Talk about concubinage in Song Dynasty.

Song dynasty was a paradise for literati, and the treatment of civil servants was naturally extremely high. How high is it? The imperial court has a national policy: "rule the world with scholar-officials."

Since it is high, is there no substantial benefit? How many points did Li get? At that time, a common people lived in 20 yuan for a year, while Bao Zheng, an envoy of the Tang Dynasty, had a basic salary of 3,600 yuan a year, and his purchasing power was equivalent to the current RMB, about 30 million yuan. In addition, there are a lot of "subsidies". If it is a local official, there are 20 to 2 hectares of vocational fields. These wages are enough for civil servants to live a good life. If any civil servant said that he was poor and his hands were not clean, it was simply fart.

However, in the past dynasties, if the position of military attache was too high, it would be prone to confusion; If the position of civil servants is too high, it is easy to be extravagant. One of the extravagant directions of civil servants in the Northern Song Dynasty was concubinage.

There was a rule in the Northern Song Dynasty that local officials could not bring their families when they took office. So many local officials buy concubines to take care of themselves. Another important point is that concubinage is to satisfy the various desires of officials. For example, some people have concubines and children to continue the incense, some people show their identity, and some people are greedy for beauty, just as the literati in the Song Dynasty wrote, "exotic flowers and plants are more colorful than usual."

The typical representative is our great poet and literary master Su Dongpo. This infatuated man who once wrote "Ten years of life and death, never forget, never forget" has many concubines at home. Su Shi himself said that "there are several concubines in the family", the most famous one being Wang Chaoyun, who said that Su Shi was "out of date". However, when Su Shi was in the Woods until he was pushed out of the officialdom, he had to give all his concubines to Liang's friends-at that time, his status was extremely low, almost like that of a servant at home.

There is another postscript: In Song Huizong, the great eunuch Liang Shicheng was born in Fu Liang by one of Su Shi's concubines, less than a month ago. Judging from the time, he should be Su Shi's son. Neither Su Shi's family nor his protege questioned this matter. ,

Later, Liang Shicheng joined the ruling and opposition parties, even actively helped Su Shi's son, and even specifically explained to Mr. Accountant: "You don't have to tell me if Su uses less than 10,000 yuan."

When it comes to the source of concubines in the Northern Song Dynasty, one is market purchase. The commodity economy developed in the Northern Song Dynasty, forming a very mature "concubine market". It is usually bought and sold through a dental shop (that is, an intermediary), and the prices are different. You can buy a beautiful little wife for almost 80 yuan. Second, a friend gave it to me. My concubine's status is very low, and friends can give gifts to each other, so Su Shi has given them away. Third, smashing and looting. This situation also exists.

However, there are still some rules: first, the master room must agree; Second, women who escape and are not worthy of status and status are not allowed to be concubines, especially female artists. If they violate the law, they will be served by sixty boards of directors; Third, parents can arrange concubinage for people who have never left the main office and do not agree to concubinage; Fourth, concubinage is different from taking a wife, and only a little money is allowed. Tsing Yi sedan chair carries the person she received, and she enters the house through a side door or a corner door, without worshipping heaven and earth or her parents. She only kowtows to her first wife for tea. A "dowry" and a "marriage" are worlds apart, but by the same token, the recipient does not need dowry and other materials, but someone comes in.

How popular was concubinage in the Northern Song Dynasty? Bao Zheng, the "heavenly master" often mentioned in our operas, is not exempt from customs; Zhao Mingcheng, the husband of Li Qingzhao, a great poet, also failed to avoid customs.

But not bad. After all, someone. One is Wang Anshi, and the other is Sima Guang, Wang Anshi's sworn enemy. Yes, that's Sima Guang who smashed the jar.

Wang Anshi presided over the political reform, and his political enemies were all over the ruling and opposition parties. Among them, there are many experts who are picky, don't make trouble, "wash away dirt and seek scars", but none of them say "no" to Wang Anshi's life. It is said that his wife bought a beautiful concubine for Wang Anshi. As a result, Wang Anshi turned around for the second time and sent her back to go with her ex-husband.

Shao Bowen, the son of Shao Yong, a famous neo-Confucian, is the author of A Journey to the South of Shao River. Volume 11 records such a thing: Wang knew the patent and Mrs. Wu bought a concubine. Gong Jing saw it and said, "What is this?" The woman said, "Madam asked the deacon to take care of it." An Shi said, "Who are you?" He said, "My concubine's husband is a general in the army, but he lost his rice and the family didn't have enough money, so he sold me to make up for it." The public said piteously, "How can your wife get you if she has money?" Said, "900 thousand." Call her husband, make him a pair as before, and give him all the money.

It can be seen that Wang Anshi has the wind of Liu Xiahui and the wind of a gentleman.

The situation of another Sima Guang is even more special: after thirty years of marriage, Sima Guang's wife never came out. She was ashamed, so she bought a beautiful concubine and put it in Sima Guang's room, only to be driven out by Sima Guang. Later, his wife and mother-in-law bought another beautiful handmaid and put it in Sima Guang's room, but Sima Guang blew it out again. Sima Guang had a harmonious relationship with his wife all his life. According to records, his wife will go out to see the lights on the Lantern Festival, and Sima Guang is unwilling to go. "There are lights at home, why do you have to go to the street to see them?" His wife said, "Not only the lights, but also the tourists." Sima Guang said reproachfully, "Am I not a human being?" The harmony between husband and wife can be seen.

In the same situation as these two people, there is Yue Fei. Yue Fei military camp for several years, no official prostitutes, no concubinage. His colleagues couldn't stand it, so they gave him a beautiful concubine. As a result, Yue Fei asked through the curtain, "If you really follow me, you will need food and linen clothes. Can you stand it? " Then the woman was scared back.

There is another extremely interesting thing: Zhang Yong, a famous minister in the Northern Song Dynasty, was born in poverty and had little ambition. In addition to the skill of governing the people, he was also sent to quell the chaos several times (although the economy of the Song Dynasty was developed and farmers rebelled many times). Zhang Yong's most outstanding achievement was his domination of Shu. During the reign of Song Taizong, there were several rebellions in Shu. On the one hand, it is rich in grain and grass, which laid a material foundation for the insurgents. On the other hand, in the early Song Dynasty, because officials oppressed the local people too much, the people were miserable and had to rebel. Before Zhang Yong arrived here, Emperor Taizong sent people to suppress the uprising, but the effect was average. When this aggressive Zhang Yong arrived, he captured several leaders who rose up and rebelled, which can be said to be both civil and military. It was because the officials who entered Sichuan at that time risked their lives that the imperial court forbade officials to bring their families. Going there was equivalent to risking their lives to find a way out, and officials were unwilling to bring their families.

When Zhang Yong entered Sichuan, all his officials knew that he was honest and clean, and strictly enforced the law, so he was afraid to take his family, even his concubines. When Zhang Yong discovered this problem, he did not directly allow his officials to take concubinage, but took concubinage in several rooms in front of everyone. When his officials saw that Zhang Yong had married so many concubines in one breath, they knew that Zhang Yong had no objection to concubinage, and they began to concubinage slowly. As soon as they took a concubine, their minds gradually settled down.

After the Shu rebellion, I lived here for four years. The court saw that he was doing well and transferred him to Hangzhou.

Before he left, Zhang Yong did something that surprised everyone, that is, he openly found in-laws for his concubines. In the Song Dynasty, it was not easy to remarry. Zhang Yong also told everyone that he would pay part of the cost of marrying a concubine. At that time, many people didn't know what medicine was sold in Zhang Yong's gourd, and when he chose to marry his concubines, his parents would also be there. Their purpose was to prove that these concubines were virgins. It turns out that the purpose of his concubinage is to let his officials know that he is not opposed to concubinage, as long as he is politically stable for the people and the court after entering Shu. Later, everyone who married him was happy.

This is not "flowers in flowers, leaves don't touch the body". Living among flowers all the year round, you can still lead an honest and clean life, unmoved, and there are not many people through the ages.

Zhang Yong has always been respected by the British because he invented the "jiaozi" at the age of 60, that is, the silver ticket. Now a rare China mulberry tree is planted in a yard in the Bank of England Center in London. Because the raw material of the jiaozi invented by Zhang Yong is mulberry leaves, he is also the "father of paper money".