Dongfang Shuo (154 BC-93 BC), named Manqian, was born in Pingyuan Yanci (now Shentou Town, Ling County). He lost his parents when he was young and was raised by his brother and sister-in-law. Dongfang Shuo was smart and agile since he was a child, and was diligent and eager to learn. By the time he was in his twenties, he had mastered "Poems", "Books", "Yi" and Sun Tzu and Wu Qi's Art of War. In addition, he was good at swordsmanship, literary talent, and eloquent, which won the respect of his hometown. . At that time, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty vigorously strengthened the centralization of power, expanded the territory, and wanted to expand his ambitions and recruit talents. So Dongfang Shuo wrote a letter to recommend himself, saying: "Chen Shuo is 22 years old, nine feet tall, his eyes are like hanging pearls, and his teeth are like The neatly arranged jade shells are as brave as the warrior Meng Ben, as agile as the prince Qingji, as honest as the Qi official Bao Shu, and as loyal as the righteous Wei Sheng. I am confident that I can become a competent minister under the emperor." Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was amazed by his unmodest and sharp-edged words and deeds, so he issued an order to serve as a Gongche Ling (managing official letters and imperial edicts).
Dongfang Shuo was very dissatisfied as the official salary was meager and he never saw the emperor. In order to get Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty to summon him as soon as possible, he deliberately frightened several dwarfs who raised horses for the emperor: "The emperor said that you people can neither farm nor fight, nor do you have the talent to govern and secure the country. You are of no benefit to the country, so I plan to Kill you. Why don't you go and beg the emperor for mercy!" The dwarfs were frightened and cried to Emperor Wu of Han for mercy. When Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty asked what had happened, he summoned Dongfang Shuo to question him. Dongfang Shuo finally had a chance to face the emperor directly. He said humorously: "I had no choice but to do this. Zhu Ru is 3 feet tall and I am 9 feet tall, but I earn the same amount of salary. I can't support them to death and starve to death! If the emperor is not willing to reuse me, , just let me go home, I don't want to waste the white rice in the capital anymore." Dongfang Shuo's humorous words made Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty laugh, so he appointed him to serve on Jinmamen, and soon he was promoted to minister, serving around him.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty liked games. In his spare time from politics, he often asked riddles for his attendants to guess. Dongfang Shuo was sure to hit every guess, answered fluently, and soon became favored. Dongfang Shuo took advantage of the opportunity to be close to the emperor and repeatedly criticized the state affairs to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.
In the third year of Jianyuan (138 BC), Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty planned to set aside hundreds of miles of fertile land in Guanzhong and build a large-scale forest garden for hunting and recreation. Most of the ministers in the court catered to the emperor's wishes and expressed their approval, but Dongfang Shuo remonstrated with reason: "I heard that if you are modest and prudent, heaven will bring blessings, and if you are proud and extravagant, heaven will bring disasters. Now the emperor thinks that the palace is not high and the gardens are not wide. To build Shanglin Garden, imagine that the land in the Guanzhong area is fertile and the products are abundant. The country relies on peace and the people rely on prosperity. The land is divided into gardens. The country will be deprived of the country and the people will be harmed. People will be destroyed to build a tiger and deer paradise. Tombs and houses will be demolished, leaving the common people homeless, crying and resentful of the imperial court. In the past, King Zhou of Yin built nine cities and the princes rebelled. King Ling of Chu built Zhanghua Terrace and the Chu people were alienated. "We must learn from past events." Although Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was unwilling to stop the construction of Shanglin Garden, he admired Dongfang Shuo's courage and loyalty and issued an edict to bestow a hundred catties of gold on him. Official title.
Princess Longli, the younger sister of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, had a son in old age and was granted the title of Lord Zhaoping. She was deeply favored by Emperor Wu. However, she was arrogant and lawless and committed murder while drunk. The court officials did not dare to punish the crime according to law, so they asked Emperor Wu for instructions. Emperor Wu was hindered by the law and could not issue a pardon. So he pretended to cry, hoping to imply that Ting Wei would be exempted from guilt. All the ministers on the left and right saw the emperor's intentions and interceded for Lord Zhaoping one after another. Dongfang Shuo pretended to be confused and congratulated Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty: "The holy king is in power. He cries for rewards and does not shy away from the enemy. He kills without regard for his own flesh and blood. Today, the holy king is strict, The world is so lucky!" This move made it difficult for Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty to show personal favoritism, so he had to bear the pain and punish Lord Zhaoping according to law.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was very happy with his achievements, and he also liked his ministers to sing their praises. Once, Emperor Wu asked Dongfang Shuo: "Sir, what kind of monarch do you think Lian is?" Dongfang Shuo replied: "The merits of the Holy Emperor are greater than those of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. How could you not have so many sages assisting you, such as Zhou Gongdan and Shao Gongxi who all became prime ministers? , Confucius will be the imperial censor, and Jiang Ziya will be the general..." Dongfang Shuo said in one breath that all 32 capable ministers in ancient times became ministers of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.
His words were sarcastic, but he also pretended to be funny, which made Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty so angry that he burst into tears and laughed. While laughing and hating, he really felt that he was inferior to the holy king.
Dongfang Shuo wrote a lot in his life, including "Answering Guests", "On Mr. Fei You", "Feng Taishan", "Responsibility and Clan's Wall", "Shizi Poems", etc., which have been collected by later generations. For "Eastern Tai Zhong Ji". Sima Qian called him the "Funny Hero" in "Historical Records". Xia Houzhan of Jin Dynasty wrote "Ode to Dongfang Shuo's Paintings", praising Dongfang Shuo's noble character and his wisdom and humor. Yan Zhenqing, a great calligrapher of the Tang Dynasty, wrote this article Engraved monument. This monument is still preserved in Ling County.