Cao Xueqin’s great-grandfather Cao Xi (xǐ) and Cao Kui’s grandfather Cao Xiyuan were originally from Liaoyang. It was during the Ming Dynasty, and he was a local official who served as the central defender of Shenyang. He was a Han nationality.
At the beginning of the 17th century, Nurhaci, the founder of the Qing Dynasty, captured Shenyang. During the war, Cao Xiyuan was captured. From then on, he became a slave of the Manchu banner owner from a Han official in the Ming Dynasty.
The ancestor of the Cao family went to war with the army and seemed to have done well. He was promoted step by step and his flag was transferred to the Zhengbai Banner of Manchuria under the command of Dorgon. Of course, the identity is still "Baoyi", the full name is "Baoyi Aha", which in Manchu means domestic slave, slave, servant.
The Xianghuang Banner, Zhenghuang Banner and Zhengbai Banner are called the "Shangsan Banners" and are directly under the jurisdiction of the emperor.
When Emperor Kangxi was young, Cao Xi’s wife was honored to be selected into the inner palace and became Kangxi’s nanny. When Kangxi ascended the throne and ruled the world, Cao Xi naturally became a trusted minister. Once he is let go, he has more roots than ordinary imperial ministers.
Cao Xi has this kind of "internal reason", and of course he is loyal to the royal family (ɡěnɡ): loyal... He is capable of doing things, so he is a trustworthy and trustworthy servant. Kangxi sent him to the south to serve as "Jiangning Weaver".
Jiangning Zhifu is located in Liji Lane, Nanjing. The mansion is divided into three roads: east, middle and west. The east road is the main courtyard of the Yamen (yá), which is as deep as six entrances. The middle road is the inner house, which also has five entrances. The west road is unique, with a stage in the east in front, a shooting garden (pǔ) in the west, and a garden called the West Garden in the back. This is the official residence of three generations of Cao Xi, Cao Yin (yín), Cao Yong (yòng) and Cao Yong (bān), who lived here for sixty or seventy years. The Cao family spent its heyday here, and three generations of descendants were born here.
Not long after Cao Xi took office, he personally planted a neem (liàn) tree in the West Garden. The tree was large and shady. He built a pavilion underneath and named it liàn Pavilion for his son to study under the tree. . Cao Yin was good at reading and liked to write poems, so he nicknamed "Mei Ting".
When Cao Xi’s wife, Cao Yin’s mother, entered the palace to be Kangxi’s nanny, Cao Yin also followed her to “read with her”. When he was 16 years old, he was elected to the palace as an imperial guard and gained Kangxi's special favor. Kangxi visited the south of the Yangtze River six times, and the last four times he used "Zhizao Mansion as his residence", that is, he lived in the Cao family.
Kangxi (xī) was a more accomplished emperor. He frequently visited the south, not only for sightseeing and having fun, but also for stabilizing the political situation in Jiangnan. He once went to Nanjing to pay homage to the Xiaoling Mausoleum of the Ming Dynasty in person, and wrote in his own handwriting "Government of the Tang and Song Dynasties". He also highlighted Cao Yin's status in front of Jiangnan intellectuals so that he could carry out his work. He announced in public:
"I wrote the four characters "Zhilong Tang and Song Dynasty" in the imperial book, and gave it to Cao Yin to make a plaque, hang it in the hall, and cut the stone in parallel to hang it forever."
Cao Yin did not live up to the high expectations. He was very culturally accomplished. Through poetry, songs, music, chess, calligraphy and painting, he interacted with scholar-bureaucrats, carved and edited books, and was praised by famous scholars.
After Cao Yin's death, his only son Cao Yong inherited his father's duties, but within three years, he also died of illness. Emperor Kangxi could not bear to let this family that was loyal to him decline. He sent a message saying:
"I grew up with Cao Yong in person. It is a pity that he died so early. We can choose one of our direct relatives to adopt him as Cao Yin and succeed Jiangning Weaving."
In this way, Cao Yin's nephew Cao was adopted and took over Jiangning Weaving. When Cao Yong died, his wife was already pregnant. Cao Yong hoped that his sister-in-law would give birth to a son, so that he could take over the Cao family's ancestral business.
"I'm so happy, so happy, my wife has given birth to a son!" The servant shouted with joy, startling Cao out of his deep thoughts. Tears of surprise flashed in his eyes, and he said happily:
"The Cao family's incense continues, and there is hope of reviving the family business. It's all thanks to the emperor's great blessing! Let's name the young master Zhan!"
Cao hopes that his nephew will always remember the Cao family's good fortune in receiving the emperor's favor and serve the court. Cao Zhan is Cao Xueqin.
In the blink of an eye, Cao Xueqin grew up into a teenager. Since his birth, he has become the "lifeblood" of the Cao family and has been pampered in every possible way. There are a large group of maids and servants (sī) dedicated to serving him in dressing, eating, and having fun.
At the same time, his uncle was also very strict with him. When he was four years old, he taught him how to read. When he was a little older, he began to read the Four Books and Five Classics and learn to write eight-legged essays.
However, Cao Xueqin did not like to read these books. Because of this, she received many scoldings from her uncle, and even a blackboard! In fact, Cao Xueqin is not the kind of swinger who only knows how to idle around. He likes to study! For example, miscellaneous works on flowers, medicinal materials, and food were all read with gusto: describing them as nourishing... I have developed a good reading habit since I was a child, and my knowledge has gradually enriched.
One day, Cao Xueqin sneaked out of the study while her uncle was not paying attention and ran to play in the garden at home.
Tired from playing, he sat down on a stone board, took out a book "The Story of the West Chamber (xiānɡ)" from his arms and started reading. Just as he was getting addicted to watching (yǐn), suddenly a boy came running up in a hurry:
"It's not good, I don't know why I'm worried, I'm so worried that I'm crying!"
Cao Xueqin's heart He sank and hurried home. As soon as he entered the house, he saw that his uncle had completely lost his previous dignity. He cried very sadly and kept shouting:
"Oh my God! Do you think my Cao family will be destroyed?"
p>
It turns out that due to the Cao family's extravagant spending and even misappropriation of public funds, Cao Yin had already suffered a deficit while he was still alive. After Cao ascended the throne, within a few years, the deficit increased and he owed more than 100,000 taels of silver to the imperial treasury. At this time, Emperor Kangxi, who was particularly concerned about the Cao family, had passed away. The newly ascended Emperor Yongzheng (yōnɡ) was dissatisfied with the Cao family and took the opportunity to rectify the Cao family. He ordered all provinces to make up for any deficit within three years, otherwise they would be severely punished. Although Cao worked hard, he still hadn't made up enough money, and new mistakes kept happening. Soon, disaster finally struck!
When Cao Xueqin was thirteen, something went wrong again. Emperor Yongzheng was furious. Two imperial edicts were issued in a row, first to dismiss Cao Cao from his post, and then to order an inspection of Cao's mansion.
On this day, Cao Xueqin just woke up and heard a noise in the hall. He hurriedly ran and saw that his uncle had been tied up and kneeling on the ground. The flower feather on his head had been taken off and his clothes were torn to pieces. The official who came to search the house was reprimanding Cao angrily. Who could tell that he was a guest of the Cao family not long ago! Years of wealth, dignity and status disappeared in an instant. All this, like a nightmare that will never be forgotten, remains in Cao Xueqin's heart.
The Cao family ended their luxurious life and returned to Beijing miserably. Cao Xueqin's boyhood of fine clothes and fine food was over.
The Cao family suffered a disaster, and the elders pinned their hopes of reviving the family business on Cao Xueqin. In particular, his uncle urged him to study classics hard, learn to write eight-legged essays, and prepare to take the imperial examination so that the Cao family could return to officialdom.
I don’t want to think that Cao Xueqin still has the same temper as when she was a child. He did not like those rigid dogmas and feudal ethics, but yearned for a free life.
His residence in Beijing initially had three pairs of servants and seventeen or eighteen rooms. There is also a small garden to the west of the house, which is named "Zhiyuan". It was written by my great-uncle Cao Xuan before his death, and the stone is carved as a banner for the Yuedong Garden Gate. There are also weeping willows, lotus ponds and pavilions in the garden. The industry run by this great-grandfather was, of course, older, older and smaller than Jiangning Zhimanfu. But if it can be returned, the Cao family can still support their family. You can also imagine the wishes of "father and brother" and the intentions of "mentors and friends": this is a family of officials, and official career should be the right path. All "education" and "discussions" will involve the discipline Cao Xueqin concentrating on reading the "Four Books and Five Classics", and admonishing Cao Xueqin to pick up the test basket, walk in the examination room, and win the title on the list as the first step to advance. The hope of reviving the family business and the dream of honoring the ancestors all fell firmly on this single son. The pressure back then can be imagined.
It just so happened that when Cao Xueqin was "a rich and handsome man", he was a young man who secretly read "The West Chamber" and "Journey to the West" and secretly read unofficial histories. When he was born, what he loved was the word "love"; when he was born, what he fantasized about was the word "fairy"; in his nature, he was more sensitive than ordinary people.
The family naturally would not give up and sent him to the Jingshan Official School sponsored by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The official school age limit is 23 years old.
The young Cao Xueqin, whether in official school or after reaching school age, has been living at home, writing poems, playing the piano, admiring flowers and toys - he plays with many things, and he is famous for playing them. Only serious knowledge such as classics and books was put aside. While attending official school in Jingshan, he played drama. At that time, it was fashionable for a wealthy family to have a theatrical troupe. There are detailed descriptions in "A Dream of Red Mansions". It turns out that Cao Xueqin is an expert. If he has not played well, he would not be able to write such a sense.
At the northwest corner of Guande Hall in Jingshan, there is a Suzhou Lane. Suzhou Zhizao Mansion often selected actors for the imperial court and all stayed here. According to the regulations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, no communication between the official school and Suzhou Lane is allowed. That is, bachelors of the scholar-bureaucrat class cannot associate with low-level actors. If Cao Xueqin was like an ordinary young man, playing music and listening to music would be an elegant thing. The wine is intoxicating and the ears are warm, and it is elegant to sing a few songs while taking advantage of the mood. But Cao Xueqin made friends with them, and some of them became close friends.
Needless to say, in the 18th century, even in the first half of the 20th century, actors were still sluts. School students perform plays for the sake of beauty, activity, freedom, publicity, and existence, and they must also fight against the opinions of the public. If you are fascinated by love, you will still be ridiculed as "dissolute".
Two hundred years ago, Cao Xueqin had a whim and decided to join a theater troupe and travel around the world.
Where are the distinguished relatives? What about his family members who have pinned their hopes on him to bring glory to their family? Needless to say, another path was arranged for him, using push methods and recommendation methods, and putting a Gongsheng hat on his head, which was regarded as giving him the qualification of a scholar. Seeing that he was smart, he estimated that he had talent and learning, and urged him to pass the Jinshi exam in three to five years. From then on, "excellence in learning leads to officialdom", and he embarked on the path of advancement that his ancestors followed.
The age limit for Jingshan official school is 23 years old. After the age of 23, Cao Xueqin had an empty name as a tribute (ɡònɡ) and never made any further progress in his official career.
Because his family's financial situation was deteriorating day by day, Cao Xueqin, who was already in his thirties, had to find a job in a religious school to copy and write every day to earn some money. Although his status is low, his outstanding talent and wild personality have won the respect and admiration of many students. Every night, many students would gather in Cao Xueqin's room to listen to him talk about the past and the present. Cao Xueqin spoke in a loud voice, sometimes laughing and cursing, sometimes being humorous. From time to time, loud laughter could be heard in the hut, echoing in the silent night.
Among these students, there are two who have the most contact with Cao Xueqin. One is Dun Min and the other is Dun Cheng. They are brothers, both under the age of twenty. Although they are children of the royal family, their families have been hit hard, and they don't have many aristocratic habits. They have cheerful personalities and are very speculative with Cao Xueqin.
In the days that followed, brothers Dun Min and Dun Cheng kept in contact with Cao Xueqin and were of great help to him.