In "Dream of Red Mansions", Jia's mother's status has attracted much attention. A seemingly insignificant detail, but it reveals her transcendent status in the Jia family and even the entire Grand View Garden. When she rented a family temple with Princess Beijing, it turned out that Mother Jia lived in the East Upper Courtyard, while Princess Beijing could only live in the West Lower Courtyard. This arrangement of "going up from the east to the west" has subverted our traditional perception of the Jia family, and people can't help but wonder: How high is Jia's mother's status? Why can she overpower the princess of Beijing? What secrets are hidden behind her status?
1. The hereditary titles of the Jia family are originated
When it comes to the Jia family, the world's impression of them often stops at "two false positions, a petty official". However, if you delve into the origin of the Jia family's hereditary titles, you can find that this seemingly ordinary big family actually has a long history and a transcendent status.
Jia Yu is the general of the hereditary first-class lord of Rongguo. According to the system of the Ming and Qing dynasties, the title of Duke Rongguo is second only to the royal titles such as prince, county king, Zhenguo duke, and auxiliary duke, which can be said to be the highest title among the subjects. And Jia Zhen is the hereditary third-class mighty general of Ningguo Gong, although the title is slightly lower than Jia Yu, but it also belongs to a very high subject title.
These two seemingly fictitious "dukes" actually originated from the conferral of Jia Chengxian, the founder of the Ming Dynasty. In order to affirm Jia Chengxian's outstanding exploits in pacifying Jiangnan, Zhu Yuanzhang gave two hereditary titles, Duke Rongguo and Duke Ningguo, as the highest courtesy to his family. Since then, the descendants of the Jia family have passed on these two titles from generation to generation, and they have enjoyed the corresponding knighthood and honorary status from generation to generation.
It is worth mentioning that these two titles of the Jia family did not end in one generation, but continued to be hereditary. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, there were only a handful of courtiers who could receive such an honor. Even the descendants of some of the founding heroes often have their titles suspended after only two or three generations. But the Jia family is different, their titles have been extended until the middle of the Qing Dynasty, which shows the deep foundation of their family.
Although Jia Zheng is only a member of the Ministry of Labor from Wupin, his status should not be underestimated. As the heir of the hereditary title of Rongguo Gong, Jia Zheng has enjoyed a privileged life since he was a child. What's more, he is in charge of the hereditary estate of Rongguo Mansion, and he is far from ordinary in terms of economic strength.
In general, the hereditary titles of the Jia family have a long history and profound heritage. Although they seem ordinary on the surface, their status is actually transcendent, occupying a very high level of social status at that time. This also lays the foundation for us to understand the background of Jia Mu's transcendence of the status of the princess of Beijing.
Second, the particularity of the Jia family's title
Although the hereditary title of the Jia family seems ordinary, if you dig deeper, there are many special features in it, which is enough to highlight the transcendent status of this family.
First of all, we need to understand the hereditary title system of the Ming and Qing dynasties. In the Ming Dynasty, in order to affirm the outstanding contributions of the founding heroes, Zhu Yuanzhang specially set up a series of hereditary titles such as prince, county king, Zhenguo Gong, auxiliary Guogong, Fengguo Gong, etc., as the highest courtesy to the meritorious family. These titles can be passed down from generation to generation, and future generations can enjoy the corresponding knighthood and honorary status.
By the Qing Dynasty, this system basically continued. However, in order to consolidate his rule, the Qing emperor made certain adjustments to the hereditary titles. They used the original highest titles such as prince and county prince exclusively to the royal family, and regarded the titles of Zhenguo Duke and Auxiliary State Duke as the highest honor bestowed on the meritorious heroes.
In this context, the hereditary title of the Jia family is particularly special. Jia Yu and Jia Zhen inherited the two titles of Rongguo Duke and Ningguo Duke respectively, although they had been downgraded to first-class and third-class titles in the Qing Dynasty, they were still essentially equivalent to the Zhenguo Duke and Fuguo Duke of the Ming Dynasty, and belonged to the highest title among the subjects.
What is even more commendable is that these two titles of the Jia family have been passed down from generation to generation. According to the rules of the Ming and Qing dynasties, even the descendants of the founding heroes often had their titles suspended after only two or three generations. But the Jia family is different, their titles have been extended until the middle of the Qing Dynasty, which shows the deep foundation of their family.
Another peculiarity is that although the Jia family has a very high title, they never hold real power, but only a fictitious title in name. This may seem contradictory, but it is actually a way to avoid suspicion. Successive emperors feared that power would be excessively concentrated in the hands of a particular family, so even if a highly appointed title was bestowed on a meritorious person, his actual power would be limited to prevent a threat.
The Jia family just followed this approach, although they nominally inherited the titles of Duke Rongguo and Duke Ningguo, but in fact they did not hold much real power, and only indirectly affected the government and government. This kind of "imaginary" approach not only avoided the emperor's suspicion, but also made the Jia family safer and able to continue.
It is precisely because of these particularities that the hereditary title of the Jia family can last for hundreds of years in the Ming and Qing dynasties, becoming an extremely rare existence at that time. This also reflects from the side that the transcendent status and deep family foundation of the Jia family in the society at that time laid the foundation for us to understand that Jia's mother was able to surpass the status of the princess of Beijing.
3. The power of the Jia family in the court
Although the Jia family is ostensibly just two fictitious petty officials, their actual influence in the court is far from what outsiders can imagine. This is not only due to the particularity of the hereditary titles of the Jia family, but also from their close relationship with important figures in the DPRK and China.
First of all, let's take a look at the relationship between the Jia family and Wang Ziteng. Prince Teng is the capital of the nine provinces of the dynasty, in charge of the power of the whole country, and can be described as an important minister in the court. And Jia Yucun is his Grand Sima Counselor Military Aircraft, which is equivalent to today's military department Shangshu, and the two are tantamount to a superior-subordinate relationship. What's even more interesting is that Jia Yucun turned out to be a member of the Jia family, which shows how deep the influence of the Jia family is in the military.
In addition to Jia Yucun, the Jia family also has a world-like relationship with Fu Xian and other important officials in the DPRK and China. Fu Xian is not only a general judge, but also a close confidant of the two major envoys of Chang'an and Ping'an, and also has a pivotal position in the military. And the Jia family and General Yuehai, Shenwu General Feng Jia, and Zhao Shilang and other dignitaries in the DPRK and China are also world friends, which shows how extensive their network of contacts in the DPRK is.
These seemingly ordinary world relations actually conceal the actual influence of the Jia family in the DPRK. In ancient times, the decision-making of affairs between the DPRK and China often required the operation of various figures, and it was through these relationships that the Jia family indirectly influenced and influenced the process of the government.
What is more worth mentioning is Jia Zheng's unique position in the Ministry of Industry. Although Jia Zheng is only a foreigner from the fifth grade, he can "depend" on the Ministry of Industry for one or two decades without being promoted, demoted, or moved. In ancient officialdom, it was rare to be able to "rely on" so still, which shows how much power Jia Zheng had in the Ministry of Industry.
There is one detail that speaks even more. At that time, although the prefect of Ying Tianfu was only a third-grade servant, Jia Zheng was able to arrange his candidates at will, which shows that his influence in the Ministry of Industry has surpassed his own rank. The source of this influence is naturally inseparable from the Jia family's network in the DPRK.
In general, although the Jia family is only a fictitious title on the surface, their actual influence in the DPRK and China should not be underestimated. Through the close relationship with Wang Ziteng, Fu Xian and other important officials, as well as Jia Zheng's unique position in the Ministry of Industry, the Jia family indirectly controlled a considerable part of the government power and became a political force that could not be ignored at that time. This also explains from the side why the king and the emperor of Beijing are so jealous of the Jia family, and why Jia's mother can enjoy a status beyond that of the princess of Beijing.
Fourth, several new discoveries of Jia's mother's identity and status
Through the above analysis, we have learned about the background of the Jia family's hereditary titles and their actual influence in the court. However, these are not enough to fully explain why Jia Mu was able to enjoy a transcendent status beyond that of the princess of Beijing. We need to explore some new discoveries and details further.
First of all, let's take a look at the mode of getting along between Jia Mu and Princess Beijing. According to the record of "Dream of Red Mansions", whenever there is a big festival in the court, Jia Mu and the princess of Beijing will go to the next place to have some snacks and snacks together, and then enter the court together to participate in the sacrificial activities. After breakfast, the two of them will return to the lower place to rest together, and wait for the two sacrifices to be completed before leaving at the same time.
Judging from this "same out and in the same entry" mode of getting along, Jia Mu is obviously on an equal footing with the princess of Beijing. According to the ancient concept of hierarchy, the princess of Beijing should be higher than Mother Jia, but the two can come and go so intimately, which shows how heavy Mother Jia is in the eyes of Princess Princess Beijing.
What is even more eye-catching is the details of the "lower place" where Jia Mu and Princess Beijing stayed. It turned out that this "lower place" turned out to be a family temple of a big official, because the houses were extremely clean, so they were rented by Jia Mu and the princess of Beijing as a resting place.
It is worth noting that in the east and west courtyards of this family temple, Jia's mother actually lived in the east upper courtyard, while the princess of Beijing could only live in the west lower courtyard. According to the ancient rule of "east up and west down", the east courtyard is naturally the main position, and the west courtyard is the second place. It can be seen that even if she stays with the princess of Beijing, Jia's mother is still higher than the other party, which is enough to show her transcendent weight in the Jia family and even the entire Grand View Garden.
Another detail comes from the attitude of the princess of Beijing towards Jia's mother. According to records, whenever Jia Mu and others were in the East Courtyard, the princess and princess of Beijing would take the initiative to visit each other and take care of each other. This kind of initiative to visit can be said to be the highest courtesy to a high-status person in ancient society, which shows how deeply the princess of Beijing respects Jia's mother.
In general, the way Jia Mu and the princess of Beijing got along, the details of the stay, and the visit behavior of the princess of Beijing all reflected the transcendent status of Jia Mu in the society at that time. Not only can she be on an equal footing with the princess of Beijing, but she can even be higher than the other party on some occasions, which shows that her status is by no means ordinary. These new discoveries provide strong evidence for us to further understand the high status of Jia Mu.
5. Analysis of the reasons for Jia's mother's high status
Through the above analysis, we have learned about the origin of the hereditary titles of the Jia family, their actual influence in the court, and some new discoveries about the status of Jia's mother. So, why can Jia Mu enjoy such a transcendent status, and what is the reason?
First of all, we cannot ignore the important role of the hereditary title of the Jia family. Although Jia Yu and Jia Zhen's titles of Duke Rongguo and Duke Ningguo have been downgraded in the Qing Dynasty, they are still essentially equivalent to the Duke of Zhenguo and Duke Fuguo in the Ming Dynasty, and belong to the highest titles among the subjects. This long-standing hereditary title has won the Jia family a high prestige and status in society.
As the heir of this hereditary title, Jia's mother naturally inherited the corresponding honor and status. In ancient societies, titles often represented how deep a family's roots were and how transcendent their status was. As the head of the Jia family, Jia's mother naturally became a representative of this transcendent status.
Second, we cannot ignore the actual influence of the Jia family in the DPRK. Although the Jia family was only a fictitious title on the surface, they indirectly controlled a considerable part of the government power through their close relationship with Wang Ziteng, Fu Xian and other important officials, as well as Jia Zheng's unique position in the Ministry of Industry. This kind of influence has made the Jia family a political force that cannot be ignored in the DPRK.
As a representative of this political force, Jia Mu naturally gained the corresponding status and respect. In ancient times, the actual influence of a family often determined its status in society, and Jia's mother, as the head of the Jia family, naturally became the embodiment of this influence.
Finally, we also need to pay attention to the emperor's attitude towards the Jia family. According to the record of "Dream of Red Mansions", the emperor at that time was extremely jealous of the Jia family, and even made an exception to promote the unfavored Jia Yuanchun to a virtuous concubine, and finally copied the Jia family's property. This jealous attitude reflects how much the emperor attaches importance to the actual strength of the Jia family.
As the head of the Jia family, Jia's mother naturally became the object of the emperor's jealousy. In ancient times, the emperor's attitude towards a family often determined the status of the family in society. The reason why Jia's mother was able to enjoy the status of surpassing the princess of Beijing was largely due to the emperor's attention to the strength of the Jia family she represented.
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In general, the high status of Jia's mother is not only due to the long history of the hereditary titles of the Jia family, but also from the actual influence of the Jia family in the court, and more importantly, from the emperor's fear of the strength of the Jia family. The combination of these three aspects created Jia's mother's transcendent status in the society at that time, enabling her to stand tall above the princess of Beijing and become one of the most respected figures in the entire Grand View Garden.