Chapter 73 In memory of Cao Xueqin——to commemorate the 220th anniversary of Cao Xueqin's death

I dedicate this humble article in memory of Cao Xueqin, but the article talks about the last forty chapters of false continuations.Why?It’s just that I thought that to commemorate Cao Xueqin, we must first clarify the false continuation, otherwise, Gao E’s things and the things he “transformed” and mixed up the true and the false were taken as Cao Xueqin’s greatness It is an unscientific and strange phenomenon to create and analyze and comment, but to praise and cherish.In that way, Cao Xueqin himself, if anyone knew about it, would also feel uneasy, wondering why he would laugh or laugh?Therefore, my writing is not careless. I mistakenly commemorate the target and make a joke.

Recently, I saw a young red researcher utter a passage in his book, which seems to have never been reported before, to the effect that almost all the major issues and troubles in the study of the Dream of Red Mansions have their roots in the It is caused by the pseudo-continuation tail added to Cheng Gao's hundred and twenty chapters.After hearing these words, I really felt that there was an arrow that hit the nail on the head, and hit the nail on the head.Just imagine, where does the fierce "theme" and "mainline" dispute come from?If it is not a pseudo-continuation that boils down the "whole" book to a "wrapped bag-style love tragedy", but like the original "The Last Thirty Chapters" written by Xueqin, how can we use this to argue?Many other problems can be deduced by analogy, which is just the pseudo-continuation and fake tail!It is quite possible to say that this is a miracle, because all he has is a copy of "Cheng Yi", and he has no chance to see any old re-evaluated editions of Zhiyanzhai, and he has no inspiration or hints from other places!What a deep and wise gaze and thought power this is!It is simply unimaginable.It's okay to say it's not a miracle, because it's a fact that has been understood and expressed as it is; it would be a strange thing if no one ever achieved this understanding and made this expression.

Recently, at a grand meeting, I heard Comrade Cao Yu's speech again.He expressed his opinion on the TV series "Dream of Red Mansions". He did not have time to make a detailed analysis on this occasion, but he repeatedly emphasized that the subsequent forty chapters are different from Cao Xueqin's original work. In the re-creation of adaptation and transplantation, Cao Xueqin's original intention must be restored.I think the "difference" he pointed out is the "extreme difference" that Mr. Lu Xun pointed out in his early years and Comrade Hu Feng especially emphasized respect and approval [Note 1].

I still remember one thing, which may as well be mentioned here.In the early 1970s, the publishing system held a meeting with a large number of people, and officially conveyed a speech of Chairman Mao. When talking about the original work and the pseudo-continuation of Dream of the Red Chamber, it clearly pointed out that the first 80 chapters were written by Cao Xueqin, and the last 40 chapters were written by Cao Xueqin. The back was written by Gao E. Gao E learned a little of Cao Xueqin's brushwork, but his thinking was very different. [Note 2] At this point, we can’t help asking: Why are so many examples listed above (and there must be many others that I can’t quote for a while) all coincidentally explain the huge emotion they felt when they read A Dream of Red Mansions? different?Where are the differences and differences?

To answer this question, many items can certainly be listed.But at the moment I want to touch on a single point--I call it "Attitudes to Women." At present, the debate over what kind of book "Dream of Red Mansions is" is still inconclusive, but no matter what, Dream of Red Mansions is to "make the boudoir public" and to write about "these books that I have seen and heard in half a lifetime. "Woman" is for the purpose of "there are people in the boudoir", so that they will not be "disappeared together" because of "one's unworthy"; therefore, the book is written about women.On this point, the debaters may be "unanimous with exception".Then, I only need to test the school from the author's attitude towards this group of women, which must be enough to explain the differences and differences between the original work and the sequel.In this way, this article does not intend to make too many branches, but only expresses its own views on the core points.

My humble opinion on this point has been briefly stated: I often say that Xueqin's novels are different from previous stories because of one point: the attitude towards women is fundamentally different.In ancient works, the low-level ones regard women as only a kind of object of abuse, and the high-level ones just regard them as "high-end ornamental objects" to please one's own mind and for everyone's discussion. They don't really treat them as " People" to treat, not to mention considerate, comfort, sympathy, regret....Only with Xueqin's book can women appear in the human world with the body and mind of real living people. (Section 18 of "Red Chamber Novels")

Of course, I haven't said it thoroughly enough, maybe the generalization is not bad,—— "A piece of "Mixed River Dragon" written by "Falling red in formation, the wind blows tens of thousands of points is worrying about people. The pond is dreaming, and the fence is saying spring. Butterfly powder lightly touches the flying catkins and snow, and the fragrance of swallow mud provokes falling flowers Dust.....' In Wang Shifu's writing, this is just a lady's sad and lonely mood. Xueqin used it to make it big and transformed it. What he wrote with a rafter pen is no longer Miss Yingying's. His own feelings and personal feelings, what he wrote with tears, is an extremely broad and lofty emotional realm in which he cried for Qianhong and shared sorrow with Wanyan. Perhaps, we can say that Xueqin is standing in the history provided On one of the highest and far-sighted standpoints, the most magnificent and poignant words of "burial flowers" have been sung for women in the feudal society for thousands of years! This is by no means a man and a woman, rather This kind of social connotation, spiritual world of love at first sight and attempted misfortune.”

"For this reason, saying goodbye to spring, sending off spring, presenting flowers, and burying flowers are different, but they all have the same meaning. This is the real theme and general purpose of Dream of the Red Chamber." (Section 14 of "A Little Talk on the Red Chamber") However, Cao Xueqin's idea, view, and practice of "making the boudoir public" was unprecedented at that time, and it was shocking.At that time, the treatment of "deviants" and "heretics" was harsh and cruel, no less than the treatment of "riots" and "rebellion".When Xueqin was alive, she risked her life to write novels; after her death, as long as the book exists, the authorities will not "let it go" and allow it to "spread the false species"—this is the sequel and all the problems that follow.I have said again:

Xueqin's understanding, sympathy, concern, and consideration for women in his novels are very different from those in his previous novels. His attitude towards them is completely opposite to that of previous authors, and is clearly distinct.Because of this, it was difficult for Xueqin to be understood by the traditional concepts at that time and tolerated by the social environment at that time. (same as above) This contradiction and conflict manifests itself in the sharp struggle between the original Dream of the Red Chamber and the pseudo-continuation.Don’t understand things from this fundamental problem—an outbreak of contradictions and conflicts accumulated over thousands of years is not just a small "discord" between Zhang San Li Si! ——It is bound to use the most general theoretical analysis of literature and art to comment on this huge contradiction, but it is always just a discussion: "unity of character and personality", "logic of plot development", etc., and then give credit to the pseudo-continuation, thinking It is "not the worst", "it is unfair to belittle it", and expresses satisfaction with such values ​​as "fighting against injustice" for the pseudo-continuation.Those who hold this kind of opinion are very puzzled and surprised when they read Comrade Hu Feng's profound and incisive exposition of "unpredictable intentions", and rated it as "excessive".They always feel that it is necessary to "speak a few words of justice" to the pseudo-continuation-but they never think of the major issue of Cao Xueqin's original intention, and they never think of this major event that the original intention was completely distorted. In the cultural thinking of our Chinese nation What a serious nature of history, what an unbearable life-and-death struggle-and it is even more necessary to "fight the injustice" for him!

Cao Xueqin's views on women have been expressed in general since the beginning of the book.His "generalization" is not the same as the dull articles of "Zhengyan Zhuanglun". if: "...All the girls at that time, after careful consideration, I feel that their actions, behaviors and knowledge are all superior to mine." There is no such thing as the virtue and ability of Ban Gu and Cai Nu." This is what Xueqin claimed to have seen and heard, and it was all that day; as for the ancient ones, please see what kind of generations he cited? —— ...Even if I was born in a poor family of Bo Zuo, I definitely can't be a pawn and a servant, willing to be controlled by mediocre people, I must be a famous and famous person.Such as…….Another example is Li Guinian, Huang Fanchuo, Jing Xinmo, Zhuo Wenjun, Hong Fu, Xue Tao, Cui Ying, Chaoyun and others: if they all change places, they are the same people.

Regarding these—I call them "the eyes and keys of the Dream of Red Mansions"—if you understand them correctly, you will understand the true meaning of Cao Xueqin's thought and spirit. From the point of view of feudal tradition, the grades and standards of the women in his book are not very "high", and some are very low.This is the first standard distinction. What kind of person is Zhuo Wenjun?She was the daughter of Wangsun Jia Zhuo, a rich man in Sichuan in the Han Dynasty. Her husband died and she was a widow. Sima Xiangru, a writer, came to her house for a banquet.Due to lack of livelihood, the husband and wife opened a small tavern and operated it together with "cheap servants".What kind of person is Hong Fu?She was the maid (singing and dancing prostitute) of Yang Su, Duke of Yue at the end of the Sui Dynasty. Because Li Jing came to visit Yang Su, Hong Fu prostitute paid attention to Li Jing; Together to Taiyuan.What kind of person is Xue Tao?She was a talented prostitute in Chengdu in the Tang Dynasty. She was originally a daughter of a good family in Chang'an. She died in Shu with her father as an official. .What kind of person is Cui Ying?She is the woman of Yuan Zhen, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, who was "abandoned at the beginning and abandoned at the beginning", and she is also a type of elopement person.What kind of person is Chaoyun?She was Su Dongpo's concubine in the Song Dynasty. She was originally from Qiantang (some say Qiantang prostitute), and Dongpo was demoted to Huizhou (belonging to today's Guangdong Province, which was an extremely remote place at that time, and she would not flee here unless she was severely punished). The waiters all dispersed. , Du Chaoyun never swayed, accompanied him to the demotion office, and died here at the age of thirty-four. ——From this, we can draw a preliminary conclusion. What Xueqin admires is not the kind of "high-ranking" women such as "great virtuous men and virtues", "Cai Nu Ban Gu", but the kind of "lower class" in society Those despicable "lowly" women who tarnish their families and ridicule the world, and who "have a bad reputation". [As for Xueqin to arrange for Daiyu to inscribe "The Song of the Five Beauties", the five people are: Xishi, Yuji, Zhaojun, Lvzhu, and Hongfu.This is also representative, but compared with the previous series of female streams, only one red brush is reproduced. Its meaning, what Gai Daiyu mentioned, focuses on one more point: that is, these women mostly fall into unfortunate fates due to political relations. Among them, in the end, they either died in a foreign country or died unexpectedly.Xishi sinks into the water, Yuji drinks the sword, and the green pearl falls from the building, especially the author.This has another layer of meaning in Xueqin, which is not mentioned in this article. ] To study the Dream of Red Mansions, one must have a deep understanding of this meaning, which is the key to a real understanding of Cao Xueqin.If you forget this essential point, you will lose the intelligence to distinguish right from wrong. Cao Xueqin's view of women, who focused on lowly status and regardless of fame, was appalling to those orthodox people at that time, and it was a major event that related to the morals of the world!If such absurd and rampant "heresy and deeds" are not beaten back, it will definitely hurt the reputation and morals, and the morals will be corrupted, and the future troubles will be unimaginable! ——Therefore, when the pseudo-continuers come out or are invited out, they must first fight for Cao Xueqin's views on women. We only need to take a few examples such as You Sanjie, Yuanyang, Xiren, Qiaojie, Qingwen, Daiyu, Miaoyu, etc., and look at the hands and eyes of Gao E (or Zhang E and Li E), which is enough to illustrate the magnitude of the problem. wanted. Third Sister You is an extremely unique female figure in the history of our national literature and art. Anyone who understands Chinese moral traditions must know that, except for Cao Xueqin, no one would dare to write about such a female character.She was promiscuous at first, but this is totally different from Pan Jinlian and Pan Qiaoyun in "Water Margin".She was seduced and polluted by her brother-in-law and his brothers. She couldn't keep her body like a jade, but instead, she regarded men as objects of humiliation and teasing, and "revenged" him to her heart's content. , fasting and serving his mother, shutting the door and rejecting the world.In the end, Liu Xianglian heard about her previous relationship and refused to admit marriage, so she ended her youth with a sword.What a tragedy this is, not just "an unfortunate ending that makes people sad", but that society forced her to lose her virginity, and this same society forced her to be despised for losing her virginity.This woman has no place to stand, and has no choice but to die as a reward for her "unknown self" who was once a desirable person bound by red silk!This is the tragedy of the fate of women in feudal society.However, in Gao E's writing, Third Sister You immediately became a "pure chaste and perfect person" of "smooth purity and jade cleanliness". Her front door is worthy of the emperor's grace to build a memorial archway for it!In Gao E's view, Third Sister You is not a living "person" with flesh and blood who can make mistakes, but a specimen made into a display that "reflects" chastity and morality.This is the fundamental difference between the original work and the pseudo-continuation (including stealth changes)! Everyone is familiar with the spirit of Yuanyang in the anti-marriage incident, so I don't bother to talk about it.This character is also an important figure in the chess-playing incident. Xueqin once described it with a heavy brush, so it can be seen that in the second half of the book, there will be a different pen and ink to "explain" this strange woman.However, in the hands of Gao E, she also changed, and became a "martyr" who was just a "martyr" who was devoted to the descendants of Jiamen!Needless to say, even Baoyu made such an "expression" when Jia Zheng came to pay homage to this martyr girl: - He believed that mandarin ducks were "worshipped" by the "aura of heaven and earth", and now that he died for the Lord, he "got the place to die". It is "the old lady's children and grandchildren, who can catch up with her! I like her again"; Jia Zheng, because she "died for Jia's mother", specially burned three incense sticks, and bowed to each other, "Don't be a maid (slave), you The younger generation should salute. Baoyu was overjoyed when he heard this, and walked up, respectfully and respectfully kowtowed a few times." You see, this is everything about the "transformed" mandarin ducks!I also said:-- It turns out that in Gao E's view, Yuanyang's tragic death is the most "deserved" and the most "true affection" Jia's family has made great contributions in neutralizing the family and has become Jia's most noble loyal minister and filial son. Therefore, he deserves—and actually received the respect of the three most "orthodox" figures, Master Jia, Second Young Master, and Second Young Mistress. In this way, the identity of the mandarin duck will be promoted, and the glory will be considered ready! ["New Certificate" P. 898] In the first 80 chapters of Xueqin's original books, even those that were denounced by Baoyu as "bad words" did not emit one-thousandth of the stench of the ideology of the feudal landlord ruling class!Gao E just secretly—no, openly stuffed this kind of thing into the Dream of Red Mansions to completely ruin Cao Xueqin’s brilliant progressive thinking.Is it tolerable, which is unbearable? ——However, those who fight for Gao E’s injustice are always unwilling to get in touch with such substantive issues, even though they keep saying that the content of thought is the first, and artistic skills are second; "Big alcohol and small flaws".I can't help but ask: I don't agree with this view, and I can't tolerate Pseudo Xu's abuse of Cao Xueqin and distorting the story of the stone. Am I committing a crime? !Cao Xueqin does not advocate that men and women can mess around (this is another matter), but he opposes the feudal "concept of chastity" for women. "A good horse does not have two saddles, and a strong woman does not marry a second husband", this is by no means what he wants to promote.In the book Ouguan Burning Paper, which is the fifty-eighth chapter "Xingzi's yin and phoenix weeps and phoenix, Qian's screen window is true and stupid", Xueqin has clearly stated that he does not advocate women's "keeping chastity", What does forced observance have to do with "true feelings"?True love does not mean never marrying again, Baoyu admires this "foolishness" very much!Obviously, this is another major challenge to the feudal view of women.The Xiren in the book is not married to Baoyu at all, and she married Jiang Yuhan, an actor, and she couldn't talk about "remarrying", "remarrying" or "don't hug the pipa" at all; Jiang, maybe it was Baoyu's own idea when he dismissed the maid.But Mr. Gao E found an excellent opportunity to vent his high feelings.He made a lot of satire on him who attacked people, and deliberately brought out the ancient Mrs. Xi who never smiled after being "out of integrity", borrowed two lines of Deng's poems in the early Qing Dynasty that he was very proud of in his life, and recited generously: The only one who dies through hardships through the ages, is the only one who is sad, madam! [Note 3] Here he laughed and scolded Xiren and Mrs. Xi: You women, you have lost your man and you are forced to remarry.Women are the objects that literary talents can tease and insult, but if she loses her morals, she will commit an unforgivable crime against them! ——Seize this opportunity, the pseudo-continuers can't forget to "educate" the readers, and they said: Please listen to the judge: Although things are pre-determined and there is nothing you can do about it, but the word "last resort" is not always justified. I can't help but ask again: Does this also "conform" to the purpose and original intention of Cao Xueqin's ten years of hard work and bloody and tearful writing to express his hatred? ?After all, what kind of heart is it to feel comfortable seeing this kind of thing appearing in a dream of Red Mansions? ! According to Xueqin's original book, Qiaojie was sold by a ruthless uncle and treacherous brother, caught in fireworks, and later rescued by Grandma Liu, and married Ban'er as a peasant couple (but Gao E asked her to marry a young landlord).This little girl read "The Classic of Filial Piety" and "Nv Xiao Jing" under the pen of Gao E—and who is the "teacher"?It was Baoyu who explained to her the "beautiful things" of the virtuous women of the previous generation.Baoyu readily spoke, and Qiaojie readily understood.Who are they talking about?listen-- The first batch: Empress Jiang, No Salt, "Anbang Dingguo", "Worthy Concubine"; The second batch: Aunt Cao, Ban Jieyu, Cai Wenji, Xie Daoyun, "talented"; The third batch: Meng Guang, Bao Xuan's wife . Cao E, "filial piety'; The sixth batch: Cao's nose was cut with a knife (his own disfigurement) "abiding by chastity". Sister Qiao admired all of them, but she "felt more respectful" to this last batch! The most amazing thing is that Baoyu was also allowed by Mr. Gao to list the names of another group of women. The heading is called "yan's".What's more wonderful is that when Baoyu finished listing his names and was about to criticize, he only said half a sentence, "They are all from girls' middle schools—" and was stopped by Jia Mu, "That's enough, needless to say. It's too much." How could she remember." It is said that the reason why Jia's mother wanted to stop her was "because she saw Sister Qiao silently".This is wonderful, the wonderful thing is that none of the three "participants" "expressed their position"-so nothing happened.In Gao E, this is extremely cunning: he knows that if he does not mention this group, readers will feel that Baoyu has "changed", which is too wrong; It is difficult to coordinate with the previous article just now, the article is too difficult to write, so I have to "slip" and let it go.Fortunately, he left a word "yan". Thank God, this gives us a glimpse of the subtle meaning. The general outline of Mr. Gao's "view on women" is already clear-it is exactly the opposite of Cao Xueqin's original intention! Miaoyu is one of the most important and unique women depicted in Xueqin's book with grief and indignation. Her renunciation is directly related to "power intolerance" and contains profound meaning. She is an unusually noble (although a little The girl who is too pretentious) and refuses to compromise at all, probably should rank first in the evaluation of her in the whole book.But Mr. Gao can't allow her to be noble, he must let her be "frivolous" by the robbers - and the reason is not that the gangster Kui Ye raped the nun, but the fault is that Miaoyu has "evil fire" herself!The mental state of this pseudo-continuer is so obscene and vicious, and his perverted mentality of abusing women has reached the point of indescribable filth. Fortunately, Qingwen died in the first 80 chapters. Gao E had no way to "reform" her, but he refused to let her go lightly. He had to let the "Xueqin Remnant Manuscript (!)" after the 80th chapter to reprimand her , it would be comfortable to deny her! (Comrade Hu Feng saw this trick and expressed great indignation, so I won't repeat it today.) As for Daiyu, many people praised Gao E's achievements and wrote about her "unfortunate" "tragic ending". Without thinking about it carefully, this is also Gao E's heartfelt warning to take the opportunity to "teach a lesson" to the "inspectors".Looking back at that time, it is called: Lin Daiyu burns manuscripts to break her infatuation!What is "breaking infatuation"?Why "break"?listen-- Shi Yin sighed: "Old man, don't blame the clumsy words [how dare you dare!]: The daughters of nobles [still say your family] are all from the love of heaven and burial in the sea. For women from ancient and modern times, those obscene words cannot be violated. The word love is also not to be tainted! Therefore, Cui Ying, Su Xiao, is nothing more than the dusty heart of a fairy; Song Yuxiangru, is a man of letters—but if the love is lingering, then the ending cannot be questioned!" This is the key point of the special paragraph in the last chapter of the pseudo-continuation. All of these are far away—and firmly opposed to the main theme of the book stated by Cao Xueqin at the beginning of the original work, completely reversed.When you can't even see this layer clearly, can you really understand the true greatness of Cao Xueqin fundamentally?I would like everyone to come and seek answers. In Gao and Cheng's continuation book, there is a basic general direction and a clever trick: after seeing Cao Xueqin's tracks clearly, he covered the eyes of the car with a cloth, then turned the car's shaft around, and secretly ground but do everything possible to "pull back". ("Xinzheng Postscript") Naturally, this is even more so when it comes to the issue of women's views. The rough classification above is quite clear.Comrade Hu Feng said that it has "ulterior motives", and he can see through the reason at a glance. Based on this understanding, I wrote this humble article to commemorate Xueqin's 220th anniversary, because one of the best and most necessary ways to commemorate him is to reveal the essence of the pseudo-continuation to the world and clarify the origin. The fake shows its ugliness, and the real shows its beauty. History has progressed, and we can never return to the era when Gao E's ideology was used as Cao Xueqin's soul and spirit to sing praises. Cao Xueqin, one of the greatest minds and hearts produced by the Chinese nation, will never be stained by the pen and ink of those who deliberately hurt him. September 1983, Guihai Mid-Autumn Festival ~~~~~~~~~ [Note 1] Refer to Hu Feng's "Symphony in Stories of Stone" ("Dream of Red Mansions" 1982.4.) [Note 2] This speech has never been published in China, but Hong Kong has already cited it. [Note 3] These two sentences are poems written by Deng Hanyi of the Qing Dynasty. They were originally expressed to lament the situation of the "second official" during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and have no interference with the Dream of Red Mansions.