Who doesn't know Jiang Ziya? Even though the legendary god who loved to fish with straight hooks has been gone for thousands of years, the legendary story he experienced is still talked about today. His harmony with the monarch King Wu of Zhou, whom he served, was also admired by successive generations. But you know, between Jiang Ziya and the enviable harmonious relationship of King Wu of Zhou, there is actually a son and a mother.
First, the monarch? Pro-family!
When it comes to Jiang Ziya, many friends will think of literary and artistic works such as "List of Fengshen Gods". As a well-known hermit, strategist and wise person who has been "on fire" for thousands of years, Jiang Ziya has long been widely praised. Whether it was fishing alone by the river before his departure, or assisting King Wu to destroy Shang, Jiang Ziya's talent and situation were the focus of people's attention to him. In contrast, his family was much more "unknown" – his only daughter was the princess of King Wu of Zhou.
Surprised? King Wu of Zhou and Jiang Ziya have long been regarded as representatives of the harmony between kings and subjects, and Jiang Ziya is the target of countless scholars. But these two people were not only monarchs, but also in-laws. Jiang Ziya was both a courtier under King Wu and his father-in-law. Jiang Ziya's only daughter, Yi Jiang, after marrying King Wu of Zhou, also gave birth to two princes for the royal family, Ji Shu of Zhou Cheng and Tang Shuyu, the founding prince of the Jin Dynasty.
According to the Analects, King Wu of Zhou once lamented after seizing the world: "Chaos, subjects and soldiers." That is to say, among the many heroes in the early Western Zhou Dynasty, King Wu of Zhou valued ten the most. Among these ten people were both military master Jiang Ziya and Princess Yi Jiang. Jiang Ziya's own merits are not small, the only daughter is so excellent, plus two grandsons (one of which is most likely to succeed to the throne), King Wu of Zhou is not in harmony with Jiang Ziya.
Second, concessions? Machiavellian!
However, we also saw that although King Wu of Zhou had great respect for Jiang Ziya, he also sent him to the State of Qi. The land where the State of Qi is located is a fertile land of culture in later generations, and the products are also very rich. But in Jiang Ziya's time, the State of Qi was a newly acquired oriental land of the Zhou Dynasty, "the land is brine, less grain, and the people are widowed." Coupled with the fact that Zhou's foundation here was not stable, and the remnants of the forces supporting Yin Shang were still active, it was not a good reward to be sealed by Qi.
But even so, Jiang Ziya gladly accepted. And after entering the Qi capital Camp Hill, Jiang Ziya did work hard for the establishment of the princely states. Will Jiang Ziya not understand the difficulty of building the State of Qi? Of course not. But he still resolutely went to the East- because he was both a feudal state and a dangerous person.
Although the "Records of History" states that "(King Wu of Zhou) was given the title of Meritorious Counselor, and Shi Shangfu (i.e., Jiang Ziya) was the first seal". But at that time, King Wu of Zhou's throne was not sitting steadily. The remnants of Yin Shang and the careerists who try to fish in muddy waters are all eyeing the world. Therefore, King Wu of Zhou had to first send Jiang Ziya, who understood himself and the world better, to the new territory in the east.
If it is said that the move to divide Jiang Ziya into Qi, the most straightforward effect is to affirm Jiang Ziya's founding achievements, and the most important utility is to consolidate the rule of the Zhou Dynasty in the East, then for King Wu of Zhou and his family, such a move still has some meaning of maintaining family authority.
As mentioned earlier, Jiang Ziya is not only a hero, but also the elder brother-in-law of King Wu of Zhou, and the grandfather of the future Zhou Tianzi Ji. Jiang Ziya was brilliant alone, but his daughters and grandchildren were also the core figures of the early Western Zhou Dynasty. As a foreign relative, the reality that Jiang Ziya was first sealed inevitably made a kind of Ji surname disciple who was also qualified to seal the state and build a country jealousy. And if he continued to stay by Zhou Tianzi's side, no one could tell whether the trust of King Wu of Zhou and King Cheng of Zhou in Jiang Ziya would rise to a higher level. Therefore, sealing Jiang Ziya in the State of Qi, far away from Wang Qi, at the beginning, was not only the King of Zhou Wu holding Jiang Ziya, but also inevitably there was some implication of beating this foreign relative.
3. Famous? good name!
However, we have also seen that both King Wu of Zhou and Jiang Ziya enjoyed a high reputation in later generations. The relationship between the two in-laws did not attract much attention, and Jiang Ziya's difficulty in being sealed by Qi was rarely mentioned. Doesn't it say that "gossip is the ladder of human progress"? Even if people don't dare to talk about tianzi's gossip, how come they don't even care about Jiang Ziya?? ——Because although Jiang Ziya is not the Son of Heaven, he is also a human god in the eyes of the ancients!
The earliest written information about Jiang Ziya is the Book of Shang. In the book, there are five "speeches" by King Wu of Zhou (judging from the tone of the text, they should be ghostwritten for King Wu of Zhou). Although there are no famous writers for these articles, three of them are widely believed to have been ghostwritten by Jiang Ziya. Just think, which reader in the feudal era did not expect to one day write an article for the king? Therefore, it is not strange that the ancient scholars regarded Jiang Ziya as an object of envy, a goal of struggle, and even a "protective god" who blessed their own smooth career.
Moreover, the "Book of Poetry and Daya" also says: "Wei Shi Shang Father, Shi Wei Ying Yang". That is to say, Jiang Ziya is not only the civilian minister who can not only fish alone by the river, but also relieve the worries of the king, but also a fierce general who is brave and brave and a pioneer. Looking back at the feudal era, how high will Wang Yangming, Yue Fei and other Confucians have in people's hearts? Jiang Ziya, who was thousands of years earlier than them, was obviously only of high status.
In fact, as early as the Han and Tang Dynasties, Jiang Ziya was already regarded as a "martial god" or "god of war" and enjoyed temple sacrifices. During the Tang and Song dynasties, Jiang Ziya, as a "martial god", even enjoyed state sacrifices, and was a human god that no one dared to say was bad. Later, although his position as "Martial God" was gradually replaced by Guan Yu, the true deeds of the extremely popular subjects were still widely praised. This makes him still a sought-after example for scholars, if not any longer a "god" who defends his homeland. The pen pole is in the hands of his fans, how can Jiang Ziya not have a good name? And to be famous, gossip that is not on the table will naturally not be hyped up.
Resources:
LIU Yanyan. History, Politics and Literature: The Evolution and Cultural Connotation of Jiang Ziya's Image[J].Nankai Journal (Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition), 2012(01):110-116.
Wang Gongjian. Unveiling the Mystery of the Thousand-Year-Old Jinci Shrine and the Mystery of Yi jiang[J].Monthly Journal of Literature and History, 2018(09):65-67.