What happened when Su Shi and Su Zhe brothers slept together in the rain at night? This is mainly because their brotherly relationship is very good. Below, the editor of the History Encyclopedia will bring you a detailed explanation. Interested friends can continue reading~
Night rain on the bed, also known as’ wind and rain on the bed ‘. Often refers to the joyful feeling of reuniting after a long separation with family, friends, or brothers, and having a heart to heart conversation in the same room. The earliest mention of this can be traced back to Wei Yingwu in the Tang Dynasty, who wrote in his book “Shi Quan Zhen Yuan Chang” that “I would rather know the stormy night than sleep on this bed again. In the poem “Inviting Zhang Siye to Stay in the Rain” by Bai Juyi, who was slightly later than him, there is also a line: “Can you come and stay with me? Listen to the rain and sleep on the opposite bed. The term ‘bed talk at night’ refers to the reunion of relatives, friends, or brothers after a long separation, and the idea of having a long conversation together, which originated from the story of the two brothers Su Shi and Su Zhe in the Song Dynasty.
The Su Shi and Su Zhe brothers were famous politicians and writers of the Northern Song Dynasty. They were collectively known as the “Three Sos” along with their father Su Xun, and their families accounted for three out of eight of the “Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties”.
They, who rose to fame at a young age, became famous in the capital early on and their articles spread throughout the world. The talents of the two brothers were even more praised by Emperor Renzong of Song, who said, ‘Great Song is so fortunate to have such a genius.’. He exclaimed repeatedly, ‘I have obtained two talents for my descendants.’.
During their stay at Huaiyuan Post Station in Bianjing City. One night during a stormy night, the two of them recited a poem by Wei Yingwu, “Better to know the stormy night, and sleep on this bed again.” After feeling deeply moved, the two brothers made an agreement to “retire after achieving success, and sleep on the bed in the rain at night. Agree to retire early in the future and live a happy life of leisure.
At this time, the two brothers had just completed the imperial examination and had not yet officially entered the officialdom. They were still in their youth, at a time when they were “showing their lifelong aspirations and setting their sights on the Yangtze River”. However, they hoped to return home as soon as possible to reunite, sleep in bed together, and listen to the gentle rain at night.
It is said that the vows made in their youth were mostly impulsive, but this night’s promise will forever be engraved in the hearts of the Su brothers.
Over the course of more than 40 years, the promise of ‘achieving success and fame, sleeping in bed at night in the rain’ lingered in the hearts of Su Shi and Su Zhe brothers, becoming the brotherhood promise they could never forget during their half life gatherings and ups and downs.
Su Shi’s poem “On the 19th day of the eleventh month of the Xinchou era, when I parted ways with Ziyou outside the west gate of Zhengzhou, I immediately wrote a poem and sent it to my younger brother Su Che” is the earliest surviving work written to him. The poem reads, “The cold lamp marks the past, when will I hear the desolation in the rain at night? You know this meaning must not be forgotten, be careful not to love high official positions.” The phrase “sleeping in the rain at night” from the beginning expresses the mutual vigilance of the two brothers in the officialdom.
In the second year of Yuanfeng, Su Shi was imprisoned in Wutai for criticizing current politics, resulting in the famous “Wutai Poetry Case”. Su Zhe rushed to save his brother and requested the court to pardon him. He was willing to accept all titles to redeem his brother. Su Shi was saved and demoted to Huangzhou. Su Zhe was also demoted to the position of supervisor of wine in Yunzhou due to his brother’s offense. They once exchanged poems and songs to comfort each other during their difficult career in officialdom.
After Su Shi’s death, Su Che also wrote several memorial poems to commemorate his deceased brother. In the “Inscription on the Sacrifice of the Dead Brother”, it is written: “In the past, when officials were traveling, they recited Wei Shi’s poem ‘Facing each other in the rain at night’, and later did not violate it. These poems and essays all express the full brotherhood between the two brothers. This is the origin of ‘sleeping on the bed at night’.
After Su Shi’s death, he was buried in the south of Mount Song, 40 miles northwest of Jiacheng in Zhongzhou, according to his last wish.
There is a small mountain here that is comparable to Emei, backed by the unique peak of Mount Song and facing the vast rivers of Ru River. It winds down in two branches from north to south, resembling the eyebrows of a sword. The mountains are not high but lush, and the streams are not deep but clear.
After Su Che’s death, he was also buried here. The Su brothers finally fulfilled their promise of ‘sleeping in bed at night’, and their wandering hearts finally settled here.
The legend of ‘Su Tomb Night Rain’ still exists in the local area today. It is said that on a windless and rainless night, when you stand in the tomb courtyard, you can experience a strange scene: the sky outside the courtyard is clear and the moon is bright, but inside the courtyard, the wind and rain are bleak, and the sound of wind and rain is sometimes distant and sometimes close. But if you observe carefully, you will find that although the wind is tight, it does not blow your clothes, and although the rain is sudden, it does not wet your collar
