百年石室的私家秘密
2018-01-01陈科龙
◇ 文|本刊记者 陈科龙 图| 游 宇
百年石室的私家秘密
Secrets of a Hundred-year-old Stone Chamber
在重庆城区，有一个叫“鹅岭”的地方，重庆人几乎无人不晓。鹅岭的位置生得险绝，长江、嘉陵江二水南北挟持，为两江环抱距离最近处，宛若束带，形似鹅颈，故俗称“鹅项岭”。当年蜀汉将军李严踞守江州时，就曾计划凿开鹅项岭，连通两江，使江州城四面环水，成一江心洲。
在重庆生活了多年，也上过鹅岭多次。想象中，鹅岭公园必是今人所捣鼓出来的园艺小品，没有多少野趣和古意，故未深探。没曾想，鹅岭公园内还颇有几处前人遗下的旧迹，只是没有两江亭巍峨光鲜，鲜有人提及。
全石材砌筑的桐轩石室即是其中之一。
In Chongqing, almost everyone knows Eling which lies in a perilous section coming up between the Yangtze River and Jialing River in a northsouth way, where the two rivers are at the closest distance. It is like a bunch of gird as well as a goose’s neck in shape, thus known as “Exiang Ling”. In ancient days, General Li Yan of Shu Han Dynasty once stayed in Jiangzhou, and planned to chisel Exiang Ling sharp open so as to link the two rivers together to make Jiangzhou be all surrounded by water.
I have lived in Chongqing for years and visited Eling a couple of times. I assumed that Eling Park was a creation in present days, lacking a slight touch of fun and antiquity, so never bothered to dig into its origin. It never occurred to me that there are indeed several relics left over by our predecessors, which might not be so attractive as Liangjiang Pavilion and thus be hardly mentioned.
One of the relics is Tongxuan Stone Chamber made of stones alone.
西南首富李耀庭
The Richest in the Southwest
这座百年石室的故事，得从它的建造者、当时的西南首富李耀庭说起。
李耀庭本是云南昭通人，出身贫寒，原为挑夫。因为得到天顺祥票号老板的赏识，清光绪六年（1880年）他被安排到重庆任天顺祥票号渝州分号管事。接任渝州分号短短数年，李耀庭竟将天顺祥的分号扩至全国各省，一跃成为南帮票号之首。李耀庭因此分得巨额红利，其自营盐号“祥发公”也逐渐发展成川东最大的盐号，成为富甲一方的西南首富。
1904年，重庆设立商务总会，李耀庭被公推为首任总理，为重庆商务实业的发展贡献颇多。他热心慈善，大力资助赈灾、救荒、修桥、兴学等公益事业，为时人所称道。李耀庭七十寿辰时，送礼祝寿者，上自六部尚书达官贵人，下至平民百姓。……
