Getting Rich from Legend of Zhen Huan

Cao Yin (1658-1712), courtesy name Ziqing, alias Lixuan, also known as Lianting, was a Manchu bannerman of the Plain White Banner. He was a playwright, writer, minister, and imperial merchant during the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty.

Cao Yin was taught by the famous scholar Zhou Lianggong when he was six years old, and could distinguish the four tones when he was seven years old. When he was a little older, he entered the palace to accompany Emperor Xuanye in his studies, and later served as a guard. In the 1690th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign (1692), Cao Yin was appointed as Suzhou Weaving Supervisor from the position of Langzhong of Guangchusi and Zuoling. In the 1694st year of Emperor Kangxi's reign (1704), he was transferred to Jiangning Weaving Supervisor, and the following year he was appointed as Suzhou Weaving Supervisor. In the rd year of Emperor Kangxi's reign (), he was appointed as Jiangning Weaving Supervisor, and later served as the Supervisor of Lianghuai Salt Transport, and was promoted to Tongzhengshi. The Jiangning Weaving Office where Cao Yin served was used as a temporary palace four times during Emperor Kangxi's six southern tours. In the rd year of Emperor Kangxi's reign (), Cao Yin welcomed Hong Sheng to Nanjing and gathered famous scholars from the north and south. Cao Yin wrote the legend "Biao Zhong Ji", the drama "Bei Hongfu Ji" and "Taiping Leshi".

In July of the 1712st year of Emperor Kangxi’s reign (16), Cao Yin died of illness in Yangzhou. [17] []

During his more than 14 years in Jiangnan, Cao Yin became a popular figure in the arts and literature, enjoying a high reputation. He was ordered to open a printing house in Yangzhou to publish "Complete Tang Poems" and "Peiwen Yunfu", leaving a glorious page in the history of woodblock printing. [15] []

Cao Yin entered the palace at the age of sixteen to serve as the imperial guard of Emperor Kangxi. In the twenty-ninth year of Emperor Kangxi, he served as the Suzhou weaving supervisor. Three years later, he moved to Jiangning weaving supervisor. Emperor Kangxi made six southern tours, four of which he stayed at Cao Yin's house. When Cao Yin was critically ill, Emperor Kangxi specially gave him quinine and sent someone to deliver it from Beijing to Nanjing overnight. Unfortunately, Cao Yin died before the medicine arrived. Cao Yin was an elegant person who liked to make friends with celebrities. He was proficient in poetry and music. He edited the Complete Tang Poems, and there are eight volumes of Lianting Poetry Collection, four volumes of Poetry Collection, one volume of Ci Collection, one volume of Ci Collection, and one volume of Literary Collection handed down. His first wife, Gu, died early, and he later married Li, the daughter of Li Yuegui, the cousin of Li Xu's father Li Shizhen.

A total of four members of Cao Yin's family served as Jiangning Weaving Masters, which was actually the imperial merchant who supplied silk fabrics and purchased various royal items for the palace. Cao Yin also received the Imperial Treasury as a bondservant. However, the Cao family was inevitably involved in the struggle for the succession among the princes in the late Kangxi period. The Cao family had repeatedly recommended the eighth prince Yinsi to be the crown prince, which angered the fourth prince Yongzheng at the time. So after Yongzheng came to power, he immediately cleaned up the Cao family, and the once prosperous Cao family completely collapsed. [1]

Family situation

Cao Yin's "Collection of Poems from Lianting"

In the eighth year of Shunzhi's reign (1651 AD), after the death of the regent Dorgon, it was determined that he had committed a serious crime. Shunzhi took Dorgon's Plain White Banner under his own control, and the Cao family was transferred from the palace guards to the Imperial Household Department's bondservants, becoming the emperor's household slaves. At this time, Cao Yin's father, Cao Xi, was also promoted from the palace guards to the second-class guards of the inner court. The "inner court" was where the emperor lived. Cao Xi worked in such a place, and he would have more opportunities to come into contact with the royal family and gain their love and trust. Three years later, Emperor Kangxi was born. According to the Qing Dynasty system, when a prince or princess was born, a wet nurse and a nanny were selected from the bondservants of the three banners of the Imperial Household Department, namely the Bordered Yellow Banner, the Plain Yellow Banner, and the Plain White Banner. Cao Xi's wife, Lady Sun, was a bondservant of Ajige's family, and was selected as Kangxi's nanny. From then on, the relationship between the Cao family and the emperor became closer. [2]

In the second year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi (1663 AD), Cao Xi, who was serving as a Langzhong in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, was appointed as the Jiangning Weaving Supervisor. He was responsible for weaving silk and fabrics for the palace and court officials, as well as performing temporary tasks assigned by the emperor and serving as the emperor's eyes and ears.

Because Cao Xi was loyal, diligent, and efficient, Emperor Kangxi favored him even more, awarded him a dragon robe, a first-class ministerial title, and personally wrote a plaque with the words "respectful and cautious" for him. In the 23rd year of Emperor Kangxi's reign, Cao Xi died of "illness from overwork" at his post. When Emperor Kangxi visited Jiangning (today's Nanjing) during his southern tour, he personally went to the Weaving Bureau to comfort Cao Xi's family and sent a special minister to pay tribute to him.

Cao Xi's son Cao Yin became Kangxi's guard at the age of 17 and was highly appreciated by Emperor Kangxi.

In the 40th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign, he was appointed as the Suzhou Weaving Supervisor, and two years later he was transferred to Jiangning Weaving Supervisor. From then on, Cao Yin and his son Cao Rong and adopted son Cao Fu successively served as the Jiangning Weaving Supervisor for nearly years.

Cao Yin had two daughters. Xiao Shi's Yongxianlu Xubian records: "Yin, courtesy name Ziqing... His mother was the nanny of Emperor Kangxi. Both daughters became princesses." In the 1706th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign (1709), the eldest daughter married Prince Ping Narsu as his princess; in the 3th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign (), the second daughter married a Mongolian prince as his princess. []

Career experience

Cao Yin's calligraphy (7 photos)

In his youth, Cao Yin was a man of both civil and military talents, erudite and versatile, and handsome. In his twenties, he was promoted to the second-class imperial guard and the commander of the flags and drums of the Plain White Banner. In the early Qing Dynasty, imperial guards and commanders were both very honorable positions. The three banners of the Bordered Yellow Banner, the Plain Yellow Banner, and the Plain White Banner were the armies commanded by the emperor himself. It was obvious that Cao Yin was able to hold such an important position because Emperor Kangxi took special care of this talented companion.

In June of the 1684rd year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi (1690), Cao Yin's father, Cao Xi, who was then the Jiangning Weaving Supervisor, died of illness while in office. "In the winter of that year, the emperor arrived in Jiangning on his eastern tour and sent a special envoy to pay tribute; he was also ordered to appoint his eldest son Yin to assist in the affairs of the Jiangning Weaving Supervisor." In April of the 1692th year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi (), Emperor Kangxi promoted Cao Yin to Suzhou Weaving Supervisor; in November of the st year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi (), he was transferred to Jiangning Weaving Supervisor. His vacancy as Suzhou Weaving Supervisor was replaced by his brother-in-law Li Xu (then the general manager of Changchun Garden).

Cao Yin served as the textile manufacturer twice in his life. During his tenure, he hosted the welcoming ceremonies for Emperor Kangxi's southern tour five times in a row (four times in Nanjing and once in Yangzhou). His actual work scope far exceeded the requirements of his position, and the trust and respect he received exceeded that of local governors and governors-general.

贩铜

It was common for the Baoyi of the Imperial Household Department to engage in business in the Qing Dynasty. They were all officials of the inner court with certain ranks. Since they were the emperor's retainers, they had the responsibility to generate income for the emperor's treasury. Cao Yin presided over the affairs of the Jiangning Weaving Bureau for a long time as a member of the Guangchusi Yuanwailang. In the Qing Dynasty, only officials of the fourth rank and above were qualified to submit memorials directly to the emperor, but when he was the fifth rank, he submitted more memorials than those of the second and third rank officials, and Emperor Kangxi encouraged him to submit more memorials.

Around the 40th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign, Cao Yin noticed that copper trading was a good business, so he drafted a memorial saying that he also wanted to participate in this business and could generate income for the Imperial Household Department, but copper trading required a large amount of funds, so he wanted to borrow 100,000 taels of silver from the Imperial Household Department. Emperor Kangxi read this memorial and immediately approved it. Later, several aristocratic families in the Imperial Household Department also smelled the meat aroma and came to grab a share, competing with each other to lower prices. Cao Yin gradually lost money in copper trading, so he drafted another memorial and found an excuse that could not stand up to scrutiny, saying that he didn't want to do it anymore. Emperor Kangxi still approved it immediately and did not even pursue the loss of capital.

皇商

In the case of Cao Yin, he asked the emperor for money as soon as he opened his mouth, which is a key indicator of the official-merchant class in the Imperial Household Department. Whether he was a bondservant or a Shanxi merchant, being able to borrow the imperial treasury meant that he had gained the trust of the royal family. The more imperial treasury he borrowed, the closer his relationship with the royal family was. After all, the latter felt that the former really had the ability to make money, so they would invest heavily, and would lend him money even if the former had no money. Only when the bureaucrat-merchant could do business with the emperor's money could he say that he had truly become an "imperial merchant."