He was the illegitimate son of Chiang Ching-kuo, and the cause of his mother's death was a mystery, and his ancestry was questioned by the world. This "child outside the door of the Jiang family", who has been running for more than half a century, has he completed his road of recognizing his ancestors and returning to his ancestors?
In my vague impression, when he was 5 years old, he had met his father, a place with mountains and waters. After growing up and going to school, he learned from textbooks that the place was on the mainland, Nanjing, Zhongshan Mausoleum and Xuanwu Lake. But his father's appearance was too young to remember at the time.
At the age of 7, he began to have a complete memory of Hsinchu, Taiwan, where his brothers and grandmother were crammed into a dilapidated, cramped room. Sometimes I would be woken up in the middle of the night by my grandmother's crying and wanted to comfort me, but my grandmother said sternly: "Don't care." "My grandmother, who was sitting at the end of the bed crying, always had a picture of a young woman in her hand, but he would never dare to ask who it was.
One winter when she was 10 years old, my grandmother was seriously ill, perhaps because she was afraid that she would be too late if she didn't say anything: "The woman in the photo is my daughter and your mother, named Zhang Yaruo. Your father..." Speaking of this, although the grandmother hesitated, she finally told them: "He is Chiang Ching-kuo. ”
First, the appearance of a talented woman is undoubtedly in love
Chiang Ching-kuo was Chiang Kai-shek's only son, but his mother was not Soong Meiling. When Chiang Kai-shek was young, he and Chiang Ching-kuo's biological mother, Mao Fumei, were arranged marriages by their parents. However, the old Jiang was amorous by nature and incompatible with the original wife's personality, so he was also very cold and harsh to the young Jiang Jingguo.
His father was cold and young, and Chiang Ching-kuo also hated his father, and then, under the recommendation of Li Dazhao, he went to the Soviet Union to study.
In the Soviet Union, Chiang Ching-kuo joined the Communist Party, believed in Marxism-Leninism, and openly broke with Chiang Kai-shek in his own way in action and thought.
But as Chiang Kai-shek's son, the Soviet Union did not treat his father kindly because of his attitude. Chiang Ching-kuo, who excelled academically, has always been snubbed and even embarrassed by Stalin and the Soviet authorities. In the USSR for 12 years, he was equivalent to the role of "hostage".
While in the Soviet Union, Chiang Ching-kuo met Fenna, a Soviet female worker, who was later his wife, Chinese named Chiang Fangliang. With his lover by his side, Chiang Ching-kuo has warm sustenance in spirit and some reliance in life.
When Chiang Ching-kuo was persecuted by the Soviets, had no job and could not even eat, he relied on Chiang Fangliang to do hard labor and make ends meet with a meager income. Jiang Fangliang bore him three sons and a daughter in his life.
The "Xi'an Incident" occurred in 1936, which was the prelude to the joint resistance of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party against Japan, and the beginning of the transformation of the relationship between Chiang's father and son.
Against the backdrop of the era of the creation of an anti-fascist alliance throughout the world, Stalin had no reason to continue to take Chiang Ching-kuo hostage. After 12 years in exile in the Soviet Union, Chiang Ching-kuo finally returned to China in 1937, to Chiang Kai-shek.
At this time, Chiang Kai-shek was in internal and external troubles, so he had high hopes for Chiang Ching-kuo, the only son. Chiang Ching-kuo also lived up to the expectations of the old Chiang and performed well in all aspects. He was only 27 years old at that time, and Chiang Kai-shek wanted him to train at the grassroots level first, so he sent him to Ganzhou to take charge.
In Ganzhou, Chiang Ching-kuo presided over the Office of the Administrative Inspectorate. He was honest and resolute, and soon enjoyed the reputation of "Jiang Qingtian", attracting many young people who were committed to serving the country, including Zhang Yaruo. Zhang Yaruo, who was born in Shuxiangmendi, took the initiative to write a letter to seek employment. Because of chance, this cover letter reached Chiang Ching-kuo's hands, and he personally looked at it.
Juanxiu's handwriting, hearty writing. Through the cover letter, Chiang Ching-kuo seems to have seen a new woman who is sunny and independent. Look at the photos attached to the cover letter, the facial features are beautiful and bright. Before he met him, Zhang Yaruo had already left a beautiful and profound first impression on Chiang Ching-kuo.
Without suspense, Zhang Yaruo was hired and worked in the library of the office, responsible for sorting out books and newspapers.
At that time, Ganzhou was often subjected to Japanese air raids, and after each air raid, a large number of wounded soldiers and civilians needed medical treatment. After work, Zhang Yaruo took the initiative to sign up for the rescue team, which was both brave and able to endure hardships. For this reason, Chiang Ching-kuo praised her at the public meeting of the office, and his good impression of her was further deepened.
Not long after, Zhang Yaruo was transferred to the "Anti-Japanese Mobilization Committee" as a clerk, during which time the two of them became more and more intersected in work. Zhang Yaruo is meticulous in her work, generous and cheerful to others, and understanding. All of this deeply attracted Chiang Ching-kuo.
Later, Zhang Yaruo was appointed as Chiang Ching-kuo's full-time secretary, and Chiang Ching-kuo trusted her in all aspects of her work and life. When he went to the counties every day, Chiang Ching-kuo always took her with him; The manuscript of her diary when she was in the Soviet Union was also given to her for sorting and safekeeping. They soon developed a relationship.
Chiang Ching-kuo's habit of keeping a diary has always been preserved. But after his death, no trace of the relationship was found in his diary.
Whether Jiang Zhang's love ever existed has been questioned by the world for a long time. But whether it is the FBI investigation or the later disclosure of people closely related to the Jiang family, a lot of evidence directly points out that Jiang Zhang and the two once loved each other.
Speaking of the sublimation of the relationship between them, it also starts with the death of Jiang's mother.
In December 1939, the Japanese army attacked the ancestral home of the Jiang family in Xikou, and Mao Fumei was unfortunately killed in the air raid. Chiang Ching-kuo has been dependent on his mother since childhood, and his feelings are extremely deep.
When he learned of his mother's death, he was in pain. During this period, Zhang Yaruo accompanied him carefully and gently and helped Chiang Ching-kuo through the most painful moments of his life. Jiang Jingguo gave Zhang Yaruo a silk quilt with a mandarin duck pattern that his mother loved before her death, which was equivalent to recognizing Zhang Yaruo's identity as the daughter-in-law of the Jiang family.
During the time that the two got along in Ganzhou, they never avoided suspicion in front of outsiders. Zhang Yaruo's personality is a little flamboyant, and in the circle of friends, she often shows off her relationship with Chiang Ching-kuo, intentionally or unintentionally. In order to befriend Chiang Ching-kuo through her, some people also called her Mrs. Jiang or the Second Lady, and she was very useful.
Chiang Ching-kuo also often took Zhang Ruoya to various public and private parties. Jiang Jingguo drank a lot, and when he was happy, he liked to drink booze, and it was useless for anyone to persuade. But once Zhang Yaruo was present and gently said in his ear: "For the sake of health, limit the amount of alcohol." After Jiang Jingguo listened, he immediately put down his wine glass and happily accepted her opinion. Acquaintances are also tacit about the relationship between the two.
In this way, Jiang Jingguo and Zhang Ruoya fell in love with each other vigorously and half-concealed in Ganzhou for two years. When he was in love, Chiang Ching-kuo also promised to give Zhang Yaruo a name. This should also be Zhang Yaruo's greatest wish in this life.
But the red face is poor, and the sky does not go as expected. Zhang Yaruo may be destined to be only a guest in Chiang Ching-kuo's life.
Second, the incense disappeared and the cause of death was a mystery
In the summer of 1941, Zhang Yaruo became pregnant. When Chiang Ching-kuo learned the news, he was mixed. When he was in a dilemma, he told his father Chiang Kai-shek about it. He had hoped that his father would accept them for his grandson's sake, but Lao Jiang warned him that the matter must be handled secretly for the sake of his future and the family's reputation.
The attitude of the old Chiang put more pressure on Chiang Ching-kuo. After thinking about it, he decided to arrange for Zhang Yaruo to go to Guilin to wait for production, and then make plans.
For such an arrangement, Zhang Yaruo also gladly accepted. Chiang Ching-kuo entrusted her to the care of their mutual friend Gui Changzong, who had his sister Gui Changde accompany Zhang Yaruo to Guilin to give birth.
On the morning of March 13, 1942, Zhang Yaruo successfully gave birth to twin sons. Jiang Jingguo, who rushed immediately after hearing the news, saw two cute children like two docile and well-behaved kittens, and blurted out, "Big cat, kitten!" ”
In this way, Big Mao and Little Mao became the milk names of the two children. When the moon was full, Chiang Ching-kuo personally named the two children "Xiaoyan" and "Xiaoci".
The child's name follows the character "filial piety" in the Jiang family tree. Zhang Yaruo was very touched by Chiang Ching-kuo's recognition of the child's identity. This also made her more firm in her heart the belief that the mother is precious by the child. There is no doubt that Chiang Ching-kuo loved their mother and son. But the boy born in the "imperial family" is destined to have no arbitrariness of his own.
Chiang Ching-kuo boldly implemented the New Deal in Gannan, and although his achievements were very prominent, he also affected the interests of many people and made many enemies. As Chiang Kai-shek's son, his private life was not allowed to be tainted. If the news that he has an outer room and an illegitimate child is exposed, as Lao Jiang warned, his future will definitely be affected, and the safety of mother and son will be difficult to guarantee. Political opponents will not let them go, and Chiang Kai-shek may not let them go.
One night in August 1942, Zhang Yaruo began vomiting and diarrhea after dinner and was quickly sent to the hospital. Early the next morning, her friend Gui Changzong rushed to the hospital to visit her.
The weakness of the body, coupled with the full stomach of grievances, Zhang Yaruo couldn't help crying to Gui Changzong, Jiang Jingguo has not visited her and the child for a long time, and it seems that the hope of fighting for a reputation for herself and the child is slowly falling short... She burst into tears while confiding in Gui Changzong.
At this moment, the medical staff came over and said to inject Zhang Yaruo. But after a while, Zhang Yaruo suddenly panicked: "Ah! Well, it's pitch black in front of me, I can't see anything..." Then he passed out.
Half an hour later, the hospital director handed Gui Changzong a critical illness notice, and the critical symptoms column said "blood poisoning".
After just a few minutes, the hospital pronounced Zhang Yaruo dead.
After Chiang Ching-kuo learned the news of Zhang Yaruo's sudden death, he did not show up because of his "busy official business", and he did not show sadness in front of people.
Soon after, Gui Changzong handed over all of Zhang Yaruo's relics to Chiang Ching-kuo, and when he saw the bed of mandarin duck sheets he gave to Zhang Yaruo, Jiang Jingguo was silent, and the seven-foot man looked up to the sky and sighed, his eyes seemed to have tears, but he was finally speechless.
There are various theories about the cause of Zhang Yaruo's death: one theory is that he died at the behest of Chiang Kai-shek at the hands of military agents; One speculation is that this is Chiang Ching-kuo's resignation for the sake of his career, and Gui Changde is an accomplice.
In short, after this, everything about Zhang Yaruo, Chiang Ching-kuo never mentioned it again, just as she never appeared in his life.
Only 29 years old, leaving a pair of twin sons under the age of one, Zhang Yaruo died suddenly and died of jade. After that, Chiang Ching-kuo was transferred back by Chiang Kai-shek from Ganzhou and began to formally train him as a successor.
Third, identity banishment, life is difficult
His mother died, and Xiaoyan and his younger brother Xiaoci were less than a year old. They took their mother's surname and raised them in their grandmother's house.
Jiang Xiaoyan said in an interview that his first memories began in Hsinchu, Taiwan. At that time, the two brothers were 7 years old, and more than a dozen people from the Zhang family were crammed into a small two-story building. The small grocery store run by the second uncle is the only source of income for the family, and life is very difficult.
In those years, Taiwanese Army General Wang Sheng occasionally came to visit them. Wang Sheng is Zhang Ruoya's friend before his death and a witness of the love between Jiang Zhang.
Every time two or three days after he came, the food at home would be greatly improved, there were fish and meat, just like the New Year. But a few years later, Wang Sheng came less often, and the things he sent became worse, and then he disappeared directly and disconnected.
In Taiwan in the 50s, the economic situation was very poor. All mainlanders who have "fled" believe that Taiwan is only a temporary refuge and will definitely return to the mainland in ten or eight years.
Jiang Xiaoyan recalled that at that time, there was not a single decent piece of furniture in the house, and anything added was used as an emergency, which could save money. Before high school, the only appliance he had seen in his home was the light bulb.
A few years later, my uncle's grocery store business became more and more dismal, and the family had to live on their original savings. The income is gone, but the number of children in the family is increasing. There is no toilet, only a faucet, and even the most basic toilet and bath have become a big problem every day.
But the brothers were very sensible, and although they were at a playful age, they never asked their family for toys and pocket money. In middle school, the school cafeteria could have credit on a small blackboard, and the two brothers' names had the most bookkeeping.
After school, they like to go home through the back door of the school, and when they pass by the nearby military family area, it seems that someone always points behind their backs: "Look, that's the child of the Jiang family." "They didn't understand what it meant before, but after their grandmother told them about their lives, they could hide and hide and keep their lives secret.
The twin sons who have no father or mother since childhood, and are lonely and helpless, are really the children of the Jiang family? The family is surrounded by disciples, and the difficult survival is lacking food and clothing, but it is a "prince and grandson"? Jiang Xiaoyan, who learned of his true life, could not have been without resentment. But the sensible brothers believed that their father must have his bitterness.
So, the brothers decided to "go with the flow" and continue their identity exile.
In the year of my grandmother's death, the two children were admitted to Soochow University very competitively, Xiaoyan studied foreign languages, and Xiaoci studied law. Later, one of them passed the "public examination" and entered the "Ministry of Foreign Affairs", and the other went to the United States to study for a postdoctoral degree and became a famous jurist.
Suffering is the injustice of fate to them, but at the same time, it is also the tempering of fate on them.
"By the time I got to high school, I knew I would never allow myself to live my life in mediocrity." Jiang Xiaoyan said that the harsh environment stimulated their fighting spirit. At that time, he was determined to change the gap behind the starting line through his own efforts. ”
At that time, no neighbors on the Central Road believed that that handsome and thin child would one day become a 'minister' and would also become the secretary general of the party.
Fourth, the road to recognize one's ancestors and return to one's ancestors is long
There are four "regular" players of the grandchildren of the Jiang family: Xiaowen, Xiaozhang (granddaughter), Xiaowu and Xiaoyong. Chiang Xiaowen, as the eldest grandson, was most valued by Chiang Kai-shek.
Taiwanese people know that when Chiang Kai-shek inspected the naval fleet, he asked Chiang Hsiao-wen to accompany him on board the warship, which was undoubtedly a signal to train successors.
Jiang Xiaoyan, who joined the "Ministry of Foreign Affairs", accidentally came across a special volume about Jiang Xiaowen in the archives office due to his work.
He saw that on January 23, 1960, 25-year-old Jiang Xiaowen, while studying in California, was sentenced to three days in prison for speeding, and later the Jiang family privately paid him a high fine before he was exempted from criminal punishment.
It is said that Chiang Ching-kuo has never doted on children, four mixed-race sons and women, the beauty of handsome men and women, but they are all A Dou who cannot support the wall. On the contrary, the twins' illegitimate children are very promising.
Some people once suspected that even if they were illegitimate children, Chiang's bloodline would definitely help the two brothers' careers. But Jiang Xiaoyan recalled: "In the course of my 'diplomatic' career, family lineage was a hindrance, not a help.
Every internal promotion or external release was delayed because senior people considered my family lineage. When Xiaoci was studying for a doctorate in the United States, he also used holidays to work to earn money to support himself and pay tuition. The achievements of the two brothers are completely dependent on their own efforts.
As they grew older and their careers progressed, the two brothers' desire to recognize their ancestors and return to their ancestors became more and more urgent. They hope that their lineage will be recognized, and they hope that their father can be pleased to see their motivation and hard work.
After gradually regaining contact with Wang Sheng, they asked Wang Sheng to bring letters to his father many times, but they never replied. To this day, they are not sure whether Wang Sheng concealed the letters or whether his father was unwilling to respond to them in the first place.
In the 70s of the last century, Chiang Kai-shek died, and Chiang Ching-kuo began to rule. Taiwan's political landscape is gradually changing, the public opinion environment is gradually opening up, and many non-party media have begun to openly report on the mystery of filial piety and filial piety.
Undoubtedly, this first attracted the attention of the Jiang brothers.
At that time, Jiang Xiaowen had a strange illness, and he has been sick ever since. Jiang Xiaowu was very wary of the half-brothers, but after all, blood was thicker than water, and after seeing that the two brothers were not malicious and aggressive, he gradually relaxed the mustard. The brothers inside and outside the Jiang family gradually moved around.
Once, Jiang Xiaowu and Jiang Xiaoyan attended a dinner party at the same time due to work, and the brothers met and talked happily. The reporter of the "China Times" present seemed to point out: "You guys seem to have a good chat, you really are brothers and sisters!" ”
Xiaowu immediately retorted with a smile and said: "You are wrong, we are not 'brothers and sisters', we are originally brothers and sisters!" This is the first time that Jiang Xiaowu has publicly acknowledged Xiaoyan's identity as a member of the Jiang family.
By 1987, Xiaoyong had also grown up, and under the influence of Xiaowu, he also referred to filial piety and filial piety as an older brother. People close to Chiang Ching-kuo reported to him the contact between the children, and he was very pleased to learn about it. Xiaoyong told Xiaoyan that his father said that at the right time, he would let the two brothers recognize their ancestors and return to their ancestors.
At this point, for Xiaoyan and Xiaoci, the identity of their descendants of the Jiang family has been recognized by the family, and it is almost a formal public ceremony. But this last step became an eternal regret.
On the afternoon of January 13, 1988, Chiang Ching-kuo suddenly vomited a lot of blood and died of heart failure. Under the arrangement of Xiaowu and Xiaoyong, Xiaoyan and Xiaoci only met Chiang Ching-kuo in the freezer of the hospital on the fourth day after his father's death. That was the first and last time they really saw their father since they understood things.
In Jiang Xiaoyan's words, "This is a very tragic scene in life. ”
But anyway, they finally met.
With the death of Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Ching-kuo's father and son, the Chiang dynasty officially ended in Taiwan. By the mid-to-late nineties, Xiaowen, Xiaowu, Xiaoci, and Xiaoyong all died young, and Xiaozhang, as the only girl in this generation, had already married and moved to the United States. Jiang Xiaoyan became the Jiang family, the highest person in the world.
On August 23, 2000, Jiang Xiaoyan set foot on the mainland of the motherland for the first time with his family. A group of eight people came to Chiang Kai-shek's former residence in Xikou and paid homage in front of the tomb of Chiang's ancestors.
In 2002, at the age of 60, Chiang Hsiao-yan lost his presidential bid and immediately resigned from public office to continue his legal recognition of Chiang's status.
In order to block the crowd, he conducted a DNA test. In the column of his ID card, his parents finally wrote down the names of Chiang Ching-kuo and Zhang Yaruo. But at this time, his public legal identity is still Zhang Xiaoyan. He promised Xiaowu and Xiaoyong to preserve the last dignity for the old lady Jiang Fangliang.
In 2005, the year after Ms. Jiang Fangliang's death, the 63-year-old descendant of the Jiang family, Xiaoyan, finally completed his road to returning to his ancestors. After getting a new ID card with the words "Jiang Xiaoyan" written in the name column, he came to the mainland again to worship at the cemetery of Zhang Yaruo in Guangxi.
The towering tree will have its roots. The water of the mountains will have its source. After running for most of his life and tasting the warmth and coldness of the world, Jiang Xiaoyan finally completed his road to recognizing his ancestors and returning to his ancestors. Although the road is not smooth, it will eventually end. The last wish of my parents before my death has finally been fulfilled!