In The history of China, there have been many admirable courtiers throughout the ages, such as Wei Zheng, who was outspoken and enterprising in the Tang Dynasty, Bao Zheng, who was just and righteous in the Song Dynasty, and Yu Qian, who cared for the people in the Ming Dynasty... wait. In fact, during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, there was once a person whose blunt words were like Wei Zheng, who was just like Bao Zheng, and because of the kindness of a thought, he spared the traitorous minister Yan Song, but was finally killed by his design. "He" is the upright, broad-minded Xia Yan, an outstanding politician of the Ming Dynasty. Let's talk about his story.
(The picture shows a portrait of Xia Yan)
First, bluntly speaking is like Wei Zheng
Once, Xia Yan and Yan Song followed Sejong to Chengtian to visit Xianling, and after returning, Yan Song twice asked Sejong to allow the chancellor to express congratulations. However, Xia Yan felt that it would be inconvenient for the local people to ask the ministers to congratulate him in Chengtian, so he asked Sejong to wait until he returned to Beijing to discuss the matter. When Sejong saw this, he could only give up for the time being, but his heart was very unhappy. Yan Song was a traitor and a good at scheming, and he knew that although Sejong said that he would give up for the time being, it was not what his heart wanted, so he insisted on repeatedly requesting permission for the ministers to express congratulations. When Sejong saw Yan Song's repeated requests, Long Yan was overjoyed and said, "Of course, the matter of liturgy can come from the Son of Heaven. Therefore, in the end, he ordered the minister to congratulate him.
Once, when Sejong wanted to build a palace for the prince, he asked Xia Yan where prince should live? Xia Yan knew Sejong's intentions as soon as he heard it, but he felt that it would take a lot of financial and material resources to build the palace, and after the death of the wives of Ciqing and Cining at that time, the house had been empty and uninhabited, so he asked Sejong to change one of the palaces to the prince. Sejong was silent after hearing this, and his heart was very unhappy.
(The picture shows the stone statue of Wei Zheng)
In the later period of Ming Shizong, he avoided living in the Western Garden, cultivated immortals and refined Dan, and never went to the dynasty, and the ministers of the DPRK did not dare to speak, while Xia Yan opposed Sejong's indulgence in Taoism. One day, Sejong gave the agarwood leaf crown to Xia Yan, Yan Song and other ministers, but Xia Yan never wore this crown, but Yan Song, in order to cater to Sejong, would wear this crown every time he went out of the dynasty, and specially wrapped this crown with light sarong to show solemnity. When Sejong saw this, he liked Yan Song more and more and disliked Xia Yan.
Second, just like Bao Zheng
In the early years of Jiajing, Xia Yan and Yushi Fan Jizu went out to clean up the zhuangtian and take back and return the people's property that had been embezzled by the magnates. Zhang Yanling, the Marquis of Jianchang, took advantage of his status as a relative of the emperor and the state to encroach on land and property everywhere and committed illegal acts. The ministers of the DPRK were afraid of his high position and power, and did not dare to play Sejong. Although Xia Yan was still only a humble and light-hearted little imperial history at that time, he was not afraid of the powerful and wrote to Emperor Sejong to impeach Zhang Yanling. Sejong remembered that Zhang Yanling, the Marquis of Jianchang, was Emperor Xiaozong's brother-in-law, and did not want to blame him, ignoring him. Xia Yan did not flinch, but went on seven consecutive recitals and finally convicted him.
He also asked Sejong to change the harem to a pro-silkworm factory and a gongsang garden, and forbade all relatives and villagers to ask for help, as well as some bad people in Henan and Shandong to offer mintian to the royal palace. He was also not afraid to anger Sejong, and wrote to impeach Zhao Ling, a eunuch favored by Sejong. Emperor Sejong ordered Lady Zhuangfeng's younger brother Ji Fuhai and Lady Sufeng's younger brother Gu Fu to inherit the Thousand Households Of Jinyi, and Xia Yan thought that this reward was somewhat inappropriate, and argued according to reason. Xia Yan was born with a straight nature, never pulled gangs and factions, and the music on it was also blunt and was recited by the world.
(Pictured is a still of Bao Zheng)
Third, the heart is as humble as the world
During the reign of Emperor Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty, emperor Xun Gui overbabilized the people's land and property, causing some people to stay in love and lose their homes, and social contradictions further deteriorated. After Emperor Ming succeeded to the throne, Xia Yan was concerned about the people of the world, and was appreciated by Emperor Shizong for his abuses in the Chen Wuzong Dynasty. Later, he suggested that Sejong cut off the redundant 3,200 men of the pro-army and the Beijing Guards, send out the imperial family Zhuangtian, and take them all back to the people's property. He not only performed his duties honestly and honestly, but also strictly reformed the law of bribery and perverted the law, inspected the imperial estates and Xunqi manors, returned the land to the people, encouraged farming and weaving, reorganized the conscription, provided relief for disasters and famines, reduced the rent and silver, and showed compassion for the people, which greatly alleviated the fierce social and economic contradictions at that time.
I personally think that Xia Yan is indeed a good official who cares about the people of the world, is not afraid of the emperor's relatives and nobles, and asks for the people's lives, and is also a humeral minister who supported the early Jiajing Zhongxing.
(Pictured is Yu Qian's mausoleum)
Fourth, the benevolence of one thought is to release Yan Song
In the twenty-fourth year of Jiajing (1545 AD), Yan Song's greed and indulgence made Sejong dissatisfied, and Sejong re-issued an edict summoning Xia Yan to return to the dynasty, and restored him to all official positions such as minor master, which was equivalent to Yan Song's position. After Xia Yan came to the court, he was not accustomed to Yan Song, who was old and treacherous, and did not seek Yan Song's opinion on all instructions, but Yan Song refused to mention it. All those who Yan Song promoted and used privately were greatly reprimanded and exiled by Xia Yan, and Yan Song did not dare to say a word, but he hated him to the bone marrow. At that time, the scholars and doctors throughout the country were hating Yan Song's greed and jealousy, believing that Xia Yan could suppress Yan Song and control his death, so they were deeply distressed and wrote to impeach Yan Song's father and son. Among them, officials impeached Wang Riwei for embezzlement and perverting the law, and the evidence was conclusive, and Wang Riwei implicated Yan Shifan's father and son. After Yan Song's father and son learned of the situation, they were very scared, and finally they decided to personally go to the door to ask for forgiveness, and they pounced at Xia Yan's feet, crying and losing their voices on the spot, and they were devastated. Xia Yan looks old-fashioned, like a person who is not good at talking, but is actually a good person with a broad heart and a benevolent heart. Looking at Yan Song's father and son, who were crying bitterly, Xia Yan's heart also softened, and after a long time, he said, "Fen Yi (Yan Song is a Yi person in Jiangxi), why do you have to do this?" He lifted up Yan Song, sighed, waved his hand, and signaled them to leave. When Yan Song's father and son saw this, they were overjoyed, bowed down again, and thanked him profusely.
In October of the twenty-sixth year of Jiajing (1547), Chen Qixue, the emperor of Huguang Province, exposed Lu Bing's collusion with Hou Cuiyuan to increase the salt tax, accept bribes from the traitor Xu Er, and other dereliction of duty, although Xia Yan secretly made good friends with Lu Bing, but when he learned of the situation, he was very angry, that is, he drafted a holy decree to arrest Lu Bing. Lu Bing,000 was embarrassed, so he bribed Xia Yan with three thousand taels of gold to seek relief, but Xia Yan was upright and did not allow it, so Lu Bing knelt down and wept to apologize for his sins, and Xia Yan felt pity and agreed not to pursue it again. From then on, Lu Bing hated Xia Yan to the bone, and secretly colluded with Yan Song to try to kill Xia Yan, but Xia Yan did not notice it at all.
(The picture shows a portrait of Yan Song)
Xia Yan let go of Yan Song's father and son and Lu Bing, but unexpectedly, they would be rewarded and unjustly killed by their design.
5. Wrongfully killed in a treacherous scheme
In the twenty-third year of Jiajing (1544), the Tatars invaded Hetao (east of helan Mountain in present-day Ningxia and Inner Mongolia, south of Wolf Mountain and Daqingshan), and the governor of Shaanxi, Zeng Milling, sent troops to retake Hetao, and submitted a song to suggest that a section of the border wall be built from Fugu Huangfu to Dingbian, and then advance by land and water to force the Tatars to retreat, which was supported by Xia Yan, while Yan Song speculated on Sejong's sincerity, but remained silent. Xia Yan recommended Zeng Milling to the imperial court and discussed plans with him. Emperor Mingshizong was determined to retake Hetao and praised Zeng Milling. At this time, Yan Song secretly bought the emperor to be close, calling him "lightly provoking the border", and instructed the bian general Qiu Luan to falsely claim that Zeng Milling had covered up the defeat and did not report it, withheld military pay, and bribed the first assistant Xia Yan. Yan Song even said in front of Sejong that the two had ulterior motives in retaking Hetao, and Sejong really believed it, criticizing Xia Yan for embarrassing junshang and threatening everyone. Sejong was deceived by Yan Song, and although Xia Yan tried his best to defend himself, it had no effect, and Sejong grew to snub Xia Yan.
In the first month of the twenty-seventh year of Jiajing (1548 CE), Sejong stripped Xia Yan of all his official titles and asked him to serve in the name of Shangshu, but still had no intention of killing him. Yan Song deliberately released gossip into the palace, saying that Xia Yan complained and slandered Shizong when he was leaving. Yan Song also drafted a letter on behalf of Qiu Luan, attacking Xia Yan for taking bribes from Zeng Milling, meddling in Guan city, and seeking huge profits, and the matter also implicated Xia Yan's old father-in-law Su Gang. So they put Zeng Milling and Su Gang in a big prison in the capital. Yan Song, Lu Bing, and others secretly colluded, so they beheaded Zeng Qiao on the charge of colluding with his internal ministers, assigned Su Gangfa to charge the army, and sent officers and soldiers to arrest Xia Yan and behead him.
(Pictured is a still of Ming Shizong)
Honest ministers such as Shangshu Yu Maojian and Zuo Du Yushi Tuqiao did not hesitate to exonerate Yan Song, quoting the ministers and petitioning them to ask for a reduction in the death penalty, but unfortunately, Sejong did not want to listen more, severely criticized Yu Maojian and others, and withheld their salaries. In October of the same year, Xia Yan was beheaded on the street at the age of sixty-seven.
During the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, Xia Yan did not hesitate to anger Emperor Shizong, repeatedly spoke out and advised; he was not afraid of the powerful and repeatedly impeached high-ranking officials and nobles; he cared for the people and returned the land to the people, alleviating social contradictions, and also laying the foundation for the Zhongxing of the Jiajing Dynasty, which was praised by future generations. However, because of his kindness, he misplaced the traitorous minister Yan Song, and finally was wrongfully killed by his design, which is inevitably deplorable. He was a shining pearl in the history of Daming, made due contributions to the peace and development of the society at that time, and deserved the pride of every son and daughter of the Chinese nation.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you for reading, welcome to subscribe to the collection forward! The works of this site are my original works, please do not reprint, thank you!