Brother Feng
introduction
In the patriarchal society of the Ming Dynasty, due to the existence of the interest pattern of "husband and wife" and "mother and son", the concubines often became wives and mothers, and were constantly involved in the political whirlpool dominated by imperial power.
In their special capacity as empress dowagers, empresses, or concubines, they took advantage of the opportunity of compiling and teaching female textbooks to establish their status as mentors, Taoist lineages, and orthodox status in the palace, so as to set off and maintain the political status of their husbands or sons in the court.
1. The content and teaching materials of the court women's education in the Ming Dynasty
"Nüjiao", also known as "Neijiao", is a concept used in ancient times to refer to women's education, and the court women's education system has matured in the Ming Dynasty. According to Liu Ruoyu's description
"To teach in the palace, choose the twenty-four yamen to read more, be good at regular scripts, be virtuous, and have no power. Three or four, five or six members are not restricted...... Commanding a pen. ”
It is indicated that female instructors are eunuchs who have been carefully selected. However, in the early days, the teachers of the female teachers in the palace were female officials.
Some of the textbooks studied were repaired by the imperial court, and some were presided over or compiled by the concubines themselves. The female teaching book written by the concubine is summarized by Shen Defu in the article "The Holy System of the Queen Mother".
"The Empress Renxiao of this dynasty wrote "Internal Training", and there are "Female Commandments", and the Queen Mother of the Holy Emperor of the Chapter, and there are "Female Training". The book "Nüjian" written by the Holy Empress Dowager of Our Lady is particularly detailed. The Lord personally sprinkled Chen Han's preface, and the grand event in the real palace was also. ”
The vast majority of the concubines owned by the sixteen emperors of the Ming Dynasty did not write textbooks, or even left texts, so why did the above four concubines bother to compile the book of women's teaching?
If we don't dig into the political context, it's hard to understand the real causes.
2. Empress Renxiao Xu wrote "Internal Training" to solve the dilemma of "Jing Difficulty".
The first female teaching book written by the concubine herself in the Ming Dynasty was the "Internal Training" of Empress Chengzu Renxiao Xu.
On the surface, this is a moral cultivation textbook about cultivating virtue, prudence in words and deeds, diligence and frugality, and dealing with relationships with parents, monarchs, children, and relatives, with the intention of promoting the basic principles of Confucian ethics and etiquette.
In fact, Empress Xu wrote this book with a more direct and profound intention, that is, to cooperate with her husband Chengzu Zhu Di to solve the political dilemma caused by the "Jingnan" rebellion.
As a well-educated, politically minded helper, Xu actively cooperated with her husband in the public opinion propaganda work after the "Jing Jing".
The "Internal Training" is a political tool to declare the orthodoxy of the ancestors and eliminate the predicament of rebellion after the Battle of Jingjing, for the following reasons.
First, Empress Renxiao Xu is an insightful female politician, not an ordinary harem woman.
She had actively participated in King Yan's "Jingjing". Therefore, she compiled the "Internal Training" after Zhu Di usurped the throne, which really had the intention of solving her husband's political predicament.
The "Internal Training" is not an ordinary ethics textbook, but has a clear political purpose.
Second, from the perspective of the time of writing, Empress Renxiao Xu's writing of this book has clear characteristics of the times and practical significance.
Empress Renxiao Xu wrote this book at this time, with the intention of winning the hearts of her husband inside and outside the court, especially among women.
Third, from the point of view of the theme, Queen Xu respects Queen Ma everywhere in "Internal Training", which is actually showing that she is the authentic heir of Queen Ma's mantle.
It is orthodox in the harem, and Zhu Di is the heir to the mantle of Taizu and the orthodox public opinion of the imperial court.
Empress Xu clearly declared herself
"I am filial to Queen Gao, serving the court day and night. Empress Gao taught all the sons and wives to be cautious. I respect the etiquette, listen to the teachings every day, only admire and admire, and dare not disobey"
So based on Empress Gao's "words of lessons", he wrote a teaching material for women's teaching.
In fact, Zhu Yuanzhang has more than 20 sons and many daughters-in-law, and it is difficult to say whether Queen Xu can receive the attention of Queen Ma.
However, "Taizong Record" portrays Queen Xu as Queen Ma's favorite daughter-in-law, which is actually creating public opinion that Queen Xu has the true biography of Queen Ma.
Fourth, judging from the content, the "Internal Training" mostly exhorts women in the world to be vigilant, prudent in words and deeds, and live and work in peace and contentment, with the intention of stabilizing the situation from the perspective of women, the other half of the family, and exhorting them to accept the new regime.
It can be seen that Empress Renxiao Xu's "Internal Training" has an obvious political purpose, intending to solve the political dilemma after Chengzu Zhu Di's "Jingnan" usurpation by establishing the image of Chengzu inheriting Taizu and inheriting Empress Gao.
3. Empress Dowager Jiang wrote "Women's Training" to help the dispute over the "Great Rites Discussion".
If Empress Renxiao Xu's "Internal Training" aims to solve the dilemma of Chengzu's "Jingjing", then Empress Dowager Zhangsheng Jiang's female teaching book "Women's Training" is a political declaration made in conjunction with the "Great Rites Discussion" controversy.
"Women's Training" was written in Xingwangfu fifteen years ago in Zhengde, however, it was published and disseminated nine years after Jiajing, and the political intention can be imagined.
After Wuzong's death, the Ming court faced a fault line of supreme power, so it decided to welcome Zhu Houxi, a cousin of Wuzong and the son of Xingfu in Luzhou, Huguang'an, as emperor.
However, according to the succession law of "brother to brother" when the great-grandfather dies and has no children, Zhu Houxi should be allowed to succeed to the late Xiaozong as his son, as the younger brother of Wuzong, and then inherit the throne.
As a result, Wuzong's mother, the Empress Dowager Cishou, and Yang Tinghe, the first assistant of the cabinet, temporarily decided to let Zhu Houxi, who had just arrived in Beijing, first "succeed the heir" and then "succeed to the unification", which caused a three-year-long dispute over the "Great Rites Discussion".
With the help of Zhang Xuan, Gui Cao, Fang Xianfu and other upstarts, Zhu Houxi finally won, no longer calling his biological father "Huang Shu Kao", but renamed "Huang Kao" in a dignified manner, and gave his father "Xian Emperor", and the temple number was "Ruizong".
However, in the harem, Sejong's biological mother, Zhang Sheng, Empress Dowager Jiang, and Sejong's concubines, still had to face pressure from the forces of Wuzong's mother, Empress Dowager Cheong, and his wife, Empress Xiaojing Zhuangsu, Empress Xia.
In order to reverse the situation in the harem, Empress Dowager Jiang took the opportunity of publishing and teaching the female teaching book "Women's Training" to establish her authority.
Naturally, Sejong tried his best to promote the situation and cooperate with his mother's behavior, ordering it to be promoted in the palace and even throughout the country.
In the ninth year of Jiajing, Sejong officially promulgated the "Women's Training" of the Empress Dowager Zhangsheng Jiang, and asked the Empress Dowager to preach to the palace women below the queen concubine in person, asking the court women from the empress down to cooperate.
Sejong's purpose of advocating his biological mother, Empress Dowager Chiang's "Women's Training", has the following two aspects:
On the one hand, establish the status of the Empress Dowager Jiang of Zhangsheng.
To this end, Sejong decreed that the Empress Dowager Chiang would give a lecture on her self-compiled textbook, "The Nü Xun", and in this way, the Empress Dowager Chiang became a lecturer, a teacher from the empress to the palace maid, and established her position in the Taoist system.
On the other hand, the legitimacy of the Empress Dowager Jiang was established.
When Sejong announced Empress Dowager Chiang's "Women's Training" to the whole society, he did not issue it alone, but issued it to the world together with "The Biography of Empress Gao" and Empress Xu's "Internal Training".
Therefore, the promotion of "Women's Training" seems to be only an issue of the education of the palace concubines, but it is actually a distinct political struggle.
Fourth, Empress Dowager Cisheng Li compiled the "Nüjian" in pursuit of orthodoxy
Among the people who personally wrote the female teaching book in the Ming Dynasty court, the Empress Dowager Cisheng, the biological mother of Shenzong, was a special one.
When her husband Mu Zong died, she was less than 30 years old, and her son Shenzong was 10 years old.
In the sixth year of Wanli, Shenzong got married, and Empress Dowager Li could no longer live in the Qianqing Palace to personally discipline the emperor, so before returning to Cining Palace, she completely entrusted the education of Shenzong to Zhang Juzheng, and turned to teach the concubines of Shenzong.
An important move of Empress Dowager Li was the compilation of the women's teaching book "Nüjian".
In fact, in addition to the purpose of educating the concubines of Shenzong, Empress Dowager Li compiled "Nujian", which also has another meaning, that is, to pursue her own orthodox status.
Shenzong was also well aware of his mother's good intentions, and placed the "Nüjian" in the classic corridor of female teaching in the Ming Dynasty, so as to highlight the orthodox status of his mother Empress Dowager Li in the harem, and then strengthen his position in the imperial court.
With Sejong's mother and son, both concerned about their respective orthodox positions in the imperial court and harem, Shenzong's mother and son were not worried about the orthodox status of Shenzong, but were more concerned about the orthodox status of Empress Dowager Li, who was born as a palace maid.
Therefore, the work of "Nüjian" is undoubtedly to show Empress Dowager Li's status as a mentor in Taoism, so as to establish her political legitimacy.
The son is more precious than the mother, and this will undoubtedly make the position of the Divine Sect more stable, so it has been highly recommended.
Fifth, Zheng Guifei changed "Boudoir Fan Diagram" in order to abolish the long and young
Roughly similar to the purpose of Empress Renxiao Xu, Empress Dowager Zhang Sheng, Empress Dowager Jiang and Empress Dowager Cisheng Li striving for orthodoxy, Shenzong Zheng Guifei's political attempt to adapt the female teaching book "Boudoir Fan Tushuo" is also to establish her own image of the upper inheritance and carry out public opinion propaganda for the abolition of Chang Liyu.
The eldest son of Shenzong is Zhu Changluo, who was born to Concubine Wang Gong, and Zhu Changxun, the son of Concubine Zheng Guifei, is ranked last.
However, Concubine Zheng was not reconciled, and hoped that Shenzong could abandon Chang Liyu and establish Zhu Changxun as the crown prince.
To do this, she is desperate. Zheng Guifei did not compile the textbook herself like the previous three concubines, but chose Lu Kun's "Boudoir Fan Diagram" as a female teacher, and slightly modified it to make it a public opinion tool for her to abolish the long and young.
Zheng Guifei's intention to revise the "Boudoir Fan Diagram" is mainly reflected in the following two points:
First, in the preface, he created the image of Empress Xu and Empress Dowager Jiang of Zhangsheng, and created public opinion for himself as the queen and then set up his own son as the crown prince. She particularly emphasized
"However, although I don't dare to write the "Female Commandment" of benevolence and filial piety, and the "Female Commandment" of Zhang Sheng, I will continue to compile and pass on the order, and I will also continue to describe one thing."
Although Concubine Zheng said that she did not dare to teach Empress Xu and Empress Dowager Jiang, she actually reminded people that she was the successor of the two concubines.
Regarding Zheng Guifei's intentions, some people pointed out at that time that the sons of Empress Renxiao Xu and Empress Dowager Zhang Shengjiang were both emperors, and Zheng Guifei compared herself to the two concubines, and her intentions were self-evident.
It is worth noting that when Zheng Guifei cited the teaching of women in the court in the "Preface", she did not mention her mother-in-law Empress Dowager Li's "Nujian", which was not a momentary negligence, but deliberately excluded the status of Empress Dowager Li in this line.
Because Empress Dowager Li is the obstacle to Zheng Guifei's abolition of the elder and younger, due to the serious antagonism between the two, Zheng Guifei deliberately eliminated Empress Dowager Li's "Nujian" when she described the compilation of the female teaching in the "Preface" of "Boudoir Fan Tushuo".
Even when Shenzong gave the "Boudoir Fan Tushuo" to Concubine Zheng Guifei, he specifically mentioned that the book was similar to the "Nujian" of his biological mother, Empress Dowager Li
"The Boudoir Fan Diagram is read by me Fu and the imperial concubine, and I see that the words in his book are roughly similar to the words of the book "Nujian", so that I can read it day and night."
Zheng Guifei still did not mention Empress Dowager Li's "Nujian" in the reissue of "Preface", and her antipathy to Empress Dowager Li can be seen.
Second, highlight the concept of "the son is more precious than the mother", and create public opinion for the son of Zheng Guifei to be the prince.
As soon as this book was published, some people immediately analyzed that Zheng Guifei tried to rewrite and republish the "Boudoir Fan Tushuo" to create public opinion and achieve her own political goals, but it caused a strong protest.
Kechen Dai Shiheng wrote an article "Boudoir Illustrated Story", accusing Lu Kun of pretending to hide evil intentions in this schoolbag.
Although Shenzong punished Dai Shiheng Bo and admonished him, a person who called himself "Yanshan Zhu Dongji" wrote an essay for "Boudoir Fan Tushuo".
This article adopts the form of questions and answers, and alludes to the abolition of Zheng Guifei by discussing the abolition of the elders of the past dynasties. The main party, Lu Kun, had to write many times to express his thoughts and make excuses.
The huge turmoil caused by Zheng Guifei's engraving of Lu Kun's "Boudoir Fan Tu Shuo" unexpectedly accelerated the process of the emperor's eldest son Zhu Changluo being made the crown prince.
Zheng Guifei's intention to republish the "Boudoir Fan Tushuo" was clear, but her supporter, Shenzong, was a lazy and cowardly monarch who was unable to give firm support, resulting in the defeat of Zheng Guifei's group due to its lack of legitimacy.
VI. Conclusion
Textbooks have always been the ideological position that all political forces must fight for, and the court women's teaching books written by the concubines are no exception.
On the surface, the female teaching books of the Ming Dynasty court all contained general educational purposes and cultural significance such as morality, conduct, etiquette, and tolerance, but a careful analysis of the background and social environment of the times shows the political intentions behind these female teachings.
The emergence of female teachers in the court of the Ming Dynasty not only reflected the infiltration of Confucianism into women, but also reflected the political manipulation of Confucianism by upper-class women.