Author: Old History
▲ Zuo Guangdou put on his cloak for Shi Kefa
Second, the strange fate of life and death with the mentor Zuo Guangdou
1. Zuo Guangdou first learned about Shi Kefa
▲ Inspector Goshi Zuo Guangdou
In the spring of the first year of the Apocalypse, that is, the year that Emperor Mingxi Zhu Yuxue began to become emperor, Shi Kefa met a person who had a great influence on his life, that is, the inspector at that time, Yushi Zuo Guangdou.
Zuo Guangdou, Zi Zhi Zhi, Cangyu, Anqing Tongcheng people. In the twenty-eighth year of the Wanli calendar [1600 in the Gregorian calendar], in the thirty-fifth year of the Wanli calendar [1607 in the Gregorian calendar], both of them happened to be listed as the eleventh place. After entering the army, he first served as a Zhongshu Sheren, and then promoted to the position of Inspector of Imperial History.
Inspector Mishi was a constitutional officer under the Metropolitan Court. In the Ming Dynasty, the Metropolitan Inspection Bureau was a department specially used by the central government to supervise the various departments of the imperial court and maintain the discipline of officials, which is equivalent to our current Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Ministry of Supervision. His duty is to correct the hundred divisions, to distinguish the wrongs, to supervise the various ways, and to correct the injustices and lawlessness, so as to serve the eyes and ears of the Son of Heaven. It is said that inspector Yushi is only a zhengqipin official, although the rank is not high, but the power is not small. In addition to the right to impeach officials at all levels who have broken the law, if the emperor has anything out of the ordinary, he can also compete with him. In this case, the emperor sometimes had no way to take them. In addition, such as patrolling the Beijing camp, supervising the township school, supervising the township examination, meeting test and martial arts are also their usual tasks.
The section "Ming Shi Officials" describes their duties as follows:
The Thirteen Ways of Supervision of the Imperial History, the Chief Inspector of the Internal and External Hundred Divisions of the Officials and Evils, or the Impeachment of the Seal, or the Impeachment of the Seal. Brushing scrolls in the inner two capitals [Su Zheng Lian visited to check whether there was any delay in handling prison litigation cases in the various yamen under his jurisdiction, called brushing scrolls], inspecting the Beijing camp, supervising the townships, meeting tests and martial arts, inspecting Guanglu, inspecting the warehouse field, inspecting the inner treasury, the imperial city, and the five cities, and taking turns to climb the drum.
In this year, Zuo Guangdou was in charge of the task of supervising the northern zhili ["Ming Shilu Class Usurpation (Beijing Wenshi Volume)", "Xizong Shilu Volume" :( The first year of the Heavenly Revelation leap February) Yi Hai (the third year of the first year, 3.25.) ordered Yushi Zuo Guangdou to supervise the Northern Zhili Xuezheng], and often went down to inspect the local public schools. One day, when the wind and snow were thick and the weather was very cold, he went out with a few retinues on horseback, secretly made a visit, and came to the concentration of students in Suncheonfu Province, a monastery on the outskirts of Beijing. According to the theory, prefectural and prefectural students should study in prefectural schools, but in fact, at that time, prefectural and prefectural schools were nominal and there was no formal school, and students were just studying at home with government subsidies. On the eve of the exam, they gathered together to do the final tuition, so the students were concentrated in the ancient temple of a school.
In one of the compartments of the temple, he saw a scholar asleep on a table, with a freshly drafted article next to him. Zuo Gong picked up the article and read it carefully, and after reading it, he was very appreciative, and as for what was written, we don't know now. Seeing that his clothes were thin, he immediately took off his mink coat and put it on him, and closed the door for him. After coming out, he asked the monks in the temple to inquire, and only then did he know that this scholar was Shi Kefa. Later, when the scientific examination was held at the county school, the school supervisor named a little student, and when he pointed out Shi Kefa, Zuo Gong looked at him in surprise. When Shi Kefa presented the examination paper, he signed him as the first place on his paper.
Every three years, students who were studying in the Ming Dynasty held two examinations under the auspices of Xuezheng, one for the year examination and one for the scientific examination. Both the annual examination and the scientific examination are divided into six grades according to the results. The third class is not rewarded and not punished, the third class or above is rewarded, the third class is punished, and it is particularly important that those who are listed in the first and second grades of the scientific examination have obtained the qualification to participate in the township examination, called the students of the examination, and then pass the township examination to obtain the meritorious name of the person.
Shi Kefa was ranked first by Zuo Guangdou and qualified to participate in the township examination, but this was not the case. Later, Zuo Guangdou also took him to his home and asked him to meet his wife, saying:
"My sons are very mediocre, and the only one who can inherit my ambitions and career in the future is this student."
Zuo Guangdousheng has five sons, the old Guozhu, the old erguolin, the old Three Kingdoms, the old four national materials, and the old five kingdoms. At this time, Zuo Guozhu was about the same age as Shi Kefa, and after meeting Shi Kefa, he was very opportunistic, and later became a confidant.
This story was narrated by Fang Bao, the founder of the Tongcheng school of prose, in the article "Zuo Zhongyi Gong anecdote", and said that it was told to him by his father Fang Zhongshu himself. In the original text it reads:
The first gentleman tasted the words: "The township ancestor Zuo Zhongyi publicly regarded the study of Gyeonggi, one day, the wind and snow were severely cold, from the number of rides out of the micro-line, into the ancient temple, the next life lying on the case, the text into the grass." After the completion of the public reading, that is, the removal of the mink Fusheng, for the cover. The monk of the temple, then Shi Gong Ke Fa Ye. And test, the official called the name to Shi Gong, gong Qu ran gaze, presented the volume, that is, the face signed first. Summoned, let the lady worship, saying, 'My sons and daughters are doing their work.' He continues his deeds day by day, but this life has ears. ”
This story, while vivid, is not precise. As everyone knows, the price of the mink is extremely expensive, and it is definitely not something that can be purchased by the economic forces of Zuo Guangdou, who have been "registered for eighteen years and washed like a wash". Another Tongcheng scholar, Ma Qichang, said something different:
"Tongcheng Qi Old Biography , Zuo Guangdou " : Chu , Daxing people Shi Gong Kefa , young poor and lowly , Gong as a supervisor , Shi to the boy to see the Gong, Gong Qizhi , Yue: Zi Yiren also, his daily name is on my side. Because of the call to study, he always left his parents behind. Returning day and night, the wind and cold rain and snow, seeing Shi Yin sleeping for a few nights, undressing, do not make him feel, his pity is so.
He arranged this story in Shi Kefa into Pan [Pan, read pàn. In front of the school of the Princes of Zhou, there is a semi-circular pond, named Panshui, and the school is called Pangong, because it is called entering pan. This refers to the fact that after Shi Kefa became a Xiucai and lived in Zuo Guangdou's home," it happened after Zuo Guangdou "summoned to study" and lived in his house. It is much more reasonable to write it this way. But no matter what the situation was at that time, Zuo Guangdou greatly appreciated Shi Kefa and accepted him as a student. Later, Zuo Gong's concern for Shi Kefa could be described as meticulous: knowing that Shi Kefa's family was in financial difficulties, he left him in his apartment to study with his children and nephews, and also gave a certain amount of money from his salary to his parents to maintain his life...
There is such a record in the "Zuo Zhongyi Gong Annals":
Shi Gongyou (father) and mother were in the church, the family was very poor, and Gong Gong gave him a monthly salary of rice for his parents, while Guan Shi Gong was in the official residence and studied with his sons and nephews. Whenever there is a public surplus, the debate between ancient and modern, only with the advice of wen and wu yuan slightly loyal filial piety and righteousness.
Shi Kefa himself once said:
The master of the Fa, the knowledge of the first word has also been...
Whenever there is a public surplus, that is, hanging on the bed, and the current affairs of the palm of the hand, the debate between ancient and modern times, is nothing less than the joy of the father and son of the family.
That is to say, whenever Zuo Gong had time, he sat on the bed and waited for Shi Kefa, discussing current affairs with him, citing ancient evidence and the present, and talking with each other, and clapping and laughing, just like father and son or family.
In fact, Shi Kefa's appearance is not outstanding, "his body is small and inferior, and he does not call his clothes crown", but Zuo Guangdou has unlimited hopes for him, believing that Shi Kefa "has great ambitions and good strategies for the world", and only he is the person who inherits his career in the future, which shows that he is a good teacher who is good at discovering talents, and is also a hero who cares about current politics, worries about the country and loves the people. In fact, during the years when the Wanli and Tianqi dynasties alternated, Zuo Guangdou, as an inspector of imperial history, as a member of the Donglin Party, and Yang Lian, a famous imperial master in the dynasty, waged unremitting struggles against various evil forces in the palace.
Updated on 2021.10.29
Editor: Mao Secret", "White Wave Love"