Introduction and achievements of Di Renjie How did Di Renjie die in history?

Mr. Di Renjie is a little depressed: his subordinate Yuan Fang is very popular. Yuan Fang’s name is everywhere in newspapers, TV and Weibo. There are also thousands of men, women and children who ask "Yuan Fang" about trivial matters in life. Fang, what do you think?” Who still remembers this drunken old man? I think back then, when he was the leader of Dali Temple, there was no case that couldn't be solved, no prisoner that couldn't be caught, and among the 17,000 prisoners, not one of them dared to petition and complain; think again about those days, when Empress Wu Zetian had to listen to his opinions ...Alas, the past is like smoke. In fact, Yuan Fang is just a little kid, and Master Di is really great.

Di Renjie in history was an amazing talent. In 696 AD, after Di Renjie made great achievements, Wu Zetian personally wrote 12 gold characters on the purple robe he wore, "Exercise political skills, keep clean and diligent, rise to the throne, and encourage ministers" to show her recognition. This commendation is called "The title of robe making is given to Di Renjie". The whole poem is not only a commendation to Di Renjie, but also an inspiration to him. The first two sentences summarize Di Renjie's achievements, saying that he assisted the court and was committed to integrity and diligence. The last two sentences asked Di Renjie to lead the ministers in the court and to occupy the position of prime minister to inspire the ministers to work together and govern the country well. A few words not only highly affirmed Di Renjie's diligent governance, but also had high hopes for Di Renjie, becoming the standard version for selecting senior executives in Wu Zetian's mind.

In the first year of Jiushi (700), Di Renjie died of illness, and the government and the public were in mourning. When Wu Zetian heard the news, she cried and said: "The court is empty!" He was given a posthumous gift to Sikong; after Tang Ruizong came to the throne, he was named Liang Guogong. Di Renjie's life can be said to be full of ups and downs in officialdom. As an outstanding politician in the feudal ruling class, Di Renjie cared about people's livelihood and made outstanding political achievements in every position he held. After he assumed the position of prime minister, he assisted the country and stabilized the country, and corrected many of Wu Zetian's bad policies. He can be said to be one of the important heroes who promoted the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty.

Di Renjie lived up to the emperor's praise, was loyal to the royal family, and did his best for both the Li family and the Wu family. In terms of managing people's livelihood, later generations commented that "a saint has an impermanent heart and takes the hearts of the people as his heart." No wonder Di Renjie passed away and Wu Zetian cried and said, "The court is empty."

Having seen a wise friend, a filial friend

Di Renjie has experienced extraordinary things since he was a child, and his words are astonishing. This is what smart people do. When they are unknown, they have to speak amazingly and attract attention. Only then can they get the recommendation and attention of celebrities, and then can they be promoted and show their talents.

Although there was an imperial examination in the early Tang Dynasty, influenced by the Wei, Jin and Southern Dynasties, recommendation-based talent selection was still popular. For example, the great poet Li Bai did not want to enter the official career through regular examinations such as Jinshi and Mingjing, but hoped to be appreciated by the emperor and gain important positions. Therefore, he visited many places and sent poems and essays to express his talents and cultivate his reputation. Although Di Renjie does not have Li Bai's flamboyant personality, he still knows how to stand out.

He is from Taiyuan, Shanxi, and both his ancestors and father were officials. When he was young, his father was the governor of Kui. The "Old Tang Book? Biography of Di Renjie" said: "When Renjie was a child, a member of his family was murdered. The county officials questioned him. Everyone accepted it, but Renjie sat down to study. The officials blamed him. Renjie said: "In the yellow scroll, there are sages and sages, but they still can't answer it. How can I blame the lay officials?" When he was young, a retainer in his family was killed. Officials came to investigate, and everyone accepted it. After questioning, only Di Renjie was studying there and ignored him. The official blamed him, and he said, "I am talking to the sages in the book, so I can't care about you." This means having extraordinary insights and speaking astonishingly. Regardless of whether his knowledge and remarks were correct or not, this kind of demeanor was highly respected by people at the time.

Therefore, after he passed the Ming Dynasty imperial examination and became a small official in Bianzhou, he was appreciated by Yan Liben, a high official in the imperial court and a great painter. "At that time, Yan Liben, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, was deposed as the envoy of Henan Province. Renjie falsely accused the officials. Liben thanked him and said: 'Zhongni said, you know benevolence after looking at it. It can be said to be the pearl of Haiqu and the treasure of the southeast.' Recommended to be appointed as the governor of Bingzhou. "Renjie is a filial friend. In Bingzhou, there is a fellow governor, Zheng Chongzhi. His mother is old and ill, so he should be appointed as the envoy." How can I bring trouble to my relatives who are traveling thousands of miles away?" I asked the governor, Lin Renji, to act on behalf of Zheng Chongzhi. "Zheng Chongzhi, the minister of the same government, should be sent to a distant place, but his mother is old and ill. Di Renjie said, "My aunt is sick, how can I let her worry about her son thousands of miles away?" So he asked the superior to let him go as an envoy on Zheng Chongzhi's behalf.

When Di Renjie was growing up as a young man, he was smart, appreciated by big shots, and had both ability and political integrity. He can not only receive high praise from his superiors (Yan Liben), but also solve problems for his colleagues (Zheng Chongzhi), thus laying the foundation for his career.

Fighting against cruel officials behind bars

Naturally, there will always be low points in life, and there will always be risks on the road to growth. The biggest danger Di Renjie encountered in officialdom came from cruel officials coming to rule.

During the Yifeng period of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty (676-679), he served as an official of Dali Temple (Supreme Court). In the second year of Wu Zetian's reign, he was transferred to the local official minister, the judge, and Tongfengge Luantai Pingzhangshi. He became the prime minister and held the position of a very popular minister. But good fortune and misfortune lurked. In the first month of the second year of Changshou (693), Wu Chengsi colluded with Lai Junchen and falsely accused Di Renjie and other ministers of treason, and arrested and imprisoned them. "Not long after, Lai Junchen was falsely accused and imprisoned. When he asked, he who accepted the example would be spared his death. Lai Junchen forced Renjie to accept it and asked him to accept it. Renjie sighed: "In the Great Zhou Revolution, everything was new. In the Tang Dynasty, The old ministers of the dynasty were willing to be killed.

On the contrary, it is true! ’ Junchen is a young man who is lenient... Since he has accepted the rebellion, the person in charge will only wait for the day to execute the punishment, and there is no longer any strict preparation. Renjie asked the defender to get a pen and inkstone, took off the quilt and wrote a letter of injustice, put it in the cotton clothes, and said to De Shou: "It is hot now, please ask your family to remove the cotton." ’ The lack of virtue and longevity cannot be observed. Renjie's son Guangyuan obtained the letter and held it to report the change. Then Heaven summoned him... so he was saved from death. "This was the critical moment between Di Renjie's life and death. He was framed by the ruthless official Lai Junchen and imprisoned. There was a provision in the law at that time: "Those who follow the rules at the first inquiry will have their death penalty reduced. "Lai Junchen forced Di Renjie to admit "treason". Di Renjie took an extraordinary step and immediately admitted the crime. He said: During the Great Zhou Revolution, everything was replaced with new ones. I am an old official of the Tang Dynasty. I am willing to be killed. If you say I am treason, I will not. Wrong. But Di Renjie did not wait for death. He asked the guard for a pen and inkstone, secretly wrote a secret letter and hid it in his cotton coat, and told Junchen's subordinate Wang Deshou, "It's hot now, please let my family take out the cotton wool from the clothes." "His son received the clothes, obtained the secret letter, and complained to Wu Zetian. Wu Zetian summoned Di Renjie and asked him: "Why did you admit to treason? Di Renjie said, "If you didn't admit it, you would have been beaten to death by now." "So Wu Zetian exempted Di Renjie from the death penalty for treason.

From this story, we can see that Di Renjie's wisdom and government are not noble, but he does not know how to act according to the situation. He used retreat to advance. After being arrested, Admit the crime first, and then figure out a way to exonerate yourself after the other person relaxes his guard. This kind of calmness in the low point of life is worth learning.