At the end of the Qing Dynasty, the four famous families in the internal affairs government had an extraordinary status and wealth comparable to that of princes.
The Qing Dynasty Internal Affairs Government set up seven divisions and three courts, namely the Guangchu Division, the Duyu Division, the Zhangyi Division, the Accounting Division, the Construction Division, the Qingfeng Division, the Shenxing Division, as well as the Shangqi Yuan, the Wubei Yuan, and the Fengchen Yuan, which had a wide range of functions, covering management, etiquette, finance, commerce, customs, government and learning, justice, tribute, construction, manufacturing and many other aspects. Due to the wide range of functions, a relationship of mutual restraint has been formed between the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The people under the Ministry of Internal Affairs include not only Manchus, Mongolians, and Han Chinese, but also Koreans, Hui and other multi-ethnic members. These people of different nationalities were incorporated into the Eight Banners and were all under the management of the Internal Affairs Office, known as the Eight Banners of the Internal Affairs Bureau, or the Eight Banners of the Inner Affairs Department for short. Among them, the inlaid yellow flag, the positive yellow flag, and the positive white flag are the three flags, which directly serve the emperor and are led by the emperor. Because of the emperor's trust, the Shangsanqi people were often sent to important positions, such as Suzhou Weaving, Hangzhou Weaving, Jiangning Weaving, Yanzheng or Yuehai Supervisor, etc., who were not only responsible for inquiring about social affairs, but also responsible for supervising local officials, enjoying a special status and rich wealth. Cao Xueqin, the author of "Dream of Red Mansions", was born in a family of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and his grandfather Cao Yin was a native of the White Banner of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and served as a weaver in Suzhou and Jiangning. It is the special environment of the family of the Ministry of Internal Affairs that has given birth to such a literary treasure as "Dream of the Red Chamber".
Mr. Wang Zhonghan's "Examination of the Family of the House of Internal Affairs" conducted an in-depth and systematic study of the family of the House of Internal Affairs in the Qing Dynasty. Although there are mentions of the family of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the late Qing Dynasty, it is inevitable that there are some omissions. Here, based on historical data, the author briefly talks about the four families of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the late Qing Dynasty to consult experts.
Rong Ting, the word Yuchen, asked the owner of the bamboo, and the old man of the Humble Garden, which belonged to the white flag of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The ancestor of Rong Ting was a Mongolian, surnamed Borzigit, a descendant of Genghis Khan, who entered the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the early Qing Dynasty and was later given the Han surname Yin. Among the bannermen of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the surname needs to be the same as the Han surname, and the surname is placed after the name, which is called a certain family, so Rong Ting was called "Rong Yin family" by the people of the time. When Rong Ting was young, he participated in the construction of water conservancy projects in Xingtai, Hebei, and in the seventeenth year of Guangxu, he was appointed as a weaver in Suzhou, and later rose to the office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. During the Guangxu period, although the Minister of Internal Affairs was in name only, the actual power was in the hands of Tang Langzhong. In the year of Gengzi (1900), Rong Ting said that he was sick and returned home, he drew water in the garden, stored insects and raised fish, met friends with poetry and wine, named the garden "Joy Garden", and his mansion was located in the east of Di'anmen Hutong. Rong Ting is the author of "Insect and Fish Collection", "Humble Garden Lantern Riddle Grass", "Wuxia Poems" and other works. His brother Rong Huan is also a member of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the two families live on the north and south sides of the Crutch Hutong, a scene similar to the Ning Guofu and Rongguo Mansion in "Dream of Red Mansions".
Mingshan, the character Yuanfu, came from the Chahara clan of Manchuria with a yellow flag, and its ancestor was a bachelor in the Yongqian period.
Ming Shan served as Minister of Internal Affairs from the 10th year of Xianfeng (1860) until the 13th year of Tongzhi (1874). His sons Wenxi and Sun Zengchong also served as ministers of the Interior in the Tongzhi, Guangxu and Xuantong dynasties. Therefore, they were revered by the people of the time as "Ming Suo", "Wen Suo", and "Zengsuo". Mingshan's mansion is located in Qinlao Hutong, and its garden is called "Qi Garden", which is now called "Suojia Garden". Although the Suo family's old mansion is large, its layout is not systematic, and it is obviously the result of mergers of successive dynasties.
Zhong Xiang, the word Yunting, the Han surname is Yang, and he belongs to the Han Army of the Internal Affairs Office with a yellow flag.
He was a Jinshi in Jiaqing for 13 years, and successively served as the envoy of Shandong, the political envoy of Zhejiang, and the governor of Shandong. In the sixteenth year of Daoguang (1836), he was appointed as the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, and in the twenty-second year he was summoned to Beijing as the minister of Kulun, and later changed to the governor of the Donghe River. The Zhong Xiang family is known as the "Zhong Yang family", its family has been wealthy for generations, the mansion is located in the old Gulou Street Majiachang, the house is vast, there are many fields in Sixiang, and the rental income is rich. However, it is a complete misconception that some people do not understand the custom of addressing the surnames of the bannermen of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and mistakenly think that the "Zhong Yang family" is a family of craftsmen who specialize in repairing clocks and watches, and that they have become rich by monopolizing the clock repair industry in the capital.
Wen Feng, whose Han surname is Dong, is from the Yellow Banner of the Han Army of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
He has successively served as the pen post of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the head of the hall, the staff of the outer lang, the Langzhong of the manufacturing office, and the weaving of Hangzhou. In the twenty-first year of Daoguang, he was appointed as the overseer of Yuehai. In March 26, he was awarded the title of deputy governor of Rehe and served as a weaver in Suzhou. After completing the mission, he returned to the capital and served as a Tang Langzhong again. In the fourth year of Xianfeng, he was awarded the title of Minister of the Interior. In August of the tenth year, he was appointed to be in charge of all the affairs of the Old Summer Palace, but in the same month, the British army broke into the Old Summer Palace, and Wen Feng committed suicide by throwing himself into Fuhai. His younger brother Wen Lian also served as the Minister of Internal Affairs of the General Kan, and their family is known as the "Wen Dong Family", and the mansion is located in Dongyuer Hutong, Di'anmen, which is divided into two courtyards.
These families of the Interior were responsible for managing the affairs of the court and the royal treasury, and were able to see and manage countless grand scenes and treasures, and the pomp, magnanimity and sophistication of their families were naturally extraordinary. Because of this, they have "trained" a large number of connoisseurs and collectors. For example, in Rong Yin's family, Rong Ting has a strong interest in fighting insects and fish since he was a child, and his book "Insect and Fish Collection" describes in detail the selection, breeding, fighting methods and the attention to the mud pot of crickets, as well as the selection, reproduction and variety of goldfish, etc., this work is still the authoritative work of fighting insects, raising fish, and collecting cricket pots. Another of his works, "Humble Garden Lantern Riddle Grass", is his self-made lantern riddle, which represents the style of the Northern School of Lantern Riddles. Rong Ting's son Yin Zhongqi bought a large number of British brand-name bicycles when imported bicycles were just emerging, and hired foreign coaches, who were able to complete various difficult handstand movements on the bicycle, and was known as the originator of high-platform fixed bicycles. In 1950, he donated all his ancient ink collection to the Palace Museum, and his works on the appreciation of ancient ink are still important reference materials for collecting ancient ink. Yang Jizhen of the Zhong Yang family is known for his elegance and antiquity, and his collection of ancient coins can be found throughout the dynasties, including the famous "Dream of the Red Chamber" manuscript "Dream Manuscript".