太监曹吉祥事迹发微

On the Life Story about Eunuch Cao Jixiang

曹吉祥本名吉祥,终身未正式冠以曹姓,其原籍永平府滦州长春社,该地于明初安置有许多蒙古等族百姓。吉祥以军功发迹,成为首位提督京营太监,其麾下长期蓄有一批蒙古等族达官军。吉祥家族贪财嗜利,并为达官军谋求利益,其侄曹钦因不法事遭到揭发,从而率达官军武力反抗。吉祥及其家族具有半蒙半汉的文化特征,不排除其原本是蒙古人。明朝对曹钦兵变的妥善处置,显示了“华夷一家”的统治理念,在明代民族交融进程中具有重要意义。

Cao Jixiang,originally named Jixiang,never officially adopted the surname Cao during his lifetime.He was by origin from Changchunshe in Luanzhou,Yongping Prefecture where many Mongolian and other ethnic groups were settled at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty.Jixiang rose to powerful position by his military achievements,later which made him the first eunuch to oversee the Imperial Guard of the capital,with a group of Tatar troops under his command for a long time.The Ji Xiang's family was greedy for wealth and sought political and economic rights for the Tatar troops.His nephew,Cao Qin,exposed for illegal activities,led Tatar troops to resist with force.Jixiang and his clan are of the mixed cultural characteristics of the Mongolian and the Han.So they were probably the Mongolian by origin.The flexibility of Ming Dynasty in tackling Cao Qin's rebellion reflects the ruling idea of'the Han and the minorities as one Family',which is of significant importance in the progress of ethnic blending during the Ming era.