Chapter 37 36 Qu Yuan Shen Jiang

Since Chu State was defeated by Qin State, it has been bullied by Qin State, and King Huai of Chu wanted to unite with Qi State again.After King Zhaoxiang of Qin ascended the throne, he politely wrote to King Huai of Chu, asking him to meet at Wuguan (southeast of Danfeng County, Shaanxi Province) and make an alliance in person. King Huai of Chu received a letter from King Zhaoxiang of Qin. If he didn't go, he was afraid of offending Qin; if he went, he was afraid of danger.He discussed with the ministers. Doctor Qu Yuan said to King Huai of Chu: "The state of Qin is as violent as wolves. We have been bullied by Qin state more than once. Once the king is gone, we will fall into their trap."

However, Prince Huai’s son, Zi Lan, urged King Huai of Chu to go, saying: “In order to treat Qin as an enemy, many people died and land was lost. Now Qin Guo is willing to reconcile with us, how can he refuse him. " King Huai of Chu listened to his son Zilan and went to Qin. Sure enough, as Qu Yuan expected, King Huai of Chu had just stepped into Wuguan of Qin State, and was immediately cut off by Qin State's ambushed troops in advance.During the meeting, King Zhaoxiang of Qin forced King Huai of Chu to cede the land in central Guizhou to the State of Qin, but King Huai of Chu refused.King Zhaoxiang of Qin took King Huai of Chu to Xianyang and put him under house arrest. He asked the ministers of the state of Chu to redeem the land before releasing him.

When the ministers of the Chu State heard that the king was detained, they made the prince the new king and refused to cede the land.This monarch is King Chu Qingxiang.The son Zilan became the Ling Yin of Chu State. King Huai of Chu was imprisoned in Qin State for more than a year and suffered a lot.He ventured out of Xianyang, but was hunted back by troops sent by the state of Qin.He was sick with breath and died in Qin State not long after. The people of Chu State were very upset because King Huai of Chu was bullied by Qin State and died outside.Especially the doctor Qu Yuan was even more angry.He persuaded King Chu Qingxiang to search for talents, stay away from villains, encourage soldiers, train soldiers and horses, and avenge the country and King Huai.

But his persuasion was not only useless, but also attracted the hatred of Ling Yin Zilan, Jin Shang and others.They spoke ill of Qu Yuan in front of King Qingxiang every day. They said to King Chu Qingxiang: "Haven't Your Majesty heard that Qu Yuan scolded you? He always told others: Your Majesty has forgotten Qin's hatred, which is unfilial; ministers who do not advocate resisting Qin are disloyal. How can such disloyal and unfilial monarchs not perish? Your Majesty, think about what this is called!" King Qingxiang of Chu was furious when he heard this, dismissed Qu Yuan and exiled him to southern Hunan.

Qu Yuan held the ambition of saving the country and the people, and planned to enrich the country and strengthen the people, but was squeezed out by treacherous ministers, and he was so angry.After he arrived in southern Hunan, he often sang sad poems while walking along the Miluo River (in the northeast of Hunan Province today, Miyin mi). The nearby peasants knew that he was a patriotic minister, and they all sympathized with him. At this time, there was a fisherman who often fished on the Miluo River. One day, Qu Yuan met a fisherman by the river.The fisherman said to Qu Yuan: "Aren't you a doctor of Chu State? How did you get to this point?"

Qu Yuan said: "Many people are dirty, but I am a clean person; many people are drunk, but I am still awake. So I was driven here." The fisherman said disapprovingly: "Since you think that others are dirty, you shouldn't be arrogant; since others are drunk, why should you be sober alone!" Qu Yuan objected: "I've heard people say that those who have just washed their hair always flick their hats, and those who have just taken a bath always like to dust off their clothes. I would rather jump into the middle of the river and be buried in the belly of a fish. Nor can you jump into the mud with your clean body to get dirty."

Because Qu Yuan was unwilling to live with the tide, on the fifth day of May in 278 BC, he finally committed suicide by jumping into the Miluo River with a big stone in his arms. The farmers in the vicinity, having received this letter, all rowed boats to rescue Qu Yuan.But in the vast ocean, there is no shadow of Qu Yuan.Everyone fished on the Miluo River for a long time, but did not find Qu Yuan's body. The fisherman was very sad. He faced the river and sprinkled the rice in the bamboo tube as a dedication to Qu Yuan. On the fifth day of the fifth month of the second year, the local people remembered that it was the first anniversary of Qu Yuan's throwing himself into the river, so they rowed a boat and sprinkled rice in bamboo tubes into the water to worship him.Later, they changed the bamboo tubes containing rice into zongzi, and changed the rowing boats into dragon boat races.This commemoration of Qu Yuan has gradually become a custom.People call the fifth day of the fifth lunar month as the Dragon Boat Festival every year, and it is said that this is how it came about.

After Qu Yuan's death, he left behind some excellent poems, the most famous of which is "Li Sao".In his poems, he denounced the traitorous villains, expressed his concern for the country and the people, and expressed his infinite affection for every plant and tree in Chu State.Later people believed that Qu Yuan was an outstanding patriotic poet in ancient my country.