But there are some details that the Xue family should not be so miserable. First, Jia has a title and brilliant military achievements. In contrast, the Xue family seems to be much weaker. Why can it be ranked among the four major families? Is it just the money?
Second, the Red Chamber said for the fourth time that Xue Baochai would enter the palace to choose a princess to attend school, and the conditions of the draft clearly stated "daughter of a famous minister". Obviously, just being an imperial businessman is not enough. Baochai is qualified to be selected. Her family should have a background, right?
Let's look at the ancestors of the four families first.
According to the order of ancient titles: male and female (from high to low)
There was also a principle in ancient times: no military achievements and no knighthood, so the ancestors of Jia, Wang, Shi and Lin all made great contributions to the country.
Among them, the duke is the highest, and the Jia family has two dukes. It is conceivable that Yuan Chun, Miss Jia, was successfully elected to the Palace, which has a great relationship with Jia's political status.
Followed by Hou, and Shi Xiangyun are both bowling Hou, but Shi Xiangyun's father died young, and she has been following her uncle, which is nothing to rely on. Xiren once served Shi Xiangyun, which shows that Shi Xiangyun grew up with Jia Mu when he was a child.
Lin Daiyu's ancestors also belonged to this level. The title of the Lins was especially merciful by the emperor, and it was five generations until Lin Ruhai, Lin Daiyu's father, and Lin Ruhai himself were admitted to the flower exploration.
When Jia married her favorite daughter, she certainly saw his bright future.
The Wangs are the earl. After Qiu, then the younger sister, that is, Mrs. Wang, married Jia Zheng (after Rong Guogong, the second son did not attack Jue), which is considered suitable, right?
But one thing, these titles are degraded in the process of passing down from generation to generation, and the convention is only to attack three generations. In peacetime, the descendants of these big families must transform from soldiers to literati, otherwise they will be easily squeezed out of the power center.
One way to stabilize the family position is to rely on the descendants of the family to become famous, just like Lin Ruhai; Second, relying on children's marriage, like Jia's entry into the palace, is the most powerful pillar of Jia's power.
At this point, it can be seen that the Xue family is not the last of the four families.
The Xue family is the official position of Scheeren in Wei Zi after Gong Xue, and this Scheeren in Wei Zi, like the Scheeren in Zhongshu, is equivalent to the secretary of the emperor, but the person appointed must be knowledgeable. The book also said that Xue Jia was originally a "scholarly family", that is, Xue Jia was also a scholar. It can be seen from Xue Baochai's erudition and accomplishment that Xue Baochai's father still attaches great importance to reading.
Coupled with the flag, there are conditions for choosing to enter the palace, so at the beginning of the story, Aunt Xue and her family went to Beijing to prepare Baochai to choose to enter the palace.
The Xue family "received money from the royal family", which means that they are very rich in royal business. However, Xue Baochai's father knew that his family status was not high and Xue Pan could not study, so he hoped to improve the family situation through Xue Baochai's marriage. Therefore, he attached great importance to Xue Baochai's education since he was a child, and gave him strict training in poetry, words and deeds to prepare for the future palace champion.
However, Xue Baochai's father died young, and Xue Pan was undisciplined and arrogant, repeatedly stabbing the murder case. He needed to rely on Jia Jia and Wang Jiacai to settle the case, and Xue Baochai failed again. The reason is not mentioned in the book, but it must have a lot to do with Xue's social status and wind review, which makes Aunt Xue and Xue Baochai look for a backer.
On the other hand, Lin Daiyu was born into a noble family and a well-read father. From what he said to me, it can be seen that Lin's father's elegant character will never regard Lin Daiyu's marriage as a stepping stone to family rights. Lin Daiyu grew up in such an environment, and her upbringing and noble character emanated from her bones.
From the beginning, the purpose of Xue Baochai's marriage was to improve her family status. She has her destiny, and all her ways of dealing with people are deliberately trained. When she finally needed to marry Lin Daiyu as an impostor, she didn't make any noise and seemed too sensible. Being dead is definitely better than being Lin Daiyu.
It is not surprising to know that Xue Jia and Baochai were educated since childhood.