In the long river of Chinese history, the Sui and Tang dynasties were undoubtedly a magnificent era. This period not only saw the rise and fall of empires, but also gave birth to an important social class, the gentry. The scholars, mainly composed of families with generations of scholarly traditions, possessed a large amount of social resources, especially educational resources. In this context, the scholars became the elite of society and held the lifeblood of the country. Specific to the five surnames and seven wangs, these families occupied an unrivaled position in the Sui and Tang dynasties because of their huge power and profound background, and even the royal family had to give them three points of courtesy.
One day, in Chang'an City, the autumn breeze was cool, and Li Shimin discussed the state of the country with his courtiers in the imperial study. During the discussion, Li Shimin suddenly sighed: "Although my Li family is a royal family, I still feel the view of the door in front of the five surnames and seven hopes. ”
"Why did Your Majesty say that?" An old minister asked curiously.
"Don't you know? Even if my Li family is the lord of the world, it is still difficult to marry with the five surnames and Qiwang. Li Shimin's face was worried, and he continued, "Even I, the emperor, can hardly make them bow down. ”
Under the rule of Li Shimin, the Tang Dynasty reached an unprecedented peak, but the family of five surnames and seven wangs was still unattainable. Among them, the Li family of Longxi and the Li family of Zhaojun, the Cui family of Boling and the Cui family of Qinghe, as well as the Lu family of Fanyang, the Zheng family of Xingyang, and the Wang family of Taiyuan, because of their profound historical accumulation and important position in the court, formed an almost closed high-gate valve ring.
This closedness was most evident at a banquet. At a royal banquet, Li Shimin specially invited representatives of these families, hoping to get closer to these top wealthy families in this way. The atmosphere at the banquet was surprisingly cold.
Li Shimin tried to talk to a patriarch of the Cui clan: "Duke Cui, the son of the noble family is very knowledgeable, I don't know if you are interested in marrying my prince?" ”
The patriarch of the Cui clan smiled slightly and replied, "Your Majesty's magnanimity is really admirable. Our Cui family has old rules, and we mostly marry with members of the clan, but we really don't dare to take a step beyond Lei Chi. ”
Despite the rejection, Li Shimin was not discouraged, and he turned to several other companies, and the results were all similar. This made Li Shimin deeply feel that the threshold of five surnames and seven hopes was so high that even the emperor could not cross it.
On the other hand, Xue Yuanchao of the Tang Dynasty, as a prime minister, his personal experience is even more embarrassing. He once told his cronies in private: "I could have died in glory, but I couldn't marry a woman with five surnames and seven hopes, which is still the biggest regret in my heart." Xue Yuanchao's words reveal that even those in high positions cannot escape the shackles of social rules.
With the passage of time, although the power of the five surnames and seven hopes has declined, their influence is still far-reaching. Their strict control over marriage is not only an insistence on bloodline, but also a maintenance of family traditions. This kind of maintenance has enabled them to maintain a certain degree of independence and integrity in the turbulent political situation.
In Li Shimin's later years, although the country was stable and the four seas were peaceful, his attitude towards the five surnames and seven hopes was always a regret. He once said to the courtiers around him: "Although I have created the rule of Zhenguan, I have never been able to truly integrate into these top families. Their high doors and deep homes are my eternal doubts. ”
With the death of Li Shimin and the ascension of the new emperor, although the influence of the five surnames and seven wangs gradually weakened over time, their status and role in history have always been an indispensable part of the study of China's feudal social structure. Their stories have become important materials for future generations to study and discuss.
The historical record of the five surnames and seven wangs is a profound reflection of the traditional Chinese social structure. Their presence demonstrates a family power that transcends imperial power, and this power has a special place in Chinese history. No matter how the times change, the connections between people – whether they are blood, geographical, or emotional – have always been the basis of the complex web that makes up society.