The missing celebrity of the Yuyao Hall of Fame (two sleeves of qingfeng) - Chen Kezhai

The early Qing dynasty historian Vance Tong praised him for "being an official with a bureaucracy, conducting innocence, and having no appetite for fame and fortune." In Shanghai and even in the Sichuan-Guizhou region, there are still many ordinary people commemorating this good official of the Ming Dynasty, who will be sharp in the ming Dynasty's "great etiquette" dispute, and the most successful thing in his life is to cultivate a good son, chen Younian, a heavenly official with high integrity. He is the Chen Ke house of our Yuyao, and he is not rare in the Yuyao Hall of Fame, he just likes to be indifferent.

Chen Kezhai (Chinese: 陈克宅; pinyin: Chán Đồng From an early age, he appeared to be very intelligent and ambitious. He buried his head in reading and did not rule the business of production. However, the father, Chen Juli, because there are many children in the family and the heavy burden on the family, does not pay much attention to the children's academic merits, and wants Chen Kezhai to suspend his studies to help the family. Chen Kezhai did not dare to openly oppose his father, so he waited for the opportunity to persuade his father. One day, Chen Kezhai accompanied his father to the garden, and he broke the thick tree with his hands and showed it to his father. Father said: It is a pity that you have already reached the fruit, but you broke it, and I want you to give up your studies, just like breaking a tree like this. From now on, I will no longer forbid you to study and read. As a result, Chen Kezhai was able to read all over the books, learned and remembered, and soon became a scholar.

In the sixteenth year of Emperor Xiaozong's reign (1504), Chen Kezhai was recommended by the prefecture and county to study in Nanjing. Mr. Fengshan, the superintendent of the Nanjing Guozi Festival, asked Chen Kezhai about his ambitions, and Chen Kezhai replied, "We must ascend to the level of merit in morality." Mr. Zhang was very appreciative of his grand ambitions, and talked with him day and night about scripture and theory, and the two "deeply got along." Chen Kezhai's studies have also improved, and his classmates all believe that he can become a great instrument and is the pillar of the country.

In the ninth year of Emperor Wuzong's reign (1514), Chen Kezhai took the imperial examination and passed the imperial examination in one fell swoop, seeking to be sent to Jiading (now Shanghai) County. Jiading is a big county, and the people are heavily enslaved, and there are many treacherous and unscrupulous people. Powerful landlords bully and oppress the good people, pass on the burden of servitude, and make the people poor and flee. After Chen Kezhai arrived at his post, he did not avoid the cold and heat, traveled all over the county, personally measured the land, checked the population, and registered them one by one, and the shortcomings accumulated over the years were eliminated. There was a rich monk in the county, and his apprentice's father was jealous of his wealth and wanted to take possession. One day, he hid his son in a foreign country, found a corpse elsewhere to impersonate his son, and falsely accused the rich monk of killing his apprentice. Chen Kezhai was very suspicious of this, believing that the rich monk had no motive for killing. He was not in a hurry to arrest people first, and there were rumors that he had taken bribes and did not care. After quietly and slowly investigating and finding out the "deceased" hidden in other places, the case was finally clearly decided. The crowd was astonished. At times, the thief Tang Maojiu was entrenched at Tianmu Mountain (present-day northwestern Zhejiang), and Inspector Zhang Jin was ordered to conquest, and Chen Kezhai followed the battle. Under the plot of Chen Kezhai, a successful blow killed the leader, and Yu Dang scattered.

Chen Kezhai ruled Jiading for four years, giving grace and power, appeasing the people, cracking down on Haoyi, building water conservancy projects, renovating schools, averaging military service, laying off redundant soldiers, straightening out prison proceedings, rectifying the administration of officials, quite a political achievement, a very good reputation, and showing his outstanding talent in all aspects. He served as an official for the benefit of one party. He was crisp and bold, and was emulated by his county magistrate at the time. Therefore, the envoys submitted a recommendation to him, and Inspector Zhang Jin also praised him as "the head of the Nanqi Zhuoyi". In the thirteenth year of Zhengde (1518), Chen Kezhai was promoted to the post of Inspector of Jiangxi Province in the Metropolitan Inspection Bureau.

At this time, the Ming Dynasty had been more than a hundred years since the founding of Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang, and the emperors after Taizu, since Emperor Yingzong, were mostly incompetent lords. As a result, eunuchs have monopolized power and treacherous people have taken the lead, which has darkened the politics of the whole country and made the people unhappy. Emperor Mingwu had no children, and was succeeded by his cousin Zhu Houzhao as Emperor Mingshizong. Sejong wanted to honor his biological father; Zhan Hang was emperor, and Emperor Wuzong's father was the emperor's uncle. Yang Tinghe and others believed that the succession should also honor Emperor Xiaozong as an imperial examination, and the biological father could only be examined by the imperial uncle. Officials Zhang Xuan, Gui Cao, Fang Xianfu, etc., for their personal careers, catered to Sejong's wishes, and Shangshu commented that "succession" was different from "succession heir", and should honor Xingxian as emperor. This is the famous "great ceremonial controversy" in the history of the Ming Dynasty.

Monarchs and courtiers are at odds with each other and quarrel. Sejong refused to go to the court, did not see the hundred officials, and the courtiers knelt down in his highness to cry and advise, and Chen Kezhai was also among them. At that time, there was a Taichang Temple Shaoqing who knew that the emperor was angry and wanted to punish the court staff, so he secretly got up and wanted to slip away. Chen Kezhai squeezed his neck hard and screamed, and everyone was awe-struck. University scholars Jiang Mian, Shangshu Qiao Yu, Wang Jun, and others resigned one after another, while the ministers who catered to Sejong's wishes "did not quit and made a sudden advance." Chen Kezhai was not afraid to disobey the holy will, and said: "Who is the minister of migration, regarding the state system, should be cautious. "The rhetoric is tangible. He also impeached Guo Xun, the Marquis of Wuding, for great disrespect, and The Prince of Shangshu, Qiong, was talented but sinister and cunning. For a time, Chen Kezhai's upright name was "sound shock the world".

In the Ming Dynasty, the chief officials of the capital were the left and right capital yushi, under which there were vice capital yushi and yudu yushi, which were divided into thirteen provinces according to the national political districts, set up supervision yushi, patrolled prefectures and counties, inspected officials, rectified the administration of officials, corrected criminal prisons, and "held impeachment and suggestions through the palm of the hand", with low rank and wide authority. After Chen Kezhai entered the DuchaYuan, he deeply felt the emperor's grace and greatness, knew everything, and fulfilled his duties. Reasoning and direct subordination, Shandong salt law, shang neglect to restore poverty stoves, strict reform and discussion, etc., can all cut to the point of the times. Then he patrolled Guizhou. The people of Guizhou suffer from "seedling disease" and insufficient supply. Chen Kezhai restrained yousi to be lenient with the people, and to "spare no nuance" for its zoning. Pedestrians suffered from miasma, and Chen Kezhai opened a mountain chisel to protect pedestrians from poisonous gas. Mahjong Village has giant thieves, private names, and repeatedly resists officers and soldiers. Chen Kezhai secretly instructed him to plan and deploy, selecting good soldiers and good generals, and taking advantage of the fact that he was not ready to attack, all of them bowed down and captured. The place was stable, and the military and civilians could not but be grateful to him. Like his ancestor Chen Kangbo, Chen Kezhai was a scholar, and it was a rare talent to have such a strategic courage.

In the fourth year of Sejong Jiajing (1526), Chen Kezhai toured Henan. Based on the darkness of the Henan Science Field and the fact that many of the people recorded did not conform to the truth, he established the "Law of Three Court Readings", that is, a scholar must pass the examination of six examiners before he can be admitted. This method makes the examination smooth, the drawbacks are prohibited, and the people admitted are mostly enthusiastic celebrities, and a large number of talents are selected for the country, providing an equal path for each scholar. There is a constitutional envoy (a high-ranking official sent by the central government to a local area) who is a relative of Shangshu Liao Ji and "holds a position without a form." Chen Ke was impeached and deposed. Even Shangshu could not protect his relatives, frightening other corrupt officials to resign and leave. Wherever Chen Ke's house went, "the school was used to rebuke the obscene temple, to reward the virtuous and filial piety, to praise the chastity, and to be influenced by the customs." To be able to make decisions for the people and put yourself in the shoes of the people can be called a good official.

In the fifth year of Sejong Jiajing (1527), Chen Kezhai was promoted to deputy envoy of Sichuan. Chen Kezhai had been serving in the Metropolitan Inspection Yuan for eight years, and his promotion was slow. Among them, they are all because Shangshu Liao Ji retaliated against him with old grudges. This time, he was sent to the rugged and desolate Sichuan, and public opinion was not happy about it. Chen Kezhai, on the other hand, said, "Aren't all the emperor's courtiers everywhere you go?" "Resolutely went to work. His peers admired his uprightness, nobility, and tolerance. At this time, Emperor Ming shizong was obsessed with fasting, wanton extravagance and waste, and the national treasury was squandered. In order to amass money, Emperor Myeongseong ordered that the people be paid more for food again. At that time, Chen Kezhai was serving as the deputy envoy of the Sichuan Bureau, and Sichuan had been plagued for many years, and the people were unable to pay grain and wages. Chen Kezhai then raised funds from many sources and supervised the transportation back and forth, so as to reduce the burden of the common people as much as possible.

In the tenth year of Sejong Jiajing (1532), Chen Kezhai was promoted to the post of envoy of Henan. In the Ming Dynasty, the envoy was the chief of the provincial criminal envoy department, in charge of a provincial judiciary. Chen Kezhai has always been proficient in the law, and his accurate judgment and fair handling of cases have impressed people. In particular, the release of Zhao Jingyang and other innocent people, the distribution of Liu Yiqing's guilty people and other cases, so that unjust imprisonment can be quelled, and evil is punished and good is promoted, so it has won the hearts of the people. In less than a year, six or seven people wrote to sponsor him, and even the officials who patrolled Guizhou specifically requested that he be sent to Guizhou "to conform to the people's popularity."

In the twelfth year of Sejong Jiajing (1534), Chen Kezhai was again promoted to envoy of Huguang. He was particularly careful about the administration of the Qiangu cashier. When there is an activity of sending money and grain, Chen Kezhai must be present in person, and the weights and measures of the prosecutors. It has caused those officials who have cheated and embezzled to restrain a lot. Some hid the scale in their sleeves and did not dare to show it to him. The so-called "wall stands a thousand, no desire is just", I have no luxury, no non-division of thoughts, I naturally stand straight, walk straight, fearless. Therefore, Chen Kezhai ordered the distribution of money and grain within a time limit, and the subordinate officials were cautious and did not dare to repeat the crime.

In the thirteenth year of Jiajing (1535), Huguang suffered a severe drought, and the common people were already financially poor and living in poverty, coupled with the internal government's procurement of royal supplies, the clans and clans reached out to ask for it, making it impossible for the common people to survive. To this end, Chen Kezhai took the place of his duty, thought about it in the twilight, and thought hard about good strategies to save the people from water and fire.

In the thirteenth year of Sejong Jiajing (1535), Chen Kezhai was promoted to the position of right deputy capital of the Duchayuan Imperial History, and he was also in charge of military affairs in Guizhou and other places. First, there were "robbers" who occupied Kaikou and plotted to rebel, and since Xuande, officers and soldiers have repeatedly requisitioned and suppressed, all without success. Its arrogance is even more arrogant. Therefore, the imperial court ordered Chen Kezhai to "take care of the camera". Chen Kezhai first recruited and surrendered, but when he did not succeed, he turned to actively preparing for the battle, rewarding the supervision generals, and riding on the snowy night to send the death squad to climb the cliff and hang down the rope ladder, so that the officers and men of the brigade could climb the cliff, occupy a dangerous position, take advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness, and attack the enemy's stronghold with one drum, and win a great victory. The good news played the imperial court, promoted Chen Kezhai to the rank of Erpin Grand Officer, and rewarded him more. However, things are cultivated and slandered, and morality is destroyed. Chen Kezhai, because of the dangerous terrain of Kaikou Hoarding, was a pass for a husband and wife, and there was no way to open it, so he sent officers and soldiers to guard it, "in order to seek Yong'an." However, due to the dereliction of duty of the generals guarding the Kaikou hoard, greedy and afraid of death, they were robbed of the pass by the "robber" Yu Dang. Fearing that the imperial court would lower his guilt, the guards, in order to shirk their responsibilities, blamed Chen Kezhai and colluded with officials to say that Chen Kezhai advocated the use of troops to eliminate him, provoked war, and slandered him. Chen Kezhai heard the rumors and wrote a letter asking for his resignation, and he was from his original hometown to await investigation and processing. Chen Kezhai was well aware of the ups and downs of the eunuch sea, so he retreated bravely, which was a good strategy for preserving the family.

After Chen Kezhai arrived home in the sixteenth year of Jiajing (1538), he closed the door to "raise obscurity", was alone in a room, and was sitting on his stomach to entertain himself with history. When he was tired, he walked to the outskirts and sat on the ground with the old man who farmed the land and talked about farming. During the New Year, we should cautiously perform the ritual of sacrifice, teach and lead the children of the clan to practice the path of filial piety, stay away from the things that make profits from the sound and color of dogs and horses, and take leisurely and self-reliance. This has a great impact on cultivating the children of the family not to covet glory and wealth, and not to cling to the high-ranking official Houlu.

It was not until the twenty-first year of Sejong Jiajing (1543) that the officials who investigated the matter in Guizhou played a role in the Ming court, saying that Chen Kezhai had meritorious service and innocence. The imperial court then issued an edict to restore Chen Kezhai's original position and give it to the Doctor of Tonghui. However, at this time, Chen Kezhai had been dead for more than two years.