The Lantern Festival is approaching, revisiting the plot of the Jia Fu Festival, and paying attention to a long-neglected character in Jia Fu - Jia Huan, so it became this small article.
First, the lantern riddle of the Lantern Festival
That year's Lantern Festival, the Yuan Concubine sent out a lantern riddle from the palace, asked the sisters to guess, guessed the prize, and ordered them to make their own riddles and send them into the palace. I have to say that the lonely life of the Yuan Concubine in the deep palace has been slightly adjusted by the daughters of these Grand View Gardens, and the Yuan Concubines have indeed had good tastes, and the sisters are also angry. However, in this gorgeous movement, it is inevitable that there is an incongruous note mixed in, that is, Jia Huan.
That time, only Jia Huan and Yingchun did not guess the mystery of the Yuan Concubine, and the riddle made by Jia Huan himself was rated as "not passable" by the Yuan Concubine, because it was not passable, the Yuan Concubine did not guess, so it was returned. What kind of riddle did Jia Huan make? Let's also look: "The eldest brother has only eight horns, and the second brother has only two horns." The eldest brother only sits on the bed, and the second brother loves to squat on the room. Because the yuan concubine also explained to the eunuch to ask Jia Huan what this is, so this riddle was naturally looked at by everyone, and it was inevitable that "a big laugh" would be made. Jia Huan was originally "bored" because he guessed the mystery of the wrong concubine and did not get the "prize", and now he is laughed at by his sister in public, and he does not know how he will feel in his heart?
Yingchun also did not get the prize, but she had the dignity of a lady, "she joked about small things, and didn't mind." Yingchun has always been indisputable with the world, whether it is a number in the poetry club or a wrong rhyme when performing a liquor order, it is just a laugh. It's just that Jia Huan didn't have the tranquility of Yingchun, and he must be extremely embarrassed.
Before that, there was a storm in Baochao: Jia Huan lost money because he played go with Ying'er and others, and was ridiculed by Ying'er, Baoyu's dislike, Aunt Zhao's scolding, and Fengjie's reprimand. Of course, Lai's account is not right, but I see that Jia Huan, as a child, cannot be well advised when he makes a mistake, but is treated roughly and indifferently by all kinds of people, etc., and it is inevitable to sigh: No wonder Jia Huan "does not learn well", to destroy a child, it is enough to ignore him.
However, Bao Chao's exhortation was the only warm word in the whole incident: "Good brother, don't say this, people laugh at you." Bao Chao is Madame Wang's niece, Bao Yu's aunt, she can call Jia Huan a "good brother", while Aunt Zhao, as a birth mother, mouths him "obscene and faceless things", and Feng Jie even directly rebuked him for "crooked heart, fox charm domineering", "disrespectful, the more he flows down, the more he has a bad heart". In this situation, people can't bear to see it.
The last time the scars had not yet subsided, and this time they were ridiculed by the group because of the riddle, and Jia Huan had to hold back his embarrassment and say the bottom of his riddle: a pillow, an animal head. This riddle and riddle, the reviewer commented: "Can make a laugh, the mystery of the real ring brother", "thanks to his good talent, how to come to think". Jia Huan's mystery is certainly not clear, and the prizes of the Yuan Concubine are only "very small" things such as poetry tubes and tea baskets, but jia Huan's image of not learning and no skills is deeply imprinted in the reader's mind.
We often don't think that Jia Huan is just a child at this time, because it is also this time that Jia Lan, a child two years younger than Jia Huan, showed a very self-respecting and self-loving side: Jia Zheng did not see Jia Lan, and when he asked Li Feng, Li Feng replied: He said that Fang Cai did not call him, and he refused to come. Although everyone laughed and said that Jia Lan was "born with a strange heart", we know that this is not a criticism, and Jia Lan's self-love is not "born", but thanks to the influence and teaching given to him by his knowledgeable mother like Li Feng. But Jia Huan's birth mother, Aunt Zhao, was originally a "humble and despicable" person, what good child can such a person educate?
As Jia Zheng's son-in-law and the half-brother of Concubine Yuan, Jia Huan and Bao Yu have a difference of cloud and mud, everything That Bao Yu has is out of his reach, and the loss and sorrow in his heart has long turned into jealousy and resentment, coupled with Aunt Zhao's improper education, it has further spawned the seeds of hatred. But as a living individual, did Jia Huan really not grow in the slightest? Has his life been frozen? I don't think so.
2. Mid-Autumn Festival Night Feast poetry
The seventy-fifth time in "Dream of the Red Chamber", at the Mid-Autumn Festival Night Banquet in Jia Province, Bao Yu first made a poem, although there is a lack of this time, we can't see how the original poem is, but it is not difficult to see from Jia Zheng's "nod" that Bao Yu did a good job, and Jia Mu even used the spoiling of "how big can he be" to "force" Jia Zheng to reward Bao Yu with two fans. Jia Lan also attended and did a song, Jia Zheng saw "overjoyed", treating the young and diligent grandson, Jia Zheng is liked in the eyes of the heart.
Finally, it was Jia Huan's turn, and the text said: "Jia Huan has been reading a little lately, and his spleen is not good like Baoyu, so he often looks at some poems, and is curious about the strange ghosts." Imami Baoyu's poetry was awarded, and he was itchy, only in front of Jia Zheng did not dare to make a mistake. Now that he can spend it in his hand, he also asks for paper and pencil to stand up and wave with Jia Zheng. "Jia Huan is also a reader, not only reading, but also growing. Moreover, in the eyes of Father Yan, he once had "obscene characters and absurd behavior", and he liked poetry as much as Baoyu. Although we have no chance to see Jia Huan's poems, we can draw some clues from jia zheng and Jia Huan's evaluations.
Jia Zheng looked at it, "I also feel that it is rare, but the words and sentences finally carry the meaning of not being happy to read, so I am not happy." Jia Zheng's Nahan probably did not expect that this son who had been neglected by himself could now write poetry, and his displeasure was inevitable, and even if he was a concubine who was good at writing poetry, even Baoyu, was the object of his criticism and disgust. Jia Zheng compares Jia Huan and Bao Yu to "difficult brothers and difficult brothers", is it not a disguised praise for Jia Huan? From this, we found that jia huan was no longer a Wuxia Amon who couldn't even do a decent riddle!
If Jia Zheng did not praise Jia Huan positively, then Jia Huan's praise was the highlight of Jia Huan's life. Jia Yu read the poem and praised it, where is the good? Jia Shu called this poem "very skeletal" and "did not lose the spirit of our Houmen", bluntly saying that he loved his poem. He also instructed the people to take many of their own playthings to reward Jia Huan, and then patted Jia Huan's head and said something thrilling: "The future hereditary future will not be able to run away from you."
Jia Yu himself does not like to read, probably in his bones also look down on readers, Jia Zheng likes to read, and Jia Mother prefers, it is inevitable that his heart will be uneven. By praising Jia Amnesty once, there are also some words. However, in addition to the exaggerated elements, it can still explain one thing, that is, Jia Huan is growing and progressing after all.
III. The Poems of General Concubines
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, someone asked Jia Zheng to look for autumn to admire the osmanthus flowers, and Jia Zheng took Bao Yu, Jia Huan, and Jia Lan's uncle and nephew with him. Just think, if Jia Huan is very unpopular, will Jia Zheng take him to lose his ugliness? Horizontal and vertical with Uncle Bao Yu and nephew on the line. That time When Princess Nan'an came to Jia Province, Jia Mu only called BaoChao, Daiyu, Xiangyun, and Tanchun to come out to see her, and Lady Xing was not happy because she did not call Yingchun. It can be seen that this kind of gathering or meeting is not for everyone, and the elders often choose excellent people to support themselves, and will not bring the inferior out to "punch the face".
I don't know what poem Jia Huan wrote at the party to admire the osmanthus flowers, but only listened to Bao Yu say: Not only did he not lose his ugliness, but he turned a lot of things upside down. The three of them were commended by Mei Hanlin and other fathers and colleagues, and when they returned home, Jia Zheng was still unsatisfied, and ordered the three of them to write an elegy for li Siniang, the general of the concubine. This time, all three of their poems are recorded.
At this time, it is clearly written in the book that Jia Lan is thirteen years old, and the Qing guests praise Jia Lan: "The little brother is like this, you can know the origin of family learning, it is really not false." Jia Huan's first five-word poem is as follows: "Red pink does not know sorrow, and the general is not restless." Cover up the embroidery curtain, and hold a grudge out of Qingzhou. Claiming to be a rewarding king, he can avenge his revenge. Who inscribed the tomb of Zhongyi, the unique wind and current of the ages. ”
How about this poem? Jia Huan, who was older than Jia Lan and smaller than Bao Yu, was probably a fifteen or sixteen-year-old teenager at this time. To paraphrase Jia Mu: "How old can he be?" "It should be fair. See what his customers said about his poem: "Better. However, they are a few years older, and their intentions are different. What did Jia Zheng say, the original text: "It is not very wrong, and it is not earnest in the end." Presumably, it can be seen in the eyes, pretending to say this. The crowd took the opportunity to praise again: "The third master is only two years old, so when he was not crowned, he spent his time, and in a few years, I am afraid that it is not a big Ruan Xiao Ruan." ”
Although Jia Huan and Jia Lan are all written for the following to write Bao Yu as a paving, I have to say that Jia Huan is no longer what it used to be. Our understanding of him can not blindly stay in his infancy, but also should see his changes and development, Jia Zheng did not also say to Jia Huan and Jia Lan, "Baoyu reading is not as good as you two", although Jia Huan was also reprimanded by Yan Father, but reading is still more important than Baoyu.
Bao Chao once said that reading is for the sake of reason. Jia Huan has made progress in his studies, but has there also been a change in his personality? It should be said that there are still some, such as being "insulted" by Fang Guan, he did not listen to Aunt Zhao's instigation to go to Yihong Courtyard to make trouble, but calmly said to Caiyun: "This is also good, like salt powder, leave it to wipe." No matter how Aunt Zhao scolded him for being "not rigid", he did not go to Fang Guan to "settle the account", but instead said: "I was provoked by the victim to make trouble, and when something happened, I scolded him, and you generally bowed your head." It can be seen that Jia Huan has grown up, he has his own independent judgment and thinking ability, and he no longer listens to aunt Zhao's instigation.
Whenever I read this, I always feel regretful, if Jia Huan can get normal teachings since childhood, why should he live a ghostly life in the whole Jia Province? But then again, under the old concept of concubines and the system of etiquette, Jia Huan was bound to be excluded from the center of power, outside, without the good education of his sister Tanchun, no one to help him; inside, he could not choose his own birth mother, nor did he have a firm self, a strong heart, so he was destined to be a tragic figure: even if he stumbled and made progress in the process of growing up, it was difficult to grow into a person of good character.
Author: Du Ruo, this article is to read less of the original works of the Red Chamber.