Loyalty is a long tradition, and poetry and calligraphy are timeless —— A brief account of Ouyang Xiu's "Moral Family Style on Earth"

Ouyang◆ Wen/Xu Ben Ouyang Xiu was an outstanding politician and writer in the Northern Song Dynasty. His literary achievements made later generations call him "four great prose writers" with Han Yu, Liu Zongyuan and Su Shi, and "eight great prose writers in Tang and Song Dynasties" with Han Yu, Liu Zongyuan, Su Shi, Su Xun, Su Zhe, Wang Anshi and Ceng Gong. He is also famous in politics. Bachelor of Hanlin, Tang dynasty envoy, political expert. Although Ouyang Xiu had ups and downs in his life and was demoted three times, he was always upright and courageous. After his death, posthumous title Wenzhong was called Ouyang Wenzhong. Yu Xin's "Jiangnan Fu" said: "Pan Yue's literary talent began to describe his family style; Lu Ji's Ci Fu preceded Chen Shide's. Ouyang Xiu, as a great man with virtue, self-determination and contribution, is admired and admired by future generations for his family, diligence, honesty and poverty. When Ouyang Xiu was four years old, his father Ouyang Guan died of illness. Before his father died, a family of four often moved and lived a poor life. As mother Zheng later said to Ouyang Xiu: "When your father died, there was not a tile on the ground, and there was not a ridge on the ground to support our livelihood. "Zheng is Ouyang Guan's second room. At the age of 29, she became a widow and had to drag her children to her brother-in-law Ouyang Ye who worked in Suizhou. But defection is not refuge, and Zheng's children are not completely supported by others, but strive to save themselves. My first husband was four years old and lonely. His family was poor and had no assets. Mrs. Tai painted the land with a shovel and taught it with calligraphy. " ""Taifuren is self-righteous, poor, well-fed and well-taught, and only then can she become an adult. "Draw a godson" has thus become an eternal beauty talk. Mrs. Zheng knows how to be polite, gentle and kind, thrifty at home, not worried about poverty and not surprised. "Dragon Gang Qian Watch" records: "Taifuren is humble, thrifty, kind and polite. ..... Since he is small, he manages his family frugally, and then he often doesn't make any money. Said,' My son can't get along with the world and can't be frugal, so he lives in trouble.' Later, when Yiling was rebuilt, Taitai said with a smile,' Your family is poor and my family has connections; If you can be safe, I will be safe. "Mrs. Zheng's family came down, and she lived frugally. Later, when she got rich, she didn't spend much money. She said, "My son can't cater to the world, but he can save some money to tide over possible difficulties." When Ouyang Xiu was demoted to Yiling, his wife smiled and said to Ouyang Xiu as usual: "Your family is poor, and I am used to this kind of life. You can be happy, and I can be happy. Later generations honored Ouyang Xiu's mother as one of the four great wives in ancient China. It is precisely because of such a great mother that Ouyang Xiu lost his father in childhood, but eventually became a giant under the influence of his parents. " Painting a Godchild and History of Song Dynasty evaluated Ouyang Xiu as his father Ou Yangxun's way of being an official. Ouyang Guansheng lived a long life. His father died at the age of 38. Good at "The Mechanics of Loneliness" and "Many Recommendations". Xianping was a scholar in the third year (AD 1000), and Zhenzong was awarded a military promotion officer in Daozhou (now Daoxian County, Hunan Province). Three years later, he was transferred to Sizhou with the same position (now Sixian County, Anhui Province to Sihong and Xuyi, Jiangsu Province). When Ouyang Guan was appointed as an official, it happened that Huainan transshipment envoy came to inspect. Ouyang Guan was upright, arrogant and didn't say hello in time. The state magistrate gave a banquet to entertain the transshipment ambassador and invited Ouyang Guan to dinner, but he refused to attend. Transshipment made him angry from embarrassment and wrote to impeach Ouyang Guan for neglecting his duty and ignoring his boss. So Ouyang Guan was transferred to Mianzhou (now Mianyang, Sichuan) as a military attache (Ouyang Xiu was born here). Ouyang Xiu later wrote: "I thought I was a son and couldn't know my father. Fortunately, I listened to my mother, and she refrained from wasting it! "I remember it crying blood. The mother tells the story of her father, highlighting benevolence, filial piety and honesty. Regarding father's "filial piety", mother said, "I came back from the beginning, and your father saved his mother's funeral for more than a year. "/kloc-When you are 0/8 years old, you will cry and say,' It's better to raise more, it's better to give more! If you live in seclusion and indulge in wine and food, you will cry and say,' What is the shortage of the past and the surplus of today? At first, I thought the new one was mourning-free and suitable for ears. Then Chang Ran, as for life, I know your father can support you. About his father's righteousness, my mother preached: Your father is an official. He tried to cure the official book by candlelight at night, but he repeatedly failed and sighed. I asked. Then he said,' This prison is dead, and I beg it not to be born! I said,' Is it possible to live? If you want to have no life, then the deceased has no complaints with me. ..... A husband often asks for his life, but he still loses his life, while the world often asks for his death. ""It's about the kind and cautious Ouyang Guan. One night, he handled official business by candlelight, repeatedly put down the case file and picked it up, sighing, and his wife asked him why. He said, "This is a death penalty case. I've always wanted to find a way out for the condemned man, but I haven't found it after reading it several times. " The lady thought, "can a man who has committed a capital crime still find a way out?" """I sought a way for him and I couldn't get it, so the deceased and I will have no regrets. Sometimes you can really find people who shouldn't be sentenced to death in death row cases! If the condemned man has the possibility of finding a life, but does not help him find a way to live, he and his family will resent it. I often look for a way out for death row prisoners, and it is inevitable that I will be wrongly sentenced and killed; What's more, some people in the world always try their best to impose charges without conscience, create unjust cases and kill people! So how can I be ignorant? Regarding my father's honesty, my mother said, "Your father is an official, honest and generous, and he always waits on guests with his salary, and he doesn't think I'm tired of saying anything. Therefore, when he died, there was no cover to protect his life ... "Ouyang Guan was an honest official, generous, willing to help the poor, and often entertained guests from all over the world regardless of family difficulties. The salary of the salesman is not much, but he doesn't want to have more money on hand. He often says, "Don't let money be a drag on me." So that when he died, there was no tile left on the floor, and there was no ridge left on the floor to help his wife and children make a living. Ouyang Guanxiang In addition, my mother has told the story of "Seven Sages" many times. This family heirloom is a prominent symbol of his father's honesty and self-discipline. Ouyang Xiu specifically described this matter in the Preface to the Seven Sages. When I was a child, my mother said to me, "When I got married, Ouyang's family was poor, but your father was very honest. After three years as an official in Mianzhou, others have purchased many famous Sichuan products and shipped them back to their hometown. Your father has never bought any. After his salary was used to receive guests, there was hardly any money left. When I left Mianzhou, there was only one silk horse, painted as six "seven sages". These seven sages are gentlemen your father loves very much. " After the death of his father, every time a festival is held, the mother will hang the "Seven Sages" on the wall for the children to pay homage. She always pointed to the painting and said to the child, "This is a treasure handed down from our family! My mother thinks that my father's sincerity is thicker than benevolence and righteousness, and words and deeds are rooted in it, and encourages Ouyang Xiu: I know that your father's gains are imitated by others, so you encourage him! " Ouyang Guan died at the age of fifty-nine, and presented Dr. Jin Jinguang, a surname and secretary-general. His wife, Zheng, was the first lady of Wei at the age of 72. The honorary title of Ouyang Xiu's parents was awarded by the court, because Ouyang Xiu later became a rich man. According to the preface of Ouyang's Genealogy (Stone Edition), Ouyang is a descendant, passed down from Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties to Yunchang, whose son is Gou Jian, the King of Yue. Gou Jian passed V to the King of Yue, and Chu Weiwang destroyed it. Ziti Borderless was named Ouyang Tinghou in Ouyu Shanyang, Wucheng (now Huzhou, Zhejiang) by the King of Chu, and later generations took the fief as their surname. After entering the Han Dynasty, because someone was appointed as the magistrate of Zhuo Jun, the descendants lived in the north. Later, different branches appeared, some lived in Qiancheng of Qingzhou (now Shandong) and some lived in Bohai Sea of Jizhou (now Hebei). Gan Cheng Ouyang Sheng, James Hope, doctor of Confucian classics in Han Dynasty. Ouyang Jian of Bohai Sea, with a strong word, is a famous scholar in the Western Jin Dynasty, and both of them are outstanding among the clans. Zhao was killed in the Sima Lun Rebellion, and his brother's son Ouyang Zhi led his people to Changsha, so his descendants returned to live in the south. Sun Jingda, the seventh son of Ouyang Xiu, was an official in the Southern Dynasties. Ouyang Xiu's spectrogram starts from Jingda. Ou Yangxun, the fifth grandson of Jing Da, was a great scholar and calligrapher in the late Sui and early Tang Dynasties, and the 20th ancestor of Ouyang Xiu. Inquire about the fifth grandson Ouyang Cong, who was the secretariat of Jizhou, and his descendants settled in Jizhou. After the seventh, the score was recorded and escaped. His eighth grandson, Ouyang Wan, served as an Anfu county magistrate in Jizhou, and his descendants were scattered in Anfu, Ji 'an and Jishui counties. Since then, it has been a big family of Luling (referring to Luling County). Ouyang Tuo, the great-grandfather of Ou Yangxun Ouyang Xiu, is a Chu Shi with no fame and status, but he has an excellent reputation. Villagers' lawsuits are often repeated after being sentenced by the government, but those who have been sentenced by Ouyang Tuo will not leave sequelae and there will be no more disputes. Because of his outstanding moral knowledge and integrity, he was respected by the whole village. Great-great-grandfather Ouyang Chen used to be the magistrate of Wuchang County in Southern Tang Dynasty and the military attache of Jizhou. He rode an official servant and an ancient consultant from the official to the school-to-school office. He is filial to his parents and friendly to his brothers. He is famous in counties and enjoys a life span of 94%. After his death, he was buried in Ouguili (now Ji 'an County) and Hengxibao Salt Lake. The place name of "Ouguili, the hometown of scholars" comes from Ouyang Yi, the third son of Ouyang Chen. When Ouyang Zhongyi entered the first rank, Gao Tang's parents were good, and the village was proud of it. Therefore, Wenba Town in Luling was changed to "Ouguili in Rulin Township". Ouyang Xiu's grandfather Ouyang Yan is the sixth son of Ouyang Chen. When he was young, he was famous for his literature in the Southern Tang Dynasty, but he was ashamed to take the Jinshi exam. Instead, he wrote a letter to the College of Arts and Sciences, wrote hundreds of thousands of words, and sentenced a judge to the Nanjing Street Court. He died in the pride of his life. Ouyang Yan is a talented person. He is not an idle person. He only lived 38 years. Ouyang Xiu also has two uncles who have a great influence on him. My second uncle Ouyang Dan is from Chu Shi. "My mother (also a widow) is filial, which is called by the village." . In the whole process of his growth, except his mother, his uncle Ouyang Ye gave him great care and the most profound influence. After Ouyang Xiu's father died, Mrs. Zheng dragged her children to find Ouyang Ye. Ouyang Ye is duty-bound to act as a parent: "Xianping has been a scholar for three years, and the officials are all foreign ministers. ..... you can say anything, especially in prison. The wages received will be distributed to orphans. His brother's son teaches him like his own son. " Ouyang Ye's lifestyle left a deep impression on young Ouyang Xiu. He is honest, decisive and has excellent handling ability. When he first became an official in Suizhou, he successfully handled 36 difficult prison cases. One year coincided with the great famine, and there was famine everywhere, but hundreds of monks in Qifeng Temple in Dahongshan accumulated a lot of food. The transshipment on Jingxi Road made them suspect hoarding and wanted Ouyang Ye to confiscate it. When the monks heard the news, they were frightened to disgrace and sent Ouyang Ye two hundred pieces of silver, begging him for mercy. Ouyang Ye smiled and said, "That's not necessary! Can you take my advice? As long as you sell your accumulated grain of 60,000 to 70,000 stones to the government to help the victims, you will have nothing to do. " Because of these foods, hungry people will never go hungry anywhere. During the tenure of Zhi Guiyang (Hunan county name), a group of ordinary people fought with each other for the boat and killed people in chaos. The government detained a large number of suspects, and the case was protracted. After Ouyang Ye took over, he investigated the case in detail, released all the suspects from their cells, took off their shackles and let them eat in the hall. After dinner, appease them one by one and let them return to prison, leaving one person alone. The man suddenly turned pale and his hands and feet panicked. Ouyang Ye snapped, "You are a murderer!" This man still wants to argue. Ouyang Ye said: "I observed that all the people who just ate were holding chopsticks in their right hand, only you used your left hand. The victim was injured in the right chest. The shape of the wound indicates that the murderer is Zuo Li, and the biggest suspect is you. The man was speechless and had to cry and repent: "I killed him." "I never dare to implicate others again!" This long-standing suspected prison was quickly solved, and the rest of the people involved were grateful. Mother once said to Ouyang Xiu, "Do you want to know your father? Look at your uncle. He looks, talks and behaves like your father. " During the years in Suizhou, Ouyang Ye shared his salary and tried his best to support three orphans and widows who came from afar. Later, Ouyang Ye was transferred to Langzhou (now Langzhong, Sichuan) as an official, and then moved to Jiangling Prefecture (now Hubei) as a secretary. His family still stays in Suizhou, living alone with Ouyang Xiu's mother and son, lest they be alone. Later, Ouyang Xiu was honored, and the court not only honored his parents, but also his uncle and aunt, which was obviously related to Ouyang Ye's education of Ouyang Xiu. Ouyang Xiu also remembered his uncle's "kindness of parenting and education" all his life. When Ouyang Ye died, Ouyang Xiu was entangled in official business, such as "mourning", "crying without mourning, not being buried in a cave". He felt very sorry and sincerely said that he would leave a "big festival" to repay his uncle's kindness. Ouyang Xiu's uncle Ouyang Ye Ouyang Zai was also the first scholar after his family entered the Song Dynasty. "Silence for others", his virtue and thought also have a great influence on Ouyang Xiu. Once, the true clan volunteered to remonstrate, and Ouyang Zai was summoned as a minister. Other * * * people are afraid of not being appointed, and they have come forward to praise themselves; Only Ouyang Zai stood motionless in Dan's room and was chosen without saying a word. Later, I learned that in Sizhou, some monks misled people and tricked folk men and women into dying in Huaishui. Hundreds of people die unjustly every year. When Ouyang Zai heard about this incident, he arrested all the evil monks, punished dozens of people for felony, and dismissed hundreds of people who returned home, which was a great shock. When he was appointed as the suggestion, he was honest and selfless. The emperor wanted to reward him and asked him what he wanted. He thanked him and refused to remain in office. His selflessness and desire are respected by scholars. Ouyang Xiu described the uncle like this: "He is politically honest and quiet. When he arrived at the official residence, he didn't peek into the garden until the fruit was rotten and his family didn't dare to pick it up. " "Ouyang Xiu is honest and clean, and you can see the shadow of Ouyang Zai for his vicious attack on the faint officer. In Ouyang's genealogy, there is a bet that Ouyang Guan called it "having two sons" and called it "Yun" and "Xiu." Yun is Ouyang Xiu's half-brother, and Ouyang Xiu's own works have also mentioned it many times. Ouyang Yun has been a humble official in Jingzhou (now Hubei) for a long time and has no chance to display his talents. He lived on the banks of the Yangtze River in Jiangling, but abandoned the vastness of Wang Yang. Instead, he built a "land tour pavilion" by the pond in Fiona Fang, only a few feet away from his house, and watched the fish swim around the pond every day. Ouyang Xiu went from Yiling to Gande, and visited his brother via Jiangling. He was ordered to write a book "You Ting Ji", which introduced Nai's character and open mind: "My brother Hui Shu is bold, courageous and ambitious. Can read the past history and know its ups and downs. Listen to him and be humble. Trapped in a humble position, it is useless to be old, but its heart is already strong! " Great-grandfather's filial piety, his grandfather's literary talent, and his father's uncle's incorruptible official style all gave Ouyang Xiu a lifelong education. Letters are family heirlooms, and poems and books last forever. In the process of poetry and calligraphy, Ouyang Xiu is not only a bridge between the past and the future, but also a beacon for the future. Great-grandfather, grandparents, parents, uncles and aunts were all knighted because of him. Among the sons and nephews, some benefited from him and served as officials, and some were taught by him, inherited the fine family style, kept the official and poor, and served the country. In the summer of the 4th year (1052), the barbarian Tusi Nong Gaozhi on the border between Guangxi and Vietnam launched a rebellion, captured Yongzhou (now Nanning, Guangxi) and established Greater South China. Then, he led the troops down the Yongjiang River and advanced to Guangzhou. Guizhou (now Guixian, Guangxi), Li Cong and others fled, which shocked Guangnan East and West. At this time, Ouyang Xiu's nephew Ou Yangxun (the son of Zan) was promoted by grace and became a manager in Xiangzhou, Guangxi. During the mutiny, Ouyang Xiu was worried about his nephew's personal safety, and even more afraid that he would shrink back or lose his integrity. Ouyang Xiu wrote to earnestly warn his nephew: "I have been worried about you every day since the accident in the south. ..... Ouyang returned to Korea from the south of the Yangtze River, and served as a court official for several generations. I'm honored again today, and I want you to be tied for the official position. Think about serving. Occasionally, if there are many things, if there are errands, just go forward wholeheartedly and don't avoid things. As for the dying day, it is also your honor, but the original intention is to do your best, and the gods also protect you. Be careful not to think about the escape. Yesterday I said I wanted to buy cinnabar. I don't want this thing, so you have to be honest under the official, and you can't buy it under the official. I bought nothing but food and drink in the government office. You can think of this as a warning. " The affection of the home country is beyond words, warning sons and nephews to be diligent and conscientious, honest and clean; When disaster comes, you dare to cross over and be proud of your death. Another family letter, "Thirteen Nephews in Service", is written in a more cordial and down-to-earth way, which is enough to glimpse Ouyang Xiu's noble character of honesty, honesty, poverty and self-discipline: "You are lonely and cold, and you know that official positions are rare, so you should cherish everything. Stay poor, be careful with punishment, and keep the money. ..... You are just two brothers. Now you have no worries about food and clothing, and you are rich in ordinary things. You can learn some books and learn some words. " Later, when Su Shi talked about these letters from home, he said that when dealing with outsiders, it is inevitable that one will wrap up his true face, put on airs and be grandiose. Ouyang Xiu's private letter to his nephew is full of sincere words without any insincerity, from which we can see that Ouyang Gong's heart is bright and his quality is very high. Looking at Ouyang Xiu's family background, we will get the impression that Ouyang Xiu was born in a famous family with a long history and grew up in a scholarly family that attached importance to reading classics and telling history. Generation after generation went to Germany to study, and talented people came forth in large numbers. Those who take a name into the official career are officials for the people, honest and clean, treat people well and be gentle. Those who are not officials in times of peace, or those who have brilliant articles and scholarly demeanor, or those who are good at solving difficult disputes and benefiting the people's hearts, their virtues and filial piety are well-known in rural areas. Jia Deyi's walk in Zukao is common in history and genealogy, and has become an inexhaustible precious spiritual heritage. Ouyang xiu wrote in the preface to Ouyang's genealogy: those who pass it on to their families should be loyal to the monarch, filial to their relatives, sincere to their officials, and learn to stand up. My predecessors' fathers (uncles) so those who walk in their bows and teach their children get a lesson or two. (The author is a librarian of Jiangxi Literature and History Research Institute.)