Song, Taiping rejuvenated the country for five years, Wang Dan was on the list of Jinshi with his outstanding talent, and was appointed as the judge of Dali and the magistrate of Pingjiang County. It is said that before Wang Dan went to Pingjiang, a series of strange incidents had occurred in the county office, which made the people living in it deeply uneasy. However, the night before Wang Dan arrived at the office, the guards guarding the yamen heard a group of ghosts shouting: "The prime minister is coming, we should avoid it." Since then, the strange phenomenon in the prefectural government has been eliminated.
Qian Ruoshui (960-1003 AD, Song Taizong Yongxi two years of Jinshi, know the system) has the ability to identify people, and when he saw Wang Dan, he praised it: "It is indeed the prime minister's material." When the two stood side by side, Qian Ruoshui said: "Wang Junwei stands on the shore, has a noble character, can be called a pillar of the country, and has a great future, which is admirable." In the same year as Wang Dan, Li Xin, a jinshi who entered the department, also praised Wang Dan as a "great instrument".
After Song Zhenzong ascended the throne, he appointed Wang Dan as a Zhongshusheren, a senior secretary to assist the emperor. In just a few months, Wang Dan was promoted. Zhenzong greatly appreciated Wang Dan's talent, and when he left after playing, he saw his figure and said with emotion: "He must be the one who realizes the peace of the country." (For the sake of the peace, the people of Bis.) In the fourth year of Zhenzong's reign, Wang Dan served as the governor of the Ministry of Works, and since then he has been repeatedly promoted, known as the Privy Council, served as the prime minister, and entered the Taibao. He was highly regarded by the imperial court and served as prime minister for sixteen years, until the end of his life.
Zhenzong showed great respect for Wang Dan's advice, and always asked the ministers for their instructions: "What does Wang Dan think?" Wang Dan was silent with his colleagues, and often sat alone all day. However, when there was a difference of opinion among the ministers when they were doing something to the saint, Wang Dan's words could determine the overall situation. However, he also hesitates when faced with some difficult issues. In such a situation, he always ended the court with anxiety, and as soon as he returned home, he went straight into the ashram and meditated alone, and his family did not dare to disturb his thoughts.
Once, a fire broke out in the forbidden area of the palace, and Wang Dan quickly arrived at the scene. Zhenzong said: "It is a pity that the wealth accumulated by the two dynasties of our country, which I have never easily consumed, has been wiped out overnight. Wang Dan responded: "Your Majesty owns the world, there is no need to worry too much about wealth, what we should really be vigilant about is whether the decree is appropriate and whether the rewards and punishments are reasonable." As a Zaifu**, the minister should be held responsible in the face of such a major disaster, so he asked for his resignation. Subsequently, he asked for punishment on his own. Emperor Zhenzong also reflected on his mistakes and allowed his ministers to state their gains and losses in the process of governance.
Subsequently, some people pointed out that the fire was caused by the spread of the fire in the Rong Palace, claimed that it was not a natural disaster, and demanded that the relevant responsible persons be arrested and prosecuted, and about 100 people involved in the case will be sentenced to death. However, Wang Dan interceded for them: "When the fire broke out, Your Majesty has consciously taken responsibility and issued an edict to apologize to the whole country, and we have also filed a petition to ask for punishment. Now, if you pass the blame on others, how can you win the trust of the world? Moreover, despite the traces of the fire, how can we be sure that it is not a punishment from heaven? In the end, those accused of sitting together were exonerated from responsibility.
Wang Dan is known for his kindness, and he also has the wisdom to deal with foreign tribes who are eyeing them. The Khitan applied to the Song Dynasty for additional money to be borrowed in addition to the annual grant. Wang Dan analyzed: "The Khitan is adjacent to our dynasty, and its trip is imminent, so it may be used to ask for permission to listen to our country's intentions." Shinshu asked, "How should we respond?" Wang Dan suggested: "Just easily resolve this matter with an appropriate amount of money, and let them understand the difference between the important and the important." ”
Therefore, on the basis of the 300,000 gold coins and materials given to the Khitan every year, one tenth of the amount was deducted, and 60,000 gold coins were lent to the Khitan, and it was informed that it would be deducted from the annual tribute of the following year. After the Khitan obtained the currency, they were ashamed. The following year, the imperial court issued an edict instructing the relevant departments: "The 60,000 gold coins borrowed by the Khitan are insignificant compared to the wealth and strength of our country, and they will still be given according to the regular amount this year and will not be deducted." But there must be no example thereafter. ”
Zhao Deming, the king of Western Xia, asked the Song Dynasty for ** million grains on the grounds of famine among the people in the country. The ministers of the court said: "Deming has only signed an oath with our court, so he dares to break the contract, and ask the Holy Lord to condemn it." Emperor Zhenzong asked Wang Dan for his opinion, and Wang Dan suggested that the Holy Lord issue an edict: prepare a million husks of corn in Jingshi, and notify Deming to come and collect it. After receiving the edict of the Song Dynasty, Deming felt very ashamed, knelt on the ground and kowtowed: "There are virtuous ministers in the imperial court. ”
During Wang Dan's tenure as prime minister, Kou Zhun repeatedly revealed Wang Dan's shortcomings in front of the emperor, but Wang Dan vigorously praised Kou Zhun's merits. One day, Zhenzong mentioned Kou Zhun's evaluation of Wang Dan: "Although you have repeatedly praised his strengths, he often talks about your shortcomings. In the face of this, Wang Dan was not angry, but defended Kou Zhun, he said: "The minister has served as the prime minister for many years and participated in national affairs, so it is inevitable that there will be many omissions. Kou Zhun is loyal and upright, has nothing to hide from His Majesty, and speaks out. This just proves Kou Zhun's loyalty and integrity, so the ministers have repeatedly recommended him. Since then, Zhenzong's appreciation for Wang Dan has become deeper and deeper.
During Kou Zhun's tenure as a direct member of the Privy Council, Wang Dan had affairs in Zhongshu Province that needed to be submitted to the Privy Council, but once he accidentally failed to comply with the form of the edict, as a result, Kou Zhun brought the matter to the emperor, causing Wang Dan to be questioned. However, Wang Dan was not dissatisfied because of this, but expressed his gratitude with a humble attitude. Less than a month after this incident, the Privy Council also submitted a matter to the Zhongshu Province, which also failed to conform to the form of the edict. However, Wang Dan only ordered the document to be returned to the Privy Council for correction, but did not play it. Kou Zhun was deeply ashamed of this, and praised Wang Dan in person: "I was born in the same year as you, and your mind is really magnanimous. Wang Dan did not say a word.
After Kou Zhun left the Privy Council, he sought Wang Dan's private recommendation and wanted to serve as a minister. Wang Dan expressed surprise at this and responded: "How can the position of general be obtained through private request!" I will never accept such requests. This move made Kou Zhun feel dissatisfied in his heart. However, a year after Wang Dan's death, Kou Zhun was finally appointed minister. When he thanked Zhenzong for his grace, he said, "If it were not for the careful cultivation of His Majesty, how could he be honored today? The emperor then mentioned that Wang Dan had recommended him many times. When Wang Dan was in poor health, Zhenzong asked him for his opinion on the choice of prime minister, and Wang Dan only recommended one, that is, Kou Zhun. This incident made Kou Zhun deeply ashamed, realizing that he was far inferior to Wang Dan in terms of virtue and talent. In the end, Kou Zhun lived up to Wang Dan's expectations and became a virtuous minister of the Northern Song Dynasty.
When Xue Kui was serving as the envoy of Jiang and Huai, he asked Wang Dan for advice, and Wang Dan only sent a message: "The strength of the southeast region has been exhausted. After Xue Kui comprehended, he sighed: "This is the famous words of the prime minister who cares about the people's livelihood. When Zhang Shixun was appointed as a transit envoy in Jiangxi, he asked Wang Dan for advice, and Wang Dan said: "The imperial court's finances are quite abundant. Zhang Shixun has adjusted his position several times, recalled Wang Dan's teachings, and always upheld the public heart and did not pursue personal interests.
Wang Dan has been in the phase for a long time and has been slandered, but he has always remained humble and took responsibility for himself, not justified. In the face of others, even if the monarch is angry, as long as he can set the record straight, he will stand up and defend the person until the problem is properly resolved. However, because of his frail health and illness, he resigned for many years in the late stage, but the emperor's commendation and trust in him remained the same, and even personally issued an edict to give him full trust and appointment, and favored him alone.
Wang Dan has always been gentle and elegant at home, and has never had a temper. The family tried to find out the limits of his patience and placed a little ink crumb in his soup. However, Wang Dan only chose to eat the meal and ignored the soup. When asked by his family why, he replied, "I just didn't want to taste the meat soup today." Subsequently, the family added ink crumbs to his meal, but Wang Dan was still unmoved, and only said: "Today's appetite is low, you can eat porridge instead." ”
He treats his widow and sister-in-law with great respect and has a deep friendship with his younger brother Wang Xu. In the matter of marriage between the children of the family, he did not pay attention to the concept of family. He was dressed modestly, and when his family wanted to decorate the felt with brocade, he stopped it. The younger brother once saw a valuable jade belt and wanted to buy it, so he presented it to Wang Dan. Wang Dan ordered him to tie it, and then asked, "Is this beautiful?" The younger brother responded: "Wearing it on your body, it is inconvenient to see it." Wang Dan thus taught: "Isn't it in vain to bear one's own burden and seek the praise of others? Then he ordered his brother to return the jade belt. Wang Dan only wears the belt given by the imperial court.
Wang Dan's family has never purchased a farmhouse, and he adheres to the principle that "children and grandchildren should be self-reliant, why do they need a farmhouse?" The farm house will only cause the children and grandchildren to compete for property and breed unrighteous acts". When Emperor Zhenzong saw that his residence was simple and wanted to build a new house for him, Wang Dan repeatedly humbly thanked him, insisting that the old house left by his ancestors was enough to accommodate him, and finally the emperor dispelled the idea of building a new house for him.
When Wang Dan's illness was serious, Zhenzong attached great importance to it, and sent attendants to pay close attention to his health every day, and the number of visits was as high as high.
Three or four times, he personally mixed potions for him and gave him potato porridge to nourish his body.
Wang Dan invited his best friend Yang Yi to the bedroom to draft a testament for him. He said frankly: "As a Zaifu, you must not seek official positions for your relatives because your life is about to end, but only state your life and circumstances, and sincerely hope that the Holy God will be in charge every day, select meritocracy, and alleviate your worries." Zhenzong read Wang Dan's dying watch and felt deeply sorry, so he went to Wang Dan's mansion in person and rewarded him with 5,000 taels of platinum. Wang Dan once again thanked him. He wrote four lines of his own poem to show his gratitude: "Fear is much hidden, but it is useless, and when you see it, you want to scatter it, so as to relieve the guilt." It means that it is awe-inspiring to have too much wealth, not to mention that it is useless to me, and I am willing to scatter all my wealth to avoid calamity. Later, when Wang Dan passed away, the emperor read this poem and sighed for a long time, tears like rain.
At the end of his life, he still unremittingly warned future generations to strive to maintain the simple and pure style of the family and avoid the disturbances caused by luxury and prosperity. He made a point of emphasizing not to hold an overly grand funeral for him. After Wang Dan's death, Emperor Zhenzong was deeply saddened, suspended the court discussion for three days, and posthumously presented him with Taishi, Shang Shuling, and Wei Guogong, nicknamed Wenzheng. Among Wang Dan's children, brothers, nephews, grandsons, disciples, and Chang Sui, dozens of them have obtained official positions. In February of the first year of Qianxing, after Renzong ascended the throne, he issued an edict, stipulating that Wang Dan was worthy of enjoying the temple court of Zhenzong, and personally wrote the first seal for Wang Dan's stele: "The stele of the elders of all Germany." ”
Wang Dan devoted his life to self-cultivation, humility, tolerance and generosity, and his outstanding virtues have won respect in the world and even in the netherworld. He upheld the moral integrity and led by example, leaving a rich moral legacy for his children and grandchildren. Su Dongpo once met with Wang Dan's son Yimin Gong Wang Su, he was loyal to Emperor Renzong, had the courage to speak out, commanded the army outside, served at home for more than 30 years, and had a noble character. Dongpo also interacted with Wang Gong, the grandson of Wang Dan, and praised him for his outstanding literary talents, advocating morality, and upholding the family style of the Wang family. The Wang family, known as the "Sanhuai Wang", has developed into the most prosperous branch of the Wang family in the world, and its root lies in the virtue of the family, which is deeply blessed by God.
February** Dynamic Incentive Program