An Xifan

An Xifan

An Xifan (1564-1621) was named Xiao Fan and I su. Born in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, he was a Jinshi. He was the head of the Ministry of rites. Because of begging, he adopted his mother and changed the Ministry of Li in Nanjing. In the 21st year of Wanli, he was demoted by Ming Shenzong because of his "rectifying the good and evil of assistant minister Ming". After returning home, he taught in Donglin University. He is the author of tianquantang collection. Together with Gu Xiancheng, Gu Yuncheng, Gao Panlong, Liu Yuanzhen, Qian yiben, Xue PuJiao and ye maocai, an Xifan is known as the "eight gentlemen of Donglin".

Life of the characters

Rough childhood

An Xifan was born on the 14th of the first month in 1564. He is the grandson of an, the second son of an Rushan. The title of Di Shu and the property system of Zhuzi also intensified the disputes within the family. According to the annals of an I Su, written by an Xifan's great grandson, when his biological mother Wu was pregnant, an Rushan was nearly 60 years old. The original Guo family used the excuse to avoid "the dispute between common people and evils" and warned against giving birth to boys. After Xifan was born, Guo was ready to abandon the baby, and Wu grabbed the baby. An Rushan resigned himself to perfection. Fifty days after his birth, he was born to his uncle an ruling. Ruling died early and his wife Zou was widowed. Xi fan was supported by the Zou family and lived in zhoujing lane, Nanxiang, Wuxi for a long time. Mother and child are separated. When he was five years old, the writer talked about his grandmother's birthday in Daqing. An Rushan took his son to pay homage to his birthday. Seeing that Xifan is clever, Tan Xiu likes him very much and betroths his daughter to him. As a result, the two families made a good deal between Qin and Jin. The next year, Xi fan joined Zou Anji, a scholar. He never forgets reading, and his teacher recites poems. He can rhyme. Mr. Zou was very happy and said, "he will be famous in the future." in 1570, 65 year old an Rushan died of illness. Wu served Guo's family attentively and "kept the festival in Changzhai". He did not dare to make public the secret pain of missing his son. Unexpectedly, Xifan's stepmother died again. At the age of 7, he was helpless living alone in zhoujing. Tan Xiu knew the miserable situation and took the initiative to take care of it. The next year, Guo's family died, and his cousin Shaofeng took Xifan back to Jiaoshan's old house according to Rushan's will. Then the mother and son, who had been separated for nine years, got together and lived on his cousin Shaofeng. Three years later, Shaofeng died again, and Wu's mother and son were forced to move to zhoujing. According to the records, the scene at that time was that "the house was ruined, the mother and son were dependent on each other, and min was bullied. It can't be described in Zen."

Famous teachers teach students

In 1580, an Xifan's father-in-law, Tan Xiu, taught him ancient prose, poetry and Eight Legged prose. Tan Xiu is a man of great learning. His "yan'en building" is famous for its collection of books. In such an environment, an Xifan read the history and learned a lot. He thought that his father-in-law's collection of books was the right place for him to be a man and study in the future. At the age of 17, anxifan married Tan Xiu's daughter. Tan is very virtuous, not only concerned about her husband's life, but also filial to her mother-in-law. Her husband read in the evening, and she accompanied her while doing needlework. Zhou Jing had several scoundrels who often seduced Xi fan, while Tan Shi was good at persuasion, so that his husband would not be cheated. He just kept his head down and made progress. Unexpectedly, he had only been married for three years, and Tan Shi died of illness. Xifan buried her next to her grandfather's tomb, and lived in fengshulou of her grandfather's tomb to guard her wife's tomb. He was a scholar at the age of 19. At that time, when Zhang Juzheng was in power, the number of students was reduced, and only 15 students were allocated in Wuxi. An Xifan's paper to Chengjiang (now Jiangyin) make Hu gongkui fancy, think his article is very insightful. The 12th year of Wanli in Ming Dynasty (1584) is the most important point of an Xifan's life in both human and academic aspects. In the 12th year of Wanli in Ming Dynasty, Anxi fan Wenye was born in Gu Xiancheng. They insisted on the orthodox position of Cheng Zhu Neo Confucianism in academic thought, advocated respecting Confucian classics and respecting Taoism, and advocated "integrity", "rejuvenating orthodox learning" and "defending Taoism and saving time". Later, it became the starting point of Gu Yanwu, Huang Zongxi, Wang Chuanshan and other great thinkers. "During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, scholars were still lingering along Donglin." An Xifan asked Gu Xiancheng for knowledge, which is the so-called life science that has come down in one continuous line since Cheng and Zhu dynasties. From then on, anxifan strictly abided by Gu and Gao's (Panlong) norms in his thoughts and actions, and became a member of the Donglin Party, a regional political group, in the struggle against the reactionary forces of the aristocratic landlords. Gu Xiancheng is fourteen years old elder than an Xifan. He has more experience than an Xifan in studying, being a man and engaging in politics. He is his teacher. Gu Xiancheng sees anxifan's ambition clearly and thinks that he is a man who has made a difference.

Official promotion

In 1585, Xifan won the provincial examination. The next year, Anxi fan won nine of the top three in the imperial examination. He was awarded the post of pedestrian secretary. This is a general office at the middle and lower levels, in charge of imperial edicts and canonization. In 1588, when he was 25 years old, he and his mother, Wu, returned to xihou village and built the "Tianquan hall" on the base of his former residence. The meaning of "Tianquan hall" is: "ambition is not for people, but for heaven. Reading and talking among them, den Si Tang is like a dragon's gate. " According to Xi fan's grandson an Xuan's description in Jiaodong landscape annals, tianquantang is a "pre official department". Zhoujing, Jiaoli no inch soil, but hometown landscape, think not a meal forget also. Is to buy ten acres of wasteland border, structure Hall three Ying, sparse lattice Kuang Kuang, flowers and trees hairy, very elegant. Yan said, "heaven is perfect." he can't be determined by human affairs, but he can be accomplished by heaven. He has been reading and talking for more than 20 years. " He also built tombs for his heirs. In the first month of the 16th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1588), he was ordered to go to Datong, Shanxi Province, to summon Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of officials and a scholar of Dongge university to join Wang Jiaping. I started in the first month and returned to Beijing in April. I have a diary in the cloud. The next year, he was granted the title of Chu fan. On the way back to Beijing, he once climbed Yueyang Tower to have a bird's-eye view of Gu Yunmeng. He also traveled to Lushan Mountain and wrote the travel notes to Lushan Mountain. In the 19th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1591), the imperial examination was held by the Imperial Academy, which is called "Guan Xuan". The examination results are excellent. According to the regulations, he can be called a Shu Ji Shi. After studying for three years, he took up important official positions, such as giving a job to the middle school, imperial censor and so on. But the censor has the seniority limit, anxifan is not qualified. At that time, it was suggested that the report could be added for several years, but anxifan was not willing to do so. I think it's an act of deceiving the king. Later, he was given the post of chief of refined food department of zabu. Next year, in charge of the examination affairs. He took some measures to remedy the shortcomings, which was awed by the current atmosphere. At that time, he missed his mother Wu's very difficult life situation, so he published "please send to Nancao to welcome Yangshu". In July of that year, Emperor Wanli granted his request and granted him the title of head of Yanfeng Department of the Ministry of Li in Nanjing. He left Beijing in August and went down to Beijing in October.

Being outspoken and being demoted

An Xifan has been engaged in practical political activities for a short time. During his political career, there were two major events that showed his political character. First, in the 20th year of Wanli (1592), in the book "dethroning traitors and eunuchs to prevent political disorder", Yang Hao, the imperial censor, and Wang Hao, the doctor of the Ministry of criminal justice, were wrongly punished in Ming Dynasty. He thought that they were not properly handled: "the punishment of husband is the most important thing in the world, and the discipline of the court.". The emperor's head and the head of the minister, and the emperor's eyes and ears of the censor, enable the eunuchs to exercise their power and bully the officials wantonly. Do they not humiliate the imperial court and shame the people in the world In ancient times, eunuch's autocratic power was the most serious disaster for the country. Therefore, the emperor is willing to guard against the evil and avoid the crime of overstepping his duty. If you dare to risk the power of heaven, you will be extremely indignant and trembling. " Yang Hao and Wang Mingshi were implicated in the confession of the traitor Le Xinlu because Zhang Cheng, the eunuch of Si Li, vented his personal anger. Since Wang Zhen was in power, when it came to judging officials, for example, the eunuch of the Secretary for rites was ordered by the emperor to order the Minister of justice to jointly judge. At this time, the censor had to invite the eunuch of the Secretary for rites. During the trial, the eunuch sat in the middle, while the Minister of justice sat on the left and right. It's an unwritten rule. Yang Hao thought that he was the official of the imperial court's discipline, and he should not bend his way to the castration temple. In the Ming Dynasty, Wang Shangshu also opposed this practice, believing that the center could only serve the imperial edict, so he offended the powerful eunuch Zhang Cheng at that time. In order to vent his personal indignation, Zhang took the blame of Yang and Wang. An Xifan said that if Zhang Cheng is not "strictly screened out, the source of chaos" will lead to the great disaster of the eunuch temple. He dared to poke the hornet's nest when the disorder of politics in the castration temple had become a political madness in the Ming Dynasty. second: in 1593, the inspection of Beijing was completed (Ming Dynasty system: officials in Beijing were assessed every six years, and the name of other officials was "Daji"). In March, Liu Daolong impeached wailang Yu chunzhao, a member of Ji Xun's Department, and Yang Yuting, a doctor of the Ministry of war. Sun Tong, the minister, said some honest words and punished him for three months. Zhao Nanwu, the doctor of merit examination, was also demoted to three levels, and Yu and Yang were dismissed. Sun is not allowed to resign. He also pointed out that it was a great disaster for the country for the ministers to form a party. He asked to retain two honest officials, that is, to form a party. Then the truth of the matter could not be revealed. Sun Tong was condemned. At the same time, many upright officials were punished differently. At this time, an Xifan appeared in the book "borrow talents to talk about the road." he thought that Wanli's practice was going to be a blundering and upright official, and then he would all move his color and caution, and he was tongue tied This is not the blessing of the country, nor the heart of the emperor and his assistant ministers. ". This memorial has not been adopted, but anxifan's integrity is on the paper. In September of the 21st year of Wanli (1593), Zhao Yongxian, the right Minister of the Ministry of officials, was the first assistant of the cabinet, Wang xijue, who was dismissed by Shangshu. Gao Panlong, a pedestrian, failed to apply for rescue and was attacked by political opponents. Zhao Nanxing and Gu Xiancheng were implicated in the incident. In November, Gao played again. As a result, he was relegated to Jieyang as the history of Jieyang. At this time, an Xifan wrote a book "rectifying the officials' righteousness and evil", which said that "it is not good to advance the sages and retreat the sages in the ancient and modern times in order to control the chaos." today, the sages will rebuke the sages because of their dissidents, and the wrongdoers will praise the wrongdoers because of their flattery. They will block the way of public justice and open up the masses in vain

Chinese PinYin : An Xi Fan