1990s: Spring Water Family

Chapter 106 The First Talented Woman of All Time, Portraying Eight-tenths of Her True Character

Lin Xiyu carefully styled her hair, changed into her Hanfu, and found a quiet and beautiful spot in Baotu Spring Park. While reciting her lines, she mentally pictured the voice and smile of the greatest female scholar of all time, striving to give a vivid account of her life so that television viewers watching the promotional video would feel as if they were there.

At the same time, under the strong encouragement of director Du, Gu Bin once again made a cameo appearance, dressing up as Xin Qiji, a hero of the Southern Song Dynasty who resisted the Jin Dynasty.

-

"Li Qingzhao was born in Jinan in 1084. Her former residence is located in Baotu Spring. Her poems are elegant and poignant. She is a representative of the graceful and restrained school of poetry and is known to later generations as the greatest female talent of all time."

Last night, the rain was sparse and the wind was strong. I slept soundly but the wine still lingered. I asked the person rolling up the curtain, who said that the crabapple blossoms were still there. Do you know, do you know, it should be that the green leaves are lush and the red flowers are faded.

"This poem was written by Li Qingzhao when she was 17 years old. It was also in this year that she met and married her husband Zhao Mingcheng in Bianjing."

"Zhao Mingcheng was three years older than Li Qingzhao. After they got married, the couple shared similar interests and had a very deep affection for each other."

"In the third year after her marriage, in 1103, because Emperor Huizong of Song heavily relied on the New Party, which supported Wang Anshi's reforms, her father, Li Gefei, and her father-in-law had political disagreements, and her position was very awkward. So she temporarily parted from her husband and returned to Jinan from Bianjing, where she wrote her famous poem."

"I often remember the sunset at the stream pavilion, so intoxicated that I forgot the way home. When the fun was over, I returned by boat late, but accidentally entered the depths of the lotus flowers. I struggled to cross, startling a flock of gulls and egrets."

The line “Struggling to cross, struggling to cross, startling a flock of gulls and egrets” is not only a description of birds, but also a metaphor for the struggle between two factions, which startled an outsider. This outsider was none other than Li Qingzhao herself.

"In 1106, a general amnesty was declared, and Li Qingzhao returned to Bianjing from Jinan to reunite with her husband. Later, her father-in-law died of vomiting blood after failing to win the position of prime minister from Cai Jing, which affected her son Zhao Mingcheng."

"The couple returned to Zhao Mingcheng's hometown and lived a life of blissful happiness."

"In 1121, after 14 years of seclusion, Zhao Mingcheng suddenly received a transfer order and was sent to Laizhou as the prefect. For some reason, Li Qingzhao did not go with him."

"Because he had no children for many years, Zhao Mingcheng took two concubines in Laizhou. Although the concubines did not give birth to any children, the relationship between the two still developed cracks."

"Upon learning of this, Li Qingzhao used her poetry to express her dissatisfaction and sorrow."

"The fragrance of lotus fades, the jade mat grows cool in autumn. I lightly loosen my silk robe and board the orchid boat alone. Who will send me a brocade letter from the clouds? When the wild geese return, the moon will be full over the western tower."

"Flowers fall and water flows, one longing, two places of sorrow, this feeling cannot be dispelled, just as it leaves the brow, it rises to the heart."

"In 1127, the Jingkang Incident occurred, the Northern Song Dynasty fell, and after Zhao Gou ascended the throne, Zhao Mingcheng was reassigned as the prefect of Jiangning."

"Faced with the invasion of the Jin army, the Southern Song court retreated and tried to survive at all costs. Zhao Mingcheng, who was stationed in Jiangning, abandoned the city and fled. Li Qingzhao was deeply disappointed by his cowardly behavior and wrote her famous 'Summer Quatrain' at the place where Xiang Yu committed suicide."

"One should be a hero in life and a ghost among heroes in death. Even now, I think of Xiang Yu, who refused to cross the Yangtze River."

"In the same year, Zhao Mingcheng passed away due to illness. Li Qingzhao's poems changed from the lively and playful style of her youth to the elegant and melancholic style that came after experiencing the vicissitudes of life."

"During the unstable political situation in the Southern Song Dynasty, Li Qingzhao was constantly on the move. Three years later, she met an unfortunate man on her exile and married Zhang Ruzhou, where she suffered domestic violence."

“In the Southern Song Dynasty at that time, divorce was allowed between husband and wife, and a wife who sued her husband would be sentenced to two years in prison.”

"Li Qingzhao was strong-willed and would rather go to jail than not divorce him. Fortunately, she was only imprisoned for nine days when someone came to her rescue and saved her from imprisonment."

"In 1143, six years after Zhao Mingcheng's death, Li Qingzhao fulfilled his wish by compiling and publishing his book, Jinshi Lu, and also wrote a postscript."

"Jinshi Lu is of great significance to those who study epigraphy. It records about 2000 kinds of bronze and stone inscriptions from the Three Dynasties to the Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties in chronological order, far exceeding the 500 kinds in Ouyang Xiu's Jigu Lu."

"Li Qingzhao's postscript to the Record of Metal and Stone, written by herself, recalls the process of its creation with sincere words and is hailed as a masterpiece of all time."

"Jinshi Lu is not only a milestone in epigraphy, but also carries the academic ideals and life joys and sorrows of Li Qingzhao and Zhao Mingcheng. Its documentary value and humanistic emotions are intertwined, making it a unique testament to the history and culture of the Song Dynasty."

-

Lin Xiyu, having memorized her lines, delivered a vivid and moving account of the life of the greatest female talent of all time. Following Director Du's instructions, she held a scroll in her hand and stood at Shuyu Spring, effortlessly reciting her poem, "Drunken Flower Shade."

"Thin mist and thick clouds cast a pall over the long day; the golden beast incense burner burns out; the Double Ninth Festival has come again; the jade pillow and sandy kitchen are chilled to the bone in the middle of the night."

"After drinking wine by the eastern fence at dusk, a faint fragrance fills my sleeves. Do not say it is not soul-stirring. The west wind rolls up the curtain, and I am thinner than the yellow chrysanthemum."

Her features were delicate and petite, her figure slender, and her waist so thin it could be grasped in one hand. The book in her hand added to her scholarly air.

The greatest female talent of all time was portrayed by her with about 80% accuracy under the director's guidance.

"it is good."

Director Du was very satisfied with his idea and clapped his hands and cheered loudly.

"Next up is our anti-Jin hero."

Li Yan glanced at Gu Bin's appearance and joked with a smile, "If Xin Qiji were really this handsome, I could drool over the screen every day."

Gu Bin is 185 cm tall and has a tall and upright figure. When he puts on the official uniform of a military officer, his three-dimensional brow bone exudes a handsome look that is hard to look away from.

“His skin is a bit pale, let’s darken it a bit.”

Director Du turned around and frowned when he heard Li Yan's words.

"Pfft."

Lin Xiyu couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh out loud.

"I didn't memorize my lines."

Gu Bin turned his head and looked at her with a half-smile.

"Uh."

Lin Xiyu's heart skipped a beat. Sure enough, the next second she heard his teasing voice: "Let her talk. I'll just be a background character and make an appearance on camera."

"How can you be so lazy?"

Li Yan laughed: "Xin Qiji was a hero who resisted the Jin dynasty, his aura is different, it's not appropriate for a girl to talk about him."

"I don't want to memorize my lines."

Gu Bin retorted, "Rote memorization is not my forte."

Lin Xiyu: "."

I feel like I've been subtly insulted.

This person is really something, constantly pushing her limits.

"Xiao Bin, have you looked at it carefully? Xin Qiji's lines are really not suitable for girls to say."

Li Yan patiently reasoned with him: "Xi Yu has a sweet and girlish style, and she doesn't have the right feeling when portraying a rugged military general. Only an unruly young man like you can truly bring out the tough and arrogant spirit that comes from the bones of us Shandong men."

"Yeah, that's right."

Lin Xiyu seized the opportunity to sow discord among him: "He usually acts all cool and arrogant, harder to tame than a wolf cub."

"You're being naughty again."

Gu Bin laughed in exasperation and gave her a sharp rap on the head.

"Xiao Bin, this line should be delivered in a humorous style, not too formally. Just say it casually, like you're telling a joke..."

While the two were chatting and laughing, Li Yan tentatively persuaded them, "If you don't want to memorize it, I'll write it down on paper for you, and you can read it from there."

"I'm not suited for a humorous style."

Gu Bin remained firm: "If you want something funny, I'll find someone for you, I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

Without waiting for Li Yan to speak, he directly called Wang Fan from a public phone.

When Wang Fan heard about the opportunity to appear on television, he arrived in a flash, riding his cool motorcycle and getting there in less than ten minutes.

"Seriously? We have to memorize lines?"

Upon seeing the entire sheet of lines, he immediately looked distressed: "This is too much for me. Do I look like someone who can memorize lines?"

"How about I write it bigger for you, so you can hold it up in your hand?"

Li Yan smiled bitterly and sighed resignedly.

-

"His literary talent rivals that of Su Shi, and his martial prowess rivals that of Yue Fei. He can bring peace to the world with his pen and conquer the world on horseback."

"But his life has been either fighting, or on his way to fighting, or being transferred, or on his way to being transferred."

"Although he had the ambition to serve his country, he had no way to do so. He was the dragon among poets and the representative of the bold and unrestrained school of poetry, Xin Qiji."

"When I was a student, I thought Xin Qiji was a literary youth. Everyone searched for him a thousand times, and suddenly, when they turned around, they found him in the dim light."

"I only realized when I grew up that Xin Qiji was the most capable literary youth in history."

"At the age of 21, he became the leader, leading more than 2,000 followers in an uprising against the Jin people on their territory. Poetry was just his hobby; fighting was his main job."

“A monk named Yiduan betrayed the army and stole the military seal, which he presented to the Jurchens. Xin Qiji chased after him for three days and three nights and brought him back.”

"Another traitor, Zhang Anguo, plotted to murder Geng Jing, the leader of the uprising. Xin Qiji, known as the traitor harvester, led only 50 men into the enemy's camp of 5 men, tied Zhang Anguo up, and took him to Lin'an to be beheaded in public, shocking the whole country."

"This is not a martial arts film, it's a fantasy film. Such a feat would make even the world-renowned anti-Jin hero Yue Fei admit defeat."

— It must be said that Gu Bin has a sharp eye and is very good at judging people.

His recommendation of Wang Fan was not without reason.

Wang Fan may not have any other skills, but he is exceptionally good at being glib and smooth-talking.

Xin Qiji's extraordinary early life, described in such a playful and humorous way, was incredibly funny; even director Du was amused and chuckled.

After the first half of his lines were finished, the cameraman turned the camera on Gu Bin at the right moment.

Gu Bin suppressed a laugh and brandished his spear a few times.

"Hey, look at that fancy footwork."

Wang Fan teased him with a laugh: "Your face is the only thing worth looking at. You're only good as a decoration, just like a pretty face in the entertainment industry."

You're talking about yourself, aren't you?

Gu Bin didn't tolerate him at all. He threw down the gun, rushed over in a few steps, grabbed the man by the neck, and knocked him down.

"Ouch, my back hurts so much!"

Wang Fan shamelessly rolled on the ground, refusing to get up.

"Stop fooling around, it's time to film the next scene. After we finish filming, I'll buy you ice cream."

Li Yan was both amused and exasperated. She bent down, patted his shoulder, and coaxed him gently.

"Sister Yan."

Wang Fan silently exchanged a glance with her, then suddenly grinned and said, "I have something to say, but I don't know if I should."

"explain."

Li Yan felt a jolt of fear, a bad premonition rising within her.

"You've exposed yourself."

Sure enough, the next second, Wang Fan said something that made everyone blush.

"what!"

Li Yan subconsciously looked down at her skirt.

She wore a knee-length pleated skirt, and the flowing skirt, when blown by the wind, revealed her fair and rounded thighs.

As for the more secretive ones
She narrowed her eyes, a sharp, cold light flashing in them.

"Sister Yan, listen to me, I didn't actually see anything."

Wang Fan was startled to feel a murderous gaze slowly tearing at his neck. He stopped pretending and jumped up from the ground.

You'd better not have seen anything.

Li Yan clenched her fists and gritted her teeth.

"necessary."

Wang Fan laughed awkwardly: "Even if you saw it, say you didn't see it."

"Come here."

Li Yan gritted her teeth and beckoned to him with her finger.

"I do not."

Wang Fan pretended to be scared and shrank his neck.

"come here."

Li Yan's patience was about to run out: "I promise I won't hit you."

"Do not."

Wang Fan just said no.

"Go away."

Gu Bin suddenly pushed him hard from behind.

"Oh my god!"

Wang Fan stumbled and almost fell, landing right in front of Li Yan.

"bump."

Li Yan punched him without hesitation.

Wang Fan tilted his face to the side, and his left eye turned into a panda eye.

"puff."

Lin Xiyu spat out a mouthful of her drink.

"Hey, this is a mess."

Director Du suffered a heart attack and was furious: "He didn't know his own strength! He still had half a line left to say."

"Let me explain the next part."

Gu Bin suppressed a laugh and tried to put out his anger.

"Xiao Bin, you said it yourself."

Director Du clutched his chest, struggling to breathe: "We can't change our minds again. We're getting old; we can't afford any more setbacks."

"No, no."

Gu Bin smiled and agreed, "I promise there won't be any more mistakes, you can rest assured."

"This awful weather, it hasn't rained at all, it's so hot."

Director Du, true to his old fox nature, was secretly overjoyed, but showed no sign of it on his face: "Let me catch my breath first."

"You should rest first."

Gu Bin handed him a small stool and placed it in front of the camera: "Let me memorize my lines first."

"I'll give you ten minutes."

Director Du, seizing the opportunity, adopted a director's demeanor: "We can't delay any longer."

Gu Bin frowned: "Ten minutes is a bit short, isn't it?"

"You little brat, don't try to fool me."

Director Du laughed and scolded, "You're a provincial champion, what's so difficult about memorizing a few lines? Even ten minutes would be more than enough. I'd rather you perform on the spot with a 100-line reading speed and a photographic memory."

"You flatter me too much."

Gu Bin gave an awkward laugh and silently snatched the script with the lines written on it from the old man's hands.

"These brats, they think I'm a pushover just because I haven't shown my teeth yet."

Director Du chuckled to himself: "I've been in this industry for so many years, there's no Monkey King I can't control."

"You're amazing, I admire you."

The cameraman gave a thumbs-up, showing great respect and support.

"Hehehe."

Director Du stroked his rough stubble on his chin and smiled happily.

-

"It is said that the bravest general in the army is Qu Bing, and the most accomplished in both culture and literature is Qi Ji. Qi Ji is like Qu Bing, but alas, the Song emperor is not Emperor Wu of Han."

"The more extraordinary Xin Qiji's early life was, the more frustrated he became in his later years."

"In my drunken stupor, I pick up my sword by lamplight; in my dreams, I hear bugles echoing through the camps. Eight hundred miles of roasted meat are distributed among my troops; fifty strings of music resonate beyond the Great Wall; autumn brings the review of troops on the battlefield."

"The horse gallops swiftly like the wind, the bowstring twangs like thunder, accomplishing the king's task and winning fame before and after death, but alas, his hair has turned white."

"Xin Qiji's sword had a murderous aura, and his poems had tender feelings, but it's a pity that he was never given a prominent position in his life. No matter how unbearable reality was, he remained steadfast in his ideals."

"The Southern Song court could not support a soul with backbone. Before his death, Xin Qiji still shouted to kill the traitors. This was his last cry after exhausting his life."

(End of this chapter)