The Project Gutenberg eBook of 虬髯客傳, by Guangting Du

隋煬帝之幸江都也，命司空楊素守西京。素驕貴，又以時亂，天下之權重望崇者莫我若也，奢貴自奉，禮異人臣。每公卿入言，賓客上謁，未嘗不踞床而見，令美人捧出，侍婢羅列，頗僭於上，末年益甚，無復知所負荷、有扶危持顛之心。

一日，衛公李靖以布衣來謁，獻奇策，素亦踞見之。靖前揖曰：「天下方亂，英雄競起，公以帝室重臣，須以收羅豪傑為心，不宜踞見賓客。」素斂容而起，與語大悅，收其策而退。

當靖之騁辯也，一妓有殊色，執紅拂立於前，獨目靖。靖既去，而執拂妓臨軒，指吏問曰：「去者處士第幾？住何處？」吏具以對，妓頷而去。

靖歸逆旅，其夜五更初，忽聞叩門而聲低者，靖起問焉。乃紫衣戴帽人，杖揭一囊。靖問：「誰？」曰：「妾楊家之紅拂妓也。」靖遽延入。脫衣去帽，乃十八九佳麗人也。素面華衣而拜。靖驚，答曰：「妾侍楊司空久，閱天下之人多矣，未有如公者。絲蘿非獨生，願託喬木，故來奔耳。」靖曰：「楊司空權重京師，如何？」曰：「彼屍居餘氣，不足畏也。諸妓知其無成，去者眾矣。彼亦不甚逐也。計之詳矣。幸無疑焉。」問其姓，曰：「張。」問伯仲之次，曰：「最長。」觀其肌膚、儀狀、言詞、氣性，真天人也。靖不自意獲之，愈喜懼，瞬息萬慮不安，而窺戶者足無停屨。既數日，聞追訪之聲，意亦非峻，乃雄服乘馬，排闥而去，將歸太原。

行次靈石旅舍，既設床，爐中烹肉且熟，張氏以髮長委地，立梳床前。靖方刷馬，忽有一人，中形，赤髯而虬，乘蹇驢而來，投革囊於爐前，取枕敧臥，看張氏梳頭。靖怒甚，未決，猶刷馬。張熟視其面，一手握髮，一手映身搖示，令勿怒。急急梳頭畢，斂衽前問其姓。臥客答曰：「姓張。」對曰：「妾亦姓張，合是妹。」遽拜之。問：「第幾？」曰：「第三。」問：「妹第幾？」曰：「最長。」遂喜曰：「今日多幸，遇一妹。」張氏遙呼曰：「李郎且來拜三兄！」靖驟拜之，遂環坐。曰：「煮者何肉？」曰：「羊肉，計已熟矣。」客曰：「飢甚！靖出市胡餅。客抽匕首，切肉共食。食竟，餘肉亂切送驢前食之，甚速。客曰：「觀李郎之行，貧士也，何以致斯異人。」曰：「靖雖貧，亦有心者焉。他人見問，固不言，兄之問，則無隱耳。」具言其由。曰：「然則將何之？」曰：「將避地太原耳。」曰：「然，吾故謂非君所能致也。」曰：「有酒乎？」曰：「主人西則酒肆也。」靖取酒一斗，酒既巡，客曰：「吾有少下酒物，李郎能同之乎？」靖曰：「不敢。」於是開革囊，取一人頭並心肝，卻收頭囊中，以匕首切心肝共食之。曰：「此人天下負心者，銜之十年，今始獲，吾憾釋矣。」又曰：「觀李郎儀形器宇，真丈夫也。亦知太原有異人乎？」曰：「嘗見一人，愚謂之真人也。其餘，將相而已。」曰：「何姓？」曰：「靖之同姓。」曰：「年幾？」曰：「近二十。」曰：「今何為？」曰：「州將之愛子也。」曰：「似矣，亦須見之，李郎能致吾一見否？」曰：「靖之友劉文靜者與之狎，因文靜見之可也。兄欲何為？」曰：「望氣者言太原有奇氣，使吾訪之。李郎明發，何日到太原？」靖計之。曰：「某日當到。」曰：「達之明日，方曙，候我於汾陽橋。」言訖，乘驢而去，其行若飛，回顧已遠。公與張氏且驚懼，久之，曰：「烈士不欺人，固無畏。」促鞭而行。

及期，入太原候之，相見大喜，偕詣劉氏，詐謂文靜曰：「有善相者思見郎君，請迎之。」文靜素奇其人，一旦聞有客善相，遽致酒延焉。既而太宗至，不衫不屨，裼裘而來，神氣揚揚，貌與常異。虬髯默居坐末，見之心死。飲數巡，起招靖曰：「真天子也。」靖以告劉，劉益喜，自負。既出，而虬髯曰：「吾得十八九矣，然須道兄見之。李郎宜與一妹復入京，某日午時，訪我於馬行東酒樓下。下有此驢及一瘦騾，即我與道兄俱在其上矣，到即登焉。」又別而去，公與張氏復應之。及期訪焉，即見二乘。攬衣登樓，虯髯與一道士方對飲，見靖驚喜，召坐環飲。十數巡。曰：「樓下櫃中有錢十萬，擇一深隱處，駐一妹畢，某日復會我於汾陽橋。」

如期至，道士與虬髯已先坐矣。俱謁文靜。時方弈棋，起揖而語。少焉，文靜飛書迎文皇看棋。道士對弈，虯髯與靖旁侍焉。俄而文皇來，精采驚人，長揖就坐，神清氣朗，滿坐風生，顧盼暐如也。道士一見慘然，斂棋子曰：「此局全輸矣！於此失卻局，奇哉！救無路矣！復奚言！」罷弈請去，既出，謂虬髯曰：「此世界非公世界也，他方可圖，勉之；勿以為念！」因共入京。虬髯曰：「計李郎之程，某日方到。到之明日，可與一妹同詣某坊曲小宅相訪。李郎相從，一妹懸然如磐，欲令新婦袛謁，兼議從容，無前卻也。」言畢，吁嗟而去。

靖策馬遄征，即到京，遂與張氏同往，乃一小板門，叩之，有應者拜曰：「三郎令候李郎、一娘子久矣。」延入重門，門益壯麗，婢四十人羅列庭前，奴二十人引靖入東廳。廳之陳設，窮極珍異，箱中妝奩冠鏡首飾之盛，非人間之物。巾櫛妝飾畢，請更衣，衣又珍奇。既畢，傳云：「三郎來！」「乃虬髯紗帽裼裘而來，有龍虎之姿，相見歡然。催其妻出拜，蓋亦天人也。遂延中堂，陳設盤筵之盛，雖王公家不侔也。四人對饌訖，陳女樂二十人，列奏於前。飲食妓樂，若從天降，非人間之曲度，食畢，行酒。家人自東堂舁出二十床，各以錦繡帕覆之，既陳，盡去其帕，乃文簿鎖匙耳。虬髯謂曰：「此盡是寶貨泉貝之數，吾之所有，悉以充贈。何者？某本欲於此世界求事，或當龍戰三二十載，建少功業。今既有主，住亦何為？太原李氏，真英主也。三五年內，即當太平。李郎以英特之才，輔清平之主，竭心盡善，必極人臣。一妹以天人之姿，蘊不世之藝，從夫而貴，榮極軒裳。非一妹不能識李郎，非李郎不能榮一妹。聖賢起陸之漸，際會如期。虎嘯風生，龍吟雲萃，固非偶然也。將余之贈，以佐真主，贊功業。勉之哉！此後十餘年，當東南數千里外有異事，是吾得志之秋也。一妹與李郎可瀝酒東南相賀。」因命家童列拜曰：「李郎、一妹，是汝主也。」言訖，與其妻從一奴戎裝乘馬而去；數步，遂不復見。

貞觀十年，靖位至左僕射平章事，適東南蠻入奏曰：「有海船千艘，甲兵十萬，入扶餘國，殺其主自立。國已定矣。」靖心知虬髯得事也，歸告張氏，具禮相賀，瀝酒東南祝拜之。乃知真人之興也，非英雄所冀，況非英雄者乎？人臣之謬思亂者，乃螳臂之拒走輪耳。我皇家垂福萬葉，豈虛然哉！或曰：「衛公之兵法，半是虬髯所傳也。」

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