The time for observing filial piety depends on local customs. Observing filial piety has a long history.
In the early Western Zhou Dynasty, due to the Zhou Gong system of rituals and music, many rituals were left from generation to generation, and the ritual and music system also changed and developed with the development of society.
In ancient times, when officials died of their father or mother, they had to temporarily resign and return to their hometown to mourn. This situation was called "Ding You", also known as "Ding Jian", "Shou Xiao", etc. This system began in the Han Dynasty.
In ancient times, if an official encountered the death of his parents, no matter how big his official position was, he had to take leave and return to his hometown to "Dingyou". However, if an official resigns and goes back to his hometown to "Dingyou", not only will he lose his salary, but more importantly, when he returns to the court after three years, there will have been great changes in the officialdom, and his position will have been replaced by others. If you want to resume your position, you must work hard again.
Because of this, many officials are unwilling to return to their hometown to visit Dingyou, and even conceal the funeral of their parents. But once this situation is discovered, the consequences will be more serious. For example, Meng Yi during the Mingzong period of the late Tang Dynasty was ordered to commit suicide because he concealed the death of his mother.
However, because Ding You's stay lasts for three years, this will inevitably have an impact and interruption on the administrative work of the imperial court, especially when senior executives in important positions return to his hometown. In order to solve this situation, "seizing love" is a system formulated by the ancient government to deal with this problem.
If an ancient official encountered a situation where he needed to return to his hometown of Dingyou, and if the court had special circumstances, such as a political or military situation that was important and urgent, the official was required not to return to his hometown of Dingyou, but to stay in Dingyou. The court or officials have returned to Dingyou's hometown, but the deadline has not expired for three years, and the court forces him to return to the court in advance. Both of these situations are called "seizing love."
Once Ding You encounters a rivalry, he must obey, because in ancient times, the righteousness between king and minister was greater than the love between father and son. Under normal circumstances, only officials who hold important positions in the central court will encounter situations where love is stolen.
Of course, there are also officials who are unwilling to resign and seek personal gain. For example, Zhang Juzheng, the chief minister of the cabinet during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, was vigorously promoting the New Deal when he received the news of his father's death. He was afraid that he would After three years in the countryside, reforms will fall short.
So, on the surface, he repeatedly wrote letters requesting Dingyou to return to his hometown, but secretly, through the Queen Mother, he asked the emperor to issue an edict to seize his love. Although many opposition parties tried to drive him home to Dingyou, Zhang Juzheng succeeded in winning his love and continued to implement the New Reform Policy.