China's four famous works, everyone is familiar with it, among which "Journey to the West", "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", "Water Margin" theme of TV series, movies, animation and other works, long-lasting prosperity. In contrast, "Dream of the Red Chamber" is slightly unpopular, how many people will remember that "Dream of the Red Chamber" is the first of the four major novels, it is universally recognized as the pinnacle of classical Chinese novels, is a work of human love novels with world influence, is an encyclopedia of China's feudal society, and a collection of traditional culture.
When Cao Xueqin, the author of "Dream of the Red Chamber", wrote books, he relied on selling calligraphy and paintings and receiving help from friends, but the novel vividly described the rise and fall of the four major families of Jia, Shi, Wang and Xue, profoundly revealing the darkness of the court and officialdom, the decay of the feudal aristocratic class and its family, and making future generations of readers have a big hole in their minds and endless memories. If you do not experience it, it is really difficult to write such a touching literary masterpiece, more and more red scholars believe that the prototype of Jia Fu in "Dream of the Red Chamber" is Cao Xueqin's own family, in a sense, this book is a family history, because Cao Xueqin experienced a period of life in The Jiangning Weaving House in Nanjing in his early years, he had a period of life of brocade and wealth, and only then did he have the material for creation, and because of the raid on the family in the sixth year of Yongzheng (1728 AD), he suffered hardships in the rest of his life. So why did the Yongzheng Emperor raid Cao Xueqin's family?
Royal favourite
Cao Xueqin's family was originally closely related to the Qing imperial family, Cao Xueqin's ancestor Cao Zhenyan was originally an officer of the Ming Dynasty, stationed in Liaodong at the end of the Ming Dynasty, but was captured in 1621 when the Eight Banners Army led by Nurhaci captured Shenyang, and became a "wrapped Aha (domestic servant) on the Taiji Palace of the Fourth Belle Emperor of the Later Jin Dynasty. Similar to today's personal bodyguards)". After this drastic change, Cao Zhenyan entered the circle of the nobles of the imperial palace in one fell swoop, laying a solid foundation for the brilliant foundation of the Cao family for more than a hundred years. Backed by a large tree to cool off, Cao Zhenyan's subsequent career went all the way up, from the domestic slave, instructor, and Zhang Jing, to Zuoling, Shanxi Pingyang Province, Jizhou Zhizhou, Shanxi, and other places to undertake the announcement of political envoys, Siyang and Fu prefects, and finally the official to the two Zhejiang provinces to transfer salt envoys To salt Fadao. The Cao family officially made their debut in the history of the Qing Dynasty.
If there is a father, there must be a son, and Cao Zhenyan's eldest son, Cao Xueqin's great-grandfather Cao Xi, was also a general who could fight a good war, and had made military achievements in suppressing the Shanxi rebellion, which was quite favored by Kangxi. From the second year of the Kangxi Dynasty (1663) to his death, Cao Xi has been at the helm of Jiangning weaving, working for 28 years, and single-handedly creating the wealth and glory of the Cao Xueqin family for more than half a century. Seventy-two concubines of the three palaces and six courtyards, nine nine eighty-one large and small wives, and three thousand beautiful ladies in the harem, as well as the dragon robes they wore, the yellow coats given to the civil and military officials, etc., these silk silk and satin procurement were all handled by Jiang Ning Weaving, which was really a beautiful difference to help the emperor spend money, and was the first fat shortage in the Qing Dynasty.
After Cao Xi's death, the succession of his son, Cao Xueqin's grandfather Cao Yin, was a logical one. Cao Yin and Kangxi were half-siblings, grew up together, were deeply loved by Kangxi, and served as Kangxi's companions and imperial bodyguards. Among the Cao family, only Cao Yin and Kangxi have the closest relationship, and in the 26 years that Cao Yin served as a weaver in Jiangning, the glory of the Cao family reached its peak. Kangxi lived in the Cao family four times in the sixth period of Jiangnan, and these four times were all realized in Cao Yin's generation, which shows how much Cao Yin was favored by Kangxi at this time. As a companion who grew up together, there can be said that there is no generation gap between Kangxi and Cao Yin, and Kangxi can also say directly to Cao Yin if he has anything to say, and family affairs and state affairs and brotherhood can be handled together.
Moreover, Cao Yin not only single-handedly held the most expensive position, Jiang ning weaving, but Kangxi also made him concurrently serve as the imperial envoy of the Two Huai Salt Inspectors. Salt is a product related to the people's livelihood, all generations have been monopolized by the imperial court, is a profiteering industry, Kangxi gave these two most important positions to Cao Yin, throughout the ancient and modern few people can compare with Cao Yin at this time, while spending money, while accumulating wealth, the scenery is unlimited.
Pit of deficits
However, whether it was extremely Tailai, the Cao family inevitably turned from prosperity to decline after Cao Yin's death, and although Kangxi remembered the old feelings, let Cao Yin's son and Cao Xueqin's father Cao Yun continue to work in the seat of Jiangning Weaving, and after Cao Yin's early death, he also sent the messenger of Jiangning Weaving to Cao Yin's stepson Cao Fu to take over. However, Cao Yin left a huge debt to the Cao family, which was related to Cao Yin's four visits to the kangxi south during his tenure.
Each time the pomp and circumstance is extremely luxurious, the Cao family continues to build and expand the palace, gardens, and even excavate the river channel for the emperor's cruise ships to enter and exit, the cost has far exceeded the Cao family's ability to bear. For example, in the fifty-first year of the Kangxi Dynasty, the Ministry of Internal Affairs played a detailed audit of Urotu chakra to calculate that the silver used for the West Garden Project should be folded untruthfully, and it was said that Cao Yin used more than 110,000 silver for the construction of houses, digging rivers, and piling up banks in the West Garden, and more than 77,000 silver for the construction of houses, pavilions, boats, rain rides, curtains, etc., which can be seen from this. In the sixteenth time in "Dream of the Red Chamber", Cao Xueqin said through the mouth of Grandma Zhao that the Zhen family (that is, the Cao family) took over the driving cost: "Whoops, good power! He took over the car four times. If we hadn't seen it with our own eyes, no one would have believed it. Don't say that silver has become mud, by virtue of all the world, there is no mountain and sea, 'sin pity' four words, can not be taken care of. ”
The amount owed by the Cao family may be quite huge. Cao Fu said in the fifty-second year of Kangxi's recital: "The father of the slave thief died last year, the hermit long live the heavens and the height of the earth Hou Hong'en, the pity for the slave cai mother and son are lonely and widowed, the money and grain are not completed, and li Xu is specially ordered to serve as the two Huai salts for one year, and the silver obtained is 586,000 taels, so the weaving of various money and grain and the arrears of the merchants have been completed, and Li Xu and the slave Cai's eyes have been completed, a total of 549,600 yuan." "In the fifty-fifth year of the Kangxi Dynasty, he also found that there were still debts owed by Cao Yin when he was alive, totaling more than 263,000 taels, and these deficits were simply unable to be repaid by the Cao family at that time.
The cao family's indebtedness was already a very serious problem during the Kangxi Dynasty. Both the Cao family and Kangxi were very aware of its seriousness. The Cao family realized even more that it was at stake with their own lives. However, as long as Kangxi reigned, the Cao family could barely pass the pass by relying on the grace of the old emperor, but after Kangxi died and Yongzheng took the throne, the Cao family could not escape the doom of being raided.
New Emperor New Moves
After Yongzheng succeeded to the throne, when Heyun Yao won the Great Victory in Qinghai, Cao Fu also put on a congratulatory list, in which he praised the Yongzheng Emperor for "having both wisdom and courage", knowing people and doing good deeds, and completing the kangxi emperor's final cause, which can be described as benevolent filial piety; then he also said that this great victory was mainly due to the emperor's good government and love for the people, budder's grace, and deeply in line with the heart of heaven. This time the horse ass shot very well, Yongzheng was quite happy on the table to instruct: "This sheet, the text is very interesting, simple and prepared, sincere and cut, is a Chase homemade." Cao Fu's statement is not without reason, just the year before, Li Xu, who was in the same breath as the Cao family and served as a weaver in Suzhou for 30 years, was dismissed from his post and his family property was paid off, of course, Yongzheng's move was not specifically aimed at Jiangnan Three Weaving, but a small wave in the big boom of clearing the deficit in the first year, but this was enough to predict the upcoming bad fate of the Cao, Li and Sun families in the Kangxi era.
To some extent, Yongzheng still had expectations for Cao Fu, which can be seen from Li Xu's punishment and the Cao family's leniency of three years to pay off the deficit. In the second year of Yongzheng, probably someone used the deficit to intimidate the Cao family, Cao Fu had a camp, trying to avoid disasters, Yongzheng learned of it, he was very dissatisfied with Cao Fu's chaotic running around, but he handed the Cao family over to Prince Yi's care, this kind of kindness and compassion is undoubtedly a kind of care, a manifestation of an intimate relationship and should not be interpreted as a supervision. However, in May of the same year, Cao Fu reported in the dense compromise that there were locusts in Jiangnan but the last plague had become a plague, and the rain was sufficient, and the people had sown seeds in time. After Yongzheng learned about it, he lost his temper and said, "The locusts still smell, so why don't the magistrates put out the locusts?" Although the two wheat is harvested, the autumn grass is even more important. According to the facts, everything has a little deceptive effect, it is your own sin that you seek sin and has nothing to do with degeneration. In Yongzheng's mind, the secret fold must be reported according to the truth, otherwise what is the use of the secret fold? Cao Fu had obviously touched the big mold this time.
In the fourth year of Yongzheng, the quality of the satin clothing handled by Suzhou and Jiangning was "rough and light", and Cao Fu and others were ordered to weave separately and fined for one year. Afterwards, Cao Fu and others promised that "from now on, we must be more cautious and finely woven", and it was not yet a year before the stone blue satin gown worn by Yongzheng fell off, and it was found that it was produced by Jiangning, and as a result, Cao Fu was fined for another year. Cao Fu neglected his duties again and again, and Yongzheng became suspicious of him, so he decided to recall him to Beijing to investigate and admonish him in person. In May of the fifth year of Yongzheng, Yongzheng ordered Gao Bin, a weaver in Suzhou, not to return to Beijing, and the satin horses he supervised were sent by Cao Fu, and there was a disturbance of the local area during his transportation, which led to the final avalanche of the Cao family. In addition, the tantric recital of the two Huaiyan zheng Gartai mentioned that Cao Fu was a young and inexperienced person, and he had no talent in himself, and he cringed in the face of trouble. In this regard, Yongzheng agreed, saying on the Gartai Secret Fold that Cao Fu was "not originally a vessel". Even so, there is no future for cultivation, and the fate of Cao Fu and the Cao family can be imagined.
At the end of the fifth year of Yongzheng, Cao Fu was arrested and lost to his official position, and the Cao family's property in Jiangsu was raided, leaving only some houses in Beijing to allow the Cao family to return to Beijing to live. This year, Cao Xueqin was less than 13 years old, from a family of rich and noble officials and eunuchs to a place of decline that no one cared about, from the former golden clothes and jade food, pampering and superiority into the poverty of the "rope bed tile stove", this sharp turn in life was undoubtedly painful for Cao Xueqin, but if there was no unforgettable experience and understanding at this moment, it was likely that there would be no immortal masterpiece "Dream of the Red Chamber". In this regard, Cao Xueqin herself is unfortunate, but Chinese literature has received this great luck.