In 1050, there was a rare famine in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and the people were hungry and starving, but in the face of such a tragic situation, the merchants in Jiangsu and Zhejiang not only did not help the people, but raised the price of rice to a sky-high price of one hundred and twenty yuan, and hundreds of people starved to death.
At this moment, Fan Zhongyun, who had said that "the world is worried and worried, and the world is happy and happy" announced that the price of rice has increased from 120 to 150 yuan, and so on? What is this operation? 120 texts can not afford to buy, but also increased to 150 texts? As a result, the folds of impeaching Fan Zhongyan were book after book, and the ministers insulted Fan Zhongyan one after another for seeking private interests, regardless of the lives of the people.
In the face of the scolding, Fan Zhongyun was not moved, and continued to ask for a price increase, and half a month later, the victims all shouted: "Lord Fan has done a good job!" "What the hell is going on here? What really happened back then?
Fan Zhongyan, born in 989 in Xuzhou an official eunuch family, the Fan family is not small, the ancestor Fan Lubing is a famous prime minister during the Tang Gaozong period, known for his loyalty and outspokenness, not afraid of power, then called "Liang Xiang", Gao Zu, great-grandfather, grandfather, father have official positions, born in such a family, it seems that Fan Zhongyan will have an extraordinary life.
However, at the age of 2, his father Fan Yong died of illness, the entire Fan family fell into poverty, the mother Xie clan in order to support Fan Zhongyan, can only remarry the Northern Song Dynasty official Zhu Wenhan, until Fan Zhongyan was 22 years old, did not know his own origins, Fan Zhongyan could not accept this fact for a while, resolutely left home, put all his energy on learning, 4 years later, Fan Zhongyun entered high school, became a Guangde military division to join the army, although this is only a "nine-pin sesame official", but Fan Zhongyun is still meticulous, do everything himself, Later, he was also fully responsible for the work of rebuilding the Hanhai Weir, which was appreciated by Song Renzong, and since then, he has been in a prosperous state of prosperity.
Because Fan Zhongyun stayed at the "grassroots level" for more than 10 years, he had a very in-depth understanding of the people's livelihood and suffering, so when he got the opportunity to enter Beijing as an official, he often spoke bluntly and pointed out the shortcomings of the times, and even advocated cutting down counties and streamlining officials.
In 1043, Fan Zhongyan became the governor of the government and launched the famous "Qingli New Deal" to try to rectify the chaotic bureaucracy of the Renzong period through a series of reforms, this time, the officials could not sit still, and began to slander Fan Zhongyan, forcing Fan Zhongyan to take the initiative to request to be appointed to Dengzhou and leave the court, and with his departure, the Qingli New Deal ended in failure.
However, even if he was splashed with countless dirty waters and plagued by diseases, Fan Zhongyan still did not give up being a good official, after he came to Dengzhou, he rebuilt the Xiuting Pavilion, built the Spring Wind Pavilion, built the Hundred Flowers Continent, and set up the Huazhou Academy, busy with official affairs, Fan Zhongyan would run to the academy to give lectures, the students were very happy, the people also lived and worked in peace, and it was here that Fan Zhongyan wrote the famous work "Yueyang Louji", these 3 years, is his happiest time.
In 1049, the emperor transferred Fan Zhongyun to Hangzhou, in fact, he did not want to leave at all, but when he heard that there was a famine in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas, Fan Zhongyun dragged his sick body and still came to Hangzhou, and soon after, there was the scene at the beginning of the article, why would such a good official do something to "increase the price of rice"?
It is said that after Fan Zhongyan announced that the price of rice was comprehensively raised, rice merchants all over the country heard the wind and moved, and they came to Hangzhou with grain, and more and more rice in Hangzhou tended to be saturated.
Because there was too much grain in Hangzhou, the merchants could only take the initiative to engage in "low-price promotions", the price of rice fell all the way, the famine was quickly solved, and the people shouted: "Lord Fan is really a good official!" ”
However, after solving this crisis, the overworked Fan Zhongyun's body quickly collapsed, and more than a year later, Fan Zhongyun died of illness at the age of 64, and when he learned the news of his death, the people everywhere burst into tears and sent away this good official who had served the people all his life.
Reference: History of the Song Dynasty