The ancestors of Dou Zhao were peddlers without fixed property. By a stroke of luck, one married a maid from a merchant family in town. Using the ten taels of silver from his wife’s dowry, he bought one and a half mu of land in Beilou Village, Zhending. There, they settled and flourished.
This marked the origin of the later renowned Beilou Dou clan.
Dou Zhao’s great-grandfather began apprenticing at his mother’s former employer’s silk shop at ten. By fourteen, he completed his training, and at twenty, he became the shop’s second manager. The owner wanted to marry his daughter’s maid to him, but he aspired for his descendants to break free from serving others. Instead, he sought to marry Hao, the daughter of a poor scholar from the west of town.
At twenty-one, he used eight taels of silver, saved through frugal living, as a betrothal gift to marry Hao, consequently losing his position as second manager.
He returned to Beilou Village with Hao, taking over his father’s peddling pole and the thirty mu of good farmland his father had acquired through a lifetime of hard work. He farmed during busy seasons and peddled during slack times.
The following summer, Hao bore him a healthy son.
At the village entrance, he encountered a cotton merchant.
Zhending Prefecture grew cotton.
The merchant sought someone familiar with local farmers to help collect cotton.
The father volunteered. Drawing on skills honed at the silk shop, he could assess cotton quality at a glance, estimate weight with a lift, and was proficient with an abacus and bookkeeping.
As summer ended, besides the agreed payment, the cotton merchant rewarded Dou Zhao’s great-grandfather with an extra ten taels of silver, promising to seek his help again the following year.
By winter, Dou Zhao’s great-grandfather had traversed Zhending County’s surrounding areas. Come next summer, he knew precisely which households grew how much cotton, its quality, and the farmers’ dispositions. He managed cotton collection, weighing, accounting, storage, and bookkeeping flawlessly. The merchant could simply relax in the shade, sipping tea.
“It seems my presence is unnecessary, and I’m incurring lodging and meal expenses,” the merchant mused to Dou Zhao’s great-grandfather. “I have an idea. I’ll advance you some money, and you can collect the cotton yourself. Then, deliver the fine cotton to me, and we’ll settle based on its quality. What do you think?”
Thus, the Dou family built their fortune on cotton collection.
By the time of Dou Zhao’s great-great-grandfather, the Dous were trading cotton from Zhending, Huolu, Yuanji, Pingshan, and Xingtang counties for silk in Jiangnan. They then sold the silk in Sichuan, transported Sichuan’s medicinal herbs to the capital, converted them to silver, and crafted modern jewelry for Zhending’s elite.
Dou Zhao’s great-great-grandfather could focus solely on his studies and pursuing an official career.
Despite his diligence, he only managed to attain the rank of xiucai.
Nevertheless, this didn’t prevent him from marrying the daughter of Zhao, a juren from Anxiang Village in neighboring Xingtang County.
The Zhao family was quite different from the Dous!
They possessed a family genealogy.
Though they owned only 120 mu of land, their ancestors could be traced back to the time of King Mu of Zhou. Moreover, “Zhao” was the imperial surname of the previous dynasty. The Zhao family had relocated from the old capital, Bianjiang, during the dynastic change.
The Zhao clan of Anxiang was also Dou Zhao’s maternal family.
After marrying into the Zhao family, Dou Zhao’s great-great-grandfather had two sons: the elder Dou Huancheng and the younger Dou Yaocheng.
Both brothers showed exceptional intelligence from a young age. They studied under their maternal grandfather, Zhao, and later attended the Imperial Academy in the capital.
In the thirteenth year of Zhide, both brothers achieved success in the imperial examinations.
The elder brother ranked third in the second class, while the younger ranked thirty-seventh in the second class.
From this point, the Dou family truly rose to prominence.
Subsequently, the elder brother passed the examination for Hanlin Academy scholars and remained at the Hanlin Academy, observing government affairs in the Xingren Department. The younger brother was assigned as a county deputy magistrate in Jinxian County, Nanchang Prefecture.
Dou Zhao’s great-great-grandfather’s fortune was short-lived. He passed away after only a few years of glory.
Neither brother was by his side at his death.
The brothers returned home to observe the mourning period. After it ended, they returned to the capital to await new appointments.
The elder brother, being a Hanlin scholar with experience in the Xingren Department, quickly secured a position as a censor in the Censorate. The younger brother struggled for half a year before obtaining a position as a clerk in the Yunnan Provincial Surveillance Commission, thanks to his brother’s efforts.
In the younger brother’s mind, Yunnan was a land of treacherous mountains and miasmic jungles. Some officials had died from sudden illness en route to their posts there. It was no place for a man to live.
If he continued to wait for a position in the capital, firstly, as a newcomer to officialdom, they might not secure good positions. Secondly, with court officials being promoted every three years, by the time he found a good position, his elder brother would likely have already risen to the sixth rank.
The more he pondered, the less appealing it seemed. He decided to resign and return to Zhending County.
Lady Zhao lived a comfortable and respectable life. Her only concern was that both her sons were serving as officials away from home. She feared dying without her sons by her side, as had happened to her husband.
Naturally, she was delighted when Dou Yaocheng returned home.
With her elder son’s career progressing smoothly, having her younger son back allowed him to fulfill his filial duties and help manage household affairs.
Dou Yaocheng, with the prestige of a jinshi degree, conducted business quite differently from his ancestors.
The silver exchanged in the capital was no longer used for jewelry but as high-interest loans. These were given to impoverished Hanlin scholars, newly appointed seventh-rank officials needing funds for gifts and official attire, or high-ranking officials returning to the capital for performance reviews and requiring money for entertaining and gift-giving. As these officials were promoted or demoted, the Dou family began to involve themselves in river engineering materials, frontier grain supplies, and salt monopoly licenses in the southern rivers.
Silver poured in like water, dazzling and frightening Lady Zhao and Dou Huancheng.
Dou Huancheng, now a Right Deputy Censor in the Censorate, repeatedly warned his brother, “The full moon wanes, overflowing water spills. You should be more discreet.”
Dou Yaocheng dismissed this: “The bold thrive, the timid starve. I’m merely borrowing your influence. When you retire, I’ll stop this business.”
Dou Huancheng felt the money was tainted: “Selling southern goods in the north is honest, hard-earned money. What you’re doing is collusion between officials and merchants! You’re profiting from national hardship!”
Dou Yaocheng scoffed, “Now brother finds the money dirty? You didn’t mind when buying rare Song Dynasty books or supporting the orphans of colleagues…”
“You!” Dou Huancheng’s lips trembled with anger.
The brothers parted on bad terms.
Lady Zhao, distressed by this, advised Dou Yaocheng, “Listen to your elder brother. He works in the Censorate, overseeing all departments. He’s seen much and won’t harm you.”
Dou Yaocheng, not wanting to worry his mother but unwilling to yield to his elder brother, casually replied, “Look at those officials. They all scramble for favors. Without asking, people offer food, drinks, and silver, fearing refusal. I’m different from my elder brother. If I don’t earn silver for a day, I have nothing to eat.”
Lady Zhao saw through this. She chuckled, “You think your mother is senile.” But inwardly, she considered that her elder son had only his salary, yet every visit home brought ginseng, bird’s nest, jewelry, or jade for her. His wife and children always had new clothes and accessories each season, indicating they lived well. While her elder son’s words made sense, her younger son’s business wasn’t easy either. On his last trip to Songjiang Prefecture, he drank so much to entertain officials that he became nauseated at the mere smell of alcohol. Despite this, her younger son never kept any earnings for himself, contributing everything to the family and sharing all profits equally with his elder brother.
Thinking this, she felt more sympathy for her younger son.
Having an official title truly made a difference.
Why else would people struggle so desperately to become officials?
The old lady’s heart leaned towards this younger son who daily attended to her needs.
As Dou Yaocheng had abandoned his official career, with capable managers assisting in the business, it grew increasingly prosperous. He gradually turned his attention to pleasure-seeking.
It began with gatherings of friends for drinks and conversation, then progressed to watching opera performances and horse racing.
When Lady Zhao learned of this, she advised her younger son, “You’re a man of status. How can you drink at the same table as common traders and their women? Why not buy some clever young maids, hire famous actors from Zhending Prefecture to train them, and form your opera troupe? It would be respectable, entertaining, and could liven up festivals and celebrations.”
With his mother’s approval, Dou Yaocheng had no more reservations.
His indulgences became increasingly extravagant.
The rift between the brothers deepened.
Lady Zhao, seeing this situation couldn’t continue, sought advice from her elder brother.
Uncle Zhao pondered and said, “They’re brothers, but clear accounts make good friends. Why not divide the family while you’re still here? Let them live separately, and there will be nothing more to argue about.”
Lady Zhao contemplated for a long time before making a painful decision: “It’s better than having them fight over inheritance after I’m gone. I’ll bear the blame for dividing the family. I’m already halfway to the grave anyway.” She then summoned her elder son: “…Stop quarreling over these trivial matters!”
“Mother, this isn’t trivial,” Dou Huancheng disagreed with dividing the family and tried to persuade his mother. “Official careers may bring temporary glory, but literary achievements last forever. A family’s foundation isn’t solely in official success; family reputation is crucial. With official success but no family reputation, one might maintain integrity and avoid being corrupted by luxury. But if one can’t, the fall from grace is more tragic than for ordinary families. With a family reputation but no official success, one can still act with integrity and live honestly, resisting negative influences and attracting good fortune. Uncle’s family is like this…”
“I know, I know,” Lady Zhao placated him. “It’s my wish to divide the family. I can’t bear to see you two quarreling like this anymore. Especially your brother, after ten years of hard study, ending up like this. You’re brothers; if you don’t look after him, who will? But brotherhood is like marriage; day after day, year after year, even the strongest feelings can be worn down by constant friction. Consider it as an act of filial piety to me and divide the family.”
Dou Huancheng swore before his mother, “I will take good care of my brother. There’s no need to divide the family…”
Lady Zhao shook her head, “Listen to me. Although your father left us a fortune of ten thousand, it’s not even a third of what the Dou family owns now. I want to divide the family wealth into three parts: one for me, one for you, and one for your brother. I’ll live with your brother, and when I’m gone, my share will go to him…”
Was this about dividing the family or just the wealth?
Was this his mother’s idea or his brother’s?
Dou Huancheng dared not think further and nodded in agreement.
Lady Zhao invited Uncle Zhao, the current magistrate of Zhending County, and the families of both daughters-in-law to act as mediators in dividing the family.
Since his mother would be living with his younger brother, Dou Huancheng gave up the large mansion in Zhending County and built a five-courtyard house with blue bricks and tiles on the east side of the county town.
From then on, the Dou family was divided into two branches.
Dou Huancheng’s branch, living in the east of the town, became known as the “East Dou,” while Dou Yaocheng’s branch, living in the west, became known as the “West Dou.”
Dou Yaocheng was Dou Zhao’s great-grandfather.
As Dou Huancheng had feared, within a few years, Dou Yaocheng’s wives and concubines began fighting for favor, resulting in a fatal incident that exposed many internal scandals. Although the matter was suppressed, the West Dou branch was severely weakened. Dou Yaocheng died before reaching forty, and his descendants dwindled, leaving only Dou Zhao’s grandfather, Dou Duo, to survive.
The “East Dou” branch, however, thrived.
Dou Huancheng had two sons and three daughters. He had nine grandsons, three granddaughters, eleven maternal grandsons, and nine maternal granddaughters. Two of his sons and one son-in-law successively passed the imperial examinations.
He didn’t forget his promise to his mother and continued to care for Dou Yaocheng’s branch.
After Dou Yaocheng’s death, Dou Huancheng took the young Dou Duo under his wing, helping manage his assets, personally teaching him, and watching over him as he established his own family. He then returned the family assets to Dou Duo without any discrepancies. Even in his will, he stated: “The East and West Dou are one family, separated in residence but not in lineage.”
Duo Duo’s impression of his uncle was stronger than that of his father. He regarded Dou Huancheng as his father and treated his cousins like brothers. When his son Dou Shiying was born, he was ranked in the same generation as the “Shi” generation of the East Dou family, symbolizing that the two branches remained as one, never to be truly separated.
Thus, although Dou Zhao’s father was an only child, he was referred to as the Seventh Master.
The one known as the Third Master was Dou Shibang, the eldest son of Dou Zhao’s grand-uncle.