The goddess of Luoshui in Cao Zhi's works: A glimpse of a wandering dragon is like a shadow of a dreamer.

“Its shape is as graceful as a startling giant, as graceful as a swimming dragon, with brilliant autumn chrysanthemums and luxuriant spring pine trees, as if they are covered by light clouds in the sun, and fluttering like snow in the flowing wind.”

These gorgeous sentences come from Cao Zhi’s "Ode to the Goddess of Luo", which describes a fantasy story that takes place in the fairyland on earth. Cao Zhi meets the Goddess of Luo by chance by the Luoshui River. Blurred, but ultimately unable to combine due to the differences between humans and gods, the article is poignant, touching, and thoughtful.

Luo Shen, also known as Mi Fei, is the daughter of Fu Xi. According to legend, she came to earth and came to Luoyang because she was infatuated with the beautiful scenery on both sides of the Luo River. When Cao Zhi wrote the story of his failed love with Luo Shen, was he recalling Jinghong Zhaoying's past? Or are you commemorating a missed relationship? Who is this "Concubine Mi" who is comparable to the goddess of Luoshui?

"There are two Qiaos in the south of the Yangtze River, and Zhen Mi is pretty in Hebei." Sisters Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao were famous beauties from the south of the Yangtze River during the Three Kingdoms period. In fact, there was another woman as famous as them, equally famous in the north and south, that is Zhen Mi from Hebei.

Zhen Mi was born in a family of officials in Hebei. Not only was she beautiful and fragrant, but the most praiseworthy thing was her virtue. She has loved reading since she was a child. Her brother said that as a girl, she could just learn some needlework and what was the use of reading. Zhen Mi was only nine years old at that time. She replied, "The wise women in ancient times all studied to learn from the success and failure experiences of their previous lives. How can I learn from them if I don't study?"

When Zhen Mi was a teenager, the princes were on war, the world was in chaos, and the people were hungry. The Zhen family took the opportunity to acquire gold and silver treasures to make money. Zhen Mi told her mother that buying treasures in troubled times could easily lead to disaster. Nowadays, the countryside If your neighbors are poor, you might as well use the money to buy food to help them and extend your kindness to them. Your family and neighbors will all admire you after hearing this.

Moreover, Zhen Mi was very filial. After the death of her second brother, she advised her mother to treat her second sister-in-law as her daughter. She always cared and cared for her. It can be said that Zhen Mi abided by traditional women's virtues, but was not old-fashioned. He is knowledgeable, knows the general idea, understands the meaning, and is talented.

Word of Zhen Mi’s talent, virtue and good deeds reached the ears of Yuan Shao, who ruled Hebei at that time, and Yuan Shao asked his second son Yuan Xi to marry Zhen Mi. Later, Cao Cao eliminated Yuan Shao. His eldest son, Cao Pi, heard that Zhen Mi was extremely beautiful and virtuous, so he rushed into Yuan Xi's house and found Zhen Mi. Cao Cao later gave Zhen Mi to Cao Pi.

After Zhen Mi married Cao Pi, she gave birth to two children, a boy and a girl. The boy was Cao Rui, the later Emperor Ming of Wei. Zhen Mi was as virtuous and filial as ever, and was deeply loved by Cao Cao's wife Bian. Cao Pi loved her even more, so much so that he wanted to divorce his original wife. Zhen Mi tried hard to persuade Cao Pi not to divorce his wife, as she did not want to end up being selfish and exclusive. However, Cao Pi refused to listen. From this, it can be seen that Cao Pi was a man who liked the new and disliked the old, which also doomed Zhen Mi's future fate.

Time never defeats beauties. What remains undefeated is temperament and style, but peerless looks cannot be retained. No matter how charming Zhen Mi is, she cannot withstand the reality that beauty ages quickly. Cao Pi really liked the new and disliked the old, and fell in love with the younger and more beautiful Guo. Zhen Mi was left out, lonely and melancholy, and wrote many poems about her resentment: "There is no pain when you leave, no worries when you enter", "When you miss me, you will leave me" , I am always miserable when I am alone.”

Later, when Cao Pi ascended the throne as emperor and appointed a queen, Zhen Mi was the most qualified and the most vocal. However, Guo spread rumors that Zhen Mi was having an affair with someone, but Cao Pi believed it to be true and ordered Zhen Mi to die. It is said that Zhen Mi died miserably.

If Concubine Mi in Luoshen is Zhen Mi, then did Cao Zhi have a relationship with his sister-in-law? It is said that Cao Cao was busy with his hegemony at that time, and Cao Pi also had an official position. Cao Zhi was still young, so he stayed in the palace and often spent time with Zhen Mi day and night. Over time, he was attracted by Zhen Mi's beauty and moral character, and a love affair developed.

However, given Zhen Mi’s virtue and the fact that they were ten years apart, it was impossible for them to commit any incestuous act, but Cao Zhi definitely had respect and love for Zhen Mi. In the year when Zhen Mi died, Cao Zhi went to Luoyang to meet his brother Cao Pi. Cao Rui, the child born to Zhen Mi, was beside him. Cao Zhi looked at his nephew and felt very sad when he thought of Zhen Mi's death. After the meal, Cao Pi gave Zhen Mi's relic "Jade and Gold Pillow" to Cao Zhi as a souvenir.

As if he had found a treasure, Cao Zhi slept on the pillow at night. He dreamed that Zhen Mi’s soul met him and told her miserable experience. Cao Zhi sighed with emotion and wrote a "Gan Zhen Fu" after waking up. After Cao Rui succeeded to the throne, he avenged his mother Zhen Miping's injustice. In order to avoid his mother's suspicion, he changed "Gan Zhen Fu" to "Luo Shen Fu".

Perhaps Cao Zhi was wishful thinking and had a deep admiration for Zhen Mi, who was both talented and beautiful. He felt melancholy that he could not fall in love with her, and was angry at Zhen Mi's tragic ending. He wrote "Fu on the Goddess of Luo" to express his feelings. .

On the other hand, Cao Zhi is talented and outstanding, and has the status of "a generation of poets" in the history of poetry. Xie Lingyun of the Southern Song Dynasty commented on Cao Zhi: "There is only one stone in the world, and Cao Zijian has eight buckets." Moreover, he was born into a wealthy family, but he was unsuccessful in his life.

He was frank and natural in character, and did not admire luxury. In addition, he was eloquent and outstanding in literary talent, which was deeply appreciated by Cao Cao. Cao Cao wanted to make Cao Zhi the crown prince several times, but Cao Zhiwen was too popular and talented, and was impulsive and drank too much. Cao Cao changed his mind and passed the throne to his eldest son, Cao Pi.

After Cao Pi succeeded to the throne, he took strict precautions against Cao Zhi, and even tried to harm him several times, so Cao Zhi's "Poetry in Seven Steps" was created. After that, Cao Zhi was moved to the throne many times, and he also changed from a free traveler to a better man. The noble son who lived a life of entertainment became the target of restrictions and attacks. Thinking of his difficult ambitions and rough situation, he wrote "Luo Shen Fu" during this period.

Therefore, "Ode to the Goddess of Luo" may be just a portrayal of Cao Zhi expressing his feelings about the unfulfilled ambition. Mi Fei left a pillow, just like Han Gao Jie Pei and Wu Shan Yun Yu, it is just a lingering romantic legend. For thousands of years, the down-and-out poet with "extraordinarily high character and eloquent words" has gradually drifted away in the smoke and dust of history, but the eternal and unchanging shadow on the bank of Luoshui River has remained in the world.

Think about many times in life, just like the story in "Luo Shen Fu": It starts with a beautiful encounter and ends with a sad separation. It is a kind of encounter that can be encountered but out of reach, and is lost in an instant. Helpless, so is love, career, and life.