In 589, after the destruction of Nan Chen, Emperor Wen of Sui Emperor Yang Jian sent an envoy to tell Xu Shanxin, a regular attendant of Nan Chen, who was under house arrest in the inn, Xu Shanxin was stunned for a moment, then put on mourning clothes and wept bitterly under the steps on the west side of the inn, and sat on the hay facing east for three days.
He never thought that his motherland would be destroyed like this, maybe it wasn't that he couldn't think of it, but he didn't want to believe it, after all, after Yang Jian started the war against Nan Chen, he had been under house arrest in the guest house in Chang'an for a long time.
Xu Shanxin has been a prodigy-like existence since childhood, intelligent since childhood, well-read and strong-remembered, full of poetry and books, and then recommended by the prince Zhan Shijiang as a showman, began to enter the officialdom, in 588, 31-year-old Xu Shanxin was awarded the Tongzhi Scattered Cavalry Standing Attendant, sent an envoy to the Sui Dynasty, and happened to meet Emperor Wen of Sui who ordered a crusade against the Chen Dynasty.
Therefore, even if Xu Shanxin completed his mission, he still could not return to China to resume his life. He submitted his resignation again and again, but Yang Jian never allowed him to return to the Chen Dynasty, just like that, Xu Shanxin was placed under house arrest in the guest house, and he had already felt the fate of the Chen Dynasty from his own fate.
Sure enough, soon after, Emperor Wen of Sui sent an envoy to tell him that the Chen Dynasty was gone, and Xu Shanxin sat for three days, and then sent an edict to Xu Shanxin to express condolences.
In any case, Emperor Wen of Sui admired Xu Shanxin's talent and knew that he was a rare talent, which was one of the reasons why he kept Xu Shanxin in Chang'an.
Holding the court clothes rewarded by Emperor Wen of Sui, Xu Shanxin cried again, and then went into the house to take off the mourning clothes, put on new court clothes, and came out again to stand facing north, kneeling down to accept the edict with tears.
The next day, Xu Shanxin entered the palace to see Yang Jian, knelt on the hall and cried, crying so much that he couldn't stand up. Looking at Xu Shanxin like this, Yang Jian was very emotional, and said to the ministers:
"I am the only one who can get this person. I can cherish his old king, that is, my sincere minister. ”
The meaning of this sentence is easy to understand: I pacified the state of Chen, and only got this person, since he does not forget the old king, he will also be my loyal minister.
No matter what time it is, no matter who it is, he always respects his loyal ministers, so Yang Jian not only did not blame Xu Shanxin, but valued him even more, and let Xu Shanxin temporarily take care of the province with his own official scattered cavalry.
Xu Shanxin's official road was very smooth during the period of Emperor Wen of Sui, but it was different during the period of Emperor Yang of Sui. When Yang Guang was in power, Yuwenshu borrowed dozens of soldiers from his headquarters every day for his private use, and he used them for half a day.
This incident came to Yang Guang, and more than 1,000 people originally said that they were indeed enslaved, but Yang Guang regarded Yuwenshu as a confidant and intended to let Yuwenshu go.
But later, Xu Shanxin couldn't look at it, and once again brought the matter to Yang Guang to explain Yu Wenshu's crime, and it was also approved by Su Wei and more than 20 other people, but in the end, Yang Guang still let Yu Wenshu go.
So, Yuwenshu retreated from this incident, but he held a grudge against Xu Shanxin and said to Yang Guang:
"Uncle Chen, Zhou Luohou, Yu Shiji, Yuan Chong, Cai Zheng and others went to the funeral together. Kindness is a sacrificial text, and it is called 'Your Majesty'. Dare to add Uncle Baozun today. ”
Although Xu Shanxin said that this matter was also citing ancient precedents, Yang Guang still didn't like this Xu Shanxin very much, and later Yuwenshu also impeached Xu Shanxin in the imperial history, in short, because of Yuwenshu, Xu Shanxin's official road in the period of Emperor Yang of Sui was not smooth.
When Emperor Yang of Sui retreated to Jiangdu, Xu Shanxin also followed him to Jiangdu, and later Emperor Yang of Sui's side Xiaoguo Army supported Yu Wenhua and rose up for the boss and killed Yang Guang.
Whether active or passive, the officials of the Sui Dynasty went to the palace to pay their respects and congratulate, only Xu Shanxin did not go, and his nephew Xu Hongren quickly whipped to Xu Shanxin's side and said:
"The Son of Heaven has collapsed, General Yuwen is regent, and the civil and military forces of the United Dynasty are not salty. Heavenly Dao personnel, there is its own generation, how can he be expected to be low and hovering like this! ”
Xu Hongren saw it very openly, the change of dynasties has its own variables, there is no need to entangle and wander, this is also what many people think, but Xu Shanxin can't accept it, and when he heard his nephew say this, he was directly furious, and refused to follow his nephew to see Yu Wenhua.
Xu Hongren seemed to have expected what the result would be if his uncle did this, and when he left, he cried and said: "General Uncle Yu has no malice at all, and he suddenly begged for death, isn't it painful!" ”
Seeing that Xu Hongren did not persuade Xu Shanxin to come, Yu Wenhua and had no patience, and directly sent someone to arrest Xu Shanxin to the court, but when Xu Shanxin really arrived at the court, Yu Wenhua suddenly ordered Xu Shanxin to be released.
Xu Shanxin didn't say anything, didn't do anything, just turned around and walked out. Yu Wenhua looked at Xu Shanxin's back and said hatefully: "This person is very angry. ”
After speaking, he felt that he couldn't just let Xu Shanxin go, so he asked Xu Shanxin to be arrested again, saying, "I was going to let you go, but I didn't expect you to dare to be so disrespectful." ”
This time, Yu Wenhua and directly ordered someone to kill Xu Shanxin, and the news spread home, Xu Shanxin's 92-year-old mother Fan Shi did not cry or make trouble, only stroked the coffin and said: "I have a son who can die in the country." Then he lay in bed without eating or drinking until he starved to death.
And Xu Shanxin's son Xu Jingzong begged bitterly when Xu Shanxin was killed, only begging to spare his life, and Yu Wenhua did let Xu Jingzong go.
Later, Xu Jingzong defected to the Wagang Army, returned to the Tang Dynasty after the defeat of Li Mi's army, and became one of the eighteen scholars of the Qin Palace.
Of course, Xu Jingzong's real highlight moment was still in the Tang Gaozong period. During the Yonghui period, Xu Jingzong seized the opportunity to firmly stand on Wu Zetian's side in Li Zhi and Wu Zetian's "Abolition of Wang Liwu", and became Wu Zetian's confidant, and his career also ushered in a peak, and was reused by Li Zhi and Wu Zetian.
The prime minister of the official residence is really high and powerful, and the "Old Tang Book" records: "The weight of any encounter is to be Mobi in the dynasty." ”
In 672, the 81-year-old Xu Jingzong died, Li Zhi mourned for him, dropped out of the dynasty for three days, and ordered the civil and military officials to go to Xu Jingzong's house to mourn.
As a result, soon after his death, his adulterous behavior was exposed, and therefore, the "New Tang Dynasty Book" included Xu Jingzong in the "Biography of Traitorous Ministers".
Compared with Xu Shanxin and Xu Jingzong, the father and son, it really doesn't look like a father and son, and their style of acting is completely different.
Xu Shanxin was a well-known loyal servant, who was 61 years old when he died; And Xu Jingzong took the camp for half his life, and when he was over sixty years old, he reached the peak of his life because he stood in line with Wu Zetian and became a generation of traitors.