There were "four calligraphy masters of the Song Dynasty" (Su Shi, Huang Tingjian, Cai Xiang, and Mi Fu) in the Song Dynasty, among which Su Shi was the most famous. There were also "Four Qing Calligraphers" in calligraphy in the Qing Dynasty, and the most prominent one was Chen Fu'en.
There are so many people who are good at calligraphy. Why is Chen Fuen said to be the most prominent among the calligraphers of the Qing Dynasty? Because he has been the minister of the five ministries of Rites, Bing, Punishment, Husbandry, and Officials in his life!
What kind of person is this surprising and admirable "Five Ministers"?
01 | Young Man: Born in a prestigious and scholarly family
It would be no exaggeration to say that Chen Fuen was born in a prestigious and scholarly family.
His great-grandfather Chen Dao was a famous litterateur and Neo-Confucianist in the Qing Dynasty. , the great-grandsons Xizu, Xizeng and Lanxiang, during the Qianjiadao period, one family had seven Jinshi, Jiuxiang list, ranked first in the city, and was called a distinguished family" ("Jiangxi Tongzhi"), "one family had seven Jinshi", this What an honor? His father was the minister of the Ministry of Industry, and his uncle was the imperial censor. Both of them were famous for their calligraphy.
And Chen Fuen himself also succeeded in the examination at the age of 23 in his prime years and became an official in Beijing.
Grand scholar Mu Zhanga also admired this young talent very much. With a strong family foundation and his own excellent cultivation, young Chen Fuen had an easy and smooth career and was promoted continuously.
02 | Middle age: It’s not surprising that life is like a dream
In the first year of Xianfeng (1851), the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom began to revolt. Chen Fuen, who resigned from the post of Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment and returned to his hometown for a long time, received According to the imperial decree, he helped organize team training in his hometown of Jiangxi. Among those who received the regiment training order in the same batch as him were Zeng Guofan, who received the order a little later than him, and who was in Hunan for his mother Ding You.
Soon, the Taiping Army besieged Nanchang. Chen Fuen helped to defend Nanchang and was awarded Hualing. A few years later, he was promoted to Minister of Rites and Minister of War. In the next year, he will be appointed as the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment and the Ministry of Household Affairs. In the golden autumn of another year, he was granted the title of Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. The so-called prosperous official career probably looks like this.
After Emperor Tongzhi came to the throne, he was sentenced to death because his close friends opposed Cixi and Empress Dowager Ci'an for listening to politics behind the curtain. Chen Fu'en was implicated and was also arrested and imprisoned, and was eventually sent to Xinjiang to guard the border.
This year, Chen Fuen is 59 years old.
03 | Old age: died in battle on the frontier to repay the country's kindness
In June of the third year of Tongzhi (1864), I left Yangguan in the west without any friends. 62-year-old Chen Fuen, with white hair and sallow hair, looked sadly at the green grass blades shining under the vast sky.
Tsarist Russia took advantage of the break in Western Xinjiang's return to rebel against the Qing Dynasty, and sent troops to occupy Gilkalun, Boluo Lake, northwest of Ili.
The invasion of the country inspired the late civil servant's patriotism. At that time, Ili General Chang Qingfen led his soldiers and civilians to fight against Tsarist Russia regardless of his own safety, but Chen Fuen volunteered for orders and rushed to the front of the battle line with all his strength. For this reason, Chang Qing asked for credit for him, but was not allowed by the court. The next year, Mingxu took over Chang Qing's position. He was also grateful for Chen Fuen's contribution and petitioned for his life. Only then did Chen Fuen finally get rid of the shackles of the crime he had been carrying for many years.
Unfortunately, the next year after the Qing Dynasty was restored, the early summer wind had not yet blown to the beautiful grassland. Jin Xiangyin, a leader of the Hui tribe, borrowed soldiers and horses from the Kokand Khanate (today's Uzbekistan) Ili was conquered - Mingxu died in battle, and Ili was in danger! Chen Fuen fought with his life and died together with his family under the iron hoof of the Haokand Khan soldiers that year.
The north wind blows the white grass on the ground, and the sky is full of snow in August.
Many people in later generations also pointed out that Chen Fuen acted inconsistently in Sushun's opposition to listening to politics behind the curtain, citing the sentence "Speaking good words and doing evil deeds are evil" in the "Xunzi". , it seems that "people like Chen Fu'en are despicable and worry about mistakes, and they are always unreliable" is a conclusion that can no longer be cleared up ("Manuscript of the History of the Qing Dynasty"). However, the past has finally passed, whether it is an important minister or a traitor, they all become mere film feathers at the moment when the sun rises again in Xinjiang.