Li Yuchang

Li Yuchang

Li Yuchang (1771-1808) was an official of Qing Dynasty. Gaoyan word, Rongxuan, Shandong Jimo people. Jiaqing thirteen years (1808) Jinshi, to use the county magistrate to distribute Jiangsu alternate. When he was sent to Shanyang County by tiebao, governor of Liangjiang, to investigate the relief, Wang ShenHan, a county magistrate who embezzled the relief money, and Bao Xiang, a close confidant, ordered Li Sangu (Li Xiang, Gu Xiang, Ma Liansheng) to murder him. After that, Wang found a report of Li's corruption from his clothes, bribed Wang Hu, the magistrate of Huai'an, and decided to hang himself. He informed Li's relatives to welcome the coffin and return to his hometown to mourn. In the spring of the next year, when Li's wife Lin inspected her husband's belongings, she found that her clothes were stained with blood, and there was a page of the manuscript, which said, "the Mountain Sun risked relief to benefit Yuchang. Yuchang didn't dare to accept it, for fear that she would be the son of heaven.". It was proved that the patient was poisoned after the coffin was opened. Uncle Li Taiqing went to Beijing to complain. After Jiaqing's approval, the case was vindicated. On July 16 of the lunar calendar in 1809, Wang ShenHan, Wang Hu, Bao Xiang, Li Xiang, Gu Xiang and Ma Liansheng were executed; tiebao, governor of Liangjiang and Wang Rizhang, governor of Jiangsu, were dismissed and exiled. Jiaqing personally wrote a poem of compassion and loyalty with 30 rhymes. The stone inscription stands in front of Li's tomb.

Life experience

Li Yuchang, whose name is Gaoyan, is a native of Geli village in Jimo, Shandong Province. Since childhood, he is diligent and studious, intelligent, filial and respectable. He is well-known for his excellent character and learning. In 1794, when he was 23 years old, he passed the examination of enkeju. In 1808, he passed the examination of wuchenke Jinshi.

In the 13th year of Jiaqing (1808 A.D.), after Li Yuchang became a Jinshi, he used the county magistrate to distribute the information to the Fu Department of Jiangsu Province.

After he was elected as magistrate, he was sent to Shanyang to investigate the relief. That year, Huai'an (then called Shanyang, where the government and county are located) suffered a disaster, and the relief money was returned to the victims. Wang ShenHan, the magistrate of Shanyang County, wantonly embezzled and was afraid of being investigated, so he carefully bribed the officials who came to investigate the relief. Among the 10 officials, only Li Yuchang was not confused.

Li Yuchang personally handled the investigation and relief of the four townships. After taking office in September of the fifth day of the lunar calendar, he went to rural households to check their household registration and distribute relief tickets. Every village he went to made a record of the number of old and young people, and inspected the extent of the disaster. He was fair and honest. The local people all call it "Li Qingtian", and they even call it "rebirth parents". In October, after reviewing the two townships, he made a detailed list of Wang ShenHan's embezzlement and embezzlement of relief money. He wanted to report it to the Huai'an Prefecture magistrate. He saw that the cover of the corrupt officials taking advantage of the disaster was about to be uncovered.

After learning of Li Yuchang's trend, Wang ShenHan, the magistrate of Shanyang County, was shocked to find out. He quickly repaired his book and coaxed Li Yuchang back to the county government. He set up a private banquet to treat Li Yuchang politely, and advised him with both soft and hard: "when he was an official, he didn't know the secret of being an official. He went to the thatched cottage every day, visited the poor and asked about the cold weather and the earth. He was too tired. It can be said that he admired his reputation and lost his benefits. It's not the official way. Please think twice." After hearing this, Li Yuchang burst into a rage and immediately refuted: "the way to be an official is to be honest and clean. It's not the people's parents' job to grab food from the hungry people. I dare not pollute myself to deceive the heaven. However, I will submit it to the throne to save the people from fire and water, and to rectify the laws and regulations of the imperial court! "After that, I left with a deep sigh. When Wang ShenHan saw this scene, he set up a poison plan to bribe Li Yuchang's three servants to give him poisoned tea. As a result, Li suffered from abdominal pain, vomited blood, strangled himself with a ribbon, and then hanged himself. Wang ShenHan and the magistrate of Huai'an conspired to make a final decision, which made Li Yuchang wronged and deeply wronged.

Injustice undone

In the spring of 1809 A.D., Li Yuchang's wife found blood clothes in her husband's belongings and a manuscript that said, "the mountain sun is risking relief for the benefit of eating Yuchang. Yuchang dares not to accept it, for fear of losing the son of heaven." she immediately doubts her husband's life and death.

After opening the coffin, Li Yuchang was found to have been poisoned, not hanged himself. Li Taiqing, Li Yuchang's uncle, went to the capital to complain to the imperial court. Emperor Jiaqing was very angry with the corrupt officials at that time. He was determined to strictly rectify the official administration for the sake of rejuvenation. Li Yuchang's case of unjust homicide became an opening to the corrupt officials.

The case soon came to light. Emperor Jiaqing personally ordered that in the summer of 1809, corrupt officials, Diao Li, evil servants Wang ShenHan, Wang Hu, Bao Xiang, Li Xiang, Gu Xiang and Ma Liansheng who had murdered Li Yuchang were executed, and tiebao, governor of Liangjiang and Wang Rizhang, governor of Jiangsu, were dismissed and exiled. Other officials involved in the case and nine senior officials for investigation and relief were also punished. The unjust case of Li Yuchang was finally solved.

After the ceremony, Emperor Jiaqing issued an edict: Li Yuchang was granted the title of magistrate, and he was given a pension according to the magistrate's regulations; according to the four grade official regulations, he was given two hundred taels of silver for burial, and twelve taels of silver for a sacrifice; Li Taiqing, the uncle of Li Gong, was awarded the title of military examination; Li Gong had no son, and in order to inherit his incense, he was allowed to inherit his nephew Li xizuo as his heir, and he was granted the title of Ju, and he was allowed to have a joint examination, and continue to unify the calligraphy In addition, the local government donated 1000 Liang to the family of Lin, the widow of Li Gong. Emperor Jiaqing personally granted the poem five rows and thirty rhymes, and donated more than 1000 Liang to local officials to build the imperial stele tower in front of Li Yuchang's tomb to celebrate the festival. Emperor Jiaqing wrote a poem of compassion for loyalty to express his approval of Li Yuchang's honest personality. The stone was carved in front of Li Yuchang's tomb.

Chinese PinYin : Li Yu Chang