The videos I watched became popular in ancient times

Among the talented women in ancient times, Yan Rui must have a place.

Although in the eyes of most people, people working in brothels are immoral.

But most of the women who roamed there were those who sold their art rather than their bodies, and there were also some talented women who were well-read in poetry and proficient in music.

Although Yan Rui was born a singing girl, her poetry, calligraphy and painting were also unique at that time.

But such a talented woman had a tragic fate.

He was once framed and tortured by Zhu Xi, and finally it was with the help of Yue Fei's son that he was able to clear his name.

"There are many famous prostitutes who are both talented and beautiful, such as Li Shishi, Liu Rushi, Chen Yuanyuan, etc."

"But the most famous courtesan with a strong character who refused to yield was Yan Rui."

"Yan Rui, a native of Taizhou, Zhejiang, was a female poet in the middle period of the Southern Song Dynasty."

"She was born into a family of scholars and has been beautiful and intelligent since childhood."

"He is quick-witted and proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting."

"Later, her family fell into poverty and she was sold into the entertainment industry and became a camp prostitute."

"Yan Rui is proficient in music, chess, singing, dancing, stringed instruments, calligraphy and painting. She has extensive knowledge of both ancient and modern times, and she is also very beautiful."

"Such a talented and beautiful woman soon became famous in Taizhou, and people often came from thousands of miles away to visit her."

"Many dignitaries also wanted to see her extraordinary beauty and extraordinary talent. Among them was a man who was very important in her life, Tang Zhongyou, the governor of Taizhou at the time."

"When Tang Zhongyou first took office as the governor of Taizhou, he heard that Yan Rui was quite famous."

"He admired her very much, so he invited her to his home for a banquet and recited poems and lyrics."

"While appreciating the peach blossoms, he ordered Yan Rui to write a short poem on the theme of red and white peach blossoms."

"Yan Rui immediately responded with a poem, which is called "Ru Meng Ling"."

"It's pear blossoms, but it's not. It's apricot blossoms, but it's not."

"White and red, a special flavor of the east wind."

"I remember, I remember, I was slightly drunk in Wuling."

"This little poem is very interesting. It seems to be very clear, but it is very interesting and full of flavor."

"Tang Zhongyou was full of praise and clapped his hands in admiration."

"So, out of joy, he rewarded Yan Rui with two pieces of fine silk."

"From then on, Yan Rui and Tang Zhongyou formed an indissoluble bond."

"The two came into contact more and more frequently, and gradually developed feelings for each other."

"One is a beautiful lady with both talent and beauty, and the other is a scholar with a wealth of knowledge."

"They are indeed a couple who met too late and admire each other."

"Tang Zhongyou felt that it was a shame for a talented woman like Yan Rui to fall into prostitution."

"It's such a pity. I just wanted to help her quit being a prostitute and become a good woman."

"But if a prefect deported a courtesan, it would be hard for him to prove his innocence if the news got out."

"In the end, the separation was dropped because the difference in their identities was too great."

“It can be seen that even if you meet the right person.”

"If the timing and identity are not right, it will still be a regrettable thing that cannot be helped."

Cao Xueqin: Yan Rui transformed herself from a beautiful middleman who accepted bribes to do favors for others into a chivalrous prostitute with a brave and righteous heart.

From a beautiful matchmaker to a chaste and chivalrous prostitute, from being despised and reviled by the common people at that time to being praised and admired by later generations.

Yan Rui needs to thank three people. The first is Hong Mai who wrote "Yijianzhi", the second is Zhou Mi, and the third is Ling Mengchu.

It was under the beautification and processing of these three people that the prostitute Yan Rui was transformed into an upright, loyal and chivalrous prostitute.

Hong Mai, a contemporary of Zhu Xi and Tang Zhongyou, glorified Yan Rui and distorted Zhu Xi in his articles.

Zhou Mi and Ling Mengchu both continued to refine Hong Mai's words.

Hong Mai's article praising Yan Rui has three obvious loopholes.

First, Yan Rui was arrested in Huangyan County and then detained by the Shaoxing Administrative Court for investigation.

The Court of Appeal is the judicial institution in each state responsible for criminal justice, trials, and prisons. There is no such thing as being tried in two places.

As the governor of Zhejiang East, Zhu Xi had no right to interrogate or torture prisoners.

Even if Yan Rui might be caned in Huangyan County, it has nothing to do with the case.

She was a prostitute from Taizhou and she fled to Huangyan, a subordinate suburban county, without going through the formal procedures to renounce her status. This was definitely illegal and according to the law she would be beaten first after being arrested.

Second, Yue Fei’s son Yue Lin had never served as the chief of criminal justice in eastern Zhejiang.

Moreover, Yue Lin had close relations with Taoist scholars headed by Zhu Xi. Yue Lin's daughter married Chen Junqing's son, and Yue Lin himself also had correspondence with Zhu Xi.

It was impossible for the cunning Wang Huai to allow Yue Lin, who had close ties with Taoists, to inquire into the Tang Zhongyou case.

Third, the highly praised poem "Bosuan Zi" was written by Tang Zhongyou's relative imitating the tone of a prostitute.

How to go? How to stay?

As long as I can have my hair filled with wild flowers, don’t ask me where I’m going.

Yan Rui was being prepared to be deregistered by Tang Zhongyou but had not yet been deregistered and was temporarily placed with relatives in Yongkang. She had a contradictory mentality, feeling that she might be liberated but also homeless.

It was not written by Yan Rui while being tortured as Hong Mai said, and Yue Lin himself would not be so foolish as to release a prisoner just because of a song.

Hong Mai did not explain what crime Tang Zhongyou committed, nor did he say what crime Yan Rui committed. He only saw Yan Rui being tortured and remaining steadfast.

The reason why Hong Mai vilified Zhu Xi was simply because the two were sworn enemies.

Hong Mai took the surrender and peace line, while Zhu Xi was a staunch advocate of war.

In his early years, Hong Mai was a retainer of a capitulationist prime minister. Later, he was favored by Emperor Xiaozong and was regarded as a traitor by Taoists.

Zhu Xi, who hated evil, was very disgusted with Hong Mai and once wrote a letter to expose Hong Mai's advocacy of peace and opposition to war.

He directly denounced Hong Mai as a treacherous and slanderous person who should not stay by the emperor's side and should be dismissed.

Given the relationship between the two, it is clear that Hong Mai wrote the article to vilify Zhu Xi simply out of personal revenge.

"The sky is unpredictable, and people are prone to misfortune and fortune."

"I thought that life as a camp prostitute was a life of forced happiness and misery, but I didn't expect that this kind of life would not last long."

"Yan Rui has encountered an even greater disaster. She is really caught in the crossfire."

"Because the Yongkang School of Tang Zhongyou, the governor of Taizhou, opposed Zhu Xi's philosophical theories."

"Zhu Xi, who was already 52 years old, was very dissatisfied with this and submitted six memorials to impeach Tang Zhongyou."

"The reasons are that he is a corrupt official and is suspected of corruption and bribery."

"Speaking of which, Zhu Xi's nameless anger is really bizarre."

"It's too ungentlemanly and too narrow-minded."

"He even imprisoned Yan Rui, who had been in contact with Tang Zhongyou, for violating public morals and made her confess to having an improper relationship with Tang Zhongyou in order to frame him."

"Because the Song Dynasty had clear regulations, although there were official prostitutes and military prostitutes."

"But when the government has wine, they can only sing and serve wine while standing, and they are not allowed to sleep with them privately."

"In other words, it's okay to accompany someone drinking and writing poetry, but it's not okay to accompany someone sleeping with her."

"Little did they know that Yan Rui appears to be a weak and frail woman."

"Inside, he is very understanding and knowledgeable."

"She is a woman of strong character who would rather die than surrender."

"She was tortured for two months, and even though she was dying, she was unwilling to frame Tang Zhongyou."

"Seeing Yan Rui was about to die, things suddenly took a turn for the better. It was Yan Rui's fate that was saved!"

"Zhu Xi's memorial accusing Tang Zhongyou of corruption was intercepted by Prime Minister Wang Huai, who then told Emperor Xiaozong Zhao Shen that the matter was a dispute among scholars."

"Emperor Xiaozong then transferred Zhu Xi away and ordered Yue Fei's son Yue Lin to take over as the chief judge."

"Yue Lin is an upright person with great empathy."

"After he arrived, he heard about Yan Rui's situation and felt very sympathetic and compassionate towards her, so he released her."

"I also heard that she is good at writing lyrics, so I asked her to write a lyric based on her own feelings."

"Yan Rui was filled with emotion and immediately chanted a poem from 'Bosuanzi'."

"It's not that I love the world, it's just that I was misled by my past."

"Flowers bloom and fall at their own time, and it all depends on the Lord of the East."

"You have to go eventually, so why should you stay?"

"If I could have my hair filled with wild flowers, don't ask me where I'm going."

"This poem can be regarded as Yan Rui's complaint against social injustice."

Li Qingzhao: Zhu Xi tortured the famous prostitute Yan Rui to extract a confession, but Yan Rui refused to confess and went on to slander his political enemies.

The Neo-Confucian philosopher Zhu Xi arrested the famous prostitute Yan Rui and put her in prison, and ordered the jailer to strip her clothes off.

She was not given a bed or even straw, and was left lying on the cold ground.

He also ordered the jailer to torture her severely, forcing her to admit that she had an improper relationship with the governor. But what Zhu Xi did not expect was that although Yan Rui was a weak woman and had been tortured for a long time, she refused to confess.

Several days passed, but nothing useful could be gotten out of Yan Rui.

Zhu Xi felt very troubled because for him, this matter could not be delayed too long.

As an official in charge of disaster relief, he had no right to put anyone in jail, and a weak woman certainly could not resist him.

But if his political enemies in the court used this incident to attack him, he would really have no way to defend himself.

Zhu Xi arbitrarily fabricated a crime for Yan Rui and sent her to Shaoxing.

As a close confidant of Zhu Xi, the prefect of Shaoxing naturally highly praised his theories.

As soon as he saw Yan Rui, he forced her to confess without asking any questions.

Unexpectedly, Yan Rui ignored his threats and said bluntly that it was impossible to slander Governor Tang.

Seeing that Yan Rui was as stubborn as Zhu Xi had said, the Shaoxing governor said no more.

From then on, screams were heard from the prison every day for two months.

Two months later, Yan Rui had been tortured beyond recognition.

If someone who used to know her saw her for the first time, it would be absolutely impossible for them to connect her now with her then, let alone believe that they were the same person.

Especially her hands, which she used to hold a pen to write, now have all ten fingers red and swollen, and some of them are even broken.

And this was only because the prefect of Shaoxing said during his inspection that it would be a pity to break such a white and tender hand.

Because of this sentence, the jailers pinched her fingers off alive.

The fingers are connected to the heart, so you can imagine the pain.

She even received caning several times, and she almost survived a few times.

Seeing that Yan Rui was not willing to take any tough measures, the governor of Shaoxing came up with another plan.

Someone was called to find Yan Rui's mother and asked her to go to the prison to persuade her daughter.

When Yan Rui's mother saw her daughter being tortured beyond recognition, she burst into tears and wanted her daughter to confess.

Yan Rui was also very sad to see her mother. You know, since her family fell into poverty, she was forced to become a camp prostitute and had never seen her mother again.

Later, thanks to the governor Tang who appreciated her talent in poetry, she was able to go home to visit her mother.

But before he could say a few words, he was taken away by people sent by Zhu Xi.

"In such a patriarchal society, it is so difficult for a weak woman to survive."

"I didn't choose to be a prostitute, but I was forced to do it."

"She had long been tired of her life as a prostitute and hoped that Yue Lin would make a decision for her, allowing her to leave her official duties and become an ordinary person."

"Yue Lin highly praised Yan Rui's poems and was deeply moved."

"I personally deleted her name from the list of camp prostitutes and sentenced her to become a good woman."

"Yue Lin can be regarded as a great benefactor in Yan Rui's life. He not only saved her life, but also allowed her to return to a normal life."

"Yan Rui is very lucky to have met her!"

"Yan Rui's unusual deeds and her vow not to defile the scholar-officials soon spread throughout the capital, and her fame became even greater than before!"

"Such a talented woman with a strong character and noble heart is respected and admired by many people."

"Many high-ranking officials have expressed their desire to marry Yan Rui, saying that with a wife like this, there is nothing more a husband could ask for."

"Soon, a close relative of the Zhao royal family."

"I admired Yan Rui's talent, appearance and especially her character very much, so I married her."

"However, because of the deep-rooted concept of family status, and because Yan Rui had been a camp prostitute, he did not marry her as his legal wife."

"But this man never married another woman."

"There is only one woman in my life, Yan Rui, and I love her very much."

"Therefore, although Yan Rui is not the legal wife in name, in reality she is no different from the legal wife."

"Yan Rui's life was full of hardships, she experienced a lot of suffering and was ignored."

"Finally the dust has settled and there is a good ending. It's so touching that it makes me cry."

"Looking back on Yan Rui's life, it is thrilling, tortuous and legendary."

"She was born into a family of scholars, but her family suffered a misfortune and she was forced to become a courtesan."

"In fact, if you have no worries about food and clothing, who would want to become a prostitute?"

"But even so, he did not change his integrity, his noble character, and his chaste temperament. He would rather die than falsely accuse others."

"This is most precious for a weak woman in a patriarchal society."

“Human nature is the softest and most fragile, and it is also the heaviest and most resolute.”

"Yan Rui belongs to the latter. Her humanity is the most charming, so she has a perfect ending after going through so many vicissitudes."

Liu Rushi: Yan Rui, a poet who became a courtesan, was framed by villains and imprisoned. She wrote poems to express her desire for freedom.

Zhu Xi was incompatible with Tang Zhongyou both academically and politically, so he was looking for an opportunity to impeach Tang Zhongyou.

When he heard that Tang Zhongyou and Yan Rui had a close relationship, he ordered the arrest of Yan Rui.

After Yan Rui was arrested, she was tortured and almost died in prison.

But she never said a word against Tang Zhongyou, so she could not be convicted.

In the end, the court had to transfer Zhu Xi and let Yue Fei's son Yue Lin handle the case.

Yue Lin felt very sympathetic towards Yan Rui, so he released her.

When she was released from prison and asked about her future destination, Yan Rui recited the poem "Bosuan Zi".

It’s not that I love the world, but I seem to be misled by past fate.

Flowers bloom from time to time, always the monarch of Lai Dong.

To go must go, and how to live!
If I could have my hair filled with wild flowers, don't ask me where I would go.

This poem expresses Yan Rui's long-suppressed inner feelings in a sad and indignant way.

I don't like this kind of career of selling smiles, which seems glamorous on the surface but is actually painful.

Due to the pressure of life, I unfortunately fell into prostitution. This is all fate.

Fate, like the blooming and falling of flowers, all depends on the God of Spring, which tactfully expresses her hope that Yue Lin will release her.

She used the image of a country girl with wild flowers in her hair to express that she would not be greedy for a life of wealth and glory.

I just want to be a simple country woman and live a simple and free life.

The first part of the poem expresses the poet's anguish at being reduced to prostitution and at the mercy of others.

It’s not that I love the world, but I seem to have been misled by my previous life.

The first sentence directly expresses the author's likes and dislikes. It may seem a bit abrupt, but it clearly shows the author's attitude.

In the Song Dynasty, when the concept of chastity was becoming increasingly popular, prostitutes were particularly despised by society.

Yan Rui's words here are not just self-defense, they also contain self-hurt and even more resentment of injustice.

A predecessor, the pain deep in her heart.

The miserable life experience and rough experiences are all hidden in a word that cannot be explained clearly.

The poet uses natural phenomena to illustrate his own situation.

The falling flowers are a metaphor for one's misfortune and being imprisoned.

The blooming of flowers is a metaphor for one’s own release.

Sometimes, the poet believed that he was innocent and would be released.

The title "General Dongjun" implies the emperor's expectation for Yue Lin, the official in charge of prisons, that he can change his fate.

The second half of the poem expresses the poet's desire for happiness, freedom and a beautiful life.

You must leave eventually, so how can you stay?

The poem "It must eventually" expresses the poet's firm belief in getting out of the cage.

The word "how" reflects the helplessness of being unable to leave prison. It is an appeal against one's own grievances and an accusation against reality.

If I could have my hair filled with wild flowers, don't ask me where I would go.

This sentence reflects the poet's imagination, presenting a bright picture.

It's spring, flowers are blooming, and a beautiful lady with flowers in her hair is dancing among the flowers.

One can imagine that this is a free paradise far away from the life of camp prostitutes, and from this sentence one can deeply appreciate the poet's yearning for a better life.

This is a poem expressing her true feelings in front of her superiors, when she was expressing her wishes.

One has to take the specific occasion and object into consideration and adopt a more subtle approach in order to arouse the other party's sympathy.

But she did not humble herself because of this. Instead, she expressed her wishes in a tactful and clear manner without being humble or arrogant.

It implies that although Yan Rui is still in a neglected stage, she still insists on her ideals and pursuits in life.

This is a confession from a prostitute who lives in a lowly position but respects her own personality. (End of this chapter)