When Old Ding was fourteen, his family arranged a marriage for him. At sixteen, he fathered his eldest son, Ding Tai, and at eighteen, his second son, Ding Ping. The names of his two sons were quite well-chosen—together, they spelled "Peace."
When his eldest son, Ding Tai, turned fifteen, Old Ding—who by then had already passed the provincial examinations to become a Juren—arranged a marriage for him as well. Less than two years later, his eldest daughter-in-law presented Old Ding with a granddaughter, who was now just sixteen. In these times, women could be married off as early as fourteen; as for "national daughters"—the daughters of banner families—they were required to participate in the imperial selection process at thirteen. To prevent their daughters from being chosen for the palace, some banner families would marry them off as early as twelve. Compared to later generations, women in this era also gave birth at a younger age. For instance, the mother of the Old Ancestor’s grandfather, the Kangxi Emperor, gave birth to him at fourteen, and the Kangxi Emperor’s first empress, the Hesheli clan, entered the palace at eleven.
As a scholar, Old Ding naturally did not harbor any prejudice against daughters. Being his eldest granddaughter, he doted on her immensely and even chose her name himself. He called her Ding Wanqing, a name derived from the *Classic of Poetry*: "A beautiful person, clear and graceful." Compared to the common names in the civilian population—like Spri…
Chapter 130