The custom of posting the Spring Festival for the New Year began as early as the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. However, to clearly stipulate the proper noun of "Spring League" and to make it developed, it is still Zhu Yuanzhang.
Zhu Yuanzhang was born into a poor family, according to his own words, "born in cloth clothes", and has not read books since he was a child. Unlike those who were full of learning, he had been reading the "Four Books and Five Classics" since he was a child, while Zhu Yuanzhang had only been a monk for a few days and had read a few books such as the Great Compassion Mantra.
But this does not affect his vassal elegance. After becoming emperor, he also wanted to improve his cultural attainments and let the old decays of the Hanlin Academy tell him Confucian classics.
After not studying for a few days, I felt that I was already full of knowledge, and I had to find an opportunity to "shake and shake", otherwise I would explode.
How to learn with a shake? Write poetry, the sentences are too long, and it is difficult to grasp the flatness; what about writing words? The long and short sentences are more casual, but he can't grasp the rhythm of the rhythm inside.
It seems that the couplet is still the best. It was short and pithy, with only two sentences, which was relatively easy, so he liked to write pairs.
You don't have to say that you are worthy of being able to become an emperor, and your understanding is stronger than that of ordinary people. Look at the couplet he gave to the university scholar Taun:
The strategy of the national dynasty is unparalleled
Hanyuan article first
Give Xu Da, the king of Zhongshan, a couplet:
Breaking the barbarians, the merits of ancient and modern people are the first;
In and out of the picture, only in the world of literature and martial arts is unparalleled.
Isn't there still some mood?
Since the spring league that likes the couplet is also a kind of couplet, it is naturally within the scope of Emperor Zhu's specialty. Moreover, the Spring Festival is written on the day of the Spring Festival, which can stimulate the interest of writers.
Later, he was trapped in it and could not extricate himself, and he wrote very devotedly.
In fact, to put it bluntly, the level of couplets written by Zhu Yuanzhang is not very good. But what thing touches the royal family, it is naturally worth a hundred times, the emperor's royal pen who dares to say a word?
Just like the celebrities now, the pen characters are not smooth, and the brush inscription is used everywhere to keep a souvenir; the leader is originally a rooster duck voice, but he wants to sing a song - regardless of their level, it must be a cheer.
As soon as Zhu Yuanzhang's imperial pen was revealed, it was naturally filled with the sound of flattery.
Hearing the praise of the ministers, Zhu Yuanzhang's interest was even higher, not only writing himself, but also encouraging the ministers to write as well. Not only should the DPRK and the Chinese ministers carry it forward, but they must also let it enter thousands of households.
Based on this consideration, one year when the Spring Festival was approaching, the emperor's holy will came down:
"The establishment of the Spring League began with The Ming Dynasty. The imperial capital Jinling, Chinese New Year's Eve qian, suddenly passed on the order: The secretary of state must add a pair of chunlian at the door of the gongqing Shishu's house, and the emperor appears when he is micro-walking. ("Miscellaneous Tales of Qiu YunLou" Ming Chen Yunzhan )
This is the first time in history that there is a proper noun of "Spring League". It is also stipulated that all levels of the country, from the officials at all levels to the secretaries of state, down to the people of Li, every household must post the Spring League on the Chinese New Year's Eve, and the emperor will personally examine the situation of the Spring League.
Not only do you ask everyone to write, but also stipulate the color of the paper, because the folk customs take red as the festive color, so it is stipulated that the Spring League should be written on cinnabar paper, and named "Ten Thousand Years Red" (red and Zhu Yitong), symbolizing the long-term prosperity of the Zhu family, and the characters are inscribed in black ink.
Originally just a folk custom, now included in the administrative order of the imperial court, who dares not follow?
During Zhu Yuanzhang's reign, he paid more attention to the issue of execution. After the circular was issued, it was not only implemented, but also implemented thoroughly. The imperial court transferred the order to the provinces, and the provinces went down layer by layer, all the way to the prefectures, prefectures, and counties, requiring every household to paste couplets.
On the day of the first day of the Chinese New Year, Zhu Yuanzhang went out on a tour and was very happy to see the Spring Festival, which was full of streets and reflected in each other -- it seemed that the execution of the courtiers was still quite good.
Humming the little song of the Fengyang flower drum all the way, while casually strolling around.
Suddenly, his brow furrowed.
The emperor was not happy, the sharp-eyed eunuchs were very good at observing the color, they touched around, and immediately found the problem, it turned out that there was a family here in front of the door is bare, not yet posted the Spring League, they went forward to ask what is the reason?
It turned out that the owner of this house was a castrated pig, and he was worried that he could not find anyone to write the Spring Festival. Zhu Yuanzhang was also in a happy mood this day, and as soon as people were happy, they felt that the words and phrases in their stomachs had been turning over the river and the sea, and they were rushing straight up, and they immediately waved their pens:
Hands split the road to life and death
A knife cut is not a root
To tell the truth, Zhu Yuanzhang's couplet is still very neat, and it also expresses the industry that the master's family is engaged in. However, the timing is not right - the big New Year's day, what life and death, knives and guns, very unlucky.
But the emperor's royal gift, who dares to say a word, in addition to nodding his head in thanksgiving, what else can he do?
Moreover, Zhu Yuanzhang considered that the head of the household was a poor family who ate by handicraft, and even did not want the "polishing fee", which was purely a free gift!
The castrated piggyman was overjoyed, and immediately happily pasted the Spring League on the gate.
There is a saying that a dog can't hold two or two sesame oils in its belly. Zhu Yuanzhang, who had been complacent all night, triumphantly informed the ministers of the matter the next day.
There was a minister who had a whisker to pat the horse, and he sneaked to the pigmaker's house in the morning, but when he arrived at the door, he saw it, but there was another pair of Spring Leagues on the gate, and the handwriting was not the handwriting of the emperor. This minister couldn't help but feel angry in his heart: How could mo bao treat the ink treasure of the imperial pen in person? This is a defiance of imperial power, to destroy the Nine Tribes!
The minister immediately rushed into the castrated pig smith's house to ask for his guilt, and as soon as he entered the door, he saw that the Spring League written by the emperor had been attached to the shrine of the family and enshrined. At this time, the castrated piggyman's family was burning incense and praying to it.
It turned out that the castrated pig smith had already learned that it was a couplet made by the emperor's personal pen, where was he willing to hang outside to let the wind and the sun blow? He took off the frame and offered it, and then asked someone to write a pair of Spring Leagues and paste it on the door.
After Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, he was very happy and rewarded the owner of the house with thirty-two pieces of silver.
At that time, the butchers were 2 or 3 silver a month, and the emperor's reward gave him a faint reward - a year's livelihood, can they still praise the emperor without shouting long live?
The saying "lose money and make money" is estimated to have existed from this time.