Lu Ji and the "Pingfu帖"
In the autumn of the 10th year of Emperor Wu of Jin's Taikang era (AD 289), Lu Ji, at the age of 29, set off from his hometown Huating (today's Songjiang District in Shanghai) with his younger brother Lu Yun and traveled northward.
The two talented scholars from a prestigious family had retreated to their hometown to study after the fall of Wu to Western Jin. After 10 years of reading, they had healed the pain of losing their country and rekindled their ambition to save the world. With great hope, they entered the capital city of Luoyang with its winding walls. Historical records state: "Lu Ji and his brother were high-spirited and considered themselves from a famous Wu family. When they first arrived in Luoyang, they did not associate with the scholars from Central China." As the conquered and conquerors respectively, Lu Ji and Lu Yun had to maintain their dignity while living under others' roofs, which was not an easy life. Fortunately, they met Zhang Hua. This important figure who planned and promoted the Western Jin's conquest of Wu was now a high-ranking official as Grand Master of Ceremonies and a key minister assisting in state affairs. Zhang Hua loved talent, and the arrival of the "two Lus" made him extremely pleased. He regarded them as the greatest harvest from the campaign against Eastern Wu and often praised them with phrases like "a dragon leaping through the clouds" and "a phoenix singing at dawn." Due to Zhang Hua's recommendation, Lu Ji was appointed as a Sacrificial Wine Official, and the Lu brothers gained significant reputation in the capital city. There was even a saying at the time: "With the two Lus entering Luoyang, the three Zhangs (Zhang Zai, Zhang Xie, Zhang Kang) lost value."
When thinking of Lu Ji, one naturally recalls his "Ping Fu Tie" (see the figure below right, housed in the Palace Museum in Beijing). Touching this precious piece from 1700 years ago, the distant historical background has long been hidden in the mist of history, making it impossible for me to fully enter Lu Ji's creative situation at the time. The characters are so small and simple, or rather carelessly brushed, with constant broken tips and dry strokes. Due to the passage of time, some strokes have become blurred and hard to recognize all the text. The "Ping Fu Tie" is extremely casual and plain both in text processing and writing. The varying sizes and slants of the characters, along with the boldness of the strokes, reveal his unpolished urgency. Compared to the meticulousness and splendor of "Wen Fu," it seems like a different person. Due to Lu Ji's literary and calligraphic fame, there was already a celebrity effect of "cherishing every inch of paper" at the time. One can imagine that when his friend received this postscript, he must have been delighted and treasured it. Then, it was collected by generation after generation and passed down to today.
Lu Ji's "Ping Fu Tie" holds significance in the history of Chinese calligraphy. Borrowing Mr. Chen Zhenlian's words: the first systematically transmitted calligraphic ink trace; the first calligrapher whose style we can admire. Regarding the first one, Mr. Wang Shixiang wrote "An Examination of the Transmission of the 'Ping Fu Tie'," which I will not elaborate on here. Regarding the latter, I would like to add a few words.
Qin Shi Huang unified the script and created small seal script, which due to its complexity evolved into clerical script. Later, around the end of the Qin Dynasty and the beginning of the Han Dynasty, cursive clerical and Zhangcao scripts appeared for the sake of simplicity. Zhangcao is the fast writing of clerical script. It retains the starting and ending methods of clerical script, especially the wave-like stroke at the end of the "na" stroke. Although each character is independent, there is a connection between the strokes of each character, leading into the next character's momentum. According to tradition, Zhang Zhi of the Han Dynasty was the best at writing Zhangcao and also the founder of modern cursive script. In feudal times, officials, due to their busyness and various social engagements, practiced "cursive script in haste." This led to the popularity of Zhangcao. Famous Zhangcao calligraphers such as Shi You, Huang Xiang, Suo Jing, and Zhang Zhi only left stone carvings, leaving us unable to see their original works.
Lu Ji was fortunate. He left behind the "Ping Fu Tie." In personalized studies and personalized writing, it allows us to speculate on his mindset of "cursive script in haste." True writing exists for expression. When the need for expression leaves no time for careful planning, such writing enters a completely free state.
Lu Ji joined the ranks of the Western Jin bureaucracy. If he had only been a "leisurely scholar," a literary leader, it might have been enough. However, his competitive nature led him to believe he possessed both literary and military strategies, refusing to be outdone, always striving to show himself off. To climb higher, he resorted to scheming and ingratiating himself. He first attached himself to Jia Mi, becoming one of his "Twenty-Four Friends." Jia Mi's involvement in the dethronement of the crown prince caused dissatisfaction among the palace guards and princes. Zhao Wang Sima Lun launched a coup, assassinated Jia Mi, and demoted Empress Jia to commoner status. As Secretary to the Emperor, Lu Ji was rewarded with the title of Lord of Guanzhong for participating in the assassination of Jia Mi. The Western Jin had six ranks of nobility: "Duke, Prince, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, Baron." In terms of office, he had achieved a considerable position and had his own fiefdom. If he had known when to stop and withdrawn from political struggles, practicing prudence and retiring to the countryside, he might have met a peaceful end. Facts prove that once a scholar is blinded by status and wealth, their mind can easily become overheated and inflated, leading to folly. In the first year of Yongning (AD 301), Zhao Wang Sima Lun usurped the throne, proclaiming himself emperor, transforming palace coups into a war for power among royal clans, historically known as the "Rebellion of the Eight Princes." During those days of "changing flags on the city walls," Lu Ji, as the Great General of Hebei commanding the armies of Chengdu Wang and Hejian Wang, once again took up arms, leading 200,000 troops into battle against the army of Changsha Wang Sima Yi at Luyuan. Ultimately, due to defeat, he was framed for treason and arrested by Chengdu Wang Sima Ying, who then executed him.
Lu Ji's death was due not only to his own reasons but also because his grandfather was Lu Xun. Lu Xun was the Grand Commander of Eastern Wu, a man of elegant demeanor. This family background, due to the fall of Eastern Wu, lost its former glory, thus the desire to restore the family name and honor far exceeded the practicality and purposefulness of ordinary people's offspring. Years ago, Lu Ji wrote two essays titled "On the Fall of Wu," expressing feelings about the fall of Eastern Wu and recalling the achievements of his ancestors, fundamentally reflecting a longing for accomplishment. These two reasons determined Lu Ji's ultimate fate.
Lu Ji lived only to the age of 43. Because of him, his two sons and his younger brother Lu Yun, who was one year younger than him, were also implicated.
It is said that when Sima Ying sent troops to arrest Lu Ji, the alarm drums sounded, causing panic among the crowd, but Lu Ji remained calm. He tidied his slightly disheveled hair, looked up at the sky, which was desolate without any white cranes flying over; then he gazed toward his distant homeland, seemingly hearing their mournful cries. At some point, it began to rain, the distant mountains and fields, and the white cranes waiting for him to return, seemed to stand in the past. He regretfully said, "From now on, I will never hear the cranes cry in my hometown of Huating again." Yu Xin's "Mourning the Past" says, "Even when drinking fine wine, one still thinks of the water of Jianye; even when playing the lute, one ultimately misses the cranes of Huating."
This is the lesson history has left us, an unforgettable memory.
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