Schlimme Dinge passieren oft - Kapitel 19
Wen'er thought for a moment, then laughed and said, "I haven't seen it, so I don't think so. Wang Shen was closer to Su Shi and Huang Tingjian, but much more distant from my father and the others. Hehe, although I haven't seen it, I know that Uncle's paintings certainly can't compare to theirs." At this moment, Wen'er suddenly noticed a painting of ladies appreciating plum blossoms in Pang Di's room. She immediately became very interested, hurried over to take a closer look, and then asked her sister-in-law with a smile, "This must have been painted for you by my brother, right?"
That was the freehand painting of a beautiful woman appreciating plum blossoms that Wang Pang had painted for Pang Di earlier. Pang Di blushed slightly and said, "It was just a scribbled painting; it's hardly worthy of being considered refined."
Wen'er deliberately paced back and forth as she critiqued the artwork, then said, "The coloring, painting technique, and composition are all debatable, but the emphasis is on conveying emotion and meaning, which is quite remarkable. It's much better than Uncle Anguo's paintings."
Pang Di thought to herself, "You're such a young girl, yet you know how to use emotions to express your feelings. You're truly precocious." She then recalled that her father-in-law, Wang Anshi, had inscribed a poem on the wall of the West Taiyi Palace: "Willow leaves chirp in the green shadows, lotus blossoms glow red in the setting sun, thirty-six ponds teem with spring water, I long to see Jiangnan in my old age." Later, Su Shi saw it and praised its vibrant colors and ethereal imagery, calling Anshi "a cunning old fox spirit." Now, observing Wang Pang's brilliant mind and eccentric behavior, and Wen'er's cleverness and quick wit far surpassing that of ordinary girls, she felt that marrying into the Wang family and spending her days with these people was like falling into a fox spirit's den. Thinking of this, she couldn't help but smile, unaware that Wen'er had just called her name several times.
It wasn't until Wen'er walked up to her and tugged at her sleeve that she snapped out of her daze and asked what was wrong.
Wen'er gave her a sly wink and said, "I know, you start thinking about your brother again as soon as I mention him."
"Tch, what could he be thinking about? He was just thinking about something else." Although it was her close aunt joking, Pang Di felt quite embarrassed and quickly covered it up, saying, "I was thinking that in this dynasty, there are many painters specializing in flowers, bamboo, birds, and landscapes, many of whom surpass those of previous dynasties, but paintings of ladies are relatively rare. Modern paintings of ladies often emphasize freehand brushwork and express a slender, graceful feel, but I personally prefer the rich, exquisite, and rhythmic style of the ladies painted by Zhang Xuan and Zhou Fang of the Tang Dynasty. My family has copies of 'Lady Guo's Spring Outing,' 'Preparing Silk,' and 'Ladies Wearing Flowers in Their Hair,' but unfortunately, we've never had the chance to see the originals."
Wen'er asked curiously, "Sister-in-law, you are so delicate and slender, how could you like paintings of Tang Dynasty ladies that depict them as so plump?"
Pang Di said, "A woman's full and graceful figure is also a kind of beauty. Moreover, this has nothing to do with my own body shape. What I like is not only their painting style, but also the elegant life and leisurely mentality of the women in their paintings, and the message revealed by the thin gauze and low-cut clothes they wear: they live in a fairly free and tolerant environment, which is unimaginable in this dynasty."
"Haha, this is all the fault of hypocritical scholars like Cheng Hao!" A loud laugh was heard outside the window, and Wang Pang strode in. It turned out that he had returned from the palace and stopped to listen to his wife and sister's conversation in front of the room. He couldn't help but want to interrupt, so he finally showed himself.
As he removed his official hat and the black undershirt he wore over his official robes to protect himself from the wind and dust, he continued, "The Tang Dynasty was powerful and prosperous, with enlightened and open policies. The people lived a life of abundance, and plumpness was considered beautiful. Women in the Tang Dynasty enjoyed unprecedented freedom in their lives, able to show their faces in public at any time, and to enjoy themselves in the city and countryside like men. On the third day of the third lunar month, the weather was fresh, and many beautiful women were seen by the water in Chang'an. In spring, women going on outings were everywhere, and they usually wore men's turbans and robes, without needing to cover their faces with veils." As he spoke, he couldn't help but recall when he first met Pang Di, she was wearing a hat that covered her face, which she had accidentally dropped, leading to their acquaintance. He then looked at his wife meaningfully, and the two exchanged a knowing smile.然后接着道："那时女子甚至还可以自己选择夫婿，如果婚后不喜欢丈夫还可以主动提出离婚和改嫁。但到了本朝，国力大不如唐，君臣日日受内忧外患所困，那些道学夫子见无力在外强国破敌，就把整人的心思用在了家中妇女身上，要求她们笑不露齿、站不依门、行不露面，衣着定要严实保守不露肌肤，更强调三贞九烈，要人家手臂被人摸了都要砍下来，实是毁人之极。阿荻，那程颢你可记得？就是当初来我家与爹商议国事，我故意披头散发去见的那个。他就是一口口声声仁义道德的道学夫子，我最是厌恶，那天真应暴揍他一顿。若不是有他们这样的人在，阿荻你说不定也可穿隐露肌肤的薄纱轻衣了。"这番话王雱主要是针对程颢而说的。 In fact, the concept of chastity in the Northern Song Dynasty was not very strong, but Cheng Hao was the first person to stand up and strongly advocate this point. It was only after Zhu Xi's vigorous development that it became a moral standard. Wang Pang disliked Cheng Hao's Neo-Confucianism and even more so his wavering attitude on reform. Therefore, he always despised him and his attack on Cheng Hao as a target of Neo-Confucianism was somewhat of a pretext.
Pang Di found his earlier remarks quite reasonable and nodded repeatedly. However, she hadn't expected his last sentence to turn to her, as if everything he had said before was to arrive at this final conclusion, especially in front of her sister. Naturally, she couldn't help but feel shy. She lightly patted him and said, "How frivolous!" She then thought to herself that, according to what he said, the style of paintings of ladies throughout history was related to the strength of the nation. The Tang Dynasty was powerful, so the paintings were plump and magnificent; the political instability of the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties led to delicate and graceful figures; and the paintings of ladies in the current dynasty were even more slender and frail, which was similar to the current state of the nation. So she sighed inwardly.
Wen'er, who had been listening to Wang Pang speak, suddenly raised an eyebrow at her brother and said, "Brother, you're different from those Confucian scholars. You're the most compassionate towards us women and hope we can have more freedom, aren't you?"
Wang Pang immediately replied, "Of course."
"Then," Wen'er leaned closer to him, tilting her head back and trying to smile sweetly, "would you take us to see the palace's book-burning festivities this year?"
Wang Pang was shocked: "How can that be! Only officials of the rank of Academician of the Three Halls or above are allowed to enter the palace to view the secret documents of the Imperial Library."
"The Secret Archives' Paintings Exposed to the Sun?" Pang Di was intrigued upon hearing this. The Song Dynasty emperors had extensively collected famous paintings and calligraphies from various dynasties, storing them in the palace's secret archives, which included a large number of priceless treasures. Because Bianliang (Kaifeng), the capital city, was low-lying and damp, the paintings and calligraphy in the palace's collection were taken out to air out in May and June each year to remove moisture—a practice known as "airing out the paintings." Officials of the Three Academies and above, or specially approved scholars, could enter the palace to appreciate them, gradually making it the most anticipated annual event for the capital's elite.
"You were just saying you admired the free spirit of Tang Dynasty women, how come you've changed your mind now? Didn't you tell me that some people brought relatives and friends in and no one cared? My sister-in-law and I can dress up as men, wearing men's robes and turbans, and say we're your relatives." Wen'er then turned to Pang Di and said, "Sister-in-law, the palace has many paintings of ladies by Zhang Xuan and Zhou Fang, including the ones you most want to see: 'Lady Guo's Spring Outing,' 'Preparing Silk,' and 'Ladies Wearing Flowers in Their Hair.' There's also Gu Kaizhi's 'Ladies Wearing Flowers in Their Hair' from the Jin Dynasty..." Do you like the "Admonitions of the Historian"? It's also kept in the palace. There's also the "Mysterious Woman bestowing the Military Talisman upon the Yellow Emperor" by Cao Buxing of the Wu Kingdom during the Three Kingdoms period, the "Laozi Ascending to the West" by Yan Liben of the Tang Dynasty, and the "Vimalakirti Image" by Wu Daozi, all rare and priceless treasures! In addition, there are several calligraphic works by masters such as Lady Wei, Wang Xizhi, Zhong Yao, Liang Hu, and Huaisu, as well as contemporary celebrities. Let's go see them together with our brother! "Having said this, he winked at Pang Dilian, intending to ask her to help persuade his brother."
Pang Di was naturally very tempted, and looked at Wang Pang with a pleading expression.
Wang Pang couldn't bear to disappoint his wife, and he couldn't resist his sister's repeated pleas and provocations. After hesitating for a long time, he finally nodded.
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Princess
The tradition of imperial libraries and collections in the Song Dynasty can be traced back to the Five Dynasties period of the Liang Dynasty. After establishing its capital in Bianliang (Kaifeng), the Liang Dynasty built dozens of buildings northeast of the Changqing Gate on the right side of the imperial city, establishing three libraries—Zhaowen, Jixian, and Shiguan—to house books. Initially, these three libraries were quite small, with a maximum collection of only about 12,000 volumes. However, after the founding of the Song Dynasty, tens of thousands of volumes of books and paintings were collected from pacified states, and the emperor issued an edict to broaden the channels for book donations, causing the number of books and paintings in the three libraries to increase dramatically. Later, Emperor Taizong of Song ordered the construction of three new libraries northeast of the Zuoshenglong Gate. The east corridor housed the Zhaowen Library, the south corridor the Jixian Library, and the west corridor the Shiguan Library, which were divided into four sections: classics, history, philosophy, and literature. Together with the Zhaowen and Jixian libraries, they were known as the Six Library. Emperor Taizong named the new libraries Chongwen Academy, not only increasing their size several times over, but also creating gardens around them, planting flowers and trees, and diverting water to form streams, creating a beautiful environment resembling a garden. There was a side gate on the west side leading to the emperor's inner palace. Subsequently, in May of the first year of the Duan Gong era, Emperor Taizong built the Secret Pavilion in the central hall of the Chongwen Academy. Magnificent and grand, it was the most outstanding of all the buildings, its domed and spacious interior known as "Wooden Heaven." After its completion, the emperor ordered that over ten thousand scrolls of genuine books from the three academies and paintings and calligraphic works by renowned artists from the inner palace be stored in the Secret Pavilion. These included calligraphic works by Wang Xizhi, Wang Xianzhi, Xiao Ziyun, Emperor Taizong, Emperor Xuanzong, Yan Zhenqing, Ouyang Xun, Liu Gongquan, Huaisu, and Huai Ren, as well as paintings by Gu Kaizhi, Han Gan, and Li Zanhua, the King of Dongdan of the Khitan—each scroll a treasure of antiquity. Subsequent emperors continuously added to the collection, making the number of precious paintings and calligraphic works even more considerable. Therefore, every year during the annual "Book Unveiling" ceremony, it attracted large numbers of scholars and literati eager to see these masterpieces rarely seen at other times.
In the early part of the fifth year of the Xining era, there were continuous days of rain, and the humidity in the Secret Pavilion was even higher than in previous years. Therefore, the book-burning activity, which was originally scheduled for late May, was brought forward to the eighth day of May.
The sun shone brightly that day, and the weather was fine. Wen'er got up early and put on the men's brocade robe that had been prepared long ago. She combed her hair into a men's bun, and then carefully selected a delicate hair ribbon from the exquisite ribbons that she had specially asked her maid to buy the day before. She carefully wrapped it around her bun, leaving two long strands hanging down. She turned her head to the side in front of the mirror, watching the ribbons flutter gracefully. She was very proud of herself, feeling that she had become a little noble young master. Only then did she leisurely pick up the folding fan she had chosen earlier, and, with her head held high and chest out, she strolled off to find her brother and sister-in-law like an adult.
When they arrived at their room, they found the two men already dressed. Pang Di even wore a crown, which made his handsome face and fair teeth stand out even more. At that moment, Wang Pang was drawing Pang Di's eyebrows with a brush. Wen'er chuckled and said, "In ancient times there was Zhang Chang, and now there is Wang Pang. Brother, you're in a good mood."
Pang Di quickly turned to her and explained, "No, it's not that. I felt that although I was dressed as a man, my eyebrows were too light, and my womanly features would be immediately recognizable, so I asked your brother to draw them thicker and darker."
Wen'er thought this made sense, so she went straight to her brother and said, "Then brother, draw for me too."
Wang Pang ignored her, holding the ink brush but not putting it down for a long time, only carefully looking at his wife's face from side to side, seemingly very troubled. Suddenly, he threw down the brush and sighed, "My lady, Hanyan's eyebrows are so lovely, I really don't want to add color and ruin them. Fine, you two can come with me like this. If anyone asks, I'll just say you're both little eunuchs from the palace."
The two women spat out in unison, but Wang Pang laughed it off. After chatting and laughing for a while, the three of them rode in sedan chairs into the palace.
The guards at the palace gate recognized Wang Pang as the prime minister's son. Pang Di and her sister-in-law, dressed in fine clothes and following closely behind him, were not questioned further, and were immediately allowed to enter. Once inside, several officials and scholars frequently approached in twos and threes to exchange pleasantries with Wang Pang. Upon seeing the two women, they naturally inquired about their identities. Wang Pang simply replied that they were his cousins, but some remained suspicious, scrutinizing him closely. Frustrated, Wang Pang suggested that they walk three or four steps behind him, and if anyone approached to greet them, they should turn around and pretend not to know him. The two women agreed, and thus ceased following him so closely.
The exposed calligraphy and paintings have been displayed in Chongwen Academy, either hanging on shelves or laid out on tables, arranged in dense rows that seem to stretch as far as the eye can see. Each piece of calligraphy and painting is attended to by palace maids and eunuchs who are there to shield the viewer from the wind and dust, and to remind the onlookers of important matters.
Pang Di had discovered that there were indeed many rare treasures among them that she had only heard of in legends, such as the "Mysterious Woman Bestowing the Military Talisman upon the Yellow Emperor" and the "Pounding Silk" painting. She had not believed Wen'er when she heard that they were hidden in the palace, but now that she had seen them with her own eyes, she knew that what Wen'er said was true. In the past, she would be overjoyed to see a masterpiece at home, but she never expected to see so many at the same time. In her surprise and delight, she was gradually overwhelmed by the variety and did not know where to begin.
As he was looking around, two middle-aged officials noticed Wang Pang's presence. They immediately called out "Young Master Wang" and approached him, bowing respectfully. Wang Pang, seeing them, smiled and greeted them, saying, "Brother Jifu, Brother Zixuan, have you come to appreciate calligraphy and paintings today as well?"
These two men were none other than Wang Anshi's right-hand men, Lü Huiqing and Zeng Bu. After exchanging pleasantries, Lü Huiqing turned to him and whispered:
"The Market Regulation Law has been very effective since its implementation, but Old Man Wen and his cronies are trying to stir up trouble again..."
Seeing the bustling crowd and noise around them, Zeng Bu said to the two men, "Let's go inside and talk slowly."
Wang Pang hesitated for a moment, then asked the two to wait. He turned to Pang Di and Wen'er and said, "You two stay here and look around. Don't go too far. I have something to do and will be right back."
The two women readily agreed, and Wang Pang and Lü Zeng then went into the hall to discuss state affairs.
Pang Di remained focused on appreciating the calligraphy and paintings, while Wen'er's eyes darted around absentmindedly, finally settling on the West Gate leading to the Emperor's harem.
The imperial harem. From the moment Wen'er understood the meaning of the word, it had been her most fascinated place. Of all the historical records her father made her read, her favorite, and the one she remembered most clearly, was the biographies of the empresses and concubines. She knew that the empresses and concubines lived in the inner palace; they were all the emperor's women. If any of them gained the emperor's favor, they would rise to the top, surveying all others, and with even better luck, might even seize sole power, becoming the woman standing at the pinnacle of the entire nation. Of course, there was only one emperor, but countless concubines, so such an opportunity was inherently small. Thus, they fought and vied for power, each employing their own unique strategies—Eastern Palace, Western Palace, Eastern Heretic, Western Poison. A war, a high-stakes gamble, one empress's success built on the bones of countless others, countless tears shed.
It seemed cruel, it seemed tragic. But Wen'er was filled with curiosity and longing for this kind of struggle; she even liked the bloody smell that permeated it. She believed that she had inherited her father's desire for power, his intelligence, and his enterprising spirit, and she also believed that she possessed several layers of cunning that surpassed her father's.
Scheming. Actually, scheming isn't a derogatory term. In the treacherous inner palace, it's a fundamental weapon for protecting oneself and overwhelming others.
Therefore, she was eager to try.
However, she wouldn't act rashly; she needed to first assess the strength of her opponent. Not the concubines in the palace, but their husbands, their master—Emperor Zhao Xu. Only he had the qualifications and ability to be her true adversary.
Wen'er smiled. Actually, her real intention was not what it seemed; her purpose in pestering her brother to take her to the palace was not to see these boring paintings and calligraphy.
She slipped away silently from Pang Di, slipped through the West Gate leading to the inner palace, and ventured into the inner palace that she had imagined countless times but which was still completely unfamiliar with her.
Pang Di was unaware of her aunt's departure; the magnificent collection of thousands of paintings and calligraphies by renowned artists had captured her entire attention. She looked at them, admired them, sighed, moved slowly, and savored every detail, her eyes never having a moment to look at anything else.
She didn't even have time to look up. When she finally realized this, she suddenly collided with someone. She lost her balance and was about to fall. In a panic, she instinctively reached out to grab the person's arm, but the person was also unsteady. So the two of them fell to the ground at the same time. The scroll that the person was holding fell to the ground, and her upper body landed on the person's legs.