The seventh day of the tenth lunar month in 1875 was the 64th birthday of Zuo Zongtang, the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu.
According to official practice, the Spring Festival, Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival, as well as the birthdays of officials and their wives, are called "three festivals and two birthdays" and must be celebrated grandly. Officials naturally enjoy this and take advantage of the opportunity to make money.
Zuo Zongtang has always been honest and self-sufficient. He is not even willing to accept gifts from his subordinates. How could he use his birthday as a tool to make money? Therefore, he said hello a few days before his birthday and made it clear that he would not celebrate his birthday. Zuo Zongtang's subordinates knew Zuo Zongtang's character and did not dare to offend him, so they did not mention longevity.
Only Wu Kedu, the director of Lanshan Academy in Gansu Province, felt that Zuo Zongtang had made great contributions to Gansu and wanted to wish him a birthday.
Wu Kedu, courtesy name Liutang, was born in Lanzhou, Gansu Province in 1812. He was a scholar with great personality. At the age of 23, he passed the imperial examination and then went to Beijing to take the examination. At that time, those who came to Beijing to take the examination would live in inns and those without money in guild halls. But Wu Kedu was different. He lived in a brothel in Shaanxi Lane, so he was jokingly called "Wu Da Whoring".
In 1850, Wu Keyu finally passed the Jinshi examination and was assigned to the Ministry of Punishment as a chief. Since he had no family background, little money, and no desire to curry favor with the powerful, he was still a very poor official in the capital after ten years. It was not until 1872 that he became the censor of Henan Province and became a public official.
After Wu Kedu became the censor, he did two things that caused a sensation.
First, the ministers were arguing endlessly about the etiquette issues for foreign envoys to meet Emperor Tongzhi. Wu Ke read a memorial called "Please do not oblige envoys to kneel down and worship". Wu Kedu quoted Mencius's words "What's the difference between a gentleman and an animal?" and said that he should not be as knowledgeable as an animal (foreigner). What's more, "It's not an honor to the court to be able to kneel down and worship; even if it's allowed to not kneel or worship, it's not enough to be an insult to the court." For foreigners who don't know the Three Cardinal Guidelines and Five Constant Rules, even if they kneel down and worship, it is not an honor to the court; Even if you don't kneel or worship, it's not a shame to the court.
As a result, the imperial court accepted Wu Kedu's suggestion and allowed foreign envoys not to kneel and kowtow when they met Emperor Tongzhi.
Secondly, Cheng Lu, the governor of Urumqi, did not dare to resist the invasion of the Russian army, but instead sent troops to falsely accuse and kill more than 200 good people, pretending to be rewarded. After Wu Kedu read the letter from his fellow villagers in Gansu, he reported to the court and impeached Cheng Lu, saying "ten people can be killed and five people cannot be killed", so Cheng Lu was dismissed from office and questioned. However, Emperor Tongzhi intended to protect Chenglu and changed his position from execution to execution. Wu Kedu was extremely sad and angry, and wrote again: "Please kill Chenglu to thank Ganmin, and then kill the ministers to thank Chenglu."
Emperor Tongzhi was furious and wanted to kill Wu Kedu. Fortunately, Wang Jiabi, the young minister of Dali Temple, resisted the public opinion and refused to make a deposit, thus saving Wu Kedu's life. Wu Kedu was demoted three levels and sent back to his hometown in Gansu. Zuo Zongtang knew that he was a talented person and hired him as the director of Lanshan Academy.
Wu Kedu had a close relationship with Zuo Zongtang and knew that after Zuo Zongtang came to Gansu, he worked diligently and loved the people and did a lot of practical things for people's livelihood. He then sent a couplet to his birthday: "Throughout the ages, the merits of writing can be traced to Lin's pen; the two dynasties have opened up to commemorate the celebration of peace and sacrifice."
In the first couplet, Wu Kedu complimented Zuo Zongtang for his beautiful handwriting. The articles can be listed in classics such as "Spring and Autumn" written by Confucius. In the second couplet, Wu Keyu praised Zuo Zongtang for his great contributions during the Xianfeng and Tongzhi dynasties, and he deserved to celebrate his 64th birthday. "Two Dynasties Kaiji" comes from Du Fu's poem "The Prime Minister of Shu", which is in line with Zuo Zongtang's mood of comparing himself to Zhuge Liang.
Reading Wu Kedu's birthday couplet not only summarizes Zuo Zongtang's life achievements in simple language, but also speaks highly of it. The longevity couplet uses allusions well and the antithesis work is stable. It is a rare and beautiful couplet. No wonder Zuo Zongtang liked it so much.
After Zuo Zongtang saw this couplet, he was overjoyed and immediately passed it on to all the subordinate officials to appreciate: "You can't live up to this good couplet." With Zuo Zongtang's acquiescence, the subordinate officials vigorously supported Zuo Zongtang. Zongtang wished him a happy birthday, and everyone was happy.
Reference materials: "Manuscript of the History of the Qing Dynasty", "Wu Kedu, a loyal and loyal official", "Outside History of the Qing Palace", etc.