History can't bear to look at the complete collection

Chapter 60
Unforgivable Injustice of the Heartbroken Chen Shimei

Since the drama "The Case of Guillotine" is well-known, Chen Shimei has become synonymous with a heartless man, but did this hated man really exist in history?
In Chinese history, there was indeed a person named Chen Shimei. According to the "Dictionary of Historical Figures in Hubei", "Chen Shimei, an official in the Qing Dynasty, was originally named Niangu, also known as Shumei, Junzhou (that is, Jun County, Hubei, now Danjiangkou) City) people, born in an official family."

In the eighth year of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty, it coincided with the opening of the imperial examination in the capital.Although Chen Shimei is full of talents and ambitions, she cannot attend the exam due to her poor family.Therefore, some enthusiastic people came forward to match, and Chen Shimei got the support of several classmates to go to Beijing for the examination. He and these classmates took the scientific examination together.As a result, Chen Shimei won the Jinshi examination and was appointed as the county magistrate of the seventh grade, while the other students who went to the exam with him were all named Luosunshan.Here is the document "Junzhou Zhi?"Jinshi Pian" records: "In the eighth year of Shunzhi (1651) Xin Maoke Jinshi."

Later, Chen Shimei was promoted to Shaanxi Xuedao, specializing in selecting talents for the country.Chen Shimei was promoted by Emperor Kangxi to be the inspector of Guizhou because of his clean and honest official, and he also served as the chief secretary to participate in politics, and held an important third-rank official position.

According to the local folklore and the inscription about Chen Shimei found in Danjiangkou City in 1992, it is believed that Chen Shimei is an upright official, upright and honest, who understands the people's sentiments.

After reading this, people may have doubts, since Chen Shimei is said to be an upright and upright official, why would he bear the heinous crime of "hating the poor and loving the rich, killing his wife and children"?There is indeed another reason for this.It is said that when Chen Shimei was an official in Guizhou, many classmates from his hometown came to seek refuge. He hoped that Chen could find official positions for them.Later, as more and more investors came and it was difficult to deal with them, the housekeeper was ordered to decline them all.

Hu Mengdie, a classmate who lives in Qinjiapo, a suburb of Junzhou, once donated to Chen Shimei when he went to Beijing for the exam together.Later, Hu Mengdie and another classmate Qiu Menglin wanted to approach Chen Shimei for an official position, but after being rejected by the housekeeper, he suddenly felt revenge.

After the two returned home, they spared no expense to ask the theater troupe to modify the plot of a play "Pipa Story" according to their own wishes, replacing the ungrateful male protagonist in the play with Chen Shimei, whom they resent, and Qin Xianglian, the female protagonist. , made up a new play that they thought was better than "Pipa", which is said to be the later "Sai Pipa".

The content of the play is almost the same, but the name has been changed.They didn't dare to use their real names, but changed Chen Shumei to Chen Shimei, and even called Chen Shimei a son-in-law, performing in Shaanxi and Henan.According to legend, when a Henan troupe performed this play in Junzhou at the end of the Qing Dynasty, a descendant of Chen Shimei saw it and vomited blood on the spot. Man, the show was forced to stop.

Ordinary places and people don't take this play seriously, but in Danjiangkou City (formerly Junzhou), residents surnamed Chen have always taken this matter seriously, saying that this play has wronged a good person, so they are aggrieved and are not allowed to perform Chen Shimei's play in Jun County. play.

But Chen Shimei was from the Qing Dynasty, how could he be killed by Baogong of the Song Dynasty?
It is said that on the sixteenth day of the first month of a certain year in the Qing Dynasty, a troupe performed "Qin Xianglian Holding a Pipa". There were a lot of people watching the play.The class leader had no choice but to add a short play of "Chen Zhou Releases Grain" before the main play.

At noon, Chen Shimei's family general Han Qi was ordered to hunt down Qin Xianglian, and then let Qin Xianglian go. Han Qi committed suicide, and Qin Xianglian dragged her children and fell into a pool of blood... The play ended here.The theatergoers refused to leave, and everyone shouted in unison: "Kill Chen Shimei!" Bricks and tiles were thrown at the stage.The head of the class was anxious like ants on a hot pot, circling around, not daring to show his face at the front desk, so he quickly slipped to the backstage.

At this time, "Bao Gong" who sang "Chenzhou Releases Grain" hadn't finished his clothes yet. He asked, "What's the matter with the audience? What happened?" Come on, push him and say, "Quick, come to the front desk and continue singing."

"Baogong" said: "You are so confused! I am in the Song Dynasty, and Chen Shimei is in the Qing Dynasty. They are hundreds of years apart. How can they sing on the same stage?" The foreman said, "Chen Shimei is a son-in-law, who dares to kill him? Only you, 'Bao Heizi', can kill him with a stern face and vent your anger on the common people. It's a bad show."

The black-faced Bao Gong had to re-dress, and led Wang Chao, Ma Han, Zhang Long, and Zhao Hu to the stage. When he sang, he cut Chen Shimei down, and the audience cheered.Since then, the small play "Qin Xianglian Holding the Pipa" has become a big play "The Case of Beauty".

It turned out that these so-called loathing the poor and loving the rich, killing his wife and children, imposed on Chen Shimei were actually the actions of some villains who were jealous of the virtuous and capable.Now it seems that it is really a case of injustice through the ages, and Chen Shimei is like this, who has suffered strange injustice for a hundred years.

(End of this chapter)