The videos I watched became popular in ancient times

Looking back on Song Zhiwen's life, it is not difficult to find that Song Zhiwen is actually a typical scholar from a poor family.

Although he passed the imperial examination, he suddenly gained power and held a high position.

But people like him may be good at taking exams, but they have no idea how to be an official.

Therefore, such people often regard the superficial things in officialdom as the truth.

Believe that as long as you curry favor with the powerful, you can get everything you want.

"Song Zhiwen was born in this year, during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Zhi."

"Shortly before Song Zhiwen was born, Wu Zetian had just won the harem struggle, defeated Li Zhi's original queen Wang, and became the new queen of the Tang Dynasty."

"Like many other great poets of his time, Song Zhiwen was not born into a rich family, but rather came from the lower classes."

"During the Tang Dynasty, the imperial examination system had just begun to be fully implemented, and the country's selection of talents was actually still at the stage where assessment and recommendation were carried out in parallel."

"Those talented people who come from aristocratic families can become officials after they reach adulthood, relying on the influence of their family ancestors."

"You don't have to pass the imperial examination, so naturally you won't spend too much time on writing poetry."

"But it's different for students from poor families. For them, the imperial examination is their only path to success."

"If poor students want to become officials, they have to study hard."

"Poetry happened to be one of the subjects in the imperial examinations in the Tang Dynasty. In order to get good grades, poor students would naturally work hard to learn how to write poetry."

"So it's no surprise that most great poets come from humble backgrounds."

"After all, it's all for my own future."

"The imperial examinations tested Tang poetry, and Tang poetry became extremely brilliant."

"Compared to the later poets, Song Zhiwen was born relatively early."

"Especially his father's generation, they can almost be said to be the first group of people to enjoy the dividends of this era."

"Song Zhiwen's father, named Song Lingwen, also came from a low-income family."

"According to the situation in the past, the Song family would never have a chance to rise to prominence, and Song Lingwen would never have the chance to become an official in his lifetime."

"But it happened that in the early Tang Dynasty, as the imperial examination system matured, Song Lingwen had the opportunity to become an official."

"Song Lingwen is extremely talented, known for his calligraphy, painting, and strength, and is proficient in both literature and martial arts."

"In short, Song Lingwen was one of the first officials from humble backgrounds to pass the imperial examination system and become an official."

"Because of those special experiences in his early years, Song Lingwen is also very good at educating children."

"The three sons of the Song family were all taught very well by Song Lingwen."

"Due to his father's influence, Song Zhiwen has been deeply influenced by culture since he was a child and his family is well-educated."

"In addition, the father of the Song family is known as the Three Wonders, and the three sons of the Song family have inherited one of their father's unique skills."

"Song Zhiti inherited his father's martial arts, Song Zhixun inherited his father's calligraphy, and Song Zhiwen specialized in literature and poetry."

"Song Zhiwen, who had just reached the age of adulthood, passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi, thus officially embarking on a career as an official."

"To pass the imperial examination at the age of 20 is definitely a genius among geniuses."

"When Song Zhiwen entered the court as an official, Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Zhi, was still in power."

"However, Li Zhi was already suffering from a severe headache and was unable to manage state affairs, so the power of the government fell into the hands of Empress Wu Zetian."

"After Wu Zetian came to power, she promoted young people from poor families on a large scale in order to consolidate her position."

"As a result, Song Zhiwen, who came from a poor family, naturally had a huge opportunity."

"Not long after Song Zhiwen started his official career, he was assigned to the Literature Museum because of his talent and reputation."

"After working in the Literature Museum for a period of time, Song Zhiwen was awarded the post of military officer in Luozhou."

Su Shi: Song Zhiwen, a great poet in the early Tang Dynasty, offered himself to Wu Zetian for sex, but was rejected by the empress because of his bad breath.

Song Zhiwen's father was General of the Left Guard and Academician of Dongtai, Song Lingwen.

Song Lingwen was rich in literary talent, skilled in calligraphy, and extremely powerful, which were known as the three wonders in the world.

Under the influence of their father, Song Zhiwen and his younger brothers Song Zhiti and Song Zhixun have been diligent and studious since childhood, and each inherited one of the advantages of their father Song Lingwen.

Song Zhiwen was famous for his poetry when he was young. He once lived in seclusion in Songshan Mountain and studied under the Taoist priest Pan Shizheng.

At that time, Song Zhiwen also studied under Sun Simiao together with Lu Zhaolin and others.

Song Zhiwen was summoned into the palace by Wu Zetian as a famous scholar, and became a scholar in the palace's Art Academy together with Yang Jiong.

Afterwards, Song Zhiwen was transferred to be a military officer in Luozhou, and later transferred to be the Shangfang Jiancheng, an official of the sixth rank in charge of judging and supervising.

Wu Zetian changed the Konghe Palace into Fengchen Palace and appointed her male favorite Zhang Yizhi as the Fengchen Order.

Because of his attachment to Zhang Yizhi's brothers, Song Zhiwen served as the Zuo Fengchen Nei Gong, and became a court literary attendant.

During this period, Song Zhiwen often wrote poems in response to imperial edicts on behalf of Zhang Yizhi and his brothers.

At the same time, Song Zhiwen also wrote many poems in response to imperial orders, the most famous of which is "Longmen Yingzhi".

It describes the grand occasion of the Longmen tour, combining the renewal of everything with the change of the country's name.

When Wu Zetian was seriously ill, ministers such as Cui Xuan and Zhang Jianzhi rose up in rebellion to restore Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, Li Xian. The brothers Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong were killed.

Because Song Zhiwen flattered and served the Zhang brothers as a member of their faction, he was demoted to a military officer in Longzhou.

Due to the harsh environment in Longzhou, Song Zhiwen and his brother Song Zhixun secretly returned to Luoyang and hid in the house of their friend Zhang Zhongzhi.

After finding out that Zhang Zhongzhi and the son-in-law of Wu Zetian, Wang Tongjiao, were plotting to kill Wu Sansi, the nephew of Wu Zetian, Song Zhiwen had his nephew Song Tan reveal the plan to Wu Sansi, which resulted in the beheading of Zhang Zhongzhi and Wang Tongjiao and the confiscation of their property.

Song Zhiwen, because of his meritorious service in informing on others, was appointed as the Assistant Clerk of the Honglu Bureau.

Emperor Zhongzong of Tang added the post of Xiuwenguan Academician, and Song Zhiwen was elected. He once again became a court literary attendant and also wrote many poems in response to imperial orders.

At that time, Song Zhiwen was highly valued because of his flattery to Princess Taiping.

When Princess Anle became powerful, Song Zhiwen turned around and tried to curry favor with her.

Princess Taiping was quite resentful about this, so she wrote a letter to impeach Song Zhiwen and exposed his ugly behavior of taking bribes.

As a result, Song Zhiwen was demoted to the position of Chief Secretary of Yuezhou.

As soon as Emperor Ruizong of Tang, Li Dan, ascended the throne, he began to liquidate the power of Empress Wei and Wu Sansi.

Because his past dependence on Zhang Yizhi brothers and Wu Sansi was exposed, Song Zhiwen was demoted to Qinzhou, south of Longzhou.

Song Zhiwen was ordered to be executed by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, in Qinzhou, where he was exiled. He was about 57 years old.

"Soon after that, Song Zhiwen and Yang Jiong were transferred to Chongwenguan as academicians at the same time."

"Chongwenguan is a very special institution. This place is specially for the prince to study."

"So, Song Zhiwen's transfer this time is equivalent to being directly transferred to be the prince's lecturer."

"Being able to be the prince's teacher is of great significance."

"As long as the prince successfully ascends the throne in the future, as his teacher, my future will be bright. There is no doubt about that."

"However, as his career became smoother and he enjoyed higher and higher treatment, Song Zhiwen gradually started to go astray."

"To be precise, it should be called a misguided path."

"Under normal circumstances, since I have become the prince's teacher, the next step is naturally to teach the prince well, wait for the prince to ascend the throne, and wait for promotion in the future."

"However, Song Zhiwen, who came from a low-income family, did not understand these principles at all because of his family education."

"So for many years afterwards, Song Zhiwen began to take the path of currying favor with the powerful, doing his best to flatter Wu Zetian."

"In Song Zhiwen's opinion, flattering Wu Zetian might be a shortcut to officialdom."

"But for those noble children who come from aristocratic families and whose ancestors have served as officials for generations."

"People know better that besides building relationships, what is more important is to have strong political achievements."

"Song Zhiwen's situation is not a special case, but a true reflection of the vast majority of officials from poor families in that era."

"Because before this era, there has never been a precedent of officials from humble backgrounds holding high positions and holding great power."

"So when Wu Zetian came to power, this loophole was opened, and many officials from humble backgrounds began to occupy high positions."

"This led to a very strange phenomenon in the early days of Wu Zetian's reign."

"After passing the imperial examinations and holding high positions, officials from poor families often do not think about how to contribute to the country, but only about how to be greedy for money and curry favor with their superiors."

"This is actually understandable. Those officials who come from aristocratic families have a lot of wealth left by their ancestors."

"If people can live comfortably just by relying on their ancestors' inheritance, they will naturally not put corruption first, but will think about getting more power."

"But officials from poor families are different. When they suddenly come to power, they naturally want to improve their lives."

"Under such circumstances, it is not surprising that officials from poor families began to embezzle and amass wealth."

"However, compared to those greedy officials, Song Zhiwen is a little different."

"What Song Zhiwen desires more is prestige and fame."

"So, he did his best to flatter Wu Zetian, hoping that Wu Zetian would use him more."

"Faced with Song Zhiwen's question, Wu Zetian also had a scale in her heart."

"Wu Zetian knew very well that people like Song Zhiwen could be kept around as embellishments."

"But it is absolutely impossible for him to be reused, and it is impossible for him to become a pillar of the country like Di Renjie."

"But unfortunately, Song Zhiwen himself doesn't understand this principle."

"In the following ten years, after Li Zhi's death, Wu Zetian began to rule as the empress dowager."

"Then she seized the throne from her own son and became the empress."

"During this period, although Song Zhiwen's official position was promoted, he always held some insignificant official positions."

Li Qingzhao: Song Zhiwen, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, was talented and charming, but was eventually sentenced to death.

Song Zhiwen was born into a scholarly family. His father, Song Lingwen, was a general of the Left Guard during the reign of Emperor Gaozong.

His father was a scholar in the early Tang Dynasty who was good at literature, calligraphy and music. Song Zhiwen received a good family education since he was a child and had a strong interest in literature.

He worked very hard, studied poetry and books, and learned diligently.

Song Zhiwen, a tall and handsome man, passed the imperial examination and was initially appointed as the Wei of Luoyang.

At that time, Empress Wu was in power. In order to win over the people, she selected a large number of talents. Song Zhiwen and Yang Jiong, one of the Four Great Talents of the Early Tang Dynasty, were assigned to the Nei Literary Institute.

Wu Zetian visited Longmen in Luoyang, saw enough Buddha statues and spring scenery, and rested at Xiangshan Temple on the east mountain of Longmen.

He ordered all officials to compose poems to praise him, and issued an edict saying that whoever finished writing a poem first would be awarded a brocade robe.

Zuo Shi Dongfang Qiu finished writing the poem first, and Wu Zetian immediately awarded him a brocade robe. But as soon as Dongfang Qiu sat down, Song Zhiwen presented him with the poem "Longmen Yingzhi".

Not only was the poem written quickly, but it was also written in an elegant and beautiful style with each word expressing pearls of wisdom, which immediately moved Wu Zetian.

Wu Zetian was very happy and took the brocade robe back from Dongfang Qiu and gave it to Song Zhiwen instead.

Song Zhiwen was an outstanding talent, quick witted and able to write well. He became famous for his literary talent due to the incident of taking the robe and giving it to Song.

During the Wu Zhou period, Song Zhiwen not only accompanied Empress Wu to court meetings and outings, but also flattered her close ministers and relatives and enjoyed banquets and leisurely entertainments.

Song Zhiwen then turned to the emperor's male favorites, the Zhang Yizhi brothers, who admired his talent.

Prime Minister Zhang Jianzhi and Prince's Chief Steward Wang Tongjiao forced Empress Wu to abdicate, executed the two Zhangs, and enthroned Emperor Zhongzong of Tang.

Not long after, he could no longer bear the life in the wild land of Lingnan, and secretly fled back to Luoyang without telling the court, hiding in the home of Wang Tongjiao in Luoyang.

Wang Tongjiao once worked with Prime Minister Zhang Jianzhi to force Wu Zetian to retreat and kill the Zhang brothers, so his family was indeed the safest.

Because he had escaped and did not dare to see his former friends and relatives, he wrote "Crossing the Han River".

Wang Tongjiao treated him to good wine and meat every day, promised to help him, and even slept with his feet close to him.

However, Song Zhiwen discovered a big secret at this time. Wang Tongjiao and Zhang Zhongzhi were plotting to kill Wu Zetian's nephew Wu Sansi!
When Song Zhiwen heard about it, he immediately sent his nephew to report it, and Zhang Zhongzhi's entire family was killed.

Song Zhiwen sold out his friends for fame and fortune, and was promoted to be the chief clerk of the Honglu.

Song Zhiwen first attached himself to Wu Sansi. After Wu Sansi's death, he attached himself to Princess Anle. Princess Taiping exposed his corruption when he was in charge of the tribute examination and demoted him to the governor of Yue.

The fresh and beautiful water town also helped him to purify his soul and elevate his realm. In Yuezhou, he began to work diligently and love the people.

He climbed dangerous mountains and visited people's lives. During this time, he sincerely praised Dayu's eternal virtue of controlling floods, saving people from disasters and rescuing people.

Li Longji and Princess Taiping killed Empress Wei and Princess Anle, and restored Emperor Ruizong of Tang to the throne.

After Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, ascended the throne, Song Zhiwen was executed in exile because he had once been affiliated with Wu Sansi. He was 56 years old.

Song Zhiwen's character was not very good, but his literary achievements were outstanding.

When he wrote prose and poetry, he paid attention to metaphor and allusion, precise parallelism, and subtle strokes, making a significant contribution to the prosody of poetry.

Song Zhiwen was talented, had outstanding literary talent and was good at flattery. He was appreciated by Wu Zetian and was promoted all the way.

But he was a flatterer and ended up standing on the wrong side and being sentenced to death, which is a pity!

"After a few years, as Wu Zetian firmly established herself on the throne, she began to indulge in pleasure and started to keep male favorites."

"Among them, the most favored ones are the brothers Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong."

"The appearance of the Zhang brothers also gave Song Zhiwen a glimmer of hope."

"After that, Song Zhiwen completely abandoned his scholarly aloofness and tried his best to curry favor with the Zhang brothers. It is said that he even carried a urinal for them."

"Later, under the advice of the Zhang brothers, Song Zhiwen wrote an erotic poem."

"I presented it to Wu Zetian, hoping to please her and become her male favorite."

"However, after Wu Zetian received the erotic poem, although she praised the poem itself, she did not mention the male favorite at all."

"After Song Zhiwen left, Wu Zetian told the people around her that Song Zhiwen had bad breath, so Wu Zetian didn't like him."

"Although he failed to become the Queen's male favorite because of his bad breath."

"But in the following years, Song Zhiwen still tried his best to flatter Wu Zetian, hoping that Wu Zetian would give him a higher position."

"But Song Zhiwen never expected that his efforts not only did not bring him rewards, but instead brought him disaster."

"A few years later, Wu Zetian's health deteriorated and she had to stay in Yingxian Palace to recuperate."

"After that, Prime Minister Zhang Jianzhi launched a coup, killed the Zhang brothers, and forced Wu Zetian to return the throne to Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, Li Xian."

"After the Shenlong coup, Li Xian ascended the throne for the second time. Officials like Song Zhiwen, who had close contacts with the Zhang brothers before, naturally suffered bad luck."

"Not long after, Song Zhiwen was directly demoted to Guangdong."

"After being demoted to Guangdong, Song Zhiwen refused to accept the appointment and secretly fled Guangdong and returned to the capital."

"After returning to the capital, I happened to meet two of Song Zhiwen's friends who were plotting to get rid of Prime Minister Wu Sansi."

"After learning about this, Song Zhiwen immediately betrayed his friend for fame and fortune and betrayed his friend to inform on him."

"Thanks to his merit in informing on the enemy, Song Zhiwen was soon transferred back to the capital by Wu Sansi to serve as the chief clerk of the Honglu Bureau."

"Not long after Song Zhiwen was transferred back to the capital, a coup d'état took place again in the capital."

"Crown Prince Li Chongjun raised an army and attempted to kill Wu Sansi and Li Xian's Queen Wei."

"But in the end, Li Chongjun only killed Wu Sansi, but failed to kill Empress Wei, and was killed instead."

"After the Jinglong coup, Song Zhiwen once again demonstrated his shamelessness and began to curry favor with Empress Wei's youngest daughter, Princess Anle."

"However, Song Zhiwen's dependence angered Princess Taiping, another big shot in the court."

"After that, Princess Taiping gradually exerted her power and kicked Song Zhiwen to Shaoxing, Zhejiang to serve as an official."

"After being exiled again, this time, Song Zhiwen finally seems to have some experience in being an official."

"But just when Song Zhiwen had just come to some realization, a coup d'état took place in the capital again."

"Princess Taiping and her nephew Li Longji joined forces to kill Wei and enthrone Li Dan as emperor."

"Now, Song Zhiwen's life will be even more difficult."

"Because of his previous record of relying on the two Zhang brothers and Wu Sansi, after Li Dan ascended the throne, Song Zhiwen was directly exiled to Guangxi."

"Two years later, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, ascended the throne."

"Li Longji couldn't stand people like Song Zhiwen, so after he ascended the throne, he simply issued an order to have Song Zhiwen executed."

"Just like that, a great poet ended his life."

Ouyang Xiu: Song Zhiwen flattered Wu Zetian's male favorite, but made countless people cry with his 20-word homesickness poem.

Song Zhiwen, whose courtesy name was Yanqing, lived during the turbulent period of Wu Zetian's reign.

Although he was talented, he failed to uphold the character of a scholar.

In order to curry favor with the powerful, he did not hesitate to curry favor with Wu Zetian's male favorites, the brothers Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong.

The despicable nature of his behavior is truly despicable.

However, history always has two sides, Song Zhiwen's achievements in literature.

Especially his poems about homesickness, which have a completely different look.

Because Song Zhiwen was involved in a palace coup, Wu Zetian demoted him to Longzhou.

It was a remote border area far away from the Central Plains, where the conditions were harsh.

There, he spent countless days of loneliness and despair, far away from the former prosperity and power, with only a deep longing for his hometown left.

It was not until the following spring that he was able to return home.

When he crossed the Han River and was about to return to his long-lost hometown, the complex emotions in his heart surged like a tide, turning into a masterpiece that has been passed down through the ages.

Ling Waiyin's book breaks, and the winter resumes the spring.

It is more timid to be close to hometown, and I dare not ask people.

These two lines of poetry are Song Zhiwen's profound summary of his life in exile.

In the remote and desolate place of Lingnan, he completely lost contact with his relatives and friends in the Central Plains, and had no news from them.

Time seemed to stand still, year after year, spring went and autumn came, winter went and spring came, the endless waiting and loneliness almost swallowed him up.

These two lines of poetry not only express the poet's deep despair and helplessness, but also make people feel the cruelty and ruthlessness of a life of exile.

When Song Zhiwen finally had the opportunity to embark on his journey home and got closer and closer to his hometown, his mood became extremely complicated.

It should be a warm scene of being full of joy and looking forward to reuniting with loved ones.

But the reality was that his heart was filled with fear and anxiety.

Years of exile made him deeply doubt his identity, status and even the value of his existence.

He was afraid to hear about the changes in his hometown, afraid to learn about the safety of his relatives, and even more afraid that he would not be able to integrate into that already unfamiliar world.

Therefore, when he met someone coming from his hometown, he didn't dare to step forward and ask, for fear that the news he got would shatter the last bit of hope and fantasy in his heart.

Every word and sentence in "Crossing the Han River" embodies Song Zhiwen's deep attachment to his hometown, and also reflects his struggle and relief when he was at the lowest point in his life.

The artistic value of this poem lies in the fact that it truly shows the fragility and strength of human nature, as well as the endless longing for home in difficult times.

It allows us to see a different Song Zhiwen, a poet who was exiled and forgotten, but still full of affection for his hometown.

Song Zhiwen's story tells us that talent is important, but morality is equally indispensable.

A person's greatness lies not only in his ability to create works that touch people's hearts.

It is more about the fact that he can stick to his moral bottom line in the complex and ever-changing journey of life and become a respectable person.

Song Zhiwen's life was an interweaving of talent and morality, and a coexistence of glory and shame.

His "Crossing the Han River" allows us to see the tenderness and fragility deep in his heart, and also makes us think more deeply about life.

While appreciating poetry, we should also always remind ourselves to adhere to the moral bottom line and be a person of moral integrity and responsibility.

Because only in this way can we leave behind a glorious chapter that truly belongs to us in the long river of history. (End of this chapter)