Chapter 41 Chapter 41: Ji Kang: The Death of the Most Typical Gifted Scholar

Throughout Chinese history, there are roughly four kinds of life destinations for literati: first, they died suddenly and long in seclusion, such as Tao Yuanming, Meng Haoran, and Tang Yin; second, they died of melancholy in frustration, such as Li Bai and Du Fu. , such as Li Shangyin; third, committing suicide after disillusionment of ideals (mostly by throwing water), such as Qu Yuan, such as Sikong Tu, such as Wang Guowei; Ji Kang is like Gao Qi, like Jin Shengtan.The author believes that the fourth type of death is the most typical way of death for talented scholars, and Ji Kang is the most typical of the fourth type. First, because his age is relatively early; In the era of suppressing public opinion, the third reason is that he is a loyal man who worries about the country and the people, and the fourth reason is that he is a true talent who is both externally intelligent and internally cultivated.

A man from Ji's family fell into Luocheng We usually think that Ji Kang is a writer and musician in the Western Jin Dynasty.In fact, he lived in the Three Kingdoms period all his life, and had a close relationship with the royal family of Wei State. His wife was Princess Changleting, the great-granddaughter of Cao Cao, Emperor Wu of Wei. Why did Ji Kang, who lost his father when he was young and had a poor family, become the son-in-law of the Wei royal family?The answer is simple: Ji Kang is not only talented and well-educated, but also a handsome man who is famous in Luoyang, the capital of the capital. He is a first-class handsome guy.

As the head of the "Seven Sages of the Bamboo Forest", Ji Kang's talent and knowledge are known to all people on earth (at least the Chinese on earth), but not many people know that he is handsome. In fact, Ji Kang's appearance and demeanor far exceed his As far as the latter is concerned, he can only be ranked in the middle and upper reaches in the history of literature. If the former is concerned, he is definitely among the top three, even unique, number one in the world. So, how handsome is Ji Kang?Please see the historical records. According to the "Book of Jin", he is "seven feet and eight inches long (at least equivalent to the current 1.8 meters), beautiful in poetry, and graceful. People think that he is a dragon and a phoenix, and his nature is natural."

"Shi Shuo Xin Yu Rong Zhi" praised him for "extraordinary demeanor, such as Xiao Xiao Su Su, hearty and clear".Or cloud: "Sober as the wind under the pine, high and slow." His friend Shan Tao said: Ji Kang stood alone like a lonely pine; when he was drunk, it seemed like a jade mountain was about to collapse. In fact, Ji Kang's beauty has reached the level of perfection and transcendence. It is said that when he went to the forest to collect medicine and was wandering around the mountains, an old woodcutter saw his expression and exclaimed: "This fairy is also!"

What is particularly rare is that Ji Kang is by no means a naive young man like Fu Fen He Lang, nor is he a cloaker like "Xun Ling passes by in the south of the bridge, and the fragrance of clothes is sent ten miles away". What he admires is the natural beauty like a lotus in clear water. No embellishment, no beautification, which is in line with his philosophy in poetry creation - "Writing from the heart without distortion". What's even more rare is that, when almost all literati are weak and urgently need calcium supplementation, Handsome Ji has a healthy, tall figure and bronze-colored skin that even our contemporary people are extremely envious of.Because he has a special hobby, that is wrought iron.

Every summer, Ji Kang would forge iron under the willow tree in his courtyard, enjoying the joy of life while sweating profusely.Four hundred years later, the great poet Li Bai once wrote a song "Qiupu Song" in praise of iron smelters: the fire shines on the sky and the earth, and the red stars are in disorder.On the moonlit night of Nanlang, his singing moved Hanchuan.Isn't Nanlang in the poem just a wonderful portrayal of Ji Kangzhi, who is tall and handsome, good at playing the piano and singing? Forged iron created a more distinctive Ji Kang, and also paved the way for his tragic fate.

The Hermit in the Bamboo Forest Ji Kang lived in the era when the Cao Wei regime was declining, and Sima and his sons, especially the brothers Sima Shi and Sima Zhao, were dictatorial and wanted to usurp the throne and stand on their own.As the son-in-law of the royal family of Cao Wei, as a literati with a strong sense of right and wrong, watching the little emperors being controlled and played in the palm of the Sima brothers, who may be abolished and killed at any time, Ji Kang felt that "he wanted to kill the thief, but he was powerless to return." "Heaven", simply come to "out of sight, out of mind". After more than a hundred years of Tao Yuanming's example, he resigned from his official position and moved his family to Shanyang (now Xiuwu, Henan, which is the location of the famous Yuntai Mountain Scenic Spot). Returning to the countryside, irrigated the garden for self-sufficiency, and lived a life of a hermit.

Ji Kang originally advocated the learning of Laozi and Zhuangzi, pursuing innocence and inaction. After living in seclusion, this kind of thinking became more and more intense. Health preservation and immortality, collecting and taking medicine, calling friends and companions, chatting and drinking became the main content of his life.Ruan Ji, Lu An, Shan Tao, Liu Ling, Xiang Xiu, Ruan Xian, Wang Rong, etc. are the famous people who often gather with him in the bamboo forest and talk about it. People call Ji Kang and six of them the "Seven Sages of the Bamboo Forest".What is puzzling is that Lu An, who is most like-minded with Ji Kang, is not among the seven sages, while Wang Rong, who runs counter to Ji Kang, is one of the seven sages.

Although most of the "Seven Sages of the Bamboo Forest" advocated the learning of Lao Zhuang and Zhuangzi, they were not bound by etiquette and law, and their natures were liberal, but their political attitudes were not consistent.Ji Kang resolutely refused to cooperate with the Sima family; Ruan Ji, Liu Ling, Xiang Xiu, and Ruan Xian cooperated on the surface, but refused to serve him in fact; Shan Tao and Wang Rong finally chose to serve the Sima family wholeheartedly.Their final endings are also different because of this, Ji Kang was killed; the four of Ruan Ji died in depression; Shan Tao and Wang Rong flourished.What needs to be mentioned is that in terms of personal morality, Shan Tao can be regarded as a gentleman, which will be mentioned later; Wang Rong is a villain through and through. Confucius told us that villains are difficult to raise, and Wang Rong’s experience shows that villains People are easy to live.

In fact, Sima Zhao has always wanted to win over and use Ji Kang, but the arrogant Ji Kang just doesn't give him face.In addition to his own character, what eventually led to Ji Kang's murder was also the key factor in the actions of another villain, Zhong Hui. The bell "little man" who can't be offended Who is Zhong Hui?He is the eldest brother of a noble family. His father Zhong Yao is a famous calligrapher and a minister deeply trusted by the emperors of Cao Cao, Cao Pi and Cao Rui.Ordinarily, this young man who walked out of the family of the hairpin tassel, which was deeply in love with the emperor, should be loyal to the royal family of Cao Wei. Unexpectedly, he fell into the arms of the Sima family, helping the tyrants to abuse, and working as a minion for tigers.

The fatal beam between Ji Kang and Zhong Hui was forged when he forged iron. One day, Ji Kang was exposing his bronze-colored skin and working on forging iron in full swing, while his friend Xiang Xiu was pulling the bellows for him.At this time, Zhong Hui, a very popular and popular figure in the political arena, came to visit.The noble Ji Kang despised this villain who was born in the family of Cao Wei's important officials but was willing to lead the horse, suck the sores and lick the hemorrhoids for the Sima family who tried to usurp Wei Zili. Zhong, who was left out, would turn into a rage, and when he was about to leave, a famous dialogue resounded in the space of history—— Ji Kang asked: "How did you hear about it?"Where do you see and go? Zhong Hui replied: Come when you hear what you hear, and leave when you see what you see. Zhong Hui left angrily, Ji Kang laughed, and Xiang Xiu couldn't help breaking out in a cold sweat for Ji Kang. History tells us that villains are not to be offended. They will try their best to take revenge on you, slander your reputation, destroy your image, and even kill your life. However, how can a gentleman like Ji Kang tolerate Xiao Xiaomen's ugly face?