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She was a stunningly beautiful prostitute famous in Qinhuai, but she spent all her wealth to preserve her reputation.

Although she was embroiled in worldly affairs, she was full of chivalry, and her stunning love affair with Hou Fangyu became a story that will be passed down through the ages.

She was the descendant of a famous official of the Ming Dynasty, but because she was born in the wrong era, she was eventually dragged down by fate and fell into the quagmire of humbleness.

She had a happy and fulfilling marriage that lasted until her death.

But in the end, due to worldly views, he ended up wandering in the streets and died with hatred!

Although she fell into disgrace, she struggled bravely with perseverance, walked out of the mud, and composed a touching and amazing legend.

She is Li Xiangjun, the leader of the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai.

"In 1624, a beautiful little girl was born in a military officer's family named Wu in Suzhou."

"This military officer was a member of the Donglin Party. Unfortunately, after he was convicted by Wei Zhongxian, his family fell into poverty and wandered around."

"When this girl was eight years old, she was adopted by the famous Qinhuai prostitute Li Zhenli and renamed Li Xiangjun."

"She learned various skills since she was young, including stringed instruments, pipa, poetry, calligraphy and painting."

"She is particularly good at southern songs and has a sweet voice."

"Li Xiangjun's adoptive mother is a generous and elegant woman."

“So the guests who come to them are either scholars or upright and honest people.”

"Li Xiangjun has been influenced by her family since she was a child. She is used to seeing talented people criticize current social problems and speak eloquently."

"The loyal minister repeatedly told her stories of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, which broadened her horizons and perfected her pure and innocent character."

"Although she entered Zhangtai by mistake, she wanted to serve her country with loyalty like Yue Fei."

"In 1639, when Li Xiangjun was 16 years old, she became the top star of Meixianglou with the song "Pipa Xing"."

"When she was a young girl, she met the most important man in her life, Hou Fangyu."

"Hou Fangyu is one of the four young masters of Fushe. He came to Nanjing to take the imperial examination and came to Meixianglou through a friend's introduction."

"So he met the famous prostitute Li Xiangjun, and they fell in love at first sight."

"After that, they exchanged poems with each other and soon fell in love and could not bear to part."

"The ultimate dream of the girls along the Qinhuai River is to find a good man to rely on for life, and Li Xiangjun is no exception."

"Qinhuai River was the most lively place for entertainment in the late Ming Dynasty. The Imperial Examination Hall was nearby, and candidates and scholars loved to go there."

"Hou Fangyu wants to give Meixianglou some money to marry Li Xiangjun, and then hold a ceremony to make it lively."

"Hou Fangyu didn't have that much money when he came out to take the exam. Fortunately, his friend paid for him and made this good thing happen."

"On the wedding night, Hou Fangyu solemnly gave Li Xiangjun a white silk fan."

"The fan is tied with an amber fan pendant passed down from the Hou family. It is a token of their love."

"It wasn't long before Hou Fangyu learned that the money his friend paid to redeem Li Xiangjun was actually paid by Ruan Dacheng."

Li Shishi: Li Xiangjun, whose peach blossom fan was stained with blood, was a young lady from an official family who fell into prostitution. She was a woman of strong character but had a tragic fate.

Li Xiangjun, who was born in Suzhou, originally had a happy family. Her father was a military officer of the Ming Dynasty, and she had two older brothers.

Before the age of eight, Li Xiangjun lived a happy life with no worries about food and clothing.

During the time when Li Xiangjun lived, the Ming Dynasty was already on the verge of collapse.

The Qinhuai River is a strange place. The more sluggish the country is, the more prosperous the brothels and pleasure boats here are.

Even when the capital was about to be conquered by Li Zicheng, the brothels in Nando were still a lively scene of singing and dancing.

In fact, there were certain patterns behind the prosperity of brothels in the late Ming Dynasty.

The struggle between the party and the society has reached a white-hot stage, and all civil and military officials cannot see their own political future.

The scholars who had no hope of a career in officialdom could only focus their energy on pursuing pleasure in the romantic world.

It seems that they can only find a little comfort in the enchanting figure of a beautiful woman and the fragrance of a famous prostitute.

Although this sense of fulfillment extracted from prostitutes may be considered spiritual opium, it can also make the repressed scholar-officials smile.

The tastes of the literati changed, and they had more demands for famous prostitutes.

Therefore, the temperament and talent of the Qinhuai prostitutes in the late Ming Dynasty were far more outstanding than those of previous generations.

It can be said that if you pick out any famous Qinhuai prostitute, they all have a versatile foundation and have a certain understanding of the current political situation.

If not, how can we comfort those patriotic patriots who are wiping tears after getting drunk?

The famous treacherous minister Wei Zhongxian controlled the government and brought disaster to the country and the people.

As a member of the Donglin Party, Li Xiangjun's father naturally opposed Wei Zhongxian and his ilk.

But unfortunately, he was too weak. When Li Xiangjun was eight years old.

My father was framed by Wei Zhongxian and his property was convicted and ransacked.

From then on, Li Xiangjun became an orphan with no one to rely on, wandering around.

During her wandering, she was adopted by a singer named Li Zhenli.

From then on, she changed her surname to Li and her name to Xiangjun, and Li Zhenli naturally became Li Xiangjun's adoptive mother.

Li Zhenli took great pains to cultivate Li Xiangjun, turning her into a beautiful woman who was proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, as well as in appearance and talent.

In the late Ming Dynasty, it became a fashion for scholars and literati to gather in brothels to drink and visit prostitutes.

Many famous people who were talented and prestigious at the time looked at the irreversible defeat of the Ming Dynasty.

He also indulged in depravity and often frequented this land of pleasure, only to get drunk.

Under Li Zhenli's training, Li Xiangjun grew into a graceful and elegant lady with a beautiful appearance and extensive knowledge.

Although Li Zhenli was not Li Xiangjun's biological mother, she treated the little girl as her own.

It can be said that all the skills that Li Xiangjun learned were taught by Li Zhenli.

Li Xiangjun was carefully nurtured by Li Zhenli since she was young. Thanks to Li Xiangjun's extremely high literary talent, her literary accomplishment even surpassed that of her adoptive mother.

Li Xiangjun was not greedy for fame and fortune, nor was she interested in material things.

Li Xiangjun's guests must be outstanding people with both talent, elegance, integrity and sentiment.

As for those noblemen with bad conduct, Li Xiangjun would turn them away even if they could offer her mountains of gold and silver.

Perhaps it was because Li Xiangjun was too chaste that, although she was very famous at the time, her fame in later generations was far less than that of the other Seven Beauties of Qinhuai.

The love story between Hou Fangyu and Li Xiangjun is indeed touching, but it seems too bland compared with the love experiences of the other seven beauties.

Hou Fangyu and Li Xiangjun, a pair of talented men and beautiful women.

The relationship between them is a microcosm of the relationship between the famous Qinhuai prostitutes and scholars at that time.

"Ruan Dacheng was a minister in the late Ming Dynasty. He was talented but had a bad reputation."

"He first attached himself to the Donglin Party, and then defected to the Donglin Party's mortal enemy Wei Zhongxian."

“Because of his inconsistency, he was criticized.”

"Due to the conflict between the Donglin Party and the Eunuch Party in the late Ming Dynasty, the literati took different sides and formed different camps."

"Ruan Dacheng naturally has a purpose for lending money to Hou Fangyu. I hope the fourth son of Hou Fushe will not go against him."

"Hou Fangyu was furious when he learned the truth. Accepting money from the eunuch party would damage his reputation, but offending them would be detrimental to himself and Li Xiangjun."

"Li Xiangjun is also a woman with a sense of justice. She made the decision for Hou Fangyu and immediately took off the hairpins and rings."

"Li Xiangjun didn't have enough money, so she borrowed from her sisters and paid her back after collecting the money."

"Li Xiangjun made the same choice as her father, preferring to wear plain clothes and wear a thorny hairpin rather than accept charity from a filthy person."

"Not long after, Hou Fangyu failed the imperial examination for criticizing current social ills."

"Li Xiangjun persuaded Hou Fangyu to draw a clear line with Ruan Dacheng and go to Shi Kefa to fight against the Qing Dynasty, while she was willing to wait for him in Nanjing behind closed doors."

"Li Xiangjun was a woman of love and righteousness. After Hou Fangyu left, she closed the business."

"She washed away all the worldly things, and spent the whole day with poetry and books, waiting for her lover to return safely."

"But the tree wants to be still but the wind does not stop. In order to please the popular governor Tian Yangxiang in front of Emperor Hongguang, the villain Ruan Dacheng forced Li Xiangjun to be his concubine."

"Under Ruan Dacheng's instigation, Tian Yang wanted to go to marry Li Xiangjun with drums and gongs, and after being rejected, he even tried to rob the bride."

"Li Xiangjun is a weak woman under the rule of a powerful person. The only way to save herself is death."

"She jumped off Meixiang Tower, and her blood splattered on the palace fan."

"Painter Yang Youlong added a few strokes to the bloodstains on the fan, turning it into peach blossoms. This is the famous Peach Blossom Fan."

"Ruan Dacheng didn't want to let Li Xiangjun go, and when one plan failed, he came up with another."

"He had some power in the Hongguang Dynasty, and in the name of the emperor, he summoned Li Xiangjun into the palace to be a singer."

"She had no choice but to enter the palace."

"While her enemies were drinking and feasting, she was missing her lover who was on the run, relying on the love in her heart to keep herself alive."

Liu Rushi: Li Xiangjun, a woman born in a brothel, was doomed to be tragic in that turbulent era. For most prostitutes, they just lived for the moment and lived from day to day.

I have never thought about what the future will be like, nor have I expected to have an unforgettable love.

But Li Xiangjun was different. She was knowledgeable, talented, and proud, but she always hoped to change the trajectory of her life.

Finally, her destined man came towards her.

Hou Fangyu, a representative figure of the Donglin Party.

Moreover, his family background was very strong, as his father was the Minister of Revenue in the imperial court.

Although they were also suppressed by the eunuch party, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse.

With his own talents, Hou Fangyu can be regarded as a local celebrity.

Hou Fangyu came to the pleasure boat under the cover of night. The sight of such a young and handsome young man made Li Xiangjun blush.

Although Li Xiangjun was petite, she was influenced by Yue Fei's idea of ​​loyalty to her country since she was a child, and gradually developed a tough and strong personality.

Their common interests made them have similar values ​​and shared the same ideals, so they immediately sparked love.

Therefore, not long after, Hou Fangyu decided to marry Li Xiangjun as a formal couple.

Hou Fangyu specially gave Li Xiangjun a top-quality carved ivory fan as a token of love and got engaged to her.

For this, Li Xiangjun, who came from a brothel, was very grateful.

But as the top courtesan in Meixianglou, the money for her redemption was naturally a huge sum of money.

Although Hou Fangyu was a wealthy young man, he was still stretched to come up with such a large sum of money at once.

In times of crisis, someone came to help him. His good friend Yang Longyou happened to know the wealthy businessman Ruan Dacheng.

Although this man was a talented drama writer in the Ming Dynasty, his moral integrity was shattered.

This person was not only a well-known fence-sitter, but also colluded with Wei Zhongxian's eunuch party and was despised by the literati.

Li Xiangjun was very angry when she found out that the redemption money was borrowed from Ruan Dacheng.

He immediately sold all the gold and silver jewelry he had accumulated throughout his life, and found someone to help him, and finally he paid off the money he had borrowed from Ruan Dacheng.

"In 1645, the Hongguang court came to an end. Nanjing was in chaos, and Li Xiangjun took advantage of the chaos to escape from the palace."

"There was burning, killing and looting everywhere in the city, and flames shot up to the sky."

"She fainted on the bridge and was rescued by her drama teacher, Mr. Su, and they fled to Suzhou."

"Hou Fangyu also came to Nanjing to look for Li Xiangjun, but the two of them did not meet by chance."

"Afterwards, Li Xiangjun returned to Nanjing and hid in the nunnery in Qixia Mountain with her former sister Bian Yujing."

"Li Xiangjun was once ill and feared that she would not survive, so she specifically asked Bian Yujing to give the Peach Blossom Fan to Hou Fangyu."

"Fortunately, she survived, and Hou Fangyu happened to hear about her and came to Qixia Mountain to look for her. The two lovers were finally reunited."

"The sufferings that Li Xiangjun experienced throughout her life were all due to her character of preferring to die in glory rather than live in disgrace, which came from the influence of her father."

"Hou Fangyu brought Li Xiangjun back to his hometown and lived in the Jade Building in the Hou family compound."

"They didn't dare to reveal Li Xiangjun's true identity. Li Xiangjun restored her original surname and announced to the public that she was a concubine named Wu."

"Mrs. Wu got along well with Hou Fangyu's first wife, Mrs. Chang, and her mother-in-law. Those years were the most stable and happiest time in Li Xiangjun's life."

"Even a strong-willed woman like Li Xiangjun longs for a stable and peaceful life."

"But Hou Fangyu's father, Hou Xun, was the former Minister of Revenue of the Ming Dynasty. He knew that Li Xiangjun was a famous prostitute in Qinhuai."

"Li Xiangjun was driven to live in the Hou family's firewood and grass garden in the side courtyard, fifteen kilometers away from the city."

"At this time, Li Xiangjun was pregnant and could not see her husband."

"He was depressed and contracted tuberculosis, and unfortunately died at the age of 30."

"Hou Fangyu was grief-stricken and often went to the tomb to grieve alone."

"A year later, in 1654, 37-year-old Hou Fangyu also died of depression."

"Because Li Xiangjun was of low status, the two were not buried together."

"During her short life, Li Xiangjun always put her personal integrity first, refused to succumb to the powerful, and went through many hardships."

"Even at the moment of her death, she never forgot to warn her husband not to marry a foreigner."

"A woman with such courage is loyal to her country and nation until death."

"Her patriotism is admirable. She is as good as any man and makes all men look inferior to her."

Sai Jinhua: After Li Xiangjun's death, there was no more Peach Blossom Fan in the world. She was the toughest of the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai.

Li Zicheng, the King of Rebellion, captured Beijing and Emperor Chongzhen hanged himself in Coal Hill.

The Ming Dynasty had entered its final moments of destruction, and the city of Nanjing became the last paradise for Emperor Hongguang who fled south.

At this time, the newlyweds Li Xiangjun and Hou Fangyu were still immersed in their happiness.

Although most of the money had been compensated to Ruan Dacheng, Li Xiangjun didn't care about her difficult life.

She was a woman who understood propriety, righteousness, integrity and shame, and would never bow to a villain like Ruan Dacheng even if she was penniless.

But the characteristic of a villain is often that he will mess with you even if you don't ask to mess with him.

After Emperor Hongguang came to power, Ruan Dacheng once again used his ability as a fence-sitter to the extreme.

He tried every possible means and finally gained the trust of Emperor Hongguang. Relying on his ability in writing storybooks, he was promoted to the Minister of War.

Soon, Ruan Dacheng relied on the power in his hands to frame Hou Fangyu. He fabricated a crime and put Hou Fangyu in jail.

Later, with the careful arrangement of Li Xiangjun, Hou Fangyu escaped from Nanjing City overnight and escaped from the clutches of Ruan Dacheng.

In this chaotic and lawless world, love became Li Xiangjun's only hope.

However, at this moment, Hou Fangyu was not only the lover she missed day and night, but also the leader of Fushe who shouldered heavy responsibilities.

When the love she relied on most was closely linked to the future and destiny of the country, she chose to give up her personal romance without hesitation and let her lover go and do his duties.

Li Xiangjun stayed alone on the banks of the Qinhuai River in Nanjing to avoid being harassed by Ruan Dacheng.

She immediately closed the door to visitors and lived an extraordinary and secluded life.

But who would have thought that Ruan Dacheng's villainous nature would once again take his shamelessness to an even greater level.

When the favorite ministers of Emperor Hongguang were moved by Ruan Dacheng's exaggerated description, Ruan Dacheng carried a sedan chair directly to the door of Li Xiangjun's house.

The loyal Li Xiangjun looked at Ruan Dacheng's smug face.

She was so heartbroken that she would rather die than suffer this humiliation!

It happened in a flash. Li Xiangjun made up her mind and suddenly ran headfirst into the railing next to the sedan chair.

The bright red blood splattered on the round fan given to her by her lover, and the bloodstains were very similar to the bright red peach blossoms.

Afterwards, their good friends used the bloodstains on the fan to outline a few peach blossoms, and it became the famous peach blossom fan.

Li Xiangjun threw herself into the sedan chair, which made Ruan Dacheng very scared.

They were afraid that someone would die and they would have to explain themselves, so they called off the marriage.

But the villain Ruan Dacheng was not willing to give up. He then petitioned Emperor Hongguang to summon Li Xiangjun into the palace to serve as a singer.

The tide of troubled times swept everyone up. How could Li Xiangjun, a prostitute, fly out of the high palace wall by her own strength?

Dorgon led the Eight Banners of Manchuria to capture the city of Yangzhou. Naturally, Nanjing, not far from Yangzhou, could not escape the tragic fate.

There was chaos in Nanjing city. Li Xiangjun ran out of the palace gate with the fleeing crowd and staggered back to the Qinhuai River.

Looking at the once bustling painted boats with singing birds and dancing swallows, all reduced to ashes in the sea of ​​fire, I couldn't help but feel sad.

During her escape, Li Xiangjun met her master Su Kunsheng at Changban Bridge, and went to Suzhou with her.

As fate would have it, Li Xiangjun missed Hou Fangyu, who was anxiously rushing back to Nanjing day and night to find her.

Two people who love each other are teased by fate.

After being displaced and tortured, Li Xiangjun became a nun in Qixia Mountain.

It was also in this year that Hou Fangyu finally found out the news of his lover and rushed to Qixia Mountain. The two people who met again after a long separation naturally felt infinite emotion in their hearts.

In this troubled time, it is already a very happy thing for two people who love each other to be able to live together and share the ups and downs!

Li Xiangjun followed Hou Fangyu back to his hometown in Shangqiu as a concubine, and changed her name to Wu to conceal her identity.

As a married woman, Li Xiangjun was not only filial to her parents-in-law, but also got along very harmoniously with Hou Fangyu's original wife.

Therefore, she and her lover Hou Fangyu spent the happiest and most blessed eight years of their lives.

Hou Fangyu, who loved Li Xiangjun deeply, went to Nanjing to find her relatives, but she never expected that her identity as a famous prostitute in Qinhuai was exposed and she was angrily driven out of the house by Hou Fangyu's father.

At that time, Li Xiangjun was pregnant and her physical condition was very poor.

Missing her husband day and night, she became even more depressed and eventually passed away due to tuberculosis. (End of this chapter)