"Only thrifty and thrifty housekeeping." He once painted a dish in the lobby, entitled "People should not have this color, and scholars should not have this taste." After Xu Jiujing left, people carved the dishes he painted on the stone and wrote down the words "frugality, diligence and forbearance", which was called "Xu Gong Classic". These three words are really remarkable in the political history of China. If you are unwilling to be poor and indifferent, you are not an honest official.
During the Warring States Period, Ximen Bao was ordered by the State of Wei, "Qing can solve it, and Qiu Hao is selfish."
("Everything is wrong. The theory of foreign reserves ") is really rare. The story of his harnessing water and casting spells to break the bad habit of "Hebo marrying a woman" is still widely circulated.
"Batch of scale is far more than dry heart, bitter festival with solitary bamboo clear. Long Yin Haitian clouds Wan Li, cranes return to China to watch the third moon. There is nothing left outside the coffin of depression, but there are roots before the cold. When I said I didn't trust others, the mountain people saw tears. "
(Zhao Jishi, Qing Dynasty: Send to the Garden, Send to the Place, Volume II quotes Zuo You Bian) This is a poem praising Harry written by Liang Zhu, a Suzhou native in the Ming Dynasty, which is different from ordinary poems. This is because: In October of the 15th year of Wanli (1587), 74-year-old Hai Rui died in the official residence because of an old illness. Su Minhuai, a fellow countryman, counted his relics, only a bamboo cage with 820 yuan's salary and some old clothes in it. Contemporary Wang Shizhen commented in nine words: "Not afraid of death, not loving money, not establishing a party."
(Zhou Minghui: flowers of war, Volume 1) When Zhu Liang saw Harry's simple packing and the scene where the literati and officialdom pooled their money to buy Harry a coffin, he was deeply moved. He was afraid that the world would not believe such a thing in the future, so he specially wrote this poem to hang Harry, in order to testify with the mountains and rivers and keep Harry clean. In fact, Harry is so frugal that most people can't believe it. His private seal was carved in mud, and he slept in a broken chair in summer, covered with his wife's old skirt, so that a Taoist attacked him as "fake". This is undoubtedly a slander on Harry, and such people can't understand Harry.
One of the reasons for the lack of honest officials is sadness for family members. Theway, an honest official, once said, "It's hard to be an honest official! Wives and concubines are willing to be honest officials, and then honest officials can do it, otherwise they will be defeated. "
(Qing Yu Huai: Dongshan Yuan Tan, Volume 3) The Webster family's understanding and support for him is rare. After Wang Wei died in Beijing, his coffin arrived in Piling (now Changzhou). Because there was no money to bury him, he had to stop at an abandoned temple. There is no decent furniture at home, and my wife is ill and has no money to take medicine. After the game, she died of hunger and cold, which made people feel infinite! Obviously, it is very important for an honest official to live in a small environment, that is, whether his wife, children and subordinates are greedy. If the wife and children talk about delicious food and drink all day, wear gold and silver, and compare with others, they will say that XXX is just a small official with seven products, and now he has opened a silk shop and a wooden shop; Men often say that if you have the right not to use it, it will be out of date. After this village, there is no such shop. If you can catch it quickly, you can catch it. Anyway, heaven knows the earth, you know me, skynet is long, sparse and not leaking. Imagine, in such a small environment, it is easy to be an official! Road flyover said "it is difficult to be honest and upright", and he really meant it.
Only in this way can the deeds of Jiang Yilin, an upright official in the Ming Dynasty, be very commendable. Jiang Yilin, a native of Wuyuan, had a low voice as a local official and was transferred to Beijing as a minister. Going north, he took out twelve taels of silver and ordered Zhao E, a citizen of the state, to repair the boat. When he got on the boat, he saw a new repair and asked him how much it cost. Zhao E said 10 beam. Jiang Yilin didn't believe that 10 was not enough, so he secretly checked the craftsmen's fees of various colors and actually spent more than 20 taels of silver. So I took 6 taels of silver, 30 fans, 2 Jin of ink and 4 taels of silver to repay. Zhao Hua refused to accept it, but he had to accept it because of Jiang Gong's insistence. Mrs. Jiang has always been virtuous and called Gongri: "If you know 65,438 +00 taels, you should pay her in full, but you can pay her with Fan Ink. Why do you want to exchange these for silver? " Jiang Gong couldn't help blushing, and quickly made up 4 taels of silver, which made Zhao E even more afraid to accept it. Jiang Gong said angrily:
"Does it make me inferior to a woman?" Goodwell Gong, a writer in the early Qing Dynasty, commented on this: "It is enough to compensate the public, but the wife still feels sorry, and the public is not as good as the woman." Its goodness and goodness are in harmony on weekdays, and those who do good deeds for the people do their best! "("Qing Gong Wei: Notes on the Nest Forest ",Volume II) The author thinks this comment is fair and profound, because I once wrote a limerick with emotion: the wife is indifferent to the alley, and the public and private accounts are strictly separated; There are greedy women in the backyard, and there is no hope of being honest!
Because of this, honest officials who don't want to fall into the quagmire of corruption have to dig their brains to appease their children. Wang Shu, a native of Shanyuan, Shaanxi Province, served as assistant minister of punishments, adviser to Zuodu and official minister in the early Ming Dynasty. He was in power for more than 50 years and lived to the age of 93. He is honest, strict and consistent. His son turned pale when he saw that his hands were empty. Uncle Wang said to him, "Are you afraid of being poor? Our family has always had savings, and we don't need to be like a mouse in a granary to be an official. " He led his son to the back room, pointed to a place and said, "This is where the gold is hidden. There is a golden cellar. " He pointed to another place and said, "This is the place where the silver is hidden. There is a kiln of silver. " After his death, his son went to dig, "All the pits are empty" (Li Ming Zhongfu: formerly Li Er). Wang Shu took great pains to keep the festival clean and tidy. In fact, all the famous honest officials in history have wives and children who are willing to be poor.
The spirit of being honest and upright is not limited to being honest and self-controlled. They do not hesitate to lose their jobs, ruin the so-called bright future, and even sacrifice their lives to fight against corrupt officials and powerful people. What's more, they dare to speak out and criticize the emperor's policies and absurd behavior, which requires selfless and fearless courage! For example, in Bao Zheng of the Song Dynasty, when Injong promoted Zhang Guifei's uncle Yao Zhang to assist him, he went to the temple to remonstrate, "repeatedly said hundreds of words to express his anger and illness", and spat on Emperor Injong's face until the emperor appointed him. (Song Zhu Edited: "Old News of Qu Yan" Volume 1) Bao Zheng was so upright and upright. No wonder the officials and people in Beijing were afraid of clothes at that time and praised "the joints are not enough, and Yamaraja is old." (Song Sima Guang: Notes on Spicy Water, Volume 10) Another example is that in the Ming Dynasty, with the continuous strengthening of feudal absolutism, the emperor was further deified, which led to the estrangement between the monarch and the minister. It's strange that the ministers saw the emperor and scrambled to get the right answer. When they called it right, they were at a loss. They only know that they will scream for a long time, so kowtow quickly. After the middle of the Ming Dynasty, some ministers were on pins and needles when they came to see them, and even fainted on the spot, causing incontinence.
(Shen Ming Telford: Edited by Wan Ye Li, Volume 1) However, as we all know, some honest officials who are not afraid of death dare to prepare coffins, bid farewell to their wives and prepare to die generously after "putting their heads on the ground and fighting for Emperor Jiajing"; In April of the second year of the Apocalypse (1622), imperial envoys and handsome men dared to say that "Long live the internal and external dynasties, which is the loyalty of our Lord". What courage it takes! Sure enough, the emperor was furious after reading it and said, "Handsome people are not allowed to call me long live, and no one is welcome!" " (Ye Ming Gao Xiang: The Edge, Volume XII) Thanks to the protection of leaves, the handsome people survived. This fearless spirit is a vivid embodiment of "killing life for benevolence and giving up life for righteousness". Feudal society had almost no officials and greed, and there were countless offenders. Harry and others can not take bribes and bend the law. This alone can be said to be a matter of getting rid of dirt and lasting forever.
Now, the history of China has entered 2 1 century. If we look at honest officials in history from today's perspective, we can clearly see that when people have no rights,
When "man is a knife and I am a fish", I will look forward to my savior in despair and call master Qingtian to love the people as a son. However, the best honest official is the master, and the best person is only the son. When people shout Bao Qingtian, it must be when they are insulted and bullied. Honest officials are the stars of last night in the vast darkness of feudal times, and never represent the future. In a sound democratic and legal society, people rely on democracy and law to protect themselves, instead of begging for the soul of an honest official. It is our unremitting call to further expand socialist democracy and improve the socialist legal system!
(Author: Wang Chunyu, a researcher at the Institute of History, China Academy of Social Sciences)
From Qiushi, No.3, 2005
"Honest and upright officials are the best in the world" Zhang Quan
Zhang Boxing (165 1- 1725), Yu Xiaoxian, a native of Yifeng (present-day lankao county East), was a famous upright official in the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty. He was promoted by a county student and later became a scholar. After entering the Jinshi, I went back to my hometown to study. A few years later, I went to the official department to try again and was awarded the cabinet book. He has served as a scribe, treasurer of Jining, judge of Jiangsu, governor of Fujian, governor of Jiangsu, assistant minister of warehouse field, assistant minister of household right, and minister of rites. He was an honest official, which Kangxi called "the first honest official in the world". He left Jiangsu for his post, and the people just looked at him all the way and praised him: he has been an official for several years, "Jiangnan no longer drinks a glass of water." At that time, "the sincere people in the world, although all know the public."
"A grain, my name; A penny is the essence of the people. One point wider, one more point for the people; Take a penny, I am not worth a penny. " This famous saying can be called the golden rope and iron moment of an official. Its author is Zhang Boxing, who had the reputation of "the first honest official in the world" during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty. In the forty-eighth year of Kangxi (1709), Zhang Boxing was ordered to be transferred to the governor of Jiangsu. After Zhang Boxing took office, he immediately issued a "no feeding" campaign, forbidding his subordinates to feed money and things, in order to rectify the increasingly popular corruption at that time. This famous saying is a battle.
Zhang Boxing was a scholar in the twenty-fourth year of Kangxi. After examination, he was awarded the Cabinet Zhongshu and was appointed as the Zhongshu Division Zhongshu. After my father's funeral, I set up an academy to explain and publicize Confucianism.
In the thirty-eighth year of Kangxi (1699), in June, the river bank was washed away by heavy rain. Zhang Boxing recruited villagers to fill the gap with soil in their pockets. He Changao understands.
After learning about his deeds, I thought he had the ability to manage river affairs, so I recommended him. Kangxi ordered him to be a river worker, supervise and repair more than 200 miles on the south bank of the Yellow River, and be responsible for Majiagang, Dongba, Gaojiayan and other projects.
Forty-two years (1703), Zhang Boxing awarded Jining Road. In the year of famine, they brought money and food from their hometown, made cotton-padded clothes and rescued the people from hunger and cold. Kangxi ordered relief for the victims in various ways, and Zhang Boxing took out more than 22,000 stones from the granary to provide relief for Hanshang and Yanggu counties. Zhang Boxing's resolute action was accused by Shandong's political envoys as arbitrary and impeached. Zhang Boxing argued: "I came to the disaster relief on the orders of the emperor, and I can't say that I am arbitrary. The emperor attaches so much importance to the sufferings of the people that he should put granaries in the first place. Or put life first? The minister was speechless and had to give up. Forty-five years (1706), when Kangxi made a southern tour, he specially gave Zhang Boxing a plaque of "Buze Anliu". Soon, Zhang Boxing was promoted to Jiangsu provincial judge. In forty-six years (1707), Kangxi made another southern tour. When I arrived in Suzhou, I said to my courtiers, "I heard that Zhang Quan is very clean as an official, which is the most rare thing. "However, Zhang Quan has not been recommended for promotion by superior officials. When Kangxi met Zhang Boxing, he said, "I have known you for a long time, so I recommend you. If I am a good official in the future, the world will think that I know people very well. " Therefore, Jaco was promoted to the governor of Fujian.
The new Zhang Boxing immediately did a series of practical things for the people, such as asking for exemption from taxes owed by the famine in Taiwan, Fengshan and Zhuluo counties; Because the price of rice in Fujian is very expensive, Zhang Boxing requested to use the money from the state treasury to buy rice from Huguang, Jiangxi, Guangdong and other places and sell it at a low price; Fujian people sacrificed to the god of plague, and Zhang Quan ordered the destruction of these gods of plague and changed the ancestral temple into a righteous school. There are many nuns among the people, and some people have sold women from poor families, so that hundreds of people have cut their hair and become nuns. Zhang Boxing ordered these families to redeem their women and choose spouses for them. If the family is poor and cannot be redeemed, the government will pay.
Two years later, Zhang Boxing was transferred to the governor of Jiangsu Province to relieve famine in Huai 'an, Yangzhou and Xuzhou. It happened that Yi Sigong was impeached and removed from office by Governor Gary because of the inventory deficit of the Chief Secretary, and Kangxi sent Minister Zhang Peng to investigate and deal with it. Chen Pengnian, acting as the agent of Suzhou magistrate, suggested that the deficit of 340,000 yuan in the Treasury of the Chief Secretary should be offset by deducting the salaries of officials and the expenses of using officials respectively. Zhang Boxing asked Karri to jointly write a book, but Karri disagreed. Zhang Jieli was given a lecture, and Kangxi learned about Ao's investigation. In addition, Zhang Boxing explained Kerry's different opinions. Kangxi's opinion on Zhang Boxing was not adopted.
So Zhang Boxing resigned on the grounds of poor health, and Kangxi did not allow it. Zhang Peng 'ao demanded that Zhang Boxing's former governors, Yu Zhun and Yi Sigong, compensate160,000 yuan, and the rest were compensated by the salary of officials and the use of officers. Kangxi said: "Jiangnan lacks money and food, not because of official corruption." When I was on my southern tour, the governor and the governor embezzled public funds at will, and junior officials were afraid to say so. I really can't bear to let a new official make compensation. "Then we can make clear the situation of using money during the southern tour and report it. Zhang's boxing and shushu, now there is no money in Mingzhou and counties, and Kangxi ordered that compensation be exempted.
In the fifty years of Kangxi (17 1 1), Zhao Jin, the deputy examiner of Jiangnan Provincial Examination, colluded with Kerry in secret, engaged in graft and accepted bribes. After the list was published, Suzhou Tuzi made a scene and carried the God of Wealth into Gong Xue to show his dissatisfaction. Zhang Boxing explained this matter, and examiner Zuo Bifan also reported the actual situation. Emperor Kangxi ordered Zhang Boxing, Kerry, Shang Shu 'ao of the Ministry of Finance and Liang Shixun, the governor of Anhui Province, to jointly investigate the case. The emperor ordered Shang Shu ao and assistant minister He Shou to investigate, and Zhang Boxing and Chao L came together. Later, it was found out that Juren Wu Bi and Cheng Guangkui secretly paid bribes, and the confession also showed that Kerry took bribes of 502,000 silver. Due to the complexity of the case involving the ceremony, the trial for more than a month did not produce any results. So Zhang boxing impeachment ceremony. Not willing to sit still, Jiali also listed Zhang Boxing's seven "crimes". In this situation, Kangxi first dismissed both of them. Soon the results of Zhang Peng's investigation came out: Zhao Jin, Wu Bi and Cheng Guangkui were true in accepting bribes and should be punished according to criminal law; It is a false accusation that Jiali secretly took bribes, and Zhang Boxing should be dismissed. Kangxi felt that the investigation results of Ao and others were deliberately covering up the ceremony, so he ordered the minister Mu Helun to re-investigate and the result was still the same as Ao. Kangxi was very dissatisfied with this and said, "Zhang Boxing is an honest official, which is well known all over the world. Although there are more than enough gifts, they like to make trouble and have no reputation for honesty. There must be something wrong with this investigation. " So, I ordered Jiuqing, Zhan and Kedao officials to reconsider. The next day, Kangxi called Jiuqing and others and said to them, "Zhang Boxing is an honest official. I can't trust him. Without Zhang Quan, many places in the south of the Yangtze River would be exploited by courtesy. This time, the two men participated in each other's cases. At first, they sent officials to try, but they were stopped by Jiali, so that they could not get the real situation. Sending an official to the trial is no different from the previous opinion. You should be able to understand my intention to protect honest officials. If honest people have no doubts and fears, then the world will have a stable situation. " Under the protection of Kangxi, the investigation was conducted again. As a result, Kerry's official position was taken away and Zhang Boxing was reinstated.
During Zhang Boxing's dismissal from office, people in Suzhou, Yangzhou and other places went on strike after hearing the news. People flock to the guild hall, because they usually know that Zhang Quan is honest and not greedy, so they will definitely not accept gifts, so they will send them with fruits and vegetables. Zhang Boxing still refused politely, and the people cried: "You didn't drink a glass of water from us when you were in office; Now we have to go, don't shirk our little thoughts. As a last resort, Zhang Boxing took a handful of dishes; I came back from the trial and passed by Yangzhou. If anything happens to Zhang Quan, tens of thousands of people will gather on the river bank to escort me. After the news of Zhang Boxing's dismissal came out, Jiangsu officials and people congratulated each other and wrote a red picture on the door: "The son of heaven is wise, and I am the first honest official in the world. "
In fifty-three years (17 14), Zhang Boxing wrote a letter to Yan Ming's maritime ban, impeaching Qin Gui to hide Zhang, a criminal who collaborated with pirates, in the government office, and requested to be arrested and brought to justice. Kangxi ordered the governor He Shou to investigate and hear the case. He Shou sheltered Tao and reported it on the grounds that the thief had no evidence. The emperor also ordered Zhang Peng purlin and assisi's deputy to investigate the case. The purlin and others reported that Tao was innocent, but asked to take Zhang Boxing's office away. After Zhang Boxing was dismissed, Ao and others still spared him, accusing him of framing good citizens, giving and receiving in private and demanding beheading. Zhang Quan is getting stronger and stronger with this leisurely, day and night study. Kangxi was suspicious of such a discovery, so he called Zhang Boxing to the capital and asked him, "If only people had no selfishness." Zhang Boxing said, "I have no selfishness." Kangxi said, "You are a saint and have no selfishness. How can someone sue you? " Zhang Boxing replied: "The selfless heart of the benevolent is reasonable, but although I am selfless for the official, what I have done is not necessarily reasonable." Kangxi thought what Zhang Boxing said was reasonable, so when the criminal law department also agreed to punish him, he resolutely pardoned Zhang Boxing's crime and transferred him to Beijing.
Soon, Zhang Boxing took a post in the South Study Room, served as an assistant minister in the warehouse, and served as an examiner in the Shuntian rural examination. Later, he was appointed assistant minister of the Ministry of Finance, in charge of money law and warehouse field, and served as deputy examiner of the examination. After Yong Zhengdi acceded to the throne, he also highly praised Zhang Quan. In the first year of Yongzheng, that is, 1723, Jaco was promoted to be the official department minister. Two years later, on February 1725, Zhang Boxing, an upright official, died at the age of 75. Zhang Boxing left a legacy, demanding advocating Confucianism and rewarding his ministers. Yongzheng mourned deeply, and posthumous title's "Qing Ke", which means honest and clean, diligent and conscientious, accurately summed up Zhang Boxing's life.
Zhang Boxing's greatest feature is diligent service and benefiting the people, which has nothing to do with money. He hates evil, never associates with corrupt officials, dares to resist the blackmail of his superiors, and his body is filled with integrity.
Zhang Boxing's Out-of-touch is a short book, but its words are hit the floor and powerful. Zhang Boxing has been an official for more than 20 years, never taking his family and never accepting gifts from others. To some extent, his words and deeds epitomize the traditional virtues and excellent thoughts of China's ancient upright officials. As the saying goes, being strong without desire is one of the reasons why he was impeached several times and finally stood firm, and it is also the fundamental reason why his moral integrity is still touching and awe-inspiring today.
During the Spring and Autumn Period, the son of Cheng Si in Song Dynasty was not simple and honest, and was deeply loved by people. Someone got a piece of Baoyu and asked someone to identify it and gave it to Zi Han. Zi Han refused to accept it, saying, "You value gems, but I value greed. If I accept your jade, then we all lose our treasure. Why don't we each have our own baby?
Yang Zhen refused to pay.
In the Eastern Han Dynasty, Yang Zhen passed by Changyi on his way to his post. Wang Mishan, the magistrate of Changyi County, visited him and gave him ten catties of gold as a gift. Yang Zhen said, "An old friend knows a gentleman, but you don't know an old friend. Why? Wang Mi didn't know that Poplar really blamed him and said, "It's getting dark, and no one knows. Yang Zhen said, "God knows, God knows, you know, I know, what is ignorance? Hearing this, Wang Mi was ashamed and went away disgruntled. "。
A praiseworthy upright official.
In the Eastern Han Dynasty, a man named Liu Chong was appointed as the prefect of Huiji. He reformed graft and abolished exorbitant taxes, which made the lawsuit very clean. Later, he was transferred to the post of master craftsman by the imperial court. Before he left, the local people took the initiative to collect money for Liu Chong, who was about to leave, but Liu Chong was not affected. Later, it was really hard to refuse, so I took a copper coin from it and accepted it symbolically. For this reason, he is called "one yuan satrap"
Taomu tuiyu
Tao Kan, a famous minister in Jin Dynasty, was a collector in Xunyang County when he was young. Once, he sent someone to send a can of fish with Chinese sauerkraut to his mother. After his mother Zhan received it, she returned it to him intact and wrote to him: "As a county official, it is not good for you to give it to me with public property, but it increases my worries." Tao Kan was deeply educated in this matter.
Wu Yinzhi is not afraid to drink greedy spring water.
Wu Yinzhi, a native of Jin Dynasty, was appointed as the magistrate of Guangzhou. Outside Guangzhou, he saw a pool of spring water called "Chanquan". According to local legend, if you drink from the fountain of greed, you will become greedy. He believed it and drank it correctly. After drinking, he wrote a poem: "The ancients were pregnant with a thousand. It is not easy to try to get Qi Yi to drink. " During his tenure, he was honest and self-disciplined and adhered to his own integrity.
So pathetic.
Zhang Jun, the minister of the Southern Song Dynasty, was exiled to Lingling, Hunan Province, to be an official because of his disagreement with the traitor Qin Gui. He took several boxes of books with him when he set out. Someone falsely accused him of having something to do with the disorderly party. As a result, Emperor Gaozong examined letters and worn-out clothes. The emperor sighed, "I didn't expect Zhang Jun to be so poor!" I felt sorry for him, so I sent someone to catch up with Zhang Jun on a fast horse and gave him 320 gold.
Yu Qian, remain uncorrupted
The famous ministers of the Ming Dynasty were honest and clean. On one occasion, the court sent him to Henan to inspect. When he returned to Beijing, people bought some local specialties such as silk handkerchief, mushrooms and incense sticks, which were expensive to send back to Beijing, but he refused to accept them. At the same time, I also wrote a poem to show my mind: Sipa mushroom, fragrant is a disaster for the people. The wind blows the sleeves to the sky, so as not to talk short. "
Don't steal a penny.
In the Ming Dynasty, Yang Jizong, the magistrate of Jiaxing, was clean and self-controlled and won the hearts of the people. Once, a eunuch passed by and asked him for a bribe. He opened the vault and said, "All the money is here. You can take it, but you have to help me get Kujin's official seal. " The eunuch disgruntled, returned to Beijing, and slandered Ming Yingzong in front of him. Yingzong asked, "Are you talking about Yang Jizong, the prefect who can't pay a penny?" After listening too much, I dare not speak ill of Yang Jizong again. ? Good hands cost nothing.
Wang Jie, an upright scholar, is outspoken and has no power. At that time, He Kun was authoritarian in the DPRK, and ministers did not accuse him. But Wang Jie often argued with him. Once, after careful consideration, He Kun deliberately teased Wang Jie and took his hand and said, "What a white and tender hand!" Wang Jie replied sternly: "Wang Jie has a good hand, but he can't ask for money!" Kun left in shame.