The origin of the ash is introduced as follows:

On the origin of the "ash" folklore there are the following legends:

One: the ash should be bending down and kneeling on the ground, so that the knees are dirty. Knee daughter-in-law homophonic, dirty knees, hidden meaning is dirty daughter-in-law. That's why the metaphorical term for an old man stealing from his daughter-in-law is called picking at the ashes.

Two: the temple burning incense in the furnace, burning more tin foil, over time, the formation of a large block, the monks pick out to sell money with. Later, the people next to the temple know, also come to the furnace to steal tin. Because of the tin daughter-in-law homophonic, it is derived from the old man stealing daughter-in-law cryptic.

Three: Wang Anshi's son is a fool died early, daughter-in-law is very beautiful, Wang Anshi's wife also died, so Wang Anshi buried a love poem in the incense burner in the house, the daughter-in-law in the incense found, but also and the poem a poem is also buried in the incense burner.

So the two came together. Qing people have a "Wuxia Proverbial Union", is another way of saying, seems to be the source of this rumor: after the death of Wang Anshi's son, he gave his daughter-in-law in the backyard to build another house to live in, may be worried about the daughter-in-law red apricot wall, often go to the surveillance, the daughter-in-law misunderstanding, the poem on the wall, said: the wind and flow does not fall into other people's homes. When Wang Anshi saw it, he snapped off the poem with his fingernail. Because it is a lime wall, so it is said to be pickled.

Four: Su Dongpo lost his wife in his later years and lived with his son and daughter-in-law. The son was a bit dull. One day a long time did not enter the study Su Dongpo came to the study, the table covered with dust, idle Dongpo with his fingertips on the dusty table wrote lines. "A lute in the green tent. Even if there is a Yangchun dare not play" At this time the daughter-in-law came in to see what the eunuch wrote, and continued the sentence below. "If the eunuch wants to play a song, the fertilizer does not flow outside."

Just after writing the son came in, Su Dongpo busy with his sleeve to brush away the words on the table, the son asked: "What is father doing?" Su Dongpo busy answer: "picking dust". From then on, "picking dust" has become popular.

Wang Anshi and Su Dongpo for the Northern Song Dynasty, but the political ideas are different, the history of praise and criticism, from this different "ash" story that can be seen, is nothing more than the two political forces in the personal attacks, do not have to take it seriously.