Wei
Wei Zheng (580~643), a famous chancellor of the Tang Dynasty, was an outstanding politician, literary scholar and historian.
Wei
First, early experience
Wei Zheng was a good reader in his early years and had many general contacts. Sui defected to the Wagang army, and after the failure of the uprising, he surrendered to Tang with his leader Li Mi. The crown prince Li Jiancheng admired Wei Zheng's literary talent and arranged for him to work by his side.
After Li Jiancheng was killed in the Xuanwu Gate Revolution, Li Shimin appointed Wei Zheng to appease Li Jiancheng's old ministry, and appointed him as the chief secretary of Zhan Shifu, responsible for the auditing and supervision of the crown prince Zhan Shifu.
The appointment of Zhan Shishu made Wei Zheng grateful to the crown prince Li Shimin, and thereafter loyally assisted Emperor Taizong of Tang, creating the famous "Reign of Zhenguan".
Second, speak out
In the first year of Zhenguan, Li Shimin ascended the throne and appointed Wei Zheng as Shangshu Zuocheng. Li Shimin had the ambition to establish a prosperous era, and summoned Wei Zheng many times to inquire about the gains and losses, Wei Zheng was blunt, and gave advice on more than two hundred things, Li Shimin accepted it gladly, and Wei Zheng was also glad to be the master of his confidant, so he tried his best to use it and knew everything.
In the thirteenth year of Zhenguan (639), Wei Zheng played "Ten Gradual Unconquered and Eventually Neglected", which comprehensively and systematically summarized the fact that political affairs at this time were inferior to the beginning of Zhenguan. Shu Zhong listed Li Shimin's search for treasures and play, indulgence in laboring the people, nicknames, alienated gentlemen, advocating extravagance, frequent hunting, raising troops with nothing to do, and exhausting the people from conscription, and criticized Li Shimin's arrogant mood, admonishing him to listen to the light and listen to the darkness, and once again reminded him to be cautious as always.
Li Shimin said to his attendants: "After Zhenguan, he devoted himself to me, gave loyal advice, and was the only one who dared to offend the dignity of the monarch and speak out and persuade and correct his mistakes." ”
3. Sorrow after death
In the seventeenth year of Zhenguan (643), Wei Zheng died of illness at the age of sixty-three, and Emperor Taizong of Tang was very sad, and on the fifth day of the dynasty, he promised his youngest daughter Princess Hengshan to Wei Zheng's eldest son Wei Shuyu, ordered the hundred officials to send the coffin out of Chang'an, allowed him to accompany the burial of Zhaoling, and personally wrote a tombstone for him: "Take copper as a guide, but you can be dressed; Taking the ancient as a guide, we can know the Xingdi; Learning from people can be seen as a gain or loss. Taste these three lessons and guard against yourself. Now Wei Zheng is dead, and he dies."
Fourth, there are repeats
In the same year that Wei Zheng died, the two people whom Wei Zheng had raised were killed and demoted for participating in the rebellion of the crown prince Li Chenggan, Li Shimin suspected that Wei Zheng was a fellow party, and heard that Wei Zheng compiled the advice into a book and handed it to the historical official Chu Suiliang, who was also recommended by Wei Zheng, so Li Shimin was displeased, so he sent people to tear down Wei Zheng's tombstone, polish the handwriting on it, and the marriage of the originally scheduled princess of Hengshan and Wei Zheng's eldest son Wei Shuyu was also canceled.
Two years later, Emperor Taizong of Tang conquered Goguryeo and returned without success, remembering Wei Zheng again, and sighed: "If there had been Wei Zheng's advice, this war might not have happened."
So he rewarded Wei Zheng's family, sent people to the cemetery to worship, and re-erected Wei Zheng's tombstone.
Liu Yuan (Qing) Portrait of Wei Zheng in "Lingyange Hero Diagram"
5. Contributions to literature and history
When Wei Zheng was appointed secretary and supervisor, he wrote the preface to the Book of Sui and the general treatise on the Book of Liang, the Book of Chen, and the Book of Qi. The editor-in-chief is "Group Books Govern Essentials".
Wei Zheng calligraphy