Celebrating the life story of the feudal lord

He worked in the six central departments of the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Household Affairs, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Punishment, and the Ministry of Industry throughout his life. He made outstanding achievements in each position and was highly praised by Emperor Jiaqing. Finally, he simply handed over Prince Min Ning (later Emperor Daoguang) to his management. This gave birth to a good story about the education of princes in Chinese history, and it was also a topic that future generations talked about most when talking about Zhuqing Fan.

It was a spring day, the wind was beautiful, the flowers were red and the willows were green. In the Yuqing Palace of the splendid Forbidden City, kneeling was a young man wearing a Gunlong mandarin jacket. There were beads of sweat on his head. Sometimes he straightened his waist subconsciously, probably because he had been kneeling for too long and his waist and legs were numb. Come on! There was an old official sitting at attention next to the desk. He was twirling his gray beard and his eyes were very stern. He was lecturing the young man.

"Recently, you sometimes don't study for half a day, a day or even a few days. What are you doing? Your studies have regressed! Look, what articles have you written recently? You are not good at arts and science, and your handwriting is messed up. Although there are some, "Inheritance, transfer, and integration are empty and general."

"Spring is beautiful, and my mother often takes me to see flowers in the Imperial Garden, go boating in the North Sea to see willows, and sometimes go out for an outing and play outside the city. I missed some homework." The boy wiped his sweat and replied.

“Ah——! It’s true that the nobles come out of the white house, and the rich and famous die from hunger! The ancient sages lived in the back alleys, eating and drinking in their baskets, with fireflies in their bags reflecting the snow. Go upstream! You are rich and powerful, but your situation is a world of difference compared to it, and studying and studying are also a world of difference!"

This young man was the crown prince of Emperor Jiaqing, and later Emperor Xuanzong Daoguang of the Qing Dynasty. The old official is the crown prince and tutor, and the young emperor’s teacher is Zhu Qingfan. He is knowledgeable, upright, morally respected and respected by others.

"The empress has arrived at a thousand years old!" outside the Yuqing Palace, the servants shouted.

Zhu Qing Fan hurriedly took over, and the Empress, surrounded by palace maids and chamberlains like stars holding the moon in their arms, burst into Yu Qingguan angrily. Without waiting for the Taifu to speak, she pulled up the prince who was kneeling on the ground and said, "My son will be a king even if he studies, and he will be a king even if he doesn't learn!" She then pulled the prince and walked out.

"If you learn, you will be the king of Yao and Shun; if you don't learn, you will be the king of Jie and Zhou!" Taifu replied loudly.

Taifu Zhu’s answer was righteous and resounding! The empress and everyone were stunned. They were frightened by this clear and resounding answer, and they had to step back from their hurried steps.

"I wish you the best. It's past noon and I haven't seen the prince come back for dinner. I sent the servant to pick him up. The servant reported that the prince was kneeling as a punishment. I don't know why?" the queen asked with anger on her face.

"The prince has been neglecting his studies recently."

"The spring scenery is beautiful, the butterflies are dancing and the birds are singing, the spring scenery is alluring! Just relax and let the prince enjoy the spring scenery, so as not to get bored ”

“I also gave him some time to browse the spring scenery, but he should not be uncontrolled in spring outing and not read for several days in a row! The plan for a year is spring, and the plan for life is to have less work! Good at hard work, but lazy at play! The spring is pleasant, and it is a good time to write down the book. The queen loves the prince for fear that he will become bored, and indulges him in play. Rather than loving him, it is better to harm him!" the Taifu said sincerely.

The empress calmed down a bit, sat down, and asked the master to sit down and talk.

"I think it is enough for the prince to read a few books. It will not be difficult to govern the country in the future. As for the ministers of civil and military affairs, there are ministers of civil and military affairs!" said the queen.

"The reason why Yao and Shun became wise and wise kings and have been praised forever is because they worked hard and benefited the world. After that, King Wen was restrained and performed the Zhouyi, while Confucius was trapped and wrote the Spring and Autumn Period. King Wen became the king of Yao and Shun, Confucius has become a saint and is admired by all generations; the reason why Jie and Zhou became an ignorant and ignorant king is precisely because they were ignorant and obsessed with sex and pleasure, and harmed the people of the world. The rise and fall, take history as a mirror, look at the past five thousand years, use it as a reference, and work hard to govern. Does the empress want the prince to be the king of Yao and Shun? Or does she want the prince to be the king of Jie and Zhou?"

I wish the prince to be the king. She refused to give in, quoted scriptures, made impassioned speeches, and hit the mark in every sentence. The empress was very moved and ordered the prince to kneel down again. It was not until the prince admitted his mistake and expressed repentance that she asked him to get up for lunch. Speaking of Zhuqing Fan, we have to mention a person, a person named Niu Jian.

The "Niujian Incident" fully demonstrates the political influence and extraordinary historical discernment ability of the Juqing clan.

This Niu Jian was from Wuwei, Gansu Province. He was a Jinshi in the 19th year of Jiaqing. Emperor Daoguang appreciated Niu Jian very much and awarded him the title of Grain Reserve Road in Yunnan, the Inspector of Shandong, and the Chief Envoy of Shaanxi. Everywhere he went, he promoted advantages and eliminated disadvantages, and achieved remarkable results. Later, due to disagreements with the governor of Shaanxi, he resigned due to illness. In the eighteenth year of Daoguang's reign, Emperor Daoguang summoned him and said: "I know your illness is because you are at odds with the governor. You can be said to be an upright, harmonious and unfailing person!" Governor (acting governor). Before going to Henan, Emperor Daoguang summoned him and said: "No one in the court recommended you. I know you are useful, so I used you. If you are a good official, then I will know the person. Otherwise, I will not know the person, and the fault is mine." ”

Niu Jian’s most outstanding achievement in Henan is the control of floods. Floods occur frequently in areas along the Yellow River in Henan. When he got off the bus, the management of the Qin River was the first major achievement, which not only smoothed water transportation but also facilitated farmland irrigation. His second greatest contribution was his victory in the flood-fighting battle to protect the city of Kaifeng, the provincial capital, for more than 60 days in June of the 21st year of Daoguang's reign.

Because of Niu Jian's outstanding achievements, on September 5th of this year, he was transferred to act as the governor of Liangjiang.

When the gentry and people in the Kaifeng area heard the news that Niu Jian was to be transferred, they immediately went to court at night and asked to stay. The day before leaving, more than a thousand people stood guard in front of the governor's door, crying and begging to be persuaded to stay. They stayed all night long, so he had to take a detour. But there are still many people kneeling to see him off along the way. Wang Ding, the governor of Hedong River, said: "When the Fu army left, the people were like a baby losing its loving mother!" This shows that he did good things for the people during his tenure as governor of Henan, and the people loved him very much.

Everyone who has studied modern Chinese history knows about the Battle of Wusongkou. Everyone knows about the hero Chen Huacheng who became famous for his bravery in the first battle. They must also remember the governor of Liangjiang who abandoned his helmet and fled in the face of the roar of British artillery. Niu Jian. After the signing of the "Treaty of Nanjing", Zhi Niu Jian was "charged with delaying the sealing of Xinjiang and was dismissed from his post and arrested for questioning" - dismissed and investigated.

However, the people of Henan did not forget Niu Jian's old kindness and built a shrine to pray for him. In order to convey the public opinion of Henan directly to the emperor, Zhu Qingfan, who was the Sikou at that time, appealed for the forgiveness of Niu Jian on behalf of the people of Henan.

Zhuqing Fan detailed Niujian’s political achievements in Henan and the people’s demands in front of Emperor Daoguang. Emperor Daoguang took it very seriously and issued an order on August 23rd, the 23rd year of Daoguang: “(Niujian) He was not allowed to go to court for trial." On February 16 of the following year, he ordered: "Nu Jian was released by Jia En and sent to Henan Province for the dispatch of Governor E Shun'an." He specifically pointed out in the edict to E Shun'an. "This member was very popular among the people during his tenure as governor of Henan Province before he was dismissed," etc.

When Niu Jian was released and arrived in Henan Province, along the way, "pots of slurry overflowed the road, and the public could not move forward. The young and old fought with each other at the curtains of the carriage, eager to see his face. They lined the streets and cheered, and some people cried with joy." As soon as he arrived in Henan, he immediately focused on soliciting donations and water conservancy projects, and accomplished many good things.

Niu Jian once again had the opportunity to benefit Henan. It must be said that Zhuqing Fan played a decisive role. He retained another major hero for Henan. In this sense, Zhu Qingfan's move also indirectly retained talents, which was a blessing to Henan. Zhu Qingfan lived during the historical turning point of the Qing Dynasty's prosperity and decline. His political life was also permeated with the Opium War, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and the Nian Army Uprising, which are historical events worth writing about in Chinese history. Zhu Qingfan's political career was also deeply marked by this unavoidable and distinct mark.

Zhu Qingfan did not avoid the Niujian incident. He knew very well that the failure of the Wusong artillery battle was not because Niu Jian was particularly greedy for life and fear of death, but because he was ignorant of the cruelty of the escalation of modern wars. The emperor would not particularly favor a wretch who was greedy for life and afraid of death. Even he himself opened his eyes amidst the roar of the British Empire's cannons and looked at the outside world in fear, waking up the Qing Dynasty. Dynasty is the dream of being number one in the world.

During the Opium War, Zhu Qingfan deeply understood Niu Jian, Emperor Daoguang, and himself.

Like Zeng Guofan, important ministers like Zhu Qingfan were also sent back to the province to organize local armed forces - regiment training to suppress the crazy civil strife - the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Uprising and the Nian Army Uprising.

The Nian Army roaring along the Huaihe and Yellow Rivers in Henan.

In November of the second year of Xianfeng (1852), the Nian army led by Zhang Luoxing rebelled in Haozhou, Anhui, and moved to Luyi, Ningling, Shangqiu and other counties in Henan. At the end of the year, as the Taiping Army moved north from Wuchang, the authorities imposed martial law throughout the province. In the third year of Xianfeng's reign, on March 16, the Qing court ordered Zhu Qingfan, as a cabinet bachelor, to return to his hometown with Henan native Zhou Zhiqi, the former governor of Guangxi, and the chief envoy of Guangdong, Wang Tinglan, to conduct regiment training in Henan.

More than half of the more than 100 counties in Henan at that time had large-scale activities of the Nian Army. In addition, due to the various taxes and taxes temporarily collected to suppress the Taiping Rebellion, the people were miserable and miserable. Like a gunpowder keg, it will explode when exposed to fire. Small uprisings surged across the country, seizing states and counties one after another. The Xinyang area in southern Henan was the front line attacked by the Taiping Rebellion. In addition, the Nian Army was extremely active, making the situation even more critical.

At this time, Zhu Qingfan was over seventy years old, but he was still weak and sick and worked hard to fight the main force of the Nian Army in Henan. He wore a long mandarin jacket and sat in a convenient little sedan, recruiting and training troops together with his colleagues, commanding operations, and walking through the smoke and artillery fire of battles of all sizes.

Zhu Qingfan, like Niu Jian, was originally a student. Writing articles and being a director were their strengths. They were almost at a loss about war. However, in the face of national crisis, they had to uphold the imperial edict, both in the military and in politics. With their full loyalty, they devoted themselves to current affairs, learned war from war, and started a new chapter in their official life.

It is not easy for a seventy-six-year-old man to open a new chapter in his life. However, Zhu Qingfan did it. He was able to do it without any political advantages in his life history, but only with loyalty.

It took less than a year after Zhu Qingfan came to Henan to organize team training, and he came to the end of his life. The year is 1853. In this year, the Taiping Army occupied Nanjing and established the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. The Nian Army agitated on a large scale in the Huanghuai Plain. The Qing government was crumbling due to internal and external troubles. Zhu Qingfan sighed, and when he left this world, he didn't know what predictions he made for future generations. When Zhuqing Fan celebrated his 70th birthday, Emperor Daoguang gave him a plaque with the words "Zi Jing Yan Qi Fu Longevity", and the residence of Zhu Qing Fan was called "Zong Bodi". After his death, he was buried in Zhangjiadian, 10 kilometers east of Gushi City. He wrote monographs such as "Memories" and "Mengqiu Shu". His calligraphy originated from Yan and Liu. It is rigorous and meticulous. Although it has the style of a pavilion, it is unique. grid.

In Gushi County, almost everyone knows about Zhuqing Fan. Zhu Qingfan was born in Guanbei Back Street, Gushi City. Later, he became a Jinshi and has been an official in Beijing ever since. He is mainly famous for his integrity, honesty as an official, and strictness as a teacher. He has left many unforgettable stories for future generations. These stories are now talked about in the streets and alleys of Gushi County, after tea and drinks or when enjoying the cool air. They are topics that people will never let go of.