I secretly think that the atmosphere of the Northern Song Dynasty was closer to the openness of the Tang Dynasty, which is why there are many prostitutes in Water Margin. In Water Margin, after Song Jiang heard the gossip between Yan Poxi and Zhang Wenyuan, he only went less often, which shows that it is not uncommon for women to have affairs, and it cannot be a great shame for men. Otherwise, Song Jiang, who cares about his reputation, will definitely not ignore it. Even if he does not kill people for it, he will draw a clear line with Yan Poxi to preserve his reputation.
Another evidence of the openness of the Northern Song Dynasty is that the trend of remarriage still continued in the Tang Dynasty. The famous poet Li Qingzhao once remarried. It was not that Li Qingzhao dared to fight against the secular world, but that remarriage was not uncommon at that time, and widowhood had not yet appeared in later generations.
Zhu Xi, the founder of Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, was born in the Southern Song Dynasty. It was also during the Southern Song Dynasty that the ideological system of Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism matured, and it was only after the Southern Song Dynasty that it became an officially recommended idea.
I think the reason why the Southern Song Dynasty court respected Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism was related to the humiliation of Jingkang.
Jingkang's Shame Thousands of women from the Zhao and Song royal families were captured, raped and escorted all the way. After arriving in the Jin Kingdom, the better-looking ones were assigned to the Jin Kingdom's monarchs and ministers, while the inferior ones were sent to laundry houses (equivalent to military prostitutes). It can be said that they were tortured. Shame, but there is only one woman who has the courage to commit suicide.
Queen Mother Wei, the biological mother of Zhao Gou, the first emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty, was one of the female prisoners who were escorted to the Kingdom of Jin. After Zhao Gou ascended the throne, he redeemed his biological mother from the Kingdom of Jin. You can imagine what happened in the process.
It can be said that during the Southern Song Dynasty, the humiliation suffered by the entire Han people was huge, so there was an impetus to promote Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism.
In order to prevent men in power in society from suffering the same humiliation in the future, women¡¯s chastity has become an officially promoted idea.
The writing of this book will be more open. If you have different opinions, you can post a discussion in the comment area, or join the readers group. See the introduction below for the group account.