Sanhuaitang, that is, the hall name of the Sanhuai Wang family, is also a synonym. The Sanhuai Wang clan is the largest branch of the Wang clan in China today, famous in the world, with lush branches, and is a derivative of the Taiyuan Wang clan (said to be the Langya Wang clan). At present, Sanhuaitang is the largest branch of the Wang family, and in the Wang family tree catalog of the "Comprehensive Catalogue of Chinese Genealogy", the family tree catalog with the name of "Sanhuaitang" occupies about 40% of the total number of Wang family trees.
Why is the Wang family of Sanhuaitang called "Three Locusts", and what is the origin of this?
The image comes from the Internet
The ancestor of the Sanhuai Wang clan was named Wang You, and in order to avoid the Ming Emperor Xiaozong Zhu You, he was renamed Wang Hu in later generations. Grandfather Wang Yan, formerly known as Wang Xin, changed his name to Wang Yan to avoid disasters. At the end of the Tang Dynasty, he served as the Commander of Liyang in Huazhou, and after his death, his father was Gui and was posthumously awarded the title of Duke of Xu. Lady Yao was posthumously honored as Lady Lu guo. Wang You's father, Wang Che (王彻), was promoted to the rank of Jin Shidi (進士第) by TongGuang Chu (同光初舉), and the official Zhi Zuo Shi (官至左拾) was left behind. Wang Che was also posthumously honored as the Duke of Lu for the sake of his descendants. Lady Tian shi, posthumously honored as Lady Yiguo.
Wang You (王佑), courtesy name Jingshu, was a native of XinXian County (present-day Liaocheng, Shandong), a native of the Daiming Prefecture, and was known for his literature. In the five dynasties, the first Shi Jin, and then the Han and Zhou. Wang You initially served as the county commander of Wei County and Nanle County. After Zhao Kuangyin established the Northern Song Dynasty, he was appointed as an envoy to supervise the imperial envoys, and later added the Jixian Academy to repair, transferred to the household department of Wailang, Bingbu Shilang, and served as Luzhou, Xiangzhou, Tanzhou, and Daming Prefecture Zhizhou.
Between the third year of Song Qiande (965) and the second year of Kaibao (969), the family moved to the capital and settled in Kaifeng. The specific address where Wang You settled in Kaifeng, Ming Li Lian's "Bijing Ruins Chronicle" said that it was outside Renhe Gate, and Qing Zhoucheng's "Song Dong tong kao" said that it was outside the Wangchun Gate. Renhe Gate and Wangchun Gate actually refer to Caomen Gate, which is the area north of Guanzhong Street in present-day Kaifeng, Henan.
In the second year of the Northern Song Dynasty (969), someone impeached Fu Yanqing for plotting rebellion against The Festival of zhen shou DamingFu. Zhao Kuangyin, the grandfather of the Song Dynasty, ordered Wang You, a military attendant, to act as the daimyo, pay close attention to Fu Yanqing's movements, and carefully investigate his charges of treason. In the end, Song Taizu also promised Wang You that as long as you can catch the evidence of Fu Yanqing's crime and confirm his crime of treason, he will promote you to be the prime minister.
Fu Yanqing was originally a general of the Later Zhou Dynasty, with outstanding military achievements, and his status at that time was not below Zhao Kuangyin. In 960, Song Taizu launched the Chen Qiao Mutiny, and became the founding emperor of the Great Song Dynasty. Then he released his military power and dismissed the general Shi Shouxin and others, but he did not dare to move Fu Yanqing. Now I want to find an excuse to get rid of him, but I have a heart disease of my own.
According to Zhao Kuangyin's will, after Wang You took over from the Daming Mansion, he made a secret visit and went all out to investigate Fu Yanqing's conspiracy to rebel. Later, after investigation, the case of conspiracy to commit rebellion was purely fictitious. Instead, it was found that Fu Yanqing's subordinate dental school Liu Siyu and the other two people were corrupt and perverted the law under the banner of Fu Yanqing, and Fu Yanqing did not know about it. Wang You ordered the arrest of Liu Siyu and the other two, and they were exiled after trial. Fu Yanqing was innocent and not implicated in any way.
A few months later, Song Taizu summoned Wang You and asked fu Yanqing about the investigation and handling of the rebellion case. Wang You bluntly reported that Fu Yanqing had not conspired against him, and guaranteed the lives of more than a hundred people in his family. Even the direct advice to Taizu should learn the lesson of the Emperors of the Jin and Han Dynasties (Five Dynasties) who killed innocents indiscriminately out of suspicion.
Wang You not only did not find evidence of Fu Yanqing's conspiracy according to Song Taizu's intentions, but vigorously defended him, which made Song Taizu very angry, so he demoted Wang You to Xiangzhou, and the promise of appointing him as prime minister was of course disappointed. Before Wang You took office, he planted 3 locust trees in his mansion and said, "My descendants will be the three dukes."
In the Zhou Dynasty, the locust tree symbolized profound learning, integrity and lofty status. The history books record that there were three locust trees planted outside the court of the Zhou Dynasty, and when the hundred officials saw the Heavenly Son, the three dukes of Taishi, Taibao and Taifu all stood facing each other. Therefore, after the Zhou Dynasty, "Three Acacia" refers to the Three Dukes. There is also a record of "three acacias in the Zhou Li" (三槐, 三公位焉)," so "three acacias" has become synonymous with "three dukes". In the Song Dynasty, the three important positions of Taiwei, Situ (丞相), and Sikong (Imperial History Doctor) were also collectively known as the "Three Dukes" and were the heads of the courtiers. Wang Youting planted the Three Acacias in the hope that among his descendants, there would be high-ranking officials who ranked among the "Three Dukes".
Later, Wang You's prophecy was indeed fulfilled. During the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of Song, his son Wang Dan ascended to the throne of chancellor for eighteen years, and was known as "the good face of the world". Since the Three Acacia Kings have been blessed with dukes, they have been officials for generations, and their descendants have been appointed everywhere, all over the world. At the same time, with the circulation of the story of Wang You's hand planting of three locusts, after the Song Dynasty, "three locusts" has almost become a synonym for the Wang surname. Since then, "Three Acacia Hall" has become a well-known hall name for the Three Acacia Wang family, which has been inherited for a thousand years.