Chapter 19 Mystery hidden in the tooth card order (1)

"Double hanging sun and moon illuminate the universe", this is a command line in the plot of the 40th episode of "Golden Mandarin Duck and Three Proclamation of Teeth". Many readers in the past have read it carelessly, but Mr. Zhou Ruchang told us solemnly that here There is a public case hidden in the head, that is, in the fourth year of Qianlong (1739), there was a political force intending to overthrow the Qianlong Emperor. "Shadow regime" plotted to assassinate Qianlong and replace it. The short-term situation was likened to "the double hanging sun and the moon illuminate the universe", which is really appropriate.

It is not a family history written by Cao Xueqin, but a highly fictional novel.But the source of this novel is the rise and fall of Cao Xueqin's own family.According to Mr. Zhou Ruchang's textual research, from the second half of the eighteenth chapter to the fifty-third chapter, the life experience based on it all comes from the situation of the Cao family in the first year of Qianlong (1736). Displacement, imagination and fabrication.Most people know that Jiangning Weaving, controlled by the Cao family, was under Cao’s tenure. In the fifth year of Yongzheng’s reign (1727), his house was confiscated and he was detained from Nanjing to Beijing. Cao Xueqin was still young at that time.However, most people rarely know that in the first year of Qianlong, the Cao family was like a dead wood in spring. Cao resumed his official position, and the two relatives of the Cao family held high positions. He has lived a few years of rich clothes and rich clothes, and this is the basis of his life that he can write.Then, some readers may ask, since this is the case, why did it suddenly undergo more drastic changes, not only making "a piece of white land is really clean", but even the relevant historical materials are almost gone?It is necessary to understand the situation in the early days of the Qianlong Dynasty, that is, Qianlong initially planned to ease the relationship between the royal family and related bureaucratic groups that had been very tense during his father's reign through the policy of appeasement. This policy was quite effective. Unexpectedly, "after the three springs", he suddenly found that the various factions opposing his father were twisted into one rope, and they wanted to "settle the old account with the new account", and even almost assassinated him!It is not surprising that there are descendants of his father's old political opponents, but what makes him shudder is the prince and his descendants that his father has always treated kindly and superficially obedient to his father and him. Such a political reality must be deeply hurt In his heart, he wiped out this group of political enemies cleanly and swiftly with an iron fist, and of course he also mercilessly eliminated the dangerous elements including Cao who had a close relationship with the Hongxi family. , he decided not to keep relevant archives as much as possible, so that ordinary people in society would not know how embarrassing things happened to him in the depths of his seemingly peaceful life, and the internal suppression without leaving traces also avoided many sequelae .Putting aside Cao Xueqin's personal tragedy in this great change, we have to admit that Qianlong's response to the situation in this way was really the handiwork of a great statesman.

Now when I look back and read the plot of "Golden Mandarin Duck's Three Proclamation of the Teeth Order", it becomes clearer.Not only a few sentences such as "Double hanging sun and moon illuminate the universe" have profound meanings.It can be said that the arrangement of the entire Yapai order is the display and prophecy of the fate of the Cao family from the first year of Qianlong to the fourth year of Qianlong.Cao Xueqin first wrote the command words that Jia's mother uttered as the mandarin ducks played cards.A few consecutive sentences are actually summarizing the good times of the Cao family in the first year of Qianlong: "There is a blue sky above your head." As soon as Qianlong ascended the throne, he pardoned the world, and Cao's original deficit in office that he could not make up for was blown away. "Plum blossoms on the six bridges are fragrant to the bones." Cao's family seemed to have finally walked the six bridges on the Su Causeway in Hangzhou. "A round of red sun rises in the sky." Cao was able to return to his post, and it is not too much to praise the saint.The last deck of cards turned out to be a "shaggy-headed ghost". Is this a bad omen? "This ghost hugged Zhong Kui's leg." Jia's mother was confident.Of course, this is also an artistic reproduction of the true psychology of the ancestors of the Cao family back then.After Jia's mother finished speaking, it was Aunt Xue who said that what she said could be regarded as a projection of the basic situation of the Cao family and related in-laws in the second year of Qianlong's reign: "Plum blossoms dance before the wind." "" "The Weaver Girl Cowherd will be on Qixi Festival." "The world is not as good as the music of the gods." Although the life of that year has not been written in the fortieth chapter, but in the description from the fifty-third chapter to the sixty-ninth chapter, We can really feel the foolishness of the sons and daughters in the Grand View Garden who didn't know that the feast was over, which is probably a reflection of the general Cao family's ignorance in real life in the second year of Qianlong.But Shi Xiangyun's order, which was written next, was full of ups and downs.Her first sentence was "Double hanging sun and moon illuminate the universe".Like the Cao family, as well as the Li family that Shi Taijun and Shi Xiangyun based on, even if he no longer wants to get involved in the "strife between the sun and the moon" of the royal family, then Hongxi will never let them go, and he must join them and respond internally. Because the relationship between their generations is really too close, just like the relationship between Jia's Mansion and Beijing Palace written in Li, it is impossible to stay out of such a "double suspension" situation. "Idle flowers fall to the ground to listen to silence." If you get involved, you have to pay the price secretly. "Red apricots are planted against the clouds by the sun." If Hongxi really succeeds, then wouldn't the "red apricot" he planted, that is, the political investment he made, win rich returns? "Yuyuan was taken out by a bird." This is a metaphor, a political bet, and I hope Hongxi and the others succeed in seizing power!Then write down, it is Xue Baochai's order, "Shuangshuangyanzi speaks between Liangjian." Which swallow's order should I obey? "Water dragon leads to wind and green belt grows." It is inevitable to be dragged into the "war between the sun and the moon" and be implicated! "Three mountains and half fall out of the blue sky." Yu Guashan was eroded by ice and finally failed. "There are turmoil and worries everywhere." From then on, there will be no peace at home!This is a summary of the stories after the seventy chapters, especially after the eighty chapters, and it is also the epitome of the fate of the Cao family after the third year of Qianlong in the reality of life on which it is based.

In the description of the Sanxuan Yapai Order, Cao Xueqin not only used the above-mentioned order to outline the process of the Jia family from prosperity to decline in the "Three Springs" in the book (it is also the fate of the Cao family in real life), but also Lin Daiyu. The sentences embedded in the command words are used to bury the plot of the forty-second episode in which Xue Baochai took the opportunity to "interrogate" Lin Daiyu to admonish Lin Daiyu; and use Grandma Liu's vulgar command words to elicit a vivid description of the next round where everyone laughs.Cao Xueqin is best at controlling words in such a way of "killing three birds with one stone". Understanding his writing habit is also the basic skill we should have in reading.Both Lin Daiyu and Grandma Liu's orders also contained the mystery of the prophecy that the Jia family was involved in the struggle for imperial power and finally "the tree fell and the monkeys scattered", especially the sentence "the fire burned the caterpillar".However, in the following plots in the book, the wives and young masters of Jia's mansion laughed wildly, "the businesswomen don't know the hatred of subjugation". This is really the most ironic stroke in the great tragedy.

[Attachment] Letter from Mr. Zhou Ruchang in September of Renwu Xinwu Xueyou: I am deeply grateful for your condolences.When encountering such a sudden incident (Liu's note: referring to his wife's death), I was naturally in a bad mood. Fortunately, I frequently read excellent works in the Tianjin Newspaper, which made the children read and listen, increasing joy and reducing worry. This is also the truth recently. "Shuangxuan" sentence is Li Bai's original text, Alluding to Tang Xuanzong's escape and the historical sites of Suzong's arrogance, you can add a note to make readers more convinced.Knowing the uniqueness of Xueqin's brushwork—that is, the individuality of art, I always want to draw Honglou to "generalization", that is, "commonness", and think that only in this way can I "understand literature"... The situation in China is so good. Regrettable also.

The truth is often on the side of the "minority."You don't have to listen to "besieged from all sides" (I have been listening to it for decades!) You can write more and compile a small collection. These articles add strength and luster to "Exploring the Lost Learning"-that is, a gratifying development.Looking at the "overall situation", there are almost no one who has the ability to engage in this subject except you and Professor Liang Guizhi.Of course, some people can point fingers, make short stories long, and even ridicule—such people don’t read books, don’t understand Qing history, let alone write (including published articles and correspondence).It is necessary to leave a track for the exploration of lost learning in Hongxue, and to inspire future scholars.

I am now thinking: the sun and moon that "become the sun and the moon on the throne" may have a subtle and mysterious relationship with the sun and the moon that are "double hanging". Written here.waiting Happy Double Ninth Festival! Blind Friends Say Goodbye Renwu September The newly published "Bermuda of A Dream of Red Mansions", Guangzhou Edition, if you are interested, you may wish to read it and let me know what you think.And again. the emperor in In the first chapter, readers are clearly informed that although this book describes "a story of old traces personally experienced", "however, the age of the dynasty, the geography and the state have been lost", so although the book mentions "today", That is, the living emperor is indeed a fictitious image, and it cannot be matched with any Qing emperor before the author was alive.

The emperor here, when he was in power, the previous emperor was still alive, and there was a Supreme Emperor above him.In the sixteenth chapter, when Jia Lian recounted the origin of the visit to relatives, he said: "...Nowadays, since I serve the Supreme Emperor and the Empress Dowager day and night, I still can't do my filial piety..." After the Qing Dynasty entered the customs and ruled the world, Shunzhi, Kangxi, and Yongzheng all It was only after death that a son succeeded him. No one had ever been the Supreme Emperor except Qianlong. It should have been thirty-two or three years since his death, and there is no way to know or foresee it. Therefore, Cao Xueqin obviously deliberately let the emperor in the book have the Supreme Emperor. language village language", wrote "full of absurd words".

The first chapter also passed the "thoughts" of "Kong Kong Daoist", and once again stated in his book that "although there are some words in the book that accuse adultery and belittle evil, it is not the purpose of cursing the world when it hurts; , where Fan Lun often closes is all praises and praises, and his family members are endless..." Checking the text, it is almost the same. The disadvantages of cool..." As a result, the boss read a book, "Long Yan was furious, and he was dismissed immediately", which reflected the sternness of "today" official administration; and when Leng Zixing made a speech at Rongguo Mansion, he mentioned that "Jia Daishan was dying in the past. In the previous book, the emperor, out of sympathy for his predecessors, immediately ordered the eldest son to attack the official, asked how many other sons were left, and immediately introduced him, and then gave this political father an additional title of master..." It also reflects the "today" kindness Cixi; the sixteenth chapter more clearly praises the "today" of "total filial piety and pure benevolence, and the body of heaven and things"; All the concubines reduced their meals and thanked them for their makeup. Not only could they not see their relatives, but they would also avoid all the feasts." The sixty-third chapter wrote that Jia Jing Tundan died, and the Ministry of Rites asked for an order, "It turns out that the emperor is extremely benevolent and filial "Although Jia Jing wore white clothes, he still gave an extra decree of grace; statements like this are indeed without irony, and are really "praising merit".

The only one suspected of indirect "violent attack" was when the fifteenth chapter was written "Jia Baoyu's Road to the King of Beijing", and it was written that the King of Beijing would "give a string of wagtail incense rosary beads from the Holy Father the day before yesterday, as a congratulatory gift." , to Baoyu.In the sixteenth chapter, it is written that Baoyu "took out the wagtail incense rosary with great care and gave it to Daiyu", but Daiyu said, "What kind of stinky man took it! I don't want him."Daiyu in the story probably didn’t understand the source of the fragrant rosary, so her desecration of the fragrant beads may not be intentional “offending”, but the author’s narration clearly affirms Daiyu’s coquettishness The meaning is "what should be the crime"? !When I think about it carefully, it is considered rebellious for the King of Beijing to casually give the emperor’s gift to a "jobless man" with wet breasts. Admiration, indeed doubtful.

This is not a place worthy of further investigation.What is really worth pondering over and over again is the description at the beginning of the sixteenth chapter: One day, the two houses of Ningrong and Rong were gathering to celebrate Jia Zheng’s birthday, when suddenly a doorman rushed in and reported that the eunuch of Liugongdu, Mr. Xia, had come to surrender. According to the decree, "Jia pardoned Jia Zheng and others who are bluffing, I don't know what the news is", they were in a hurry, and after Jia Zheng and others entered the palace according to the order, "Mother Jia and the whole family were in a state of panic." Uncertain"... until it is confirmed that it is not a disaster but a blessing - Jia Yuanchun was "proclaimed as Shangshu of Fengzao Palace" and "virtuous concubine". The superficial meaning of this text is obviously an artistic summary of the situation of a minister who "accompanying the emperor is like accompanying a tiger" in the imperial society; I once analyzed the hidden meaning of this text in another article: The government once hid and adopted Qin Keqing, the daughter of "present-day" political opponents (similar to "Prince Yizhong, Lao Qiansui"), so they "had ghosts in their hearts", especially when they did this thing with Jia Daishan back then, they were directly responsible. The responsible mother of Jia, she had to "have a ghost in her heart" when the emperor suddenly passed the decree, and Jia Amnesty, Jia Zheng, etc. had to be bluffed because of this; The crumbs of "Xiangchen" have also settled down, so the emperor can pursue it if he wants to.Now we can further dig out the third meaning of this text, that is, in it, Cao Xueqin actually expressed the delicate relationship between the emperors of the three dynasties (Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong) that his family experienced and his family. It's so condensed in this short paragraph of text! In the Kangxi Dynasty, the Cao family was favored and enjoyed all the glory and wealth, so reflected in a book, there is a nostalgic feeling borrowed from Zhao Momo and Sister Feng in Chapter 16. They said " The story of Emperor Taizu's imitation of Shun's tour back then", "At that time... our Jia family was supervising the construction of sea boats and repairing sea ponds in Yangzhou, Gusu. They "prepared the palace once" and "now the Zhen family in the south of the Yangtze River... only his family has taken over four times... don't talk about money turned into mud, since everything in the world is not piled up in mountains and seas, I can't even take care of the words 'sin and pity'!" But in the seventy-fifth chapter, it is clearly written, "The Zhen family has committed a crime, and now they have confiscated all their belongings, and they have been transferred to Beijing to rule. "Sin", the Zhen family "just came to a few women, looking pale and flustered", they went to Jia's house to go to the room, "there are still some things" (obviously Jidun's concealed property); although the Cao family's affairs In the novel, it is transformed into the two families of Zhen and Jia. This plot is derived from the actual experience of the Cao family after Kangxi’s death. The situation of the Cao family in the alternate period, on the one hand, is in the embarrassment of a dead centipede, on the other hand, there seems to be a sign of "Zhongxing", but it is full of dangers; Therefore, the grandeur has not been greatly reduced (for example, in the forty-second chapter, when the doctor Wang came to see her, her dignity and majesty, and the "condescending" tone of "Wang Junxiao in the main hall of the imperial hospital, good pulse"; again in the fifty-seventh chapter. Later, when Imperial Physician Wang came to see Baoyu, she said, "If there is a delay, send someone to demolish the lobby of the Imperial Hospital!" Such words are impossible for Jia Amnesty, Jia Zheng, Jia Zhen, etc. to say); but After all, after Kangxi died and was replaced by Emperor Yongzheng, the emperor didn't like the Cao family at all, and even hated it quite a lot, because when Kangxi was alive, few people were "optimistic" about King Yong, who later ascended the throne. The crown prince was the second child, so the Cao family and the crown prince were naturally close friends (for example, the crown prince once ordered his milk-in-law Ling Pu to "take silver" from Cao Yin, one time is 20,000 taels!) Although Kangxi later put this The first prince was deposed, but he did not appoint another prince. In particular, he did not see that he identified the fourth king of Yong as his successor, but he seemed to like his youngest son, the fourteenth prince, more and more. Therefore, the Cao family continued to cooperate with the original emperor. The prince has a good friend, and it is natural to have a relationship with the other princes and get close. Before Emperor Yongzheng ascended the throne, he did not have much sense of danger. What he never expected was that the Cao family had the least "political investment" in Yongzheng. Wang inherited the throne of Kangxi. This situation reflects that the Jia family really wanted to establish a relationship with the new emperor similar to the one they had with Kangxi back then, but they had nowhere to go. It may not be possible to step down Yongzheng and replace him with him. Therefore, they rely on their "old friendship" to ask the Jia family to hide something on their behalf. It is necessary to keep a "back hand", and even hope that a certain prince they have a good relationship with will become a great career early, so that the status of Jia's mansion will not only be stable, but also can be further improved... So on the one hand, Jia's mansion tried every means to send Yuanchun into the palace. To go to the palace, and try to make Yuanchun be favored when he is close to the "present day". It is "uncertainty", any news from the court, as long as it is still vague, they must be terrified all day long... What is particularly interesting is that in the sixteenth chapter, Lai Da, the chief steward of Jia’s mansion, rushed back from the palace to report to Jia’s mother. He said: “The little ones are just waiting outside the Linjing gate, and you can’t get any information inside. You know, it was Eunuch Xia who came out to say congratulations... Later the master came out and gave the same instructions to the young one. Now the master has gone to the East Palace..." In other words, after such a big event, Jia Zheng didn't go home, so he hurried away. Go to the East Palace, the residence of the prince, to see the prince!The "East Palace" here alludes, of course, cannot be the former prince who was established and abolished by Kangxi, who was hated by Yongzheng, and died in confinement, but can only be the prince who was established by Yongzheng. , that is, the Emperor Qianlong who was in his prime when Cao Xueqin wrote the book.From the perspective of the logical development of the novel's story, Jia Zheng's behavior at this moment is not very reasonable. He is just a member of the Ministry of Industry, how can he have a good relationship with "East Palace"?Moreover, his daughter had just been canonized by the emperor, how many "serious things" should he have to be busy with, but why did he "put aside for the time being" and go straight to the "East Palace"?What kind of conscious and subconscious did Cao Xueqin write this stroke out of?I thought it was worth pondering. The Cao family suffered a heavy blow during the Yongzheng Dynasty, but it was not completely defeated. At the beginning of Qianlong, there was a slight improvement, or even a rejuvenation, but it didn't take long before it completely fell. Scattered and galloping", "It's like eating all the birds and throwing them into the forest, and the white land is so clean!" Reflected in the middle, it means that the so-called "Eastern Palace" did not give the Jia family any face or leeway in the end. Consciously or unintentionally offended the "present day", but never dared and did not want to offend the "Eastern Palace" - it's too late to flatter, be grateful, and be effective!But after the "East Palace" was transferred to the "Main Palace", hostile forces like "Jiangnan Qin" and "Iron Net Mountain" are still coveting his throne.Then he can't care too much, he will have to undergo a major operation "one after another, with five hangings and four", and try to leave as few traces as possible, "do practical things, go to empty words", cut them off completely, "repaying grievances is not light"!What a Jia family is to him!A gust of wind can make it "suddenly collapse like a building"; a burst of anger can make it "look back to the prime minister as ashes"!In the last dozens of chapters that we have no way of seeing now, the emperor in the book will definitely appear several times, as the irresistible destroyer of the Jia family, and as an invisible protagonist throughout the book. However, Cao Xueqin's writing is definitely not for "swearing the emperor" or "anti-imperial power". His thoughts are beyond this level. Lead our thoughts to the ultimate thinking: Is it hard to rush in a floating life? This is true: we are not obsessed with the author today, we try our best to taste it, but it is "like an olive weighing several thousand catties", when will we really understand its taste!