The owner of Shangshudi in Taining

The owner of the house was Li, then the Ministry of War Shangshu and Prince Taishigong in the late Ming Dynasty. The Shangshudi complex is rectangular, arranged in a row from west to east, with tunnels in front and gardens behind. * * There are 120 houses, which are arranged according to the traditional architectural format of "three halls and nine floors" in Taining. Each building has a hall, a living room, a central hall, a patio and a back hall, which are separated by walls and connected by corridor doors. On both sides of the patio are eaves galleries and wing rooms. The longest corridor of Shangshu has five gatehouses, and each door has a stone tablet embedded in its forehead. Starting from the southern end, the words Shangshudi, Zhu Guoshaobao, Four Generations and One Product, Ritual Gate, Righteousness, Trailing Stars, Eternal Light of the Sun and Moon, and Dujian are engraved respectively. All the gatehouses are supported by stone pillars and squares, and at the bottom is a sumeru carved with petals and flowers. The building technology of the gatehouse is exquisite, and there are brick carvings and flower decorations on the floor, and exquisite patterns are also carved on the purlin stigma of the plaque.

The source of allusions

The second gatehouse "four generations and one product" is the most exquisite, with four horizontally extending stone pillars under the lintel. The surrounding stone pillars, Liang Shi and Shifang are all carved with figures, flowers and birds, and there are a pair of stone drums that are nearly 2 meters high and look magnificent. One product for four generations is the first-class treatment granted by the Emperor of the Apocalypse to four generations of the family, because it was sealed up at that time (Mr. and Mrs. Li, parents, grandparents and great-grandparents), but in fact only Mr. and Mrs. Li can really enjoy this treatment. Walking out of Shangshudi, I arrived at Li, the owner of Shangshudi. He studied at the age of six, was admitted to a scholar at the age of sixteen, won a scholarship at the age of thirty-six, then went to Beijing three times to catch the exam, and failed in Sun Shan until he was forty-six. After studying hard at the cold window for forty years, Li Jin entered the court. After eleven years as an official, I rose to the level of 14, which can be described as a late bloomer, a step-by-step promotion and a successful career. Li worked hard, had the ability and the courage to make suggestions, and was appreciated by the emperor and repeatedly commended.

At the age of 57, Li took advantage of his mother's 90th birthday to resign and return to China. Emperor Apocalypse repeatedly asked him to stay, and Li replied, "I am a scholar. It took me eleven years to rise to this position, and the emperor has been very generous." It's just that my wish to do my son's duty has not come true. How can I bear to forget the scene of being alone with my mother and son? After retirement, Li returned to Taining to serve his mother and spent the last ten years of his life in the deep house of Shangshudi.