Chapter 39 Zheng Zhongcheng/Little Hulei Performer who Resurrected from the Dead

During Tang Wenzong's reign, a scholar named Liang Houben was fishing in his villa in Zhaoying County when he suddenly saw something floating on the river.It is about five or six feet long, and it is covered with brocade.He asked his family boy to salvage it, and it turned out to be a coffin.When the coffin was opened, there was a young and beautiful girl in the coffin, with a silk scarf wrapped around her neck.Untiing the silk scarf, she felt that she still had a little breath, so he carried her back home.After a while, the girl woke up leisurely. Seeing the unfamiliar environment, she just lowered her head and wept without saying a word.After recuperating for more than ten days, she gradually got better, and then told Liang Houben that she was an inner disciple of the Jiaofang in the palace, her name was Zheng Zhongcheng, and she was specialized in playing Xiao Hulei. into the river.She thanked Liang Houben for saving her, and seeing that he was upright, she married him.She told Liang Houben that Xiao Hulei is a kind of pipa, also known as the dragon head pipa, which originated from Nanzhao music in the Tang Dynasty.Its shape is pear-shaped, with double strings on the dragon's head, python skin covering the abdomen, and sandalwood as the groove.At that time, there was a big Hulei and a small Hulei in the inner library, and the little Hulei was the instrument she used.She also said that this piece of little Hulei is not in the palace now, but at the place of a musical instrument repairer surnamed Zhao in the south of Chongrenfang, Chang'an.Because the faucet on Xiao Hulei was broken, it was sent to Zhao's house for repair, but before it could be retrieved, it encountered a catastrophe.So, Liang Houben bribed the music craftsman generously, and took little Hulei back secretly.Holding his beloved musical instrument, Zheng Zhongcheng was so happy that he shed tears.However, she was afraid that others would know that she was not dead, so she dared not play in front of people. Only in the dead of night, when the husband and wife sat opposite each other, would they play softly.One spring evening, the moon and stars were scarce, the willows were red and the willows were green. The husband and wife were drinking under the flowers, and they both felt a little drunk.Zheng Zhongcheng had Xiao Hulei fetched, and played a few pieces loudly.Unexpectedly, a eunuch happened to pass by the wall and heard the sound of the zither. He was shocked and said, "This is the sound of the pipa played by Zheng Zhongcheng." The next day, he told Wenzong his doubts.Tang Wenzong hanged Zheng Zhongcheng to death in a fit of anger, and regretted it very much afterwards. Hearing that Zheng Zhongcheng was still alive, he immediately sent someone to take Zheng Zhongcheng back to the palace.From then on, Zheng Zhongcheng returned to Jiaofang and continued to play her Little Hulei.