Xu Pu

Xu Pu

Xu Pu (1428-1499) was born in Fuxi (now Xiyin village, Yicheng Town, Yixing City, Jiangsu Province) in South Zhili. Jingtai five years (1454) Jinshi, official to huagaidian bachelor. From August of the fifth year of Hongzhi to July of the eleventh year (1492-1498), he served as the first assistant of the current Dynasty. He has been in the cabinet for 12 years. He takes care of talented people and helps them with ease. He often meets with big prison and gets arrested as a speech officer. He makes adjustments and keeps quiet. He died 72 years ago and was posthumously named Wenjing. Xu Pu wrote four volumes of Qian Zhai Wen Lu (see general catalogue of Si KU), which was handed down to the world. It's Wu Yan's uncle.

(overview photo source: the genealogy of the Xu family in handu, Yixing, Jiangsu Province, revised in the Qing Dynasty) < / I > < I >) < / I >

Life of the characters

Talent and intelligence

Xu Pu was gifted and studied hard since he was a child. When he entered a private school at the age of 8, he transcribed the sacred words and the classic Dharma words into a book, which he carried with him for reading at ordinary times. When the teacher saw that his pockets were always bulging, he suspected that he was a plaything, so he accused him of playing too much. When he took it out, it turned out that it was the "quotations of sages" he had transcribed. The teacher was very surprised. He asked the reason and felt guilty. He said to his father Yu Yingong, "your son is a prodigy. I can't be his teacher." So he asked to leave.

Xu Pu storing beans

When he was a teenager, Xu Pu was calm and mature. When he was studying in a private school, he never laughed. Xu Pu also followed the example of the ancients and constantly checked his words and deeds. He put two bottles on his desk to store black beans and soybeans. Whenever a good thought comes into being, or a good word is said, or a good deed is done, a soybean is thrown into the bottle; on the contrary, if there is any mistake in words and deeds, a black bean is thrown. At the beginning, when there were more black beans and less soybeans, he constantly reflected and encouraged himself; gradually, when the number of soybeans was equal to that of black beans, he continued to work harder and stricter with himself; over time, there were more and more soybeans in the bottle, and black beans gradually became insignificant. Until he became an official later, he still kept this habit.

Top high school students

In 1454 A.D., Xu puting ranked first and second in the Imperial Academy. At the beginning of emperor Xianzong, he was selected as Zuo Shuzi, and then promoted to taichangqing and bachelor. In the 15th year of Chenghua (A.D. 1479), he paid homage to the right Minister of the Ministry of rites, soon turned to the left minister, and later changed to the Ministry of officials. Xiaozong ascended the throne (1487 A.D.) and was also a Bachelor of wenyuange. He participated in the maintenance (Prime Minister) and became a minister of rites. Hongzhi four years (AD 1491) promoted to Prince Taifu, Hubu Shangshu and wuyingdian bachelor. The next year, he served as the first assistant. In the seventh year of Hongzhi, he was a great scholar of Jinshen hall. In February of the 11th year of Hongzhi, jiashaoshi was also the Grand Master of huagaidian.

Joining the cabinet to assist the government

At the beginning of Xu Pu's accession to the cabinet, he was just after Wan'an and Liu Ji were in power. In order to stabilize the situation, Xu Pu strictly abided by the established law and cooperated with his colleagues Liu Jian, Li Dongyang and Xie Qian to assist in ruling the government. For example, when Emperor Xiaozong just succeeded to the throne, in view of the rise of eunuch power, many eunuchs were removed. Among them, Li Hua, the former Emperor of the Qin Dynasty, helped Zhang Luan, the Duke of the state of Chang, choose a cemetery. Xiaozong thought that he had made great contributions and wanted to restore his official position. Xu Pu and others resisted. They thought that once this case was started, the sycophants would have to go to the camp one after another to seek the official position, which hindered the implementation. Another example is that when Annan (now Vietnam) attacked and disturbed the border, he wanted to send his ministers to deal with it. Xu Pu and others admonished, "it is enough for the relevant Yamen to issue orders to deal with the invasion of foreign countries. It is not necessary for your majesty to send envoys personally. If Annan turns a deaf ear, in order to safeguard the dignity of the emperor, it is necessary for us to send a large army to collect money from afar. This will not only cost the people and money, but also make things worse. " Xiaozong did not send envoys. After eight years of Hongzhi, Xiaozong gradually slacked off and neglected to manage politics. Xu Pu once admonished many times that the memorials were not timely, some official documents were ignored for months, or were not implemented, and political affairs were congested. According to the old system, in addition to the daily court performance, when there were important military and political affairs, they should be allowed to play at any time, and his majesty should often summon Confucian officials to inquire about state affairs. At one time, Xiaozong believed in eunuch Li Guang, who was a good Taoist God, and set up altars to pray. Xu Pu also played many times, admonishing Xiaozong to alienate the treacherous and sycophantic, and to be diligent in governing and loving the people.

Care for talents

Xu Pu took good care of talents. He often said, "it's not easy to cultivate a person. We can't abandon him with some minor mistakes.". He was always earnest and patient in his education when he saw people's faults. Whenever he was arrested for remonstrating, he always tried his best to save most people. Xu Pu was kind and generous in his life. He was considerate of the villagers, but he lived a simple life. Following the example of Fan Zhongyan's Yitian in Song Dynasty, he asked his second younger brother to return to the capital to discuss the purchase of Yitian to support his clan. He decided to give 800 mu of his own land to the villagers for farming. In case of famine, he reduced rent and exempted taxes, and opened a granary for relief. In case of marriage or funeral or unexpected disaster, the villagers would have emergency relief. All the children of Xu family and those of poor families in the village are enrolled free of charge. In addition, ferries were set up at the mouth of Buxi River, where people were hired to ferry, which was convenient for pedestrians.

be an incorrupt official

Xu Pu had been an official for many years. He didn't build a mansion in Beijing. Until he was about to leave his old man and return home, his family built a house in his hometown. In the 10th year of Hongzhi, Xu Pu asked the emperor to withdraw because he was 70 years old, and the emperor tried his best to keep him. The next year, due to serious eye disease, he asked for retirement again. In September, Xu Pu returned to the South with the honor of "the elder of the four dynasties". When he got home, regardless of his blindness, he first asked the two boys to help him around the whole house, and stroked every wall and every pillar with both hands. Family members asked: "why is the prime minister like this?" he said: "I'm afraid the children will make the house too gorgeous! As long as they can live." One day, Xu Pu was walking outside the door with his family. He suddenly asked, "it used to be Shangcheng road in southeast mountain township outside the door. Why can't I hear the sound of cars?" his family told him, "in order to have a quiet rest, I moved the road to the opposite side of the river." When Xu Pu heard this, he burst into a rage and asked, "whose idea is this? How can the villagers make a detour for my personal comfort?" he ordered the road to be restored in front of the prime minister's house. All the people praise it.

Prime ministers of the four dynasties

Xu Pu, Prime Minister of the four dynasties, is not easy. The emperor finally allowed him to return home. He remembers that the day he left the capital was a misty, sunny and uncertain morning. The heavy Red Palace door of the Forbidden City opened a gap, which was a great honor given to him by the emperor. For thousands of years, even the imperial meritorious officials who got the emperor's special permission to "pay homage to Tianyan" did not wear the embroidered boa robe to show their official rank early. They waited outside the palace gate before it was clear, nervously waiting for the royal guards in the palace gate to call his name. At such a time, even the mighty general who commands hundreds of thousands of troops and fights in distant battlefields will tremble with fear. If the emperor coughs, all the officials on the Jinluan hall kneeling together will shiver. For Xu Pu, who came out of the Forbidden City, all this was finally over. It's the common people's saying that accompanying a king is like accompanying a tiger. In fact, the victory and defeat in the inner circle is enough to turn a bloody man into a spiritual dwarf. He had been an official for more than 40 years. After four emperors of Jingtai, Tianshun, Chenghua and Hongzhi, he had seen too many changes in the imperial court and the metabolism of human affairs. Xu Pu had long been tired of the hustle and bustle of officialdom. Yes, the imperial system is like a huge ghost, which clings to everyone; you can defeat a political enemy, but you can never defeat the system. All over the world, is it the king's land. Just like the Great Wall, the thick and strict ethics and court platform have formed a precise theoretical and operational system, and everyone in it can not be disobedient. After 70 years old, my eyes are old and I can't kneel on my knees. If an official doesn't even have the strength to kneel down in the imperial court, how can he work out his mind to mediate in the Imperial Academy? He went to the emperor with fear to beg for mercy. The emperor was happy that day, and Longyan was always open. I can't leave now that I'm old. I don't worry about your work. I don't allow you to go to court when it's windy and rainy. the elder is sweating all over, but he has to stop as soon as he gets better. As soon as the sun goes down, it will be dark; the tide should have gone away. It's a voice that reminds him. In the 11th year of Hongzhi (1499), the crown prince came out of the cabinet, and he was granted the title of "little teacher" and "crown prince's teacher" to become a Bachelor of huagaidian. Xu Pu has been pushed to the peak of power and honor. This year, his eyes were so bad that he could hardly read the documents. His writing hands were always shaking. He went to kneel to see the emperor and begged to return home. The emperor sighed and drew a circle reluctantly with his cinnabar pen.

resign from office and return to one 's native town

Free. Putting aside the heavy court clothes like Mount Tai, Xu Pu must have felt a relief he had never felt before. In today's words, he finally landed safely. It took all his life to draw this circle. It's so tiring. His hometown Jiangnan, which always looms in his broken dreams, is just around the corner; Xiyin village, which is on the outskirts of the ancient city Yixing, and his hometown, which is green on the street, has been waving the flag of returning home in the depth of his soul. From then on, you can swim in the bamboo fence cottage, with the sound of spring and stone accompanied by Sangyu evening scenery. That's the immortal life that the emperor can't live. It's Dusk this day

Chinese PinYin : Xu Pu