Sui Liang was born in Dengshan, Henan. He comes from a distinguished family. His father, Chu Liang, was selected by Emperor Taizong Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty to serve as state advisor to the Literature Museum. He was one of the famous eighteen bachelors.
Sui Liang was good at calligraphy and was one of the "Four Great Calligraphers of the Early Tang Dynasty". He is also a court officer. After the death of Emperor Taizong Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty, he was entrusted with the important task of entrusting the orphans. However, despite his extraordinary achievements in art, he experienced ups and downs in politics. It was 100 years before his loyalty was recognized.
Network diagram
Knowledgeable and principled.
Sui Liang was born in an official family. He has been involved in literature and history since he was a child, and is good at calligraphy. No one expected that it was his profound skills in calligraphy that made him become an important court minister.
At first, Chu Suiliang joined the Qin army as a knight in charge of weapons and armor. This King of Qin was Li Shimin of Tang Taizong. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty loved books for twelve years. The great calligrapher Yu Shinan, whom he had always regarded as his teacher, passed away, which made him particularly sad: "After Yu Shinan passed away, no one can talk about calligraphy anymore!" Minister Wei Zheng said to him: "Chu Suiliang's calligraphy is very good and vigorous. It is powerful and has the flavor of Wang Li Kexi." Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty was overjoyed and immediately appointed Chu Suiliang as "Book Assistant".
Chu Liang is not only a first-class calligrapher, but also knowledgeable. In the seventeenth year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty asked Chu Suiliang doubtfully, "Shun made lacquerware, and Yu carved chopping boards to cut meat. At that time, there were more than ten people who persuaded Shun and Yu to eat the utensils. Why were the officials complaining?"
Chu Liang replied: "Luxury cannot be encouraged. If you focus on carving, it will hinder agricultural production; if lacquerware becomes popular, some people will use gold and jade to make utensils in the future. Excessive waste will make the country not far from danger." Therefore, ministers must persuade things to develop gradually. When it reaches the extreme, there is nothing to persuade." After hearing this, Emperor Taizong nodded his head. Chu Liang always talked about the past and present convincingly. Later, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty said with emotion: "To tell the truth well also depends on knowledge. Good knowledge makes people highly respected."
Chu Liang is not only knowledgeable He is knowledgeable and has an extremely upright and frank character. He dared to stick to his principles and sometimes even refused to give Emperor Taizong face. In ancient times, the emperor's daily words and deeds were recorded and preserved as historical materials. Chu Suiliang has been responsible for this for some time.
One day, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty asked Chu Suiliang: "Can I see the things you carry on your back?" Sui Liang replied: "The reason why I am set up to record these things today is to act as an ancient recorder. Historian, remember good and evil, so that the emperor will not make mistakes.
I have never heard that being an emperor requires this." Tang Taizong asked again, "If I have anything bad, do you have to write it down. ? Chu Liang simply replied: "The minister's responsibility lies in a pen. I will definitely record your every word and deed, emperor." ""
In the eighteenth year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty wanted to personally invade North Korea and pacify Liaodong. In view of the historical lessons of the demise of the Sui Dynasty, Chu Suiliang admonished: "Don't go on expeditions to prevent unexpected events."
Tang Taizong refused to listen, and Chu Suiliang went to court again, thinking that the emperor's personal expedition was unreasonable: "I have no history books. Looked through it. Since ancient times, when the emperor has not personally attacked Liaodong, there is a precedent for sending ministers to fight. "So, "send two brave generals and an army of 40,000 to 50,000 people."
However. , Tang Taizong insisted on going his own way, resulting in heavy losses and failures. On the way back to Li, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty deeply regretted that he led the army to the expedition. After returning, he promoted Chu Suiliang to Huangmen Shilang and participated in the government affairs. Later appointed as governor, Chu Suiliang became an important official in the Tang Dynasty.
Lonely ministers risked their lives in protest.
In the twenty-third year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, who was seriously ill, called Wuji and Chu Suiliang to the bedroom and said to them: "During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty,
Chu Liang became an orphan because He was Li Zhi's most powerful defender. The former prince Li Chengqian was deposed because of his crimes. The court officials believed that the ninth prince Jin Wang Li Zhi was kind-hearted and the best choice for the prince. However, Emperor Taizong preferred the fourth prince Wang Tai.
One day, he said to the officials around him: "Yesterday, Qingque threw herself into my arms and said: 'I have not become His Majesty's closest son until today. This is the day of my rebirth.
I have only one son. A hundred years later, I will kill him for Your Majesty and pass the throne to King Jin. The father-son ethic should be natural. When I see him like this, I feel sorry for him. "
Everyone looked at each other without saying a word, but Chu Suiliang stepped forward and said: "You are also the king.
How could a king in power kill his own son and pass the throne to his brother? "Tang Taizong changed his mind and made Li Zhi the crown prince that day.
After Li Zhi ascended the throne, he was very grateful to Chu Suiliang and made him the Duke of Henan Province. The next year, he was promoted to the Duke of Henan Province. In the fourth year of Emperor Hui's reign, Chu Suiliang was appointed as the minister's right servant and took charge of the government. However, Li Zhi never imagined that Chu Suiliang would become his biggest stumbling block because of the issue of establishing a queen.
In 655, Li Zhi wanted to depose Queen Wang and make Wu Zetian the queen. One day, he summoned four important officials, Sun Chang Wuji, Chu Suiliang, Li Ji and Yu Zhining, to the inner hall for a meeting.
After receiving the news before, we discussed how to persuade him, but no one wanted to take the first shot. Chu Suiliang volunteered and said, "I'll do it. I assist Your Majesty according to the imperial edict. If I were not completely stupid and loyal, I would not have the face to meet you. "
As soon as Li Zhi opened his mouth, he put forward the reasons for abolition very fully: "The crime is greater than the death of an heir. The queen had not given birth for a long time, and Wu gave birth to a prince. What do you think of the Qing family? ”
Before anyone else could speak, Chu Suiliang stood up first and said, “The Queen is from a famous family, and the First Emperor was married to His Majesty. When the First Emperor was dying, he took my minister's hand and said: "I now entrust my wife and daughter to you." Your Majesty was also there at the time, so you must have heard clearly. I have never heard of the Queen's mistake, so how could I give up so easily! I will never disobey the last emperor's orders just to flatter His Majesty. "
No matter how Li Zhi explained, Chu Suiliang disagreed, and the meeting ended in tears. The next day, Li Zhi convened another meeting, and Chu Suiliang said bluntly: "Your Majesty must change the queen, but please Choose someone else. Wu once served the First Emperor. Everyone knows this. How could he hide it? How would the world feel if she became queen? "
This sentence hit Li Zhi's pain point, and he was so embarrassed that he could not speak. But Sui Liang became more and more excited as he spoke: "A foolish official has desecrated the dignity of the Holy Family and deserves to die. They just want to live up to their great kindness, the former emperor, and don't care about their lives. ”
After saying that, I took off my hat, put the hand I was holding in the court on the steps, and said, “I will return the hand to Your Majesty, and I will retire with success!” Li Zhi was furious and ordered the guards to take him out directly. Wu Zetian, who had been hiding behind the scenes and eavesdropping, was furious and shouted: "Why don't you kill this old bastard!" ”
In the end, Li Zhi ignored the opposition of Chu Suiliang and others and established Wu Zetian as queen. Chu Liang was demoted to the governor of Tanzhou for violating the imperial edict. In the second year of the Qing Dynasty, he was demoted to Guizhou as the governor.
Wu Zetian was not a Japanese yet and was soon demoted to the governor of Aizhou. In the fourth year of the Qing Dynasty, Chu Suiliang died of despair in exile.
He was criticized for his political interests. p>
During Chu Suiliang's political career, there were many criticisms, the most controversial of which was the death of Liu Yue.
This incident was recorded as follows in the "Biography of Liu Jie": the 18th year of Zhenguan. , Tang Taizong personally took charge of Liaodong, ordered Prince Li to supervise the country, and invited Liu Yue, Gao Shilian, Ma Zhou and other important officials to assist the prince.
Network map
In the next year, Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty. Suffering from malignant sores due to Liao D's failure
However, Chu Suiliang later told Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty: "There is nothing to worry about in this state. "It means that Mr. Liu feels that there is no need to worry about the affairs of the country now. One can imagine the mood of the sick Tang Taizong when he heard these words.
After recovering from the illness, Tang Taizong summoned Liu Yue to ask about this However, Chu Suiliang insisted that what he heard was true, and Tang Taizong finally decided to believe him. And gave Liu Yue his own life.
The biggest controversy in this matter is whether Chu Suiliang framed Liu Yue.
Sima Guang said in "Zi". "Zhi Tongjian" said that he did not believe that Chu Suiliang would frame Liu Yue for three reasons: first, Chu Suiliang was a loyal minister and would not do such a despicable thing; second, Chu Suiliang and Liu Yue had no grudges and no Motive to do such a thing.
Thirdly, the historical record in "Records" was written by Xu, and Xu had a bad relationship with Chu Suiliang, possibly because he blamed Chu Suiliang for his death. . Northern Song Dynasty scholars Sun Fu and Su Shi basically held the same view.
However, Sima Guang's argument based on personal character categorically denied that Chu Suiliang was suspected of false accusation, which seemed unconvincing.
Although there is no personal grudge between Chu Liang and Liu Yue, their political views are different.
After the death of former crown prince Li Chengqian, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty hesitated on the issue of establishing a reservoir, forming two major political forces supporting Wang Wei and Li Tai and Jin Wang Li Zhi. Chu Liang was a supporter of Li Zhi, and Liu Yue belonged to Li Tai's school, so Chu Liang's motive of getting rid of his political opponents cannot be ruled out.
What is certain is that there was absolutely no pursuit of personal gain in this case. Otherwise, regarding the issue of Wu Zetian, if Chu Suiliang had a more active mind and knew how to adapt to the situation, he would be able to keep his high position and wealth, and he would not end up in a foreign land.
The book is excellent and serves as a link between the past and the following.
Most of the inscriptions on many major commemorative events in the early Tang Dynasty were written by Chu Suiliang. For example, the most famous books are "Yique Buddhist Niche Stele", "Memorial of the Queen's Eldest Grandson", "Fang Xuanling Stele", "Memorial Recipes" and "Yanta Sacred Religion Preface" and "Memorial Recipes", written by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty and Emperor Li Zhi respectively. Written, this shows the status of Chu Suiliang's calligraphy.
Chu Liang’s superb calligraphy level lies not only in his personal talent, but also in the guidance of Shi Ling, Ouyang Xun, Yu Shinan and others. In addition, Tang Taizong's enthusiasm for Wang Xizhi's calligraphy also benefited him a lot.
Tang Taizong was a big fan of Wang's books. He once offered a huge sum of money to reward Wang Xizhi's letters. People rushed to submit them. It was difficult to distinguish between good and bad, true and false. Thanks to Chu Suiliang's considerable research on Wang Xizhi's calligraphy, he was able to freely tell the source and provenance of the calligraphy, with sufficient evidence and unambiguous identification of the authenticity of the calligraphy. The result is that no one dares to send fake goods in exchange for credit.
In the first month of the sixth year of Guan Dynasty, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty ordered people to sort out the original works of Zhong Yao, Wang Xizhi and others in his inner palace, totaling 1,510 volumes. Chu Suiliang was naturally the main participant in this compilation activity, so he also compiled the "Bibliography of Youjun" and hid it in the inner palace. Seeing so many authentic works of Wang Xizhi opened Chu Suiliang's eyes and had a great influence on the formation of his calligraphy style.
Su Shi summarized Chu Suiliang’s calligraphy in four words: Qingyuan Three Smiles. His calligraphy evolved from pursuing structural beauty to pursuing artistic conception. Yu Shinan's calligraphy emphasizes "the gentleman enters concentration" and there are no obvious traces of brushstrokes during the writing process, but Chu Suiliang is different. The book "Pingshu Tie" written by people in the Qing Dynasty said: "Chu's calligraphy is 'empty' and his brushwork is 'spirited'. Thin and clear, it is indispensable."
He is willing to show this trace, a One by one, creating a lively rhythm. Therefore, some people say that Chu Suiliang is a "master of lines". His lines are full of life and reflect a kind of soaring beauty.
Zhang Huai_, a calligrapher of the Tang Dynasty, once lamented: "The Yaotai is as green as the spring forest reflects the mountains, and the beauties are as beautiful as the beautiful women.
Interestingly, this kind of aestheticism influenced Chu Suiliang The choice of paper and ink. It is not surprising that calligraphers pay attention to the use of paper and ink. But looking at calligraphers from ancient to modern times, Chu Suiliang was very demanding in his pursuit of paper and ink. , not even a book. "Without good paper and pen, he would rather not write.
In the Tang Dynasty and even the entire history of Chinese calligraphy, Chu Suiliang played a connecting role. He inherited the characteristics of the Tang Dynasty calligraphers Ouyang Xun and Yu Shinan , and absorbed the essence of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy in the Eastern Jin Dynasty.
Mi Fu of the Northern Song Dynasty criticized the calligraphers of the Tang Dynasty, but he was full of praise for Chu Suiliang, saying that he was "like a horse, obedient to others. But neither arrogant nor impatient." Mi Fu's son Mi Youren said even more: "Chu Shu was the most talented and knowledgeable among the scholars of Tang Xian. There are real written rules, and they are self-contained, allowing others to compete with each other. ”
The calligraphers Yan Zhenqing and Xue Ji of the Tang Dynasty both studied under Chu Suiliang, and Huang Tingjian, Mi Fu, and Zhao Ji of the Song Dynasty also drew rich nutrition from his calligraphy.
In the first year of Shenlong, Wu Zetian's life came to an end. Before she died, she wrote a posthumous edict, including this sentence, which is particularly eye-catching: "Her descendants and relatives, such as Wang, Xiao, Chu Suiliang, Han Yuan, etc., were killed. Forced to resume business. ”
This is equivalent to rehabilitating Chu Suiliang and others. After becoming Emperor Wu Zetian, she read all the ministers. Although she hated Chu Suiliang’s pedantry, she had to admire his integrity and Loyalty. In the fifth year of Zhenyuan, more than a hundred years after Chu Suiliang's death, Tang Dezong issued an edict to paint his portrait on Lingyan Pavilion, allowing him to enjoy the same glory as the founding heroes of the early Tang Dynasty.