Li Guangdi was an honest official, diligent and conscientious all his life, and won the appreciation and trust of Emperor Kangxi. However, even this old minister, who is "upright and has a clean breeze on his sleeves", once had a beautiful misunderstanding in the matter of building a house. What's going on? Why did Kangxi not only not pursue it, but paid more attention to Li Guangdi? This little-known anecdote allows us to see once again the rare trust and tolerance between monarchs and ministers, as well as those subtle and touching moments of warmth in human nature. How exactly did Lee Kwang Tei embezzle the silver taels? How did Kangxi "quietly make up for it"?
Diligent and conscientious, deeply valued by Kangxi
During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, the government and the opposition were connected, the national strength was gradually strengthened, and the people were rich and the country was rich, among which there was the hard work of the emperor and many virtuous and upright ministers. Among them, Li Guangdi was one of the most outstanding advisers of this period.
Since childhood, Li Guangdi has been bathed in the rich influence of Confucianism since he was a child, and he is diligent and tireless. As a long time, he passed the scientific examination with solid learning and outstanding literary talent, and started his career step by step. When he first entered the dynasty as an editor, he was loyal to his duties during the rebellion of King Jingnan, secretly serving the imperial court and reporting important military information. This performance greatly appreciated Kangxi, and there was a precept in the book: "Be diligent and loyal in the bare land, and I know it!" ＂
Afterwards, Kangxi promoted and reused Li Guangdi step by step. He has successively served as the editor of the Hanlin Academy, the cabinet bachelor, and the governor of Zhili. The ministers were also full of praise for him: "Li Gongqin is prudent and persistent, and he is perfect in governing the system and government for a long time. Depending on the crops, the ditch and the river are sorted out, and the people are reprimanded, and there is indeed a lot of trouble. ＂
Indeed, when he worked under Li Guangdi, he always set an example, worked hard to serve the officials and the people. For example, during the Kangxi period, the floods in the Zhili area were serious, causing the displacement of the people. After personally inspecting the water situation, Li Guangdi decided to "dredge the new river" and divert water from the river into the canal to solve the problem of water accumulation in the inland river. At the same time, he also actively asked for the people's lives to reduce taxes for the people whose fields were expropriated due to the river.
Every word and deed shows outstanding ability and noble ethics. It can be said that it is precisely by virtue of this down-to-earth, skillful business and loyal and loving character that Li Guangdi won Kangxi's high appreciation. Every time there is a court meeting, Kangxi will definitely meet Li Guangdi to inquire about the state of the country.
Once, Lee's family came to Beijing to visit him. Kangxi met him in person and said to the Li family: "Li Gong is upright, diligent and responsible, and he is a good courtier who knows my heart, I must love him well!" It can be seen that Kangxi not only appreciates Li Guangdi's political achievements, but also appreciates his spotless and loyal noble character as an official.
Beautiful misunderstanding
In the thirty-sixth year of Kangxi, Li Guangdi had already been the official secretary of the Ministry of Rites and was ranked as a first-class member. This year, he applied to His Majesty Kangxi for 10,000 taels of silver for the renovation of an official school building in the capital. After Kangxi's approval, he immediately handed over the silver ticket to Li Guangdi.
Unexpectedly, on the second day, when Li Guangdi was about to go to Hubu to withdraw the silver taels, his wife happened to come to Beijing to visit her husband. When the lady saw the 10,000 taels of silver tickets, her eyes lit up, and she asked Li Guangdi for 8,000 taels, saying that she wanted to build a new house in her hometown. Li Guangdi was taken aback and was greatly surprised when he asked why. Although he was a nobleman, he had always been cautious and frugal, and his family did not have much savings, so where did he get the eight thousand taels of silver to build a house?
However, the lady was arrogant, thinking that Li Guangdi had been an official for many years, and there was no major fault, and he should have some private money. Moreover, with the status of Li Gong, living in a big house is not luxurious. She repeatedly forced Li Guangdi to take out the silver taels, and Li Guangdi had to give up.
Early the next morning, Li Guangdi went to the household to withdraw two pieces of silver. But when he saw the household officials, there were only two thousand taels of silver left. Li Guangdi was puzzled, thinking that the silver taels had been misappropriated without permission, and he was immediately furious, and he was determined to explain the matter to His Majesty Kangxi and seek justice.
The news soon reached the ears of Emperor Kangxi. Kangxi saw Li Guangdi's anxious expression, knowing that he must have been greatly wronged, and couldn't help but cheer up. After asking about the whole story, Kangxi smiled and said to Li Guang: "Do you know what the purpose of the 10,000 taels of silver I gave you is?" That's what I want to reward you for all these years of diligent service to your country and people. ＂
It turned out that Kangxi temporarily decided to allocate 8,000 taels from this repair cost to Li Guangdi as a reward. He knew that Li Guangdi had always been honest and honest, and his family would inevitably have no money to build a house, so he wanted to secretly fund Li Guangdi's family. It's just that I didn't expect to cause such a beautiful misunderstanding.
Some new details added
Between Emperor Kangxi and Li Guangdi, similar warm stories are not limited to this one. In fact, it is precisely because of Kangxi's high trust and special respect for Li Guangdi that they have created a deep friendship between them for many years.
Once, Li Guangdi's mother was seriously ill and died, and according to the etiquette system, he should resign and return to his hometown to mourn in order to fulfill his filial piety. However, seeing Li Guangdi resign from the imperial court and ask for leave, Kangxi happily refused to allow it, and personally issued an edict: "Li Guangdi is in office and does not retreat." At that time, Li Guangdi was over sixty years old and was one of Kangxi's most trusted ministers. In the face of the sound of impeachment, Kangxi not only did not force Li Guangdi, but made an exception to allow him to hold a funeral for nine months to show his gratitude.
Another anecdote occurred when Li Guangdi was the governor of Zhili. In those years, when the river was raging and the people were displaced, Li Guangdi personally inspected the river and asked for the dredging of the river in the capital and the diversion of water into the canal. At the same time, he also focused on the people's plight and took the initiative to reduce or reduce taxes for the affected people, so as to avoid their worries. This decision to sacrifice oneself for the people also attracted some criticism at the time. But Kangxi didn't care, and still wisely and decisively supported Li Guangdi's plan.
In general, Kangxi's trust in Li Guangdi stems from the other party's diligence and honesty. At a court meeting that year, Kangxi exclaimed: "I have known each other for more than 20 years. Those who read his text are alone and have a heart, which is really a matter of knowing the heart. These words show how much Kangxi cherishes Li Guangdi - they are bosom friends who really know each other and understand each other, and the friendship between monarchs and ministers has surpassed the ordinary.
Perhaps it is precisely because of this special friendship that Kangxi will specially "quietly make up" 8,000 taels of silver in the matter of Li Guangdi's house. For Li Guangdi, Kangxi's trust is more precious than any money; And Kangxi also cherishes Li Guangdi's selfless devotion and wholeheartedness to the cause of the government. It can be seen that the relationship between the two has indeed been sublimated into a sincere friendship that is higher than the rank.
君临阍阖,acquaintance知面
There was a hierarchy of dignity between kings and courtiers, but few of them were able to form deep friendships. Kangxi and Li Guangdi are a rare couple. As the son of today, Kangxi not only values the political achievements of his courtiers, but also has a unique appreciation for Li Guangdi's character and personality.
In contrast, focusing only on the rank and ignoring the integrity of the courtiers often leads to big mistakes. Emperor Taizong suffered a big loss because of this. At that time, he did not listen to the dissuasion of the crown prince Zhu Gaoxu, and promoted Wu Sangui, Yelu Chucai and others, which caused the Ming Dynasty to decline from prosperity to decline, and finally caused the collapse of the family and country. Kangxi was inspired by this to employ people on the basis of merit, and he looked at Li Guangdi differently.
In his vision, Lee Kwang-ji was the kind of person who could be appointed as an important minister. As a minister, Lee Kwang-di was undoubtedly known for his loyalty, integrity, and diligence. And as a person, he also showed a noble character that was enough to be respected. This can be seen from his performance during the rebellion of King Jingnan. At that time, he fled to the mountains and forests alone, and was in a difficult situation, but he still adhered to his integrity, remained unmoved, and secretly reported the anti-thief military situation to the imperial court, and this spirit of loyalty to the country made Kangxi very admired.
For Kangxi, it is the duty of a minister to be honest and loyal, but it is even more valuable to be able to sympathize with the people when they are in need. According to historical records, when the Zhili River was flooded, Li Guangdi not only "personally visited the Xinhe Institute and applied for dredging", but also actively reduced or exempted taxes for the people who were suffering from the floods, and worked hard for the people's livelihood. The ethics and behavior of the parents of the people also won Kangxi's appreciation.
It is precisely because of his comprehensive knowledge and understanding of Li Guangdi that after the house building incident, Kangxi chose to tolerate and compensate, rather than blindly pursuing accountability. As a generation of Ming Jun, Kangxi knows that the way of employing people lies in knowing people, and he should give special courtesy to virtuous ministers that are different from ordinary people. Therefore, in this small matter, he not only did not reproach Li Guangdi, but quietly made amends, in order to express his complete acceptance and love for this confidant minister.
Where is the name, reflect on the criticism
In Kangxi's later years, Li Guangdi was criticized, and his clear name was also questioned and suspicious. The reason for this may also be related to this old incident of "misappropriation of eight thousand taels".
Back then, someone reported to Kangxi secretly, accusing Li Guangdi of corruption and bribery, and taking the opportunity to exaggerate the matter of building a house. What's more, he also slandered Li Guangdi for pretending to be the public funds of the imperial court, but in fact, he had already planned to embezzle money privately. As soon as this slanderous remark spread, it stirred up quite a wave between the government and the opposition.
However, Kangxi did not believe this slander. He was well aware of Li Guangdi's official conduct, so naturally he would not listen to nonsense. He was about to dismiss all the traitors who slandered Li Guangdi, and personally rehabilitated Zhaoxue for Li Guangdi and completely exposed the matter.
Even so, among the literati of the government and the opposition, there are still some people who have some doubts about this matter. Some believe that Kangxi's compensation for Li Guangdi is a bit excessive and unfair; There are also doubts about whether Lee's ethics are really as pure and flawless as rumored to be. However, Kangxi didn't care about these criticisms. In his later years, he said many times: "I have known each other for many years with the light and earth, and I really know my heart." If you talk about achievements, the raw land can be said alone! It can be seen that Kangxi's respect and trust in Li Guangdi are persistent.
This trust has not been shaken by the changing times. Emperor Qianlong, who inherited his father's will, also respected Li Guangdi very much. According to history, whenever someone slandered Li Guangdi, Emperor Qianlong would strictly prohibit rumors and troubles. Qianlong even personally made a couplet for Li Guangdi, which is immortal. Lianyun: "Don't be self-conscious with hard work, but be able to set an example with light." He highly praised Lee Kwang Tei's upright, diligent and pragmatic demeanor.
But even so, there are still some differences in the evaluation of Lee Guangdi's voice by later generations. A group of people praised him as "the prime minister Yunyun, but Li Guangdi is the pillar of the Qing Dynasty"; On the other hand, he still has some concealment in building the house, and it is difficult to be completely flawless. This controversy has not stopped to this day. But in any case, Li Guangdi's outstanding contributions and exploits in the Kangxi and Qianlong dynasties are a fact that no one can erase.