Li Xiangjun, also known as Li Xiang, is one of the eight Yans of Qin Huai. Li Xiangjun was born in Wu House, Fengqiao, Zhaomen, Suzhou, in a family of three brothers and sisters, his father was originally a military attaché, because he was a member of the Donglin Party, he was punished by Wei Zhongxian and his gang after the family road fell, the eight-year-old Li Xiangjun drifted to a foreign land, and then changed the Wu surname to Li with his adoptive mother Li Zhenli. Li Xiangjun is petite in appearance, Hui Jun is gentle, her singing voice is round, and she knows all about silk bamboo pipa and music and poetry, which is deeply admired by the wanderers from all directions.
In the twelfth year of Chongzhen (1639), the 16-year-old Li Xiangjun fell in love with the 21-year-old talented son Hou Fangyu at first sight. Hou Fangyu was the son of Marquis Shangshu of the Ming Dynasty, who was already well-known at the time, and he was also a leading figure in the Fushe group. However, the encounter between this pair of talented women is not just a collision of wind and snow. In that era of political turmoil, the love between the two faced many tests.
The Manchu Qing Iron Hoof entered the pass, the foundation of the Ming Dynasty collapsed, and the Prince of Zhu rushed to the south and hurriedly established the Southern Ming regime in Nanjing. Ruan Dacheng, the sworn enemy of the Fushe Society, was of very low character and defected to Ma Shiying, the minister of the Southern Ming Dynasty. Nguyen Da Cheng attempted to bribe Hou Fangyu with money to achieve his personal political goals. At that time, Hou Fangyu was secretly engaged with Li Xiangjun for life because he was hiding from his family, and he was short of silver, so Hou Fangyu could only ask for help from his friends. Ruan Dacheng learned that Hou Fangyu was short of money, so he "lent" the money to Hou Fangyu through means and asked him to handle the marriage. This trick was quickly recognized by Li Xiangjun, who had only just learned about people. Li Xiangjun learned that the money was a favor given to Hou Fangyu by Ruan Dacheng and wanted to win over the staff. Suddenly, Li Xiangjun was furious, angrily scolding Hou Fangyu, and even took off the ancestral hairpin sent by Hou Fangyu and threw it aside. After that, Li Xiangjun sold the jewelry, asked the sisters to borrow money, made up enough money, and threw the money back to Ruan Dacheng. Since then, Hou Fangyu has severed relations with Ruan and drawn a clear line, and Li Xiangjun also supported Hou Fangyu to leave Nanjing and go to Yangzhou to discuss the plan to resist the Qing.
After Hou Fangyu left Nanjing, Ruan Dacheng, who was embarrassed and angry, retaliated with despicable means, instigating Tian Qingqiang, the minister of internal affairs of the Hongguang Emperor's red men, to marry Li Xiangjun as a concubine, and Dajin slandered Li Xiangjun together with the castration party. Li Xiangjun swore to die, fought with his life, and tried to commit suicide by hitting a pillar to save his innocence. In the third year of Qing Shunzhi (1646), the Qing army conquered Nanjing, the Southern Ming continued to flee south, Hou Fangyu did not firmly adhere to the political integrity, and the love pursued by Li Xiangjun was eventually shattered by Hou Fangyu's surrender to the qing and return to the north. According to the history books, Li Xiangjun later did not know the end. There are rumors that she went to Qixia Mountain and became a nun; there are also rumors that Li Xiangjun later followed Hou Fangyu back to her hometown, but the Hou family did not accept her, was expelled from the Hou Mansion, and died of depression. In short, this short love finally ended with a sad end.
In the twenty-ninth year of the Kangxi Dynasty (1690), when Confucius's 64th grandson Kong Shangren traveled to Nanjing, he was deeply moved by the story of Li Xiangjun, and became acquainted with the late Ming dynasty remnants who ventured to Xinjiang and the painter Shi Tao, who was already a monk. This book takes the love story of Hou Fangyu and Li Xiangjun as the main line, reflecting the complex historical background of the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty, and there are many official anecdotes on the Qinhuai River, the victories of the jiangshan and the customs and customs, vivid and vivid, and popular among the population.
At present, the former residence of Li Xiangjun, located on the south bank of the Qinhuai River in the Confucius Temple, still preserves the characteristics of the Qinhuai River House, which is a three-entry and two-courtyard house, the front hall is simple and elegant, and the back yard is bright and does not lose the ancient style. The river hall has a railing and can overlook the scenery of Qinhuai in the distance. Let's step into the Meixiang Building together, get to know this Ming Dynasty woman, and feel her "mighty and indomitable, poor and undefeated, rich and noble" character and national integrity.