Aspirations

Chapter 51 The Four Great Families
Ling'er's words surprised Xia Xiang.

The four great aristocratic families, Cui, Lu, Li, and Zheng, are super clan families that have been passed down for nearly a thousand years.During the Tang Dynasty, the four extremely honorable things were "being young and promising, being a scholar, compiling the history of the country, and marrying women with four surnames".

Marrying a woman with four surnames, being a jinshi, and compiling national history, it can be seen that the status of the four surnames was transcendent and powerful.Xue Yuanchao, the prime minister at the time of Emperor Gaozong of Tang Dynasty, was extremely wealthy, and he also had "three hatreds" in his life - three regrets: first, he hated not to be promoted to the first place by a scholar; second, he hated not marrying a woman with five surnames;

In the Tang Dynasty, there was a saying of five surnames and seven Wangs, namely, the Li clan of Longxi, the Li clan of Zhaojun, the Cui clan of Boling, the Cui clan of Qinghe, the Lu clan of Fanyang, the Zheng clan of Xingyang, and the Wang clan of Taiyuan.Among them, the Li family and the Cui family each have two prefectures, so they are called five surnames and seven Wangs, or five surnames and seven families.Later, the Taiyuan Wang family declined, and only the four surnames Cui, Lu, Li, and Zheng were left to inherit. Therefore, the four surnames were the most prestigious and influential top giants among all the gentry families in the Tang Dynasty.

During the Tang Dynasty, it was more than ten times more difficult to pass the jinshi examination than Daxia. Because the national strength of the Tang Dynasty was far less than that of Daxia, the number of talents required was not as good as that of Daxia.At the end of the Tang Dynasty, the clansmen and clans firmly controlled the government. Even Li Shimin, the noble son of the emperor, once lamented that as an emperor, he could not control the clan clans' disrespect to the imperial power.Several major gentry did not listen to the Li Dynasty, and even the imperial examination system failed to prevent the rise of the clan clan. The gentry has both financial resources and rules, and the descendants of the descendants have a higher starting point than the common people.

However, after the scholars who passed the examination of the clan clan and gentry entered politics, the clan clan to which they belonged was still in a detached position.As an official of the imperial court, you can use the influence of your family to help you advance your career, but your position and speech in the court has nothing to do with the family. Even if you are the highest official in the entire family, you are not the head of the family. Your actions and words will neither affect nor implicate the family.

The gentry controlled the government to a jaw-dropping level in the Tang Dynasty. There were 360 ​​nine prime ministers in the Tang Dynasty, and Cui, Lu, Li, and Zheng accounted for 66 people, of which 23 were from the Cui family!
Later, in the Anshi Rebellion, the gentry were hit. The Cui, Lu and Zheng families in the Central Plains were the first to be purged by the war and declined a lot.The Wang and Xie clans, who were even weaker among the gentry, fell into disrepair, and their inheritance of hundreds of years disappeared into the long river of history. Liu Yuxi wrote a famous poem through the ages - the wild grass flowers by the Suzaku Bridge, the entrance of Wuyi Alley Sunset slants.In the old days, Wang Xietang flew into the homes of ordinary people.

The Wang and Xie families, along with the decline of Jinling, which had been dejected by Wang Qi, were swept away by the war, and never returned to the ranks of the nobility.As for the four surnames Cui, Lu, Li, and Zheng, after the Anshi Rebellion, Tang Suzong had to rely on the power of the clansmen to rejuvenate the country after the Anshi Rebellion. In the imperial examinations and the selection of officials, the clansmen opened the door of convenience to the clansmen.As a result, the surnames Cui and Zheng quickly recovered their vitality and rose again, and the court became the world of Cui and Zheng for a while, known as Cui Bantang and Zheng Bantang.In other words, Cui and Zheng each control half of the government.

After the Tang Dynasty, the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, and the turbulent times, the four surnames Cui, Lu, Li, and Zheng remained standing no matter how the dynasties changed.No matter who sits in the world or who is the emperor, they must rely on the power, financial strength and influence of the gentry.The four surnames lasted for thousands of years, until Taizu raised his arms and raised his troops to rise up, ending the division and chaos and establishing Daxia.

At the beginning of the establishment of the Great Xia Kingdom, Taizu both attracted and guarded against the gentry.The Great Ancestor also came from a noble family. Although he was not a super noble family that had been passed down for thousands of years like the four surnames, he was also a child of the nobility.Scholars from aristocratic families, with good character, excellent knowledge, good family education and superior knowledge, still have an innate advantage over scholars from commoner backgrounds.

When Daxia first established the country, it was surrounded by strong enemies, and its foundation was unstable. Later, it was Pingnan Tang and Northern Han. Taizu borrowed the financial and military strength of the gentry.In return, Taizu acquiesced to the four clansmen to have autonomy in their respective territories except for government and military affairs.

Fortunately, the four major gentry also followed the way of Confucius and Mencius, and were taught by sages and sages. Their children were all studying since childhood. When they became adults, they would gain a position in the family industry without participating in the imperial examination. There were very few criminals.

After Taizong ascended the throne, one was to continue the northern expedition, and the other was due to the death of his brother and brother. At the beginning of Taizong's ascension, the foundation was unstable. Taizong was afraid that the four gentry would join forces to question his orthodoxy. He further gave the four gentry the right to do business and Marriage autonomy - In order to weaken the power of the four gentry, he issued an edict requiring the four gentry not to intermarry each other and only marry commoners other than the four gentry.It's just that the four major gentry ignored this edict and still maintained the tradition. Marry a lady other than the four noble families.The other three surnames are the same.

During the Tang Dynasty, the four aristocratic families were mainly engaged in farming.In Daxia, he started to do business.The four thousand years of marriage and mutual reliance have long had a tacit understanding that outsiders could not imagine.Taizong allowed four companies to do business, and the four held a secret meeting in Zhending, and it was agreed that among the four, the Cui family ran businesses, the Lu family ran horses and caravans, the Li family ran food and wine, and the Zheng family ran tea and silk. In addition to the main business of porcelain and porcelain, the four companies can also operate the main business of other families, but they must distinguish between the main and the secondary.

The four families attacked and defended the alliance, advancing and retreating together. From the Taizong Dynasty, they started farming and doing business with one hand. After decades of accumulation, their financial resources and power surpassed the peak of the Tang Dynasty, except for one thing - the four families were above the court, and Not many children are officials.

It is also the four aristocratic families who are devoted to agriculture and business, and do not engage in politics. Although their financial strength and power are more than that of the peak of the Tang Dynasty, their strength is still a little worse.Without the influence of the court, and without the support of the court officials, the four great families are only the lords of the rich and powerful, not the kings who can command the world.

Perhaps it is because of too many wars and turmoil, the four families have many children, and there are countless talented scholars.It is precisely for this reason that after the Great Xia became Emperor Zong, under the influence of "Persuading Students to Learn Poems", countless civilians became jinshi and entered the court. Although the four great families existed, they had been forgotten.Because during the decades of imperial examinations, most of the jinshi were civilians, and there were very few children from aristocratic families, let alone any of the four major families!
Even Xia Xiang knew that the four great families still existed in the world, but he had never seen the children of any of the four great families, and he no longer heard the rumors about the four great families, as if the four great families had disappeared.I don't want to hear Ling'er talking about the four major families today, and even guess that Lian Ruohan is a member of the four major families... But he doesn't believe it, not to mention that Lian Ruohan's surname is not the surname of the four major families, as for changing his surname Once said, I am afraid that it is false.

Lian Ruohan's accent is indeed pure Mandarin. Since Daxia went north, the Mandarin is based on the accent of the Central Plains. The two surnames Cui and Lu are from the Central Plains.Cui lived along the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal, at the junction of Hebei Road and Jingdong East Road.The land is also the lower reaches of the Yellow River, where the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal and the Yellow River meet, with thousands of hectares of fertile land and thousands of miles of fertile fields. Cui’s surname has convenient geographical conditions, rich products, and abundant food and clothing. It is the richest family among the four great families.

The Lu family lived in the south of Shangjing and north of Zhending, which was farther north than the Cui family's hinterland of the Central Plains.The place where the Lu family is located is also fertile, surrounded by mountains and rivers, and rich in natural treasures.

Cui Shi and Lu Shi are the closest, and the two have the most contact with each other, and their accents are very similar to those of Shangjing.The Li family is far in the northwest, while the Zheng family is south of the Yellow River. The two families are far away from Shangjing.If it was according to what Linger said, Lian Ruohan would not be from the Li family or the Zheng family.

The Zheng family, the southernmost of the four aristocratic families, also lived in Bianliang, and none of the four families were from Jiangnan.From the perspective of appearance, Lian Ruohan is also a characteristic of women in the Central Plains.

The land of brothels has always been a place where dragons and snakes are mixed, and it is not surprising that there are various hearsays that are hard to tell from the truth.

Xia Xiang was silent for a moment, and said with a smile: "What Linger said is true, even the little lady spoke pure official language, but it is difficult to judge her origin and identity just by using official language. No matter what her identity is, as long as she She has a good character, so you can cooperate with her."

"Xia Langjun, what do you want to cooperate with Lian Xiaozi?" Ling'er was both curious and envious, with a hint of jealousy mixed in, "Xia Langjun has seen Lian Xiaozi before, I heard that Lian Xiaozi is a Peerless beauty, I don't know if it is or not?"

Cao Shuli said with a smile: "It must be... There is a beautiful person, clear and graceful. Meeting by chance, it suits my wish."

Xia Xiang smiled quietly. What Cao Shuli just said was a famous sentence in the Book of Songs. He bowed to Cao Shuli and said, "Little lady Cao, there is a beautiful person who is as graceful as Qingyang. When you meet, you will be with your son."

Cao Shuli's words were that Xia Xiang met a beautiful woman, who was elegant and graceful, and at first sight, he fell in love with her.Xia Xiang replied to her and said that the beauty in front of him was as graceful as Qing Yang.

Cao Shuli covered her face with a shy face, and walked away. When she reached the door, she stood still and said, "During the Spring and Autumn Period, E Junzixi, the younger brother of the Queen Mother of Chu, was playing in the river, the bells and drums chiming. The boat rocker was a Yue, she As soon as the music stopped, I held my oars and sang a song in Vietnamese, but E Junzixi couldn't understand it, can Xia Langjun understand it?"

Cao Yongguo laughed, twitching his beard, knowing that his daughter was in love.Cao Shujun and Linger looked at each other, not knowing what Cao Shuli meant.

Xia Xiang looked ignorant and was stunned for a moment: "E Junzixi doesn't understand, and I naturally don't understand either. What song did the boat shaker sing?"

Cao Shuli's face instantly faded like peach blossoms, and she was as lonely as snow. She smiled sadly: "Since Xia Langjun doesn't understand, you don't need to know what song the boat rocker is singing."

A look of disappointment flashed across her eyes, and then Cao Shuli resolutely walked away quickly without staying for a moment.

Ling'er stomped her feet resentfully, although she didn't know what charade Cao Shuli and Xia Xiang were playing, but she also knew that Xia Xiang made the little lady sad, so she gave Xia Xiang a look, and quickly ran after Cao Shuli.

Xia Xiang saw Cao Shuli's back gradually drifting away, and when he saw that he was about to lose sight, he sighed and said loudly to Cao Shuli's back: "Miss Cao, I'm not a Yueren, so naturally I don't understand the "Yueren" sung by Yueren. Song of the Yue People", but I remember a line of verse - "There are trees in the mountains, and there are branches in the trees..."

Cao Shuli's stature stopped suddenly, as if she had been immobilized, and because of the rapid withdrawal, Ling'er, who followed closely, almost didn't bump into her.

"Little lady, ignore Xia Langjun in the future, it's too hateful and irritating, huh!" Ling'er fought for her own wife, although she didn't know what happened between the two, "It's so stupid, even rocking the boat. If you don’t know what song the boat shaker sings, what song can the boat rocker sing? Naturally, it’s the boat rocking song.”

"Hey..." Cao Shuli was amused by Ling'er's words, Ling'er didn't understand that her relationship with Xia Langjun was to spread love through poetry, she scolded angrily, "Linger, you are not allowed to arrange Xia Langjun. It's not that Xia Langjun didn't know what song the boat rocker was singing, he just deliberately made it bad."

"Ah, why did he mess up? Just now, Ling'er was clearly by his side, and he didn't see him touching the little lady. Besides, the master is here, Xia Langjun doesn't dare to moles the little lady... Could it be?" Ling The son thought he had thought of the problem, and widened his eyes, "Did the little lady have a tryst with Xia Langjun behind Ling'er's back? Xia Langjun abandoned the little lady all the time? No, Ling'er is going to tell the master and Mr. Xia. Cao Sanlang, you can't let Mr. Xia Lang run away, let him..."

Cao Shuli didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and hurriedly pulled Linger back: "Linger, what nonsense are you talking about? Don't talk nonsense again, be careful with my family law!"

Ling'er shrank her neck and stuck out her tongue in fright: "Little lady, Ling'er dare not. But, what the hell is wrong with Xia Langjun? How did he do it?"

A red cloud appeared on Cao Shuli's face. She was angry and funny. She was angry that Xia Xiang pretended to be stupid and deliberately teased her. She laughed because Xia Xiang accepted her feelings and responded accordingly.It's just that I can't tell Ling'er clearly. Ling'er doesn't know the ins and outs of "Yueren Song", so it's useless to talk to her.

"Does Xia Langjun not have a sachet yet?" Cao Shuli turned around and glanced away, but she couldn't see Xia Xiang's figure, she was lost, but she forced a smile, "Linger, embroider a sachet for Xia Langjun, embroider on it. On "Yueren Song"."

"The little lady taught me "Yueren Song", Ling'er must memorize it..." Ling'er is not stupid, how could she not know her little lady's mind, she became more curious about "Yueren Song".

Cao Shuli's eyes turned bright and beautiful like a flower: "E Junzibai is the prince of Chu State. When he was playing in the river, there was a woman who was rocking a boat from Yue. She sang a song for Ejunzibai. Unfortunately, Ejunzibai couldn't hear it. I understand, later he asked someone else, and they told him the song was called "The Song of the Yue People". After he knew what the woman was singing, the woman had disappeared, and E Junzibai was very sad for a long time..."

"What day is this evening, the boat is in the middle of the river. What day is it today, I have to be in the same boat with the prince. It is good to be ashamed, but not to be shamed. I am so upset that I know the prince. There are trees in the mountains and branches in the trees. , Xinyue-Jun Xi-Jun doesn't know!"

Cao Shuli hummed "Yueren Song" softly, tears gradually flashing in her eyes.Ling'er was also dumbfounded, and wiped her tears with her hands: "There are trees in the mountains, and there are branches in the trees, but you don't know how happy you are! What an infatuated woman, it's a pity that the person she likes doesn't know that she likes him. There are so many happy hearts in the world. Jun Xi Jun does not know the sadness? Hey, little lady, I am so sad all of a sudden, I want to cry..."

Cao Shuli and Ling'er stood on the edge of the pond, the breeze blowing their dresses, they were relaxed and comfortable.The lotus flowers in the pond are already in full bloom and are about to wither.The rockery is full of roses and vines.In the middle of the pond, there is a huge rockery, occupying almost [-]% of the pond.The last time Xiao Wu accidentally discovered the cold veins at the bottom of the pond, Jin Jia wanted to persuade Cao Yongguo to move out of Cao's residence and find another place to live.However, Cao Yongguo had no money to build a new mansion, so he had no choice but to do it.Jin Jia came up with an idea to use a rockery to suppress the cold air at the bottom of the pool.

The green trees are thick and the summer is long, and the reflection of the terrace into the pond.The crystal curtain moved in the breeze, and the roses were full of incense... Summer will soon pass, and the breeze has brought the chill of autumn.

Spring and summer are the seasons when all things grow, and autumn and winter are the seasons when all things wither away. People are between heaven and earth and should conform to the time of the sky. Therefore, since the Han Dynasty, there has been a regulation of "autumn and winter execution". In addition, other death row prisoners are executed after the fall of the frost in the autumn and before the winter solstice, which is called the execution after the autumn.

Autumn is the harvest season. From harvesting to execution, autumn is the season with the most events of the year, so it is called an eventful autumn.

(End of this chapter)