Speaking of Lu Xun, everyone knows that he is the father of modern literature, although he was born in the old feudal society, but he was one of the first literary and art workers of that generation to give birth to a sense of resistance from oppression and injustice, criticize the darkness of society, and call for people's ideological awakening, his ideas are deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, even today's Chinese, still admire his foresight.
However, the life of such a generation of great writers is also full of ups and downs. Lu Xun once mentioned in his article that he experienced great changes in his family when he was a teenager, and his wealthy family fortune came to naught overnight. However, he never said anything about how his family was declining, on the grounds that it was too embarrassing, and what was going on?
The cold window studied hard and eventually made a fortune
Everything has to start with Lu Xun's grandfather Zhou Fuqing. Zhou Fuqing was born in the last years of the Qing Dynasty, he was a young and intelligent man, and he loved to read, so when Santaimen invited a famous teacher to guide the students, he took the opportunity to study, and his knowledge was well accumulated and improved.
However, this is not his ultimate goal, his goal is to pass the imperial examination and change the court, so all efforts are to one day be able to enter the imperial list and become an official.
You must know that since the establishment of the Qing Dynasty, the imperial examination system has become the most direct and convenient way for poor students or commoners to leap into the dragon gate. This system provides a relatively fair upward path for people, making it possible to gain fame and status regardless of their origin, as long as they have talent and hard work.
Moreover, gaining fame often means being able to enter the bureaucracy and obtain stable official positions and earning money. For many families, this is an important way to improve living conditions and improve social status, and at the same time, it can also bring a certain social reputation and respect, so that individuals have a higher status and influence in society.
Therefore, in the ancient clan system with the family as the unit, it was a glorious thing for the descendants to gain fame, and many people spent their lives with the ultimate goal of life being just to have an official and a half-job.
Even in the last years of the Qing Dynasty, when the government was corrupt and the society was in turmoil, the idea of many people gaining fame was still deep-rooted, such as the famous story of Fan Jinzhongju is the best embodiment of people's ideology in the late Qing Dynasty.
Zhou Fuqing is no exception, but he is lucky that he did not get into the old age like Fan Jin. He was 33 years old when he was a high school jinshi, and then he was arranged to serve in the Hanlin Academy and became a Jishi of the Hanlin Academy.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the scholars of the Hanlin Academy were usually selected from among those who were admitted to high schools in the imperial examination. As close ministers of the emperor, they were mainly responsible for drafting edicts and explaining scriptures to the emperor, and they were also one of the important sources of auxiliary ministers in the Ming cabinet.
Therefore, although the Hanlin Academy is not a formal official position, it is an important springboard for officials to reach higher official positions, and Zhou Fuqing can sit in this position, and his strength is also visible.
After Zhou Fuqing became an official, the economic situation of the Zhou family was relatively wealthy for a time, although it was not rich and expensive, but it could be regarded as worry-free food and clothing, and a small family asset.
However, this state of affluence did not last long, because Zhou Fuqing's official fortunes did not go well, and his paranoid personality was so open-mouthed that he was actually not popular in the officialdom. Although he served as governor of Jinxi County, Jiangxi, he did not take the opportunity to bring significant wealth growth to the Zhou family.
In addition, there is another reason for Zhou Fuqing's mistake, which directly led to the decline of the Zhou family. So, what did he do that caused such a bad consequence?
执着功名遭反噬
In the final analysis, it is caused by the obsession with fame and fortune. Zhou Fuqing once won this wealth in high school, and naturally hoped that this wealth could continue to exist, and for a family, the most direct means to maintain the glory and wealth of the family for a long time is to continue to be maintained by future generations of descendants to obtain fame, Zhou Fuqing is in consideration of this, and will be obsessed with letting his son study and participate in the imperial examination.
Because of his good family background, he sent his son Zhou Bonian, that is, Lu Xun's father, to study in the school since he was a child, the purpose is to hope that Zhou Bonian can inherit the family business and carry forward the family.
It's just that although the imperial examination is rotten, not everyone can pass the examination, and Zhou Bonian's ability is limited, and he has not even passed the township examination. After Zhou Fuqing learned the news, he was unwilling, so he secretly used money to dredge up the relationship and bribe the examiner, hoping to get accommodation.
Unexpectedly, he was indifferent in the officialdom, and as soon as he sent the money on the front foot, the other party on the back foot took a bribe to report his favoritism to the court.
Favoritism and malpractice in the imperial examination is a major event that affects the foundation of the country, and an ordinary official like Zhou Fuqing will naturally be punished for disturbing the fairness of the imperial examination for personal reasons. As a result, he was dismissed from his official position, sent to the Ministry of Punishment, and sentenced to "beheaded prison await". The Zhou family was also implicated and fell into a predicament.
Lu Xun's father, Zhou Boyi, was heartfelt and guilty, and died not long after he was tortured by illness, and the Zhou family had to sell a large number of ancestral properties and furniture in order to rescue Zhou Fuqing, so as to deal with the relationship in prison. After several tosses, the former well-off family has long lost its former dignity, and can only beg for a life in hardship, although Lu Xun was young at the time, he also had to understand the cruelty of reality.
The decline of the family is self-improvement
After the decline of the Zhou family, Lu Xun's life experience has undergone earth-shaking changes. His grandfather was imprisoned and his father died, these experiences caused indelible wounds on his soul, and the little young master who used to be clothed and stretched out his mouth to eat had to bear the burden of the family in order to make a living at a young age.
In order to avoid disaster, Lu Xun was first sent to his uncle's house, and later after the decline of the family, he moved to his mother-in-law's house in the countryside. During this period, he deeply experienced the coldness of the world and the weakness of human feelings, so he vowed to improve himself and get rid of this passive predicament.
Therefore, he had extensive contact with Western natural and social sciences, and under the influence of the Restoration and the theory of evolution, he resolutely went to Japan to study and study medicine, hoping to change the spirit of the people by curing diseases and saving people.
However, during his studies, he realized that healing people's flesh alone could not change the face of a country and a nation, so he decided to abandon medicine and pursue literature and began to engage in literary and artistic work, in an attempt to use his pen to influence the thinking of the people.
After returning to China, Lu Xun actively participated in literary activities and published a number of highly critical novels, essays, essays and other works, which made great contributions to the national emancipation of the mainland and laid the foundation for the development of modern Chinese literature.
Lu Xun's ideological consciousness is indeed rare in the world, probably because of his high consciousness, so he can swim against the current from the predicament, this courage is very worthy of learning from contemporary people.
Lu Xun's life was full of criticism of the constraints of tradition and rebellion against injustice, and he called for awakening through his brushstrokes, illuminating the gloom of that era.
In the face of adversity, he did not choose to sink or give up, but transformed into a stronger inner motivation that motivates himself and inspires others. Today, Lu Xun's story still inspires each of us to find opportunities for growth in difficult situations, and to use knowledge and courage to change ourselves.