careful arrangements for this matter.He knew that his wife was due to give birth soon, so in order to avoid accidents, he decided to go to the post alone, and left his wife in the capital, and Dagen and his wife took care of everything at home. After the 100-day delivery period, they were escorted to Taiyuan by Dagen and his wife.Mrs. Wang is very satisfied with this arrangement.The joy in her heart is no less than that of her husband for her husband's appointment as the governor of Shanxi this time.How can a wife not ask when her husband travels far away?Although Zhang Zhidong repeatedly told her not to worry too much, Mrs. Wang still took care of all kinds of housework in person regardless of the imminent delivery date.It was cleaning clothes, buying bedding, and sending people to the streets to buy all kinds of delicious food for her husband.She repeatedly nags to the male and female servants around her: Shanxi is bitterly cold, and fourth master can't take care of himself, so he needs to prepare more food for him.
She finally collapsed from exhaustion.The next thing was abdominal pain and bleeding, so panicked that the maids in the mansion rushed to help her to bed, and went around to ask for midwives. When Zhang Zhidong came home late at night, Mrs. Wang could no longer speak to her husband.
It's like a thunder explosion on a sunny day, which caught the Zhang family under the auspicious star and struck them unexpectedly and violently.People lamented Mrs. Wang's fate, and Mrs. Futai, who had already been handed over, was not blessed; people also pitied Zhang Zhidong, who lost a rare and virtuous wife when he was about to be re-sent.
In the past few days, Zhang Zhidong has been crying even more.He sat beside his wife's coffin day and night blankly, as if all his aura and talent had left him, like an imbecile who didn't know how to spend the years to come.
Many people don't know that in Zhang Zhidong's emotional world, there are deep regrets that ordinary people rarely have.This shortcoming has invisibly affected his personality and emotions throughout his life.
When Zhang Zhidong was four years old, his mother Zhu Shi died.In the little heart, the mother's last moment can never be forgotten: the mother closed her heels tightly, and the father sat beside the mother's hospital bed.His father's concubine, Wei Shi, held him in one hand and held his six-year-old sister in the other.Everyone is crying.He didn't understand what was happening in front of him, he just kept yelling and twisting in Wei Shi's arms, wanting to go to his mother.After a long while, the mother opened her eyes, glanced at everyone, then raised her hand with difficulty, and pointed to the son in Wei's arms.Wei Shi came over and put Zhang Zhidong beside Zhu Shi.Zhu touched his son's head with his hands, tears kept gushing from his eyes.Zhang Zhidong shouted loudly: "Mother, mother!" Zhu Shi said to Wei Shi who was standing by the bed in a low voice: "My two children are entrusted to you."
Wei shi cried and said, "Madam, don't worry, I will treat them well."
Zhu said to her husband again: "You keep my jewelry and gold ring for me. When Feng'er gets married in the future, they will be my dowry to her."
"I remember." Zhang Ying nodded and pulled Feng'er over.
Feng'er's face was next to her mother's.The mother's tears flowed with the daughter's tears.
After a while, Mrs. Zhu whispered to her husband again: "My Qin, when Dong'er got married, you asked Dong'er to give it to his daughter-in-law, and it was a gift from my mother-in-law."
Zhang Ying said: "Okay, after a few years, I will hand over the Qin to Donger, and Donger will hand it over to his wife in the future."
After Zhu's confession, she stared at her son and daughter with wide eyes again, and stroked her son's face with all her strength.Suddenly, the mother's hand fell from Zhang Zhidong's face, and then the whole family cried.
In this way, four-year-old Zhang Zhidong lost his mother who loved him forever.
Not long after Zhu's death, Zhang Ying solemnly led his son into his mother's piano room.He took off the cloth cover covering the piano with his own hands, and let his son take a good look at it.This is a Guqin, the surface of which is more than four feet long and eight inches wide. It is black and yellow, and stretched with seven strings of different thicknesses.
Zhang Ying said to her son, "This is a dowry gift from your mother's natal family. Your mother often entertains herself with it. She plays the piano very well."
Zhang Zhidong listened with half understanding.The next day, Zhang Ying put the piano away.
From then on, the Wei family took on the responsibility of raising Zhang Zhidong's siblings.Zhu Shi was kind to Wei Shi during his lifetime, and Wei Shi himself had no children, so he was kind to the younger sister and brother.No matter how good it is, it can't compare to the caring of the mother. The younger sister and brother often think of their biological mother and cry secretly.However, misfortune happened to Zhang Zhidong again.His elder sister, who was inseparable from him all day long, died of typhoid fever three years later.Seven-year-old Zhang Zhidong watched his lively and amiable sister leave him, crying to death.
In fact, Zhang Zhidong has many brothers and sisters, but the only one who is really close to the same mother is this elder sister. Unexpectedly, she died prematurely.
From then on, Zhang Zhidong seemed to have lost touch with happy smiles, and he devoted himself to the "Four Books" and "Five Classics".The teachings of the sages and the wisdom of past sages accompanied his lonely childhood and enlightened his bitter heart.At the age of sixteen, he was the first in the high school Shuntian Township Examination.The sixteen-year-old Xie Yuan is a rare miracle in the history of imperial examinations throughout the ages, which is enough to make all scholars envy. Zhang Ying and Zhang's teachers all laughed heartily.Even on such a festive day, Zhang Zhidong did not feel a sense of comfort from the depths of his heart.
In Zhang Zhidong's memory, the first pleasant event in his life was the return of his wife Shi Shi.
At the age of eighteen, Zhang Zhidong married Mrs. Shi.Mrs. Shi was also eighteen years old that year. Her father, Shi Xu, was the magistrate in Duyun Prefecture, Guizhou Province. He was an official of the same level as Zhang Ying, and he was also a fellow of Zhili, so they had a close relationship.With the help of the two fathers, a pair of young children held a grand wedding in Xingyi.
Mrs. Shi, who was born in a scholarly family, is not only beautiful and virtuous, but also knowledgeable and reasonable. She is gentle and considerate to her husband, and caring for her husband.Following his mother's will, Zhang Zhidong handed over the Guqin to Mrs. Shi himself.Mrs. Shi didn't know how to play the piano, but she heard that it was a beloved relic of her mother-in-law, and it was a solemn entrustment before she died. She accepted this unusual gift with tears in her eyes, determined to learn how to play the piano.
Mrs. Shi, who is ingenious and ingenious, can play beautiful music in less than half a year.Wei Shi often said that the young grandma played the piano just like her wife did back then: the same posture, the same expression, and the same pleasant sound.Every time Zhang Zhidong heard such words, he was very pleased.In fact, he has no memory of the scene of his mother playing the piano back then.Maybe it was because of Wei's constant nagging, or maybe it was because of the hallucinations he had formed for no reason in the endless memory of his mother for many years, Zhang Zhidong seemed to think that his mother was like this back then, playing the piano in the piano room while Whispering, pouring out her endless love for her husband, her children, and life...
Gradually, Shi Shi replaced the mother who had passed away for many years in Zhang Zhidong's mind. His dry heart longing for true love in the world was finally poured into the clear spring water, which was silent, cool and moist.Zhang Zhidong truly felt the joy of life from the bottom of his heart.
In the second year, Mrs. Shi gave birth to a daughter named Ren Tan.At the age of twenty-four, Mrs. Shi gave birth to her eldest son, Renquan.The birth of his son gave Zhang Zhidong a sense of joy in the continuation of his life.Two years later, Zhang Zhidong came to Hanyuan and started his official career. Mrs. Shi also came to Beijing with a pair of children.There is endless happiness and joy in the small family.Unexpectedly, extreme joy begets sorrow, Mrs. Shi passed away suddenly.Zhang Zhidong called for a long time, but he couldn't call back a strand of his beloved wife's soul.The young siblings cried bitterly beside their mother's body, but they couldn't make the loving mother open her eyes again.
Zhang Zhidong thought of his wife's various virtues: kindness, generosity, hard work, and frugality.There is one thing that Zhang Zhidong will never forget.
Zhang Zhidong was addicted to alcohol and often got drunk. Mrs. Shi tried to persuade him many times, but he refused to listen.One day he got drunk again and came home late at night.Mrs. Shi waited and hoped at home, seeing him coming back so late, she couldn't help saying a few words to him.Zhang Zhidong got tired of hearing it, picked up the large stone inkstone on the desk and threw it at his wife's head.Shi Yan was thrown on Mrs. Shi's head, blood flowed profusely immediately, and she passed out.Zhang Zhidong was so frightened that he hurriedly bandaged his wife, regretting his recklessness just now.The next day when his wife woke up, he apologized to her with deep guilt and vowed not to get drunk again.Instead of blaming him, Madam comforted him and said that if she got rid of this bad habit from now on, she would be willing to suffer.Zhang Zhidong was greatly moved by his wife's virtuousness, and he really didn't drink too much after that.The days of poverty have passed, and now her career is successful and her family situation is getting better day by day, but she left alone.
Thinking of these past events, Zhang Zhidong felt sad, and wrote three mourning poems with tears:
Since Mrs. Shi's death, the feeling of loneliness and loneliness in his childhood often attacked Zhang Zhidong's heart.Seeing a pair of immature sons and daughters without the care of a loving mother, he felt even more sad in his loneliness.Unexpectedly, misfortunes followed.Three years later, thirteen-year-old Ren Tan suffered a sudden illness and died.Ren Tan closely resembles his mother, with a kind and gentle nature. From a young age, he knows how to care for his father and love his younger brother. He is the jewel in Zhang Zhidong's palm.The death of his beloved daughter almost took away his heart.For a long time, he has always had a sense of world-weariness in his heart.
Five years later, Zhang Zhidong continued to marry Mrs. Tang when he was serving as Xuezheng in Hubei.Mrs. Tang is the daughter of Tang Shuyi, the inspector of Hubei Province.Two years ago, her husband died of illness, so she took her daughter back to her natal family and lived in her father's official office.A year ago, her daughter unfortunately died again, and Tang felt very sad.Seeing that Xuezheng is also a middle-aged widow, Tang Shuyi is a perfect match for the daughter of a middle-aged widow, so he personally fights for his daughter.Zhang Zhidong felt sorry for himself and the Tang family, so he agreed to the marriage.Mrs. Tang's character is good, but because of the remarriage, she can't forget her ex-husband and daughter, she is depressed and lacks love for benevolence and power, and the little son is always timid towards his stepmother.In addition, Mrs. Tang was spoiled since she was a child, lazy and self-willed, Zhang Zhidong advised her to learn to play the piano, but she refused, Zhang Zhidong felt very unhappy.This Mrs. Xu Xian did not bring much joy to the Zhang family.Two years later, Mrs. Tang also passed away due to illness, leaving behind her half-year-old son Ren Bing.
Zhang Zhidong, who suffered the pain of losing his wife again, lamented his ill-fated fate, and he didn't want to continue the string for the second time.Soon, he was ordered to test Sichuan, so he left his two sons in the capital to be taken care of by others, and went to Bashu alone to die.
As soon as the provincial examinations were released, Zhang Zhidong followed the order and stayed in Chengdu to serve as a student in Sichuan.Sichuan is known as the Land of Abundance, with abundant products and handsome characters. Yang Xiong, Li Bai and Sansu add charming charm to the majestic Bashan Shushui.Zhang Zhidong likes this land, and is determined to go all out to cultivate contemporary Sichuan talents.
This year, Zhang Zhidong came to Long'an Mansion to preside over the mansion examination.The magistrate Wang Zuyuan is an old acquaintance with him.When he returned to Beijing from Wuchang that year, he lived with Wang Zuyuan in Yangjuan Hutong for half a year. Because they both worked in Hanyuan, they walked around more frequently.Last year, Wang Zuyuan was released to Long'an Mansion as an editor.Wang Zuyuan's examinations were not going well, he was awarded a Jinshi at the age of fifty, and became an old Hanlin.The Hanlin Academy is the birthplace of young talents, while the old celebrities have little future here, and sending them to the county guard is the best destination.
Very happy to meet old friends.Wang Zuyuan invited Xuezheng to his home, and the two sat in the study with a cup of tea, talking about the past and the present, and the conversation was very interesting.Zhang Zhidong pointed to a painting on the wall titled "National Beauty and Heavenly Fragrance", and said to his master with a smile, "This painting must have come from the boudoir."
"How did you see that?"
Zhang Zhidong said with great interest: "The peony is the head of all beauty, and it is loved by boudoirs. This is the first. The flowers are plump and gorgeous, the leaves are fat and fresh, and the rising sun is red and bright. This is the most perfect thing in the world." Beautiful scenery is always pursued by the boudoir. The second. Although the four characters of "National Beauty and Heavenly Fragrance" are upright and generous, they appear a little weak due to insufficient strength, which is obviously written by the boudoir. The third. With these three points, I dare to say that this This painting of peonies is the masterpiece of a young female painter."
Wang Zuyuan laughed loudly: "Xiang Tao has good eyesight, this painting is the work of my little girl Yixian."
Yixian, the image of a girl immediately appeared in Zhang Zhidong's mind.One day four years ago, Zhang Zhidong was at Wang's house, chatting with Wang Yirong, Wang Zuyuan's son.Wang Yirong was a supervisor of the Imperial College at that time. He was diligent and knowledgeable, especially good at appreciating antiques, so he got along well with Zhang Zhidong.While talking, a woman passed by the door of the study, and Wang Yirong casually said "Yixian is back".Zhang Zhidong raised his eyes and looked over, and saw Yixian had a pretty face and a well-proportioned figure, with the demeanor of a young lady.Taking a closer look, he found that Miss Wang's walking was unsteady, leaning a little to the left, as if there was something wrong with her left leg.Zhang Zhidong thought to himself: No wonder he has been to Wang's house many times, but he has never met Miss Yixian. It turns out that his feet are a little disabled and he doesn't want to see strangers.He sighed slightly in his heart: What a wonderful young lady, she shouldn't have such a problem!
"I have never heard of Yixian being able to draw such a good painting before." Zhang Zhidong left his seat, walked to the picture of "National Beauty and Heavenly Fragrance", and began to appreciate it carefully.
Wang Zuyuan also stood aside, smiling with his beard, admiring with the guests.
"How long has Yixian been married? Where is her husband an official?" Zhang Zhidong casually asked his old friend.
"Not yet married."
Zhang Zhidong was quite surprised.When I saw it four years ago, I was probably in my twenties, isn't it almost thirty now?Then he blurted out and asked, "How old is she?"
The smile on Wang Zuyuan's face disappeared: "To tell you the truth, this year is twenty-nine, and she is an old girl. Yixian is good at everything, looks upright, and has a docile temperament. But when she was young, she had a serious illness. She is not very flexible anymore, and she has invited many doctors, but none of them can cure her. Yixian has a high personality, she looks down on idlers, her family is good, and she is good, but she also dislikes her feet, so she was delayed .”
Zhang Zhidong once again lamented in his heart: "If such a talented Danqing master is trapped in the boudoir all his life, I don't know how much sorrow he will have in his heart!"
Because Zhang Zhidong admired Yixian's painting skills very much, it is rare to have a friend, and because it was an exciting coincidence that the old neighbors reunited in remote Sichuan, Wang Zuyuan made an exception and called his daughter out at the yamen dinner. Eat at one table.Zhang Zhidong praised him face to face.Yixian listened openly, with a sweet smile on her face.This smile seemed to melt away the pent-up in Zhang Zhidong's heart for more than two years, and he became very relaxed.That night, he drank a lot and talked a lot.He found that the young lady of the Wang family had been listening quietly.Such serenity and tranquility are just like the drooping white peony in the picture of "National Beauty and Heavenly Fragrance".
A few days later, Wang Yirong came to Long'an from another place to visit his parents.Wang Zuyuan told his son that Zhang Xiangtao was in Long'an Mansion these days, and that he liked Yixian's paintings very much.
Wang Yirong was busy visiting old friends in the Confucian Temple, and learned that Mrs. Tang had passed away more than two years ago.Wang Yirong's heart skipped a beat when he heard this.He returned home and suggested to his parents that his sister betrothed to Zhang Xiangtao.Character and status, needless to say, in terms of age, Zhang Xiangtao is only forty years old this year, which is exactly the same.The only shortcoming is that Zhang Xiangtao has been married twice and has two sons.But the girl is nearly 30 years old and has a disability, so it is not easy to find another person who surpasses Zhang Xiangtao.Wang Zuyuan and his wife fully agree with their son's suggestion, but Yixian is a person with her own opinions, and she has to make up her own big ideas.
After meeting that day, Yixian had a very good impression of Zhang Xuetai.In fact, Yixian knew Zhang Xiangtao from his father and brother many years ago, and after coming to Sichuan, he often heard people talk about the celebrity demeanor and practical style of this scholar and politician.At the dinner that day, all the rumors were confirmed, especially when he sincerely praised the picture of "National Beauty and Heavenly Fragrance", which gave the old girl who lived alone in her boudoir great spiritual satisfaction.He is actually a widower, and he is in office alone. Could it be a good match from heaven?Without hesitation, Yixian agreed.
After getting the consent of the whole family, Wang Yirong mentioned this matter to Zhang Zhidong.Such a virgin and talented girl, Ken Qu, was already married, let alone had a relationship with each other, what else could Zhang Zhidong say!He doesn't dislike Yixian's lameness at all, not to mention the beautiful facial features that can make up for it, even if she has a mediocre appearance, she has such wonderful painting skills, which is enough to make this artistically talented master of Xuetai admire her endlessly.
In order to show his respect for the old lady of the Wang family, Zhang Zhidong invited Xue Huan, the famous eunuch of the Zunjing Academy, as a matchmaker, and Wu Tang, governor of Sichuan, as the officiant.On the day of the wedding, officials from major yamen in Chengdu, bosses of major firms, representatives of scholars from Jinjiang Academy and Zunjing Academy all came to Xuetai Yamen to congratulate, causing a sensation in the entire Jinguan City.
After marriage, Mrs. Wang took care of her inside and out and became Zhang Zhidong's right-hand man.In his spare time, the husband recites poems and the wife paints. Poetry and painting are integrated into one, and Chengdu Shilin officials are fond of talking about it, and it is passed down as a good talk.Mrs. Wang is clever and capable of everything, except that she can't play the piano.In view of Tang's past mistakes, Zhang Zhidong didn't want to cause unhappiness because of playing the qin; he also thought that Wang was nearly 30 years old, and it would be difficult to learn art, so he couldn't bear to see her reluctantly, so he didn't mention the matter of guqin.After the term of study and administration expired, Zhang Zhidong and his wife left Sichuan and returned to Beijing.
People in Sichuan have a lot of things to do, and their academic and government income is more generous than other provinces. Zhang Zhidong donated most of his savings to Zunjing Academy to buy books.On the eve of leaving Sichuan, according to the usual practice, the treasury took out all the miscellaneous expenses due to Zhang Zhidong during the three years and 20,000 taels of silver from Cheng Yi and gave it to him. Poor scholars, and to supplement the travel expenses of Juren from poor families to take the exam in Beijing.Mrs. Wang fully understands and fully supports her husband's unnatural and honest behavior.
However, when it was time to make the trip, Zhang Zhidong found that he was short of travel expenses to return to Beijing, so he had to sell the books he had collected for many years.Back in the capital, relatives and friends came to congratulate him, but Zhang Zhidong didn't even have money for the banquet.Mrs. Wang took out the fox fur vest that her mother had given her as a pawn, so that Zhang Zhidong did not lose face in front of relatives and friends.
Mrs. Wang has a broad chest, she treats the brothers of Renquan as her own, and treats her servants with generosity and kindness, all these make Zhang Zhidong gratified.Seeing those colleagues with mediocre talents promoted one by one, while he was always lingering in middle and low official positions such as Zhongyun and Xima, Zhang Zhidong often felt that his talents were not appreciated, and sometimes he became irritable and angry for no reason.At this time, Mrs. Wang would always ease his anger, comfort him, persuade him, and let him slowly dissolve the block in his heart with the calmness and gentleness of a woman.
The officials in the capital are poor, the Hanlin Academy, especially the Leng Yamen, and the people in the Zhang family spend a lot of money, and their income is not good. Mrs. Wang always lives within her means, budgets carefully, and arranges the housekeeping in an orderly manner.The year before last, nineteen-year-old Renquan got married. Mrs. Wang secretly sold the gold bracelet she brought from her natal family to raise bride price for Renquan.Zhang Zhidong was very moved when he learned about it, and he respected him even more.
Such a virtuous and general wife, when he was about to be sent back to Fengjiang, Zhang Zhidong hoped so much that she would become his helper in the complicated government affairs in the future, sharing worries and happiness together, but now...
Looking around at the mourning hall decorated with plain flowers and white curtains, staring at the heavy and dark coffin, Zhang Zhidong couldn't help crying, with an eternal lament gushing from the bottom of his heart: