Four Families in A Dream of Red Mansions (The four families in A Dream of Red Mansions rise and fall rapidly)

A Dream of Red Mansions, as one of the pinnacles of China's classical novels, can be said to be all-encompassing, from astronomical geography to food culture, and it can be called an encyclopedia of feudal times.

There is a very interesting phenomenon in A Dream of Red Mansions. There are four so-called families in A Dream of Red Mansions: "Jia" is a "poetic house" with many privileges, but in A Dream of Red Mansions, their rise and fall process is very rapid. So, who are the pillars of the four families? What's the secret behind the rapid rise and fall of the four big families?

Four Families Behind Official Signs

In A Dream of Red Mansions, the true features of Jia Wang and Shi Xue's four families were actually formed through a "door". This is the fourth case that Hulu Monk arbitrarily sentenced Hulu.

At that time, there was a little squire named Feng Yuan in Jinling area. He has some money because his parents have died and inherited some property. Originally, he was a man who liked men's colors (slightly gay), but later he felt pity when he saw the trafficker selling this woman. I paid for a real win-win, but I didn't expect this trafficker to be very cunning. He sold Zhen to the powerful Xue family before. (it's called betting at both ends)

This was a very common technique at that time, but when Xue Pan of the Xue family came to Feng Yuan for help, there was a serious conflict. Feng Yuan said that he didn't marry Zhen. Xue Pan is a devil incarnate. Of course, he killed Feng Yuan directly by means of his powerful children, so this life lawsuit broke out. Feng Jia initially sued Xue Pan, but no one dared to talk to him.

Just as the new official in Jia Yucun took office, he began to become eager. As a result, when he wanted to summon Xue Pan, the doorsteps (junior officers) under the hall gave him a wink. He resolutely put down the case and went to the secret room to listen to the doorsteps to introduce him to the mystery. This also led to the formal appearance of four families in A Dream of Red Mansions.

The door to Jia Yucun pointed out two points:

1. The reason why the Feng family sued for a year was not because the case was difficult, but because the case was clear-Xue Pan was the murderer, but no one dared to provoke the Xue family.

2. The children of rich and powerful families in all provinces have a close interpersonal network, and the people above are equivalent to winning the gold medal of avoiding death and can be traitors at will. This network is the so-called "official protection symbol".

Later, the doors showed him the contents of the official logo:

Jia is not fake, for the golden horse; Epang Palace, 300 Li, can't live in Jinling Yishi; The East China Sea is short of white jade beds, and the Dragon King invited King Jinling. In good years and heavy snow, pearls are as gold as iron.

In this case, Xue Pan is a descendant of the Xue family, so it is reasonable that no one dares to provoke him.

It sounds as if the four families are equal in power and are all "dignitaries" under the official protection system. But in fact, the influence of the four families is still high and low, and each family has its own dependence, which is far from being so average.

So what is the power system behind these four families?

Sentient beings in two backgrounds

In the pattern of A Dream of Red Mansions, the original titles of the four families, Jia is a public official, Shi is a Hou, and Wang is a Bo, and the Xue family actually has no title, but it is a special identity "Sheren" and holds the identity of imperial merchants. Therefore, in the initial pattern, Jia's present position is the highest.

But in fact, in A Dream of Red Mansions, the ruler of Guo Rongfu is Jia Mu, but the core power is in the hands of Wang Xifeng. Wang Xifeng holds the financial power and personnel power of Rongguo House. When he plundered the property, he had "70,000 to 80,000 gold and a box of bonds" at home. However, Wang Xifeng is only Jia Lian's wife. Even if she is smart and capable, in the feudal society, which emphasizes the distinction between honor and inferiority, her high power status is definitely not explained by simple ability.

After all, even Tanchun, who is equally talented, was quickly defeated because of birth problems after she took the upper position. However, the reason why Wang Xifeng can last forever and finally her position drops sharply is because there has been a person standing behind her-Wang Ziteng.

Wang Ziteng is a key figure in the Wang family's juxtaposition with other families. It is also an important pillar of the second government of Rongning and even the four major families. He has been a powerful figure since he appeared. He is Xue Pan's uncle, and he is the most terrible person in Jia Yucun. According to the description, he was already controlled by nine provinces. This official position is equivalent to our Tang Dynasty, but he is actually a second-class official.

Therefore, I did not forget to add a flattering sentence: "Come and see Jia and Wang Ergong later." The king here obviously refers to. Wang Ziteng's power climbed all the way, and he was promoted to the rank of the official residence of the cabinet university. It is one of the highest sources of power of the four families. After all, Jia Zheng, as the core figure of Jia Fu, is only a minister of the Ministry of Industry, so behind everyone's extraordinary respect for Wang Xifeng, it is actually respect for the "nine provinces".

This, clever Jia Tanchun see very clearly, so when Aunt Zhao forced her to find a place for her uncle, she actually blurted out, "Who is my uncle? My uncle will be promoted to nine provinces for inspection next year. " It can be seen that in A Dream of Red Mansions, "Xieqing" is an important survival rule.

However, the strength of Wang Ziteng does not mean that the Wangs can be above the Jia family. In fact, Jia Jia's power source is enough to compete with the officials of the imperial court. Jia's biggest pillar is Jia Zheng's eldest daughter, Jia Yuanchun, who became a high-ranked imperial concubine.

Among the four young ladies cherished by Yuan Ying, Yuan Chun is the core of Jia Fu's support. This can be clearly seen from the incident of "Mothering in Yuan Chun Province". Even a respected elder like Jia Mu should go out in person, which is not only a favor to the younger generation, but also a respect for imperial power.

Jia Yuanchun's title of "virtuous princess" actually implies a compliment to her political talent (fighting level). It is Jia Yuanchun's support for the "Golden Marriages" that gives Xue Baochai and Jia Fu a basic direction. Invisible to Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu's love increased great resistance. In fact, Jia Yuanchun's approval of the marriage of gold and jade fully shows her overall situation. After all, the Xue family has the wealth that the Jia family lacks. Jia Zheng is a master who can't make money and likes "independence". The financial expenditure of the second government is huge, but Jia dare not open source. In the dark environment at that time, lack of financial resources meant lack of contacts.

In sharp contrast, in the whole Dream of Red Mansions, historians represented by Shi Xiangyun did not make a strong appearance. After all, they lack powerful figures like Jia Yuanchun and Wang Ziteng, and they don't have the special status of the Xue family. If it weren't for Shi Xiangyun's optimistic and cheerful personality, I'm afraid Shi Xiangyun's situation is even more embarrassing than Lin Daiyu's.

Therefore, the rapid rise and fall of power in A Dream of Red Mansions is actually determined by the honor and disgrace of "backstage". Once the backstage disappears, the scene of "suddenly falling down like a building" is inevitable. A Dream of Red Mansions is actually a dream of power and clan.

Text: Sanqing Miao Yin

References:

1 Cao Xueqin Dream of Red Mansions

Zhou Hongloumeng and China Culture.

3 weeks of A Dream of Red Mansions