[Caption: This article is one of the author's series (vertical) articles "Reading Through the Story" and "Loving the People"]
Yangcheng (阳城), courtesy name Kangzong, was a native of Xia County, Shaanzhou (present-day Xia County, Shanxi) in the Tang Dynasty, whose ancestral home was Beiping, Dingzhou (present-day Shunping, Hebei). This is a "strange person", when he is a common man, he can be called "different", and being an official is even more different.
□ Shaanzhou, he entered the army with cloth clothes
Yangcheng teenagers are studious, but they cannot obtain books because of their family's poverty. He thought of a way to go to Jixian Temple to do errands, and read the books in the courtyard while working. Six years later, he successfully passed the Jinshi examination through the subset of history.
Strange things happened: others should be examined for the sake of becoming an official, but after he entered the army, he entered the Nakajō Mountain. However, he did not become a hermit, humble and simple, and was consistent with the few people, and often people came to him to study; whenever there was a dispute between the villagers, they did not go to the official palace, but came to him for evaluation.
Yangcheng treats people with generosity and peace, which can be illustrated by giving an example. One winter day, when there was no rice in the house, he sent a servant to buy rice. The servant actually used the rice he bought to mix with wine, and when he was drunk, he fell asleep on the side of the road. In Yangcheng, where the rice was waiting for the pot at home, he saw that the servant had not returned for a long time, so he took his brother all the way to look for it, and the servant had not yet woken up. Yang Cheng did not alarm him, but carried him back to his home. When the servant woke up drunk, he was ashamed and scolded himself, but Yangcheng said to him, "On such a cold day, what is wrong with you drinking some wine to warm your body?" "Such a master and servant is rare in the world, right?"
Li Bi, the famous minister of the Middle Tang Dynasty, was then an observer of Shaanxi, and gave gifts to Yangcheng many times, hoping that he could come out and be his own staff. Yang Cheng accepted the gift, but refused to come out. Li Bi again recommended it to the imperial court, and the imperial edict was returned unchanged by him.
Later, Li Bi paid homage to Xiang and recommended Yangcheng to Tang Dezong Li Shi in person. This time, he was recruited and appointed as the Right Counselor. When he came to Chang'an, he still planned to resign, and Tang Dezong personally received him, saw him wearing an old dress, and immediately asked the eunuch to bring the silk clothes worn by the doctor. Needless to say, this official had to do it.
□ Chang'an drunkard, he was ridiculed by Han Yu
When Yangcheng had not yet entered the capital to perform their duties, the officials of Chang'an City wanted to see this strange man's demeanor and secretly worried about him. In the Tang Dynasty, he was the counselor of Zheng Sipin. Some people predicted that according to Yang Cheng's disposition, there would inevitably be slander in the future, and he would probably die on this in the future.
At this time, the advisors were very well-behaved, and they did not discuss major matters when performing their duties, and singled out some trivial things to meet the scene, which made Tang Dezong feel overwhelmed.
Statue of Han Yu
However, the Yangcheng that people are waiting to see does not bring new winds, but drinks with his two younger brothers and guests all day long, and drinks drunk and rests. His inaction annoyed a man, Han Yu, who had passed the entrance examination three years earlier. This year, Han Yu was only in his twenties, and it was when his flesh and blood were strong and his ambitions were fierce, and he wrote an article called "The Theory of Contending for Subjects" in one go. The article begins: "Or ask the Counselor Yangcheng Yuyu, can you be a man of the Tao?" "Directly pointing the sword at Yangcheng." Next, in the form of questions and answers, the author wrote brilliantly and made a lot of ridicule about Yangcheng. Yang Cheng was unmoved and still drank his own wine.
In the tenth year of Emperor Dezong of Tang's reign (794), a major incident occurred in the court, and Lu Zhen, who was known as a sage of the Tang Dynasty, was deposed because he was framed by Pei Yanling and others. For a moment, the manchu dynasty shook, and no one dared to stand up and speak for Lu Zhen.
At this time, Yangcheng, who had been accompanied by wine since entering the army, stood up, and he issued a cry that "the son of heaven should not be credited with adultery and kill innocents."
He led several counselors to Shangshu, accusing Chen Pei yanling and others of being adulterous and wronged for Lu Zhen. Emperor Dezong of Tang was furious, and he was supposed to cure Yangcheng of his sins, but thanks to the crown prince Li Shu (i.e., Tang Shunzong) came to the rescue. Yangcheng's blockbuster this time also touched a person, this person is the veteran Zhang Wanfu, who is more than eighty years old, he said: "The imperial court has direct subjects, and the world will be peaceful!" Then he shouted, "Long live Taiping!" Long live Taiping! ”
Pei Yanling desperately wanted to climb to the top of the prime minister's position, but due to the strong opposition of Yangcheng and others, he failed to do so.
Portrait of Tang Dezong Li Shi
□ the history of the State Assassin, only for the common people
Although Yangcheng escaped the disaster, three years later he was still accused of being a partisan and demoted to Daozhou (道州, in present-day Daoxian County, Hunan). Although a large number of officials such as Liu Zongyuan ran for him during this period, it was still to no avail.
Coming to Daozhou, Yangcheng governs the people like a family, and the rewards and punishments are clear. After leaving his own living expenses every month, all of them are returned to the public. Every day, he made rice with two rice and stewed a large pot of fish, and invited his subordinates to eat it together.
At that time, Daozhou had a "special supply" task, that is, he had to contribute dwarfs to the imperial court every year. This maladministration is said to date back to the Sui Dynasty, when a dwarf from Daozhou, because of his funny and wisdom to win the favor of the Sui Emperor, ordered Daozhou to contribute every year.
After Yangcheng arrived, he terminated this contribution on his own. Because there has been a cruel practice in the middle: in order to make the contributing dwarfs satisfied with the emperor, someone once put a lively and cute child into a special jar, causing artificial growth deformities.
Unexpectedly, Tang Dezong actually remembered this matter and specially sent someone to urge it. Yang Cheng played for this: "The people of the prefecture here are generally short in stature, and if they have to contribute, they don't know who to let go." This time Tang Dezong accepted his suggestion and abandoned this request.
A maladministration that lasted for nearly four hundred years was abolished by Yangcheng in one fell swoop, and the gratitude of the people of Daozhou was indescribable. Later, many children there used the word "yang" when naming names.
Impression of Yangcheng
From this incident, it can be seen that Yang Cheng is a person with two downward eyes. The common people naturally benefited from it, but his superiors were not satisfied. Because taxes are always paid in a timely manner, Yangcheng has repeatedly been accused by the above. One year in the state official examination class, Yangcheng wrote in the official document of self-evaluation: "Fu zi heart labor, chase the subject of political clumsiness, take the exam." ”
It is okay to be willing to be "downstream", but the taxes must be paid in full. Once, a judge was sent from above to urge the tax, but Yangcheng never showed up, and the judge was puzzled, and the officials of Daozhou told him: "Thorn Shi thinks he is guilty and has imprisoned himself in the state prison." The judge was taken aback and rushed to the state prison to meet YangCheng, relieved him, and said, "What is your crime?" I was just instructed to come and see you. ”
Although Yang Cheng walked out of the state prison, for the next few days, he slept outside the building where the judge stayed, making it difficult for the other party to sleep peacefully, and quickly left. Later, it was decided to send a man to Daozhou to urge the requisition. The man set out with his wife, but instead of going to Daozhou, he deserted halfway. It seems that this is also a kind hearted person.
After Tang Shunzong Li Xuan succeeded to the throne, he remembered Yangcheng and summoned him back to Beijing. However, at this time, Yangcheng had died. Li Xu had to order that 200,000 yuan be given and that his coffin be buried in his hometown by the authorities.
The style of Yangcheng as an official may not have the significance of universal reference, but here we still have to praise this respectable and lovely ancient person!