It would be a pity not to visit the Bao Gong Temple when you go to Hefei.
Last year, it was the season when roses were fragrant. I took advantage of the opportunity to attend a conference in Hefei to visit Bao Gong Temple. Starting from the guest house, we didn’t walk too far to reach the Bao Gong Temple located on the fragrant flower pier in Baohe Park, Hefei.
Baogong Temple is backed by the South Ring Road and faces water on three sides. It is surrounded by "mints for several miles, fish and ducks rising and falling, long bridges and paths, and shades of bamboo trees." Inside the pier, there are winding bridges, secluded paths, pavilions and pavilions, and willows caressing the waves, making it a good place for recreation. Baohe was named after Bao Zheng. According to legend, Song Renzong Zhao Zhen once gave Bao Zheng Chao Lake, but Bao Zheng refused. Finally, Song Renzong sealed a section of the moat in Luzhou to him, and he accepted it. But he stipulated that his family could only use this section of the moat to plant trees, fish, and grow lotus roots, and they were not allowed to sell it for money. It is said that red lotus roots grow in Hanoi, and when they are cut off, there is no silk. It is said that "the old man is selfless, and it actually reaches the things", which is a good story. Bao Gong Temple is the main building complex of Baohe Park. It was built during the Hongzhi period of the Ming Dynasty and rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty. The ancestral hall is a closed courtyard built with white walls and blue tiles. The main building is Bao Gong's Xiangtang. In the middle of the hall sits a tall statue of Bao Gong. Bao Gong is wearing a python robe and a crown, sitting upright, supporting with one hand and clenching a fist with the other hand, as if he is about to strike the case and rise up, showing an awe-inspiring and undeniable aura of righteousness. The three guillotines next to the statue are eye-catching. One is a dragon-headed guillotine, which is designed to strike at the emperor's relatives; the second is a tiger-headed guillotine, designed to strike at corrupt officials; and the third is a dog-headed guillotine, designed to strike at evil gentry and bullies. Liangxuan has huge plaques with "Jie Liang Qing Feng", "Color Zheng Mang Han" and "Lu Yang Zheng Qi". The handwriting is vigorous and powerful, and the energy reaches the sky. Everyone who comes here to pay their respects will marvel at it and scream for it after reading it. The west side of the Xiangtang is equipped with a pavilion and cloister, and the west chamber displays the Bao family tree, relics, ink marks and inscriptions of literati from past dynasties. To the east of the temple, there is a hexagonal dragon well pavilion with an ancient well named "Lianquan" inside. The pavilions and painted buildings have a floating dragon carved on the top. In the clear sky and white sun, the dragon's shadow enters the bottom of the well and sways with the well water, like a dragon soaring. It is commonly known as "Dragon Well". It is said that corrupt officials will have headaches and stomachaches if they drink this water; honest people will feel as sweet as sugar if they drink this water. We couldn't drink the water, but we felt thirsty and bought green tea to drink. It felt refreshing, sweet and refreshing.
It is about one mile from Bao Gong Temple to the cemetery. Bao Cemetery was moved in recent years, covering an area of ??3 hectares and a construction area of ??1,200 square meters. It was designed and built by Mr. Pan Guxi, a famous ancient architectural artist in my country. The main buildings include stone gates, Shinto monuments, Qimen gates, pillars, stone carvings in front of the tomb, Xiangtang and tombs, etc. When I arrived at the tomb, I bowed three times with reverence and walked into the cemetery. At the top is Bao Gong's tomb. There is Bao Gong's epitaph and a black nanmu coffin with gold wire inside the tomb that contains Bao Gong's remains. It is closed by plexiglass, but there is a small semicircular hole. There are "no coins" written next to it, but there are still some. Many tourists scattered coins inside. On the north side is the attached tomb area, which contains five tombs of Bao Zheng's wife Dong, her son and daughter-in-law. Bao Zheng's "Family Instructions" is engraved on the stone tablet next to the tomb: "The descendants of future generations of officials who commit corruption and abuse shall not be allowed to return to their own families. After their death, they shall not be buried in the big tomb. If they do not follow my aspirations, they are not my descendants." Therefore. There is a legend that "unworthy descendants will not be allowed to enter the tomb". Passing through the cemetery is the tall Xiangtang where Bao Gong is worshipped. It consists of five bays and three main halls. There are 20 red painted solid wood pillars supporting the beams. There is a statue of Lord Bao in the shrine on the high branch, and a copper incense burner and a pair of candlesticks are placed on the altar table, which looks simple and solemn. The pillars of the main building are engraved with the following inscriptions: "Luzhou has the honor to bury an honest prime minister, and he has no words to express condolences to his ministers." The iron surface stores the yellow spring, the breeze spreads far away, and the three treasures are still hanging on the side of the tomb; the pure heart turns into purple air, the bright mirror hangs long, the people always remember the blue sky" and other couplets written by famous calligraphers of the past dynasties.
Visiting the solemn cemetery, reciting couplets, nostalgic for the past, and touching the monuments erected by future generations is like touching a rich history of nearly a thousand years.
In the past, watching Bao Gong's opera always gave me a feeling of great joy. Bao Gong on the stage has a dark and shiny face, with a crescent moon embedded in his forehead. He is selfless, perspicacious and judgmental. He dares to defeat the powerful and make decisions for the people. He is my favorite drama character. Now, when I visit Bao Zheng's hometown, visit Bao Gong's temple and tomb, and be immersed in the scene, I really feel that I am much closer to Bao Gong, and the time and space between history and reality are closer. After browsing the historical relics and the Confucian-colored steles in Bao Zheng Temple, I truly understood the reason why the "upright official" complex rooted in people's hearts for thousands of years has endured for thousands of years.
In Bao Zheng's short sixty-three-year life, he never imagined that when he, who was also a member of the privileged class, was trying to make a fuss with the corrupt bureaucrats in the privileged class, he would unknowingly become the spokesperson of the common people - for The people asked for orders from the "Master Qingtian" who upheld justice. In ancient times, there were fewer and fewer upright officials, but not many, such as Wei Zheng, Di Renjie, Kou Zhun, Kuang Zhong, Xu Jiujing, Yu Qian, Yu Chenglong, Lin Zexu... Although I can name many, compared with the number of officials from ancient times to the present, as many as the sands of the Ganges River, This ratio is too small. Although the number of honest officials is not very large. But "he is a giant thief and I am an upright official." As the opposite of corrupt officials for a long time, their images appear tall and brilliant, and they are monuments that stand in people's hearts.
Future generations will comment on historical figures and their long-lasting merits and deeds. I firmly believe that there is always a scale in the hearts of the people.
Not long ago, I read Bao Zheng's "Begging for Officials Without Stolen Money", and I realized that Bao Zheng's reputation as "Qingtian" was not wasted. Bao Zheng pointedly pointed out in the article: "Integrity is the watch of the people, and greed is the thief of the people." If Bao Zheng hadn't been upright, resolute, honest and selfless, how could he have said the truth that would still be of guiding significance a thousand years later.
Opening "History of the Song Dynasty", the biography of Bao Zheng, which is more than 1,500 words long, details his origin history and official achievements. In the prominent political arena, he upholds integrity and eliminates evil, is upright, selfless, honest and honest, and can serve as an example for officials. He faced the ups and downs on his head, carried the safety of the country and the people on his shoulders, escorted the weak Northern Song Dynasty through a rough era, and also completed the ups and downs of his life.
Historical records indicate that when Bao Zheng was in charge of Kaifeng Mansion, "he established the dynasty with firmness, nobles, relatives and eunuchs held back their hands for it, and everyone who heard about it was afraid. People thought that Bao Zheng's smile was as clear as the Yellow River, and children and women also knew it. Its name is: "Bao Dai Zhi". The capital said: "If the joints are not reached, there is Yama Luo Bao Lao." He traveled to Luzhou, Duanzhou, Yangzhou, Chizhou and other places, and visited large villages. A small household understands the sentiments of the people and understands the sufferings of the people. The mountains and rivers of Luzhou are connected with the mountains and rivers of Jiuzhou, and Bao Zheng's ambition is far beyond the mountains and rivers of Luzhou. The land of the Song Dynasty carries his feelings of concern for the country and the people. He actively made suggestions to the emperor: "The country bribes the Khitan every year, which is not a strategy to control the army. It is better to train troops and select generals, and prepare for the frontier in a pragmatic way." "Abolish corrupt officials, select guardians, and conduct examinations to make up for the disciples." He wrote. Determined to tear through the invisible network of relationships, he made up his mind to operate a scalpel on the important ministers around the emperor in order to shake the mountain and shake the tiger. He broke into the minefield without hesitation, using the sword of justice to remove the poisonous carbuncle on the central nervous system of the Song Dynasty, and using the heads of corrupt officials to rectify the law, rectify the trend, rectify the officials, and thank the people. He dismissed the three envoys Zhang Fangping and Song Qi, impeached Wang Kui seven times for "tyranny" and was not afraid of risks, and advocated the removal of Zhang Yaozuo, the emperor's relative and "a mediocre man", from important posts. This is Bao Zheng, who is selfless and hates evil as much as he hates evil!
Bao Zheng is not only an ancient "judge" who enforces the law strictly and is selfless, but also an upright "straight minister" and "honest official". According to historical records, Duanzhou produced a famous inkstone called Duan Inkstone. Duan Yan had to pay tribute to the court every year. Due to repeated embezzlement by local officials and gentry, although the output of Duan Inkstone was large, it became a heavy burden for the people. Bao Zheng ordered powerful officials not to commit corruption, but to pay tribute to the court in prescribed amounts. And he himself, until he left Duanzhou, never wanted a Duan Inkstone.
It is said that on his 60th birthday, he ordered his family not to accept any birthday gifts. But the first person to send birthday gifts was the emperor. The eunuch who came to deliver gifts to the palace wrote on the gift:
A high-ranking minister of the first rank, who works day and night like Wei Zheng.
Today, the emperor sent gifts, but refused to accept the gifts.
After seeing it, Bao Zheng immediately wrote a poem:
Being selfless and loyal, the most taboo thing about being an official is talking about merit.
Taking care of yourself is your duty, and refusing to be polite is a sign of incorruptibility.
He resigned from the emperor's gift in this way, with courtesy, sincerity, and full of righteousness. Reading it to this day, it has a long aftertaste and is thought-provoking.
When I walk out of the cemetery, I always have a lingering feeling. For Bao Zheng, the long gone years have not and cannot be sealed by history, and Bao Zheng's soul will probably not be lonely. Although the wheel of history has passed through the tunnel of nearly a thousand years, generations of descendants have not forgotten him. Today, our country is vigorously punishing corruption and removing obstacles to economic and social development.
If Bao Zheng, the pioneer in the anti-corruption movement back then, had known better, how would he have lamented the cycle of the world?
This world needs tens of millions of Bao Zhengs, but we hope for a world that does not need Bao Zhengs.
About the author: Zhao Bingting, a native of Xiji County, Ningxia, is one of the first batch of professor-level senior teachers in Ningxia, a member of the Ningxia Writers Association, and the executive director of the Chinese Contemporary Literature Campus Literature Committee. He has published monographs such as "Excellent Composition Guide", "Zhao Bingting Teaching Writing", "Missing a Tree", etc. Among them, the collection of essays "Missing a Tree" won the second National Teacher Literary Monograph Award. His works have been selected into more than ten literary books including "Xi Haigu's Back", "Quietly Open Eyes", "The Accent of Life", and "Selected Chinese Contemporary Miniature Literature Works".