【Original】Yan Qing: Diligent and honest for the people to bow down to the best

Ming Shi Vol. 224 Liechuan No. 12 Yan Qing (Partial)

Yunnan Integrity Research Center

In his "Collected Writings of Wang Wensu", Wang Xijue, the first assistant of the Wanli Dynasty, praised a Yunnan official: "The Ming Lord's family has met a good person, and Hai Nei still calls the ability of the adults, and those who are peaceful in the country and the town and the elegant will be the first duke", "JinJin Qiming, Mao Mao Qilian", "Wanli Dynasty Minister's Qingde looks forward to one of the three dukes." This person is Yan Qing, a Kunming native who is praised by the people as "Yan Qingtian".

Yan Qing (1524~1590), zi gongzhi, yinshou, zhifu, Yunnan defender (present-day Kunming, Yunnan), Ming Dynasty Jiajing twenty-three years (1544) jinshi, successively served as the chief of the Ministry of Works, Langzhong, Baoding Prefecture prefect, Duchayuan Du Yushi, Liangjing Dali Temple Qing, Punishment Department Shangshu, Bureaucrat Shangshu. After accumulating fatigue, he fell ill and died in the eighteenth year of the Wanli Calendar (1590).

Yan Qingwei is known for his "honesty and frugality and compassion for the people"; he firmly believes that "officials are not honest and govern the way to decline", and truly achieve the goal of advocating honesty and rejecting corruption, and being diligent in government for the people.

Honesty-based, self-cultivation and dedication. When Yan Qing was in charge of the Gongbu Langzhong, he was responsible for supervising the outer city of the Jing Division and the imperial tomb. He strictly managed the construction project, strictly prohibited all officials from encroaching on and making profits, and "officials did not invade and make money, and work was added to the work." Under his strict supervision and management, he saved nearly "huge millions" of funds for the national treasury. Yan Qing "was a man of integrity, and forty years he was always a monk, and he was persuaded by the scholars." In the second year of the Wanli Calendar (1574), at the beginning of the succession of Emperor Mingshenzong, the first assistant of the cabinet, Zhang Juzheng, fell to the opposition, and Yan Qing served as the Shangshu of the Punishment Department, according to the "History of Ming", at that time, among the six Shangshu, only Yan Qing did not attach or bribe Zhang Juzheng, Feng Bao and others. After Zhang Juzheng's death, the grand eunuch Feng Bao was raided and found a "gift record" containing gifts and bribes from the ministers, and most of the officials at the imperial court had their names in the "Gift Record", except for Yan Qing. "Chinese and foreign officials are honest and thrifty, and there is almost no trace between Thomu and Tho", and the officials all know that he is honest and upright, does not accept bribes, does not attach himself to the powerful, does not advocate luxury, and no one seeks him for personal affection.

Take the people as the most important, and strictly enforce officials and give them small endowments. During his time as a local official, Yan Qing did many practical things that benefited the people, and was loved by the people, and his name of honesty and ability was also widely praised. Because of his outstanding prestige, some courtiers recommended him to Beijing more than a dozen times to hold important positions, "with his clear hope, he recommended Zhang more than ten times." When Yan Qing was the prefect of Baoding, it coincided with a severe drought, and local thieves were rampant, and the people were not happy. Yan Qing always put people's livelihood in the first place, providing disaster relief and theft, punishing beetle officials, and helping the people survive the drought. According to the old custom, the people of Baoding Province had to go to Beijing every year to serve in the "treasury service", and Yan Qingshang abolished this regulation, "the people of the old nationality are filled with the treasury service of the Beijing Division, and the Qing dynasty is dismissed." Yan Qing "Zhen Huang Yi Thief", people praised him as comparable to the previous Taishou Wuyue, and they all appreciated and praised his love for the people. During the Longqing period, Yan Qing served as an official in Sichuan, serving as the inspector of the imperial history of the right capital, he was well aware of the suffering of the people, he was bitter about the strong and powerful officials, everything was based on benefiting the people, strictly restraining the officials under his command, "the officials are worried about their style, they are famous and famous, and they are less defeated." The subordinate officials feared his majesty and often followed the rules and did not dare to cross the thunder pond half a step, and the number of corrupt officials was greatly reduced. In order to reduce the burden on the people of Shudi, Yan Qing also carried out the reform of reducing the number of yichuanyin, "all public and private expenses, reducing the province in vain, changing the money, when more than 200,000 people lost the capital, they arrived in Shaanxi Zuobian fee", which effectively reduced the burden on the people and avoided the loss of money and labor. Yan Qing strictly restrained the officials in Sichuan, and the officials at that time feared and hated him, and were later impeached by the inspector Yushi Wang Tingzhan and falsely accused of "indulging bandits". And the university scholar Zhao Zhenji knew his conduct, spoke out in righteousness, and made a statement to justify his name, "(Yan) Qing qing his lover, save trouble and resentment." Nowadays, the land of Shu is desolate, and Fang Leans on Qing like a parent, so why abandon it! If a minister wants to benefit the country and the people, he will offend Hao right. The commentator does not notice, and moves to seek it with deep writing. ”

Shang frugality and luxury, two sleeves breeze. "With the child servants who eat roughly, and whose clothes are poor, although there are books and cranes in the bridge, they do not take everyone." Throughout his life, Yan Qing was poor, dressed frugally, and lived and traveled in line with his child servants. When Yan Qing first made Shang Shu, due to the limitations of conditions, it was impossible to prepare regular color imperial clothes and pendants, "can not have the color of clothing, bundles of prime rhinoceros belts to the dynasty." After Yan Qing was appointed to the official Shangshu for half a year, he became ill from overwork and was plagued by illness for a long time, and had to return to his hometown. The MingShen Sect sent a special person to Kunming, Yunnan Province, to offer condolences, and before Yan Qing's bed, he was shocked to find that "the cloth is broken, and the cold soldiers are not as good as they are." In the fifteenth year of the Wanli Calendar (1587), the post of Shangshu of the Bingbu Was vacant, and Emperor Mingshen specially ordered Yan Qing to fill the throne, and then sent people to Kunming to declare his will, and Yan Qing could not go to the post due to his serious illness. After that, Emperor Shenzong asked the cabinet ministers from time to time: "Is Yan Shangshu cured of his illness?" He also sent envoys several times to urge Yan Qing to take office, but Yan Qing's physical condition deteriorated, and he became ill with overwork, and died of illness in the eighteenth year of the Wanli Calendar (1590), and gave the prince Taibao the title of "Gongsu".

Yan Qing's life of honesty and love for the people and honesty in performing official duties became a model for honest officials in the Ming Dynasty because he did not change his life to the heart of the country and the people, and adhered to the virtue of being an official and an official. The Records of the MingShen Sect commented that he was "a verse at the end of the forty years of the eunuchs, which was prevaricated by the scholars." ”