The life story and main historical contributions of Xue_, a famous Neo-Confucianist in Quetta during the Ming Dynasty

Xue Xuan’s life story: Xue Xuan, whose real name is Wende, was born in Xuanxuan, and was a native of Nanxueli, Hejin County, Shanxi. He was born in the 22nd year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty and died in the 8th year of Tianshun. Ming Dynasty thinker, famous Neo-Confucian master, founder of Hedong School.

After Cao Duan, Xue _ launched the "Hedong Study" in the north. His disciples are all over Shanxi, Henan, and Guanlong, and they are numerous. His studies were spread to the middle of the Ming Dynasty, and the "Guan Middle School", which was mainly based on Lu, was formed. People of the Qing Dynasty regarded Xue Xue as the successor of Xue Zhu and called him "the crown of Neo-Confucianism in the early Ming Dynasty" and "the foundation of Ming Taoism". It is believed that there were two schools of thought in the Ming Dynasty: the Yangming School in the south and the Xuexuanzhu School in the north. This shows its great influence. His works range from 0755 to 79000 ***46 volumes. Xue_ was the first Tessa in the Ming Dynasty who was allowed to worship in the Confucius Temple. His works were included in the memorization textbooks of the Imperial Academy, the highest university in the country at that time, and the world respectfully called him "Master Xue". In terms of knowledge, he is in a class of his own and can be called a great master. Being an official for one term, being upright, honest and strict with oneself is a rare role model. Xuexuan was born in an educational family. From the third year of Xuande to the first year of Tianshun, he served as an official for 24 years, most of which were in charge of law and discipline, such as censor of supervision, youth secretary of Dali Temple, and youth secretary of Dali Temple. During this period, he was strict with himself, diligent in government and honest, upright, and enforced the law like a mountain. He was considered a "smart, handsome, and honest" upright official. After his death, he was named Minister of Rites, posthumously named Wenqing, and was called Wenqing Gong.

The history of a generation of honesty

In the third year of Xuande, Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty planned to rectify the teachings. On the recommendation of cabinet official Yang Shiqi, Xue_ was appointed governor of Guangdong Province and supervisor of Huguangyin City. Huguang Silver Market, also known as Yuanzhou Silver Market, governs more than 20 silver mines in more than 10 counties in western Hunan and employs more than 500,000 migrant workers. The management here has been chaotic for many years, corruption is rampant, and it is in urgent need of rectification. When Xue _ first took office, he knew that he shouldered a great responsibility, so he warned himself with the Tang poem "This town has many treasures, so don't be poor." He took turns stationed in Yuanzhou, Chenxi, Luxi and other places. We patrol back and forth, conduct overt and covert inspections, and handle important cases, especially those who are reported for corruption and bribery. They will be dismissed from their posts and severely punished in accordance with the law. Therefore, the counties and counties are in good order, and the people praise them. He has been in office for three years and has never returned home. When he left office, he had a breeze in his sleeves, just as he said in his poem: "Mo Yan's white brush has been going south for a long time, and he has gained everything." In the sixth year of Zhengtong, Xue _ became a low-level secretary of Dali Temple and participated in the trial of prison cases. At this time, Wang Zhen, the eunuch in charge of the government, quickly sent people to give gifts to Xue Li and invited them to meet, but Xue Li declined them all on this excuse. The courtier Yang Shiqi saw Xue_'s honest nature and was afraid of being criticized by Wang Zhen. He repeatedly urged him to go to Wang Mi to thank him. But he replied sternly: "What reason do you have to accept the title of the imperial court and thank the private family? I don't care!" Not only that, the ministers also went to the East Pavilion to discuss the matter, but all the officials and ministers saw Wang Zhen. Bowing, only Xue_ bowed. From then on, Wang Zhen hated him even more.

After Xue Xuan came to power, he devoted himself to redressing unjust cases. In just over 4 months, he completed more than 10 cases of unjust imprisonment in Jinyiwei. By chance, while Xue was handling the case, something happened: the beautiful and romantic first wife of an officer who had died in Jinyiwei for two years had an affair with Wang Zhen's nephew, Wang Shan, the acting captain of Jinyiwei. They wanted to get married immediately, but the officer's first wife, He, blocked the marriage on the grounds that the three-year mourning period had not expired. Neither of them were satisfied with the result. Wang Shan instigated the official's wife to sue He, saying that she had used witchcraft to suffocate her husband to death. Therefore, Jinyiwei detained He's case, and the court tried and sentenced him to death. Xue _ discovered that there was some unfairness in it and repeatedly requested vindication from the supervisory authorities and reviewers of the case. However, these people were forgiven and had to be handed over to the Ministry of Punishment for fear of offending Wang Zhen. After the Ministry of Punishment found out that the case was indeed a wrong one, Xue Zhen angrily impeached the prosecutors for dereliction of duty and violation of the law. This aroused strong dissatisfaction with Wang Wen, the censor of Mashun, and the Imperial Procuratorate of Jinyiwei. They immediately slandered Wang Zhenda. After hearing this, Wang Zhen was furious and impeached Xue_ on the grounds of dissatisfaction with the court. Xue_ was sentenced to death and imprisoned in Jinyiwei's prison. After Xue Xuan was imprisoned, many people went to visit him, but he still held the "Book of Study" in his hand and read attentively. General Political History Li Xi said with admiration: "What a man!" At the afternoon meeting, Wang Wen was the chief judge and raised questions. Xue _ immediately reprimanded: "As a censor, you should avoid it. You can ask me!" Wang Wen was speechless and answered correctly. Xue Xuan was wronged, which shocked the government and the public, and even the old servants in Wangzhen shed tears. Seeing the anger, Wang Zhen had to give in. After Xue _ was rescued by Wang Wei, Minister of the Ministry of War, he was spared from the death penalty, demoted to an official and a civilian, and returned to his hometown. It took seven years, that is, the orthodox fourteenth year, for this unjust case to be vindicated.

Xue_ is an official who is honest, diligent and caring for the people. He sincerely pointed out: "Love is the basis of politics." "Even if an official is the husband of a fool or the wife of a fool, he must respect them and not neglect them." "Don't love those who love the people but don't love them. People." He profoundly elaborated on the importance of loving the people and supporting the army; making people rich. He said: "Money comes from the people, but if the expenditure is extensive, the money is not enough; if the wealth is insufficient, the people will be poor. The poor are exhausted, and the exhausted people are shaken." It is in this kind of thought of loving the people that the money comes from the people. Under his control, Xue _ constantly petitioned for orders and avenged the people during his official career, and his touching deeds were widely circulated.

In the first year of Jingtai, Xue_, who was soon reinstated, was ordered to go to Sichuan to assist Li Kuangping, the governor of Yidu, in fighting the Miao and Yi uprising in western Sichuan. During this period, he personally visited the local people and found that local corrupt officials were deforestation indiscriminately, making people's lives difficult and making it difficult to redress their grievances. The uprising was mainly caused by this. Therefore, after the uprising subsided, he immediately wrote to the court, "Although Fan Chuan is far away from home, it is not appropriate to pay tribute when he is bound." He cited facts to explain that the Miao and Yi minority areas had exhausted their human and financial resources. Only by reducing tribute can there be no misfortune. However, the court was noncommittal to this proposal. In anger, he asked the court to resign and go home.

In the fourth year of Jingtai, a great famine occurred throughout the country. People in Suzhou and Songjiang borrowed grain from wealthy households. But the rich took advantage of the crisis, raised the price of food, hoarded it, and refused to borrow or repay it. This aroused public resentment, and people began to rob the rich, give to the poor, and burn down houses. The court sent Taibao Wang Wen to investigate and deal with it

During the Yongle period, young Xue_, under the guidance of famous scholars such as Wei and Wang in the late Yuan Dynasty, devoted himself to the study of Neo-Confucianism in Song and Ming Dynasties and became quite accomplished. After becoming a politician, he studied diligently. Whenever he had time, he would personally copy the book "Political Quotations", read it carefully, and often stay up late. Especially on winter nights, despite the cold weather, he still lit candles and studied hard. When he was studying, if he had any experiences, he would write them down immediately. Later, when he remembered more, he integrated the two 23-volume books "The Complete Collection of Xingli" and "Dushulu", which later became an important work of Xue Xue's study of Neo-Confucianism.

Xue _ admired Zhu Cheng's Neo-Confucianism, and his ideas were the same as Zhu Cheng's Neo-Confucianism, but it was not a simple continuation of Zhu Cheng's Neo-Confucianism, but a further improvement and development of Zhu Cheng's Neo-Confucianism. What is commendable is that under the guidance of the thought of "theoretical theories are endless, so the opinions of saints are endless", he abandoned the old and sought the new, put forward many views with materialist ideological tendencies, and played an important role in advocating and guiding the new materialist trend of thought in the middle of the Ming Dynasty. effect. First of all, he criticized and transformed Zhu's idealistic view of regulating qi, that is, "regulating qi comes first" and "regulating qi must be two different things", and clearly put forward the new view of "regulating qi is based on qi". He repeatedly emphasized: "Li is only in Qi, and can never be smooth." "Li and Qi exist at the same time and are inseparable; without Qi, there is no place to stop." At the same time, it is wrong to clearly point out that "Liang Qi must be two things." He said: "There is no benefit or harm in regulating Qi." "Qi has no gaps. If it is divided into two, there will be no awkwardness." He insisted that Qi is the most primitive material entity that constitutes everything in the universe. He said: "There is only gas between heaven and earth." "Everything in heaven and earth is made of gas." The above statements are all correct and should be fully affirmed.

Xue_ has always advocated practical thinking and a truth-seeking and pragmatic style of study. He not only clearly put forward the concept of "practical learning", but also gave it rich connotations. He said, "People should always remember the word 'reality', always look at their words and deeds, make everything they think true, and have a place where they can be virtuous." He also said: "Don't In order to learn to talk too much, you must also care about your own career!" While emphasizing the importance of action, he also affirmed the guiding role of knowledge in action. For example, he said, "If you know the principles and act accordingly, you will know the way during the day and there will be no mistakes. If you don't know what to do, if you walk in the dark night, you can't see anything, although occasionally there are suitable roads." People, but there will be some differences." Because Xue _ vigorously advocated "practical learning" and practiced it throughout his life, his teachings were called "the study of practical learning" by people at that time, and he himself was also called the "Confucian of practical learning."

The theory of "restoration" occupies an important position in Xue_'s Neo-Confucian ideological system. Xue_'s theory of "restoration" is still idealistic in nature. Although Zhu Cheng actively defends the "orthodox" concept, there is also a materialist view in it. As far as the origin of "Xing" is concerned, Zhu believes that "Xing" is innate and comes from innateness; while Xue _ believes that "Xing" is "reason" and is mainly formed in the day after tomorrow. Regarding the specific explanation of "restoration", Zhu pointed out that "restoration" is to restore people's natural and good nature; Xuexuan is not like this. He said that "restoration" means seeing, hearing, speaking, and moving based on reason. It is not difficult to see that Xue _'s "restoration" theory is to a large extent a modification and improvement of Zhu's "restoration" theory.

Educate everyone

Xue_’s teachings had a great influence on that time and later generations. By convening disciples to give lectures for a long time, he trained a large number of scholars based on his own ideological system and founded the Hedong School, which is famous for its history. For more than a century since then, the Hedong School has continued to grow and develop, and Xue_ has disciples all over Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Henan.

Xue_ is also a reputable educator. When he went to Beijing to be appointed as a Jinshi, he wrote to the court and proposed that he was "willing to teach as a soldier", but he was not approved at that time. In the first year of Zhengtong, Guo Jin, the Minister of Civil Affairs, actively recommended Xue _ and stated his resume, knowledge and achievements, because the imperial court planned to select capable officials and revive school education. Soon, the imperial court promoted Xue _ to be the admiral of the Shandong Inspection Department. He studied politics and finally got his wish. For this reason, he happily told others, "This is my business."

After Xue Xuan took office, he emphasized the strict management of the school. He asked the school to follow Zhu's "White Deer Cave Rules" and also stipulated that students who dropped out of school without reason should be compensated for the food they received while in school. Pay attention to changing the style of study. Everywhere he went, he asked students whether they could apply what they had learned, and earnestly warned them to "respect others, treat others well, and seek the truth in practice." Third, actively advocate teaching students in accordance with their aptitude.

He proposed that "teaching people must be based on their talents." Every student can learn to walk, learn calligraphy and painting, or learn to recite and write poems and poems, etc. And they can only learn from each other's strengths and offset their weaknesses, and cannot demand perfection. There is a lifelong member somewhere who often drops out of school because his family is poor. He failed several rural examinations and asked to drop out of school. Xue Xuan asked his teacher: What did this student do in the spring and autumn? Answer clearly. He immediately pointed out: Qing is the most difficult musical instrument in Bayin. This shows that this lifelong member is useful material and should not be allowed to drop out of school. Later this student was admitted to Jinshi. Xue Xuan has worked in Shandong for five and a half years and has achieved outstanding results. The wise and the foolish, the old and the young, all greatly appreciated and admired him. In the autumn of Zheng Tong's sixth year, he was transferred to Beijing. The students were reluctant to leave and cried bitterly to see him off. The scene is touching.

Xuexuan Family Temple in Wanpingyuan Village

Xue_ is not only diligent in supervising academic affairs, but also willing to teach and educate people. He returned to his hometown twice in his life to give lectures. Once he was falsely accused by Wang Zhen of being demoted for the people, and he returned to his hometown in 2014. Especially the second time, he held discussions and lectures at his residence on South Street, Hejin County, attracting so many scholars from all directions that the building could not accommodate them. He teaches people through "restoration" and his theory is profound and thorough, which has benefited everyone a lot.

Xue_ is also an educated writer and poet. His literary works include more than 260 prose and essays and 1,570 poems, which is a remarkable achievement. As for poetry writing, he once said: "All poetic works come from true feelings, the so-called words from the heart. Therefore, all poems are based on true feelings." In other words, any work that comes from the heart and has true feelings , can all be considered good works. In terms of writing methods, he advocated clear organization, emphasis on rhetoric, and concise and comprehensive articles; he also emphasized that only with profound cultivation and noble moral sentiments can one write good articles. These opinions are undoubtedly correct and wise.

Xue_'s prose can be roughly divided into travel notes, random thoughts, gifts to friends, and fables. In terms of writing, most of them have rigorous structure, smooth flow, fresh style and profound meaning. For example, "Book of Readings", with its concise narrative, vivid scenery, and immersive feeling, is known as a masterpiece of Ming Dynasty prose and was selected as a middle school textbook in the 1960s. "You Longmen" and "Tuisi Pavilion" are both touching scenes and emotions, and they are deeply touching. While exposing corruption, bribery, and corruption of laws and regulations, they did not forget to exhort the world, encourage themselves to be diligent and honest in government, be cautious in their words and deeds, and be well-founded and convincing.

Xue_ loves to write poetry. Many poems will come out when traveling, boarding, living, reminiscing about the past, reading, meeting friends, saying goodbye, etc.

In the spring of the first year of Tianshun, Xue_, then 69 years old, was placed in important positions by the imperial court. He was appointed Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Rites, bachelor of the Hanlin Academy, and joined the cabinet to participate in maintenance. At first, he was full of ambitions to serve the imperial court. Every time he was summoned by the court, he was able to speak out and offer advice. He has repeatedly expressed his views by claiming to be king, valuing talents, and using collective strategies. But he soon discovered that Emperor Yingzong was mediocre and incompetent. He was overwhelmed by the chaos of his ministers and ignored his correct opinions. He killed his loyal minister Yu Qian and asked him to buy lions and playthings from the south. After that, he had no confidence in the revitalization of national affairs and thought it would be better to "see a few things and do a few things" and return to his motherland. Then he went to Zhang one after another on the grounds of old age and illness. After obtaining permission, they left the capital on the fourth day and set out on their way home. At this time, he said happily: "My Tao will make me equal!"

In the days after Xue_ returned to China, while gathering people to give lectures, he conducted in-depth research on the theory of the restoration of good and evil, and conducted more rigorous research. Cultivation of one's self-cultivation brings one to a higher state. Seven years later, on June 15th, the eighth year of Tianshun, he suddenly felt unwell, so he sorted out his manuscripts, and then wrote a poem at his desk: "A mutton row paper screen in the earthen kang, the sun shines through the east window while sleeping, seventy-six years Nothing. This mind is only aware of the sky." Tong died at the age of seventy-six before he finished writing.

After Xue_ died, the imperial court sent officials to hold a grand funeral for him. In the spring of the next year, he was awarded "Ode in the Boat". Based on Xue's achievements during his lifetime, he was named a good doctor, Minister of Rites, and given the posthumous title Wenqing. In September of the fifth year of Longqing, 107 years after Xue's death, the imperial court issued an edict allowing him to worship Confucius Temple. He eventually became a famous Confucian with his profound knowledge and noble integrity. For this reason, everyone in the world calls him Master Xue.

Xue_ was a court official during the Zhengtong and Jingtai years of the Ming Dynasty. He successively served as secretary of Dali Temple, minister of the Ministry of Rites, and bachelor of the Hanlin Academy. A high-ranking official loyal to the monarch, under the control of sober people-oriented thinking, clearly put forward the view of "taking love as the basis of government", and further summarized "nurturing people's livelihood, restoring folk customs, and banning people from society" as the "three principles" for governing the world. want". He sincerely cares about the broad masses of the people and makes every effort to solve their worries; he puts forward correct opinions that win the hearts of the people, and performs touching stories of petitioning for people and redressing their grievances, which is really commendable.

Historical contribution

Treat others with sincerity and appreciate them with love.

To love the people, first there is the question of how to treat the people. In feudal society, many officials thought people were stupid, so they were full of responsibilities. But Xuexuan is completely different from them. He opposed treating people as "stupid and cheap" and blindly forcing and punishing them. He warned people, "Although an official is a fool's husband and a fool's wife, he should respect them rather than ignore them." He also said: "People are stupid, but God cannot be deceived. He just sincerely action.

" He reminded those officials who think that the people are stubborn, they must get rid of prejudices, treat them gently, and must not "force the people to obey." Otherwise, it will lead to serious consequences of "taking enemies as friends and losing both sides." Treating people with sincerity means loving the people. Only by being honest with the people can the people's understanding and attitude towards officials be changed, and officials can truly win the trust of the people, handle various political affairs smoothly, and make the people feel at ease. "This article explains this truth most clearly. At the beginning, Hancheng was called the most difficult county to deal with in Shaanxi. The main problem was that "the people loved to observe the weakness of the strong and the weak, so that they were slandered. "But after Li Gongjujing served as the prefect here for nine years, the people became very obedient, everything was easily completed, taxes were paid on time, and the countryside was peaceful. When Gong Li was about to be transferred from his post, people tried their best to retain him. Why? Is there such a completely different change? "I feel the people with sincerity, and the people respond with sincerity; I win over the people with wisdom, and the people respond with wisdom." "This is my own "lack of sincerity", but I blame it on "people's stubbornness". It really shouldn't be! Finally, he said a meaningful and humorous sentence: "If there are people's organizations, don't say they are stubborn. , but you are responsible for their sincerity. If you don't believe it, please assure Ju Jingyun, "If you can protect a child, if you can truly protect your loved one, how can a person not be a relative?". "Book of Readings" also quoted Mencius as saying: "Seeing others as harm, be mindful." He also pointed out: "The so-called kingly way is to truly love people like children. Mencius said, 'The old are taken care of, the old are taken care of, and the young are taken care of. It is inevitable that the people will love them as much as they love their parents." He was deeply touched when he saw with his own eyes that people in some places "enjoyed warmth and were self-sufficient, but did not emigrate from home." Said: "Turn barren land into fertile land, soothe the tired and sleepy land, and make people marvel, far and near, it's just the same word. Anyone who doesn't cherish words like gold can do it if officials really If you can love the people as your own children, the people will definitely treat the officials as their parents.

Focus on education first, and then restore the people's customs. The main purpose is to make people understand justice through education and influence, and then form pure social customs and good social morals. In this sense, educating the people is also a major matter of caring for the people.

Xue _ placed a very important position on the education and influence of people. He said, "If people do not learn to educate, but they know that there is punishment and government, it is difficult to purify customs. "And said: "Buddhism, as an auxiliary tool for treatment, should focus on enlightenment. He also said: "People's hearts are soft, and there are indeed strong people, but they can do whatever they want." "In many writings, he repeatedly praised county and state leaders who attached great importance to educating the people. He said that Hancheng County Magistrate Li Neng "told the people the principles of filial piety, loyalty and integrity" and "loyalty and honesty, the people respected him." "Moved", which deeply satisfied the people and achieved remarkable achievements.

Xue Xuan has many requirements in educating people and understanding justice. The following points are emphasized here:

First, focus To be in the center is to try to maintain the purity and integrity of the heart. Xuexuan repeatedly emphasized the importance of being in the center. He said, "Integrity, self-cultivation, family order, country management, and world peace are the ways to be a king." He pointed out that "if the heart is not right, everything will go wrong." "How can we have a correct heart? First of all, we must pay attention to integrity, which is the basic principle of life; secondly, to do one's duty means "don't look, listen, speak, or move without reason"; it means to be a gentleman rather than a villain, because "a gentleman takes the virtues of others" , the villain takes advantage of others. "

The second is ethics. Xue_ said at the beginning of "Book of Readings": "The reason why humans are different from animals is ethics. What is Lun? Father and son, monarch and minister, husband and wife, old and young, friends, the order is the same. What is rationality? That is to say, father and son are related, monarch and ministers are righteous, husband and wife are different, old and young are in order, and friends have trust. These five things make sense. When ethics are clear and exhausted, only the people's names can be called. "In other words, observing ethics and morals should be the minimum requirement for being a human being. Although the above-mentioned ethics and morals are mostly feudal ethics, they still have reference value in inheriting traditions today.

The third is to safeguard justice and destroy people's desires . Justice refers to the nature of selflessness, benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom; human desire refers to selfishness, which refers to the ears, eyes, mouth, nose, and all body preferences. Said: “Think about justice, and your heart will be broad and clear; if you think about human desires, your heart will be narrow and dark. "He believed that human desires are like "attacking enemies" that will wait for opportunities to enter, so they must be strictly guarded against; he pointed out that the most effective way to preserve justice and eliminate people's desires is to carefully examine the province and act for their own personal interests. Do your best.

It is worth mentioning that Xue_ has always adhered to the view of "correcting yourself by correcting others and cultivating yourself by treating others" when it comes to educating and influencing people. In the article "Principles of Neo-Confucianism", he said with emotion: "Thousands of miles away, people who long to get along with others, people who belong to others, everything they do is inevitable! "To this end, he told officials many times that they must strengthen their self-cultivation, strictly demand themselves, set an example with noble moral character and correct behavior, and strive to educate the people to achieve better results.

Advocate to save expenditures and improve people's livelihood

Xue_'s idea of ??"supporting people's livelihood" is an important measure to "support the foundation" based on the idea that "the people are the foundation of the country". He believes that improving people's livelihood is——.

First, we must pay attention to stabilizing public sentiment. In order to stabilize people's hearts, we must help them gain warmth and happiness. In "Preface to the Appointment of Magistrate Zhu", he said: "Adequate use depends on financial management, and financial management depends on safety. People are safe, but they are still short of money!" When he was observing the people's sentiments, he always asked on the spot whether the harvest was good or bad and whether the people could get warmth. Are there taxes, are there displaced people, are there exploitation by officials and the rich, and

Second, we must pay attention to the power of caring for people. Mainly refers to saving financial costs. In "Preface to the Vice-Yun of Sending Changlu Chen", he analyzed thoroughly: "Money comes from the people, but if the expenditure is extensive, the money will be insufficient. If the money is insufficient, the people will be poor, and the people will be exhausted if they are good at research." He also borrowed A quote from Tang Dynasty Lu: "The people are the foundation of the country; wealth is the human heart. Heartbreak is heartbreak, heartbreak is heartbreak, heartbreak is heartbreak, heartbreak is heartbreak, heartbreak is heartbreak, heartbreak is heartbreak Broken, heartbroken is heartbroken. In order to save money, he warned people: "Frugality and simplicity are human virtues; luxury is a great sin." "And he was strict with himself and set an example for everyone in terms of "frugality and integrity."

Closely related to saving money is collecting less taxes. Xue_ strongly advocated low taxes in order to give people a chance to recuperate. opportunity. He pointed out: "Taking and harmonizing is a major issue, and its meaning should not be unclear." He repeatedly told us that taxation should be lenient. Only in this way can we comply with public opinion. , without complaint. He firmly opposed the imposition of excessive taxes, which would increase the burden on the people. In the first year of Jingtai, when he assisted Li Kuangping, the governor of Sichuan, to suppress the Miao rebellion, he went to petition the people in Miao, Yi and other minority areas to learn about the rebellion. He found that the people there were miserable because of "their ordinary official duties were exploited" and that "the officials forced the people to rebel." For this reason, he immediately suggested to Li Kuangjian: "Instead of convincing people with force, it is better to tie their hearts honestly." After the Miao rebellion subsided, he actively wrote a memorial to the court, pointing out that "although it is far away, it is not appropriate to pay tribute when it is a fetter." "In view of the poverty of the local people, he asked the court to reduce the people's tribute to ensure the long-term peace and stability of the society. Unexpectedly, the court turned a deaf ear to his request. So he lamented bitterly: "It is difficult to ask for opinions if you don't, and there is no need to raise opinions. . "I couldn't figure it out for a while, so I simply resigned from the court and returned to China.

The "Wenqing Pavilion" in Lotus Pond Park

Enforce the law impartially and redress the grievances of the people.

Xue _Have been a discipline official for many years. He has always been upright, honest and self-disciplined, and enforces the law impartially. He has personally tried a large number of lawsuits, so that those who have corrupted and violated the law should be punished, and the innocent people have been cleared.

< p>First of all, he believed that every well-disciplined official should clearly understand his mission and responsibilities, so as to fulfill his duties and strictly enforce the law. In the "Principles of Neo-Confucianism", he summarized the responsibilities of the discipline officer as " Weeding out traitors, cultivating kindness, and appointing officials." It is pointed out in the "Reading History" article: "Those who are appointed as censors will be supported and suppressed due to the evil of hundreds of teachers and the injustice of ordinary prisons. It has been justified; as for the politics of the country and the people's livelihood, Chen Qi's gains and losses can be clearly understood. He hoped that all officials with good discipline would try their best to "eliminate corrupt officials, protect the good, and make single people weak and proud instead of being bullied by arrogance." "Because of this, he emphasized: "Since ancient times, there have been many prisons in the world that cannot be demolished, and those who accept punishment cannot choose any of them! Secondly, he pointed out from his own experience: "Do not deceive the emperor, do not betray the law, and do not harm the people." These are the "three essentials" for officials to control themselves. "Not harming the people means loving the people, serving the people, and using law and discipline as a tool to protect the people. He said: "Prisons and the enjoyment of the people are the foundation of a strong and prosperous country. "In his law enforcement practice, he really hates corrupt officials and goes to hell; he has compassion for the people and tries his best to redress their grievances.