Wang Anshi’s new ideas for reform were overturned. He resigned as prime minister twice and was re-elected twice, giving up reform. This poem was written by Wang Anshi after he retired as prime minister and retired to Zhongshan.

Snowflakes are still plum blossoms, like snowflakes and like plum blossoms... The moon is shadowy, vaguely like a medium. In his later years, Wang Anshi stood by the fence, watching from a distance. The flying snow quivering in the wind and the plum blossoms on the tree that had been snatched away from the scene by the snow took a lot of effort to show a smile and chanted: "There are several plum blossoms in the corner, and Ling Han is blooming alone. I know it is not snow, because there is a secret The fragrance comes."

The secret fragrance floats in the corner, in the lonely openness of the ice and snow.

A "Plum Blossom" became a masterpiece; an old man became more and more proud because of "Plum Blossom".

At this moment, Wang Anshi is like a wild crane in the mid-level garden, an enclave far away from the bustling and hustle and bustle, but with wintersweet and tranquility. He deliberately plays the role of a village man and a poor man. The recluse is almost the same as the outstanding statesman, thinker and writer of the Northern Song Dynasty who is known as King Jinggong and Mr. Linchuan.

Wang Anshi was undoubtedly lonely after becoming an official.

Banshan Garden is located on a hillside and was painstakingly built by Wang Anshi. However, no matter how you look at it, it is still shabby. There are no walls, it can only be regarded as a small hotel in the wilderness. Since he didn't want to live in the capital and couldn't return to his longed-for hometown of Linchuan, he had no choice but to live here.

Wang Anshi in the mid-level garden sometimes sits in a corner, sometimes looks through old letters, and sometimes sorts out the "Shuo of Zi" that has not yet been deleted.

Wang Anshi often rides a bald donkey, holds a scroll of scriptures, and carries a piece of forest wind when he leaves the mid-level garden. At his feet, there are colorful fallen flowers, the sound of Zen is lingering, and the mountain road leads far away.

This kind of loneliness, this tranquility, is actually something that the former "Sister-in-law" was happy to enjoy alone. However, several uninvited guests appeared in this deserted mountain shop from time to time, which only added to his troubles.

One day, former prime minister Chen Shengzhi came unexpectedly when he had nothing to do. Mr. Chen came all the way to visit another former prime minister. He set up a large formation, "the boats connected with the tail and covered the river down the river." Both sides of the bank were filled with people watching the excitement. Wang Anshi was very unhappy, but he had to ride a donkey to greet him.

Furthermore, in 1084 AD, Su Shi, who was demoted to Huangzhou, dropped by for a visit and stayed here for more than a month. Wang Anshi also accompanied him for more than a month. A few years ago, Wang Anshi put aside his past grievances and rescued Su Shi, his "political enemy" who was deeply involved in the "Wutai Poetry Case". Now, he kindly persuaded him to buy land and a house here and be a good neighbor, but he received no response.

What was even more annoying was that even Lu Huiqing came to bother him. Lu Huiqing's betrayal was unforgettable to Wang Anshi and was an everlasting pain in his heart. However, one day, Lu Huiqing wrote a letter and said that he would come to ask for help. Faced with repeated villains, Wang Anshi could not be open-minded, so he had to say, "It's better to forget each other in the world!"

Wang Anshi, who had brushed away his thoughts, declined social interactions and many rewards from his benefactor. Later, he even donated this dilapidated mountain garden to the mountain temple.

…………

How lonely the ancient sages were! Loneliness and helplessness are actually inherent in wise men or sages, but they can often resolve them skillfully and achieve positive results. Confucius was lonely, but he could edit "Poetry" and "Music"; Laozi was lonely, so the "Tao Te Ching" came out; Sima Qian was lonely, so he wrote "Historical Records". Even Fan Zhongyan, who was at the same time, retired and wrote "Yueyang Tower", leaving behind the immortal saying "worry about the world's worries first, and rejoice after the world's happiness".

Wang Anshi found it difficult to solve the same problem. Although Wang Anshi at this time was already indifferent to cultivating his character and detached from fame, the new law was still continuing, and the various disputes caused by him were far from being eliminated. He is a sensible person. Since he cannot advocate that "Today's people are no different from Shang Yang", cannot sing loudly "not afraid of the floating clouds that obscure our eyes", and cannot praise "the changes in the sky are not enough to be feared, the ancestors are not enough to follow the law, and the words of people are not enough to show sympathy", he simply Hiding in the mountains, chanting to the wind and moonlight, preaching and talking about scriptures; since he can no longer describe himself with solitary tung trees and ancient pine trees, he is not afraid, because at least he still has plum blossoms.

Plum is resistant to cold, drought, and loneliness, and its properties are extraordinary.

In Wang Anshi's eyes, it is simply a symbol of nobility, holiness, and unyielding! No matter how ruthless the wind and snow are, it can't stop those few lonely plum blossoms from blooming quietly without hesitation. He hoped that the new method that he was praying for silently while he was outside at this moment would bloom like a cold plum blossom without defeat. However, the facts once again made him feel deeply humiliated.

In 1085 AD, Song Shenzong suffered two consecutive Yongle defeats, fell ill and passed away sadly. "Old ministers will shed tears in the future, and the lakes and seas will leave behind their clothes." When Shenzong left, he took away more than just the good stories of the emperor and his ministers who were in harmony with each other and were unique throughout the ages? There is also the final barrier on which the new law depends. When Shenzong left, the country was in jeopardy and people were in panic. Wang Anshi, who was suddenly startled, could no longer turn a deaf ear to what was happening outside the window.

However, when Empress Dowager Gao came to the court and appointed Sima Guang, who had been dormant for a long time, as prime minister, Jing Gong could only look up to the sky and sigh: "Sima Twelve will be the prime minister!" And when Sima Guang came to Yuan Dynasty, In July of the eighth year of Feng Dynasty, the Baojia method was dismissed; in November, the Fangtian method was dismissed; in December, the market changing method and the Baoma method were dismissed; in February of the first year of Yuanyou, the Qingmiao method was dismissed; in March, the service method was dismissed... Shenzong and Jing When all the new laws promoted by the office were put aside, Wang Anshi, who was in his dying years, could no longer hold back and scolded him bitterly: "Is this the end of it?"

That's not the only thing that made Wang Anshi heartbroken! One day, a man came from Bianjing. Duke Jing asked him what had happened in the capital recently. Juzi answered truthfully: "Recently, the imperial court has issued an order that students are not allowed to read "Zhuo"."

Jing Gong was silent for a long time, shook his head and smiled bitterly: "The laws can be changed, but the writing cannot be made?"

That night, Wang Anshi couldn't sleep all night, walking back and forth in front of the bed until dawn.

At this time, in addition to being lonely and helpless, Wang Anshi was obviously more sad. His consistent desire and persistence have been completely destroyed, leaving only sorrow. Wang Anshi, who was suffering from sorrow and illness, finally staggered towards the other side of the world. A song "New Flowers" clearly reveals his state of mind at the moment:

Xin Yu, an old man, was sick in bed again.

Pull water to place new flowers to comfort the fragrance.

My fragrance lasts only a moment, but I won’t last long.

The new flowers and the old me are two things that cannot be forgotten.

New flowers and old friends, no matter whether they are bright or sad; whether they will be famous for a long time or remain infamy for thousands of years, what do they have to do with me? !

Wang Anshi, who retired to the mountains and forests, was suddenly enlightened but also troubled. However, the more adversity arose, the more his mind became clearer. He knew that his days were numbered, so he walked through the night and looked back where he came from, and experienced the three dynasties of Renzong, Yingzong, and Shenzong in his life. During Renzong's time, he wrote tens of thousands of words, advocating change and strengthening, but unexpectedly, it made people look at him and treat him as an alien; during Shenzong's time, he When he returned to the court, he advocated new laws. He served as prime minister twice and dismissed the prime minister twice. He started and served several times. It’s hard to describe...Wang Anshi was humble enough to say that "there is no virtuous career in helping the world, but there is a saintly world in the guest body", and he believed that he did not have much. Xianye, just met the divine monarch, and he couldn't help but lament that "it will be dusty on paper for thousands of years" and "it is difficult to write pictures but the spirit". He expected that even if thousands of years passed, he and what he wanted to do in this life would never be settled in the fog of history.

The seemingly fair old man of history is indeed a ruthless judge. Huang Renyu said in "Chinese History": "Wang Anshi's story is a major topic in Chinese history. Countless people have praised and criticized him for centuries, and it still controls the world's audiovisuals to this day." Fortunately, Wang Anshi died after his death. , I can no longer see how "History of the Song Dynasty" graffitied him, and I can no longer hear the praise given to him by Lenin, Liang Qichao and others.

Wang Anshi left shouting the name "Da Song". When he left, it is said that he did not leave any monument, even if it was a monument without words, only a few humble plum blossoms in the corner in front of the house still bloomed alone, emitting wisps of secret fragrance...