Zhao Xuanjiǒng (532–599), courtesy name Xiantong, was a native of Xi County, Tianshui County, Northern Wei (present-day Li County, Gansu). He was born in the first year of the reign of Emperor Xiaowu of Northern Wei (532) and died in the nineteenth year (599) of Emperor Wen of Sui. His grandfather, Zhao Chaozong, served as the Taishou of Wei Hedong. His father's name was Zhongyi, and he had been a Shangshu Zuo Cheng . Zhao Yan lost his father at a young age and supported his mother to filial piety. When he was fourteen years old, someone secretly cut down a tree in his father's tomb, and Zhao Xuan called for weeping and sent it to the government. Seeing Wei's right servant Zhou Huida, Chang Yi did not worship, and recounted his own loneliness, tears (snot) and snot (si) intersected, Huida wept sadly for it, and sighed long.
When Zhao Xuan grew up, he was calm and steady and did things decently, and slightly dabbled in the history of the classics. At that time, the Western Wei regime was ruled by Yuwen Tai, who heard of his name and appointed Zhao Yan as a military officer of Xiangfu, and Zhao Yan was a government official from then on. After that, with his extraordinary courage and talent, he was given the weight of Yuwen Tai, and was awarded the title of Pingding County Man according to merit, yi three hundred households, and was promoted to Zhongshu Shilang by tired gong. Entered the court and was responsible for drafting edicts and other matters. Later, Zhao Yan actively participated in Yang Jian's activities of forcing Emperor Jing of Zhou to "Zen in Sui" and played a very important role. Zhao Xuan became one of emperor Wen of Sui's most trusted and important ministers, with a high position of authority.
During the Sui Dynasty, Zhao Xuan served as the Assassin of Jizhou and had considerable political achievements. Zhao Xuan believed that the way to administer politics to the people should be to exercise both power and virtue, and to use the power of the people to make the people aware of the importance of the imperial court's decrees; Give it to him, so that the people know the criterion for dealing with people. Zhao Yan once fell ill, and the people came to pray for him, which shows that he has won the hearts and minds of the people.
At that time, there were many treacherous merchants in Jizhou City, bullying and dominating the market, short pounds and less than two pounds, big in and small out, selling goods to fight for the amount, then fighting insufficient; with the scale, it was insufficient. The people were so resentful that disputes often arose. Zhao Xuan stipulated that with the ancient ruler of one foot and two inches as one foot, the ancient bucket three liters as one liter, and the ancient scale as one pound, specially ordered people to make a copper bucket iron ruler and place it on the market, as a standard, those who dare to lack two feet short and commit fraud will be severely punished, and the merchants can no longer take advantage of it, and the people of Jizhou are getting richer and richer. The people praised it. This matter was also greatly praised by Emperor Wen of Sui after he learned of this, and he adopted the "copper bucket iron ruler" set by Zhao Yan, the assassin of Ji Prefecture, and asked Yousi to promote this practice throughout the country, "promulgating it to the world, thinking that it is the common law." "More than a thousand years ago, Zhao Xuan invented the method of copper bucket iron ruler, which still exists today, which shows that it is not easy to maintain fair business practices. As for those who have violated the law, it is still an important topic of conversation today. Today we can still see fair scales in the market, but there are not many people who know that the earliest origin of Zhao Yan's copper bucket iron ruler in Jizhou is not many. To this end, the Jizhou Museum has produced a special exhibition board to highlight this historical fact to visitors.
In order to alleviate and eliminate the adverse effects of salinity on crops in the vast fields of Hengshui Lake, several alkali discharge channels were specially designed and built, the main channel of which was called zhao yan canal by posterity. In the nineteenth year of the Kai Emperor (1599), Zhao Xuan led the people to build a canal in the depression east of the city. This is the city's first water conservancy project. In the eleventh year of Zhenguan in the Tang Dynasty, Li Xing, the Assassin of Jizhou, also used the water of the Zhao Canal to irrigate farmland. The official who manages the Zhao Canal is called the Zhao Canal Shuai.
Education is more effective than criminal law, and in addition to the copper bucket iron ruler, Zhao Yan also did a thing that was praised by people when he was in charge of the history of Jizhou. Someone once stole The Artemisia annua grass from Zhao Xuan and was caught by a small official. Zhao Xuan said, "This is because the assassin (that is, he himself) cannot propagate a good folk customs and indoctrination, so what crime do you have?" Comforting and forgiving, he sent him home, and had a cart of artemisia grass for the thief. The thief was ashamed, worse than a severe punishment. He used his own character to impress the people, and he did all this.
When Emperor Yang Jian of Sui came to Luoyang, Zhao Xuan came to pay homage, and Emperor Wen of Sui praised Zhao Yan: "The great domain of Jizhou is a great domain, the people are earnest, and the qingzhi is the government, and he is deeply reborn." This means: "Jizhou is a big gang with abundant materials, and Qing qing manages it here, which is very much in line with Yuan's wishes."
Zhao Xuan died in the nineteenth year of the reign of Emperor Kai (599) at the age of sixty-eight. The son also became an official, and the official washed the horse to the prince. Later, he rebelled with Yang Yu and was killed.
Copper bucket
Written by: Feng Weitong
Edit: Wang Ying
Review: Zhang Bo, Liu Chunjuan