Ancient moral stories

From thrift to luxury, from luxury to thrift-Li Ling is the prime minister.

Fengqiu built a house, only enough for a horse to turn around in front of the hall. Some p

From thrift to luxury, from luxury to thrift-Li Ling is the prime minister.

Fengqiu built a house, only enough for a horse to turn around in front of the hall. Some people think it is too narrow. Li Ling said with a smile, "The house should be passed on to future generations. This hall is really too narrow as a prime minister's hall, but it is wider as a hall for blessing and offering gifts. "

As early as when Li Ling was a counselor in politics, Emperor Zhenzong once sent someone to call him into the palace in a hurry, and the messenger found him in the hotel. When he entered the palace, the emperor asked where Li Ling was from, and he honestly said that he was from the hotel. The emperor said, "As a prestigious remonstrator, how can you drink in a hotel?" Li Ling replied, "I don't have any utensils, dishes and fruits at home, so I invite guests to the hotel for drinks."

Coincidentally, there was a man named Zhang who was as frugal as Li Ling. When Zhang was a prime minister, his life was the same as when he was a secretary in Heyang. People close to him advised him to say; "You have a lot of salary now, but life is so hard. Although you believe it is to keep your innocence and frugality, there are people outside who satirize you and compare you with Gong Bei's forgery in the Han Dynasty. You should do as the Romans do. " Zhang said:

"My salary today, although the family is luxurious, why not? However, human nature, from thrift to luxury, from luxury to thrift. How did I get today's salary? Can the body last forever? Once it is different from today, family members have long been accustomed to luxury, and they will lose money if they can't be frugal. " Is it always like a day, if I take my place, go to my place, live and die? "

What Zhang said is quite right. A man of noble character should always be frugal and simple. If you blindly pursue luxury, you will inevitably become a person with low morality and be spurned by society.

Yang Jizong is an official and doesn't love money.

In the early years of Ming Xianzong Chenghua, Yang Jizong, the magistrate of Jiaxing, was an upright official. One day, under the pretext of eliminating the source of bandits, Confucius went to Jiaxing to clean up the countryside everywhere, making the people restless. Some old people can't stand the toss, and they are accused of being bandits, but they are beaten to death. Yang Jizong was very angry after seeing it, and ordered people to post a notice saying, "Whoever was killed by Shi Yu can come to the government to register." When Confucius saw that the Jiaxing magistrate didn't buy his account, he found Yang Jizong and asked him why the bandits were bothering him. Yang Jizong said: "Governing the country requires certain laws and regulations, and officials at all levels have different responsibilities. As a censor, Master Kong should do everything illegal and do everything evil. " As for going door-to-door to check household registration and maintain public order, that is a matter for local officials. "

Confucius is a supervisor who specially pickets officials. Wherever he goes, local officials always cater to him. I didn't expect to be robbed by Jiaxing magistrate, and I was so arrogant that I held a grudge and waited for revenge. When Kong Ru left, he didn't catch anything on Yang Jizong. He thought, there is no official who doesn't love money. Yang Jizong is an official in such a rich land, and he can scrape some land. It is better to open his box, expose his bottom and give him a little embarrassment. So he took a few followers, excused himself, and went straight to Yang Jizong's residence. He saw that the room was empty except for a box beside the bed. Thought; The governor's treasure must be in it. Let people open the box and see that there are only a few sets of worn-out clothes inside. Confucius had no choice but to leave with shame.

One year, Yang Jizong went to Beijing to appear before the emperor. Ming Xianzong asked eunuch Wang Zhi, "Which of the local officials who recently went to Beijing to see the emperor is more honest?" Wang Zhi replied: "Yang Jizong is the only official in the world who doesn't love money."

The story of Yu Qian's clean hands

There was a famous national hero named Yu Qian in the Ming Dynasty. He was a senior official in the periods of Xuanzong, Yingzong and Jing Zong in Ming Dynasty. At that time, the officialdom was dark, and corruption and bribery became the norm. Yu Qian was convinced that he was "not afraid of death, but just wanted to remain innocent in the world." He is honest and clean, and has made great achievements in politics.

It is said that when Yu Qian was an assistant minister of the Ministry of War, he was once the governor of Henan. At that time, Wang Zhen, a North Korean eunuch, was autocratic, arrogant and corrupt, and did everything he could. When local officials go to Beijing or Beijing officials are sent back to Beijing, they will be presented with tributes, gold, silver and jewelry. Otherwise, they will be criticized, attacked and rejected. Yu Qian has long been very disgusted with Wang Zhen's illegal behavior. When he returned to Beijing this time, he was privately advised to bring some local products such as silk handkerchief, sliced mushrooms and string incense? Give it to those dignitaries as a personal favor. Yu Qian smiled at Hahahaha's words, then spread out the paper and wrote a poem:

Silk, handkerchiefs, shavings, mushrooms and thread incense are harmful to people;

The wind blows the sleeves to the sky, so as not to talk short.

Then, as expected, he went on his way without anything. Therefore, the idiom "clean hands" or "clean hands" is often used to describe integrity and honesty.