Shusun Tong, a native of Xue County (today's Tengzhou, Shandong). During the Qin Dynasty, he was recruited into the court because he was proficient in scriptures, and was appointed as a doctor to be edicted (a person who was recruited to the capital by the imperial court because of his talent and waited for a formal appointment, this position was not a real position, so there was no official salary, and a certain amount of living allowance was generally issued by the imperial court). A few years later, when Chen Sheng raised an army against Qin, Dr. Qin II summoned Dr. Qin and the Confucian scholars and asked, "What do you think of the fact that the soldiers of Chu captured Qi County (today's Suzhou Yinqiao District, Anhui) and entered Chen County?" More than 30 doctors and Confucian scholars replied: "People and ministers cannot make trouble, because rebellion is rebellion, and crimes should not be forgiven." May Your Majesty send troops to attack the rebels as soon as possible. ”
Qin II was furious, his face changed, and his uncle and grandson Tong stepped forward and said: "What you Confucian scholars said is not right, today the lower ones have become one, demolished the city, destroyed the weapons, and indicated to the world that they will no longer use force." Besides, there is a wise monarch above, strict laws and decrees below, everyone in the officials is dutiful, and all sides are facing the court, how can anyone rebel! These people are just thieves who steal chickens and dogs, so why panic? The county guard, the court lieutenant is chasing them, what does Your Majesty have to worry about? "Qin II was delighted.
Later, the Confucian scholars who rebelled were handed over to a judge by Qin II to punish them for their erroneous speech. Instead, Shusun Tong was rewarded by Qin II with twenty silks, a set of clothes, and worshiped as a doctor. After the uncle and grandson came out and returned to the school, the Confucian scholars blamed him and said, "Why do you want to flatter?" Shusun Tong replied, my situation does not allow me not to say this, Mingzhe is just to protect himself. Later, after Shusun Tong returned to Xue County, Xue County had been occupied by the rebels.
Xiang Liang came to Xue County, and Shusun Tong defected to Xiang Liang. After Xiang Liang was defeated in Dingtao (present-day Heze City, Shandong), his uncle Sun Tong defected to King Huai of Chu. King Huai became the righteous emperor and migrated to Changsha County, and his uncle Sun Tong stayed behind to assist King Xiang. In the second year of the Han Dynasty, the King of Han led the troops of the five princes to attack Pengcheng, and his uncle and grandson surrendered to the King of Han. Because Shusun Tong was wearing Confucian clothes, the Han King, who had always hated literati, did not like Shusun Tong, so Shusun Tong changed his clothes and began to wear short clothes, which was the clothing style of the Chu people, but the Han King was very happy when he saw it.
After Shusun Tong surrendered to the king of Han, there were more than 100 scholars who followed Shusun Tong, but Shusun Tong did not recommend these scholars to the king of Han, but recommended those strong men and reckless grass robbers to be loyal to the king of Han. The ** people of Uncle Sun Tong all said: "Mr. defected to the King of Han, but he couldn't recommend virtuous ministers for the King of Han, and specially recommended treacherous villains, why?" The uncle and grandson said, "The king of Han is fighting for the world by force, can you go to war?" So first of all, I recommend the brave warriors who kill the enemy, you wait for me for the time being, I will not forget you. "The king of Han worships his uncle Sun Tong as a doctor, and he is called the heir.
The king of the Han Dynasty unified the world, and the princes respected him as the emperor in Dingtao, and the uncle and grandson drew up the court etiquette and the title of the monarch and minister. Emperor Gao removed the harsh etiquette laws of the Dead Qin Dynasty and implemented simple and easy-to-enforce decrees. The ministers drank and competed for merit, and when they were drunk, they talked nonsense, drew their swords and cut down stone pillars, and the emperor was very worried when he saw it. The uncle informed the emperor that he was very troubled about this matter, so he persuaded the emperor and said: "Although those scholars cannot charge with Your Majesty, they can consolidate the country, and I am willing to recruit some scholars from the Lu State to draft court etiquette with my **." Emperor Gao said, "Isn't it difficult to formulate etiquette?" Shusun Tong said: "The five emperors have different music systems, and the three kings have different etiquette. Etiquette is formulated according to the situation and customs of the time. Therefore, from the Xia Dynasty, Yin Shang, and Zhou Dynasty, the rites inherited, deleted, and increased can be understood, and it can be said that they are not repeated. I hope to draw on the ancient rituals and the rituals of the Qin Dynasty as a reference. The emperor said, "You can try to formulate it, and make sure that the Han rites are simple and easy to understand, and can be easily implemented." ”
So, as an envoy, Shusun Tong recruited more than 30 Confucian scholars from Lu State, and two of them refused to go along, saying: "There are as many as ten masters you once assisted, and you flatter them all to your face." If the dead have not yet been buried, and the wounded have not yet healed, then they will make rituals. The rise of ritual music is due to the accumulation of virtue by the people. We can't accept what you want us to do, what you do is not in line with the ancient way, we won't go, you go, don't tarnish my character. Shusun Tong smiled and said, "You are really pedantic nerds who don't understand the changes of the times. ”
So he led the more than 30 people who were recruited and more than 100 people with academic literacy around Emperor Gao, tied the thatch in the field to formulate etiquette, and after it was set, he practiced for more than a month and then went to report to the emperor, and after obtaining the emperor's approval, the monarch and the ministers practiced, and the palace began to officially perform the rites of the monarch and the minister.
In the seventh year of the Han Dynasty, the Changle Palace was completed, and the princes and ministers all came to worship. Before dawn, the confessor is responsible for the etiquette, and the future courtiers are brought into the temple gate in turn, and chariots and guards are set up in the court, and various weapons and flags are set up. Paging "tendency", i.e., rushing in. There were hundreds of guards standing on both sides of the temple's ** steps. In the southwest stood the heroes, the princes, the generals, and the military officials, facing east. On the east side stands the civil official below the prime minister**, facing west. Taihang ordered to preside over the ceremony of going to the court, set up a nine-station master of ceremonies, and loudly called to attract the ministers into the palace. So the emperor rode out of the house in a chariot, and the hundred officials carried halberds, preached the clear way, and guided the princes and kings to not be frightened and respectful. At the end of the worship, the big and small officials all bowed to the ground, set up wine banquets, and had strict etiquette. The attendants in the palace all bowed their heads and congratulated the emperor on his birthday in order of respect and humility. After drinking nine times, the confessor said, "The feast is over." "If the imperial historian reports a violation of etiquette, he will take him away. During the whole worship and drinking process, there was no one who dared to make a noise and violate etiquette. So Emperor Gao said: "I only know now the dignity of being an emperor." "Bai Uncle Sun Tong gave him five hundred gold for Fengchang (the ** who was in charge of the rituals of the temple in ancient times).
Shusun Tong then said to the emperor: "These ** Confucian scholars have been following me for a long time, and they work with me to formulate etiquette, hoping that Your Majesty can also make them officials." "Emperor Gao named them all Lang (the emperor's attendants). After Shusun Tong came out of the palace, he distributed all the five hundred gold awarded to him by the emperor to the Confucian scholars. The Confucian scholars said happily: "Mr. Shusun is really a saint. ”
In the ninth year of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Gao promoted his uncle Sun Tong to the crown prince. In the twelfth year, Emperor Gao wanted to set up King Ruyi of Zhao as the crown prince, and his uncle Sun Tong said: "In the past, Jin Xiangong abolished the prince because of Li Ji, and set up Xi Qi instead, and the Jin Kingdom was chaotic for decades, and was ridiculed by the world. Because the Qin Dynasty did not determine Fusu as the crown prince earlier, Hu Hai used deception to gain the position and destroy the Qin Dynasty, which His Majesty personally saw. Now the prince is loyal, filial piety, benevolence and righteousness, and everyone in the world knows it; Empress Lu and His Majesty are bitter, coarse tea and light rice, can you turn your back on her? If Your Majesty must abolish Chang Lishao, kill him as a minister first. Emperor Gao said, "Don't do this, I'm just joking." Shusun Tong said: "The prince is the foundation of the stability of the world, if it is fundamentally shaken, the world will be chaotic and turbulent, how can you joke with the world!" Emperor Gao said, "I listen to your opinion. Later, when the emperor set the wine, he saw that Zhang Liang designed to invite four respected old gentlemen who were admired by the emperor but could not be invited, and these four old gentlemen came to assist the prince, and since then, Emperor Gao has dispelled the idea of changing the prince.
After the death of Emperor Gao, Emperor Xiaohui ascended the throne. Emperor Hui said to his uncle and grandson: "No one is familiar with the etiquette of the first emperor's mausoleum and temple. Therefore, Emperor Hui promoted his uncle and grandson to Taichang and formulated the etiquette law of the temple. The various rituals formulated by the Han Dynasty were all written by Mr. Shusun. Emperor Xiaohui often visited the palace, and Shusun Tong said: "The ancient people offered fruits in the spring, and now is the time when the cherries are ripe, and I hope that His Majesty will travel and take advantage of the situation to offer cherries to the temple." The emperor agreed to Shusun Tong's suggestion, so the etiquette of offering fruits to the temple arose.
Our current Han style, Han costume, and Han culture are actually derived from the etiquette of Shusun Tong in the Han Dynasty, and more precisely, Shusun Tong is the originator of Han culture.