In the days when Yan Song came to power, let alone the Yan family and his son, and even their companions, there was no one who did not rule the country according to his official position. From court ministers to local officials, everyone gives them points. However, in Chun 'an County, Zhejiang Province, there is a small magistrate who can handle affairs impartially and show no mercy to Yan Song's colleagues. His name is Harry. Harry comes from Qiongshan, Guangdong. His father died when he was very young, and he was raised by his mother. His family life is very poor. When he was in his twenties, after winning a scholarship, he became a school teacher in the county town and educated students very seriously. Soon, his boss transferred him to Chun 'an, Zhejiang Province as the magistrate. In the past, most county officials tried cases by accepting bribes and making arbitrary decisions. Harry went to Chun 'an to try the backlog. No matter what difficult cases come to Harry's hands, they are all investigated one by one and never wronged good people. The locals call him "Qingtian". Harry's boss, Hu Zongxian, the governor of Zhejiang Province, is Yan Song's accomplice. With his background, he blackmailed everywhere. Whoever dares to go against his wishes will be in trouble. On one occasion, Hu Zongxian's son passed through Chun 'an with a large number of followers and stayed at the county government post office. If it is in other counties, it will be too late for officials to flatter the governor's son. However, in Chun 'an County, Hai Rui made a rule that both officials and nobles should be treated as ordinary guests. Hu Zongxian's son, who is spoiled at ordinary times, saw the food sent by the postman and thought it was deliberately snubbing him. He was so angry that he raised the rice table and ordered his entourage to tie up the postman and hang it upside down on the beam. The post office staff should report to Harry as soon as possible. Harry knew that Hu Gongzi was crossing the line, and he was tired of it; Now that a postman has been hung up, I feel I have to take care of it. After listening to the officers' reports, Harry pretended to be calm and said, "The governor is an honest minister. He has long ordered the counties to treat past officials without extravagance and waste. The playboy who is here now is both extravagant and arrogant. He can't be Lord Hu's son. Somewhere, there must be bad people pretending to be sons to come to the county to swindle. " Said, and he immediately took a large number of officers to the posthouse, arrested Hu Zongxian's son and his entourage, and brought them back to the county government for trial. At first, that Hu Gongzi flew into a rage because of his father's official position, but Harry insisted that he was a fake son, and said that he would do it again, and he was very depressed. Harry also found thousands of taels of silver from his luggage, confiscated them all, and gave him a good lesson and drove him out of the county. When Hu Gongzi returned to Hangzhou to cry to his father, Harry's tip-off report had also been sent to the governor's yamen, saying that someone pretended to be a childe and illegally hanged a postal clerk. Hu Zongxian knew that his son had suffered a big loss, but Harry didn't implicate him in his letter. If he keeps this secret, he will lose his dignity and have to knock out his front teeth and swallow it. Soon after, another suggestion from Beijing was sent to Zhejiang for inspection. As Yan Song's adopted son, blackmail is even more vicious. When he goes to a place, local officials will not let him go unless they "respect" him with a large sum of money. Officials all over the country were worried when they heard that the infant Qing was coming to inspect. However, he insisted on pretending to obey the law. He told all the places that he always liked simplicity rather than pandering. Harry heard that Chen Baqing was going to Chun 'an, and sent a letter to Chen Baqing, which said, "We have been informed that we will entertain Jane. However, as far as we know, no matter where you go, you will eat and drink and have a good time. This makes us very embarrassed! I'm afraid I'll give you the cold shoulder if I follow the notice: I'm afraid I'll go against your wishes if I'm as extravagant as anywhere else. What should I do? " He gnashed his teeth when he saw that the letter exposed him. But he had heard that Harry was a tough and selfless man, and that Hu Zongxian's son had just suffered a big loss in Chun 'an, and he was a little scared, so he changed his mind temporarily, bypassed Chun 'an and went to other places. Mr. Chen bears a grudge against Harry for this matter. Later, he instructed his colleagues to severely prosecute Harry in front of Emperor Shizong of Ming Dynasty, and Harry was eventually removed from his post as the magistrate of Chun 'an. When he fell to Yan Song, he was exiled to other places. Harry resumed his post and was later transferred to Beijing. When Harry arrived in Beijing, he learned more about the fatuity of Ming Shizong and the corruption of the imperial court. At that time, Ming Shizong had not been out of the court for more than 20 years, hiding in the palace and fooling around with some Taoist priests. Some courtiers dare not speak. Although Harry's official position is not big, he boldly wrote a letter to directly remonstrate with Ming Shizong. He thoroughly exposed the corruption caused by the Ming Dynasty. He wrote on the throne: "Now corrupt officials are rampant and the people are in dire straits. The people of the world have long been dissatisfied with your majesty. " After Harry sent this letter, it is estimated that he will violate Ming Shizong and may lose his life. I bought a coffin on my way home. His wife and son were stunned when they saw it. Harry told his relatives about it, explained everything after his death, and sent away all the servants in the family, ready to be arrested and executed at any time. Sure enough, Harry's memorial caused a sensation in court. When Ming Shizong saw it, he was angry and hated. He threw the paper on the ground and said to the left and right attendants, "arrest this man quickly and don't let him get away!" " A eunuch nearby had long heard of Harry's reputation and said to Ming Shizong, "This man is a famous bookworm. He knows that he can't live if he violates your majesty's way. He arranged everything. I don't think he will run away. " Later, Emperor Shizong of Ming Dynasty ordered Harry to be arrested and handed over to the Royal Guards for interrogation: Harry was not released until the death of Emperor Shizong of Ming Dynasty.
2 Xia Wanchun
After the collapse of Hong Guang regime, the anti-Qing forces in the southeast coast continued to struggle. 1645 In June, Huang Daozhou and Zheng Zilong, officials of the Ming Dynasty, established another imperial clan of the Ming Dynasty in Fuzhou. Zhu, king of the Tang Dynasty, ascended the throne, and was called Emperor Long in history. Another group of officials, Zhang Guowei and Zhang Huangyan, supported Lu Wang Zhu Yihai to supervise the country in Shaoxing. In this way, two Nanming regimes appeared at the same time. In order to deal with the anti-Qing forces, the Qing court sent the Battle of Songshan to surrender the army of Hong Chengchou, the governor of the Qing Dynasty, to appease Jiangnan. At that time, in Songjiang (now Shanghai), a group of people headed by Xia and Xia were also brewing anti-Qing. Xia has a son named 15 years old, who is also a student of Chunzilong. Xia Wanchun has been widely read since he was a child, and he is good at poetry and prose. Under the influence of his father and teachers, he also took part in the anti-Qing struggle. It is impossible to organize an uprising by a few scholars. There is a student named Wu Zhikui in Xia, who is the company commander of Wusong and has several troops under his command. They persuaded Wu Zhikui to fight against Qing together. Wu Zhikui agreed and sent a team as a striker to attack Suzhou. At first, it went well, and the vanguard troops entered Suzhou city, but Wu Zhikui chickened out and failed to reinforce in time. As a result, Jincheng rebels were besieged and sacrificed, and Wu Zhikui's main force was defeated outside the city. Soon, the Qing army besieged Songjiang, and Xia rushed out of the encirclement of the Qing army and hid in the countryside. The Qing soldiers searched everywhere, trying to lure Xia out to surrender. Xia didn't want to fall into the hands of Qing soldiers and threw himself into the river. He left a will to Xia Wanchun, inheriting his anti-Qing legacy. Xia Wanchun was deeply saddened by his father's sacrifice, which also aroused his hatred of the Qing Dynasty. He and Chen Zilong secretly returned to Songjiang, ready to organize insurgents again. At this time, they learned that there was an anti-Qing rebel army led by Wu Yi in Changbai Dang, Taihu Lake, and it was regrouping. Xia Wanchun sold all his possessions, donated them to the Rebel Army and became a staff officer under Wu Yi. He also wrote a letter and sent someone to Shaoxing to give it to King Lu, asking him to persist in resisting Qing Dynasty. King Lu admired him very much when he heard that he was a teenager, and awarded him the title of China Calligrapher. Wu Yi's water army haunts Taihu Lake, beating the Qing army into a daze. But later, due to the traitor's betrayal, the rebel army was defeated and Wu Yi died. A year later, he secretly instigated Wu, the prefect of Songjiang in Qing Dynasty, to turn against Qing Dynasty. The mutiny unfortunately failed again. Wu was killed by the Qing army and arrested. Unwilling to be humiliated, Chen Zilong broke free from the rope and committed suicide by jumping into the river on the boat that was escorted to Nanjing. Xia Wanchun was saddened by the loss of his teacher, because the traitor betrayed him and he himself was arrested. The Qing army sent heavy troops to escort him to Nanjing. Xia Wanchun was held in prison for 80 days. He wrote many touching poems and letters to his relatives and friends. The threat of death didn't scare him, but he felt sad that he didn't realize his ambition of defending the nation and restoring the Central Plains. The trial of Xia Wanchun began, and Hong Chengchou presided over the trial. Hong Chengchou knew that Xia Wanchun was a famous "prodigy" in the south of the Yangtze River, and wanted to make Xia Wanchun yield by softening. He asked Xia Wanchun, "I heard that you wrote a letter to King Lu. Is it true? " Xia Wanchun held his head high and replied, "This is my handwriting." Hong Chengchou pretended to be gentle and said, "I don't think you will rise up to revolt at a young age. You must have been instructed. As long as you are willing to go back to the Qing Dynasty, I will do it for you. " Pretending not to know that Hong Chengchou was sitting on it, Xia Wanchun said sharply, "I heard that there was a Mr. Hong Hengjiu (Hong Chengchou's word) in our dynasty who was a hero. He died in Songshan World War I that year, which shocked China and foreign countries. I admire his loyalty. Although I am young and die to serve my country, how can I fall behind him? " These words made Hong Chengchou feel sick and sweaty. The soldier next to him thought that Xia Wanchun really didn't know Hong Chengchou and reminded him, "Don't talk nonsense, it's Lord Hong sitting above." Xia Wanchun snorted and said, "Everyone knows that Mr. Hong died for his country. Emperor Chongzhen once offered sacrifices in person, and Manchu officials wept for him. How dare you traitors pretend to be martyrs and insult loyal souls! " Say that finish, he pointed to Hong Chengchou scold. Hong Chengchou was scolded and turned pale as ash. He didn't dare to ask again, so he shouted and asked the soldiers to pull Xia Wanchun out. 1647 September, 17-year-old young hero was killed in Nanjing Xicheng. His friend transported his body back to Songjiang and buried it next to his father's grave. Today, in the west of Songjiang, summer still exists. Tomb of Xia Wanchun Heroes and Fathers.
3 Zuo Guangdou
In the later period of Ming Shenzong, an official named Gu Xiancheng offended Ming Shenzong and was dismissed because of his integrity and daring to remonstrate. After he returned to his hometown in Wuxi (now Wuxi, Jiangsu), he invited some like-minded friends to give lectures at Lindong Academy outside the East Gate. Some readers nearby heard that Gu Xiancheng was eager to learn, so they all rushed to Wuxi to listen to his lectures and booked a small Donglin Academy. Gu Xiancheng hated the darkness of the imperial court, and when giving lectures, he inevitably talked about the failure of state affairs and criticized some ministers in power. Everyone who attended the lecture said that Gu Xiancheng was right, and there were ministers in Beijing to support him. Donglin Academy is becoming more and more famous. Some criticized bureaucrats hate Gu Xiancheng very much, calling those who support Donglin Academy "Lindong party member". When Ming Xizong ascended the throne, some ministers who supported Lindong Party came to power, the most famous of which were Yang Lian and Zuo Guangdou. On one occasion, the court sent Zuo Guangdou to inspect the vicinity of the capital and was also responsible for the imperial examination there. One day, the north wind was blowing hard and it was snowing heavily. Zuo Guangdou had a few drinks in the official residence and suddenly became interested. With a few followers, he rode his horse to the suburbs to tread the snow. They walked and saw an ancient temple, and the environment was very quiet. Zuo Guangdou decided to have a rest inside. They got off the horse, pushed open the door left unlocked and walked into the ancient temple. In the small room on the left side of the corridor, a scholar fell asleep at his desk with several volumes of manuscripts on it. Zuo Guangdou stepped forward, picked up the manuscript on the table and read it carefully. The manuscript is not only handsome, but also brilliant, and Zuo Guangdou can't help secretly admiring it. He put down the manuscript and was about to turn back. It suddenly occurred to him that it was snowing heavily outside and it was very cold. The scholar wears thin clothes so that he won't catch cold when he sleeps. Without hesitation, he took off his mink cloak and gently covered it on the scholar. Zuo Guangdou exits the door and closes it. He sent his entourage to the monks in the temple to inquire, only to know that the scholar's name was Shi Kefa, and he had just come to Beijing to catch the exam. Zuo Guangdou secretly remembered the name. On the day of the exam, Zuo Guangdou entered the hall. The clerk in the class sang the names of the candidates. When the beadle sang Shi Kefa's name, Zuo Guangdou noticed the examinee who sent the paper. It was the scholar that he saw in the temple that day. Zuo Guangdou took the test paper and gave Shi Kefa the first place on the spot. After the exam, Zuo Guangdou met Shi Kefa in the government, encouraged him, and took him to the kitchen to see Mrs Zuo. He praised in front of Mrs. Zuo: "None of my children have any talent. Inherit my career in the future. It all depends on this young man. " After that, Zuo Guangdou and Shi Kefa established a close teacher-student relationship. Shi Kefa was born in a poor family, so Zuo Guangdou let him live in the government and personally guided him to study. Sometimes, Zuo Guangdou went to Shi Kefa's room late at night to handle official business. They chatted happily and didn't want to sleep at all. Zuo Guangdou and Yang Lian were bent on rectifying state affairs, while Ming Xizong was an out-and-out fatuous person. He trusted a very bad eunuch, Wei Zhongxian, and put Wei Zhongxian in charge of the Secret Service East Factory. Wei Zhongxian, by virtue of his privilege, helped the clique to seek personal gain, sold officials and titles, and committed all kinds of evils. Some bureaucrats who opposed Lindong Party took refuge in Wei Zhongxian and formed a group. Historically, they were called "eunuchs". Yang Lian was angry at the eunuch's misconduct, but he boldly wrote a letter to expose Wei Zhongxian's 24 crimes. Zuo Guangdou also strongly supported him. That was a mistake. In A.D. 1625, Wei Zhongxian colluded with eunuchs, attacked Zuo Guangdou on charges of party harmony, put them in jail and tortured them to extract confessions. After Zuo Guangdou was arrested, Shi Kefa was so anxious that he didn't know what to do. He wandered around the prison gate from morning till night every day, looking for an opportunity to visit his teacher. But the eunuchs kept Zuo Guangdou under strict supervision and did not let people visit him. Zuo Guangdou was in prison, and no matter how tortured the eunuch was, he refused to give in. Shi Kefa heard that Zuo Guangdou was tortured to death. Regardless of his personal safety, he took 520 pieces of silver and begged the jailer for the last time. The jailer was finally moved by Shi Kefa's sincerity and tried to give Shi Kefa a chance to visit the prison. That evening, Shi Kefa put on a tattered coat, dressed as a dung collector, wearing sandals, carrying a bamboo basket and a long shovel, and was led into the prison by the jailer. Shi Kefa found Zuo Guangdou's cell and saw him sitting in the corner, black and blue, his face burned beyond recognition, and his left leg rotted to show his bones. Shi Kefa was very sad when he saw this scene. He stepped forward, knelt down, hugged Zuo Guangdou's leg and kept sobbing. Zuo Guangdou's face was bruised and he couldn't open his eyes, but he recognized Shi Kefa from his crying. He raised his hand and opened his eyelids with all his strength. His angry eyes seemed to burst into flames. He cursed and said, "Idiot! What is this place? What are you doing here? Things in the country are terrible. I'm finished, and you're still desperate to get in. If they find out, who will do it in the future? " Shi Kefa still sobbed. Zuo Guangdou said bitterly, "If you don't leave, I'll punish you now, so as to save the traitors from starting work." Say that finish, he really touched the shackles around him, and made it look like it was going to be smashed. Shi Kefa was afraid to speak again, so he had to hold back his grief and quit the prison. A few days later, Zuo Guangdou and Yang Lian were finally killed by Wei Zhongxian. Shi Kefa paid another sum of money to bribe the jailer and buried Zuo Guangdou's body. Thinking of the prison scene, he couldn't help crying and said, "My teacher's heart is really made of stone!" "
4 Yang Jisheng
After the death of Cōng Wuzong, his cousin Zhu Houzong succeeded to the throne. This is Ming Shizong. When Emperor Shizong of Ming Dynasty first ascended the throne, he took some political improvement measures, such as limiting the eunuch's power and rectifying taxes. But later, I became superstitious about Taoism, set up an altar in the palace to seek immortality, and gradually stopped asking about state affairs. Anyone who caters to his beliefs will be taken seriously. Yan sūng, a university student, is good at drafting documents for offering sacrifices to the gods, and gradually obtained the position of cabinet records (equivalent to prime minister). Yan Song has no talent. He only knows how to flatter Sejong. When he became a Tai Shigong, he and his son, Yan Shifan, colluded with each other, taking bribes and perverting the law. At that time, some spineless courtiers took refuge in him, and more than 30 officials became his adopted sons. With these minions, he can manipulate state affairs more. After Yan Song came to power, the Tatar Department in the north (a branch of the Mongols) was powerful, unifying all the Mongolian departments and becoming a great threat to the Ming Dynasty. Yan Song not only didn't want to strengthen the combat readiness, but also deducted the pay and starved the soldiers. Tatar leader Anda entered the mainland several times, but the Ming army was unable to resist. In A.D. 1550, Anda marched straight into the suburbs of Beijing. Emperor Shizong of Ming Dynasty sent Qiu Luan, a comrade-in-arms of Yan Song, as a general to command reinforcements from all walks of life to defend the capital. Yan Song was afraid that Qiu Luan would lose the battle and ordered Qiu Luan not to resist. As a result, Tatar soldiers plundered a large number of people, livestock and property near Beijing and returned with full loads. Hundreds of thousands of Ming troops near the capital have not fired an arrow. A year later, Qiu Luan colluded with Anda again and prepared to make peace with Tatar. This incident aroused the indignation of some honest ministers, especially Yang Jisheng, the minister of the Ministry of War. Yang Jisheng, a native of Rongcheng, Baoding, was born in poverty. He lost his mother when he was seven years old. His stepmother abused him and told him to herd cattle. Yang Jisheng drove the cattle through a private school and saw some children in the village studying. He was envious and asked his brother to let him study. My brother said, "Are you too young to read?" Yang Jisheng replied, "I can herd cattle, but I can't study?" Seeing his ambition, his father asked him to herd cattle while reading. Sure enough, he made rapid progress. Later, in the imperial examination, he won the Jinshi and was appreciated by many ministers in Beijing. Yang Jisheng's integrity, see Yan Song, QiuLuan gang humiliation, how also can't stand it. He wrote a letter to Emperor Shizong of Ming Dynasty, opposing peace talks, and hoped that the imperial court would make great efforts to strengthen itself and choose generals to train against Tatars. Ming Shizong was a little touched when he read the paper, but he couldn't resist Qiu Luan's advice. Instead, he demoted Yang Jisheng to Didao (now Lintao, Gansu) to study classical history. Yang Jisheng came to Didao, not discouraged. Didao is a place where ethnic minorities live together, and the local people can't read. When Yang Jisheng arrived there, he selected more than 100 teenagers and asked a teacher to teach them to learn. The students had no money at home, so Yang Jisheng sold his horse and his wife's clothes to help them. The local people like Yang Jisheng very much and call him "yangfu". After Yang Jisheng was demoted, the Ming Dynasty made peace with the Tatars and traded with each other. However, it was not long before Anda broke the peace talks and attacked the border many times. Qiu Luan's plot was exposed and she was scared to death. At that time, Emperor Shizong of Ming Dynasty realized that Yang Jisheng's opinion was right and transferred him back to Beijing. Yan Song also wanted to woo Yang Jisheng, but Yang Jisheng hated Yan Song even more. Just one month after he returned to Beijing, he wrote a letter to impeach Yan Song of Ming Shizong, boldly exposing the top ten crimes of Yan Song, and the evidence was conclusive. He also said in the article, Yan Song heinous, but can deceive the emperor, because of the "five traitors" help. This is Yan Song's spies, minions, relatives, minions and confidants, all surrounded by Sejong. This letter hit the nail on the head of Yan Song, and Yan Song was so angry that he framed Yang Jisheng in front of Ming Shizong. In great anger, Emperor Shizong of Ming Dynasty beat Yang Jisheng with a hundred sticks and put him in prison. Yang Jisheng was beaten black and blue by the court staff, and his leg was broken. When the jailer saw it, he was sad, but Yang Jisheng was calm, as if nothing had happened. I heard that Yang Jisheng was seriously injured, so relatives and friends gave him a snake gall as a wound medicine through the jailer. Yang Jisheng refused to accept it and said, "I have the courage myself. I don't need this!" Yang Jisheng has been in prison for three years, but he can't find any charges. Some officials want to free him from prison. Yan Song said to Yan Song, "If you don't kill Yang Jisheng, don't you care about yourself?" Yan Song was cruel and encouraged Ming Shizong to kill Yang Jisheng. Yan Song was in power for twenty-one years, and his henchmen were placed in important positions in the imperial court, with increasing power. Ming Shizong also grew tired of him. On one occasion, Ming Shizong asked Taoist Lan Daoxing to help his wife (a superstitious activity). Lan Daoxing persuaded Shizong to get rid of Yan Song with the will of the gods, and Ming Shizong was also a little moved. Zou Yinglong found out about it and thought it was a good opportunity to attack Yan Song, but he hesitated considering the fate of Yang Jisheng. After careful consideration, I decided to impeach Yan Shifan first. Relying on his father's power, Yan Shifan did many bad things. As soon as Zou Yinglong impeached Yan Shifan, Ming Shizong ordered Yan Shifan to be punished, exiled to Leizhou and ordered Yan Song to retire. Yan Shifan and his companions are a group of outlaws. Before they arrived in Leizhou, they sneaked back to their hometown, took in a group of Jiang Yang thieves, colluded with the traitor Wang Zhi and the enemy, and prepared to flee to Japan. This incident was revealed by another suggestion, Lin Run. The fatuous Ming Shizong was shocked to see this letter, and immediately ordered Yan Shifan and his companions to be beheaded, and Yan Song was relieved of his post for the people. The traitor, the greatest power in the Ming Dynasty, finally fell.
5 Bao Zheng
After the failure of Fan Zhongyan's New Deal, the political affairs in the Northern Song Dynasty became increasingly corrupt, especially in Kaifeng, the capital, and the atmosphere of corruption and bribery among powerful ministers was very serious. Some royalty are even more unscrupulous, and they simply ignore national laws. Later, the new magistrate Bao Zheng came to Kaifeng, and this situation changed a little. Bao Zheng, a native of Hefei, Luzhou, served as the county magistrate of Tianchang County (now Tianchang, Anhui Province) in his early years. On one occasion, a case happened in the county. A farmer tied his cow in the cowshed at night. When I got up in the morning, I found the cow lying on the ground with blood dripping from its mouth. When he opened the cow's mouth, he saw the cow's tongue cut off. Angry and sad, the farmer went to the county government to complain and asked Bao Zheng to investigate the person who cut the cow's tongue for him. Where should I find this headless case? Bao Zheng thought for a moment and said to the complaining farmer, "Don't tell anyone, go back and kill your cow." Farmers are unwilling to slaughter livestock. According to the law at that time, cattle could not be slaughtered privately. But at first, the cow with its tongue cut off will not live for many days; Secondly, the county magistrate told him to slaughter cattle, so there was no need to be afraid of breaking the law. When the farmer came home, he really killed the cow. The next day, someone in the yamen of Tianchang County came to report that farmers slaughtered cattle privately. When Bao Zheng asked about the situation, he immediately knelt down and shouted, "What a bold guy, you cut the tongue of someone else's cow, but you came to tell someone to slaughter it?" That guy froze, kowtowed on the ground and honestly admitted that he did it. It turned out that the person who cut the cow tongue had a grudge against the farmer, so he cut the cow tongue first and then reported the owner of the cow to slaughter the cow. Since then, Bao Zheng's reputation as a judge has spread. Bao Zheng worked as a local official several times. Everywhere he went, he abolished some exorbitant taxes and collected some unjust cases. Later, he was transferred to Beijing as an admonition officer, and he also put forward many good suggestions. Song Renzong had been trying to rectify the order in Kaifeng before transferring Bao Zheng to Kaifeng. Kaifeng House is a place where royalty, wealth and power are concentrated. In the past, no matter who was an emissary, it was inevitable to associate with powerful people and accept bribes. After Bao Zheng took office, he was determined to rectify this corrupt atmosphere. According to the rules of the Song Dynasty, whoever wants to appeal to the yamen must first ask someone to write a complaint and pass it to the magistrate through the yamen beadle. Some litigators and thugs took the opportunity to extort money. Bao Zheng broke this rule. If people want to complain, they can wave the flag and shout in front of the government. As soon as the war drum sounded, the front door of the government office was opened wide, allowing people to go directly to the court for prosecution. As a result, the petty officials in the yamen dare not do anything. One year there was a flood in Kaifeng, and a Huimin River was blocked and the water could not be discharged. According to the survey of Bao Zheng, some eunuchs and dignitaries occupied the river and built gardens and pavilions on it. Bao Zheng immediately ordered the gardeners to tear down all the buildings on the river. There is a powerful person who won't open it. Kaifeng sent someone to urge him, and the man argued and took out a title deed, insisting that the land was his property. Bao Zheng made a detailed inspection and found that the title deed was forged by dignitaries themselves. Bao Zheng was so angry that he ordered people to tear down the garden and wrote a letter exposing Song Renzong. The man saw that things were getting worse, and if Injong really pursued it, it would not be good for him, so he had to tear down the garden obediently. Some powerful people are too scared to do evil when they hear that Bao Zheng is strict in law enforcement. A powerful man figured out his joints and planned to give Bao Zheng something. He was reminded not to worry about it in vain. Bao Zheng is famous for his integrity. He was an official in Duanzhou (now Zhaoqing, Guangdong). The inkstone made in Duanzhou is a local specialty. According to the regulations of the palace, Duanzhou officials pay tribute to the palace every year. People who are officials in Duanzhou often take the opportunity of paying tribute to the people and embezzle a group in private to please those powerful officials. Guangdong inkstone is dozens of times more than tribute. Later, when Bao Zheng came to Duanzhou, he collected Guangdong inkstone from the people, but he didn't even add a piece except the one handed over to the court. Until he left Duanzhou, he never asked for a Guangdong inkstone without permission. Hearing this, the powerful people knew that there was no loophole to exploit, so they had to give up. Later, all the men, women and children in Kaifeng knew that Bao Zheng was a big official. There are two folk songs: "No joints, Yamaraja, Bao Lao." ("Yamaraja" is the legendary god in charge of hell. ) Bao Zheng is also very strict with relatives and friends. Some relatives want to depend on him, but he doesn't take care of him at all. After a long time, relatives and friends all know his temper and are afraid to look for him in personal matters. Song Renzong highly valued Bao Zheng and promoted him to the rank of a council deputy. He became a big official, and his family life is still very simple, just like ordinary people. Five years later, he died of serious illness, leaving a will saying: future generations are officials, committing corruption, and are not allowed to return to their hometown; After death, they are not allowed to be buried in the Bao family cemetery. Because Bao Zheng was an honest and upright official all his life, he was not only praised by people before his death, but also regarded him as a typical honest and upright official after his death, honoring him as "Bao Gong", or calling him "Bao Gong" and "Bao" (Bao Zheng's official title was Tian Zhi Dai, Bachelor of Youtuge). Many stories about Bao Gong's unselfishness and attack on powerful people have been circulated among the people, and have also been compiled into plays and short stories about Bao Gong's handling of cases. Although most of them are fictional legends, they also reflect people's admiration for honest officials.
6 Yan Zhenqing
After the Anshi Rebellion, the Tang Dynasty turned from prosperity to decline. Our local envoys seized the opportunity to carve up the territory and expand their power, which led to the situation of separatist regions. After Tang Daizong's death, his son Shi immediately took the throne, namely Tang Dezong. Tang Dezong tried to change the autocratic situation in the buffer region, which led to the rebellion in the buffer region. Because of Tang Dezong's Crusade, the rebellion spread rather than was put down. In 782 AD, five buffer regions rebelled, among which Li Xilie in the west of Huai River was the strongest in our time. He claimed to be the most beautiful man in the world and attacked the Tang Dynasty. Rebellion in five towns shocked the court. Tang Dezong consulted Premier Qilu, and he said, "It doesn't matter. Just send a respected minister to persuade them that the rebellion can be quelled without moving a knife and a shot. " Tang Dezong asked Qilu, "Who do you think is appropriate to send?" Qilu recommended the old prince Yan Zhenqing, and Tang Dezong immediately agreed. Yan Zhenqing was a prestigious elder at that time. The Anshi Rebellion was preceded by the plain satrap. After An Lushan launched the rebellion, most counties in Hebei were occupied by rebels, and only Pingyuan City did not fall because of the loyal opposition Yan Zhenqing. Later, his cousin Yan Gaoqing rose up in Gaocheng, and seventeen counties in Hebei responded, and everyone elected Yan Zhenqing as the leader. He made great contributions in the struggle against the Anshi Rebellion. At that time, he was made Duke of Lu. Therefore, people also call him Yan. Yan Zhenqing is also a famous calligrapher in the history of China. His vigorous calligraphy shows his strong character. Later, people called his font "Yan Ti". Yan Zhenqing's integrity is often framed and excluded by traitors. Just because of his high prestige, some traitors have to respect him on the surface. Premier Qilu is a heartless person. He is jealous of Yan Zhenqing, and he can't do it at ordinary times. This time, he took advantage of the rebellion in the buffer region and sent Yan Zhenqing to do persuasion, which was a deliberate attempt to frame him. At that time, Yan Zhenqing was an old man in his seventies. Many civil and military officials were worried about his safety when they heard that the court sent him to the rebel town. But Yan Zhenqing, regardless, took a few followers and went to Huaixi. Li Xilie heard that Yan Zhenqing was coming and wanted to show him off. At the meeting, his Ministry and his adopted son were invited to gather 1000 people inside and outside the hall. As soon as Yan Zhenqing began to persuade Li Xilie to stop the rebellion, the ministers and adopted sons rushed up, each with a bright knife in his hand, surrounded Yan Zhenqing, insulted and threatened, and assumed the appearance of trying to kill him. Yan Zhenqing fearless, deadpan, sneer at. Li Xilie hypocritically stood up to protect Yan Zhenqing and ordered his adopted son to quit. Then, send Yan Zhenqing to the posthouse and try to soften him slowly. A few days later, the leaders of the four rebel towns sent messengers to contact Li Xilie to persuade Li Xilie to proclaim himself emperor. Li Xilie hosted a banquet for them and invited Yan Zhenqing to attend. When the messengers sent by the rebel town saw Yan Zhenqing coming, they all congratulated Li Xilie, saying, "I have long heard that Master Yan is highly respected, and now the Marshal is about to become the emperor. Just as the master came, isn't there a ready-made prime minister? " Yan Zhenqing raised his eyebrows and rebuked the four messengers: "What prime minister is not a prime minister! I'm almost eighty years old, and I'm not afraid to kill or chop. Will I be tempted by you and afraid of your threat? " The four messengers were frightened by Yan Zhenqing's awe-inspiring eyes, shrinking their necks and speechless. Li Xilie couldn't help him, so he had to lock up Yan Zhenqing and send soldiers to guard him. The soldiers dug a hole ten feet square in the yard and threatened to bury Yan Zhenqing alive. The next day, Li Xilie came to see him, and Yan Zhenqing said to Li Xilie, "My life and death have been decided. Why do you still play these tricks?" . Wouldn't it be great if you cut me with a knife! "A year later, Li Xilie claimed to be the Emperor Chu, and sent the Ministry to force Yan Zhenqing to surrender. Soldiers piled firewood in Yan Zhenqing's forbidden yard and poured enough oil, threatening Yan Zhenqing: "If you don't surrender, you will be burned in the fire! Without further ado, Yan Zhenqing jumped into the firewood, and people quickly stopped him and reported back to Li Xilie. Li Xilie tried his best, but failed to make Yan Zhenqing give in, so he sent someone to force Yan Zhenqing to commit suicide.