Wuling Palace is the residence of Sima Daozi, the former King of Kuaiji. There is Qingyin Tower in the palace, which was built by Sima Yuanxian specifically for his father to watch operas.
The main platform of Qingyin Building protrudes in front, with two red pillars supporting the top of the cross-shaped hilltop, with raised eaves and gorgeous decorations. The stage faces the Qingyun Pavilion in front. It is about five feet long and five feet wide. The pavilion can accommodate thirty or forty people, and there are verandas on both sides connecting it, where people can also sit.
Qingyun Pavilion was full of guests, and even the verandahs on both sides were full of people. There were still many people standing in the empty spaces, most of them officials from the Taibao Mansion. King Wuling was diligent in his administration and very strict in self-discipline. Banquets were rarely held in the palace, and operas were rarely performed in the theater a few times a year.
This time, King Wuling invited the famous Heqing Troupe in Beijing to sing the latest "Huansha Ji". It tells the story of Fan Li's plan to offer Xi Shi to King Wu Fu Chai during the conflict between Wu and Yue, in order to lure Fu Chai to indulge in wine and debauchery and neglect political affairs. , in the end, Yue destroyed Wu, and Fan Li took Xi Shi to the lake to live in seclusion.
This play was carefully created by Yuan Tao after he arrived in Xiangyang. It has strict melody and gorgeous music. It is also known as "Butterfly Lovers". This play was launched in Beijing and immediately attracted countless people to watch it. Many officials in the government also heard it. However, there were forty-five plays in total, and only five were performed every day. Most people did not have the time to listen to the whole play.
Today, King Wuling invited the Heqing Troupe to sing the ninth piece "Happiness", the twenty-third piece "Welcoming Gifts", the thirty-fourth piece "Thinking of Reminiscences" and the last piece "Panhu", all of which are from the play. At the climax, all the officials in the government came to listen to the play.
The singing was lively on the stage, and everyone listened attentively, but Liu Yu was not interested. He raised his glass and drank from time to time. The maid standing beside him listened attentively, and often forgot to give him more wine. Liu Yu didn't care, and poured it for himself with a jug. Drink by yourself.
As soon as "Siyi" finished singing, King Wuling was still unfinished. He listened to King Langya singing softly beside him, "The moon is full of the moon and the sky is full. I hook my hook to win the cloud mountain. Where is Wandie's home..."
There were gongs, drums, strings and bamboos on the stage, and he was preparing for the next performance. Sima Zun took a sip from his wine glass and sighed in his heart that the Jin Dynasty was just like the Wu Kingdom. It was changing from prosperity to decline, and was surrounded by crises. If he was not careful, he would be destroyed like the Wu Kingdom. .
I have always looked down on actors. After watching "Butterfly Lovers" in the palace, I thought it was some decadent music that seduces decadence and makes people indulge in pleasure and neglect state affairs. At that time, Wang Shu Sima Daozi was so addicted to it that he died and lost his reputation. .
Sima Zun was angry at Zhao Ya and Yuan Tao, the sycophant ministers who had tempted King Kuaiji to love drama, and wanted to punish them. When the King of Kuaiji flowed into Ancheng County, Zhao Ya abandoned his official position and followed him, which was considered loyal; Yuan Tao was Yang Anxuan's cousin, and he was afraid of rats, but Sima Zun did not want to lose big for a small gain.
Later, Yuan Tao abandoned his official position and went to Xiangyang. Sima Zun was secretly happy. Without this drama master in the capital, there might be fewer people addicted to opera.
When I listened to "The Story of Huansha" today, at first I just sighed at the beautiful lyrics and music. Then I realized that this play is a work that uses the past to satirize the present and is sentimental about the times. It expresses concerns about the rise and fall of the country through breaking through the Wu Kingdom. From this point of view, Yuan Tao is a great talent, but it is a pity that he was missed.
I glanced at Yang Anxuan on the side and heard that the screenwriter Yuan Tao was introduced by Yang Anxuan. This "Huansha Ji" was probably instructed by Yang Anxuan. If he devoted himself to the country, there was hope for the rejuvenation of the Jin Dynasty. If Yang Anxuan was like Gou Jian in the play, I'm afraid On the contrary, it is a disaster for the imperial court.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Liu Yu who was drinking on the other side. Sima Zun felt bitter in his heart. The royal family was already dying due to the Huanxuan Rebellion. Liu Yu sat in Jingkou and controlled the capital. Yang Anxuanhu was stationed in the north of the Yangtze River and supported his troops. Liu Yi made good friends in Liyang. The intentions of the family members are unpredictable, and it is not known whose hands this great country will eventually fall into.
The last song "Pan Hu" started on the stage, and the Confucian scholar pretending to be Fan Li sang: "Success is not judged by the general. Returning in one boat, Li Zeyun..."
If Liu Yu, Yang Anxuan and others can be like Fan Li and retire after success, regardless of fame and fortune, the Jin Dynasty will be as stable as a mountain, and regaining their homeland will not be empty talk.
The thought flashed through his mind, and Sima Zun immediately smiled bitterly. He was afraid that when Liu Yu and others became fully fledged, they would be like Wang Dun, Huan Wen, and Huan Xuan. As a member of the clan, he could only devote himself to the continuation of the country and spend his last life. A drop of hard work.
His eyes swept over Liu Yu, Liu Yi and Yang Anxuan, and saw that Liu Yu was not interested in the drama and was drinking alone; Liu Yi listened with great interest and stretched out his hand to clap from time to time; Yang Anxuan was in a leisurely manner, half listening but not listening, enjoying Spring in front of my eyes.
Sima Zun cheered up. Although the Jin Dynasty was in danger, it was not at the last moment yet. He had to learn from Ju Jian and try his best to turn the tide.
By the time the opera was finished, it was already noon, and King Wuling held a banquet. Everyone drank and drank, chatting and laughing happily. Yang Anxuan brought with him Gu Kaizhi's painting "Elegant Gathering in Yiyuan" during his trip, which was praised by everyone after viewing it.
Liu Yi couldn't put it down and said regretfully: "Yin Shangshu once sent someone to Liyang to invite Yu, but it's a pity that Yu was delayed because of something else, otherwise there would be an extra person in the painting."
Reluctantly handing the painting back to Yang Anxuan, Liu Yi rolled his eyes and said with a smile, "I heard that Anxuan also likes gambling. He once bet with Diao Jiazi on Aipu and Shuanglu and won a hundred taels of gold. Is this the case?"
Yang Anxuan felt a chill in his heart. It seemed that Liu Yi was very concerned about him. He even knew about his gambling fight with Diao Yun when he first came to Beijing. He smiled and said, "Young people like to gamble. It's true."
Liu Yi laughed heartily and said: "It is human nature to like gambling. I will not hide it from An Xuan. I often gamble with others when I am stupid. De Yu is also a member of the same path. In this way, I am not alone."
Speaking of gambling, Liu Yu also became interested and said with a smile: "Did An Xuan say he is a master of gambling? How about we throw a few handfuls of apias together after the banquet?"
Without waiting for Yang Anxuan to answer, Liu Yi said excitedly: "Since gambling, there must be a reward. An Xuan, how about I bet you a hundred gold on this "Yiyuan Elegant Gathering Picture"?"
Yang Anxuan was secretly annoyed. Liu Yi was obsessed with this painting, "Elegant Gathering in Yiyuan". It seemed that he would not give up until he got it. Listening to his words, it seemed that he was sure that he could win the painting from his hands. In this case, he might as well give it to him. This lesson taught him to steal the chicken but lose the rice.
However, he did not expect victory before he expected defeat. Liu Yi was so confident that he should throw the money wisely. Money is an external possession, but this painting is not. Yang Anxuan did not want to take risks.
Yang Anxuan said with a smile: "Brother Xile, you are stupid and rich, so you don't need to gamble with paintings."
Liu Yu couldn't stand Liu Yi's greed, but they were both soldiers in the Beifu Army. They also raised an army to attack Huan Xuan in Jingkou. They were emotionally closer to Yang Anxuan. He said: "I heard that An Xuan got Sun Jian's treasure. In Xia, He also captured Huan Xuan's treasure ship, and the three treasure auction events in Xiangyang were known to the world. This family's wealth may not even be matched by the national treasury."
Liu Yi became more and more greedy. Since Yang Anxuan agreed to gamble, he took the opportunity to win tens of millions of dollars from him. It was estimated that Yang Anxuan could not carry that much money with him, and he would not be able to repay the gambling money by then, so he would naturally have to use paintings to offset it.
When it came to gambling, everyone was very enthusiastic and commented one after another. King Wuling saw that the banquet could no longer go on. After the etiquette was over, he hurriedly removed the banquet and asked someone to carry it to a Hu table.
At the end of the Han Dynasty, Hu tables and chairs were introduced to the Central Plains and gradually became accepted by people. Many noble families had Hu tables and chairs in their homes, and they were also sold in the markets. For convenience, ordinary people put stones and wooden piers in their courtyards to fill tables and stools. .
Five pieces of wood were placed on the table, and a group of people immediately gathered around. Seeing the crowd, Liu Yi shouted: "Every ten thousand dollars thrown is gambling capital."
Those who could participate in this gambling were all nobles, and ten thousand dollars was nothing to them. It was impossible for everyone to carry so much money with them, so King Wuling ordered his servants to record the gambling funds everyone bet.
There were as many as twenty-seven people who came to gamble. A single throw was worth 270,000 yuan. After ten rounds, Yang Anxuan won one game and made a net profit of 170,000 yuan.
The number of people who were still betting and fighting on the field increased to twelve. Liu Yi suggested that the gambling money should be turned into 50,000 yuan for each hand. After three hands were thrown, only 20,000 yuan was left from the 170,000 yuan.
As expected, Liu Yi made extraordinary moves and succeeded frequently. He won four out of ten games worth 10,000 yuan and gained 980,000 yuan. After deducting the 60,000 yuan he lost in six games, he got a net profit of 920,000 yuan. He won one game for 50,000 yuan. The gain was 600,000 yuan. After deducting the two losses, the net gain was 500,000 yuan, resulting in a total win of 1.42 million yuan.
Liu Yuwan won two games and received 460,000 yuan; won one game with 50,000 yuan and received 50,000 yuan, and received a total of 960,000 yuan. There were twenty-seven people gambling in the venue, and two people were considered the most respected.
Yin Zhongwen won four games in the 10,000-money game, earning 920,000, but failed to win a single game in the 50,000-money game, ranking third with a net profit of 770,000. Yang Anxuan only had 20,000 yuan left, which was only slightly better than the loser.
Seeing that Yang Anxuan was not good at gambling, Liu Yi felt reassured and said with a smile: "There are four sides of the table. Next, Yuxiang, Zhongwen, Deyu and Anxuan will each take turns to sit in the banker. If you want, you might as well bet on the position."
Everyone knew that Liu Yi wanted to seize Yang Anxuan's paintings, and they all agreed. Yang Anxuan smiled slightly, and after waiting for the other three to stand still, stood in the west direction.
Liu Yi couldn't wait to grab the five pieces of wood, rubbed it in his hands, and shouted: "The fool is the first to be the banker, you gentlemen, hurry up and place your bets. The more you bet, the more you will get."
Each party has a clerk with a pen and paper to record the bets. The largest number of people bet on Liu Yi, up to 470,000 yuan. Liu Yu's bettors were 38 years old, Yin Zhongwen also bet on more than 100,000 yuan, and Yang Anxuan was betting more than 100,000 yuan. This side was pitiful, with only King Wuling paying 20,000 yuan.
Liu Yi glanced at Yang Anxuan who only bet 50,000, and said half-jokingly and half-seriously: "Anxuan, you are a rich man, 50,000 is too little, and it occupies one side, each hand cannot be less than 200,000." "
Yang Anxuan saw Liu Yi looking convinced of him, and chuckled: "Since it is fun to be a man with acanthus and a fool can't go to the corner alone, I will follow my brother Xile."
Zeng An felt nervous when he saw the clerk writing down Yang Anxuan's bet of 200,000 yuan. This 200,000 yuan could be exchanged for more than 1,200 shi of corn in Yongzhou, which was enough to feed a family of five for most of the year and to build a building. Start a school.
Seeing that Yang Anxuan had placed a good bet, Liu Yi asked the onlookers if there were any more bets. When no one responded, he threw down the five pieces in his hand. Two calves and three white calves became calves. No one could win except Pheasant and Lu.
Yin Zhongwen and Liu Yu each threw their five sons amidst the cheers of the crowd, but neither could win. Yang Anxuan holds the five pieces of wood in his hand and has thrown them more than ten times. He already knows the shape and weight of the five pieces in his opponent's hand. The two pieces are black, heavy and white. When the force is heavy, they are more likely to be black than white, while the other piece is just the opposite; One chess piece is heavy in the front and light in the back. When you want to throw black, you must move it in the right direction in your hand. There is also a chess piece that is slightly dented by the throw and is easy to bounce.
Yang Anxuan paid attention to the throwing of Liu Yi and others. Except for Yin Zhongwen, Liu Yi and Liu Yu seemed to have an understanding of the characteristics of the chess pieces. Before throwing, they would rub the pieces in their hands for a while, presumably to adjust the angle of the pieces in their hands.
Although both of them have found the secret, Yang Anxuan has been practicing mental skills for many years, and his subtle control over the chess pieces is far superior to the two of them. He throws it casually, and when the five pieces are settled, as expected, "Black Pheasant and White Pheasant" are the tower. .
When Liu Yi and Liu Yu saw that Yang Anxuan had the catch in his hand, they thought for a moment and then threw it. They looked at each other and smiled. It seemed that Yang Anxuan had not mastered the trick.
Four hands were thrown, and each side played banker once. Yang Anxuan lost a total of 800,000 yuan, and Yin Zhongwen also failed to win. In addition to losing the 770,000 yuan he won, he also lost 200,000 yuan.
Liu Yi and Liu Yu were evenly matched. Counting the bystanders' bets, both sides made 1.8 million yuan each. Yin Zhongwen smiled and said: "Nanping Gong and Yuzhang Gong are masters. I can't bet with you anymore. Otherwise, my family will The money for the drinks will go to both of you."
Yang Anxuan also wanted to give up, but Liu Yi persisted and said: "It's okay if Mr. Yin doesn't want to play. An Xuan, you can't spoil the fun and continue playing."
Zeng An persuaded in a low voice behind Yang Anxuan: "Master, you can't play anymore, you have already lost a million dollars."
When Liu Yi heard this, he said displeasedly: "Counsel Zeng, please don't spoil your fun. I'll give you 100,000 yuan for points, and you can watch the battle from the sidelines."
These words made Yang Anxuan's face flash with anger, and he laughed and said: "I will come back after all my gold is gone, and we will fight again."
Liu Yu's heart moved and he glanced at Yang Anxuan suspiciously. It is said that Yang Anxuan's temper would not be easily aroused by Liu Yi's words. Is it because Liu Yi looked down on Zeng An?
When Liu Yi heard that Yang Anxuan was willing to fight again, he was overjoyed and said: "What a saying, "You will come back again after all the money has been spent." It is indeed Yang Xiaochuang, who speaks well and is so heroic. How about just throwing a toss to win or lose?" "
Liu Yi asked the clerk to calculate the gambling money in his hand, and found that he had more than 3.5 million yuan. Liu Yi smiled and said: "Just round up the number, how about five million?"
The onlookers around took a breath and spent five million dollars on it. No one had ever heard of such a huge gamble. The income of a top-grade family in a year would not exceed five million dollars.
King Wuling advised: "Mr. Nanping, the gambling money is too big, don't hurt your harmony, at least a million dollars."
Liu Yu also asked his junior official to calculate. He had over three million in gambling capital to his name. He listened to King Wuling's advice and smiled and said: "My lord, five million is nothing to An Xuan. Winning this will allow An Xuan to make five million." Millions of dollars were exchanged for corn and shipped to the capital."
When King Wuling heard what Liu Yu said, he looked at Yang Anxuan. Yang Anxuan said: "Yu Zhanggong is devoted to the country, and he admires him so much. I will give him five million per square according to Nanping Gong."
Liu Yi smiled brightly and said, "If An Xuanruo loses, he will bet the painting of "Yiyuan Gathering" on a fool's errand and use the money to redeem the painting."
When the onlookers heard that Yang Anxuan agreed to participate in the bet, they all placed bets on Liu Yu and Liu Yi. There was no one in front of Yang Anxuan, and no one bet on him.
Liu Yi confidently picked up the five pieces, clasped his palms together and prayed silently, and then threw the five pieces out. When the five sons settled down, everyone exclaimed in unison, "Pheasant" (three black and two pheasants). The pheasant ranks second in the number of picks. It cannot win except Lu (five blacks), and the chance of winning is huge.
Liu Yi jumped up happily and walked around the Hu table shouting: "It's not that you can't throw "Lu", it's just that you don't want it. Give Deyu and An Xuan a chance." "
Those who bet on Liu Yifang were all happy and beaming. If you eat two, you can earn 300,000 yuan by depositing 100,000 yuan, and get 200,000 yuan in total.
Yang Anxuan remained calm, but Liu Yu looked unhappy and said, "In that case, I'll just throw a Lu."
Liu Yi put the five pieces of wood in his hands and rubbed them for a long time, and finally threw them out under Liu Yi's urging. Five pieces fell on the chessboard, all four were black, and the piece with a slightly concave end was still turning.
Liu Yu was no longer calm at this time, and shouted loudly at the still-rotating chess pieces: "Lu". The people who bet on Liu Yu shouted loudly, and there was a roar of "Lu" in the palace.
When the last stone is settled, it is black. All five stones are black and become "Lu", overwhelming the pheasant. One side was cheering and the other side was silent, the sky was full of ice and fire.
Liu Yi's face was livid, and he calmed down for a while before he managed to say in harmony: "I know Deyu won't give in!"
Liu Yu smiled and said, "Thank you very much, Xile, for letting me go."
Seeing Liu Yu and Liu Yi being polite to each other, Yang Anxuan reached out and grabbed the fifth son. Prince Wuling said: "Lu has come out, Anxuan has no chance."
Yang Anxuan smiled calmly and said: "Three people are betting, the bigger one will win. Maybe you can throw a Lu."
Liu Yu said with a smile: "That's right, An Xuan is here to throw it."
Yang Anxuan stopped talking and concentrated on the five pieces in his hand. The onlookers held their breath when they saw Yang Anxuan raised his hand and the five pieces fell on the chess player. It was also five black, "Lu".
There was silence in the hall, and everyone was stunned. After a while, Liu Yufang said: "An Xuan is good at it. It seems that you and I will have to fight again."
Everyone exhaled in unison, and there were sighs in the hall. King Wuling asked in surprise: "How is this possible?"
Yang Anxuan raised his hand to Liu Yu and said, "Mr. Yu Zhang, you just said that after you win, you will give the money to Yu to buy grain. Yu can't let Gong Yu Zhang be better than before. How about all these gambling funds are handed over to the treasury and let the prince control it?"
Sima Zun stepped forward and took the hands of Yang Anxuan and Liu Yu, one on the left and the other on the right, and sighed: "The imperial court has two princes here, so why worry about not being rejuvenated."
Liu Yi, who was opposite him, had a face as dark as a scapegoat and said nothing.
"Note (1): Aipu, a gambling game popular in the Han, Wei and Six Dynasties, consists of five instruments: a wooden board, a cup, a wooden board, an arrow, and a horse. The wooden board is a chessboard with signs such as gates, pits, and trenches, which serve as obstacles to the chess game. ; The cup is a container for throwing five pieces of wood; the five pieces of wood are used for throwing colors; the horse is a chess piece, used to cross the barrier; the arrow is used to surround or stop the horse from moving forward. The five pieces of wood are the key, flat in the shape of an apricot kernel, with one side black, One side is white, the black side has two carved calfs, and the white side has two carved pheasants (the black one has two carved calfs, I don’t know if I understand it correctly). Toss all black for Lu, color sixteen; two pheasants and three blacks for pheasant, color Fourteen; two calves and three white ones are calves, with a color of ten; all white is white, with a color of eight. These four are noble colors, and you can throw them continuously if you get them. The other six are mixed colors, including Kai, plug, pagoda, and bald. , pout, owl, etc., if you are interested, you can use Baidu. "Shantangsi Kao": "The ancient Wucao family made a blog: Five trees were used as sons, and owl, lu, pheasant, calf, and plug were used as the colors of victory and defeat. The blog head The one with the owl shape carved on his head is the best, followed by Lu, Pheasant and Calf, and the plug is the lower one." I don't understand "The one with the owl shape carved on the head is the best."
Because this method of playing was too complicated, it later evolved into a simple method of directly throwing five pieces of wood to judge the winner or loser based on the color numbers. It is similar to a simple method of throwing pips. Gambling on acanthus in the book is such a simple method. Because this gameplay is simple and easy to do, it gradually replaced the gameplay of crossing levels and chasms and became the mainstream. "
