Text/Zhao Xinfang
"New Book of Tang" Yun: Fang Xuanling is a country, and he is diligent and strong at night. Ren Gong exhausted, do not want to lose a place... Later historians commented that the Tang Dynasty prime minister all recommended Fang Xuanling: Tang Dynasty Xianxiang, before there was Fang Du, after yao Song. In the ancient Chinese dynasties, the author sees that Fang Xuanling can be regarded as a figure who has reigned for a long time and received high evaluations, which is quite representative.
(1) Keen sense of political touch
Fang Xuanling has been smart and clever since childhood, very diligent and studious, can write articles, good calligraphy, his hometown state capital is a soldier, and at the age of 18, he was awarded the title of Lieutenant Of The Feather. When Fang Xuanling was 20 years old, he went to Beijing with his father. At that time, it was still the sui wen emperor dynasty. He told his father privately: The current emperor has no talent, and the sons and daughters are not separated, and they will eventually fall for each other. On the surface, the world seems to be a peaceful scene, but the day of destruction is just around the corner. Later, his father was seriously ill and bedridden, and Fang Xuanling has been serving around and is famous for filial piety in the township.
Heaven fulfilled Fang Xuanling's prophecy. After the Sui Dynasty Emperor came to power, he acted perversely, the heavens were angry and resentful, and all over the place rose up, and Li Shimin's brothers and his father Li Yuan also took the opportunity to raise an army. One day two months later, after passing through Fang Xuanling's hometown, it was really a fate of people's intercourse, and when Fang Xuanling and Li Shimin first met, they were as intimate as old friends who had been reunited for a long time.
Why? Through the conversation, Fang Xuanling decided that the Sui Dynasty would die, Li Yuan's father and son would take its place, and Li Shimin, who was flesh and blood, had great achievements, so he resolutely "scepted the staff to the military gate". Li Shimin felt that Fang Xuanling was a rare talent, and immediately appointed him as a recorder to join the army. Fang Xuanling did his best to plan military and political affairs in order to repay Li Shimin's kindness.
Fang Xuanling has a long-term vision, and the old man holds a heavy weight. Whenever the expedition was victorious, the generals were accustomed to naturally searching for treasures with all their might, but Xuan Ling was a special trip around, looking around for all kinds of talents to recommend to Li Shimin, in order to establish a tall image of seeking talents. Collect books and classics for future use in governing the country. Many of the courtiers and generals used by Li Shimin were very grateful for Fang Xuanling's recommendation, and they did their best to repay the effect whenever they had the opportunity.
In Li Shimin's Qin palace for more than ten years, Fang Xuanling has been in charge of military planning, and once the military book is played, he can quickly clarify his thinking and draft a reply letter without typing a draft. Gao Zu Li Yuan told the attendants: Fang Xuanling has a deep understanding of the opportunity and is enough to be appointed. Every time I do something for my children and the people, I will meet the hearts of the people, thousands of miles away, as if they were speaking to each other.
(2) Drain the blood and bow down to exhaustion
After the founding of the Tang Dynasty, the crown prince Li Jiancheng was suspicious of Li Shimin and believed that Li Shimin was the greatest threat to his succession to the throne, so he joined forces with Li Yuanji to put Li Shimin to death. Fang Xuanling soberly realized this and urged Li Shimin to emulate Zhou Gong and get rid of Li Jiancheng and his cohort. Fang Xuanling was an important figure in Li Shimin's "Xuanwumen Revolution", thus establishing his special position after Li Shimin ascended the throne.
During his 22-year career as chancellor, Fang Xuanling was loyal and loyal, and was praised by Li Shimin and the officials. Fang Xuanling faithfully implemented Li Shimin's edict of "appointing officials according to their ability to do so, and serving as provincial officials" and vigorously "refining officials and streamlining administration." For the early Tang Dynasty, which was in chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty and the population was drastically reduced, it not only eliminated redundant officials and abused their posts, avoided ten sheep and nine herdsmen, and improved the efficiency of all departments of the imperial court, but also saved state financial expenditures and reduced the people's burdens.
Together with Shangshu's right servant Du Ruyi, he was responsible for revising the laws, simplifying the original laws and removing the harsh torture laws of the Sui Dynasty with the aim of a generous and peaceful and practical style. After the revision of the law by Fang Du and Du, there have been no major changes in the generations after the early Tang Dynasty. For the laws, rituals, systems, etc. that are missing, the two of them will preside over the formulation of supplements.
In the historically known "Reign of Zhenguan", he worked day and night, personally doing everything in detail. In the Tang Dynasty, the official position of Zhengyi erpin was basically fictitious, and Fang Xuanling was Zhengsanpin. Du ZhiLangzhong is the abbreviation of the Tang Dynasty Shangshu Province Du Zhi Shi Lang, from the five products, the right and according to the current duties and ranks, equivalent to the Minister of Finance. In order to effectively do a good job in the budget revenue and expenditure of the whole country, he concurrently served as a branch langzhong and was specifically responsible for taking care of the accounts. He was so busy all day that even Li Shimin couldn't look at it anymore, and he had repeatedly advised him in person not to make himself too tired. But Fang Xuanling was still the same as me, and he worked without slackening off.
(iii) The Prime Minister can hold a boat in his belly
In a certain year, Li Shimin awarded him the title of prince of the rank of young master. The young master of the prince is the teacher of the prince, although it is a false position, but it is a positive second product, and enjoys a high political life treatment. Fang Xuanling was well aware of the principle of "full of losses and humble benefits", so as not to arouse people's envy, and immediately went to the table to request the dismissal of confidential posts and withdrawal from the power center. Not only did Li Shimin not approve it, but he also issued an edict ordering him not to continue to make another request on the same issue in the above table. The crown prince had to prepare a ceremony to formally meet the teacher, and Fang Xuanling was always reluctant to accept such etiquette, and cautiously maintained the way of the monarch.
Once Fang Xuanling was seriously ill, he heard a rumor that an official said that if Fang Xuanling's illness could be cured, we must go to see him, because this would deepen our feelings and get some of his benefits in the future. If you have a disease that is not well treated, you don't have to see him, it is completely empty. Fang Xuanling's prestige was very high, and he had a good relationship with the courtiers, and everyone went to visit him. The official was too embarrassed to face it, so he had to go with him, and he felt very embarrassed to see Fang Xuanling. Fang Xuanling not only did not lose his temper, but also smiled and said to the official: Thank God, I know that I will not have any big problems, because you have come to see me.
Ancient and modern men are the same, after drinking and eating, chatting, afraid of wives is one of the hot topics. It is said that one day Tang Taizong invited the founding father to the imperial banquet, Fang Xuanling also blew a few words with the crowd that he was not afraid of his wife, and Tang Taizong, who already had some wine intentions, "hit the iron while it was hot", and gave Fang Xuanling two beauties on the spot. This made Fang Xuanling, who was actually very afraid of the inside, difficult to stop. Wei Chi Jingde cheered him up, saying that no matter how fierce his wife was, he did not dare to tell the beauty given by the emperor. Fang Xuanling felt that this made sense, so he carefully led the two beauties home.
Unexpectedly, Fang Xuanling's wife did not buy the emperor's account, beat Fang Xuanling, and drove away the two beauties. After hearing the news, Li Shimin immediately summoned Fang Xuanling and his wife to question him... This is the origin of Mrs. Fang Xuanling's "drinking vinegar" allusion, how to drink through everyone knows, do not need to repeat. The author talked about the origin to illustrate the close relationship between their monarchs and courtiers, and Fang Xuanling's belly was large.
Add-in at the end of the article: Tang Taizong Li Shimin's poems are rare, and it is even rarer to write poems about Fang Xuanling. Please enjoy Li Shimin's "Fu Fang Xuan Ling":
Tailiu Xian Zhou, West Garden introduced talent.
Before the arrival of the car, the chicken chirped off and opened early.
It is said that when Fang Xuanling got this poem and returned to the mansion, he did not even change the court dress, and he could not eat dinner, so he hid in the study and stole the music for a long time. Some people said that in the past, Fang Xuanling accepted the emperor's reward of gold thousand and two, and his face did not change color, and he had never seen such a happy!
The whole poem does not have a single word of praise, as if it were a travelogue poem. So what did this poem that Li Shimin gave to Fang Xuanling write?
One or two verses say: Tailiu is a fairy lake park built by Li Shimin in Daming Palace, and the center of the lake is a small fairy mountain built in imitation of Penglai Wonderland. In the past, Li Shimin often brought Fang Xuanling and other ministers here to enjoy the tour. But now that the fairy boat ferrying the Penglai Wonderland was parked there, it had been useless for a long time, because Fang Xuanling had been busy in the West Garden, which was far away from Penglai Immortal Island, and he was recruiting talents for the country.
Three or four poems "Before the degree of the car is known, the chicken chirps off and opens early." Reading them together and reversing the order made Li Shimin's meaning clearer: Those sages who came to take the exam had rushed to the West Garden when the chickens were chirping, and they thought they had arrived very early, but when they arrived, they found that the door there had already opened. It turned out that before dawn, Fang Xuanling had already arrived at the test taker by car.
Li Shimin's appreciation for Fang Xuanling's diligent administration overflowed throughout the poem, and if you taste it carefully, there is even some gratitude in it. With such a commendable Son of Heaven, of course, the courtier is sincerely pleased.
【About the author】Zhao Xinfang, pen name Zhao Shi, is a member of the Chongqing Miscellaneous Literature Association, a member of the Chongqing Nan'an District Writers Association, and the vice president of the Huangjue Literary Society.
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