Two examples of Ji Xiaolan’s intelligence

Students scolded Mr. Ji Xiaolan

Ji Xiaolan attended a private school when she was young. She was extremely intelligent, had a memory that could be remembered, and was known as a child prodigy. His teacher, Mr. Shi, loved him very much. Because his homework did not put any pressure on him, he took the time to feed the house birds and stuff them into the hole in the wall. The house bird was thrown to death and put into the hole, and then a couplet was written on the brick blocking the entrance of the hole:

The fine-feathered poultry brick died after the brick,

Ji Xiaolan went to feed the house after class. Bird, when I saw the couplet on the brick stating that the bird was dead, I knew it was Mr. Shi who did it, so I continued the second couplet next to it:

Mr. Shi, the coarse-haired beast.

Mr. Shi was very angry when he saw the renewal. He held a pointer and asked Ji Xiaolan, why did he insult Mr. Shi? Ji Xiaolan replied calmly:

"I followed Mr.'s first couplet to the second couplet. Please see, thick vs. thin, hair vs. feather, wild vs. home, beast vs. bird, stone vs. stone. Brick, first right, then life. Please tell me if it is right."

Mr. Shi walked away without saying a word. A few days later, Ji Yun went to see Mr. Shi. Mr. Shi was still angry and his face was as dark as water. He sat firmly on the imperial chair and refused to greet or see him off. Ji Xiaolan made another strange move, leaving the teacher's room and coming back again, and asked for advice on how to read and write the word "lot". Mr. Shi didn't mind and woke up after Ji Yun left. It turns out that "Late" means "turtle inside the door", and he was scolding himself for not going out to see guests off, but he couldn't find it easy to scold him, so he cursed secretly:

"It's a crooked talent!"[8] < /p>

Playing with children and criticizing the prefect

One day, Ji Yun and several of his companions were playing ball in the street. The prefect passed by in his official sedan, and their ball happened to be thrown into the sedan. The scolding caused all the children to run away in fear, but Ji Yun stood up to stop the sedan from roping the ball. The prefect liked his courage and naivety, so he did not blame him. He asked him his name and age in a friendly manner, deliberately trying his talent and said: "I have a couplet. If you can match it, I will return the ball to you, otherwise it will be returned to you." Me." Ji Yun nodded in agreement. The prefect wrote the first couplet:

"There are six or seven boys, but you are cunning."

Ji Yun replied without thinking:

"The prefect has two thousand stones. Du Gong..." He hesitated to say the last word. The prefect asked him, "Why didn't you say the last word?" He replied:

"If the prefect returns the ball to me, it is the word 'incorruptible'; if not, it is 'greedy'." Seeing that he was smart and answered fluently, the prefect returned the ball to him. [1]

Hanlin Opera Eunuch

An old eunuch saw Ji Xiaolan wearing a leather coat and holding a fan (a habit of literati) in winter. He felt very funny and said: "Little Hanlin, wearing winter clothes and holding a summer fan, can I read "Spring and Autumn"?" Ji Xiaolan heard the old eunuch's southern accent and said to him: "Old manager, I was born in the south and came to the north. Is that thing still there? ? "[5]

The Bet at the Banquet

Ji Xiaolan, a famous scholar in the Qing Dynasty, went to the street with his friends one day. Walking on the street, I saw a small shop in front of me, and the lady boss in the shop was busy. Ji Xiaolan made a bet with his friends, "I can say one word to make the boss's wife laugh, and another word to make the boss's wife make trouble."

The friends didn't believe it and decided to gamble with a banquet. I saw Ji Xiaolan walking towards the shop, bowing to the watchdog in front of the shop, and shouting "Dad!", and the landlady burst into laughter. Ji Xiaolan turned around and shouted "Mom!" to the proprietress again. Suddenly, the landlady became furious and scolded Ji Xiaolan.

So, Ji Xiaolan won a banquet. [8]

The title couplet satirizes quack doctors

According to legend, there was a quack doctor with poor medical skills and frequent accidents. He delayed Ji Xiaolan several times and Ji Xiaolan was very dissatisfied with him. This doctor happened to come to ask for Ji Xiaolan's "calligraphy treasures" again and again. His intention was of course to use Ji Xiaolan's reputation and status to increase his own worth.

Ji Xiaolan could not be more affectionate for a while, so she had to write a plaque for him: "Mingyuantang". The doctor saw that the lettering was very beautiful, so he left happily. Others wondered what the three words Ji Xiaolan meant. He explained: "Aren't there sentences in the scriptures 'If you can't do it, it can be said to be clear' and 'If you can't do it, it can be said to be far away'? A doctor like this , I had to say that he couldn't do it." The people who heard it were dumbfounded. So he asked him again: "If this doctor comes again and insists on pairing a couplet, what are your plans?"

Ji Xiaolan replied that he had already thought of two couplets, one with five characters, and Change the two sentences in a five-character poem by Meng Haoran: "The master who is not talented knows how to abandon, and the old friends who are often sick are sparse" into two words, and it becomes: "The rich man who is not clear is abandoned, and the old patients are sparse" (the "unknown" in the first couplet refers to The medical skills are not good, the "rich man" is the patient who borrows money to seek medical treatment, and the word "gu" in the second couplet is interpreted as "accident"); in another seven-character couplet, the first couplet is based on a ready-made phrase from Du Fu's poem "The Troops and Chariots" Sentence: "New ghosts are annoying and old ghosts are crying." The second couplet is a ready-made sentence from Li Shangyin's poem "Mawei": "It is uncertain whether he will die in this life or not."

I don't think I could write these two couplets later. out, but as far as the confrontation is concerned, it can be said to be seamless and laugh-provoking. [8]

Inscribed Fu Liansheng

In the spring of the 41st year of Qianlong's reign, amid the joyous celebrations of gongs and drums and firecrackers, the "Fu Liansheng" shoe shop opened . Store owner Liu Fuwa was extremely happy. Speaking of the origin of "Fu Lian Sheng", here is a little-known story about Ji Xiaolan.

In the 33rd year of Qianlong's reign, Ji Xiaolan was implicated in the case of her direct relative Lu's family, and was demoted to Urumqi by Qianlong as a military officer. At that time, Liu Fuwa was a small shoemaker in the capital and had been a favored scholar by Yu Ji. After hearing about this, the grateful Liu Fuwa risked her life to see Ji Xiaolan off. There was no repayment when parting, so Liu Fuwa presented a pair of cloth boots sewn by herself and wished Bachelor Ji a happy journey. Time flies, Ji Xiaolan has been in the desert for almost two years. One night, with the bright moon in the sky, Ji Xiaolan was flipping through "Li Taibai's Collected Poems" and recited, "The clouds can always cover the sun, and the absence of Chang'an makes people sad." The old things about Beijing came to mind, and he couldn't help but turn over the old items. There are mandarin jackets and court boots given by the emperor, as well as rare items and treasures presented by government officials. Suddenly, Ji Xiaolan's eyes stopped on a pair of brand new black cloth boots. For a moment, Ji Xiaolan took a closer look and saw that the shoes were made of dense threads and thick soles, and a small word "福" was embroidered with red thread on the waist and inside.

I suddenly remembered Liu Fuwa's farewell that day. In one scene, Ji Xiaolan sighed: "The love of the people is so true." So, Ji Xiaolan took off her old boots and put on new boots made by Liu Fuwa. Unexpectedly, Fuwa's shoes really brought good news to Ji Xiaolan. A few days later, Emperor Qianlong issued an edict ordering Ji Xiaolan to return to Beijing on the same day, resume his official post and be promoted to a first-class bachelor. Ji Xiaolan wore this pair of cloth boots that brought good news and hurried back to the capital for days. From then on, Ji Xiaolan was proud of her officialdom and had a smooth journey. This is true: Fuwa is blessed with good fortune, and bachelor's degree is promoted to official position. Later, Ji Xiaolan sent someone to find Liu Fuwa, who was still a shoemaker. Ji Xiaolan asked Liu Fuwa what she wished for. Liu Fuwa said: "I just want to have my own shoe shop one day." After hearing this, Ji Xiaolan smiled and said: "Okay, Liu Fuwa, you are lucky, let's call your shop 'Fu Liansheng'!" ”

The Talented Scholar Enters the Imperial Academy

Ji Yun’s “Notes on Yuewei Thatched Cottage”

On June 15, the second year of Yongzheng (AD 1724), Ji Xiaolan was born in Directly under the jurisdiction of Cuierzhuang, Hejian Prefecture (now Xianxian County) (currently administratively planned as Cangxian County, Hebei Province). Regarding his birth, various magical legends have been circulated for a long time. According to the epitaph written by Zhu Weizhi, on the eve of his birth, "there were strange lights in the water every night", and a fire flashed into the Duiyun Tower where he was born. Later, people believed that he was the "incarnation of spiritual beings". . So "Yun" was adopted as his name. "Yun" means sunlight, and Xiaolan is his character. [1]

This strange birth is obviously a legend fabricated by later generations, but it is true that Ji Yun has had a special function since he was a child. When he was 69 years old, he said in his "Yuewei Thatched Cottage Notes·Huaixi Magazine": "When I was four or five years old, I could see things at night, which were the same as during the day. After the age of seven or eight, I gradually became drowsy, and after the age of ten, I could see nothing at all. You may see it occasionally when you wake up in the middle of the night, but it remains the same for a while. From the age of sixteen to seventeen, it may happen once or twice a year, like a flash of lightning. The words of the elders are probably not false. [1]

Ji Xiaolan has been known as a "child prodigy" since she was a child. Regarding his extraordinary talent as a boy, there are many stories circulating among the people, such as playing a childish role as a prefect.

"Yuewei Cottage Notes"

Talent is important, but acquired learning is the basic element for Ji Xiaolan to become a "confucian scholar of the generation". Ji Yun has been deeply influenced by his father since he was a child and has been strictly supervised by his family. Of course, he himself was diligent, studious, and well-read. Coupled with his own intelligence and talent, his knowledge was increasing day by day. In the twelfth year of Yongzheng's reign, Ji Xiaolan followed his father to Beijing and studied under the famous painter Dong Bangda. Dong Bangda was a master craftsman of the Qing Dynasty Royal Painting Academy who succeeded Wang Yuanqi. In the fifth year of Qianlong's reign (1740), Ji Yun returned to his hometown to take the boy examination, and earned the nickname "Prodigy" with excellent results. In the twelfth year of Qianlong's reign, he took the provincial examination, and his articles were written with rich words, high talent and fascinating. The examiners of this rural examination were the famous Akdon and Liu Tongxun at that time. The two couldn't help but praise it and were promoted to the first place in the provincial examination. In March of the 19th year, he was awarded Jinshi, ranking 22nd in the joint examination, and ranked fourth in the second class in the palace examination. In the same year, he entered the Hanlin Academy and began his official career. After that, he successively served as the examiner of Shanxi and Shuntian rural examinations, and visited Fujian to study. While Ji Yun was busy studying as an official and serving the emperor, he often sang responses and made witty remarks between monarchs, ministers, and colleagues. He not only won widespread praise, but also received many awards from Emperor Qianlong. [1]

After Ji Xiaolan entered the Imperial Academy, his intelligence was given full play. One year Emperor Qianlong visited Mount Tai in the east, and Ji Yun accompanied him. When he arrived in front of Migao Rock in Dongyue, Emperor Qianlong suddenly remembered the sentence "Looking up makes you higher" in "The Analects of Confucius", and happily composed a couplet that was quite difficult to deal with: "Looking up makes you higher, drilling makes you stronger, you can make it higher." "Ji Xiaolan read out the second line without thinking: "It's beyond its kind, it's the best, it's as natural as it can be." It's natural and impeccable. [1]

The emperor and his subjects went to the south of the Yangtze River

Qianlong visited the south of the Yangtze River many times in his life. The real significance of Qianlong's trip to the south of the Yangtze River was not only to observe some people's sentiments on the spot, but also to visit the mountains and rivers. Therefore, among the retinue officials, there are indispensable literati such as Ji Xiaolan, Liu Yong, Yuan Mei, etc. who have fun and relieve their boredom. Every time they go to the south of the Yangtze River, they can leave some romantic stories for future generations to talk about. This year, Emperor Qianlong was bored living in the palace and wanted to go out for a walk. He decided to go to Jiangnan again. Among the entourage there were still Ji Xiaolan, Yuan Mei, He Shen and others. After leaving the Forbidden City and leaving behind the complicated affairs in the palace, I immediately felt refreshed and particularly comfortable. We arrived in Tongzhou in a short time.

Qianlong opened the sedan curtain and took a look. The roads in Tongzhou were wide, pedestrians were coming and going, and the traffic was busy. It was a lively scene. He immediately became interested and summoned Ji Xiaolan to the sedan chair and said: "Ji Aiqing, Tongzhou is the first post of Jingmen. It is very prosperous. Did you know that there is also a Tongzhou in Jiangsu, which is also an important transportation road. This is really Nantongzhou and Beitongzhou, and the north and south Tongzhou connect the north and the south." ”

When Ji Xiaolan heard this, he knew that Qianlong had accidentally written a first couplet and asked him to answer the second couplet himself. Just leaving the capital, you must not ruin the emperor's elegance. But the first couplet is a coincidence, but the second couplet is difficult to get right. Ji Xiaolan looked to the left and right of the road and saw a lot of pawnshops, so he had an idea and said, "Long live, look at the east and west sides of the road, the east and west pawn shops, the east and west pawn shops, and the east and west pawn shops."

Qianlong When he heard it, he said: "Ji Aiqing is indeed well-deserved. This couplet is perfectly matched to the scene, and it is natural." Then the monarch and his ministers abandoned their horses and boarded the boat, and continued southward along the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal with great interest.

When we arrived at the boundary of Cangzhou, we saw a temple on the east bank of the canal from a distance, with cornices and brackets, pavilions and pavilions, which was magnificent. Qianlong said: "Ji Aiqing, we have arrived in your hometown of Cangzhou. What kind of temple is this so magnificent?"

Ji Xiaolan immediately replied: "Long live Qi Zhen! This is the Shuiyue Temple, a famous temple in Cangzhou."

Qianlong said: "Shuiyue Temple, great! Ji Aiqing, I have a couplet, why don't you come?"

Ji Xiaolan said: "Please give me a couplet from the emperor!"

Qianlong chanted: "The fish swims in Shuiyue Temple and the rabbit walks away." This couplet may seem ordinary, but in fact it is cleverly conceived. There are fish in the water, a rabbit in the middle of the moon, the moon reflects in the water, and the rabbit moves with the fish. It’s local scenery again, a ready-made scene.

After hearing this, Ji Xiaolan thought for a moment and said: "Shanhaiguan is where tigers leap and dragons fly." Shanhaiguan is opposite Shuiyue Temple, where tigers leap and dragons fly, and fish swim and rabbits walk. Moreover, there are tigers in the mountains and dragons in the sea. , Shanhaiguan itself is surrounded by mountains and seas, echoing from top to bottom, so it is natural and appropriate. Qianlong clapped his hands and praised it after hearing it.

After the monarch and his ministers crossed the Yangtze River, nature also changed. The vast and rough appearance of the north of the Yangtze River was changed. The mountains and rivers were beautiful everywhere, and the scenery was pleasant. Qianlong could not help but praise it.

At this time, Yuan Mei, a great talent from the south of the Yangtze River, stepped forward and said, "Long live our south, which is rich in mountains, water, and talented people." Qianlong agreed.

Ji Xiaolan stepped forward and said: "Master Yuan, although your south is rich in mountains, rivers and talented people, our north has one day, one place and one saint."

After hearing this, Qianlong said: "Ji Aiqing is so awesome, she won't even let you joke." After saying this, the three of them laughed and continued to move forward.

It was already dusk when we arrived in Hangzhou, and the monarch and his entourage stayed at the palace. Early the next morning, take a swim in the West Lake. There is a unique scene in the West Lake in the morning: smoke from cooking utensils curling around, a layer of mist on the lake, and red carp swimming in groups in the water. In the distance, there is a boatman wearing a bamboo hat and raincoat, rowing a boat, singing fishing songs, enjoying himself leisurely. Seeing this scene, Qianlong became very interested and asked: "My dear friends, who can write a poem using ten "one" characters for the scene in front of you?" After he finished speaking, he was silent for a long time, and no one answered. Qianlong said: "Wen Cai, there is a theory of 'Southern Yuanbei Ji', Yuan Aiqing will talk about it first." Yuan Mei was rummaging, with a dull look on his face, and said: "Long live, I am so stupid that I can't remember it for a moment." Qianlong said: "What about Ji Aiqing?" In fact, Ji Xiaolan had already thought about it, but she just wanted to steal the limelight along the way and didn't want to take the lead this time. After hearing the emperor's order, he chanted softly: "One pole, one oar, one fishing boat, one boatman, one fishing hook; one slap, one shout, and one smile, one person owns the entire river." After chanting, everyone counted them, no more, no less, There were exactly ten "one" characters. Qianlong praised: "In terms of talent, Ji Aiqing is better than everyone else!" When they arrived at the center of the lake, they saw red lotuses reflecting the sun and green leaves touching the sky. The boat rowed gently, and a frog jumped from the water onto a lotus leaf. At this time, He Shen, who had been unhappy all the time, smiled secretly, thinking that Ji Xiaolan had achieved enough glory along the way, and this time I would also show my hand in front of the emperor and tease him. So he pointed to the frog that had just jumped and said to Ji Xiaolan: "A toad out of the water wears a green coat." Ji Xiaolan was the minister at the time and wore a green official uniform. He Shen's sentence was to tease Ji Xiaolan by comparing him to a toad.

After hearing this, Ji Xiaolan immediately said with a smile: "Master He, the drowned crab is wearing a red robe!" He Shen was a minister at the time and wore a red official uniform. Ji Xiaolan's reply was not only neat and neat, but also compared He Shen to a domineering crab, which was implicitly sarcastic. After hearing this, everyone couldn't help laughing and laughed, making He Shen blush.

The monarch and his ministers sang in harmony and made witty remarks. The atmosphere was high, and bursts of laughter could be heard from time to time. Before I knew it, it was already evening, and the bright red sunset shone on the lake, making waves and shadows of trees stand upside down, adding an alluring halo to the beautiful West Lake.

Suddenly, a white crane flew past with a roar. Qianlong was still in high spirits, but when he saw this scene, his face was even brighter. He stood up and said, "Ji Aiqing, I want you to write a poem with this crane as the theme to cheer up."

Where is Ji Xiaolan? Dare to be negligent, step forward and recite: "A crane flies in the sky thousands of miles away, and the cinnabar is the top jade and the clothes."

As soon as he reached this point, Qianlong had an idea, pointed to the black spot in the distance and said: "Ji Aiqing , you are wrong, the crane is obviously black."

Ji Xiaolan smiled slightly, and then chanted: "Just because I came back late from foraging, I accidentally entered the Xi'an Washing Inkstone Pond."

When Qianlong and the ministers heard this, they were all amazed by Ji Xiaolan's flexibility and wit.

Later, when Qianlong visited the Liuhe Pagoda by the Qiantang River, he published another couplet: "The pagoda has six or seven floors, with four sides, east, west, north and south." In response, he once again won Qianlong's favor.

Portrait of Ji Xiaolan [8]

Ingenious explanation of the "old man"

Ji Yun is well-informed, knowledgeable, smart and eloquent, and has an "iron mouth" , no one can be right. It is said that when Ji Yun was compiling the "Sikuquanshu", it was a hot day. Ji Yun was afraid of the heat, so he went bare-chested, tied his hair in pigtails, and bent over his desk to read and proofread the book. At this time, Emperor Qianlong entered the compilation library and Ji Yun met him. , knowing that it was disrespectful to see the emperor like this, but he had no time to dress, so he hurriedly hid under the table and covered himself with a curtain. Emperor Qianlong pretended not to see him, and told everyone not to be formal and to work as usual. He sat in Ji Yun's seat without saying a word.

Ji Yun hid for a long time, sweating profusely and feeling very uncomfortable. Seeing that there was no sound, he opened a corner of the curtain and asked, "Is the old man gone?" When he looked up, Emperor Qianlong was staring at him. He also said seriously: "Ji Yun must not be rude." At this time, Ji Yun was so frightened that his legs became weak. He quickly crawled out from under the table, found some clothes to wear, kowtowed and apologized: "The humble minister deserves to die!" Emperor Qianlong Said: "Others are forgivable, but calling me 'old man' is unforgivable. This 'old man' will live if you say something, and die if you don't say it."

Everyone else listened. Ji Yun broke into a cold sweat. Ji Yun stood up, thought for a while, calmly, and replied with a smile: "Yes, yes, yes! Listen to me, the emperor is called Long Live, this is called 'old'; the emperor is the head of the people, this is called 'old'" "Head"; the emperor is the emperor, so the emperor is called the "old man". After hearing this, Qianlong smiled and said: "Okay! Good! You are truly the reincarnation of Chun Yukun. I am the reincarnation of Cao Zijian." "I forgive you."[8]

The trouble caused by the tobacco bag

Ji Yun liked to smoke dry cigarettes and held a big tobacco bag in his hand all day long. Civil servants and generals secretly called him "Ji Da". Ci Yun. Once, Qianlong issued an urgent order. Ji Yun had no time to extinguish the cigarette, so he had to hide the cigarette pouch in his boots and go to see the Holy Emperor. Smoke started burning in his boots. Ji Yun endured the pain, hoping that the emperor would end it soon, but smoke came out from his trousers. The emperor asked him what was going on, and Ji Yun replied: "There's a fire!" The emperor quickly asked him to go out and put out the fire. Ji Yun then stepped out with one foot. For a long time in the future, Ji Yun had to use a cane.

Another time, when Ji Yun was writing a summary of the "book list" to the emperor at the end of the compilation of the book, he wrote quickly and finished it in one go. The chief steward was jealous of Ji Yun's talents, so he hired two more people to write a "book list" in order to exclude Ji Yun. Later, because what they wrote was really unsightly, they had to take Ji Yun's copy, sign it with their names, and present it to the emperor. Before Qianlong finished reading, he asked, "Is this written by Ji Yun?" It turned out that Qianlong had already known Ji Yun's writing style. [8]

The king and his ministers guessed riddles together

One year before the Lantern Festival, Emperor Qianlong asked each minister to bake a lamp, write riddles, couplets or poems on it and send it to the palace. Come, let everyone enjoy it together and celebrate the Lantern Festival.

On the day of the Lantern Festival, all kinds of lanterns were hung all over the Imperial Garden. Qianlong and the civil and military officials walked around in the imperial garden, as if they were wandering in a sea of ​​lanterns. Every time they came to a lamp, they would read poems, guess riddles, or couplets, and burst into hearty laughter from time to time.

The civil and military ministers accompanied Emperor Qianlong like stars holding the moon in front of the lantern presented by Ji Xiaolan, and saw a lantern riddle couplet hanging on it, which read:

Black is not , not white, not even red and yellow; just like foxes, wolves, cats and dogs, neither domestic animals nor wild beasts.

There are also poems, lyrics, and the Analects of Confucius; it is vague about east, west, south, and north. Although it is a short article, it is also a wonderful article.

Man Chao Wen and Wu looked at this lantern riddle couplet and immediately stopped smiling and frowned. They were all stumped.

Emperor Qianlong, who loved both couplets and riddles, was at a loss at this time. The monarch and his ministers racked their brains and racked their brains together, but they still couldn't figure it out after guessing. In the end, Ji Xiaolan had to let Ji Xiaolan figure out the answer on his own.

It turns out that the puzzle couplet consists of two words, the first couplet is "guess" and the second couplet is "mystery". [9]

It is said in ancient times that when Emperor Qianlong reigned for fifty years, in order to celebrate the prosperity of the Qing Dynasty and even more to celebrate his fifty years of reign, Emperor Qianlong invited people over sixty years old from all over the country to come to Beijing for a banquet. Emperor Qianlong was very happy and asked who was the oldest person. One of them said that he was 141 years old. The emperor was overjoyed.

Because it was exactly 141 years since the Qing Dynasty entered the customs in 1644. This person happened to witness the history of the Qing Dynasty. The emperor was overjoyed and recruited Ji Xiaolan to join him in a couplet:

First line:

The reunion of sixty-year-olds adds thirty-seven years (the sixty-year-old is 60 years old, the reunion is 120, plus 3×7=21, which is exactly 141);

< p>Ji Xiaolan thought for a moment and then wrote the second line:

Double celebrations in ancient times are one more spring and autumn (old times are 70 years old, double celebrations are 140, and one more degree means adding one, which is exactly 141).

This couplet is so neatly matched, Ji Xiaolan can truly be said to be the most talented person in the world.

[9]