Wei Zheng
Wei Zheng (580-643), courtesy name Xuancheng, was a native of Quyang, Juluxia (now Jinxian County, Hebei Province). He was an outstanding statesman, thinker and historian in the early Tang Dynasty. He lost his parents when he was young and his family was poor. However, he loved reading and ignored his family business. He once became a Taoist priest. At the end of the Sui Dynasty, Wei Zheng was appointed secretary by Cheng Yuanbao Bao of Wuyang County in the Sui Dynasty (the seat of governance is now northeast of Daming, Hebei Province). After Yuan Baoju returned to Li Mi from Jujun, he was appointed by Li Mi as a literary member of the Marshal's Mansion and joined the army, specializing in documents and files.
He was very outspoken in admonishing
Wei Zheng was famous for being outspoken and daring to admonish. According to statistics recorded in "Zhenguan Politicians", Wei Zheng presented his advice to Li Shimin fifty times and presented it to Li Shimin. There are eleven memorials, and he has written "hundreds of thousands of words" of admonitions throughout his life. The number of followers, the passionate words, and the firm attitude are all unmatched by other ministers.
Hearing both will make you enlightened, but believing only half will make you dark
Li Shimin asked Wei Zheng: "How can a monarch distinguish right from wrong, and how can he be called stupid and confused?" Wei Zheng replied: "Listening to opinions extensively can distinguish right from wrong, but believing only partial Someone will be foolish and confused. In the past, Emperor Yao clearly understood the situation from the people below, so Emperor Shun had ears in all directions and eyes in all directions, so Emperor Yao, Gun, and Huandou could not deceive him. . The Second Emperor of the Qin Dynasty preferred Zhao Gao and was killed by Zhao Gao in Wangyi Palace; Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty preferred Zhu Yi and was insulted by his subordinates for taking bribes in Taicheng; Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty preferred Yu Shiji and died in the Pengcheng Pavilion Mutiny in Yangzhou. Therefore, if the ruler listens widely to opinions, the eunuchs will not dare to deceive them, and the following situation will be reflected. "[34]
It is easy for the hungry to be fed, and it is easy for the thirsty to be fed
Wei Zheng. Calligraphy
For the first time, it comes from "Mencius Gongsun Chou". In view of the fact that the population was expelled, the economy was in decline, and everything was in ruins in the late Sui Dynasty, Wei Zheng urged Li Shimin to abandon reforms and promote culture, and implement restorative policies that were beneficial to the national economy and people's livelihood, which reflected his political "zhihua" thought. When Li Shimin first came to the throne, he talked with his ministers about educating the people. Li Shimin believed that after the chaos, it might be difficult to educate people. Wei Zheng believed: "The people who have been in peace for a long time are arrogant, and if they are arrogant, it is difficult to teach them; the people who have experienced chaos are sad, and sad things are easy to change." He gave an example, just like "It is easy for hungry people to eat, and it is easy for thirsty people to drink." He also refuted the statement of the minister Feng Deyi that "people gradually fell into disgrace, so the Qin Dynasty established laws and the Han Dynasty overlorded, and Gai wanted to transform but could not". He believed that Shang Tang destroyed Xia Jie and Zhou Wu King defeated Zhou, "both of them can lead to peace." , Isn’t it the result of the great chaos?” He further said: “If the simplicity of the ancients gradually deteriorated, then by now they must have turned into ghosts, and the Lord will be able to control them!”
Be virtuous and prudent in punishment, but be cautious about punishment
Be virtuous and prudent in punishment, but be cautious about punishment. This is Confucianism, which believes that the foundation of governing a country lies in virtue, etiquette, sincerity, and trustworthiness: a wise monarch must change customs in order to change customs. , we cannot rely on severe punishments and strict laws, but on benevolence and righteousness; it is impossible to regulate the behavior of people in the world based on laws alone.
Literature and History
Compilation of History Books
Wei Zheng served as Secretary Supervisor and was in charge of the national book collection. After the letter was written about the chaos, the laws and regulations were mixed. The memorial cited scholars to collate four books. Li Shimin ordered him to lead the writing of four groups of books. There are 20 editors and 100 calligraphers to proofread and write the secret pavilion books. Within a few years, the secret palace's atlas and books were available. After he changed his position, he continued to serve as secretary-supervisor together with Yu Shinan, Yan Shigu and other famous scholars. He was the chief author of "Book of Sui Dynasty". Although his "Book of Classics" was written by Yu Zhining, Li Chunfeng and others, he was in charge of his writing. "Books of the Sui Dynasty" refers to the style of Ruan Xiaoxu's "Qilu", and uses the method of "Books of the Han Dynasty" to make use of more than 14,466 volumes and 89,666 volumes of Sui Dynasty posthumous documents, and checks them with the "Catalog of Sui Dynasty's Imperial Books". According to the four parts of Jing, Shi, Zi and Ji, it is divided into 40 categories, with 3127 recorded books and 36708 volumes, and 1064 lost books and 12759 volumes. It is helpful to examine the collection of books from the Southern and Northern Dynasties and Sui Dynasty. In terms of description method, each category records the book title, volume, author, era, official title, summary, authenticity, survival or incompleteness. To study the development of academics and examine the changes in academic circles. It is the second oldest existing historical catalog in my country and is an important document for studying the history of ancient bibliography. In his "General Preface to the Sui Dynasty Book Collection Chronicles", he made a historical summary of the rise and fall of ancient book collections, which enriched the content of the study of book collection history.
In the seventh year of Zhenguan (633), he was appointed as Shizhong and granted the title of Duke of Zheng. He is the author of the preface to Sui Shu and the general introduction to Liang Shu, Chen Shu and Qi Shu. The editor-in-chief is "Qun Shu Zhi Yao".
Personal Poems
"Ode to the Western Han Dynasty", "Hengchui Quci·Coming out of Seclusion", "Walking about Late Autumn", "Fenghe Zhengri, Coming to the Court and Responding to the Imperial Edict"
Suburb Memorial text
"Five Suburbs Movement·Suhe", "Five Suburbs Movement·Yellow Emperor's Palace Sound", "Five Suburbs Movement·Heidi Yuyin", "Five Suburbs Movement·Shuhe", "Five Suburbs Movement·Qingdijiao" "Music" "Five Suburbs Movement·Suhe" "Five Suburbs Movement·Yonghe" "Five Suburbs Movement·Red Emperor Zhengyin" "Five Suburbs Movement·Yonghe" "Five Suburbs Movement·Baidi Shangyin" [15]
The Ancestral Temple Movement
"Enjoying the Ancestral Temple Movement·Yonghe" "Enjoying the Ancestral Ancestral Temple Movement·Long Hair Dance" "Enjoying the Ancestral Ancestral Temple Movement·Daqi Dance"
"Enjoying the Ancestral Ancestral Temple Movement·Long Hair Dance"
"Suhe", "Enjoy the Taimiao Movement·Dacheng Dance", "Enjoy the Taimiao Movement·Yonghe"
In 643 AD, Wei Zheng died of illness. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty was very sad and went to his home to express condolences in person, which was the highest honor in ancient China.
But after Wei Zheng died, everything changed in a shocking way. Before his death, Wei Zheng secretly recommended Du Zhenglun, the then minister of Zhongshu, and Hou Junji, the minister of official affairs, to Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, saying that they had the talent to be prime ministers. However, after Wei Zheng's death, Du Zhenglun was deposed because of his guilt, and Hou Junji was beheaded for participating in the rebellion. Li Shimin initially suspected that Wei Zheng, a man he thought was very honest, was suspected of being a private party in the court.
Later, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty learned that Wei Zheng had sent his manuscript of his suggestions to the emperor to Chu Suiliang, an official who recorded history at the time. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty suspected that Wei Zheng was deliberately gaining a reputation for integrity and was very unhappy. Tang Taizong had previously agreed to betroth Princess Hengshan to Wei Zheng's eldest son Wei Shuyu, but now he regretted it and issued an order to terminate the engagement. In the end, the more he thought about it, the more annoyed he became, and he even personally smashed Wei Zheng's tombstone. It was a sigh that a good story about a monarch and his ministers ended like this.