Before he died, Chen Bulei said to his wife, Wang, "When people in Song Dynasty are old, they can retire, live a monastic life in green mountains and green waters, and spend their old age peacefully. Madam, I really want to buy a piece of land in Hangzhou, no matter how expensive, to make some practical preparations for my retirement. "
Chen Bulei bought this piece of land in Jiuxi and Eighteen Rivers. Unexpectedly, this place has never been his retirement place, but it has always been his final destination.
Chen Bulei, a native of Cixi, Ningbo, is known as Chiang Kai-shek's "literary courage" and "think tank". 19 12 join the league. He used to be the editor-in-chief of Shanghai Tianduo Daily, Business Daily and current affairs news, and was determined to engage in journalism all his life.
However, fate played a big joke on him. Since 1927 met Chiang Kai-shek, he has gradually been wrapped in his least favorite political circle. Since then, he has worked in business all the way, serving as director of Zhejiang Education Department, second minister of Education, vice minister Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China, deputy secretary-general of the Kuomintang Central Political Conference, and national policy adviser of the Presidential Palace.
This envy of others makes Chen Bulei very depressed. Finally, he ended his life alone in extreme mental and physical pain.
1948165438+1October 14 Early in the morning, Nanjing Central Daily published an explosive news: "Chen Bulei's family died of a heart attack yesterday, and the President and his wife went to pay their respects to Ming Dadan".
There is a paragraph in the news that says:
This is a lie. It was Chen Bulei himself who lied. All the secrets are hidden in the suicide note he wrote to his secretary Jiang He. This is what he admitted:
"How to release the news" "I might as well say,' XX has suffered from extreme neurasthenia since August. He often took sleeping pills during the day and died of overdose.'" ".
Chen Bulei confessed because, as he himself said, he was afraid of "reactionaries fabricating rumors". According to Chen's last words, his friends strongly opposed the release of news. He complained: "Propaganda, propaganda, engaged in propaganda for a lifetime, and later lost his life, what about propaganda!"
Finally, the Kuomintang decided to clarify. Four days after the publication of the fake news, Central Daily News reissued a piece of news, corrected Chen Bulei's statement that he died of a heart attack, and admitted "gratitude for dying for serving the country", which implicitly conveyed the meaning that he died of suicide.
Time goes back to the morning of the same year, 1 1 1. The Kuomintang Central Political Committee held an interim meeting, and Chen Bulei dragged himself to attend the meeting.
In recent years, Chen Bulei's health has actually been very bad, in his own words, "the oil runs out and the lights run out". Look at the photo below-the long and thin face of wax gourd, curled mouth, melancholy eyes, old age. This is obviously an unhappy person.
This is a photo taken by Chen Bulei at 1948. That's what the so-called "yet I feel the harmonious heart-beat of the Sacred Unicorn" means.
At the meeting, Chiang Kai-shek lost his temper and Chen Bulei protested directly, but was scolded by Chiang Kai-shek. You know, Chiang Kai-shek has always respected Chen Bulei and called him "Sir", but this time, he said loudly to Chen Bulei, "Are you not strong enough? Why do you always go against me? It's really the fault of scholars. Go and have a rest! "
Chen Bulei had never been treated like this by Chiang Kai-shek, and he felt very humiliated at that time. His face turned red and white, and then he walked out of the meeting room.
Jiang, your secretary, is waiting for Chen to go back for dinner. When he saw Chen enter the door, he looked pale and seemed very ill. Seeing Cheang Cheng looking at him, he asked, "How do I look?"
Jiang asked, "Is Mr. Chen unwell?"
Chen Bulei nodded and sat down to eat. After eating this meal for a long time, Chen Bulei changed his old reticence and turned to talk in Kan Kan, Kan Kan: from the Northern Expedition to the Anti-Japanese War to the international situation, all his words revealed his anxiety about the current Kuomintang.
After dinner, Chen said to Jiang, "I want to rest for two days." Then he went upstairs.
The next day, after the visit, I turned to my assistant Tao and said, "I want a haircut." After that, he confessed: "I want to rest, I don't answer the phone, and I don't see guests." On this day, he ate very fast and only ate a bowl close to himself. After eating, he went upstairs with a heavy heart.
You may have seen some clues, but no one thought much.
In fact, Chen Bulei had already wanted to die, but he was determined at that time. 12 that night, he wrote letters to different people, one by one, explaining the aftermath.
He has always been very organized in his work. Even before he left this world, he had to arrange everything and leave without worry.
He wrote a letter to Chiang Kai-shek first, and then to his wife, adjutant Tao, newspaper friends, children, younger brother and several colleagues. , a total of 65,438+00 letters.
At this time, it was already white, and there was a long morning bell in the distance. Chen Bulei took out two bottles of sleeping pills 100 tablets, swallowed them in a hurry, and poured them on the bed together with his clothes.
At 9 o'clock in the morning, the phone of the apartment rang-it was the Central Organization Department that urged Chen to attend the meeting. Jiang asked for leave and put down the phone. The hour hand passed 10, and there was still no movement upstairs. Jiang and Tao's adjutant all feel a little strange.
Ginger went upstairs and knocked on the door a few times. No response. Ginger was flustered and knocked harder, but nothing happened. Jiang quickly shouted, "Aide Tao, come quickly and look through the transom!"
Adjutant Tao moved to the tea table and stood on it to look in. He found that the curtains on Chen Bulei's bed were down and he couldn't see clearly. He quickly leaned in to open the latch, and they rushed in together to open the curtains-their faces were bloodless and their mouths were wide open. Oh, my God! Chen Bulei was out of breath.
There was a suicide note to Jiang on his pillow, a pen that was not put away, and two bottles of barbiturate sleeping pills were scattered all over the floor. One bottle was empty, the other bottle had a few pills left, and some pills fell from his pillow. ...
Jiang opened the envelope and just read the first sentence, "I can't afford it today, so I want to say goodbye to my brother." Tears welled up in my eyes, and I couldn't help it any longer.
He hurriedly informed important members of the Kuomintang that everyone soon learned that "Mr. Bray was finished" and rushed to Chen Zhai, some crying and some tears, and the atmosphere was sad and heavy.
Soon, Chiang Kai-shek also came. He wore a gown and jacket, and his face was calm. He looked at the bodies of subordinates who had sincerely followed him for more than 20 years, and he had mixed feelings. After he confessed the following things, he left Chen Zhai and returned to his home.
He paced up and down the room. Chen Bulei is the second person who let Chiang Kai-shek feel lost after Dai Li. He couldn't help but raise his trembling hand and wrote a horizontal plaque with great regret: "Contemporary Perfect Man".
Throughout Chen Bulei's life, it was not easy. He/kloc-lost his mother at the age of 0/6 and his father at the age of 25, so the important task of family naturally fell on his shoulders. But he has no complaints and takes good care of many younger brothers and sisters.
Although he only graduated from Zhejiang University with a major in grammar, has no college degree and has never been abroad, he is quite satisfied with his journalism.
After graduating from Zhejiang Middle School, he was introduced by Dai and others and became an editor of Tianduo Daily. It was the autumn of 19 1 1, on the eve of the Revolution of 1911.
During that time, he had a good time, writing two short comments every day and three editorials every ten days. In his short comments, he likes to use allusions in the water margin, which is straightforward and can attract readers.
19 12, Sun Yat-sen took office as interim president and published a Letter to Friends in English, which was brought to Shanghai by Foreign Minister Wang Chonghui for publication. As there was no translator, the general manager of Tianduo Daily recommended Chen Bulei.
Chen Bulei, who is good at both Chinese and English, has accomplished the translation task brilliantly and has been praised by everyone.
Perhaps because of his excellence, Chen Bulei, who stood aloof from the rest of the world, was finally pushed out of the factional Tianduo Daily.
He returned to Ningbo and taught in Xiaoshi Middle School for nine years. During this period, he volunteered to translate and explain Shanghai Shenbao, and at 1920, he also wrote for Ningbo Siming Daily.
In June of the same year, Shanghai Commercial Press hired him to go to Shanghai to compile Webster's Dictionary. Soon after, Business Daily was founded, and he went to Shanghai to start his favorite journalism.
He also writes comments in the Business Daily, and his writing style is still sharp, and people are scrambling to tell it, which is called a "sudden emergence" of the newspaper industry. Guo Moruo later met Chen Bulei for the first time, saying that he had finished reading all the articles written in Business Daily, and was overwhelmed by the papers. It can be seen that Chen Bulei's writing skills are superb.
That time was the happiest day in Chen Bulei's life, so that after he became Chiang Kai-shek's assistant, he recalled and mentioned this happy time several times. What literati need most is that I write my heart, which became the extravagant hope of Chen Bulei later.
"Gold always shines." Chen Bulei, an unusual person, was gradually noticed by another unusual person, that is, Chiang Kai-shek.
More precisely, Chen was introduced to Chiang Kai-shek by Dai, Li and others, and Chiang Kai-shek was short of a chief of staff at that time, which he thought was very suitable.
1927 In February, 37-year-old Chen Bulei met Chiang Kai-shek for the first time. After several exchanges, he joined the Kuomintang. I don't know that I have begun to be involved in the political whirlpool, and I am about to get deeper and deeper, even beyond redemption.
Chen Bulei became a ghostwriter of Chiang Kai-shek from the article A Letter to Huangpu Classmates. For example, Li Ao said, "Chen Bulei didn't have any collected works in his life-all his articles went to other people's collected works". As far as literati are concerned, is this fortunate or unfortunate? Obviously.
At this stage of 1927- 1934, Chen Bulei still has some freedom. Although Chiang Kai-shek wanted to reuse him, he insisted on not being an official, so he didn't have to stay with Chiang. Only when Chiang Kai-shek meets something important will he be called to Nanjing to write an article.
Because during that time, Chiang Kai-shek had another aide, Yang Yongtai. Yang Yongtai is an able man, who made great contributions during Chiang Kai-shek's "cutting Francisco" and "suppressing the Communist Party", so he was appreciated by Chiang Kai-shek and ordered him to sleep directly at the door of the bedroom and be on call.
However, Yang Yongtai with ulterior motives even wanted to interfere and control Chiang Kai-shek. This is not bad, is it? Chiang Kai-shek is bound to tolerate him. Therefore, Chiang Kai-shek took advantage of the Lunar Lantern Festival in 1934, and publicly stated that he would call Chen Bulei to work with all important members of the Party present.
After the banquet, in order to show sincerity, Jiang also had a private chat with Chen and told him his difficulties, hoping that he would help himself and share some of Yang Yongtai's power.
Chen Bulei is an honest man. He has always been grateful to Chiang Kai-shek for his appreciation and love. Seeing that the "master" is in trouble, how to refuse again and again? As a result, Chen's feudal "foolish loyalty" thought germinated again, and he agreed to Chiang's request.
It can be said that since Chen Bulei came to Nanking to become the second director of Chiang Kai-shek's retinue room, he has never seen himself again and dedicated himself to Chiang Kai-shek. Jiang Zeng described the working state in "Regret for the Past" as follows:
Chen Bulei has always been loyal to Chiang Kai-shek. He also knows that Chiang Kai-shek made some mistakes, but he is unwilling and afraid to betray this "master". He wants to be loyal to his life; But he is also a scholar with moral supremacy, so his heart is very contradictory and tangled.
For example, after the Xi Incident in 1936, Chiang Kai-shek asked him to compile Xi Half Moon, which was inconsistent with the facts, which embarrassed Chen Bulei.
He wrote and threw, throwing and repeating, which made him irritable, broke many pens, sighed and said loudly to his wife and sister who came to comfort him, "You don't understand, you don't understand, how can I write them all?" How to make up! "
Moreover, in his later political career, such things kept repeating themselves. He was irresistible and extremely reluctant. In this way, Chen Bulei has been tortured by this contradictory psychology, exhausted.
He once wrote in his diary: "I can't express my opinions and ideas today." Body and soul gradually become a part of others. Everyone has instinct in life, how can you be willing to do this! "
"It's sad to catch a knife for others", "I'm a married woman, and it's hard to disobey the Lord", "It's really the greatest pain in the world to write for people who don't know words", as Chen Bulei often said to his nephew Weng Zeyong.
Articles written for Chiang Kai-shek were deleted beyond recognition by Chiang Kai-shek several times. A clear and refreshing manuscript was made into a pile of three-color platters, and Chen Bulei made the second and third revisions. ...
"Oh, if only I could go back to journalism!" Chen Bulei sometimes sighs like this, but he has been involved in the center of the political whirlpool and knows too many secrets, so he can't turn back.
According to Chen Bulei's suicide note to Chiang Kai-shek and his close colleagues, during the second civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, Chen Bulei advised Chiang Kai-shek to stop fighting and negotiate with * * * * so that the two sides could end the civil war at an early date and let the people live and work in peace and contentment.
But Chiang Kai-shek didn't listen to him, and still said, "The last battle, the success or failure is in the sky." Adjutant Tao recalled afterwards that after talking with Jiang Chang, Chen returned to his apartment and sighed, "Success or failure depends on heaven!" " You can't be depressed for days on end.
When the Kuomintang troops were losing ground in Liaoshen Campaign, they saw a large number of refugees pouring into Shanhaiguan, leaving them homeless, and the whole China was severely damaged and destroyed.
Chen Bulei can't take it anymore. He often sighs: "Twenty million people are displaced, and it's terrible to fight again!" "I must convince the chairman that this battle can't be fought any more." "……"
In addition, there has been serious inflation in China, and prices have soared. Later, it even developed to the point where the monthly salary of workers was only enough to buy a bar of soap. Chen Bulei tried to be honest and upright, but there was nothing he could do!
All this made Chen Bulei stupefied and could only shake his head-he had exhausted his last strength, both physically and psychologically, and he was "exhausted"
He suddenly found that he had worked hard for so many years and seemed to have done nothing right. He was sorry for his master, the "party and country", the people, his family and everyone ... so he finally chose to commit suicide.
Chen Bulei is a tragic figure, who is called "the least deserving person" and "the one who cries for it forever" by Li Ao. In such a complicated political atmosphere full of black terror, he is always a pure scholar, which is not easy. No wonder Chiang Kai-shek gave him the title of "Contemporary Perfect Man".
Many people compare his death with Wang Guowei, and there is some truth. They all belong to what Chen called "cultural martyrs" and "ideal martyrs".
Of course, Chen Bulei must be wrong, but he is also very wrong. He is too stupid and too weak. He is so clever that he certainly realizes that he has been on the wrong path for more than 20 years. He regrets and is helpless, but he won't allow himself to change. Therefore, he had to "isolate himself with death" and "bury himself in the darkness forever".
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