Getting Rich from Legend of Zhen Huan

cultural activity

Cao Yin was fond of literature and art, and also loved collecting books. He was proficient in poetry, opera and calligraphy. His representative works include "Liangting Poetry Collection" and "Liangting Ci Collection". Cao Yin's profound cultural education and extensive cultural activities created a cultural and artistic atmosphere for the Cao family. At this time, the Cao family showed unprecedented prosperity.

In May of the 44th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign, Cao Yin was ordered to be the general manager of Yangzhou Book Bureau and was responsible for editing and publishing the Complete Tang Poems. In September of the following year, the book was printed and presented to the emperor. Emperor Kangxi wrote the preface in April of the 46th year of his reign, and the book was officially published in March of the 50th year. In March of the 51st year of his reign, Cao Yin was ordered to print the Peiwen Yunfu and personally went to Yangzhou Tianning Temple to manage the printing.

Zhu Danwen pointed out in his book that various historical documents prove that Cao Yin's poetry and wine lingering with Ming loyalists and upper-class intellectuals in Jiangnan cannot be regarded as a mere habit of literati, nor can it be covered by Cao Yin's personal courtesy to the wise and humble. This was a political decision made by Emperor Kangxi to win over the southern scholars and erase their anti-Qing consciousness, and Cao Yin and others were just the officials who implemented it. In the first month of the 17th year of Kangxi, Emperor Shengzu issued an edict to hold the erudite examination in the spring of the next year. Cao Yin was 23 years old at the time and served as the chief of the Imperial Guard in Beijing. He participated in the reception of the examination and established deep feelings and friendships with famous scholars from various provinces such as Fu Shan, Gu Jingxing, Shao Changheng, Li Yindu, Wang Wan, Chen Weisong, Shi Runzhang, Yan Ruoju, You Tong, Zhu Yizun, Jiang Chenying, Mao Qiling, and Mao Jike. Most of them maintained close contact with Cao Yin after he became the textile manufacturer. In May of the 23rd year of Emperor Kangxi's reign, Cao Xi died. Cao Yin went south to attend the funeral and stayed in Jiangning for a year, where he had close contacts with some Ming survivors. Because Cao Yin was elegant and talented, and was the nephew of Ming survivor Gu Jingxing, he was respected in both the north and the south, and was soon recognized by the survivors and the upper-class Han intellectuals. After Cao Yin became the textile manufacturer, he had more contacts with people in Jiangnan. According to statistics, there were about 200 people who had exchanges of poetry and literature with Cao Yin, including some very influential celebrities at that time. Because Cao Yin conscientiously implemented the established policies of Emperor Kangxi in Jiangnan for more than 20 years, Cao Yin became a popular figure who presided over the elegance of the southeast, and enjoyed a very high reputation in the Jiangnan region.

Died in Yangzhou

Cao Yin

In February of the 4st year of Emperor Kangxi’s reign, Cao Yin went to Beijing to report on his work and returned south with his eldest son Cao Yong. In June, he was ordered by Emperor Kangxi to go from Jiangning to Yangzhou to preside over the engraving of Peiwen Yunfu. In July, he caught a cold, which then turned into malaria. Li Xu reported Cao Yin’s condition to Emperor Kangxi. Emperor Kangxi attached great importance to Cao Yin’s condition and immediately replied: “Your report is very good. Now I want to give you medicine to treat malaria. I am afraid of delay, so I will give you a post horse to rush to you overnight.” Below, Emperor Kangxi also wrote Manchu, which is the Manchu transliteration of Cinchona Frost, and explained it very carefully: “Specially used to treat malaria, use two qian of powder, mixed with wine. If the disease is milder, take another dose, and you must stay awake. After staying awake, take one qian or eight fen, take two doses in a row, and the disease will come out. If it is not malaria, this medicine cannot be used. You must be serious, and I urge you very much!” But Cao Yin was unlucky. He died in Yangzhou before the medicine was delivered. []

Li Xu reported to the emperor that before his death, he had calculated that the treasury was short of 3 taels of silver, and that Cao Yin no longer had the assets to make up for the shortfall. “Although he was dead, his eyes were still bright.” []

After Cao Yin's death, Emperor Kangxi appointed Cao Yin's son Cao Yong as the successor of Jiangning Weaving Supervisor in order to preserve Cao's family property in Jiangnan from damage during the relocation. Two years later, Cao Yong died of illness, and Emperor Kangxi personally presided over the adoption of Cao Yin's fourth nephew Cao Fu to take over the post of Jiangning Weaving Supervisor. At the same time, Emperor Kangxi asked Cao Yin's eldest brother-in-law, Suzhou Weaving Supervisor Li Xu, to make up for Cao Yin's deficit during his lifetime.

Descendants are convicted

Due to Cao Yin's daily ostentation, social engagements and gift-giving, especially the reception of Emperor Kangxi during his five southern tours, Cao Yin suffered huge financial losses. It can even be said that Cao Yin has planted the seeds of decline for the Cao family.

On the sixth day of the twelfth month of the 1709th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign ( AD), the Governor-General of Liangjiang, Galin, reported to Emperor Kangxi that Cao Yin and Li Xu owed the government three million taels of silver and requested to publicly impeach him. Emperor Kangxi regarded Cao Yin as a "family member". Galin requested to publicly impeach Cao Yin, but Emperor Kangxi did not approve it. However, the matter was of great importance, so Emperor Kangxi had to privately admonish Cao Yin and his eldest brother-in-law Li Xu that they must find a way to make up for the deficit. However, Cao Yin was facing a vast sea of ​​debt and could no longer make up for it, nor was he able to save the situation.

In the 1715th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign ( AD), it was discovered that Cao Yin had embezzled taels of silver from the weaving treasury during his lifetime. Emperor Kangxi had to make arrangements again and let Li Xu make up for it. It was not until the th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign that the debt was finally paid.

Kangxi took care of the Cao family because of the relationship between Cao Xi and Cao Yin. When it came to Cao Fu, he was more distant and indifferent. Kangxi once said to Cao Fu: "I am grateful to you for your father's long-term efforts." In the 61st year of Kangxi's reign, because Li Xu and Cao Fu owed money for selling ginseng, the Ministry of Internal Affairs petitioned Kangxi to order Li Xu and Cao Fu to pay the money owed before the end of the year, otherwise they would be severely punished. Kangxi approved it immediately. Obviously, this was completely different from Kangxi's previous attitude towards Cao Yin.

After Yongzheng came to power, he issued edicts one after another, and began to conduct a nationwide investigation of money and grain, and to recover the deficit. He repeatedly said: I can no longer be as tolerant as my father. Once an official with a deficit of money and grain is exposed, he will be dismissed immediately. In the first year of Yongzheng alone, dozens of officials at all levels were dismissed and their property was confiscated. Li Xu, the Suzhou weaving master who was a relative of the Cao family and shared hardships with them, was also convicted of a deficit and dismissed from his post and his property was confiscated.

However, Yongzheng did not punish the Cao family and Li Xu at the beginning, but allowed him to repay the deficit in three years. Cao Fu's own deficit had not yet been repaid, and the deficit left by Cao Yin was added, so he had to ask for help from many people. In order to prevent someone from intimidating and blackmailing Cao Fu, Yongzheng specifically instructed Cao Fu: running around and making friends with others will only drag yourself down and waste your time and energy to bring disaster; make up your mind, stay in the right place, and don't do anything wrong, otherwise if you damage my reputation, I will punish you severely, and Prince Yi can't save you. This special edict of Emperor Yongzheng shows that he still has good intentions for Cao Fu.

In the sixth year of Yongzheng's reign (1728), Cao Yin's adopted son Cao Fu was dismissed from his post and his property was confiscated for economic deficits, harassing post stations, and transferring property. He moved back to his old house in Beijing with nothing. After that, the family quickly fell into decline. During the Qianlong period, the descendants of the Cao family were scattered.

Book House

A famous writer and book collector in the Qing Dynasty. His courtesy name was Ziqing, Youqing, and his other courtesy name was Lianting. His pseudonyms were Lixuan and Xueqiao. His ancestral home was the Plain White Banner of the Han Army, and he lived in Shenyang for generations. He served as the Minister of Public Affairs and the Jiangning Weaving Supervisor. Because he planted several neem trees outside his home, he built a small pavilion named "Lianting" as a place to collect books and appreciate paintings. Later, he served as the Jiangning Weaving Supervisor. In his spare time from politics, he enjoyed proofreading and buying books, and he went back and forth between bookstores. His collection of books included many Song and Yuan editions, and his proofreading was also very fine. He had close contacts with Zhu Yizun. Li Wenzao said that "the books in the book pavilion were all copied in the Lianting", such as Song Leshi's "Taiping Huanyu Ji" (200 volumes), Song Zhao Mengkui's "Classified Tang Songs and Poems" (100 volumes), Wei Heshan's "Mao Shi Yaoyi" and "Lou Gongkui Wen Ji". He compiled a catalog of his family collection, the "Lianting Bibliography", in 8 volumes and 16 chapters, which recorded 3287 books, many of which were handwritten and published by the imperial court. There were 469 books in the "Shuobu" category alone. He engraved 5 kinds of "Yunyun" and 12 kinds of "Lianting Collection". The ancient books he edited and published were very exquisite, such as Gu Jingxing's "Complete Works of Baimaotang", Shi Runzhang's "Xueyutang Collection", "Poetry Collection", "Complete Tang Poetry" (900 volumes), etc. The handwritten copies include Tang Lu Deming's "Classics Interpretation". Zhang Xuecheng said that Cao Yin engraved 5 kinds of ancient books, which were known as the "Cao Lianting Edition". The collection of books was printed with "Qianshan Cao Family Collection", "Lianting Cao Family Collection", "Descendants and Grandchildren Preserve It", "Pingluan Family", etc. He wrote "Lianting Poetry and Lyrics Collection", "Poetry Collection", "Lianting Lyrics Collection", "Lianting Picture and Ode", etc. []