In ancient family relationships, the status of the wife was the most important. Even in the ancient system of monogamy and multiple concubines, the status of the wife was extremely high. As concubines were subordinate to the wife, the head wife had a very high status.
The status of a concubine can never be higher than that of a wife. The so-called concubinage, the role of a concubine is more like a tool for fertility. Therefore, concubines have always existed in all dynasties. The emergence of concubines in the Song Dynasty was largely
Because the wife was infertile, the Song Dynasty continued the Tang Dynasty's system of concubines, stipulating the number of concubines that scholar-bureaucrats could take.
In the Song Dynasty, the boundary between good and bad was very strict, and a series of standards were also made for concubines. The concubine must be a good man, not a bitch. This can also be seen that good and bad people cannot intermarry. Through contracts,
The established marriage relationship has clear regulations on the status of concubines. Of course, although the status of concubines is low, their status in the family is still higher than that of other servants. But in real life, concubines and prostitutes
.The female and other untouchable classes do often mix.
The marriage relationship between concubines and husbands in the Song Dynasty emerged through a series of channels. Generally speaking, gifts between friends became the norm in the Song Dynasty. This kind of gift was not random. In other words, it was the deep feelings of the friends that made the marriage possible.
can be carried out. In other words, concubines in the Song Dynasty were a kind of commodity, and they would be given away when they were appreciated. In addition to gifts, buying and selling was also a major way at that time. The buying and selling of concubines in the Song Dynasty was legal, which can better reflect the
The status of a concubine is like a commodity that can be exchanged for money. Even a pregnant concubine can be exchanged.
The most fundamental reason why the concubine's family status is so low is that the concubine system is deeply rooted. The wife's marriage process is far different from that of the concubine. The wife's status is based on various cumbersome etiquette, and she has a certain financial strength.
Yes, this strength comes from the financial support of her natal family, which gives the wife a supportive position in her husband's family. On the other hand, the concubine does not have any items as dowry, and she is also a commodity, which is cruel.
Fact. At the same time, society also attaches great importance to the status of wives and concubines. If someone reverses the status of wives and concubines, then this is an illegal act. Even a husband without a wife cannot treat a concubine as his head wife. From this point of view, whether it is society
The status of wives and concubines has been unified in both concepts and laws.
In ancient times, there were generally two responsibilities for men. The first was to study and become an official, and the other was to support the family. The responsibilities of women were to be their domestic helpers and help them take care of the family. But women in the Song Dynasty were not limited to the family.
Among them, they also shined brightly in society and held many social activities. For example, women shined brightly in various fields such as agriculture, and they also contributed money and efforts to civil welfare construction, showing that the Song Dynasty was different.
women's style.
In the Song Dynasty, the family was still the main place for women, and the main scope of activities of women was still within the family. Women with good family conditions did not need to worry about the economy, but women with poor family conditions also had to bear a large financial burden.
Plowing the fields during the day and weaving at night were all efforts for the survival of the family. The real situation has changed women's behavior. Women of different classes in the Song Dynasty had their own different styles.
"History of the Song Dynasty" records: A woman has a husband who is a stupid Confucian and can take care of the housework by herself and calculates the income and expenditure of money. A woman who cannot be deceived by others has a wife who has an unworthy husband but can manage the housework with her son. A woman who does not lose her family and has a husband who dies and has young children can educate her.
Her son is harmonious with his in-laws at home and abroad and takes care of the housework. As for the one who is prosperous, he is a virtuous woman.
Women in the Song Dynasty showed a different style. From the perspective of wives and concubines, the status of the head wife could not be surpassed. The status of concubines was more like commodities and could be exchanged with each other. The status of concubines in the Song Dynasty was both legal and social.
They cannot surpass the head wives. In the Song Dynasty, women were not limited to the family. They went out of the family and entered the social environment to create a different culture of the Song Dynasty. However, most of the focus was still on the family, and the economic conditions were poor.
Housewives in the Song Dynasty also bear heavy financial pressure, which is also a manifestation of the perseverance of women in the Song Dynasty.
In the Northern Song Dynasty, due to the development of the commodity economy, ordinary women's personal freedom was further improved and they had a certain degree of autonomy. For example, the concept of chastity was relaxed, and society no longer placed too much emphasis on women's single marriage.
However, as the head wives of the royal family, due to their special status, their autonomy in marriage, divorce, remarriage and external interactions is still subject to many restrictions compared with ordinary women.
In the Song Dynasty, marriage was subject to the parents' orders and the matchmaker's words, and the law also recognized the parents' right to preside over the marriage.
Marriage in the royal family not only reflects the will of the emperor, the head of the clan, but also has a strong political overtone.
Marriage in the Northern Song Dynasty clan had to be carried out within strict regulations from the selection of the marriage partner to the formal marriage, and there was basically no autonomy in marriage.
Because the relationship between the clan and the current emperor varies, the closer the relationship, the less autonomy there is in marriage.
Therefore, it is not uncommon for clan marriages to be directly decreed by the emperor, and the eldest son has some autonomy in marriage compared to the clan's wife.
For example, Zhao Zongyan was moved by the virtuous and beautiful Zhang family, and after obtaining permission from the clan, he sought a good match.
His epitaph reads: "My wife was born with a graceful nature, and she heard about various in-laws. At that time, she was the youngest son of Prince Yang Yigong of Pingyang. Today, Si Yu led the government and led the clan officials to find a good match to help with the family affairs. She agreed to marry her, which is suitable for Ji.
Bu. It is because of the invitation of Zhanqinqianbo that he returns to his residence."
The same is true for Zhao Shiyong: "I heard about Madam Yi, and because she asked for her name, she divined good luck, so I paid her Zhiyan coins and returned to Wu Mansion on the 11th month of Bingxu."
Compared with the eldest son, the eldest daughter-in-law was basically in a passive and weak position in choosing a marriage partner, so the rhetoric of "selecting a match" often appears in the eldest son's epitaph.
For example, Mrs. Zhao Shimo said: "Since she was born into a noble family, she was chosen as the emperor's nephew and the wife of General Shi Mo, the right Xiaowei general."
There is Mrs. Zhao Shichang "the choice of the Yu feudal lord", and Mrs. Zhao Zhongyan "the Empress Dowager Cishou is now raising her in the cabinet, and Renzong chooses the best of the royal family to belong to the right guard gate general Zhongyan".
This is not much different from the emperor's selection of concubines.
It can be seen that marrying a clan wife into the clan is only a two-way choice between her family and the royal family, and the clan wife herself has basically no autonomy at all in her own life-long affairs.
Although there are various policies and treatment after marrying the eldest son and becoming a clan wife, in marriage life, the clan members will face many problems like ordinary families.
Because of their special political status, clans often marry into other large families, which are political marriages and a combination of interests.
Therefore, in order to maintain the stability of the clan marriage and prevent the arbitrary divorce of the clan from affecting the stability of the imperial power, the Northern Song Dynasty imposed many restrictions on the divorce of the clan's wife and eldest son.
In the 10th year of Emperor Xining of the Song Dynasty, Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty issued an edict: "If the clan divorces, the Zong Zhengsi will be examined. If there is any evidence that can be found in the law or if there is incompatibility, then it will be heard; if there is no reason to find something, it will be impeached."
On September 23rd of the first year of Yuanfu, Zhezong of the Song Dynasty, the Three Provinces issued a statement: "From now on, if the clan members are not exempted from divorce, if they have been cured in Kaifeng, the chief minister of the clan will be ordered to review them within half a month."
It can be seen from two historical data that divorce in a clan is not an easy matter.
First of all, the discord between husband and wife must have become a fact. Secondly, it needs to be thoroughly reviewed by the chief minister who directly manages the clan affairs within a specific period of time. Whether to grant divorce needs to be decided on a case-by-case basis.
Among the clans of the Northern Song Dynasty, a typical case of discord between husband and wife was Zhao Hao and his wife Feng Shi.
"Song Hui Yao Collection" records that Feng was sent to Yaohua Palace because she had a disagreement with her husband:
"On June 6, the second year of Yuanyou, Emperor Zhezong, he ordered Wang Hao's wife, Chongguo's wife Feng, to be sent to Yaohua Palace to enter Daochong: it was appropriate to give the Dharma name Shouchong, and also give him purple clothes, and the title of Master Xi Zhen Ningji. First, Yuanfeng In the second year, because he was not in harmony with the king, he was sent to the Yaohua Palace, and this was his destiny."
"Zizhi Tongjian Changbian" records: "(Feng) fell in love with the king and lived in the back cabinet for several years."
In the spring of the second year of Yuanfeng, a fire broke out in Prince Qi's palace. Because she was at odds with his wife, Feng Shi, Prince Qi's wet nurse and her two maids framed her as the arsonist for setting the fire.
However, King Qi listened to what his wet nurse and maid told him, so he appealed to the Queen Mother, saying, "The Queen Mother was so angry that she would be killed by the superiors. The superiors knew that they were not harmonious and would be trapped by the left and right."
After finding out the truth, the lady wept and apologized, saying: "There is no such thing as arson. However, my little daughter is not blessed enough to be the husband and wife of King Qi. I am fortunate to pardon her death and beg for money to become a nun."
The Queen Mother asked: "I heard that King Chiqi was cursed. Are there any of you?" She replied: "I may be angry with you."
Emperor Shenzong ordered his wife to be sent to the Yaohua Palace without wearing any clothes, and she was given the old salary of fifty cents per month. She then doubled the salary and gave her a generous amount. Welcome."
It can be seen from this material that Feng was at odds with King Qi and was instigated by her wet nurse. Although Shenzong eventually investigated the truth and cleared Feng, Feng was still sent to the Yaohua Palace. "As soon as the king understood, We should welcome him again."
In Bingxu, the second year of Yuanyou, Zhezong issued another edict: "The king's wife, Chongguo's wife, Feng, was given the title of Master of Xizhen Ningji. She was given purple clothes, the legal name was Shouchong, and she lived in Yaohua Palace. Feng was promoted in Yuanfeng to promote the king's disharmony. Tingli sent him to Yaohua Palace to enter the Taoism, but he was not given the title of Dharma Master, so he had this fate."
It is clear here that during the Yuanfeng period, the Feng family had "died" from Zhao Hao and was sent to the Yaohua Palace.
And Feng's situation has changed from never wearing it or being given the title of mage to being given a Dharma title, which shows that Feng has truly become a monk and a Taoist.
It can be seen from the above that in the Northern Song Dynasty, although the eldest wife and the eldest son were allowed to divorce according to the law, in actual implementation, the restrictions were still very strict.
From the fact that Feng and Zhao Hao were sent to the Yaohua Palace to become a monk after their divorce, it can be inferred that once she married into the royal family and became a clan wife, her autonomy in divorce was very limited.
In the Song Dynasty, the requirements for chastity had been relaxed. After the death of one spouse, it was very common for the man to renew his relationship or the woman to remarry or remarry.
There are many examples of strings in the epitaphs of eldest sons that the author has collected so far.
However, no case of a clan wife remarrying after her husband's death has been found, and the epitaphs of clan wives also strongly praise those clan wives who were widowed by their husbands.
This shows that there are differences in attitudes towards the eldest son's remarriage and the eldest daughter's remarriage.
So, from a legal perspective, how were the remarriage regulations for clan wives during the Northern Song Dynasty?
At the beginning of the Northern Song Dynasty, because the clan members were few and most of them were close relatives to the emperor, there were no clear legal provisions on the remarriage of clan wives.
However, as the clan population increased, the number of clan wives who lost their husbands began to increase, and the problem of clan wives remarrying became increasingly prominent.
In the fourth year of Qingli, Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty issued an edict that "the wives of the clan's relatives with great merits are not allowed to remarry", and the wives of clansmen other than those with great merits must be "those whose husbands died without children" before they are allowed to "submit and return to their families".
However, the wife of the clan was allowed to return home after being discharged from the service, but it was not stated whether she could remarry after returning home.
In the fourth year of Renzong's Jiayou reign, Zhao Yunrang, the king of Runan County, thought: "'It's not a way to show your honor by entrusting a marriage to the royal family, but not being able to see the emperor's family.' He told his family. In addition, the wife of the clan lost her husband when she was young. Although she has no children, she is not allowed to have more children. "Marrying. This is not a human thing. It's just to invite someone back home."
Only then did the Emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty allow widowed clan wives who had lost their husbands and had no children to remarry.
Although restrictions in the Northern Song Dynasty tended to be gradually relaxed regarding the remarriage of clan wives, the basic principles remained unchanged.
That is to say, for a clan woman to remarry, she must be widowed and childless, which is much more stringent than folk women who can remarry as long as they are widowed.
Moreover, in addition to relevant restrictions, because the clan wives had relatively high education and moral cultivation, they attached great importance to chastity. Therefore, in the epitaphs of clan wives, there are many clan wives who were widowed by their husbands.
Among them are clan wives who have lost their husbands and have no children and comply with the remarriage regulations. These people choose to live alone to show their loyalty.
In ancient times, it has always been a system of "one man and one wife", never "three wives and four concubines". The official term should be "one wife and multiple concubines". The status of the principal wife is much higher than that of the "concubine", and the "concubine" can be said Equivalent to slaves and maids, their main functions are probably to give birth to children and serve the head wife. In addition, the theoretical mother of the child born by the "concubine" is the "head wife". In the Song Dynasty, the children born by the "concubine" still had the right to inherit property, but because of this Rights, it is also very common for the head wife to kill the child born to her concubine.
Let’s talk about the status of women in the Song Dynasty. The Song Dynasty began to have “Neo-Confucianism”, but in fact, “Neo-Confucianism” was not recognized as an official school until the Yuan Dynasty. Therefore, women in the Song Dynasty had the same status as women in the Tang Dynasty. The status of women in the Song Dynasty was quite high. The main divorce system in the Song Dynasty was "seven outs, righteousness and harmony". "Harmony" means divorce by agreement. The existence of this system in the Song Dynasty fully shows that the status of women in the Song Dynasty was not low.
The issue of "three wives and four concubines" did not exist in ancient times, but there is actually a situation equivalent to "three wives and four concubines". This situation is a "concurrent marriage". "Concurrent marriage" simply means that a man inherits at the same time The ancestral lineage of two or three families means helping two or three families to carry on the ancestral line. For example, Puyi, the Xuantong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty, was legally the son of both Guangxu and Tongzhi. "Marriage with both ancestral families" is commonly known as "one son supports two families" "When two or three brothers have only one male descendant, they can marry two or three wives to pass down the descendants of several families. These wives are all legitimate wives with the same status. Historically, this was because of the "big brother" of the Ming Dynasty. The system of "concurrent worship" began to appear only during the "Etiquette Controversy", but it has now been abolished.
In fact, Han Yonghe should be very clear about these rules. As a guy who has worked hard in officialdom for so many years and cares about reputation very much, he takes his daughter's marriage very seriously. Therefore, the Lu family and the Han family entered into a marriage contract.
The moment Emperor Zhao Zhen knew about it, it actually had legal effect in the Song Dynasty. This is why after resuming the engagement, Lu Yao now wanted to marry Cao Han, but the engagement with Han Yunyu could not
The main reason for the change.
Although the Cao family and the Han family are incompatible, in Lu Yao's view, the two elders have completely different concerns about their daughter's marriage. At the beginning, they may have been the same, aiming for a political marriage.
Most of them wanted to find helpers for themselves in the court and support for their families. Han Yonghe took a fancy to Lu Yao's future development potential. Even though Lu Yao made it clear that even if he later became an official in the court, he would not become Han Yonghe.
Yonghe is a faction, but Han Yonghe also knows that even so, once Lu Yao marries Han Yunyu, he will take his own face into account no matter what he says in the court. If something big happens in the future, Lu Yao will also consider the Han family. It can be said that,
According to Han Yonghe, this marriage is actually a very utilitarian marriage.
As for Uncle Cao Guo, Lu Yao thought that he and Han Yonghe had the same idea at first. Indeed, he organized this martial arts competition to find a bride in order to establish a good relationship with Fu Bi. After all, Fu Bi was Yan Shu.
As a son-in-law, it would be beneficial to him to have a good relationship with the prime minister. What's more, Cao Guojiu knew that he was about to retire, but Cao You was a straight-tempered person. He had suffered losses in the court before, so he wanted to
He worked hard for Cao Yu to be stable in the court. However, when Lu Yao appeared at the martial arts competition and won the competition, after Lu Yao drove away other people watching the competition, Cao Guojiu actually
There is no need to agree with this result. After all, Lu Yao is already engaged to the Han family. He can use the reason that it is impossible for Cao Han to be a concubine to suppress Lu Yao. Lu Yao has also thought about it before, if
If he really insists on not giving in, the last thing he can guarantee is that he will not let Fu Shaolong marry Cao Han, but there is no way for him to get a very good result.
But what Lu Yao didn't expect was that Cao Guojiu actually recognized the result of the competition in the end. This shows that Cao Han, as Cao Guojiu's only daughter, not only wanted a political marriage, he also wanted his daughter to marry.
Can achieve happiness. However, due to the status of this concubine and the possible injustice that Cao Han may suffer after marrying her, Cao Guojiu must let Cao Han personally determine it. This is Cao Han's own choice, so as
Father, Uncle Cao Guo will also support her. Although the status of this concubine in the Northern Song Dynasty is very low, Uncle Cao Guo also knows that Lu Yao's way of dealing with people is completely different from ordinary people. From the righteous words he just said to him
Uncle Cao Guo knew clearly from Fu Bi's statement that Lu Yao would not treat Cao Han and Han Yunyu differently. As for politics, Uncle Cao Guo also knew from Fu Bi's words just now that Fu Bi was not angry. In fact,
From the beginning, Fu Bi did not agree with the operation of arranging a default winner for Fu Shaolong. However, after some persuasion by Cao Guojiu, he finally agreed. Now Lu Yao wins with his own strength, and he
As long as we explain it carefully to Fu Bi, we should be able to maintain a good relationship.
As for the Lu family, needless to say, according to Lu Yao’s all-round development momentum, he will definitely shine in the court in the future. Moreover, according to Cao Guojiu’s observation, the future head of the Cao family will be
His son Cao You and Lu Yao have similar interests, and they are also good friends. In this case, it would be a good choice for him to follow the trend and form an alliance with Lu Yao. The most important thing is that if Cao Han and Han Yunyu both
If she marries Lu Yao, then the relationship between the Cao family and the Han family should be unlikely to be the same incompatible situation as before.
Of course, the most important thing is the attitude of his daughter Cao Han, which is what Lu Yao is most worried about. But when Lu Yao saw Cao Han, Lu Yao knew that he was indeed worried too much.
Cao Han agreed to marry Lu Yao as a concubine almost without hesitation. This does not mean that she is a very nervous woman. This is because of her trust in Lu Yao, who had been in contact with Cao Han before.
Everyone is different. Cao Han believed in Lu Yao, so he made such a choice.
At this point, the big problems have been solved. Uncle Cao Guo proposed not to go through the small door, and the dowry and betrothal gifts should be in line with the Han family's requirements. Lu Yao also agreed. Han Yonghe also knew that he had already agreed.
If you become a concubine, it will be the same when it is publicized. So these so-called dowry gifts are just formal things and have no practical significance. They just want Uncle Cao Guo to save face. In this case, Han Yonghe will not respond to this question.
He didn't express too many doubts either.
The next question that remains is the attitude of the Lu family. Although Han Yonghe and Cao Guoshu agreed to Lu Yao's request, they also knew that the future head of the Lu family would be Lu Yao.
But it was Lu Xu who signed the engagement at that time, and now Lu Xu is still the head of the Lu family, so we still have to wait for him to make a final confirmation.
Not long after, the sound of a carriage was heard, and it was Fangzhuang who invited Lu Xu over.
Lu Yao stepped forward to greet him and walked to Lu Xu's side.
When Lu Xu entered the yard, he first looked at the expressions and reactions of Han Yonghe and Cao Guoshu. After all, when Fangzhuang went to invite him, he didn't know whether the matter was completed or not. In Lu Xu's opinion,
, persuading Han Yonghe and Cao Guoshu is not an easy task.
But looking at their expressions now, both of them seem to be very calm.
So Lu Xu said to Lu Yao beside him: "Have you made an agreement with them?"
Lu Yao nodded and said, "Well, that's all. I'm just waiting for your statement."