Chapter 28 Section 11 Chess and Ancient Novels

After the Southern Song Dynasty, chess became a household name, and everyone from emperors and generals to ordinary people loved playing chess.Compared with Go, Xiangqi has more fans and is closer to the lower class.During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, chess was more popular among the people, which was reflected in the folk literature written by some chess-loving literati at that time. In the novel "Jin Ping Mei Ci Hua" written by Jinling Xiaoxiaosheng in the Ming Dynasty, there are many stories about Ximen Qing's wives, concubines, slaves, relatives and friends playing chess with him.Ximen Qing is a typical character who combines a bully, a wealthy businessman, and a corrupt official all in one.Ximen Qing was born in a declining merchant family. The first chapter of "Jin Ping Mei Ci Hua" said that Ximen Qing didn't study much and wandered all day long. After his parents died, he often slept outside in flowers and willows, provoking trouble, learned some good boxing sticks, and was good at gambling, backgammon, Wipe the card and say the words, everyone knows."The sixty-ninth chapter describes Ximenqing's affair with Mrs. Lin, a noble lady in Wang Zhaoxuan's mansion. The matchmaker, Mrs. Wen, introduced Ximenqing to Mrs. Lin and said: "My father is not in his 34th or 50th year. A man of appearance, who once took medicine to raise turtles, used to adjust the style; Shuanglu chess, knows everything; plays cuju, knows everything; various schools of thought, dismantling Baidao characters, seeing it..."

In the third chapter of "Jin Ping Mei Ci Hua", it is said that Pan Jinlian, the fifth wife of Ximen Qing, "is a fine lady, with a hundred talents and a good needlework; You can understand everything, and you can write well.”The seventh chapter writes that Meng Yulou is "twenty-five or six years old, with a tall figure, a good-looking person, ... Shuanglu, chess pieces, needless to say".The nineteenth chapter writes that Ximenqing’s home garden was built with a roll-up shed, and his family toured. His wife Wu Yueniang "walked on the highest pavilion called Woyun Pavilion, and played chess with Meng Yulou and Li Jiaoer".In the twenty-third chapter, there is a section about gambling on the chessboard and Ping'er, saying, "At noon, Meng Yulou and Pan Jinlian were playing chess in Li Ping'er's room... After talking, the three of them played chess and played three games. Li Ping'er Lost five cents."The forty-fourth chapter writes that Li Ping'er "sent Ximen Qing out, put the Kang table under the lamp with Wu Yin'er, placed the chess pieces, sat opposite each other to play chess... In a short while, played three games of chess pieces with Wu Yin'er, and sifted wine. Come, take two silver bells and drink together."

There are many places in "Jin Ping Mei Ci Hua" that Ximen Qing's relatives and friends can play chess.In the first chapter, it was said that "Ximen Qing's good friend Ying Earl, nicknamed Ying Huazi, is good at balloons, backgammon, and everything".The eighteenth chapter writes about Ximenqing's son-in-law Chen Jingji's "poems, songs, Fu, Shuanglu chess, dismantling cards and Tao characters, he knows everything and knows everything".Chapter 52 writes that Xie Xida, another friend of Ximenqing, and Earl Ying "played three Shuanglu games in a row, and played chess with Shutonger at the desk".

The theme and content of "Jin Ping Mei Ci Hua" evolved from the expansion of "Wu Song Killing His Wife". Aspects of beings such as scoundrels, idlers, etc.Among them, the plot about Ximenqing's family's wives, concubines, servants, relatives and friends who love to play chess not only reflects the Song Dynasty where Ximenqing lived, but also reflects the actual situation of the prevalence of chess in the Ming Dynasty where the author of "Jin Ping Mei Ci Hua" lived. During the Qianjia period of the Qing Dynasty, folk chess activities prevailed.An important sign of it is the large number of chess fans.These people's chess skills may not be very good, but they are obsessed with chess and have various hobbies.An interesting example is the story of a chess master described in Ji Yun's volume two and four "Luanyang Continued Records".The story says:

There is Xuandi Temple in Beigang, Jingcheng, which was built in the late Ming Dynasty.For a long time, the mildew on the wall has formed the shape of undulating peaks and ridges, which looks like a caged fog in the distant mountains.Yu You is fashionable and sees it.The temple wished that the chess Taoist was ill and ignorant, so that the painters used ink hooks to cut round and square bamboo.Today the temple is completely ruined.The Taoist chess master didn't know his surname, and he was addicted to Xiangxi, so he got this name.Or think Qi surname, wrong also.Chess moves from being inferior to being victorious, and it keeps on going all day long.Those who play the game may be tired of begging to go, and at last kneel down and stay.Some people pointed out that the player who played the game was ranked second first, so he worshiped the green badge and cursed him to die quickly.Another young man accidentally made a mistake, and the Taoist priest was lucky to win.Young people want to change it, but they are not allowed to argue.The young man was rude, wanting to fight each other, but he smiled but avoided, saying: "If you break my arm, you can't say that I am invincible today."

In the eleventh volume of the same book, "Huaixi Magazine", it is recorded: ... When the Zhenwu Temple in Jingcheng was not destroyed, Taoist priests in the middle school liked it very much, because they all called it "Chess Taoist", and their original surname was Zhuanyin.One day, when I entered my residence from my brother Fangzhou, I saw that there were only 31 children on the table, and I suspected that he was going out, so I sat down and waited for each other.Suddenly I heard the sound of breathing outside the window.Looking at it, it was two people holding each other with four hands, and they took a son together.

These two stories complement each other, making the image of Chess Master vivid on the paper, which is absolutely hilarious. There are several ancient novels about the scene of a chess fan seizing a piece when playing chess.In "Laughing Forest" by Ming Fubai's master, it is recorded that two chess players seized the rook after being lost in the door; Cao Xueqin's twenty-fourth chapter also wrote about "two boys who baked tea and hoeed medicine played chess and were arguing about winning the rook" in the Grand View Garden.And Li Ruzhen's 74th chapter "Playing Shuanglu Jiayan Tells the Former Sages, Playing Chess and Talking about Stories", there is a vivid description:

Zizhi went out to watch chess. She searched two places, but couldn't find it.After asking a maid, I found out that it was on the side of Go.Then came to Baihuang Pavilion.I saw Cui Xiaoying playing against Qin Xiaochun.Next to it are Zhang Chengzhu, Jiang Yuehui, Dong Zhutian, and Lu Xiangyu (mingming) watching the game.The game was so inextricably fought, and those watching the game were also pointing fingers.Zizhi said: "Teach me that I can't find it anywhere, but it turned out to be in the Weiqi place. Looking at the scene, I probably want to borrow some fragrance." Only Jiang Yuehui said: "Sister Xiaochun's horse is chained again, and it will be returned. "Dong Zhutian said: "Maybe, sister Xiaoying can stop him with a car." Lu Xiangyu said: "My sister! You are very good at what you said, and you don't want to look behind the horse!" Who knows that Qin Xiaochun got on the horse. , Cui Xiaoying really took the car to stop.Here Lu Xianglu hurriedly shouted: "Sister Xiaoying can't stop it, there is an afterthought!" Before he finished speaking, Qin Xiaochun immediately hit the car with a cannon.Cui Xiaoying said: "How can I eat it before I make up my mind? Give it back to me!" Qin Xiaochun said: "You just made up your mind to leave, how can you still regret it?" Palm Chengzhu said: "Sister Xiaochun returned the car to him Forget it. Besides, sister Xiaoying has already lost her position in this game. You always want to win, so you won’t be in this rook.” Zizhi said: “Two sisters wait a while to win the rook, listen to me tell a joke: one person goes to find a friend, and even reaches a friend At home, I saw a chess game on the table, and there were two people sitting opposite, but no one was there. The man was not surprised, and suddenly looked behind the door. Unexpectedly, his friend who was playing chess with him was panting behind the door. Hush the car."

There is also a description of chess in the sixteenth chapter of Li Luyuan's (1707-1790 A.D.) novel "The Light of the Qilu Road": (Wang) Longji said: "Where is the chess set left by the old Mr. Here, write a piece of tile." Xiqiao said: "Brother's imagination! There are fewer chess pieces, so the tiles are worthless?" Longji said: "Forget it." Aunt Fan searched for a while and brought them.Sheng Xiqiao said with a smile: "It seems that there are quite a few. It's just some wooden pieces. How to get him down. Anyway, who will get him down?" Longji said: "Brother and cousin."