What kind of person is Wen Yanbo who lived in the four dynasties for more than fifty years?

About the author: Qiao Yongsheng was born in Jiexiu, Fenzhou (now Shanxi). Wen Yanbo was brilliant since he was a child. 265,438+0-year-old Jinshi, served as magistrate and judge. Later, he moved to the temple to serve the suggestion and was named Lord Lu. He lived through four dynasties (Song Renzong, Yingzong, Zongshen and Zhezong), and he will be in Xiangguo for more than 50 years. The history books say: "The public is loyal and straightforward, and when things go wrong, they all have the demeanor of ministers. Since the beginning of peace, * * * has made great plans, retired after success, and relied heavily on the ruling and opposition parties. " "Throughout Wen Yanbo's life, in the difficult, long and changeable political arena, he showed his amazing wit and fruits, which surprised him at critical moments and won praise inside and outside the court. (1) The word "Yan" in Wen Yanbo's name means smart and studious; Bo "means erudition. Wen Yanbo was born in an official family. Wen Yanbo was smart and studious in his childhood, and he was strict with himself. It is said that Wen Yanbo had two jars when he was a child. When he does good, he puts a red bean in a jar, and when he does bad, he puts a black bean in another jar. He checks the number of red beans and black beans every day to regulate his words and deeds, sharpen his body and mind and cultivate his morality. This kind of "children's work", which is strict with self-discipline since childhood, is gradually portrayed in his life experience, so that when he is in a high position, he can still clearly understand his position, be humble and orderly from top to bottom, and never be proud. During Song Renzong's illness, Wen Yanbo and Fu Bi suggested that Chu Jun should be established as soon as possible because Injong had no children. Although Injong agreed to their invitation, it was postponed for some reason. (Song Renzong) Later, Injong chose Yingzong from the imperial clan, and Han Qi and others assisted him to ascend to the throne. Yingzong said to Wen Yanbo, "When I stand, I am strong." Wen Yanbo repeatedly refused to say, "Your Majesty became emperor because of the meaning of the first emperor and the empress dowager. And when your majesty ascended the throne, I was still outside the capital, and Han Qi and others held it according to the wishes of the late emperor. I dare not take credit. " Yingzong said, even so, it was you who suggested it, so you are good to me. ? During the Zongshen period, when someone mentioned the contributions of Renzong and Wen Yanbo, Wen Yanbo still answered Zongshen with his previous words to Yingzong. Zong Shen said: You and Han Qi are just like Bingji and Huo Guang who supported Xuan Di in the Western Han Dynasty. Although their specific jobs are different, they are all heroes. From the matter of supporting Yingzong, Wen Yanbo knew that he was doing it for social security. No matter how grateful the emperor is, courtiers should stick to their duties and should not take credit for themselves, let alone respect themselves. In the second year of Ning, Chen Shengzhi worshipped the Prime Minister, and Wen Yanbo served as the Tang Dynasty envoy (the highest military attache). The Shenzong took Wen Yanbo as the court's most important minister, with long experience and great contribution, so Chen Shengzhi ranked behind Wen Yanbo in the court audience (in the Song Dynasty, civil servants should take precedence over military officers). Wen Yanbo insists on this preferential treatment. He said: since the beginning of the world, there has never been a Tang dynasty before the prime minister. Only Cao Liyong was the favored son of the Tang Dynasty, and he stood in the forefront of Prime Minister Wang Zeng and others. I know a little manners myself, and I dare not behave like him. During the period of Zhezong, the old man Wen Yanbo had gone through four dynasties. As an important official of the imperial court, I love and respect him, but he is still strict with himself and dare not slack off. At the age of ninety, he took a court exam. Zhezong is the examiner, and he is the assistant examiner. He always stood respectfully to help the emperor. Seeing him trembling, Zhezong said to him, "Master, you are so old, please sit down and have a rest." After thanking him, he still didn't sit down. Wen Yanbo is such a person who knows the rules, manners and duties. He knows that no matter how big an official is, Zhao Song gave him all this. How much I have contributed to the royal family is my duty as a courtier. On the top of the tower of political power, the emperor is the only person who stands above. No matter whether this person is virtuous or stupid, young or old, others can only look up and respect him. Otherwise, it can only be blamed on Gao Zhen, causing the emperor to worry about you. This orientation is the result of long-term discipline, knowledge of books and courtesy, and it is also the secret book that emperors of past dynasties never doubted Wen Yanbo's loyalty and regarded him as a minister of armed forces. He won the trust of the emperor with incomparable humility and indifferent loyalty, just like an umbrella, which allowed Wen Yanbo to hide under the security umbrella of "loyalty" even if there were some minor mistakes. (2) When something happens, the brain is calm, calm and good at fighting. Another story of Wen Yanbo's childhood shows his wit and cleverness. Wen Yanbo played football with children, and accidentally the ball fell into a deep tree hole. There was nothing the children could do, so Wen Yanbo had to take a water tool and pour water into the hole. The water was full and the ball floated out. This story reflects not only a kind of wisdom, but also a good psychological quality. A person with brains and good psychological quality is one step away from success. Success always favors those who are prepared. Although the road to success is full of ups and downs, for a person who knows contingency and is calm, it is just more twists and turns to clear the way and bridge when encountering water. When the opportunity came, Wen Yanbo's alertness was immediately revealed in "Big Things Don't Confuse". In the first month of the third year, Song Renzong suddenly fell ill, and the outside world knew nothing about his illness. Wen Yanbo, then prime minister of the dynasty, once asked Shi Zhicong, the squire eunuch of the emperor, about his illness, but Shi Zhicong refused on the grounds of "no disclosure". Under normal circumstances, Shi Zhicong did the right thing. But Wen Yanbo considered that the political situation at that time was very special. Renzong had no children, and Chu Jun had no preconceptions. Once he rebelled, his ministers were leaderless, and the consequences were unpredictable. Wen Yanbo thought of this and said angrily, "You people can go in and out of the forbidden garden because you serve the emperor, but you don't let the Prime Minister know about the emperor's daily life. What do you want? "From now on, you should report the development of the emperor's illness to us at any time, otherwise I will deal with you by military law." Subsequently, Wen Yanbo consulted with Liu Ling and Fu Bi, both ministers of domination, and the three of them ate and lived in the Forbidden Palace from that day on, so as to know the emperor's illness in time and deal with emergencies. Later, as expected, the soldiers guarding the Forbidden City reported that Du, the chief of the Forbidden City, was planning a rebellion. (Song Shenzong) Wen Yanbo adopted extreme measure in an extraordinary period. After finding out the truth quickly, he invited Liu Ling to sign the verdict and ordered the foot soldiers who had been falsely accused to be killed. Facts have proved that letting Liu Ling * * * sign the verdict not only made Wen Yanbo avoid the suspicion of "personal dictatorship" in the future, but also made Renzong dispel the suspicion that he had personal goals. This cautious and meticulous, calm and witty, decisive and decisive work style makes Wen Yanbo stretch freely in the political whirlpool. Wen Yanbo has the achievements of a civil servant and the general demeanor of a military attache. People often think that it is inevitable that literati will be weak when they lead troops. However, when Wen Yanbo served as the deputy special envoy of the Council, he was still calm and calm in the face of many unexpected events. One snowy night, Wen Yanbo entertained guests to drink until late at night. The foot soldiers on duty were dissatisfied, so they smashed the wooden fence of the official residence to keep warm. When the attendant told Wen Yanbo what had happened, a table of guests was stunned. Wen Yanbo said calmly: "It's so cold, let them burn the mine field to keep out the cold." Say that finish, Wen Yanbo look freely and the guests continue to drink. Active servicemen who want to make trouble didn't expect Wen Yanbo to handle it like this, and their anger was nowhere to be sent. The next day, Wen Yanbo found out the foot soldiers who took the lead in destroying the well field system, punished him with a stick and fired him. If you think about it carefully, if the punishment is too strict or too deep, it is likely to arouse contradictions and cause mutiny. However, Wen Yanbo's cold treatment was like adding fuel to the fire, which instantly extinguished the dissatisfaction of the foot soldiers. Although things have subsided, we can't tolerate traitors. He only deals with troublemakers, not expanding the scope, in order to make an example. On another occasion, Wen Yanbo was playing ball in his official office when he suddenly heard a foot soldier shouting outside. He asked people why. It turned out that a soldier who violated discipline refused to obey the official's responsibility and shouted. Wen Yanbo called the soldier in and asked him why he refused to accept the disposal. The soldier couldn't say anything, so Wen Yanbo ordered him to go out and continue to collect his staff. After the soldiers went out, they continued to make noise. Wen Yanbo was directly beheaded. It was through this decisive action that Wen Yanbo achieved the goal of cleaning up military discipline and establishing prestige. Imagine, if these soldiers are allowed to make trouble without heavy punishment, how can they establish their position in the army as a scholar who commands the army? This shows Wen Yanbo's courage. It is the ability to solve problems calmly and properly that makes Wen Yanbo's life full of wisdom that ordinary people can't reach. Dealing with the "Jiaozi" incident once again proved Wen Yanbo's tact and wisdom in dealing with thorny issues. Jiaozi is an important invention in the monetary system of the Northern Song Dynasty and the earliest paper money in the world. After the initial trial in Sichuan, the effect was good and it began to be popularized throughout the country. In this process, some officials are eager for success, trying to fully implement Jiaozi and abolish iron coins in a short time. Some officials wrote to the imperial court, demanding the abolition of the circulation of iron money in Chang 'an. Before the letter was approved, the news spread like wildfire. People are afraid that the iron money in their hands will be worthless after being abolished, and they have rushed to the street to buy things with iron money. Businessmen refused to accept iron coins. For a time, Chang 'an market was in chaos, and some businesses even closed down. As soon as this matter came out, the relevant person in charge asked the court to ban the strike. Wen Yanbo believes that if the court comes forward, it will only deepen people's doubts and panic and lead to greater confusion. Only by re-circulating iron coins can people's hearts be stabilized. Wen Yanbo invited the owner of Chang 'an Silk Store to give them hundreds of pieces of silk at home for sale, and demanded only iron money. After the news came out, the people knew that the use of iron money would not be abolished, and the market quickly returned to calm. Wen Yanbo calmly handles all kinds of complicated events, pays attention to methods and saves the day. This ability is not only a demonstration of officials' political experience, but also a copy of today's case teaching. (Song Zhezong) He has an open mind and a successful career. When Wen Yanbo was appointed as the magistrate of Yizhou, he gave Zhang Guifei, who was loved by Injong, a "Lantern Brocade". Shi Yu Tang Jie joined Wen Yanbo's office in the name of "making friends with the court". Before long, Wen Yanbo became prime minister. A few years later, someone proposed to the emperor to use Tang Jie. Wen Yanbo put aside the past and recommended it to the emperor: "Since Tang Jie was appointed as the suggestion, his opinions were mostly to the point. Although there are occasional mistakes, on the whole, he is still competent as a consultant, and I suggest that the emperor reuse him. " "With Wen Yanbo's position at that time and his weight in the emperor's mind, even if Wen Yanbo didn't say he wanted to use it, the emperor would take care of his show of respect and give up such a humble little minister. However, Wen Yanbo's fine style of letting bygones be bygones won the appreciation of court officials, enabling him to live a long life even in the muddy and cruel officialdom. Wen Yanbo's kindness is by no means a general kindness and mud, but a calm and clear distinction between public and private. On the issue of principle, we should stick to the bottom line and handle it smoothly. When Wang Anshi didn't debut in his early years, Wen Yanbo thought that Wang Anshi "retreated to the Tao" and wrote to the emperor to praise him. Later, Song Shenzong wanted to appoint Wang Anshi as the prime minister, seeking the opinions of veteran Han Qi and Fu Bi, who both recommended Wen Yanbo. In this way, Wang Anshi was promoted to be a political enemy by Wen Yanbo, but Wen Yanbo didn't care at all. (Song Yingzong, Zhao Shu) During Wang Anshi's New Deal, Wen Yanbo said what he felt unreasonable, said what he should say, and never avoided being suspected of "attacking political enemies". Some bureaucrats in the imperial court saw that they had different political views, so they left their school and attacked each other. Zong Shen firmly supported Wang Anshi's political reform and severely punished several ministers who attacked the political reform, but never doubted that Wen Yanbo was the behind-the-scenes leader of these opponents. It can be seen that it is Wen Yanbo's consistent style of distinguishing between public and private, integrity and promising, which has won the high trust of the supreme rulers, including the emperor. Openness and tolerance is the most difficult and necessary tolerance in officialdom, and Wen Yanbo did it. When dealing with people, he should put the public interest first and consider all the interests of the other party. He doesn't form a party for personal gain, doesn't value personal gain, and doesn't retaliate or attack. Instead, he constantly promotes new progress, unites everyone, and makes people feel that he is fair in dealing with people. He is majestic and bold; He is calm and calm, not chaotic, and can hold the cow's nose; He believed in forgiveness, won many people, did not make enemies in officialdom, did not carry flags, and looked down on his reputation and status, which made the court respect him from top to bottom. In his own words, he really achieved "ruling the world with literati". "(4) foresight, prudence, we must have a good eye, an official must have a good eye. The world is like a chess game. Without a scheming mind, it is inevitable that you will often fall into an embarrassment that is both practical and has the means to cover it up. As an official, Wen Yanbo is often far-sighted. At ordinary times, he can foresee some seemingly insignificant things and make preparations early. At that time, there were frequent military conflicts on the western border, and from time to time, generals chickened out, hoping that the enemy would retreat first instead of advancing. Wen Yanbo wrote: "This matter is just as well in the peaceful years. If there is a war, what can we do to help it "Usually the power is not specialized, and the art of war is not serious." Song Renzong accepted his suggestion and strengthened border construction. Wen Yanbo discussed with Pang Ji, the envoy of the Tang Dynasty, about eliminating redundant soldiers and saving time and trouble. Many ministers in the DPRK and China believe that the court adopted the method of large-scale conscription in the disaster area to reduce the gathering of victims in order to curb the riots of victims. If redundant soldiers are laid off to save money at this time, it is more likely that the laid-off people will become thieves and endanger social stability. Renzong hesitated, and Wen Yanbo said generously: "One of the reasons for the fatigue of public and private affairs is that there are many soldiers. If there is a matter of destroying soldiers, please die for your country! " "。 The court accepted Wen Yanbo's advice and laid off 80,000 redundant soldiers, which greatly eased the state's financial resources and there was no riot. When Wen Yanbo served as the deputy grain ambassador of Hedong Road, the road from the grain transportation fee to Yanzhou City was tortuous, while the road built outside the city in the Tang Dynasty was near and flat, but it was abandoned because no one was in charge. After Wen Yanbo learned of this situation, he personally brought people to repair this old road. At the same time, he ordered people to pile up a lot of grain and grass in the city, and local officials and people did not understand the profound meaning of his move. Later, Yuan Hao of Xixia really led the army to attack. Zhou saw that he was ready and had to retreat. Wen Yanbo dares to break the rules and look for a breakthrough in events that many people are used to. He is quick-thinking and clear-cut in dealing with government affairs, and his evaluation is the comprehensive management of common affairs, although he is not as elegant as he was when he was a teenager; Throughout the ages, although famous experts failed to catch it. As a politician in a high position, it is commendable that he can die of natural causes. Wen Yanbo is approachable, tolerant, decisive and agile, and has a nature of understanding human nature, a calmness of understanding cause and effect, and an iron-shouldered moral responsibility. In the weak atmosphere of literati governing the country, there is the courage of military commanders to use troops; In the conflicting political whirlpool, public and private are clearly defined. His rich and mature experience is a vivid teaching material for people in officialdom and a moral benchmark for dealing with people. The people of Sri Lanka are far away, but our pursuit can draw the strength of enterprising and feel the charm of political maturity. Author brief introduction Qiao Yongsheng, a member of Taiyuan Writers Association, is committed to examining historical figures from a modern perspective and writing more about human nature. My suggestion: If you like this article, please forward the comments. Recommended: Zhao Nanxing, an upright official in the Ming Dynasty, was killed at the age of 78. Why did he still die in the place where he was sent? The Monkey King's transformation in Journey to the West gives us advice: How powerful the system is.