As the old saying goes: Ten generations of morality, second to the family of cultivation and reading, second to the family of poetry and books, and only three generations of wealth and wealth. In the history of China, all famous and prestigious families will set up family training for future generations, hoping that they can uphold the family style and continue to pass on the glorious history of the family.
In the history of the Qing Dynasty, with good family style and family training, the two most prominent families with long inheritance and great achievements are the Liu family (Liu Tongxun) in Zhucheng, Shandong Province, and the Zhang family (Zhang Tingyu) in Tongcheng, Anhui.
The most famous of the Tongcheng Zhang family is Zhang Ying and Zhang Tingyu father and son, known as the "father and son prime minister". However, many people do not know that the Zhang family from the distant ancestor Zhang Chunming in the second year of Ming Longqing and the first, until the Qing Jiaqing decade Zhang Congxian jinshi and the first, in the nearly two hundred years before and after, the Zhang family has produced 18 jinshi, more than 30 people, in addition to a number of different number of gongsheng, invigilators and Xiucai meritorious people, no less than hundreds of people. There are hundreds of people who have become officials.
Although the prosperity of the Zhang family for more than two hundred years is inseparable from their own efforts, the most important reason is that the Zhang family has a good family style, that is, the so-called moral heirloom.
After Zhang Ying and Zhang Tingyu gave their respects, on the basis of the original family training of the Zhang family, they wrote the "Congxun Zhai Language" and the "Chenghuaiyuan Language" as new family trainings, which the descendants of the Zhang family combined and compiled together, named "Father and Son Zai Xiang Family Training". This family training is very rich in content, and four sentences are the most insightful:
Those who read are not cheap, those who keep the fields are not hungry, those who accumulate virtue are not inclined, and those who choose friends are not defeated.
What does it mean that readers are not cheap? Zhang Ying believes that the important criteria for filial piety for children are: one is to establish a product, the second is to read, the third is to maintain one's body, and the fourth is to be thrifty. Reading is a good name, followed by family voice, but also made people respected.
Those who keep the fields are not hungry, that is, they should not think of becoming officials from generation to generation, but should return to their duties. In his later years, Zhang Ying built a grass hall in Longmian Mountain, never pretending to be the prime minister, but interacting with the local people as an old man in the mountains.
Those who accumulate virtue do not pour out, that is, they must continue to accumulate virtue and do good, be humble and courteous. Especially when you are in an important position in the imperial court, you should not forget your roots, but also be humble.
The choice of friends is not defeated, that is, do not mix with those so-called pig friends and dog friends, in the process of making friends, we must choose those who are virtuous and well-educated. In this way, we can ensure that we are invincible.
The Zhang family has built a family since the Ming Dynasty, and there are dozens of people who have entered the government as officials, and the economic situation of their family is naturally very superior. According to historical records, the Zhang family did a lot of good deeds in their hometown of Tongcheng, and there were many things that contributed to the relief. In particular, Zhang Tingyu built a Liangbi Bridge for his hometown, and the old objects are still there.
People who have been to Tongcheng know that Tongcheng was built along a mountain stream, and there was an old bridge built before the Ming Dynasty, but it was destroyed in the early Qing Dynasty. In the early years of the Kangxi Dynasty, the local county order built several wooden bridges, but they were destroyed by heavy rains.
In the eleventh year of Yongzheng, Yongzheng specially granted Zhang Tingyu a leave of absence, asked him to go home to worship his ancestors, and rewarded the official silver with 10,000 taels as a sacrifice fee. Zhang Tingyu had long wanted to build a bridge for his hometown, and he took this reward from Yongzheng and instructed his family to work carefully. The bridge lasted three years and cost nearly seven thousand taels of silver. The bridge was so strong that it is still in use today.
Zhang Tingyu's humility was also famous, and Yongzheng often rewarded Zhang Tingyu with various items and silver, but Zhang Tingyu was almost always stubborn. In particular, the matter of "letting Ding Jia" was also included in Yongzheng's "Records".
In March of the eleventh year of Yongzheng, Zhang Tingyu's son Zhang Ruoyi passed the examination and immediately participated in the temple examination. The reading officer presented the top ten examination papers to Yongzheng. Yongzheng read it carefully and found that the fifth volume of calligraphy and painting was end-and-end, and the strategy was exquisite. Therefore, he was appointed as the third place in the first division. When the number was to be dismantled, it was found that it was Zhang Ruoyi, the son of Zhang Tingyu.
Zhang Tingyu was running an errand at the military plane at the time, and Yongzheng sent someone to send a message saying that his son had won the third place tanhua. After Zhang Tingyu heard the news, he panicked and hurriedly went to Yongzheng to cancel his son's name of Tanhua and place him in the second or third division.
In fact, Yongzheng and the reading officials did not deliberately release water, and Zhang Ruoyi could enter the first three places, relying on his own skills. However, Zhang Tingyu said: Although the three Dingjia were selected from more than three hundred people, they were actually carefully selected from more than 100,000 readers. My family has been blessed by the Emperor, and if the courtiers are to ascend to the first three ranks, I am afraid that they will chill the hearts of the world's disciples and make them uneasy.
Under Zhang Tingyu's strong pleading, Yongzheng had to cancel Zhang Ruoyi's tanhua and list him as the first place in the second division. After letting Ding Jia do this, Yongzheng trusted Zhang Tingyu even more, and Zhang Tingyu also won the hearts and minds of the world's disciples.
Zhang Tingyu is the most important word for people and officials, and it is said that every time he climbs a mountain, he never climbs to the top or to the highest place; when he goes to the temple to climb the tower, he always stops at the first and second floors and never climbs the top. He said that this was the ancestral precept of the ancestors of the Zhang family, and that they were content at all times and had a high-risk precept.