He left the capital voluntarily and spent 19 years compiling Zi Tongzhi Jian, which recorded the historical facts of 1362. In addition, Sima Guang also wrote Lu and Sima.
As a famous historian, Sima Guang attached great importance to the education of his children, and he especially taught them to live frugally. After Sima Guang became prime minister, family life was still very simple. He believes that thrift is a valuable virtue of a person and an indispensable condition for career success. He not only practiced it himself, but also regarded it as an important part of family education.
In his later years, Sima Guang wrote a letter to his son Sima Kang, earnestly teaching him to cultivate the virtue of thrift. He said that our family has always been very cold, and the innocent family style should be passed down from generation to generation. I don't like luxury since I was a child. When I was a child, adults asked me to wear gorgeous clothes decorated with gold and silver silk, which I thought was too extravagant. I just want to eat and wear warm clothes all my life, without extravagant hopes.
Sima Guang believes that "clothes cover the cold and food fills the hunger". He said to his son:
"Many people are proud of luxury, but I take frugality and simplicity as my virtue. People make fun of me and call me humble. I don't think this is a disadvantage. Confucius said that it is rare for a person to make mistakes because of thrift. Although a scholar is interested in pursuing the truth, it is a shame to eat coarse vegetables and wear rags. Such a person is not worth talking to him about learning. "
Sima Guang also listed many stories in history about "fame due to frugality and failure due to extravagance" to educate his son. He said that Zhang Zai, who is in Sangong, has a good salary, but is covered with a cloth quilt. During the Spring and Autumn Period, Wen Zi of Lu Guoji was the prime minister of the Three Dynasties. His wives and concubines did not wear silk clothes, and horses did not feed millet. Although Shi Chong in the Western Jin Dynasty was only a secretariat of Jingzhou, his life was extremely luxurious, once more luxurious than that of the noble Wang Kai. On one occasion, he was richer than Wang Kai, with wax as firewood and brocade as obstacles. He crisscrossed the road for 50 miles, making Wang Kai feel worse than himself, but Shi Chong was finally killed in the "Eight Kings Rebellion". He Zeng, who lived in the Western Jin Dynasty, lived a very luxurious life. He spends 10 thousand yuan to eat every day, and he doesn't think there is anything delicious. His son is worse. He squandered 20 thousand yuan every day and finally went bankrupt.
Sima Guang used these vivid examples to educate his son, asking him to learn from Zhang and Ji Wenzi, take Shi Chong and He Zengzhi as a warning, and remember the lessons of history, not only to be thrifty, but also to be passed down from generation to generation as a family tradition.
Sima Guang's son lived up to his father's ardent expectations. Like his father, he takes thrift as his virtue, and history calls him "honest and honest, and keeps his word."