Chapter 11 Chapter One Jiangzuo Three Masters

When the country changed in 1644, Qian Qianyi was enjoying life in his hometown Changshu, Jiangsu, with his famous concubine Liu Rushi.The Qian family is a local prominent family, rich and wealthy, but in a leisurely and comfortable life, Qian Qianyi's mood is not peaceful, and his thoughts are always somewhat reluctantly concerned about the Chongzhen court in Beijing. Qian Qianyi's name was Shouzhi, and his name was Muzhai, and his later name was Mengsou and Dongjian Yilao. As a poet, Qian Qianyi created a poetic style in the Qing Dynasty.At that time, it was said that "after the seven sons of the front and back, the poetic school declined, Muzhai Zongbo rose and revitalized it, and the poets continued to follow the trend, and the world followed the wind, and all returned to the right. His profound knowledge and strong spirit are enough to cover all of them. All schools of thought cover everything, their poems are clear and beautiful, harmonious and powerful, lamenting without narrowing, discussing things broadly without slandering, and using elegant vowels, the crown of poets!" (Ling Fengxiang's "Preface to the Collection of Beginners" ) Qian Qianyi's poems were first studied in the flourishing Tang Dynasty, and later studied extensively from various famous masters in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and transferred to many teachers, eclectic.He learned from Du Fu and Yuan Haowen's poems to build bone power, learned from Su Shi's and Lu You's poems to develop energy, and learned from Li Shangyin to use rhetoric and metaphors.The poems written after the fall of the Ming Dynasty embody the sense of vicissitudes of life, the combination of sorrow, obstinacy and desolation of Chu, which is particularly unique and has an insurmountable artistic height in modern times. It is a generation of masters.

As a historian, Qian Qianyi is knowledgeable and has extensive knowledge of various histories, classics and Buddhist collections.In his early years, he wrote five volumes of "Taizu Shilu Dialectics" and determined to complete the history of the country privately. He wanted to compile Ming history twice in the first year of Hongguang and the third year of Shunzhi. It is still alive, and the history of the country is still not dead", which shows the extreme admiration for his historical talent. As an essayist, Qian Qianyi's articles often combine the presentation of knowledge with the expression of thoughts and temperament, with twists and turns, unrestrained and unrestrained, and his intention is to integrate "the writing of scholars" and "the writing of literati".Judging from the specific works, although the content is complex and strange, the scale is large enough to change the declining pattern of Mingwen and revitalize the style of writing in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties.Because of this, Qian Qianyi became famous all over the world, known as "Contemporary Essay Master", and Huang Zongxi's "Loyalty and Old Records" called him the most prestigious person in the literary world after Wang Shizhen.

As a collector, Qian Qianyi got all the books of Liu Feng, Qian Yunzhi, Yang Yi, and Zhao Yongxian, and even bought ancient books at high prices. It is full of books, and it is a few times in the inner mansion", which is famous for its rich collection of books. But Qian Qianyi's official career in his life was very unsatisfactory.In the thirty-eighth year of Wanli (1610), he was a Jinshi. Ten years later, in the first year of Tianqi Taichang, he "replaced the official".At that time, on the one hand, his mood was disheartened and sad: "The road outside the gate is the end of the world, and the wind and snow beside the bridge make donkey love"; hoe".

In the eighth month of Dingmao in the seventh year of the Apocalypse, Ming Xi Zong Zhu Youxiao died, Si Zong Zhu Youjian came to the throne, and he was re-elected to serve in the court.Qian Qianyi was ecstatic, and he wrote the poem "On September 26th, Gongwen Dengji Enzhao has a statement", in which there is "Turning the court clothes to the library, and it is like dancing sleeves to appear on the stage." sentence. In July of the second year (the first year of Chongzhen), Qian Qianyi responded to the imperial edict and went to the north to serve as the minister of the Ministry of Rites and a bachelor of the Imperial Academy. , grateful for the emperor's kindness, "waving old tears to the west wind again, how can the rest of my life repay the special kindness?" Unfortunately, three months later, before he had time to flex his muscles, he was involved in the party struggle of the Chongzhen Dynasty. , Zhou Yanru competed for the cabinet minister, was dismissed and returned home.How depressed and sad Qian Qianyi was at this moment. "The wind in the secret hall is high and the day is cloudy, and the sky is cloudy and heavy during the day"; "The lonely minister is standing in the cave, and the emperor's door is full of tears."

At that time, the literati all regarded entering the official career and realizing their political ambitions as their life ideals, and Qian Qianyi was naturally no exception.He has been looking forward to being employed again and serving the court again.But in the end of the Chongzhen Dynasty, Qian Qianyi could not be used again.But he has been waiting, persistently waiting, this waiting is seventeen years.As he aged, the situation changed day by day.It is conceivable how Qian Qianyi's heart gradually turned from hot to cold, from hope to disappointment and even despair. He watched the Chongzhen Dynasty decline day by day and fell into irretrievable internal and external troubles. , but never had the opportunity to contribute to the court.

Finally, the news that Emperor Chongzhen had hanged himself on Meishan reached Changshu!Qian Qianyi's mood at this time was extremely complicated, and he didn't know whether to be sad or happy.As a citizen of the Ming Dynasty, he was in a bad mood when the country was in crisis; but, on the other hand, the death of the old emperor meant the enthronement of the new emperor. new opportunities.We can completely think that if Emperor Chongzhen had not died in the Jiashen Incident, Qian Qianyi, who is over half a hundred years old, would never have had the chance to be on the stage of history.

After the Nanming Hongguang regime was established, as Qian Qianyi expected, because of his great reputation in the south of the Yangtze River and the leader of the Donglin party, he finally had a new opportunity.When Qian Qianyi heard that he had been recruited, he wept with joy and vowed to do his best to be the official, because he had been preparing for his comeback for seventeen years.This can explain why Qian Qianyi, who later became the leader of the Donglin Party, instead stood on the side of Ma Shiying and Ruan Dacheng, who were spurned by the Donglin Party and Fushe celebrities. It's not easy to be an official of the Ministry of Rites. After all, he has been waiting for seventeen years.

But Qian Qianyi was soon disappointed. The Nanming court was even more corrupt than the Chongzhen court, and internal friction was even more intense.The imperial court in Nanjing was full of never-ending party disputes; Emperor Hongguang was licentious, diligent in womanizing, and left everything to the "old horse" and would not listen to any opinions from other ministers; Busy fighting with Ma Shiying, they were defeated one by one. Shi Kefa, the only real power figure in the Donglin Front, was also squeezed out of Nanjing; No one thought of going north to recover the rivers and mountains.

Qian Qianyi waited for seventeen years, and only waited for such an ending.He has always wanted to be a high-ranking official and contribute to the country, but he has been unlucky all his life; he did not hesitate to befriend Ruan Dacheng and Ma Shiying. I wasted my whole life because of dementia. I only wish to give birth to a son who is ashamed and crazy, so that he can go to the sky to raise money and go to Gongqing." With Qian Qianyi's eyesight, he could not fail to see that the Hongguang court was hopeless. Facing the drastic changes in the situation, he began to feel at a loss.

Fortunately, he still has Liu Rushi, which is his only comfort.Being able to marry Liu Rushi was also the greatest achievement in his life. Qian Qianyi was later ridiculed as the "leader of the two dynasties" because Qian Qianyi once invented a special coat: small collar and large sleeves.A Jiangnan scholar asked him which dynasty style this dress represented, Qian Qianyi pretended to joke: "The small collar shows me to respect the system of this dynasty (referring to the Qing Dynasty), and the big sleeves do not forget the meaning of the previous dynasty (referring to the Qing Dynasty). .” The scholar immediately sarcastically said: “Mr. is really the ‘leader’ of the two dynasties!”

But judging from Qian Qianyi's later performance, historians must avoid using only moral standards to evaluate human performance.As we said before, in times of great turmoil, everyone behaves so differently, and often has its own stage characteristics, which is especially evident in Qian Qianyi.Obviously, Qian Qianyi's late anti-Qing and Ming-ming activities should be more attributed to his famous concubine Liu Rushi. When Qian Qianyi was reappointed by the Hongguang regime, he took his famous Mrs. Ru, Liu Rushi, into Nanjing.Liu Rushi with pheasant feathers on her hair and a military uniform, rode into Nanjing City on horseback, dressed as Zhaojun going out of the fortress, very masculine.People in Nanjing laughed at her because of her special dress, but Liu Rushi still went her own way. In order to curry favor with Ruan Dacheng, Qian Qianyi specially invited Ruan Dacheng to a banquet, and asked Liu Rushi to toast Ruan Dacheng.At that time, Liu Rushi was the most famous among the Eight Beauties of the Qinhuai River. She was both talented and beautiful. At that time, the famous literati and scholars in the world were proud to have acquaintance with her. It is so big that no one can match it.She went up to toast in person, Ruan Dacheng was flattered, not only stood up to greet each other, but also specially gave Liu Rushi a beaded crown, worth thousands of gold, as a sign of respect.Qian Qianyi deliberately ordered Liu Rushi to thank him, "and move the seat closer to Ruan."In the city of Nanjing, "everyone who hears about it will be overwhelmed." ("Nanming Wild History") It can be seen from this incident that both Qian Qianyi and his famous wife are unconventional people.Given Qian Qianyi's reverence and fear for Liu Rushi, unless Liu Rushi volunteered, it would be difficult for her to take the initiative to toast a villain like Ruan Dacheng with a despicable character.This should be a strategy of Liu Rushi. Gu Yunmei, who wrote "Hedong Jun Biography" (Liu Rushi once called himself Hedong Jun), has a poem: "The cloud outside the chess and chess villa is purple, and the person next to the taro stove is red. The body is the Great Wall that can block the north, and has been living for a long time by Feiyu. Dong, Qianqiu wrote about Ouyang Zi, and he weighed Fu Zhenggong with one word. Don’t say that when he crossed the south, his wife personally encouraged the army.” It is recorded that when Ruan Dacheng Jinyi Sumang came to the river, Liu Rushi also appeared in the river defense force Here, it is probably to engage in activities such as rewarding teachers. What does all this mean?If you just regard it as the showy and sloppy nonsense of this "pretty, alert, and courageous" little woman, then you will be too short-sighted.Liu Rushi did not hesitate to sell her looks to curry favor with Ruan Dacheng, in order to earn Qian Qianyi's position as Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites; when she went to the army, she wanted to win over the generals who held military power.Later, Liu Rushi made friends with ambitious people everywhere in Nanjing, traveled among high-ranking officials and ministers, and tried her best to help her husband, which further showed that she had an unyielding ambition in her heart.Comparing Liu Rushi's power to support the rebel army against the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty after the fall of the Ming Dynasty, it is not difficult to see that Liu Rushi's strategy is actually to try to restore the cause of the Ming Dynasty.This strange woman who was unwilling to be reconciled to being degraded by the wind and dust first deliberately befriended Chen Zilong, and then married Qian Qianyi, who was not of the same age. In addition to the factors that the former had love and the latter had emotional dependence, in the turbulent upheaval, she had more It is to value their status in the scholastic community, and to use their strength to realize their desire to save the country and the people. When Liu Rushi was denounced as a "traveling prostitute", we might not have thought that a weak woman would take on the important task of saving the country.In fact, when I read that she gave Chen Zilong the five-character "Reminiscence", it should suddenly become clear: "The idea is self-confirmed, and everything is never surpassed." This is also a stubborn woman.It can be said that this line of poem made a precise annotation for her national salvation movement in the autumn of crisis. Liu Rushi's life was a legend. Her bitter love with Fushe tycoon Chen Zilong for several years but it still died without a medical condition has aroused many speculations.This pair of passionate lovers broke up in Wutang, and various versions of wild history novels couldn't agree on what to do, which immediately attracted countless speculations and discussions. It can be seen that Liu Rushi's reputation is unmatched by all women in the world.But Liu Rushi finally married Qian Qianyi, the leader of the Donglin Party who was almost forty years older than her, as a concubine. In February of the twelfth year of Chongzhen (AD 1639), Qian Qianyi saw Liu Rushi's poem "Eight Quatrains of West Lake" at the home of Wang Xiuwei, a famous prostitute in Caoyi, Hangzhou: ; the most is the cold cold food road in the west, and the peach blossoms are among the beauties." The poem is written in a beautiful and unique way.Qian Qianyi especially admired the phrase "the peach blossoms are in a beautiful woman"; so the Taoist priest in grass clothes came forward and invited Liu Rushi to tour the West Lake with him. Although Liu Rushi is well-known, she is actually not stunning. Compared with Chen Yuanyuan's beauty, Dong Xiaowan's temperament, and Gu Mei's demeanor among the beauties of the Qinhuai River, she is not as good as her.However, she is talented, courageous, strong personality, and not afraid of words.When Qian Qianyi saw Liu Rushi for the first time, he admired her courage and greatness, so he thought he had met a confidant in his life, and wrote "Caoyi's family lives in the east of Duanqiao, and his good sentences are as clear as the wind on the lake; recently Xileng praised Liuyin (Liu Rushi, also known as Liu Hidden), the poem "Peach Blossoms in the Beauty" expresses his admiration for Liu Rushi. After that, the two exchanged poems and essays frequently, and both admired each other's talent and knowledge.Qian Qianyi was old and young, so he greatly appreciated Liu Rushi's poems, articles, and calligraphy. At that time, Liu Rushi had already broken up with Chen Zilong, the tycoon of Fushe, and there were not a few ministers under his skirt.Because of all the ups and downs, Liu Rushi doesn't believe in love by chance. She has purposefully started her lifelong pursuit from a very early age, chasing after magnificent men, chasing after a world that is very narrow to her in the turbulent era.Therefore, her requirements for choosing a husband are very high, and she is not satisfied with the marriage proposals of many celebrities, and some of them only stay at the stage of friendship.Because in addition to being happy with each other, she also needs the other party to give her equality and respect, and give her the space to play freely.In the society at that time, such conditions for choosing a mate were extremely harsh and naturally extremely difficult. After interacting with Qian Qianyi several times, Liu Rushi thought with insight that this old celebrity who is nearly 60 years old is open-minded and open-minded, and knows the real life. He is not only the leader of the Donglin Party, but also a wealthy party. , maybe it is the person who can shelter her.For Liu Rushi, all she wants is a sense of security and the realization of a sense of the times in troubled times. Beauty and talent, reality and romance, secularity and elegance, all luckily shine on Liu Rushi. This is a famous woman who has aroused the imagination of countless people in history.There is a kind of romantic poison in her character, like ordinary women, she always has a girlish longing for love; but Liu Rushi's outstandingness is that she never regards love as the supreme thing.The most important point is that she deeply knows that men control the world, and women control the world by controlling men.So she has a feeling of saving the country that is different from other women and even men can't match, and also has a lifetime of love and love, lingering and dependence. In November of the thirteenth year of Chongzhen, Liu Rushi disguised herself as a man and suddenly came to Yushan, Changshu, to visit Qian Qianyi in Banye Hall, and spent the new year at Qian's house.Qian Qianyi didn't think Liu Rushi's sudden appearance was reckless. On the contrary, he admired her boldness and simplicity, and he was overjoyed to have such an outstanding woman actively pursue him in his sixtieth year.His feeling of being as if he had found a treasure and being very surprised was vividly expressed, which naturally fell into Liu Rushi's shrewd eyes.So, in the quiet Banye Hall, there was laughter of an old and a young couple who had forgotten their years. They walked on the snow to enjoy the plum blossoms, and went fishing in a cold boat. They got along so harmoniously. Liu Rushi was reduced to prostitution at the age of fifteen, and she had a lot of reading.There are quite a few talented and affectionate sons, but how many of them are out of genuine concern for women?How many can really understand her and respect her?Maybe she can't forget Chen Zilong in her heart, but women are just a foil to a hero like Chen Zilong.An astonishingly talented woman like Liu Rushi is pursuing independence and self-respect. Apart from the will to be unwilling to be a concubine in the golden house, there is also the desire and ambition of a humble person to challenge the nobles and wealthy families.The Qian Qianyi I met now, needless to say his talent, he passed the examination as a Tanhualang at the age of 28, and his poems are well-known. Although he is older, he is affectionate and interesting, and he takes such care of her. She felt that life was so peaceful, peaceful and enjoyable, so what was the difference in age? After this tentative visit, Liu Rushi had basically made up his mind. At the end of the first month of the 14th year of Chongzhen, after Liu Rushi and Qian Qianyi parted ways at Yuanyang Lake in Jiaxing, Qian Qianyi traveled across the West Lake to visit Huangshan Mountain, accompanied by Wu Weiye and another Qinhuai prostitute Dong Xiaowan.There, Qian Qianyi wrote many poems about visiting Huangshan, expressing his admiration for Liu Rushi.Liu Rushi's and Shize's love is lingering, and it has become a love letter between the two.Just like Mr. Chen Yinshu's "Liu Rushi's Biography", Qian Qianyi must be fascinated and moved after reading this poem.Although Qian Qianyi is a great celebrity and a great poet, Liu Rushi, a pretty girl who is famous for her poems and books, is only twenty-three years old, and at this time he is already a fifty-nine-year-old man with a dark face and a dark back. The hair has come to light.Qian Qianyi has experienced ups and downs in his official career, so he feels that it is not easy to win the love of a young, beautiful and talented woman, which makes his cherishment of Liu Rushi very different from that of Chen Zilong and other celebrities.It is precisely because of Qian Qianyi's mutual acquaintance, sympathy, and respect for Liu Rushi, who is elegant and clean, that Liu Rushi committed himself to marrying him not on the basis of love. From that time on, Qian Qianyi compared Liu Rushi to Zhuo Wenjun, and Liu Rushi compared Qian Qianyi to Ma Rong, a great talent in the Eastern Han Dynasty who was "talented and well-versed" and "commonly known in classics", saying: "The world is only Yushan Qian You can only talk about talent when you are a bachelor, and I will not marry if I am not as talented as a scholar." Qian Qianyi replied: "There are women who are so pitiful in the world, and I am not as talented as a willow. I will not marry." In June of the 14th year of Chongzhen, Qian Qianyi set up a colorful boat on Rongcheng Lake, and married Liu Rushi as Mrs. Ru with the etiquette of a regular wife. On that day, the gentlemen who received Qian Qianyi's invitation to congratulate and the ordinary people who watched the excitement were crowded with people.At this time, Qian Qianyi was even more rejuvenated, with a happy smile on his face. Amidst the laughter and laughter of the crowd along the coast, a colorfully decorated boat sailed from one end of the lake. Suddenly there were flutes and drums on the lake, and wisps of fragrance wafted in.Liu Rushi sitting in the boat, like a colorful butterfly among flowers, aroused applause from the coast. At that time, no one knew that Qian Qianyi married Liu Rushi, a famous Qinhuai prostitute, with such a great fanfare.Someone couldn't hold back and asked Qian Qianyi: "Excuse me, Qian Weng, who is the bride?" The bridegroom, who was so happy and intoxicated, said to him: "Please drink more alcohol, as for the bride and groom here Ma'am, let everyone know!" When the white-haired bridegroom Qian Qianyi boarded the painting boat and welcomed the new couple from the painting boat to the color boat, he announced loudly: "This beauty who will be with you for a hundred years is a beauty and a talent. Liu Rushi, the first-rate girl in Art Garden Pengshan." This announcement actually caused an explosive effect. The well-known Bachelor Qian Qianyi used such an extravagant gift to invite so many high-ranking officials and gentry, and it turned out that the one he married grandly was a prostitute!It was only when the officials and gentlemen realized that they came to applaud such a marriage that they recognized its legitimacy, and they were completely deceived. Qian Qianyi's defiance of social norms aroused public outrage in the society, who believed that he "defiled the imperial court's reputation and hurt the tradition of scholar-bureaucrats", and there were heated discussions.The common people watching the excitement also added fuel to the flames, laughing wantonly, picking bricks and tiles one after another, throwing colorful boats, and the whole lake boiled.In the cabin, Qian Qianyi "sucked the ink, smiled at the mirror stage, and wrote makeup poems with ease", and wrote with a pen: "Buy back the world's golden smile, and send away the worries of a lifetime." His joy and cherishment are vivid. on paper.And when Liu Rushi, who was at the young age of twenty-three, saw that Qian Qianyi risked the world's shame for her, and had no complaints or regrets, she also had a sense of security under the big tree and gained great psychological satisfaction. After Qian and Liu got married, they really had a "good life".The two stayed together day and night, wrote poems and compositions together, and wrote books.Liu Rushi is extremely knowledgeable, Qian Qianyi wrote history books, Liu Rushi can check the information for him at any time.So Qian Qianyi built another library building behind his study, named "Jiangyun Building" for Liu Rushi to read, and respected Liu Rushi as "Jiangyun Fairy".Some "red scholars" believe that the Jiangyun Pavilion designed by Cao Xueqin actually came from Liu Rushi's Jiangyun Tower (Jiangyun Tower was destroyed by fire in the seventh year of Shunzhi). Qian Qianyi also ordered people to build a special first floor for Liu Rushi in Hongdou Mountain Villa. He personally supervised the work on site, and in just ten days, a beautiful and elegant small building was completed.Qian Qianyi named the small building "Wo Wen Room" according to the sentence "So I heard" in the "Diamond Sutra", to coincide with Liu Rushi's name.Because of Liu Rushi's fame, Jiangyunlou and Wowenshi are also famous all over the world. This year-forgetful couple stayed together in their new home day and night, and their love for children and interest in poetry made their union no less than the newlyweds of boys and girls.The old lover always admired his delicate and charming young wife fascinatedly, and whispered into Liu Rushi's ear: "I love you with black hair and white flesh." My hair is black." These are really the most wonderful love words between old couples and young wives.This group of love stories was also written into the poem "Fengda Muzhai" by Liu Rushi, and it was transformed into "The willows want to peek at the green eyes before spring, and the Xuelishan should want to grow old". But the combination of the two is not allowed by the "public opinion", and they all agree that "the more Qianyi is, the more he will let go".The two traveled to Zhejiang, and when they returned to Changshu, they were chased and beaten by displeased people, and the boat was full of bricks and tiles.Qian Qianyi also wrote countless erotic poems for Liu Rushi, among which were very nasty long poems.These poems are listed in another volume as "Poems in Sexy Style" in "Selected Records of Wu Yue Poems" compiled by Wei Xuedou and others.Zhu Heling said, "Seeing that a Vietnamese friend selected sage poems of the time, which were so thin and colorful, I made another compilation", referring to this matter.This explains the "clear discussion" caused by the combination of Qian and Liu at that time. When Liu Rushi was a prostitute, he was free and easy and bold, making friends with literati and celebrities, pointing out haze, and commenting on writing.Even though Liu Rushi got married, she didn't change her ways from then on, cleaned up her personality, and played the role of a virtuous woman in a Chinese family.She is still wild and unrestrained, having fun with Qian Qianyi's group of friends, often getting drunk, "coughing a thousand bells and throwing a jade boat", quite reminiscent of Taibai, but not boudoir style.Qian Qianyi actually didn't mind it, and instead praised her as "a beautiful woman is also a talented person, and the art garden is the best in Pengshan." What was even more surprising to the people at the time was that the old Confucian was sometimes tired of socializing, so he would entrust Liu Rushi to put on men's clothes and go out to visit guests on his behalf. : This is my high-ranking younger brother, Yiliang Jishi." It can be seen from Qian Qianyi's full respect and full trust towards Liu Rushi.Liu Rushi, a woman who comes from a humble background, has a high self-esteem, and is extremely aggressive, has finally found someone who can give her an equal status.It can be said that marrying Qian Qianyi was the wisest choice in her life. Liu Rushi wrote a lot of poems after she got married, such as "Feng He's Xiaoyao Jingkou Boat": the first one is like the flying hair with frost on the temples, and the fragrant dowry that wastes red yellow for a long time, but I feel sorry for the afterimages in the mirror. Candlelight in front of the statue.Misquote old sorrows and stop talking and laughing, explore new joys and sorrows.Weisheng is like adding silk thread, inviting Le Jun to promise and grow together. There is a blurred emotion and a touch of sadness in the poem, it seems that she can't hear her laughter, and only Pingting's graceful figure can be vaguely seen.This can't help but make people daydream, I don't know what kind of emotion she is expressing, what else is she dissatisfied with? The famous song "Spring Day I Hear My Room Works" also reveals a strong feeling of melancholy: the red halo and green tears are endless, and the spring in the southern country is coming and cold.Going to the willow flower like a dream, the misty moon has always been a worry.Who knows the news of the painting hall, look at the face of the green tent alone, cherish the Langui room of the Jun family, and take the next one to lean on the railing. (The number of poems are all based on "Wu Yue Shi Xun" Volume 22 "Famous Women's Poems", Zhu Langyi commented: "If the bone is beautiful, it is Yanzong.") As a result, there have been more rumors outside.When the Ming and Qing Dynasties changed, Unofficial History Notes especially liked to record anecdotes about Liu Rushi, and she became a news figure for a while. Huang Chunyao once went to Qian Qianyi's house as a guest of honor, and Liu Rushi wanted to sing with his poem tube, but the old master was so frightened that he wanted to pack up and run away.At that time, there was a poem saying that Qian Qianyi closed his house and wrote books, "Songyuan invites calligraphy, and Hedong flatters the house", which means that Qian Qianyi has Qing guest Cheng Songyuan on the left and his concubine Liu Rushi on the right.It can be seen that the general scholar-bureaucrats at that time were quite disapproving of Liu Rushi's manly unrestrainedness and Qian Qianyi's respect for her. These records that secretly satirize Liu Rushi are relatively "subtle", and there are many naked scandals.According to Unofficial History, Liu Rushi kept many "face heads" and changed them at any time. Once they got tired of them, they would drive them away or even kill them.Another time when a friend of hers was arrested and imprisoned, Qian Qianyi was very disturbed, and immediately stepped forward to bail him out, saying otherwise would make Mrs. Liu unhappy.The veracity of these stories is quite questionable.As a woman, Liu Rushi was wild and unrestrained, without boudoir demeanor. At that time, there were many people who talked about her and made troubles. In Liu Rushi's heart, what she really misses is probably the unforgettable love with Chen Zilong. The tender and warm love life and the sadness of separation should be the main content of her memories of the night in Hongdou Villa.Perhaps, along with the memories, a charming smile will emerge from the darkness.This laugh is so fragile, so short.It wasn't until Chen Zilong fought alone on the battlefield against the Qing Dynasty and restored the Ming Dynasty that he was defeated and died, that smile that overwhelmed the country and the city was completely buried. In May of the second year of Hongguang, the Qing army attacked Nanjing, and 200,000 to 300,000 Nanming defenders fled. Hongguang Emperor Zhu Yousong left Nanjing and fled for his life. This event is known as the "Yiyou Change" in history. Liu Rushi saw that the fate of the Ming Dynasty was irretrievable, and with a sad and holy expression on his face, he persuaded Qian Qianyi to die for the country together, saying "you die for the country, I die for the husband!", and dived into the water together to commit suicide.But Qian Qianyi was very disturbed, he went into the water, tried it and came up again, raised his head and said to Liu Rushi: "The water is very cold, why don't we come back another day?" This is a typical action of a typical character, greedy for fear To die, unwilling to be a martyr for the motherland.Liu Rushi did not expect that the leader of the Donglin Party, which is famous all over the world, was actually a soft bone. Under extreme disappointment, she "struggled to sink in the pool". Qian Qianyi had anticipated what his fierce wife was planning, so he hurriedly chased after her and hugged her tightly.At this time, the servant came back and reported that the Qing army was about to enter the city.Qian Qianyi then ordered the maids to guard his wife well and absolutely nothing would happen, but he himself should not go to discuss with Ma Shiying in a hurry.As soon as he arrived at Ma Shiying's residence, he saw that the gate was open, and the guards guarding the gate had disappeared.Qian Qianyi guessed that Ma Shiying had fled, so he went to Zhao Zhilong and Wang Duo, and the result of the discussion was that they unanimously agreed to surrender. Qian Qianyi then rushed outside the city, representing the Nanming regime, and knelt in the heavy rain to welcome the Qing army.At that time, there was such a poem circulating, which satirized Qian Qianyi and said: "Qian Gong's origin is good-minded, and Shandou is famous all over the world. The country is broken and the government is still the old Donglin." Qian Yong's Lu Yuan Cong "The Words" commented: "Yushan's money is famous all over the world, but the only thing owed is death, so he has been infamous for thousands of years." After that, Qian Qianyi presented hundreds of gold and silver objects and precious antiques to Prince Yu Duoduo.This incident was later used to make a big fuss.But under the circumstances at the time, Qian Qianyi had no choice but to do so. Chen Kangqi said in "Jiqian Jiwen": "Liunan Essays" records that the king of Yu went to the south of the Yangtze River, and the ministers of the remnant Ming Dynasty paid heavy coins, and the best one was presented by Qian Muzhai in Yushan.The first line of the Cambodian post that it has is "Qian Qianyi, a scholar of the Imperial Academy of the Imperial Academy of the Ministry of Rites, Prince Taibao", and the end is the same.The tributes are Liujin and silver pots, one Falang silver pot each; Panlong jade cup, Song Dynasty jade cup, Tianlu rhinoceros cup, sunflower rhinoceros cup, hibiscus rhinoceros cup, and Falang tripod cup each; One pair of silver-inlaid crane cups; ten Xuande Palace fans, real Jinchuan fans, Geyang gold fans, Geqi gold fans, Baigong fans, and real gold Hang fans; forty real gold Su fans, and ten pairs of silver-inlaid elephant chopsticks.If you take it as a book, you will know if you are thick! It can be seen that at that time the Nanming bureaucrats were all vying to curry favor with Duoduo, Qian Qianyi just followed the trend as a last resort, and the gifts he gave were also the lightest and cheapest among all the officials. Although Qian Qianyi voted for another new owner, his inner ambivalence was stronger than anyone else's.When he saw Emperor Hongguang who was being detained in the Duduo military camp, he couldn't help crying bitterly, and couldn't kneel in front of his old master.Driven by a strong sense of shame, Qian Qianyi decided to do his best to do something.He tried his best to lobby Duoduo, saying that the people in Wu had always been docile, so they could be easily pacified without resorting to force.After receiving Duduo's guarantee, Qian Qianyi used his personal influence to persuade the gentry from all over the south of the Yangtze River, saying that "heaven and man return."Qian Qianyi did not do this to serve the Manchus. He just saw the terrible end of the Yangzhou Massacre and hoped to prevent tens of thousands of Han Chinese from being killed under the slaughter knife of the Qing army. In any case, treachery is always morally reprehensible.Qian Qianyi was strongly criticized by many celebrities later, but he always tried to comfort himself by saying that it was because he was willing to endure humiliation that unnecessary bloodshed was avoided and many lives were saved.This is a complex emotion mixed with shame and pride. Qian Qianyi believes that he has made self-sacrifice at the cost of fame. Lu Liuliang, the core figure of the "literary prison" (many legends believe that his daughter Lu Siniang managed to sneak into the Forbidden City and killed Emperor Yongzheng of Daxing Literary Prison for family feud) later expressed similar personal emotional distress. He said: Now I know that it is easy to die from hunger, but difficult to survive by sacrificing righteousness. Later, Qian Qianyi did help some loyal people get rid of the persecution of Manchu.For example, he helped Huang Zongxi to release General Wang Jue, a loyal scholar in Zhejiang, safely, so Huang Zongxi later wrote a biography praising Qian Qianyi in his works. In 1655, when Gu Yanwu was arrested and imprisoned by the Manchu local government for killing a servant, he also asked Qian Qianyi through a friend for help, and Qian Qianyi came forward to help Gu Yanwu get out of prison. At an extraordinary moment, the sharpness and complexity of the struggle is beyond people's imagination, because the future development of the current situation is unpredictable, and there will always be many situations where one foot steps on two boats.Qian Qianyi welcomed the Qing soldiers into the city, which reflected his submission to the powerful, but unlike Wu Sangui, Hong Chengchou and others, he did not go further to help tigers, and did not regard the power of the Manchu Qing as the ruling authority. Whether there were more Yangzhou ten days running around, or whether he actively planned to fight against the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty later fully proved this point.But history is always judged by moral standards. Does it mean that Qian Qianyi must throw himself into the water to benefit the country and the people?Or is it "easy to die in the world, difficult to succeed in the world"?Many times people are eager to have an answer. What does death really mean?It means that what was there no longer exists.Death is actually very simple, what is complicated is why you die. Wang Siren, an anti-Qing scholar in the early Qing Dynasty, had a very incisive passage: "It is possible to die, and it is possible not to die. Heroes know it by themselves. Once a hero dies, if the matter is not enough, he can die; You can die.... If death is the most important thing, then death is death. How can it help people in the world." Mr. Chen Yinke once said: "Mu Zhai's surrender is a stain in his life. But it is also due to his natural cowardice, forced by the situation. It is unreasonable to say that he must always be sincere and sincere." He thinks that Qian Qianyi surrendered Qing is because of his cowardly character, but I am more inclined to think that Qian Qianyi Jiangqing's despair of his official career in the Chongzhen Dynasty and his expectations for his official career in the Southern Ming Dynasty. After all, he is a famous talent all over the country. Not reconciled, this is the root cause of his "first mouse at both ends, repeated intentions".But his expectations were quickly shattered, not only because the Qing court did not appoint him as prime minister, but also because his beloved wife Liu Rushi treated him with indifference, which stimulated and aggravated his anxiety caused by injustice. The psychology of remorse. But Liu Rushi still could not forgive her husband's act of immortal surrender.Once, Qian and Liu went out and saw a spring with clear water. Qian Qianyi wanted to take off his shoes and socks to wash his feet. Liu Rushi stood aside and said with a sneer, "Do you think this is the Qinhuai River?" Liu Rushi was so cold very.Just one sentence fully revealed her contempt and disgust for Qian Qianyi. In the fall of Yiyou year 1645, the Qing regime summoned the Nanming ministers to go to Beijing to accept their posts.On the day of going north, all the ministers brought their wives and concubines with them, but Liu Rushi refused to accompany her. She was dressed in red and stood by the side of the road. Get away from her. The emperor of the Ming Dynasty was surnamed Zhu, and Liu Rushi wore a red robe, implying his ambition to fight against the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty.All the ministers felt ashamed when faced with such a feat by a woman.Qian Qianyi was even more eager to get underground. He was filled with remorse, and on the way he wrote down such deep self-blaming sentences as "Yi Zhu Yiqi stayed in the capital, shamed her classmate". Qian Qianyi's mood can be said to be extremely lost. The reason why he is not forgiven and understood by his wife is only due to his not sacrificing his life for righteousness.From today's point of view, it is indeed difficult to understand.But from another aspect, it shows Liu Rushi's strong political inclination. It is rumored that when Qian Qianyi went north and Liu Rushi stayed in Nanjing, they took the opportunity to commit adultery with others. When the king dies, the scholar-bureaucrats are still unable to complete the festival, but they are responsible for a woman because they cannot keep themselves? This statement can be said to be fair and forgiven."Regardless of whether Liu Rushi's adultery is true or not, Qian Qianyi's tolerance for her can be seen. Qian Qianyi arrived in Beijing and obtained the official title of "Bachelor of the Academy of Secretaries, Minister of Rites, and Vice President of Ming History", but after half a year, he returned to his hometown due to illness and consumed the rest of his life with poetry and wine.这时钱谦益常为一些不遂意的事情而生气，外忧清议，内惭神明，烦躁时常绕屋彷徨，自言自语道：“要死要死！”柳如是一次在旁冷冷道：“你当初不死在乙酉南京陷落之日，而死于今日，这不是太晚了吗？”钱谦益哑口无言。 自此后，钱谦益长期暗中从事反清复明的活动，屡冒杀身之祸，展现出历史人物极为复杂的一面。 归庄在《祭钱牧斋先生文》中写道：“先生喜其同志，每商略慷慨，谈从容，剖肠如雪，吐气成虹。感时追往，忽复泪下淋浪，发竖鬔鬆。窥先生之意，亦悔中道之委蛇，思欲以晚盖，何天之待先生之酷，竟使之赍志以终。” 这段话是比较公正的。历史是非常复杂的，尊重历史事实就不能简单对待。钱谦益在弘光朝廷覆亡的时候有苟且贪生之念固然是事实；但他内心里念念不忘恢复明朝，实际行动上多次冒杀身之祸从事反清复明活动，也不容抹杀。 钱谦益辞官后不久，因淄川谢升案而锒铛北上，关入刑部大狱。家人都不敢出头，只有柳如是单身带了一个包袱，随行护送在押解兵卒的刀光剑影之间，照顾钱谦益。可见从这个时候起，钱谦益已经用自己的行动重新赢回了妻子的信任。这一次官司，据说是柳如是行贿三十万金，钱谦益才得无事放归。 钱谦益因此对柳如是感激涕零，作诗说，“从行赴难有贤妻”。当时有人看了还觉得不舒服，因为柳如是到底还是“妾”，不能就这样说的。 清·祝纯嘏《孤忠後录》记载说：顺治四年，黄毓祺起兵海上，从舟山进发，打算献收复常州。钱谦益特意命其妻艳妓柳如是至海上犒师，适飓风大作，海艘多飘没。黄毓祺棋溺于海，赖勇士石负之，始得登岸。 钱牧斋《后秋兴》诗之一有句：“闺阁心悬海字旗，每于方寻系欢悲。乍闻南国车攻日，正是西窗对局时。”据考证，此诗就是咏黄毓祺事。“闺阁”是指柳夫人无疑。 黄毓祺兵败后，清廷查知钱谦益与黄毓祺有牵连，下令缉拿他。清顺治五年四月，正在病中的柳如是“蹶然而起，冒死从行”，紧随丈夫一同去到南京。经柳如是全力奔走营救，请托斡旋，钱谦益才得以免祸。出狱后，被管制在苏州，寄寓拙政园。但钱柳二人在苏州过着饮酒下棋的悠闲岁月时，还无时无刻不关心着政局变化与战局发展。 顺治六年，钱谦益和柳如是从苏州返回常熟，移居红豆山庄。在这种局面下，钱谦益并不曾闭门韬晦，表面上息影居家，在绛云楼以藏书检校著述；暗中与西南和东南海上反清复明势力联络，以耄耋之年奔走道途；其中柳如是对他的影响不可小觑。钱谦益先后与南明桂王的大学士翟式耙、郑成功、张名振和张煌言联系。 顺治六年（1649年），钱谦益在给门生瞿式耜（时任永历朝廷留守桂林大学士）的密信中，提出了“中兴之基业”的关键是顺江而下夺取江南。瞿式耜向永历帝转报钱谦益密信疏中写道：“盖谦益身在虏中，未尝须臾不念本朝，而规画形势，了如指掌，绰有成算。” 钱谦益后来的经济状况非常不好，一是因为连吃几次官司，需要钱打理；二是柳如是几次冒死到抗清义军中犒师，对义军慷慨解囊。顺治七年（1650年），绛云楼又不慎起火，一夜之间，几万卷藏书和大批珍宝古玩化为灰烬。就在二人经济拮据之时，柳如是依然卖尽金珠，全力资助抗清义军。钱氏倾家荡产资助反清复明，以致到钱谦益死的时候，连丧葬费用都成了问题。后人仅以“失节”一事来对钱谦益盖棺定论，实在是不公正的。 顺治十一年（1654年），张名振统率的南明鲁监国军队乘海舟三次进入长江，第一次进抵镇江、瓜州，第二次进至仪征，第三次直逼南京，在一年多时间里积极活动于长江下游和入海口。 这次会师长江的战略设想是以钱谦益等人为核心策划的。他们不仅主动担负起联络东西两方面的南明军队和内地反清义士的责任，还以出资、出力等方式亲自参加了这一重大的军事行动。但这次精心策划的会师长江战役，结果却完全令人失望。原因是西南和福建的抗清主力都没有出动：西南永历政权孙可望与李定国突起内讧，几乎酿成大变；而福建郑成功私心太重，一心只想守住他自己的地盘，保存实力。 钱谦益这些人在清统治区内秘密从事复明活动，风险极大。事败之后他们首先销毁证据，有人不幸被捕在审讯时也竭力避免牵连更多人进来；迹象还表明部分仕清的汉族官员因各种原因而暗中加以庇护。这充分说明了历史人物的复杂性，以钱谦益为代表的人物，不能简单地以失节来评判。还有一点，历史就是历史，无人能对其一窥全豹。 江南历来为财赋重区。“江南安，天下皆安；江南危，天下皆危”。发动长江战役的核心害死东南沿海水师同西南明军主力会师，收复江南，取得这块财赋充盈、人才荟萃之地，作为扭转明清战局的关键。这次重大的战略策划充分证明，钱谦益确实是有相当战略眼光的。 可惜，可叹，可悲！南明政权从弘光到永历，从来都是内部忙于勾心斗角。清廷内部虽然也常有争权夺利，但大体上能做到令行禁止，赏罚分明。清胜明败，根本原因不是强弱异形，而是内部凝聚力的差异，即现在所说的没有团队合作精神，心力不齐，加上南明没有一个有权威、有影响力、可以协调大局的人物，所以这一关系全局的重大军事行动失败就不足为奇了。 这个以收复长江中下游为重点的战略方针，钱谦益称之为“楸枰三局”，有点像现代人所称的行动代号。一直到顺治十六年（1659年），南明败局已定，钱谦益回忆此事，在诗中写道：“腐儒未谙楸枰谱，三局深惭厪帝思。”对这一重大行动的流产流露出无尽的怅惘和遗憾。 顺治十二年，张名振舟师纵横海上之时，柳如是曾入海犒师。白耷山人阎尔梅（阎尔梅曾是史可法的营中幕僚）被清兵追捕，柳如是曾将他藏在家里。这背后自然也有钱谦益的支持。 黄宗羲年轻时曾游虞山，就住在钱谦益家。一天夜里，黄宗羲已经睡下了，钱谦益提着灯来到他的床前，摸出七两银子来相赠，给黄宗羲作为安家之用，并说“这是内人的意思”。这内人就是柳如是。 柳如是对年轻的黄宗羲持这种态度，自然因为他是黄尊素的儿子。黄尊素是东林党人，在明末就和阉党作过斗争，是《南都防乱公揭》（目的是驱逐阮大铖）的起单人之一，南京陷落以后，又曾多次参加抗清起义活动。 但恢复故国希望的逐渐破灭，柳如是也似乎看破了红尘，于是就演出了“入道”的一幕。 康熙三年（1664年）夏天，钱谦益卧病不起，而丧葬费用尚无着落。恰好盐台顾某来求文三篇，答应给润笔费一千两白银。此时，钱谦益重病在身，已经无力为文，只好求来访的黄宗羲代笔。黄宗羲虽然敬重钱氏夫妇，但因为他发誓绝不为满清做任何事；而钱谦益当过满清的官，黄宗羲担心代笔会坏了自己的名声，因而略显推辞之色。无奈之下，钱谦益不得已将黄宗羲反锁于书房之内，逼迫黄宗羲连夜写完了三篇文章，这才解决了丧葬费用。钱谦益的凄凉晚景，于此可见一斑。 黄宗羲后来在《南雷诗历》《八哀诗》（之五）记录此事说：“四海宗盟五十年，心期末后与谁传。凭裀引烛烧残话，嘱笔完文抵债钱。红豆俄飘迷月路，美人欲绝指筝弦。乎生知己谁人是？能不为公一泫然。”“美人”即指柳如是。 康熙三年五月二十四日，曾经令无数人艳羡的钱谦益与世长辞，享年八十五岁，把一个已经破落的家留给了不满五十岁的柳如是。他临死前还呼喊着，“当初不死在乙酉日，这不是太晚了吗？”（顾公燮《消夏闲记》）这正是柳如是当初斥责他的那句话，他到死还念念不忘。尽管他后来为国为民做过很多事，甚至九死一生，但他心底深处依旧对当年降清的事不能释怀。 在甲申1644年、乙酉1645年之际，多少士大夫都要经受一次严峻的政治考验。钱谦益自然也无法将自身的命运置之事外。魏征的弃主从来未被辱骂过，杨业（即有名的杨家将们的父亲杨令公）的投诚亦未有所诟病。钱谦益之所以被骂“失节”骂得厉害，自然不是他真做了什么对不起汉人的事，而是民族主义造成的结果。中国自儒家占官学以来，夷夏之防是最为主要的，满人无疑是夷，而明则是夏。加上钱谦益身为东林党领袖，名气最大，自然要为名气所累。钱谦益在那个时代背负骂名是必然的。但钱谦益的诗文在后世影响极大，因为内有大量怀念故国、诋斥满清的文字，乾隆皇帝亲自点名，下令禁毁。 柳如是嫁到钱家时，钱谦益的正室陈夫人还在，另外还有几房侍妾。但二十多年中，钱家的经济大权一直是掌握在柳如是的手中，这在钱氏家族中人看来实在不可容忍。钱谦益一死，攘夺家产的斗争必然要爆发，也果然爆发了，这就是所谓“钱氏家变”。 族人要来瓜分钱谦益的财产，聚众大闹，钱谦益的长子长孙们早吓得躲了起来。柳如是挺身而出，几经斡旋，终不成功。 在这个时候，柳如是又一次，也是最后一次，显示了她的“政治才能”，她做了精心安排后，把这些族人请了来，好言相向，盛筵相待，在酒酬耳热之际，她宣称要到后楼去取人们望得眼红的财物。她最后扫了这帮吃得酒臭喷人的家伙们一眼，上了楼，关好门，一根绳子吊死了。 在这之前，柳如是早已安排妥帖，派人去县里告状，关紧了大门，准备好绳索；等她一投缳自尽就把这帮家伙捆起来送官。果然，这一群人在封建法条之下，因家主新丧，迫死主母而伏罪了。这是柳如是一生中的最后一战，最后一次“胜利”了！柳如是与钱谦益生的女儿这一年十七岁，已嫁给无锡赵玉森编修之子。她在书案里翻出母亲的遗书。遗书写道：“我来钱家二十五年，从不曾受人之气。今竟当众被凌辱，娘不得不死。娘之仇，女儿当同你哥哥一起出头，拜求你父亲知道。” 顺便提一句，柳如是是秦淮八艳中唯一有子女送终的人。秦淮八艳是指马湘兰，柳如是，顾眉，董小宛，陈圆圆，李香君，卞玉京，寇白门。其他七艳中，除了顾眉曾有过一个女儿因病夭折外，他人都没有子嗣。这大概与她们早年青楼的放荡生活有关。 柳如是死后葬于虞山佛水山庄。她并不是许多诗人文士争相传说的为钱谦益殉节而死，而是那个时候她已经生无可恋：她爱的人死了，爱她的人也死了；最重要的是，她看不到有任何复国的希望，所以她的心也死了。 这位烟花场中的绝色奇女、翰林中的奇才，就这样结束了她的传奇，一生暗淡中闪着光彩，悲惨中显出力量。后世史学家将这位传奇女子称为“女侠名姝”。 崇祯年间柳如是与陈子龙开始交往时，风华最盛，她的一首《金明池·寒柳》词文采风流，恰好写在那个时候。 有恨寒潮，无情残照，正是萧萧南浦。更吹起、霜条孤影，还记得、旧时飞絮。况晚来、烟浪迷离，见行客、特地瘦腰如舞。总一种凄凉，十分憔悴，尚有燕台佳句。春日酿成秋日雨。念畴昔风流，暗伤如许。纵饶有、绕堤画舫，冷落尽、水云犹故。忆从前、一点春风，几隔着重帘，眉儿愁苦。待约个梅魂，黄昏月淡，与伊深怜低语。 然而在爱情和年华最美好的时候，柳如是感觉到的却是爱情的伤感，命运的悲苦——“春日酿成秋日雨”——那是一种可以预见的衰凉寂寞的命运。她凄楚地看到自己将会作一场徒然的挣扎。这里既有纯属个人的心绪，也有与时代相通的气氛。 传说柳如是死的那一年，红豆山庄的红豆树第一次开花，并结出弥足珍贵的一颗果实。这颗红豆，可以想象成柳如是在另一个世界的微笑，因为她在那里与她牵挂的人重逢。 有人说，不论男女，太有才华的结局总不是很好，从钱谦益和柳如是身上，诚然如此。 明清之际是一个特定的时代，钱谦益和柳如是则是在这个特定时代中产生的有代表性的历史人物。 历史的尘埃下，与钱谦益和柳如是之间相互依赖多于情感不同，真正琴瑟和鸣的另有其人。这就是龚鼎孳和他的爱妾顾眉。 1644年李自成攻陷北京，龚鼎孳正好在朝为官，凑巧的是，他刚刚才被崇祯皇帝从大狱中放了出来。于是，龚鼎孳二话不说，立即投降了李自成。一个月后，吴三桂引清兵入京，龚鼎孳又立即投降了多尔衮。 龚鼎孳，字孝升，号芝麓。安徽合肥人。崇祯七年，龚鼎孳十九岁即中进士，授湖北蕲水知县，崇祯十四年大计，政绩列湖广之首，迁兵科给事中，诏入京。李自成攻陷北京后，龚鼎孳投降为直指使，奉命巡视北城。满清睿亲王多尔衮入关，龚鼎孳又迎降，官授吏科给事中，历官太常寺少卿、左都御史。顺治三年，龚鼎孳因父丧请假南归，这一年他被控千金买妓（指顾眉）等罪名而降官。顺治八年，龚鼎孳回朝做官，因上疏反对满族官员专权等问题，又降官，甚至降到南苑上林苑去当一年看守蔬菜的小官吏。顺治十三年，他被打发到广东去做小官，直到康熙元年才被召回北京，恢复原职。后来历任刑部、兵部、礼部尚书等职务，还当了几次会试点考官。清初名流，多出龚鼎孳门下。在康熙盛世，龚鼎孳的晚年生活才过得舒服些。康熙十二年（1673年）卒，谥端毅。乾隆三十四年（1769年）诏削其谥。 龚鼎孳才气纵横，无可否认，他写数千言可以一挥而就，而且词藻缤纷，一点都不用修改。就连顺治皇帝在宫中读了龚鼎孳的文章，也叹道：“真才子也！” 龚鼎孳工诗词书画，他所作的山水画风格苍郁浑厚，书法纵逸，有黄山谷、米南宫笔意。著有《定山堂集》、《白门柳传奇》、《三十二芙蓉斋诗钞》。 顾眉即顾媚生，南京上元人。据载：“顾眉字媚生，又名眉，号横波，晚号善持君，庄妍靓雅，风度超群；鬓发如云，桃花满须，弓变纤小，腰肢轻亚。通文史，善画兰，追步马守真，而姿容胜之，时人推为南曲第一。”可见她不但有着仕女的娉婷娇姿，更具文才艺技。 顾眉的社会交往能力强，办事精明圆通，很早就在桃叶渡口拥有了自己的产业——“眉楼”，不做红牌而做老鸨，在江南声色场中混得如鱼得水，是江南有名的一掷千金的“青楼阔少”。他天生丽质，风度闲雅，既能放浪，也能端庄，万种风情迷倒了无数男人。尤其一双眉眼，如秋水盈盈，似乎晃动一下都会满得漾了出来，男人们一看到她的眼睛，魂便给勾住了。多事者都说：“此非眉楼，乃迷楼也！”当年隋炀帝曾在扬州起“迷楼”，用作藏娇之所，此用其意。 当时北方战事紧急，江南则依旧醉生梦死，高官名士日夕以诗酒歌妓为乐。其时秦淮名士设宴，没有顾眉到会则不算高雅。顾眉极会享受，长袖善舞而生财有道，她家中养有江南最好的厨子。当时的江南士绅都以到眉楼设宴会客为风流高雅，柳敬亭、冒襄等名人都曾在眉楼赴过宴，眉楼因此而日进千金，名扬海内。 显然，顾眉是个极为现实的人，她十分明白自己想过什么样的日子。 顾眉个性豪爽不羁，有男儿风，在秦淮八艳中与柳如是较像，被人称为“眉兄”，颇似柳如是之自称为“弟”，但与柳如是相比，又多了几分任性嫉俗。据传当时的理学家黄道周曾经以“目中有妓，心中无妓”自诩，东林诸生为了试探他是否真有柳下惠的本事，故意将他灌醉，然后请顾眉去衣与之共榻。 这个传闻未必尽实，却反映出时人眼中顾眉不以世俗礼教为意的做派。她的这种我行我素，毫不在乎世人眼光的作风，恐怕是她后来能与江左才子龚鼎孳缘定三生比翼齐飞的重要原因，然而她的备受争议在某种程度上也是这种个性招来的恶果。 顾眉才貌双绝，有“南曲第一”之称，自然广受风流名士们的青睐。著名文人余怀曾经与顾眉情谊甚笃。 后人追踪秦淮八艳的故事，大多是从明末清初的文人余怀的（板桥旧为秦淮河上的桥）中知道的。顾眉艳帜高张时，无数人为她一掷千金，许多人就算为她争风惹祸亦再所不惜。当时有一伧父与一词客为顾眉争风，伧父仰仗其叔为南少司马，竟与一孝廉密谋，诬蔑词客偷盗，官司直打到衙门里。后来是余怀见义勇为，写了一篇檄文讨伐伧父仗势欺人，引得舆论一片声讨，那伧父的叔叔见状急忙骂了伧父一顿，把状子撤了，词客这才免去一场无妄之灾。余怀因此赢得顾眉青眼有加。 但后来顾眉又与刘芳约为夫妇。刘芳是南京城里的名门公子，已经与顾眉交往了三年。就在这个时候，龚鼎孳出现了。 后人总拿柳如是跟顾眉相提并论，两人除了出身一样外，还都很有眼光，都明确地知道自己想要什么样的人。不过这两大美女却有不同的抱负和理想，所以择人的标准自然就很不一样，以致后来的生活方式也大有不同。 那时龚鼎孳刚刚中进士不久，时任兵科给事中，年轻英俊，风华正茂，前程似锦，南下金陵办理公务的过程，听说顾眉大名，特意前去拜访。龚鼎孳来到眉楼，一见到明眸如水、眉目合情的顾眉，立刻为之倾倒不已；还特地为她画了一幅“佳人倚栏图”的画像，题上一首诗：