In the ancient feudal society, when it comes to the marriage of men and women, they have always paid attention to obeying the arrangements of their parents, and matchmakers came to the door to talk about matchmaking. There were almost no open-minded free love marriages. So in ancient times, was there really a form of marriage such as competitions to recruit brides?
?
In fact, the form of marriage such as martial arts competitions existed in ancient times, but it was very, very rare. There are almost no records of this in historical materials. Moreover, it was impossible for women to participate in martial arts competitions with others, let alone whether it was consistent with the feudal society.
The etiquette is that it is rare for women to practice martial arts. Therefore, the most common way to recruit a bride is for the woman to send a representative or the woman to ask a question about force testing.
As for the reason why it is so rare, it is very simple. It is nothing more than the etiquette system in feudal society. First of all, ancient marriages focused on "the orders of parents and the words of the matchmaker", and a special matchmaker was required to match the match. Although the method of recruiting a bride through martial arts competitions
It can screen some people, but in ancient times when the etiquette system was sound, others would make irresponsible remarks. Moreover, it is not an etiquette thing for a woman to show her face, let alone go on stage to compete with others. The woman
It is still possible to find a representative to replace this.
According to historical records, the most famous person who can be related to martial arts competitions is Li Yuan, the emperor of the Tang Dynasty.
The heroine of this "competition to recruit a bride" is the daughter of the Dou family in Henan. Her father is Dou Yi, a minister from the Northern Wei Dynasty to the Sui Dynasty, and her mother is the daughter of Yu Wentai, a powerful official in the Western Wei Dynasty, who is also the sister of Yuwen Jue, the founding emperor of the Western Zhou Dynasty.
Princess Xiangyang.
Dou was smart and studious since she was a child. When she became an adult, she became even more knowledgeable and outstanding in appearance. For this reason, her parents were ready to find a suitable husband for her. Dou's parents were both from well-known families, and their marriages emphasized the importance of being well-matched.
, so those who came to propose marriage were all young masters from aristocratic families.
In order to select an outstanding man from among these young men as Dou's husband, Dou Yi decided to use a martial arts competition to determine the outcome. In order not to damage the harmony between the young men, Dou Yi set up a competition with bows and arrows.
Dou Yi drew two peacocks on the screen, and then asked the suitors to compete in archery. The one who hits the peacock's eye will marry Dou.
Among the many contestants, most of the princes from aristocratic families did not meet the requirements. Only one noble prince shot the peacock in both eyes at once. He was Tang Guogong Li Yuan.
Li Yuan was born in a noble family of Guanlong in the Northern Zhou Dynasty, and he was granted the title of Duke of Tang Dynasty. Moreover, Li Yuan was profound in knowledge, both civil and military. It can be said that Li Yuan not only had a distinguished background, but he was also relatively outstanding. The more Dou Yi saw Li Yuan, the more he liked him, so he immediately regarded the Dou family as
Betrothed to Li Yuan.
After Dou and Li Yuan got married, they fell in love with each other very much. And because Dou had lived in the palace in her early years, she was well aware of the darkness of officialdom, so Dou reminded Li Yuan many times to be careful about the rights and wrongs of officialdom. Later, Li Yuan was attacked by the Sui Dynasty.
Emperor Yang was suspicious, and it was Dou who persuaded Li Yuan to present a BMW to Emperor Yang of Sui Dynasty, which finally saved Li Yuan from danger.
In total, Dou gave birth to four sons and one daughter for Li Yuan, namely Li Jiancheng, Li Shimin, Li Xuanba, Li Yuanji and Princess Pingyang. She took good care of them and taught them knowledge. That is to say, under Dou's education,
Except for Li Xuanba, who died young, the other four were all major contributors to the establishment of the Tang Dynasty. Li Shimin, in particular, established his reputation. After Li Shimin became emperor, he created the "Reign of Zhenguan".
Great times.
However, Mrs. Dou did not see her descendants achieve such great achievements with her own eyes, because she passed away due to illness during the Daye Period of the Sui Dynasty.
Later, after Li Yuan became emperor, he was grateful for the help Dou had brought to him, so he named her queen and posthumously named Empress Taimu. Li Yuan never established another queen after that, which shows Dou's status in his heart.
As for why there is such a form of marriage through martial arts contests, it is nothing more than that people require certain guarantees for their future lives, just like today we require the man to have a house when getting married. In ancient times, most people were poor in culture and rich in martial arts, and could learn martial arts.
, the family conditions are naturally correct, and many people are excluded invisibly. Even if the family conditions are not good, there is still a strong body and a high force value, which can naturally protect the woman. To put it bluntly, in fact
It is a screening and elimination mechanism, more similar to the test that a woman puts on a man before getting married. In fact, in ancient feudal society, there was not always an unchanging marriage model. There were also relatively enlightened ones.
Patterns, such as annual meetings, throwing embroidered balls, etc., are all a pursuit of freedom produced under the constraints of strict etiquette and laws in feudal society.
Lu Yao recalled whether there were martial arts competitions in the Song Dynasty to recruit brides. The ones that impressed him were probably Yang Jiye and She Saihua, Mu Guiying and Yang Zongbao, etc. in the novel "The Romance of the Yang Family".
In the martial arts competition, the couple got married after mutual satisfaction. It originated from the "robbing marriage" system thousands of years ago. However, in real history, it was extremely rare for women to participate in martial arts competitions in person. The father would come forward to find a few strong men.
The men competed with the applicants to select a satisfactory husband. Those who were satisfied with their appearance could make the strong men show mercy.
However, this story about the generals of the Yang family is just a novel after all. Lu Yao has never heard of the martial arts contest that actually took place in the Song Dynasty. But now, according to Cao Ping, the Cao family is going to hold a ceremony for Cao Han.
A martial arts contest to recruit a bride.
Lu Yao thought about it carefully, and it was not impossible to find a husband for Cao Han in this way. First of all, the men who could participate in this competition must have been screened by Cao Ping and Cao Guojiu.
, a man who can be shortlisted must be able to match the Cao family in terms of official position and economy. On the other hand, Cao Han is a woman who prefers martial arts, so she was selected in this way.
The man must be very good at kung fu. After all, Cao Han shouldn't be able to find any fault with his opponent in this regard.
However, Lu Yao remembered that when he talked to Cao You before, Cao You told him that some of the things Cao Guojiu had done recently were hidden from Cao Han. And when Cao Guojiu found out that Cao Han had feelings for him
, Cao Han was also put under house arrest for a period of time. From Cao Guojiu's behavior, Lu Yao could infer that Cao Han himself should not know about the martial arts competition. Therefore, if this conference is really going to be held, then
There are nothing more than two forms. The first one is for the Cao family to find one or two people, let these registered people challenge these two people, and finally select the one with the best performance to become Cao Guo.
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The second way is more direct. That is to let all the contestants compete in martial arts. The one who can stay on the field will naturally become the son-in-law of the Cao family. Lu Yao thinks the second way is more likely.
Some, although Cao Ping's own kung fu is pretty good, he still has a long way to go before he can stand out. There are many talented people in Bianliang City. If he really encounters someone with strong martial arts, Cao Ping may not be his opponent. It would be better to let them
After a fight, the person who stays on the stage in the end will become the son-in-law of the Cao family.
After Cao Ping finished speaking, Tangxi's men, who were drinking with Cao Ping, immediately said: "It turns out that it's a competition to recruit brides. It's a pity that we and the Cao family are not the same family. But when it comes to the competition, let's go and watch
It’s okay to watch the excitement.”
Cao Ping didn't know if he was drunk, or if the brothers from Tangxi had fully gained Cao Ping's trust through getting along with each other during this period. He just heard him say: "Hey, what are you talking about?
Of course you can go and watch the excitement. As for the question of whether you are a good match, that is my father's idea. I think that if it comes to the competition field that day, which one of you can really go on stage and defeat all the other contestants, even if
As a civilian, I think my father will admit the result of the game because of his face, and I still know this."
Cao Ping's words undoubtedly pointed out a clear path for Lu Yao. Lu Yao had already thought about what to do. Although the current identities of the contestants have been screened by Cao Ping and Cao Guoshu, but so
It should be said that some people who did not want to be the son-in-law of the Cao family but were interested in martial arts would also be present at this huge martial arts competition, either to watch the competition or to participate. In this case, Lu Yao felt that this matter had become very serious.
Simple.
Tangxi looked at Lu Yao's confident look and asked in a low voice: "Master, have you already thought of a countermeasure?"
Lu Yao glanced at Tang Xi, nodded and said: "Yes, although it sounds like the contestants have been fixed now, it is inevitable that there will be many people eager to try and want to go on stage to compete with those people, even if it is not for getting married.
, I think it is very easy to find a few martial arts idiots in Bianliang City."
Then, Lu Yao told Tang Xi that he had heard almost everything, so Tang Xi left the private room where Lu Yao and himself were, walked to the corridor and coughed loudly. This was sending a secret signal to his brothers, which meant:
It was over on our side and we could retreat. So, within a quarter of an hour, Cao Ping's side had finished drinking. Everyone pretended to be very drunk and sent Cao Ping back to Cao Mansion.
carriage.
Of course, these Tangxi's subordinates were also a little drunk, so Lu Yao did not plan to call them over for questioning. He just asked Tangxi to ask them if they had any additional information, and then sent them back.
Unexpectedly, Tang Xi's subordinate actually told Lu Yao some important information.
Fu Shaolong, the third son of Situ Fubi, is also going to participate in this martial arts competition. If so, he should be regarded as one of the more distinguished ones participating in this martial arts competition. Lu Yao recalled the name carefully.
As the third son of Fu Bi, he seems to have died young. However, his father Fu Bi was a very powerful character and played a decisive role during the reign of Song Renzong.
Fu Bi was born in Luoyang, Xijing, on the 20th day of the first lunar month of the first year of Jingde reign of Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty. At first, his mother Han was pregnant. She dreamed of a flag crane and wild geese landing in the courtyard, saying that it was God's forgiveness, and soon gave birth to Fu Bi.
Bi. He insisted on studying when he was young and was magnanimous. Fan Zhongyan was very surprised when he saw him and said: "The emperor's assistant talent." He showed the article he wrote to Wang Zeng, Yan Shu read it, and Yan Shu married his daughter to him.
When Renzong of the Song Dynasty restored the system of education, Fan Zhongyan said to Fu Bi: "You should enter the official career through this way." He recommended outstanding talents, appointed generals as eunuchs, and signed a letter to the Heyang judge. Fan Zhongyan was imprisoned for arguing about the abolition of the queen.
After being demoted, Fu Bi wrote a letter saying: "This is a failure in one fell swoop. Even if the position of queen cannot be restored, the position should be returned to Fan Zhongyan." This was not accepted. He was appointed general magistrate of Jiangzhou and promoted to Zhijixianyuan.
In the second year of the Ming Dynasty, Li Yuanhao, king of Xiping, proclaimed himself emperor and established the Xixia regime. Fu Bi went to Shu to state eight things and requested that the envoys sent by Li Yuanhao be killed. Later, he was transferred to Kaifeng Prefecture to promote the official and know the admonishment court.
On the first day of the first lunar month of the first year of Kangding (1040), there was a solar eclipse. Fu Bi asked to cancel the banquet and dance music, and to give the Xixia envoys food and wine in a villa. The minister thought this was not possible, and Fu Bi said: "What if the Khitans do this?"
, it is a humiliation to the imperial court." Later, when he heard that the Khitan had canceled the banquet, Renzong deeply regretted it. At this time, ministers were prohibited from writing letters beyond their positions. Fu Bi therefore discussed the solar eclipse and strongly stated that it would be better to keep the subordinates' emotions flowing smoothly in order to cope with the changes in the celestial phenomena.
The ban was lifted.
Li Yuanhao invaded the Yanyan Road and captured Jin Mingzhai. Lu Shouyue, the leader of Qian, refused to rescue him, so his servant Huang Dehe led his troops to escape. General Liu Ping died in the battle. Huang Dehe framed him and surrendered to the enemy. Fu Bi requested to patrol the case to hear the case, and Huang De
and was cut in half.
Xia Shouyun was appointed as the capital of Shaanxi, and he appointed Wang Shouzhong, who was known to everyone inside, as his great commander. Fu Bi said: "The appointment of Xia Shouyun was already ridiculed by the world, and now he appoints Wang Shouzhong. This is probably no different from the supervision of the army in the Tang Dynasty. Lu Shouqin, Huang De
Can the failure be repeated?" He ordered Wang Shouzhong to be dismissed. He also requested that the prime minister also be in charge of the Privy Council. At this time, two leaders from Xixia came to surrender, and the court only loaned them their posts. Fu Bi said that they should be given
They gave generous rewards to persuade people to surrender. The matter was reported to Zhongshu, but the prime minister didn't know about it at first. Fu Bi sighed and said, "Is this a small thing? But the prime minister doesn't know!" He even tried his best to discuss the matter, like this
So he followed Fu Bi's advice. He was appointed as a judge of salt and iron, compiled in the history library, and was ordered to go to Liao as an envoy.
In the second year of Qingli (1042), Fu Bi took the post of Zhi Zhi Gao and inspected criminal cases in the capital. There were forged monk lists among the officials, and the Kaifeng government did not dare to punish them. Fu Bi told the rulers and requested that the officials be captured and handed over to the jailers. Prime Minister Lu Yijian
Quite unhappy about this.
It happened that the Liao Kingdom stationed troops on the border and sent its ministers Xiao Ying and Liu Liufu to claim the land in Guannan. The people the court chose to recruit all believed that the situation in the Liao Kingdom was unpredictable and did not dare to move forward. Therefore, Lu Yijian recommended Fu Bi and Ouyang Xiu.
Quoting the Tang Dynasty Minister Yan Zhenqing's instruction to Huaining Jiedushi Li Xilie to send an envoy (Yan Zhenqing was excluded from the envoy by Prime Minister Lu Qi, was detained by Li Xilie, and was eventually killed), please keep Fu Bi in the capital. Lu Yixian did not
Will
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This memorial was reported to Renzong. Fu Bi entered the court and kowtowed, saying: "The master is worried about the humiliation of his ministers, and I dare not cherish life, be greedy for life and fear death." Renzong was deeply moved by this, and first asked Fu Bi to accompany the Liao envoy.
When Xiao Ying and others entered the territory of the Song Dynasty, the imperial envoy greeted him with condolences. Xiao Ying claimed that he was ill and refused to thank him. Fu Bi said: "I used to go to the north as an envoy, and I was sick in my car. I got up when I heard the order. Now that the envoy has arrived and
Why don't you say thank you?" Xiao Ying hurriedly stood up to say thank you. Fu Bi and Xiao Ying talked openly and heartily. Xiao Ying was very moved and happy, and no longer concealed the truth, she secretly told Liao Xingzong everything he wanted.
Fu Bi said: "If you can obey, just obey him. If you can't obey, just use one thing to frustrate him." Fu Bi reported all this to Renzong. Renzong only agreed to increase the yearly coins and marry off the girls from the clan.
The prince of Liao Kingdom.
After the first discussion with the Liao envoy, Renzong appointed Fu Bi as a privy scholar. Fu Bi declined and said: "When the country is in trouble, we should not be afraid of troubles. Why do we use official titles to award people instead?" So he served as an envoy to appoint him.
After arriving in Khitan, Liu Liufu held a banquet in his annex. Fu Bi met Liao Xingzong to say hello, and Liao Xingzong said: "The Southern Dynasty violated the covenant, blocked Yanmen, increased the pond water, repaired the city god, and turned the common people into soldiers.
What are you doing? The ministers asked for troops to go south. I told them that it would be better to send envoys to ask for the land. If they ask for the land but do not get it, it is not too late to raise troops."
Fu Bi said: "Has the Northern Dynasty forgotten the great kindness of Emperor Zhang Sheng (Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty)? In the Battle of Chanyuan, if Emperor Zhang Sheng had followed the advice of the generals, not a single Northern Dynasty army would be able to escape. Moreover, the Northern Dynasty and the Central Plains are friendly to each other.
, In this way, as the master, you will only enjoy the benefits, but the subordinates will have nothing. If you want to launch a war, all the benefits will belong to the subordinates, and the master will have to bear the disaster. Therefore, those who advise to launch a war are only thinking about themselves."
Xingzong of the Liao Dynasty was surprised and asked: "What does this mean?" Fu Bi said: "The emperor Gaozu of Jin deceived heaven and betrayed the monarch. The last emperor was confused and the territory was small. The upper and lower parts rebelled. Therefore, the Khitan could maintain its army and defeat them, but the strong men and horses were strong.
Most of the supplies were also lost. Nowadays, China has a territory of thousands of miles, millions of elite soldiers, strict laws and regulations, and everyone is united. If the Northern Dynasty plans to launch a war, can they definitely win if they can keep it? Even if they win, will the ministers or the owner be responsible for the loss of the army and horses?
?If mutual friendship continues and all the annual coins belong to the owner, what benefits will the ministers enjoy?"
Xingzong of Liao Dynasty was fully awakened and kept nodding in affirmation. Fu Bi added: "The purpose of blocking Yanmen is to prevent Zhao Yuanhao. The pond water started from He Chengju, which happened before mutual friendship. The city gods have repaired it.
, Letting common people become soldiers is also to supplement the shortage of the army, and it is not a violation of the covenant." Liao Xingzong said: "Without you, I don't know the details, but the land requested is the territory of the ancestors in the past." Fu Bi
Said: "The Jin Dynasty sent Lulong to the Khitan, and Zhou Shizong captured Guannan. They were all events in different eras. If they each asked for land, would it be beneficial to the Northern Dynasty?"
After coming out of Xingzong of Liao Dynasty, Liu Liufu said: "Our monarch feels that it is a shame to accept gold and silk, and insists on ten counties. What should we do?" Fu Bi said: "The emperor of this dynasty said that I will defend the country for my ancestors. What should I do?
I can give the land to others at will. What the Northern Dynasty asked for was nothing more than rent. I couldn't bear to kill more loyal ministers of the two dynasties, so I humiliated myself and increased the annual coins to replace it. If I must ask for land, this is the way to go.
If you want to break the covenant, just use this as an excuse. The Chanyuan Alliance was witnessed by the heaven, earth, ghosts and gods. Now that the Northern Dynasty sent troops to stir up trouble first, the fault is not ours. Can the heaven, earth, ghosts and gods be deceived?" The next day, Liao Xingzong
He summoned Fu Bi to go hunting with him, and brought Fu Bi's horse close to him. He also said that if he obtained the land, he would be able to live in happiness and friendship for a long time.
Fu Bi repeatedly stated that this could not be the case, and said: "Since the Northern Dynasty regarded it as an honor to gain land, the Southern Dynasty would definitely regard losing the land as a shame. How can one country be glorious and the other be ashamed of brotherly countries?" After hunting,
Liu Liufu said: "When our monarch heard your words of honor and disgrace, he was very moved and enlightened. Now we can only discuss it if we get married."
Fu Bi said: "Marriage is easy to cause resentment and estrangement. When the eldest princess of this dynasty gets married, the betrothal gift does not exceed 100,000 yuan. How can there be unlimited benefits like Sui coins?" Liao Xingzong told Fu Bi to let him go back, saying:
"When you come back, you should choose an acceptable condition and bring the oath of alliance with you."
Fu Bi returned to the court to convey Liao Xingzong's request, and obtained two covenants and oral messages from the court before heading to the Liao Kingdom. He stationed in Leshou, and said to his deputy envoy Zhang Maoshi: "As an envoy, I do not read the credentials. If the state
If the words in the book are different from the words in the oral tradition, my work will fail." I opened my credentials and found that they were indeed different from those in the oral tradition. I immediately rode back to the capital, asked for an audience in the evening, and changed my credentials before going on my way. When I arrived, Liao
The state no longer discussed the matter of marriage, but only wanted to increase the annual coins. Xingzong of the Liao Dynasty said: "When the Southern Dynasty gives us something, it should be said 'offer', otherwise it should be said 'accept'." Fu Bi fought hard for this, and Liao Xingzong said:
Xingzong said: "Since the Southern Dynasty is afraid of us, what does it have to do with these two words? If we lead the army southward, won't we regret it?"
Fu Bi said: "This dynasty loves both the north and the south, so how can it be called fear if it bothers to change the peace treaty? Even if it is necessary to use force, then the victory or defeat should be based on sufficient and unreasonable reasons. This is not the case for ministers who are on an envoy.
All we can know." Liao Xingzong said: "Don't be stubborn. This kind of thing happened in ancient times." Fu Bi said: "Since ancient times, only Emperor Gaozu of the Tang Dynasty borrowed troops from the Turks. At that time, he gave things as gifts, which may be called gifts. Later,
Jie Li was arrested by Taizong, is there still such etiquette?"
Fu Bi's expression was very serious. Liao Xingzong knew that he could not change his mind, so he said: "I will send people to discuss this matter." He also sent Liu Liufu. Fu Bi came back and reported: "I will sacrifice my life."
Reject them, their arrogance has been curbed, and they can no longer be allowed." The imperial court actually gifted the word "Na" to the Liao Kingdom.
When Fu Bi first accepted the imperial order, he heard that a daughter had died. When he received the imperial order again, he heard that a son had been born, but he ignored it. He was also awarded the title of Privy Councilor and was promoted to Hanlin Bachelor. They all sincerely declined, saying: "Increase
The annual coin is not my original wish, but because I am in the process of attacking Li Yuanhao and I have no time to compete with the Khitan, so I dare not argue with death, so how dare I accept it!"
It can be seen from this that Fu Bi was very sensitive on the issues of Song, Liao and Daxia, as well as his relationship with Fan Zhongyan and Yan Shu. As his son, Fu Shaolong would obviously be someone like Lu Yao.
The biggest competitor in the competition for marriage.