The Eight Beauties of Qinhuai refers to eight talented and famous prostitutes who left tragic love stories on the banks of the Qinhuai River in Nanjing in the late Qing and early Qing Dynasties.

There are two versions of the eight famous prostitutes in the Qinhuai area in the late Ming Dynasty:

Gu Hengbo, Ma Xianglan, Li Xiangjun, Liu Rushi, Dong Xiaowan, Bian Yu, Jing, Kou Mei, Zheng Tuoniang

Li Xiangjun, Li Zhenli, Wang Yuekou, Chen Yuanyuan, Yang Wan, Wang Weiliu Rushi

Also known as the "Eight Beauties of Jinling". The deeds of the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai were first seen in Yu Huai's "Banqiao Miscellaneous Notes." Six people including Gu Hengbo, Dong Xiaowan, Bian Yujing, Li Xiangjun, Kou Baimen, and Ma Xianglan were respectively written about. Later generations added Liu Rushi and Chen Yuanyuan and called it Bayan.

The eight beauties of Jinling are the most beautiful, and their fate is closely linked to that of the emperor and generals. Behind many historical events, many strange and outrageous behaviors of emperors, generals and ministers that are difficult for ordinary people to understand can be answered from their fate. Heroes love beauties, and the eight beauties of Jinling are extremely beautiful!

1. Liu Rushi of majestic character

Liu Rushi was a famous singing prostitute who was active during the Ming and Qing dynasties. She had a strong personality, integrity, intelligence, great courage and great reputation. inferior to Li Xiangjun, Bian Yujing and Gu Meisheng. Liu Rushi's name is Rushi, with the diminutive character "蘼武". His real name is Ailiu. He read Xin Qiji's poem: "I saw how charming the green mountains are, and I expected that the green mountains would look like this to me", so he named himself Rushi; later he was also called "Hedong Jun", "Hedong Jun", "Hedong Jun" and "Hedong Jun" "Mr. Miwu".

She was born in Jiaxing in the forty-sixth year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty. She was smart and studious when she was young. However, due to her poverty, she was robbed and sold to Wujiang as a maidservant at an early age. When she was young, she fell into Zhangtai and changed her name. Liu Yin traveled between Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Jinling in the troubled times. Because of her unparalleled beauty and talent, she became a famous concubine of Qinhuai. She left behind many anecdotes worthy of telling as well as literary poems "Grass on the Lake", "Wu Yin Zhuo" and rulers.

Liu Rushi was once friendly with Zhang Fu and Chen Zilong, the leaders of the Nanming Restoration Society, and was in harmony with Chen. However, Chen was unfortunately defeated and died in the anti-Qing uprising. Liu's requirements for choosing a son-in-law were very high, and she looked down on many proposals from celebrities, and some of them only stayed at the friendship stage. Finally, in the 14th year of Chongzhen, when she was in her 20s, she married Qian Qianyi, a leader of Donglin who was over 50 years old and a famous bureaucrat. After Qian married Liu, he built the magnificent "Jiangyun Tower" and "Hongdou Pavilion" for her in Yushan. The golden house hides the beauty. Liu's descendants gave birth to a daughter. Some "red scholars" believe that the Jiangyun Pavilion designed by Cao Xueqin comes from the Jiangyun Tower of the Liu family.

When Emperor Chongzhen hanged himself and the Qing army occupied Beijing, the Hongguang Small Court was established in Nanjing. Liu Rushi supported Qian Qianyi and became the Minister of Rites of Nanming. Soon the Qing army marched south. When the troops approached the city, Liu persuaded Qian to join him and die for his country. Qian was thoughtful and speechless. Finally, he stepped into the pool and tested the water and said, "The water is too cold to enter." Ms. Liu "wanted to sink into the pool", but Ms. Qian held her back. So Qian was shy and welcomed the surrender. Qian Jiangqing went to Beijing, but Liu stayed in Nanjing. Qian became a minister of the Ministry of Rites and a bachelor of the Imperial Academy in the Qing Dynasty. Due to the influence of the Liu family, he resigned after half a year due to illness. Later, he was involved in two lawsuits. Liu Rushi bribed him to be released from prison while he was ill, and encouraged him to contact Zheng Chenggong, Zhang Huangyan, Qu Shichun, Wei Geng, etc. who were still resisting. Liu also tried her best to support and comfort the anti-Qing rebels, all of which showed her strong patriotism and national integrity. Qian Qianyi's surrender to the Qing Dynasty should have been criticized by later generations, but Liu Rushi's righteous deeds diluted people's antipathy towards him.

Yu Dafu recorded Liu Rushi's poem "I Listen to the Room in Spring" in "Yuxia Zazai". In terms of literary and artistic talents, she can be called one of the "Eight Beauties of Qinhuai". After reading her poems, the famous scholar Chen Yinke felt "stunned" and admired Liu Rushi's "clear words and beautiful sentences". The people of the Qing Dynasty believed that her ruler slips were "more beautiful than those in the Six Dynasties, and they were deeply affectionate to Ban Cai". Liu is also proficient in music, good at dancing, and is also famous for her calligraphy and painting. Her paintings are skillful, simple, and beautiful; her calligraphy is highly praised by future generations, who call her "an iron fist with a silver hook that can capture wonderful traces."

After Qian's death in 1666, the villagers gathered to seize his property. In order to protect the Qian family's property, Liu actually committed suicide with a silk tie. Although the villains were scared away, a generation of talented women ended their lives like this. After Liu's death, he was buried in Fushui Villa in Yushan.

2. Chen Yuanyuan, a famous concubine in the country

Chen Yuanyuan was originally a singing girl from Kunshan and once lived in Qinhuai. Because of her outstanding sexual skills and her connection with major historical events, the Qing people She was included in the "Eight Beauties of Qinhuai". Chen Yuanyuan's original surname is Xing, her given name is Yuan, her courtesy name is Yuanyuan, and her courtesy name is Wanfang. She adopted her adoptive mother Chen as a child, so she changed her surname to Chen. She is extremely beautiful, with bright flowers and snow, she is good at singing and dancing, and her beauty and art are among the best.

In the last years of Chongzhen, Li Zicheng's peasant uprising army shocked the court, and Emperor Chongzhen was restless day and night. Zhou Kui, the uncle of Jiading, wanted to find a stunning beauty for the emperor to relieve the emperor's worries, so he sent Concubine Tian's brother Tian Wan to the south of the Yangtze River to look for her. After Tian Wan found Chen Yuanyuan, he was so fascinated by her beauty that he secretly took it as his own. Soon Li Zicheng's troops approached the capital, and Emperor Chongzhen urgently summoned Wu Sangui to guard Shanhaiguan. Tian Wan was worried about the peasant uprising all day long, so he held a grand banquet for Wu Sangui, and Yuanyuan led the singing group to perform in the hall. After Wu Sangui saw Yuanyuan, he was so fascinated that he was so happy that he hugged Yuanyuan and drank with her. After drinking for three rounds, the alarm sounded. Tian Wan stepped forward in fear and said to Wu: "What will happen to the invaders?" Wu Sangui said: "If you can see Yuanyuan as a gift, I will protect your family first.

" Before Tian Wan could answer, Wu Sangui took Yuanyuan and said goodbye. Wu Sangui was persuaded by his father, who was in charge of the imperial camp, to leave Yuanyuan in the capital to prevent his colleagues from causing trouble and letting the emperor know about it.

After Li Zicheng invaded Beijing, Wu Sangui's father surrendered to the rebels, and Chen Yuanyuan was captured by Li Zicheng's men. When Wu Sangui agreed to surrender to Li Zicheng, he heard that Yuanyuan had been captured by Li's men, and he was furious and shouted, "Man." What's the point of living in a house that can't protect itself? "So he surrendered to the Qing army and went to war with the peasant army. This is what Wu Meicun said in "Yuanyuanqu": "The six armies are all in mourning, and they are all beautiful in anger."

After Li Zicheng's defeat, , killed Wu's father and all 38 members of his family, and then fled the capital. Wu Sangui pursued the peasant army day and night to Shanxi. At this time, Wu's troops were searching for Chen Yuanyuan in the capital. It was reported that Wu Sangui took Chen Yuanyuan from Qin to Shu, and then took over Yunnan. The Queen of Yunnan wanted to make Yuan Yuan his concubine, but Yuan Yuan dismissed her with excuses, and Wu Sangui did not want to marry the concubine. , framed and unjustly killed Wu's concubine, Yuan Yuan lived alone in another courtyard. After falling out of favor, Wu Zeng secretly murdered her. After Yuan Yuan learned about it, she became a nun and lived in Wuhua Mountain.

Later Wu Sangui declared independence in Yunnan, and Emperor Kangxi sent troops to Yunnan. In the winter of 1681, the city of Kunming was destroyed. After Wu Sangui died, Chen Yuanyuan also sank in the lotus pond outside the temple and was buried in the pond after his death. Side. Until the end of the Qing Dynasty, there were still two frames of Chen Yuanyuan's small shadow in the temple, and there were stone inscriptions on the lakeside.

3. Dong Xiaowan, a famous figure in Qinhuai in the late Ming Dynasty. 1. Dong Xiaowan, named Bai, also known as Qinglian, was nicknamed Qinglian Female History. Her name and nickname were derived from her admiration for Li Bai. She was smart, graceful, graceful and graceful, and was one of the first-class women in the old courtyard of Qinhuai. Her beauty once caused a group of famous officials, gentry and merchants to fight openly and secretly. However, this woman who was living in the world despised the powerful, was clever and courageous in fighting, and one of the four talented people in the late Ming Dynasty was rich in talent and suave. , the two fell in love at first sight. Mao Bijiang was handsome and handsome, known as the "beautiful boy", and was a talented man in Fushe.

After Xiaowan entered the Mao family, he got along very well with the Mao family. Harmony. Ma Gongren (Bijiang's mother) and Su Yuanfang (Bijiang's wife) are particularly fond of Xiaowan, and Xiaowan is also very respectful and obedient. He serves them more carefully than the maids. In their free time, Xiaowan and Bijiang often sit in the painting. In the study room of the garden, he splashed ink, admired flowers and drank tea, commented on landscapes, and identified inscriptions and stones. When Xiaowan first entered the Mao family, he imitated Zhong Yao's calligraphy and learned from Cao'e's stele. He wrote thousands of words every day, and he neither missed nor missed words.

Xiaowan also wrote small regular script fans for relatives and friends on behalf of Pijiang. When she was in Suzhou, she studied painting for a period of time and was able to paint small clumps of cold trees. When she was 15 years old, she painted them beautifully. His "Colorful Butterfly Picture" is now collected in the Wuxi Municipal Museum. It has an inscription by Xiaowan, a stamp of two parties, and an inscribed poem that is highly praised by modern people. There are very few paintings by Xiaowan that have been handed down from generation to generation. A rare masterpiece. After arriving in Rugao, she maintained her special interest in painting and often played with new scrolls or old ones at home.

The most impressive thing about Xiaowan is the trivial art. Her daily life is romantic, beautiful, and affectionate. Xiaowan is indifferent by nature and does not like rich and sweet food. She cooks rice with a small pot of tea and serves it with one or two dishes of water vegetables and black fermented vegetables. Xiaowan likes sweets, seafood and cured and smoked food. She knows Pijiang's taste well, and the food she makes for Pijiang is fresh, delicious and diverse. For example, after wine is made into dew, use a white porcelain cup to hold dozens of floral dews. Not to mention tasting them with your mouth, the five colors floating around and the strange fragrance overflowing are enough to quench your thirst and quench your thirst. When it comes to drinking tea, Xiaowan and Pijiang have the same hobby. They often sit with one person and one pot, silently facing each other in front of the flowers and under the moonlight, savoring the color, fragrance and temperament of the tea.

Xiaowan often studies recipes. When he sees a strange flavor, he goes to find out how to make it and makes it with his own clever hands. The tiger skin meat that people often eat now, that is, oily meat, was invented by Dong Xiaowan. Therefore, it also has a little-known name called "Dong Pork". Although this dish name is a bit abrupt, it is the same as "Dongpo Pork". On the contrary, they complement each other interestingly. In addition, Xiaowan is also good at making sweets. When she was in Qinhuai, she used sesame, fried noodles, maltose, pine nuts, peach kernels and sesame oil as raw materials to make halva. She cut it into cubes that were five minutes long, three minutes wide and one minute thick. This kind of crispy candy is yellow on the outside and crispy on the inside, sweet but not greasy. People call it "Dongtang". Now the famous Yangzhou snacks are fragrant dongtang (also called cunjin dongtang) and rolled dongtang (also called sesame halva). and Rugao Shuiminglou brand Dongtang are famous local specialties throughout the country. Some people list Dong Xiaowan, Yi Yin, Yi Ya, Taihe Gong, Shanzu, Fanzheng, Liu Niangzi, Song Wusao, Xiao Meiren and Wang Xiaoyu as the top ten famous chefs in ancient my country. It is probably not an exaggeration.

The moonlight is like water, which is what Xiaowan is most attracted to. To enjoy the coolness on summer nights, Xiao Wan likes to recite Tang Dynasty poems about chanting the moon and "Flowing Fireflies" and "Wan Fan". In order to appreciate the beauty of the moonlight, she often moved several couches with the rise and fall of the moon. When she returned indoors in the middle of the night, she would still open the window and let the moonlight linger between the pillows. When the moon went to the west, she rolled up the curtains again, leaned against the window and looked out, reluctant to let go, and often recited Li He's poem "The moon is wet, the waves are misty jade". "You and I love to enjoy the bright moonlight all year round, and the immortal road to Zen is opened in silence.

"This is how Xiaowan appreciates the subtle and elegant cultural tastes in natural and plain daily life, and longs for a transcendent and clear poetic life in his humble life.

Pijiang said that all the happiness in his life is in and During the nine years that Xiao Wan lived together, he enjoyed this happiness, which also included sitting in the incense pavilion and savoring the famous incense. Pijiang most appreciated "Hengge Shen", a kind of agarwood with a firm inner substance and horizontal texture. Xiaowan cherishes the "daughter fragrance" that Dongguan people consider to be the best. They also have a lot of "Penglai fragrance". Pijiang once found a "raw yellow fragrance" from Jiangnan that tasted like fragrant orchid. I gave one or two pieces to my friend Li Suiqiu from Guangdong for appreciation. Light two or three red candles, burn agarwood in a few Xuande stoves, and look at it quietly, as if you have entered the depths of the fragrant pistils.

4. Li Xiangjun, a heroic and courageous man,

In the late Ming Dynasty. In that very degenerate era, most of the court ministers were too numb to feel the situation they were facing, which was becoming increasingly troubled by internal and external troubles. However, on the banks of the Qinhuai River in Nanjing, people lived in embroidered buildings with rich clothes and green clothes. There is a group of worldly women who are very worried about the future of the Ming Dynasty.

Meixiang Tower, located in the middle of Chaoku Street, is one of these embroidery buildings. Its owner, Li Xiangjun, is a well-known singer. In fact, among the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai at that time, Li Xiangjun was not as famous as Liu Rushi or Chen Yuanyuan. Now, walking around the old alleys of Qinhuai, this is the only two-story embroidery building. The tall embroidered building has narrow stairs, and the sound of walking footsteps can be clearly heard through the floor. In the autumn of the twelfth year of Chongzhen, Hou Fangyu, who was only 21 years old but already well-known in the world, had just left. When Shangqiu, Henan Province came to Nanjing, he put aside the upcoming provincial examination and walked directly up the dark red staircase.

That year, Li Xiangjun was in the prime of life at the age of sixteen. The banquet of tortoiseshell is delicate and shy, but it has not entered the tent of hibiscus. "She sat in front of the lattice window with the embroidered curtains hanging, looking at the Qinhuai River in the distance. She was waiting for the love in her dream. When Hou Fangyu suddenly appeared in front of her, she must have felt that the marriage she was looking forward to had arrived. This was supposed to be a romance of a talented man and a beautiful woman, but it was a pity that he chose the wrong era background. With the invasion of the Qing Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty edifice quickly collapsed, and Prince Zhu rushed southward in a chaotic atmosphere. The Nanming regime was established.

Fushe's rival Ruan Dacheng seized this opportunity and walked out of the deep alleys of Jinling. He joined the Nanming minister Ma Shiying and appeared on the front stage of the political stage. He was a figure despised by the Qingliu class, but he still wanted to change his appearance. So he tried to use money to bribe Hou Fangyu to achieve his personal political goals, but this trick was quickly discovered by Li Xiangjun, who was very knowledgeable. Ruan Dacheng rejected Ruan Dacheng's temptation of money and asked Hou Fangyu to immediately sever ties with him and draw a clear line. Ruan Dacheng, who was angry because of his old shame, used despicable means to retaliate. Hou Fangyu had no choice but to leave Nanjing in tears, and this short-lived love was hastily concluded. A sad ending.

No matter how Hou Fangyu behaved later, it should be said that Li Xiangjun was beyond reproach in her love life. Afterwards, she was still deeply attached to her friend in this embroidered building. Di sighed: "Is Mr. Tian different from Mr. Ruan? What do I call the person who praises Mr. Hou? Now I am going there to profit from the money. This concubine is betraying the young master! "It is rare for such a persistent pursuit of love to happen to a Qinhuai singer.

In the third year of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1646 AD), Nanjing fell, and Nanming became a mess in history. For Li Xiangjun, the external environment in which she lived has undergone earth-shaking changes, and the love she pursued was finally shattered by Hou Fangyu's return to the north. Hou Fangyu, a son of an official, did not stick to his political integrity for long. In the eighth year of Shunzhi, he took part in the imperial examination organized by the Qing Dynasty, but failed again. In terms of love life, he was not like "The Peach Blossom Fan". "Reunion with Li Xiangjun in Qixia Mountain", reading Hou Fangyu's life history again, he should be a very failure.

In the late spring of the twelfth year of Shunzhi (1655), the trees were full of trees. The peach blossoms had withered and fell red all over the ground. Li Xiangjun quietly closed the fan with the poem inscribed by Hou Fangyu, packed her bags sadly, and said goodbye to the past. She came to the foot of Qixia Mountain alone, and became a monk in a silent Taoist temple. Taoist priest. According to historical records, Li Xiangjun’s fate is unknown.

5. Gu Meisheng, a heroic figure

Among the famous "Eight Beauties of Qinhuai" in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, Gu Hengbo was the most prominent. She was once grandly conferred the title of "First Grade Madam", Liu Rushi and Chen Yuanyuan were not as good as each other; at the same time, she was also the most controversial one - it is said that there was a talented man who had a private life-long engagement with her because of her She betrayed her alliance and died in love. Later, her husband Gong Dingzi, who was serving as an official in the late Ming Dynasty, would always say to people, "I want to die, but I don't want to do anything." It was like a beauty who was a scourge, either killing people's lives or ruining their reputations. , which is completely different from the chivalrous and soft-hearted people who understand the righteousness of the "Eight Beauties of Qinhuai" in most people's minds.

The famous historian Mr. Meng Sen once wrote an article "An Examination of Mrs. Hengbo". He was very disapproving of Gong Guzhi's character and believed that both the couple were snobbish and shameless people who were greedy for profit. Is Mrs. Hengbo, who was once known as "a courteous lover, a chivalrous lady", really so unbearable?

Gu Hengbo, born in 1619, whose real name is Gu Mei, also named Meisheng. Named Gu Mei, also known as Hengbo, also known as Zhizhu, Shancaijun, also known as Meisheng, known as "Mrs. Hengbo". After marriage, she changed her name to Xu Shanchi. According to "Banqiao Miscellanies", Gu was born in Shangyuan (now Nanjing). Hengbo "Zhuang Yan is beautiful and graceful. Her hair on the temples is like clouds, her face is full of peach blossoms; her bow is small and her waist is light." She was well versed in literature and history, and was good at poetry and painting. The landscapes she painted were naturally beautiful, and she was especially good at painting orchids. The fan of "Orchid Picture" painted when she was seventeen years old is today Hidden in the Palace Museum. At the age of eighteen, he joined Li Xiangjun, Wang Yue and others in the "Lan Society" organized by Yangzhou celebrity Zheng Yuanxun in Nanjing. People at that time followed Ma Shouzhen (that is, Ma Xianglan, who was born earlier, and was also a Qinhuai painter) with his painting style. One of the Eight Beauties, a well-known female painter in the Ming Dynasty, who was especially good at painting orchids). Because of her beautiful appearance, she was ranked first in Nanqu. Dong Xiaowan co-starred in "The Story of the West Tower" and "The Godson"

Gu Hengbo lived in Meilou, "with embroidered windows, toothpicks and jade scrolls, stacked tables; Yaoqin, brocade and sequins, furnishings on the left and right, cigarette smoke lingering on the eaves. "Martin Dang" was jokingly called "Mild Tower" by people at the time - some people said "Mild Tower" refers to Gu Hengbo's romantic and charming character, which made all visitors fascinated. It is just meaningless. "Mild Tower" was originally built during the reign of Emperor Yang of Sui The other courtyard in Yangzhou is named "Milou" because of its "deep twists and turns, scattered attics, hidden by curtains, and connected to each other, like immortals wandering around". It is nicknamed "Meilou" after "Milou", which is the origin of the figurines. He was a talented person from the south of the Yangtze River, and at that time he was deeply attached to Hengbo. His words should be taken as compliments, saying that the "Mei Tower" is a wonderful building with unique craftsmanship and unique layout. It looks like a fairyland. As soon as this reputation came out, it spread like wildfire and spread widely. For extension. Gu Hengbo had a bold and unruly personality, and he was more like Liu Rushi among the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai. People at that time called him "Brother Mei", which was quite similar to Liu Rushi who called himself "Brother". Zhiliu is a bit more willful and jealous.

According to legend, the Neo-Confucian scholar Huang Daozhou (who later died in Jiangxi during the Anti-Qing Dynasty) boasted that he had "a prostitute in his eyes but no prostitute in his heart". Zhu Sheng took advantage of his drunkenness to invite Hengbo to his bed to test whether he really had Liu Xiahui's abilities. This rumor may not be true, but it reflected Gu Hengbo's attitude of not caring about secular ethics in the eyes of the people at the time. Her style of going her own way and not caring about the world's opinions was probably an important reason why she was able to have a close relationship with Gong Dingzi, a talented man from Jiangzuo, for three lifetimes. However, her being controversial is also a consequence of this personality to a certain extent. Gu Hengbo was known as the "Number One in Southern Song Dynasty" for his talent and appearance. Naturally, he was widely favored by famous celebrities. As a result, the Meilou was full of people, and people who invited him to banquets were often called "Meilou Guests". " has become a symbol of elegance, and many literary banquets in the south of the Yangtze River are always regretted by Gu Meisheng's absence.

6. Bian Yujing's embroidery of Buddha in Changzhai

Bian Yujing's famous competition, also known as Saisai, later nicknamed "Yujing Taoist", was known as Yujing. She was born into a family of officials in Qinhuai. The two sisters were reduced to singing prostitutes because of their father's early death. Bian Sai was omnipotent in poetry, calligraphy and painting. She is especially good at regular script and has a good knowledge of literature and history. She is skilled in painting and writes like clouds. She likes to paint graceful branches and is especially good at painting orchids. When she was 18 years old, she traveled to Wumen and lived in Huqiu. , who traveled between Qinhuai and Suzhou, was a famous singing girl in Qinhuai in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. Bian Sai was generally not good at treating guests, but when he met a good friend, he would talk like a cloud and charm people.

Bian Sai once had a marriage with Wu Meicun, a famous poet in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. In the spring of the fourteenth year of Chongzhen, Wu Meicun sent off his brother Wu Zhiyan to be appointed as the prefect of Chengdu at the Shengchu Tower outside Shuixi Gate of Nanjing. Here he met the Bian Sai sisters who came to see Wu Zhiyan off. He saw Bian Sai's noble, refined and elegant appearance. It has a somewhat melancholy temperament, and I can't help but think of two popular poems in the south of the Yangtze River: "Looking for Bian Sai in the wine cellar, Chen Yuan emerges from the bottom of the flower." During the dinner, Wu tested Bian Sai's literary talents, which made Wu fall in love. From then on, the two had frequent contacts and their relationship gradually deepened. Later, Wu got a letter from Bian at his residence in Changqianli. He knew that Bian wanted to marry him, and he felt very conflicted. Because Wu heard the news that Tian Wan, the brother of Emperor Chongzhen's favorite concubine Tian, ??had recently come to Jinling to choose a concubine, and he had already chosen Chen Yuanyuan, Bian Sai and others. Wu was timid in front of his powerful uncle, and only played a few songs at Bian Sai's apartment before leaving sadly.

Two years later, Bian Sai married a prince. Unsatisfied, he gave his maid Rourou to him, begged for help, and became a female Taoist priest in Suzhou. He was attached to the 70-year-old Zheng Baoyu, a famous doctor, funded Zheng to build a palace. Bian Sai Changzhai embroidered Buddha and recited the precepts very strictly. In order to repay Zheng's kindness, he spent three years writing the Lotus Sutra in blood for Zheng.

At this time, Wumei Village became the leader of the Qing Dynasty. Officer, feeling depressed. One day in the seventh year of Shunzhi, Bian Sai saw Wu's four poems "Qinhe Sense of the Past" at Qian Qianyi's house, and he knew that Wu missed her. A few months later, the two finally met in Taicang. Bian Sai played the piano for Wu. Wu was so moved that he wrote "Listening to the Female Taoist Bian Yujing Playing the Qin Song" as a gift to him. The poem tells the story of Bian in these ten years, with some points. After the Qing troops went to Jiangnan and Yujing, "the strings were cold and silent", it was a desolate situation. Bian Sai later lived in seclusion in Huishan, Wuxi. He died of illness more than ten years later and was buried in Jinshulin at Zhetuo Temple in Huishan.

7. The romantic heroine Kou Baimen

Kou Baimen’s name is Mei and her courtesy name is Baimen. She was one of the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai in the late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty. "Banqiao Miscellaneous Notes" says: Baimenjuanjuan is quiet and beautiful; it is ups and downs, can play music, is good at painting orchids, knows each other and plays rhymes, can recite poems, but it is slippery and easy and cannot be learned. It was precisely because Bai Men was simple and untactful that she suffered a tragedy in marriage and love.

In the late spring of the 15th year of Chongzhen, Zhu Guobi, the prominent hero and protector of the country, came to the Kou family on Chaoku Street with the support of his officers. After several interactions, Baimen left a good impression on him. He is polite, gentle and kind, so when Zhu proposed marriage, he agreed immediately. On the autumn night of that year, 17-year-old Kou Baimen boarded the sedan chair with heavy makeup. In the Ming Dynasty, it was the custom at the time for women with Le Ji Ling in Jinling to leave their nationality and become good friends or get married at night. In order to show his majesty and grandeur, Zhu Guobi sent 5,000 soldiers holding red lanterns starting from Wuding Bridge and standing solemnly along the way to Zhu Mansion on the inner bridge. The grand occasion was unprecedented and became the largest wedding scene in Nanjing during the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Guobi was actually a slick and cunning bureaucrat. His marriage to Kou Baimen was a temporary necessity. After a few months, his ruthlessness was gradually exposed, so he left Kou aside and continued to follow the rules. Between Tailiu Lane. In 1645, the Qing army went south. Zhu Guobi surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, soon entered the capital, and was placed under house arrest by the Qing government. Zhu wanted to sell all the singers and maids, including Lian Kou Baimen, but Baimen said to Zhu Yun: "If the proceeds from selling my concubine are only a few hundred gold... If I send my concubine back to the south, I will be paid ten thousand gold in one month." Lord." Zhu thought and agreed, and Kou Baimen returned to Jinling with his maid Dou'er on horseback and short clothes. With the help of sisters from the old courtyard, Kou raised 20,000 taels of silver to redeem Zhu Guobi. At this time, Mrs. Zhu wanted to have her dream come true again, but was rejected by Mrs. Kou. She said: "Back then, you used money to redeem me from my citizenship, and now I also use money to redeem you." It should be settled.

After Kou returned to Jinling, she was known as a heroine. She "built garden pavilions, met guests, and interacted with literati and poets every day. She drank heavily, sang or cried, and lamented the beauty's lateness. "The red beans are falling away." Later, a certain Xiaolian from Yangzhou returned to Jinling unhappily, and finally died of illness in his home in Leji. At that time, Qian Qianyi, the leader of Donglin in the literary world, wrote a memorial poem "Kou Baimen" and said: "The sisters of the Kou family have always been beautiful. For eighteen years, they have been obsessed with flowers. Today, Qin Huai is afraid that he will be worth it, and he will not let his red tears stain his clothes." The red powder misses the king's kindness, but the heroine knows Kou Baimen? 1548-1604) can be called a female poet and painter of the Ming Dynasty. According to "Qinhuai Guangji", her first name was Shouzhen, with the courtesy name Xianglan, the small name Xuan'er, and the second name Yuejiao. Because she was the fourth child in the family, she was known as "Siniang". She has a smart nature, is good at poetry and painting, and is especially good at painting orchid and bamboo, so she is known as "Xianglan". Although her appearance is not outstanding, "her posture and head are like ordinary people", but her "expression is clear, her voice is like the early orioles on spring willows, her words are hopeful, and she cleverly waits for people's wishes."

Ma is very accomplished in painting. At that time, Cao Xueqin's grandfather Cao Yin wrote poems for "Ma Xianglan Painting Orchid Scroll" three times in succession, with ***7 lines, which are recorded in Cao Yin's "Dong Pavilion" "Collection". Her painting skills were evaluated in "History of Painting in the Past Dynasties" as "orchid imitates Zigu, bamboo imitates Zhongji, all of which can imitate her charm". Among the exquisite calligraphy and paintings in the Forbidden City in Beijing are Ma's orchid albums, which shine with unique brilliance. Her paintings have always been regarded as treasures abroad. Ma was also quite talented in literature, and had written two volumes of poems in "The Collection of Xianglanzi" and the script "The Story of Three Lives". Ma is versatile. He is also proficient in music, good at singing and dancing, and can write and direct his own plays. The theater troupe she taught in the workshop was able to perform "The Complete Story of the West Chamber", and those who followed her to learn the skills would be prepared for the true story.

Ma grew up in Nanjing and unfortunately fell into prostitution at an early age. However, she was broad-minded and had a chivalrous nature, and she often spent money to help young people. She lived in a scenic spot in the Qinhuai River and received many admirers. She had a close friendship with Wang Zhideng, a talented man from the south of the Yangtze River. Her letters to Wang Zhideng were collected in "Slips from Ladies of the Past". When Wang Zhideng celebrated his 70th birthday, Ma raised funds to buy a boat to carry dozens of singers and went to Suzhou to buy wine and celebrate his birthday. They "banqueted for months and sang and danced till the end of the night." After returning home, he became ill and finally forced himself to take a bath and sit upright in worship of the Buddha before he passed away. , 57 years old. After his death, Ma was buried in his residence, near the Bifeng Temple in Bailuzhou Park today.