When the war broke out in East Vietnam, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent Ji An to check the situation. He didn't arrive in East Vietnam, but returned to the capital in Wuxian and said to Emperor Wu. "The folk customs of East Vietnam are like infighting, there is nothing to make a fuss about." A fire broke out in Hanoi County, 1000 families were affected. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent Ji An to inspect the situation. After returning to Beijing, Ji An reported to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty that the main reason for the fire spread in Hanoi County was that the houses there were too dense, so once a fire broke out, it would spread rapidly and could not be controlled. However, when passing through the county seat of Henan, I found that it was suffering from floods and droughts, with tens of thousands of victims, and even a human tragedy in which father and son ate each other. So I took the liberty of using the Jeff you gave me to order officials in Henan County to open warehouses and release grain to help the victims escape the uprising. Now I apply to return it to Jeff. Please treat me according to the false decree.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty thinks he is virtuous and can't bear to be punished, but there is a price to pay for falsely spreading the imperial edict. Otherwise, where can I put my face? So Ji 'an was appointed county magistrate. Ji An thinks that the magistrate is small and far away from the capital, so he can't give good advice to the emperor directly, so he resigned and returned to China on the grounds of illness. When Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty heard about it, he was not allowed to resign, but was appointed as a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner in North Korea. Because Ji An often speaks and does things without mercy, even to the emperor, he was soon released to Donghai County as the chief. In Donghai County, he adopted laissez-faire, used Huang Lao's ability to manage the affairs in the county, and appointed capable people as his subordinates. He doesn't personally participate in any affairs, but only focuses on the formulation of rules and regulations and the supervision and supervision of subordinates. A year later, Donghai County was reorganized, thanks to Ji An, so Emperor Wu recalled him to the capital and made him a monarch and a surname, enjoying the treatment of Jiuqing.
Ji An prefers the major to the minor, rather than delving into the details of the provisions. He is arrogant and careless, so many people don't like him. Ji An fell in love with the person he liked and turned a blind eye to the person he didn't like. Therefore, no one is attached to him, but he also has his own circle. Even if there are few people, he will still find like-minded people. He made friends with Zheng Dangshi and Liu. They have one thing in common, that is, they all like to talk about attack, so they don't stay in their official positions for long, and they are often sent abroad or dismissed by the emperor.
Ji An doesn't like being attached to powerful people. When Tian Fen was in power, many people would bow down when they saw Tian Fen to show their respect for Tian Fen, while Ji An just bowed and did not show great respect. Ji An is also outspoken to the emperor, leaving no face for the emperor. Emperor Wu summoned the Confucian scholars and said what he wanted to do. Ji An said that the son of heaven had many desires, but he only practiced benevolence and righteousness on the surface, and didn't really want to be a sage like Yao Shun. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was very angry after hearing this and immediately retired from the DPRK. Many people think that he is dead. After Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty retired from the DPRK, he told the ministers around him that Ji An was too stupid and straightforward. Someone tried to persuade her out of kindness. How can you always go against the son of heaven? If you offend the son of heaven, your head may fall to the ground at any time. Aren't you worried about your life? Even if you don't worry about yourself, don't you care that your family will be affected? Ji An said, the emperor set up our office, let us do our job. Is it to make us flatter the son of heaven instead of doing serious things? If you are killed because you have made suggestions and angered the son of heaven, it is also the duty of being a courtier. Wouldn't it be great if our suggestion was accepted by the emperor and changed the fate of the whole country?
Ji 'an is in poor health and often falls ill. So, Zhu Zhuang went to visit Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty, and he asked Ji An for leave. Emperor Wu asked what do you think of Ji An? Zhu Zhuang adopted the practice of restraining before promoting. He said that Ji An has nothing outstanding, but he has principles and stands, and he can help young master defend his country. Even if threatened, he will not give in and will not waver under the temptation of interests. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty said that in ancient times, the so-called loyal ministers who defended the country probably referred to people like Ji An.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty had great respect for Ji An. When he went to the toilet, he often met General Wei Qing, and when he was disheveled, he often met Gong Sunhong. However, when he meets Ji An, he will definitely pack his clothes before meeting him, because Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty thought that Ji An was a loyal minister of the country and could not be treated rudely. At the same time, he was also afraid that Ji An would speak, fearing that his mistake would put him in a dilemma. Seeing this, I think of Wei Zhi in the Tang Dynasty.
Ji An's admiration for the skill of Huang Lao and the rule of inaction runs counter to the idea of "ousting a hundred schools of thought and respecting Confucianism alone" advocated by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. In addition, Ji An made the mistake of directly remonstrating, which made Emperor Wudi want to kill him many times, but in the end he basically dismissed from office, because Emperor Wudi knew it was easy to find a flatterer, but it was difficult to find a high-impedance who directly remonstrated. Sometimes,
Liu An, the king of Huainan, once said that it is easy to get rid of Gong because he has weaknesses, and it is impossible to get rid of Ji An because he has principles. Ji An also told the emperor many times that Zhang Tang could not be reused, because as Tingwei, Zhang Tang followed the emperor everywhere, instead of demanding himself by the standards of a judge. Such a person will be ruined in the end. Sure enough, Zhang Tang's reputation was ruined later, and Ji An's words were echoed, which shows that Ji An is capable of knowing people. So although Emperor Wu killed many people, Ji An died of natural causes in the end.
Speaking of Zheng Zhuang, he has several outstanding features. The first is to respect the elderly. He advocates Taoism and respects the elderly. He often chats with old people and asks how to get along with others. So all the people he met were world-famous figures of his grandfather's generation. The second feature is honesty and courtesy to officials. He asked the host not to keep the guests waiting in front of the door. You must bring people in to see yourself as soon as possible, and you can't be despised because of your low official position. The third characteristic is good at listening. He never interrupts others and listens to everyone's opinions carefully, just as he is afraid that he will miss the opportunity of learning and progress. The fourth characteristic is honesty. After Zheng Zhuang died, there was no money left at home, just like Ji An. It can be said that it is a model of honest and upright officials.
Tell the truth more, talk less nonsense, have principles and positions, don't be dragged down by the world, don't forget your own initiative, persevere and be yourself!
A person's history, a family's words.