Cai Wenji was occupied by the King of the Huns for 12 years, and after giving birth to two sons in humiliation, Cao Cao sent people to bring gold and jade to ransom people. This sentence sounds shocking. A woman from a famous family and a talented woman suffered this tragic fate, was imprisoned by the enemy power for 12 years, and even more humiliated to give birth to two sons for her. However, when she was desperate and helpless, Cao Cao, the overlord of the world, came to the rescue and spared no expense to redeem her. What is Cai Wenji's status? Why is Cao Cao so concerned? What is the relationship between the two? This sparked our boundless curiosity.
1. The widow of the Eastern Han Dynasty and a captive in a foreign land
Thousands of miles of rivers and mountains, as soon as you go to Kunming, and even the world, where is there anyone who doesn't know the name Cai Wenji? She is not only a talented woman, but also a widow of the Eastern Han Dynasty, who suffered abrasive misfortune when she was young.
Cai Wenji was the daughter of the Cai family, a famous nobleman during the Eastern Han Dynasty. Her father, Cai Yong, was a well-known literary scholar, and he was already a very prominent official in the Han Dynasty. Cai Wenji has been bathed in a scholarly environment since she was a child, not only inheriting her father's profound knowledge, but also known as a stunning beauty of "natural beauty". At a young age, countless famous families have asked Cai Yong for marriage, and even Cao Cao, a heroic figure, has a heart of admiration for her.
Who would have thought that Cai Wenji's life was destined to experience the taste of "a thin life". The Eastern Han Dynasty was dressed in yellow robes, and the government was corrupt, which led to cruel wars. During those turbulent years, Cai Wenji and her family were unfortunately caught up in the war, and she and her family were forced to flee their hometown, and were eventually plundered by the Huns.
The Huns coveted this stunning beauty, and immediately gave her to King Zuoxian of the Hun tribe. At this time, Cai Wenji has become a captive, and her former demeanor and warm fragrance are just an object that can be driven in the eyes of the Hu people. King Zuo Xian didn't care about the background and talent of this famous woman in the Eastern Han Dynasty, he just coveted Cai Wenji's woman's beauty and demeanor.
In this way, Cai Wenji was imprisoned in the cage of the Xiongnu for 12 years. During this period, she had to succumb to the coercion of King Zuo Xian and gave birth to two children. How miserable and helpless it is that a noble lady who should have lived a splendid life has to suffer such a humiliation in an enemy country!
Second, the revenge of the high gate, the redemption of good fate
The news that Cai Wenji was taken captive by the Northern Xiongnu and became a prisoner soon spread throughout Shilin in the Central Plains. Her father, Cai Yong, was a well-known writer at the time, and he was shocked when he heard about it, and his heart was extremely sad. But he couldn't afford to go to find the woman himself, so he secretly hoped that someone would be able to lend a hand.
At this moment, Cao Cao, the martial arts envoy, took the initiative to stand up. Cai Yong and Cao Cao have always been friends, and the two are not only from famous families, but also teachers and friends. Cao Cao also visited Cai's mansion in his early years and fell in love with Cai Wenji's naturally beautiful young lady. Later, although Cai Wenji married into someone else's gate, Cao Cao always kept her in his heart.
Seeing Cai Yong so painful this time, Cao Cao quickly decided to relieve this old friend. However, he is not trivial, this time he came to the rescue, and he also hid his own scheming.
At that time, Cao Cao was relying on his military exploits and skills to dominate the Central Plains and shroud his body in horse leather. Although he has become the de facto ruler of the Han family, after all, he is worthless, and if he wants to seize imperial power, he must first establish a positive image of a benevolent monarch and love the people, so as to build momentum for his usurpation. And rescuing Cai Wenji, a famous lady who was captured by the Huns, is undoubtedly the best opportunity to build momentum.
So, Cao Cao made up his mind to do everything possible to redeem Cai Wenji from the Huns. He ordered his cronies to bring gold and jade and other treasures to the Xiongnu in exchange for hostages.
Faced with such a heavy temptation, King Zuo Xian was a little reluctant to let him go at first. However, Cao Cao was already the power holder of the north at that time, and King Zuo Xian thought twice and finally chose to let go. In this way, Cai Wenji was rescued from the control of the Xiongnu and fled, and returned to her homeland.
Third, the road is narrow, and it is difficult to solve the buds
Although Cai Wenji was re-rescued and escaped from the clutches of the Huns, after 12 years of captivity and torture, her physical and mental injuries have long been beyond healing. This once talented woman with a lot of grace is now covered with scars, like a broken bud, looking delicate and helpless, and may wither at any time.
Under the abuse of the Huns, Cai Wenji simply couldn't survive. King Zuo Xian ignored her talents and identity, and only regarded her as a plaything to be driven. She had to endure endless humiliation and humiliation, and she didn't even dare to think of death, for fear that she would be severely beaten if she resisted the slightest.
What a chilling situation! Think about how gorgeous Cai Wenji was back then, with a prominent family background and a bright future. Now he has fallen into a miserable situation of being penniless, no one, no ghost or ghost.
Cai Wenji was in the cage of the Huns, like a swan in a cage, losing the right to fly freely, and could only survive in the mud. She used to be full of poetry and talent, but now she has been silent for several years, and she can no longer chant the good sentences of the past. Sometimes she can only rely on poetry and tenderness to integrate this humiliation and heartache into the poems, and express the infinite grief and grievances in her heart in a "Poem of Grief and Indignation".
"If you want to die, you can't get it, and if you want to live, you can't get it. How dare you spare your life, you can't be scolded by him? These poems have written the end of Cai Wenji's desperate journey to survive and die. The only thing she could do was to weep and moan day and night, praying that God would solve her ordeal sooner.
Fortunately, when Cai Wenji was in a desperate situation, a glimmer of life suddenly appeared. Her father, Cai Yong, appealed to Cao Cao for help, and the powerful minister who controlled the heavy army was also determined to ransom his daughter with gold and silver treasures. In the face of King Zuoxian's greed, Cai Wenji was finally liberated.
IV. Heart-to-heart aspiration, Hou Cheng Feng
Cao Cao ransomed Cai Wenji with a lot of money, which was indeed a benevolent act. But as a generation of heroes, Cao Cao naturally would not do such a useless thing. He ransomed Cai Wenji, and there were other profound schemes among them.
At that time, Cao Cao had already controlled the power of the Han family and became the de facto ruler of the Central Plains. But after all, he is just a powerful minister, with neither royal blood, nor the orthodoxy of the Son of Heaven. If you want to finally sit on the throne of the emperor, you must first establish an image of benevolence and goodness among the people, so as to win the support of the people.
And redeeming the famous lady Cai Wenji has naturally become Cao Cao's best means to create this image. The Cai family is not only illustrious, but Cai Wenji herself is known as a "natural beauty", and what is even more commendable is that she also has extraordinary talent and poetic attainments. The children of such a family have suffered from the captivity of the Hu people, and Cao Cao has ransomed him this time, wouldn't it just be able to show his benevolent and fraternity?
So, Cao Cao made this rescue in an orderly manner. He first ordered his subordinates to bring heavy gold and jade to negotiate with the Xiongnu, and finally ransomed Cai Wenji back at a high price. Then he personally greeted the returning Cai Wenji and gave him great courtesy. Not only that, in order to further show his benevolence, Cao Cao also decided to take Cai Wenji as his wife in the form of marriage.
In this way, Cai Wenji went from a frustrated captive to a famous lady, and then to a concubine of the Cao family. With such a noble identity, Cai Wenji naturally won countless praises and popular hearts for Cao Cao. And Cao Cao also took this opportunity to establish his image of a benevolent monarch and laid the foundation for himself to become emperor in the future.
Of course, Cao Cao's favor for Cai Wenji was not entirely out of benevolence. According to legend, he also coveted the Cai family's old collection, those precious cultural relics. After redeeming Cai Wenji, he firmly controlled the wealth of the Cai family on the grounds of marrying her, and at the same time consolidated his prestige in the scribe class. In this way, an orthodox image was established, and at the same time, the wealth of the Cai family was further annexed, and Cao Cao could be described as a win-win situation.
Fifth, fame and fortune, and finally marquis
Cao Cao took Cai Wenji as his wife, indeed out of some power considerations. But for Cai Wenji herself, this has undoubtedly become an opportunity for her to turn around. Because only by obtaining the protection of a prominent and powerful person like Cao Cao can she truly get rid of the humiliation of the past and regain her dignity and status.
Cai Wenji was indeed physically and mentally exhausted after experiencing that captivity and torture. But she was born to be a talented woman, even under the cruel King Zuo Xian, she never gave up her poetic attainments. Cao Cao took a fancy to Cai Wenji's talent and decided to put her in charge of the cultural and educational affairs in his own gate.
With Cao Cao's appreciation and support, Cai Wenji quickly pulled herself out of the haze of the past. She not only regained her past demeanor, but also pushed her talent to a new peak. In Cao's mansion, she would participate in Cao Cao's strategy and literary criticism every day, assisting Cao Cao in rectifying the rule of officials and compiling classics. She even founded the "Guyi School", a new style of poetry that mainly expresses personal thoughts and feelings, which had a great impact on the literary circles of the Wei and Jin dynasties.
With her extraordinary talent and status, Cai Wenji soon won great prestige among Cao Cao's government and the opposition. There was a deep sympathy for the misfortune she had suffered and admiration for her resurgence. In the midst of the praise, Cao Cao decided to officially crown Cai Wenji as his wife, and at the same time give her the title of Pingyang Jun, so that she could obtain a title and a title commensurate with her status.
This is undoubtedly a great honor, compared to what happened in the past, Cai Wenji's current situation is almost like two people. From a captive who was plundered by the enemy country and had no one to live in, she turned into the wife and marquis of the powerful minister in one fell swoop, not only enjoying supreme glory and wealth, but also regaining her due dignity. And being so promoted is naturally inseparable from Cao Cao's appreciation and support.