The difference between a son and an illegitimate child
Because of the existence of wives and concubines, their descendants are unequal in name and status.
The first son born to his wife is regarded as the eldest son, which occupies an absolute position in the family inheritance system and ancestral temple sacrifice. It can be said that he is the first choice successor of the whole family. In addition to the eldest son, other children born to his wife are also the eldest sons, but they are slightly less in resources than the eldest son, but they are also the core figures in family training.
In the ancient clan concept, other sons are also an important force in the development of the whole family. The illegitimate child is my concubine's son. He may be the eldest son of the family sometimes, but he is not the eldest son, so he has no right to inherit. In addition, there is a great difference in status between illegitimate children and eldest sons. Generally speaking, the children born to my concubine are called collateral in a large family.
They can enjoy fewer family resources and are completely dependent on their son's "main home". As for the amount of resources, it depends entirely on the family's willingness to allocate.
In addition, due to the prevalence of Confucianism, there is also a profound concept of "courtesy" in the family system, so illegitimate children can't call their mother "Niang" in public at home, but must call their first mother "Niang".