Red Chamber Dream Discourse on Origin

Author: Zhu Danwen / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2000-01-01
Features: I sent my uncle to Weiyang; what can I give him? A yellow chariot. I go to my uncle, I think of my mother; what can I give him? Jade beads and pendants. The Po Hsi interprets this poem as a work by Qin Kanggong in remembrance of his mother. Qin Kanggong's mother, Muji, was the daughter of the Duke of Jin and the younger sister of Prince Shengsheng. Thus, Muji's half-brother, Prince Zhong'er, was Kanggong's uncle. Zhong'er was helped by Qin Muping, Kanggong's father, to return to the throne as the Duke of Jin. At that time, Kanggong was the crown prince of Qin, and his mother Muji had already passed away. Kanggong "sent his father to Weiyang, remembering his mother who was no longer present. When I see my uncle, it is as if my mother is still with me." Because the Po Hsi contains the line "When I see my uncle, it is as if my mother is still with me," this allusion could only be used after the mother's death. In Han Dan Chun's Laughing Forest, a scholar is mocked for saying to his uncle, "My thoughts of Weiyang surpass those of Qin Kanggong," despite his mother still being alive (see Taiping Guangji Volume 262). Today, Gu Jingxing, who considers himself the uncle, uses this allusion in reverse. We cannot assume that Gu Jingxing, despite his great erudition, was unaware of the background of this allusion. Thus, we can conclude that Cao Yin's mother must have passed away no later than the 18th year of the Kangxi reign. Sun Shi was definitely not Cao Yin's biological mother, as she was alive at the time and living in Jiangning as a first-class lady. Since Cao Yin was not Sun Shi's biological son and his uncle's surname was Gu, it is clear that his mother was a Gu. From an analysis of Gu Jingxing and Cao Yin's ages, the Gu woman should be Gu Jingxing's younger sister. However, Gu Jingxing never mentions her! He only alludes to her ambiguously, using allusions multiple times to imply that he is Cao Yin's uncle, yet he refuses to acknowledge it directly (⑨). Why? There is only one answer: his younger sister held a low status and was not a legitimate wife, merely a concubine of Cao Xi. Formally acknowledging this fact would have been painful for Gu Jingxing. However, the Gu family of Huizhou was both a bureaucratic family and a renowned school of Confucianism. Gu Jingxing was a prominent scholar of his time. How could they marry their younger sister to a Manchu official as a concubine? Indeed, it was impossible for the Gu family to marry their daughter to Cao Xi. But during times of great social upheaval, things could change. The Gu woman may have been captured and taken by the Qing army during their southward advance and later given to Cao Xi. Or, like Yinglian in Dream of the Red Chamber, she may have been kidnapped as a child and sold into servitude, later taken in by Cao Xi. Or, like Jiaoxin, she may have been passed along to Cao Xi through Feng Su's family.
A check of The Complete Collection of Baio Hall reveals that in Volume 46, Gu Jingxing's self-composed Biography of the Family, the Gu family had been in exile since the beginning of the 16th year of the Chongzhen reign (1643). At first, almost the entire family was killed by Zhang Xianzhong's troops but miraculously escaped. They then fled to Hongxiuzhou, later moved to Xisai Mountain, and several servants and maids rebelled. Gu Tianxi and Gu Jingxing fell ill for two months. They then went to Jiujiang, where their sister Gu Ji died of illness. They then arrived in Jiangning, where their aunt Liu Zhenjie (Gu Yongzhen) passed away. In winter, they reached their ancestral home in Kunshan, Jiangsu. In the second year of the Shunzhi reign (1645), the Qing army advanced southward, and Kunshan resisted, leading to a massacre. The Gu family fled to Dianshan Lake; the following year, when Dianshan Lake was besieged, they returned to Kunshan. In four years, the Gu family endured hardships and setbacks, and it was highly likely that they lost their younger sister. Moreover, the main force of the Qing army advancing southward was the Zhengbai Banner led by Dorje, and Cao Xi was likely also in the army, increasing the possibility of him capturing the Gu woman.
The Gu family of Huizhou was renowned for Confucianism, with generations of virtuous women. The Biography detailed and took pride in their achievements, but the younger sister was not mentioned, possibly because she had "lost her virtue" by becoming a concubine of a bannerman, bringing shame to the family. Gu Jingxing deliberately omitted her. Over time, as the old wounds healed and the Gu family had long since become subjects of the Qing dynasty, Cao Yin, with his "grace like a jade tree in the wind" and his expertise in wealth, mathematics, art, archery, swordsmanship, chess, and the pipa, further enhanced his uncle's reputation. Thus, they maintained contact, and Gu Jingxing formally recognized him as his nephew.
A careful examination of The Complete Collection of Baio Hall and its appendices reveals that Gu Jingxing indeed had a sister he kept silent about. In The Conduct of Lady Li, My Deceased Mother, Gu Jingxing mentions that his legitimate mother, Lady Li, bore two brothers and one sister, all of whom died in infancy. He also mentions his sister Gu Ji, who married Xiao Chuan. His mother, Lady Ming, bore one sister, who married Zhu Jue. However, Gu Chang's Record of Earliest Teachings records Gu Jingxing's self-description: "My father was still childless at the age of forty, and my legitimate mother bore many daughters. Later, I was adopted." Comparing these accounts, Lady Li must have had at least three daughters. Yet the Biography only mentions two. Why? If this unrecorded half-sister was indeed Cao Yin's biological mother, then Gu Jingxing and Cao Yin's relationship would be just like that of Duke Wen of Jin and Qin Kanggong. The allusion to the "yellow chariot" is quite fitting.
Scholars have often wondered why Ming loyalists in the early Qing were particularly close to Cao Yin. Cao Yin's refined and scholarly demeanor was indeed an important factor in gaining the loyalty of Ming loyalists, but it was not the decisive one. The fundamental reason lies in the fact that Cao Yin was the son of Gu Jingxing's younger sister, and in the eyes of the loyalists, he was "one of their own." To the Kangxi Emperor, Cao Yin was a "young boy who served as a loyal guardian," the son of a trusted guardian. The "wise and naturally gifted" "Emperor Kangxi" was naturally happy to use Cao Yin's unique circumstances to let him play a special role.
In his youth, Cao Yin dared not formally acknowledge Gu Jingxing as his uncle because Cao Xi and Sun Shi were still alive. Although Cao Yin had achieved a certain political status, formally acknowledging his father's concubine's brother as his uncle was not a prudent move. To offend the clan laws and willingly be considered "lower" would hinder his career, something a "politician" would avoid. However, by the eighth month of the 39th year of the Kangxi reign, Cao Xi had already passed away, and Sun Shi was in her twilight years. Cao Yin had served as the textile official for ten years, enjoying imperial favor and a stable position. He could now write A Record of Gu Jingxing, My Uncle Gu Chi Fang, Holding Books, calling him "uncle" three times in the text to make up for the past omission.
Based on this exploration, we can conclude that Cao Yin's mother was Gu Jingxing's younger sister, Gu.
Regarding Gu's life, there is no documented record. She was likely born during the Chongzhen era of the Ming dynasty. In the second year of the Shunzhi reign, she was captured by the advancing Qing army and became a concubine of Cao Xi. Both Gu Jingxing's aunt and sister were skilled in literature and poetry, so she must have received a good education in the Gu family. Cao Yin showed exceptional talent from a young age and was known as a prodigy, which may have been influenced by Gu's nurturing education. Gu's experiences may have provided inspiration for Cao Yin's play Continuation of the Pipa, which defies Confucian traditions by praising Cao Yan, a woman who "lost her virtue," and includes detailed scenes and songs depicting the suffering of women during war. Cao Yan was even saved by Cao Yin's ancestor, Cao Cao, hinting at these parallels.
Gu passed away before the 18th year of the Kangxi reign. According to Qing regulations, "When the legitimate mother is alive, the biological mother cannot be granted a title" (History of the Qing Dynasty·Official Post). Thus, even though Cao Yin was a high-ranking official of the third rank, Gu was not granted a title during Sun Shi's lifetime. Sun Shi died in the fourth year of the Tangsheng era, and six years later, Cao Yin passed away. Gu may have never received a title, either during her lifetime or after her death, which explains why her name is not well-known in the Cao family.
Section III, "Rare Joy Among Siblings," features Cao Xuan, born in the first year of the Kangxi reign, four years younger than Cao Yin. If Sun Shi left the palace in the first year of the Shunzhi reign, Cao Xuan was likely her biological son. This conclusion is based on the following reasoning: First, Cao Xuan's mother could not have been Gu. If Cao Xuan shared the same mother as Cao Yin, he would also be Gu Jingxing's nephew, but Gu Jingxing never mentions Cao Xuan. Cao Xuan was outstanding in appearance, and if he were Gu's son, Gu Jingxing would have compared them as "two jade trees," yet he makes no mention of them, showing no favoritism. In A Record of Gu Jingxing, My Uncle Gu Chi Fang, Holding Books, Cao Yin also does not mention Cao Xuan, who was serving in the capital. Zhang Shiji and Gu Zhulu also only mention Cao Yin and not Cao Xuan. These points further support that Cao Xuan was not Gu's son. They also imply that Gu was not Cao Xi's legitimate wife, as if Gu were the legitimate wife, Cao Xuan would have been expected to call Gu Jingxing "uncle," and Gu Jingxing would have recognized him as his nephew. Only when Gu was a concubine and not Cao Xuan's mother would Gu Jingxing and Cao Xuan not be uncle and nephew, similar to the lack of a legal or blood relationship between Zhao Yiniang's brother Zhao Guojī and Jia Baoyu.
Furthermore, the testimony of Du Qi, Cao Yin's close friend and Gu Jingxing's hometown acquaintance, provides additional evidence. In the fourth month of the 29th year of the Kangxi reign, Cao Yin was appointed as the textile official of Suzhou. In the ninth month, Du Qi visited him in Jinling specially. Before his departure, he wrote a long poem, Reflections Before Leaving for Wumen, Presented to Lixuan (Collected Works of Some Mountain Volume 2), which contains notable content: