Fang Xuanling (579-August 18, 648), named Qiao and given the courtesy name Xuanling, was famous for his characters. He was a native of Qizhou in the early Tang Dynasty and the son of Fang Yanqian. Because Fang Xuanling was good at strategizing and Du Ruhui was decisive in dealing with things, he was known as "Fang Mou Du Jue". Later generations regarded him and Du Ruhui as models of good appearance, and they were collectively called "Fang and Du". The evaluation of Fang in the original biography of "New Book of Tang Dynasty" is: "Xuan Ling was in charge of the country, he worked hard day and night, he was responsible for the public affairs, and he did not want to lose anything. He had no taboos about concubines, and when he heard people were good, he treated them as if they were his own. He knew how to manage the officials, and He is decorated with elegance, handles laws and orders, and is lenient. He does not rely on others to take advantage of him, and he does not ask for any favors from others. Even if he is humble, he will do his best, or if he is given something, he will plead guilty and be vigilant. Treat it as if you have nothing to show for it." Fang Xuanling Main Achievements Life
Born as an official
Fang Xuanling was born in a family of officials. His great-grandfather Fang Yi, General Zhenyuan of the Later Wei Dynasty, Governor of Song'an County, and Count of Xi Zhuangwu. The ancestral home is Xiong, whose courtesy name is Zi, and is the chief secretary of Shi Brown Prefecture. His father, Fang Yanqian, was fond of learning, well versed in the Five Classics, and rich in eloquence. He was a scholar in Shandong between Wei and Qi.
Young and promising
Fang Xuanling has been influenced by his father's legacy since he was a child. He was intelligent since he was a child, good at poetry and writing, well read in classics and history, and proficient in Confucian classics. He also learned good calligraphy and cursive writing from his father. When he was 18 years old, he was promoted to Jinshi in this state and was awarded the titles of Yuqiwei and Xichengwei successively.
Surrendering to the Lord in Troubled Times
At the end of the Sui Dynasty, when the world was in chaos, Li Yuan led his troops into the Pass. He was responsible for making plans, managing secretaries, and serving as the secretary of the Prince of Qin's Palace. Every time a place was conquered, others were vying for treasures, but he was the first to recruit talents for the King of Qin and the shogunate.
Assisting the King of Tang
In order to repay Li Shimin's kindness, Fang Xuanling tried his best to plan military and political affairs. Every time a separatist force was conquered, everyone in the army tried their best to search for treasures and foreign objects. Only Fang Xuanling first gathered talents, placed strategic and brave people in his shogunate, and made friends with them privately, ** * They also worked for Li Shimin. After defeating Wang Shichong, Xuanling believed that Zhang Liang was "suave and resourceful", so he recommended him to Li Shimin as the cavalry general of the Prince of Qin's Palace, "entrusting him with his heart and soul." Others, such as Xue Shou, who was quick-thinking, Li Daliang, who "wangling and Zhou Bojie can rely on for important events", Du Ruhui, who was "intelligent and knowledgeable, and a talented person for the king", were all reused by Li Shimin after being recommended by Fang Xuanling. Later he became the prime minister.
Planning strategies
Fang Xuanling has been in charge of military affairs in Li Shimin's palace for more than ten years. He is often responsible for managing documents. Whenever he writes military memorials, he can stop the horse immediately. The text is concise and rich in meaning. Don’t use a draft in the first place. The great ancestor Li Yuan also admired Fang Xuanling deeply and said to his courtiers: "This man has a deep understanding of the situation and is able to entrust him with important tasks. Whenever he represents my son on matters, he must be able to understand people's psychology. It seems that he is thousands of miles away." The words spoken to the other side are the same." Later, Prince Li Jiancheng expelled the officials of the Prince of Qin, and Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui were expelled from their posts.
Stabilizing the country
In the ninth year of Tang Wude (626), he assisted Li Shimin in running the Quartet, flattening the heroes, participating in the planning of the Xuanwu Gate Incident, and helping Li Shimin obtain the throne of emperor. He was praised for his "efforts in planning strategies and determining the destiny of the country." When Taizong discussed meritorious deeds and rewarded them, he ranked the merits of Fang Xuanling, Changsun Wuji, Du Ruhui, Yuchi Jingde, and Hou Junji as the first, and they were promoted to Duke Xing.
Serving the country sincerely
Fang Xuanling followed Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty to pacify the world, experienced life and death, and was prepared to experience the hardships of establishing a country. He never forgets the difficulties of starting a business, keeps the alarm bell ringing, and tries his best to guard against arrogance and extravagance in order to maintain the long-term peace and stability of the country.
In the first year of Zhenguan, Fang Xuanling attached great importance to the administration of officials and believed that the issue of administration of officials was the foundation of governance, and the fairness and integrity of officials was the key to governing the country. On the issue of electing officials, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty advocated "appointing officials according to their talents and serving provincial officials." "Now the officials should be reviewed so that they can all play their respective roles. Then the country can be governed by inaction." Fang Xuanling is loyal. He thoroughly implemented his idea, vigorously streamlined administration, and reduced officials, "so the total number of civil and military officials deployed was 640."
Fang Xuanling’s method of reducing the number of officials, for the early Tang Dynasty, which experienced great chaos in the late Sui Dynasty and a sharp decline in population, not only eliminated redundant officials who abused their duties, avoided the loss of ten sheep and nine shepherds, but also improved the efficiency of various departments of the court. , and at the same time, it also saves national financial expenditure and reduces the burden on the people.
Fang Xuanling is proficient in legal regulations.
In the early years of Zhenguan, when the world was in the early stages of peace and the state regulations were still incomplete, he and Shangshu's right servant Du Ruhui were in charge of the government affairs. All valuable things were formulated by the two of them and gained a good reputation at that time.
In terms of amending laws and regulations, Fang Xuanling adhered to the idea of ??"reviewing and confirming laws and orders, and taking generosity and peace (style) as the purpose", simplifying laws and regulations, and removing the harsh torture laws of the Sui Dynasty. . Since Fang Xuanling and others updated the laws, orders, patterns, and styles in the Tang Dynasty, there have not been many major changes.
In February of the third year of Zhenguan (629), Fang Xuanling changed his title to Wei Guogong and became Shangshu Zuopushe, supervising the compilation of national history. Fang Xuanling worked hard, getting up early and going to bed late. In addition, he is knowledgeable about official affairs, is lenient in decrees, and appoints people only according to their merits, regardless of the humble. People call him a good prime minister.
In the ninth year of Zhenguan (AD 635), Fang Xuanling protected the system of Emperor Gaozu's mausoleum and granted him the title of Kaifu Yitong Three Divisions for his merits. In the eleventh year of Zhenguan (637 AD), he was granted the title of Duke of Liang. Together with Du Ruhui and Wei Zheng, he was a close official of Emperor Taizong Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty.
In the thirteenth year of Zhenguan (639 AD), he was appointed as the Prince's Young Master. He stayed in the capital. He served as prime minister for fifteen years. His daughter was Princess Han, and his son Fang Yi loved Princess Gaoyang. He was extremely noble, but he often felt inferior to others and did not dare to show off his arrogance. In the 18th year of Zhenguan, Li Shimin personally conquered Korea in Liaodong and ordered Fang Xuanling to stay in the capital.
Died
In the 22nd year of Zhenguan (648), Fang Xuanling was seriously ill. Taizong sent a famous doctor to treat him, provide him with royal meals every day, and visit him in person. When he was dying, Fang Xuanling said to the disciples: "The world is peaceful now, but your majesty continues to attack Goryeo, which is a national danger. The Lord is angry and determined, and the ministers do not dare to offend. If I know but do not say anything, I will act with hatred. Die." So he resisted and remonstrated, asking Taizong to put the people of the world first and stop the conquest of Goryeo. When Taizong saw the memorial, he was moved and said to Princess Gaoyang, Fang Xuanling's daughter-in-law: "It's so rare that this person is critically ill and dying, but he can still worry about our country." On his deathbed, Li Shimin went to his bedside to shake hands and say goodbye, and he consecrated His wife Fang Yiai was appointed as the right guard Zhonglang Jiang, and Fang Yi was appointed as Zhongsan Dafu, so that he could see his two sons as dignitaries during his lifetime. Anecdotes and Allusions
Vinegar Jar
The origin of "Vinegar Jar" is based on the story of Fang Xuanling and his wife. The great ancestor Li Yuan and Taizong Li Shimin lived in Jinyang for a long time before revolting. Vinegar also became an indispensable condiment in the Tang Palace. Because the emperor liked to eat it, the palace kept a lot of it. It is said that during the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Prime Minister Fang Xuanling was famous for being afraid of his wife. Although his wife is overbearing, she is very careful about Fang Xuanling's food, clothing, housing and transportation. She has always taken care of things with her own hands and does not allow others to interfere. One day, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty invited the founding father to a royal banquet. When he was full of wine and food, Fang Xuanling couldn't stand the teasing of his colleagues and boasted a few words about not being afraid of his wife. The already drunk Emperor Taizong took advantage of the wine and went to Two beauties were given to Fang Xuanling. Unexpectedly, Fang Xuanling's drunken bragging was taken seriously by the emperor, and he took in two beauties. Thinking of his overbearing and careful wife, he was so worried that he didn't know what to do. It was Yuchi Jingde who encouraged her, saying that no matter how cruel her wife was, she would not dare to do anything to the beauties given by the emperor, so Fang Xuanling carefully brought the two beauties home. Unexpectedly, Fang Xuanling's wife didn't care whether he was the emperor or not. When she saw Fang Xuanling bringing back two young and beautiful concubines, she became furious, pointed at Fang Xuanling, yelled and cursed, and started fighting with a feather duster, driving the two away. A "beauty" leaves the house. Seeing something was wrong, Fang Xuanling had no choice but to send the beauty out of the house. This matter was immediately known to Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. Li Shimin wanted to suppress the arrogance of the prime minister's wife, so he immediately summoned the prime minister Fang Xuanling and his wife to question him. Family members
Ancestors
Great-grandfather: Fang Yi, who served as general of Zhenyuan and governor of Song'an County, and as an imperial concubine.
Grandfather: Fang Xiong, who served as the chief registrar of Brown Prefecture.
Father: Fang Yanqian, official to Jingyang County Magistrate.
Mother: From the house of Li's aunt in Longxi, cousin of Changzhou governor and Yinqingguanglu doctor Li Xuandao
Wife
Mrs. Lu
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Children
Sons
The eldest son married the Du family. The title of his father, Liang Guogong, was the minister of the Ministry of Rites and the governor of Bianzhou in the early years of Yonghui. His younger brother Fang Yiai married Princess Gaoyang, the daughter of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, and became the Prince-in-law, Commander-in-Chief of the Prince Consort. The princess was arrogant and conspired to depose Fang Yizhi and seize his title. During the Yonghui period, she falsely accused Fang Yizhi of being rude to her.
Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty ordered Sun Wuji to review the matter and found out that Princess Gaoyang and Fang Yiai had rebelled against each other. Fang Yiai was executed by Princess Gaoyang, and the princes were exiled to Lingbiao. Fang Yizhi was pardoned for his father's merits and removed from his title as a commoner. Stop Fang Xuanling's sharing. The fifth grandson, Fang Jie, was Sizhi of Dali; Fang Jie's son Fang Lu, whose courtesy name was Yonggui; Fang Lu's son Fang Zhong, whose courtesy name was Mu, was a martial arts captain; Fang Zhong's son Fang E was a commentator in Dali; Fang E's four sons: Fang Congyue, Fang Congyue and Fang Chong. Congyi, Fangcongxuan, Fangcongwan.
The second wife married Princess Gaoyang, the daughter of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. "The birth rate is without learning, but with force." In the 22nd year of Zhenguan (648), she was granted a marriage by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. She married Princess Gaoyang, the 17th daughter who was most favored by Emperor Taizong at that time (later renamed Princess Hepu), and took the princess's maid Shu'er as a concubine. After getting married, Fang Yiai was appointed as the right guard general. After Fang Xuanling's death, his eldest son Fang Yizhi was supposed to succeed him as Doctor Yinqing Guanglu. However, because of Princess Gaoyang, he wanted to leave his love to his younger brother, but Emperor Taizong did not allow it. Princess Gaoyang was therefore very disappointed. During the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang Dynasty, Fang Yiai was appointed as the governor of Fangzhou. In the fourth year of Yonghui (653), Fang was killed due to rebellion, and Princess Gaoyang was also sentenced to death. Fang Yiai had great-grandsons Fang Jiang, Fang Hui and Fang Xun. Fang Hui was the father of Fang Ning, courtesy name Xuanjian, the governor of Yingzhou; Fang Xun was the father of Fang Kerang, and Fang Kerang was the father of Fang Ye and Fang Fu. Fang Ye is the official seal. Fang Yiai's grandson Fang Zhu later became the censor.
The third wife, Yize, married the daughter of King Jing Li Yuanjing, the son of Emperor Gaozu of the Tang Dynasty.
The fourth ovary married the Wu family.
Daughter
Fang (the legendary Fang Fengzhu, Princess Li Yuanjia of Han Dynasty).
The Fang family married Zheng Renkai, the governor of Laizhou and the shipbuilding envoy of Laizhou Port.
Sun
Fang Chengxian, the son of Fang Yiyi, served as Chao Yilang and served as a clerk in Donghai County to join the army. He died in the third year of Kaiyuan (715) at the age of 38. His great-grandsons: Fang Anyu, Kaifeng Wei, Youxiao Guard Cavalry
Great-grandson’s ancestral home and burial place
Ancestral home dispute
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According to historical records, Fang Xuanling’s ancestral home was located in Linzi, Qizhou at that time. Historians are quite controversial about the location of his ancestral home. One theory is that it is Fangzhuang Village, Xianggongzhuang Town, Zhangqiu City, Jinan City, Shandong Province today, and another theory is that It is located in the northern part of Linzi District, Zibo City, Shandong Province today.
Burial