Interesting stories about Qing emperors reciting poems and writing couplets

 

Interesting stories about Qing emperors reciting poems and writing couplets

 

Private visit to Couplet Village during Kangxi Spring Festival

 

During the Spring Festival, Emperor Kangxi heard that there was a "Couplet Village" where men, women, old and young met for charity, so he decided to pay a private visit incognito to find out.

Couplet Village is located in the southeast of Tongzhou, surrounded by water and requires a ferry to reach it. The ferryman was a middle-aged woman. She stood firm on the boat. Kangxi asked: "Sister-in-law, where are you from?"

  "Replying to my guest, the village woman's ancestral home is in Couplet Village." The boat woman replied while rocking the oar.

In the distance, the reflection of the wooden pagoda was reflected in the water. Kangxi said: "Since it is a couplet village, I must be good at it. I have a couplet here, would you like to do it?"

The boatwoman said: "Please, sir."

Kangxi said: "A towering tower with seven floors in all directions."

The boatwoman stretched out her hand and shook it, smiled again, and shook her oar silently.

Kangxi was puzzled: "Well, it can't be right?"

The boat woman waved her hand again: "Huh? Sir, the village woman is here! Isn't it like 'waving her hand lightly, five fingers three long and two short'!"

Kangxi's heart sank while he was thinking hard, and he secretly reminded himself: Couplet Village is very remarkable. After landing, you must listen more, see more, ask more and pay more attention to avoid losing face.

When Kangxi went ashore, several thirteen- and fourteen-year-old children were playing together at the entrance of the village. Kangxi stepped forward and asked, "What are you doing?"

One of the older children replied: "We stand on the street and count the best, and go out to cover the ground and cover the sky." The horizontal comment is "Behead first and then report."

Kangxi was horrified: "The exit is the couplet! What is your name?"

"The field grows!"

  "Who taught you that?"

"Dad, mom, grandpa, grandma."

  "What do parents do?"

"Father is outside, carrying the sun and moon on his shoulders; mother is at home, turning things around."

  "What's the meaning?"

"Dad sells tofu, and mom grinds tofu."

  "What are grandparents doing?"

"The jade steamer opens the eyes of heaven and earth, and the golden hammer strikes the emperor's heart."

  "Okay!" Kangxi almost shouted, "What does that mean?"

The field manager smiled; "Hey! Grandpa is a brewer, and grandma is a master of cotton playing."

Kangxi added: "'Standing on the streets to count the best, going out to cover the ground and cover the sky', but also 'kill first and then report', what does this mean?"

"My uncle is a grain seller. When he uses liters and buckets to measure corn and red beans on the street, he always shouts 'one-two'. Now I am saying 'one-two' I am learning the accent, which is called "standing on the street and counting"; my second uncle is a craftsman who builds thatch sheds and roofs, and often builds fences and houses for others. My second brother often works as a helper, and now he is learning to build fences. To cover the roof, of course, is to 'cover the ground and cover the sky'! Is this 'cut first and serve later'? Well, today my family killed chickens to prepare six dishes for guests. My little brother went to buy seasonings. Naturally, it is 'cut first and serve later'. Here you go!"

  "Ha, Couplet Village deserves its name!" Kangxi laughed out loud and asked, "Are there many children like you in the village?"

The head of the field blurted out: "One person is born one after another, three, four, five, six, seven or eight; add, subtract, multiply, divide, add, multiply, add, no more, no less than a hundred people."

This is a mathematical jingle. The method uses "addition" and "multiplication" in "addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division." The order is to add first, then multiply, and then add again. One plus one equals two; three times four equals twelve; five Multiplying six equals thirty; . Sincerity can be said to be a combination of skill and clumsiness, which is greater than clumsiness!

Kangxi was overjoyed and said: "Let's do this. You will still be here on New Year's Eve. If you show me your pair then, I will help you enroll in school. As long as you work hard, I will recommend you to go to the capital to take the top exam. How about that?"

"As a gentleman says, it's hard to catch a four-horse horse, that's it." The field manager jumped up with joy.

On the eve of the New Year's Eve, Kangxi ordered people to carry lanterns and meet at the old place as scheduled. He said in a couplet: "On New Year's Eve, the moon is dark. Let's light a few lanterns to add color to the universe."

There was a drum hanging in the branch of a big tree at the entrance of the village. It was the beginning of spring again that year. The head of the field raised his stick and beat the drum, and then said: "Before the thunder of the new year has moved, hit the drum to show the power of the heaven and the earth."

Kangxi Longyan was very happy. He did not break his promise, and he really let the field chief and other children enter the county school. A few years later, the field chief was actually selected as the number one scholar in the palace examination. Moreover, thanks to the couplet village, Tongzhou City has many outstanding achievements since then. There are fewer Jinshi and more people.

 

Qianlong's private visit to Jiangnan left couplets

 

During the Qianlong period, the social economy gradually recovered and developed, and the mining and textile industries developed rapidly. The Qing government set up weaving yamen in Jiangning, Nanjing, Suzhou, Hangzhou and other places, and sent cronies from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to manage them. These sent ministers, relying on the support of people in the court, wantonly sucked up the people's fat and anointed people, were greedy, and each made huge fortunes. Emperor Qianlong kept quiet. In order to understand the people's character and the actual level of social and economic development and the ugly faces of corrupt officials, he visited Jiangnan three times in secret.

In the 6th year of Qianlong's reign (1741), Qianlong went to the south of the Yangtze River for the first time in private for a private visit. He passed through Luoyang to Xuzhou, to Sihong, and then to Nanjing through Mingguang. No one recognized him along the way, leaving countless magical legends along the way. The legend of the couplets left by Qianlong.

According to legend, the Spring Festival was approaching. On this day, Emperor Qianlong originally arranged to go to Pukou on the Sipu Ancient Road, also known as the "Jianghuai Middle Road", but somehow he accidentally set foot on the ancient post road from Zhaoxin to Haozhou. Along the south bank of Nushan Lake, we marveled at the magnificent scenery that nature has bestowed on this magical land. When passing by Sang Da Ying (Da Ying Township, Mingguang City), I felt a little thirsty, so I went to the village to ask for water.

As soon as I entered the village, I saw a house with the surname Sang on the roadside, bustling with people.

Lord Qianlong was a person who loved to join in the fun, so he walked towards the crowd. It turned out that the Sang family's house was being built, and relatives, friends, and neighbors came to celebrate. Most of the people who came to celebrate brought gifts. In front of the door, the owner of the Sang family wore a mandarin jacket and a long gown, smiling broadly to welcome relatives and friends who came to congratulate him. When the masters of the Sang family met Master Qianlong, they greeted each other. Master Qianlong took the initiative to explain his intention to the master. The master of the Sang family was born to love making friends all over the world, so he politely invited him to his home for tea.

Emperor Qianlong also said politely: "Master, there is no need to be polite. I will just drink a bowl of water and leave."

The master of the Sang family said: "What are you talking about? When you enter the Sang family, you are the guest of the Sang family. I have good tea here. Please taste it."

As he spoke, he asked his family to make tea for the guests. There were two gentlemen in the living room, who were specially invited by the Sang family to write couplets on the upper beam. The two gentlemen were so humble to each other that no one was embarrassed to write.

After pushing for a while, a gentleman surnamed Wang said that he had an emergency and wanted to make things easier. When Mr. Li saw Mr. Wang going out, he was too embarrassed to stay, so he made an excuse and left. The master of the Sang family went out to see off the two gentlemen, and Master Qianlong was the only one left in the living room.

When Emperor Qianlong saw the Four Treasures of the Study placed on the table, his hands felt a little itchy. I thought to myself: The gentleman in this country is so bitter, so there is nothing to be modest about. Emperor Qianlong drank most of the pot of tea. Seeing that no one had come yet, he stood up and wanted to leave. Then he thought, the owner of this house is generous, warm and hospitable, and there are four treasures of the study here. Why not leave a couplet to thank the owner for the half pot of tea? , so I picked up my pen and filled it with ink and wrote a couplet:

 

Liang Liang coincides with the zodiac day

Vertical pillar meets Ziweixing by chance

 

He then wrote five characters for Zhongliang: "Qianyuan Henry Zhen". After writing, Emperor Qianlong pressed the upper corner of the couplet with a teapot.

Lord Qianlong was afraid that his identity would be revealed, so he got up and went out. At the door, the owner of the Sang family greeted the relatives and friends who came to congratulate him. He saw people passing by who were full and about to leave. He hurriedly ran over and said, "I have many things to do, so I didn't accompany the guest. I'm rude. Treating guests is not as good as meeting them. Meeting them is also a fate." , it’s better to stay and have a meal before leaving.”

Lord Qianlong cupped his hands and said, "Sir, you're welcome. I'm still on my way. Thank you! See you later."

The master of the Sang family really had a lot to do, so he thought that a passer-by should just leave, so he cupped his hands and said, "Guest, please go slowly, see you later." There is no such thing as "see you later" between the master of the Sang family and Lord Qianlong! How can the emperor be so easy to see?

After Mr. Wang was convenient, he returned to the living room and saw that the couplet had been written. The words were vigorous and vigorous, vigorous and fresh, and the meaning was even more subtle. I wonder how Mr. Li's level has improved so quickly.

At this moment, Mr. Li came back. When he saw the couplet in Mr. Wang's hand, he understood the meaning of the words. The more he read, the more surprised he became. He couldn't help but said: "Mr. Wang is so humble just now. If I really write it, I won't be ashamed." Kill me!"

After Mr. Wang heard what Mr. Li said and looked at the couplet carefully, he suddenly realized that he went out in a hurry to chase the passerby, but the passerby had already gone away. The two gentlemen told the master of the Sang family about this, and the master of the Sang family slapped his forehead and regretted: "I am really useless, I am really blind, seeing that his appearance is nothing like that of a human being."

Emperor Qianlong left, but he left the calligraphy treasure in the Sang family. After the news spread, many people came to watch it every day. The owner of the Sang family kept this couplet as a family heirloom. Many years have passed and the whereabouts of the original copy written by Qianlong have long been lost, but the couplet is still circulating in urban and rural areas of Mingguang City.