After retiring in ancient times, why did you choose to return to your hometown instead of staying in the capital to enjoy your old age? Zhang Siyuan, a Confucian born in the south of the Yangtze River, has been diligent and studious since he was a child, and knows the "Book of Songs" and "Zuo Chuan" well.
He could have been a private school teacher in the countryside, but he was eager to change his destiny through the imperial examination. After years of hard work, Zhang Siyuan finally won the Jinshi, was appointed as a local petty official, and came to the capital far from his hometown.
In ancient Chinese feudal society, the emperor held absolute power, and he needed to rely on a large number of ** to assist in handling national affairs. But how to select ** has always been a difficult problem.
In the pre-Qin period, the hereditary system was implemented, and the official position was inherited from the son to the father's business, and the people who could manage the country were not necessarily truly virtuous people. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty implemented a recommendation system, allowing schools to recommend talents to serve as officials, but fools who were known for their filial piety could also ascend to high positions, and it was difficult to establish prestige. What really changed the selection was the imperial examination system founded by Emperor Wen of Sui.
The imperial examination breaks the boundaries of the family, so that ordinary people also have the opportunity to pass the layers of examinations to become the first, which is called "the step by step of the ladder". For a time, countless poor scholars like Zhang Siyuan emerged all over the country, all dreaming of giving it a try. Xianyang, the ancient imperial capital, ushered in an unprecedented gathering of talents. Zhang Siyuan finally passed the county examination, the government examination, and the meeting examination, and entered the Forbidden City to take the provincial examination, stood out in the palace examination, became an enshrinement official, and was appointed to handle the documents and classics for the emperor.
Zhang Siyuan is the son of a declining scholarly family in Jiangnan, and their ancestors had been officials, but they have declined from generation to generation, and by Zhang Siyuan's generation, the family has been very poor. Zhang Siyuan has shown a smart and studious quality since he was a child, often lying on the table to read the old books left by his father, and even secretly jot down some words and sentences.
An old talent in the village took a fancy to Zhang Siyuan's potential and began to teach him to transcribe articles and teach some classical poems. Zhang Siyuan practiced according to the chapter method written by Lao Xiucai, very quickly. Lao Xiucai also specially taught him some exam-taking skills and told him the importance of the imperial examination.
When he was 10 years old, Zhang Siyuan followed Lao Xiucai to the county school to participate in a small test. Although it was only an informal experiment, Zhang Siyuan's article made many students in the county school sigh to themselves.
Since then, Zhang Siyuan has been determined to serve the country through the imperial examination and revive the glory of the family. Every day at dawn, he would get up and read the classics, and then come to the village school to listen to Lao Xiucai's lectures. In his spare time, he would go to the countryside to consult other gentlemen. The children in the village are all playing in the fields, and Zhang Siyuan can already recite poems and write against them, and he has the style of a literati.
At the age of 15, Zhang Siyuan was finally admitted to the Xiucai of the county school, which made him more determined to take the imperial examination. Unlike other students, Zhang Siyuan chose to continue his studies at the county school, not to teach and earn a living, but to lay a good foundation for future imperial examinations. During his time in the county school, Zhang Siyuan recited a large number of subsets of scriptures and histories, especially the Bagu Wen, which reached the point of perfection.
At the age of 20, Zhang Siyuan applied for the imperial examination for the first time, but unfortunately failed in the examination. He was not discouraged, but worked harder. He analyzed the questions in his test papers, focusing on breaking through the practice of poetry. The following year, Zhang Siyuan applied for the exam again, and this time he finally passed the examination, became a tribute student, and went to the capital to wait for the palace examination. Before the palace exam, Zhang Siyuan practiced strategy every day, and also consulted some great Confucians, and learned a lot of secrets for improvement. In the end, he won the first place in the country, and was awarded the position of Hanlin Enshrinement Officer, and entered the South Study.
The imperial examination did give Zhang Siyuan the opportunity to change his fate and turn over his career. But it also meant that he had to leave his hometown and go to the capital alone. Although Zhang Siyuan came to the prosperous imperial capital for fame, he always missed his hometown parents in his heart.
Zhang Siyuan entered the court as an official and finally realized his dream of becoming an official. But he was intoxicated with the glory and understood the hardships he would face afterwards. As the ancients said, "accompanying the king is like accompanying the tiger", the imperial power is supreme, and we must always pay attention to our words and deeds, and deal with court affairs carefully. What worries him even more is that he will be separated from his hometown by the end of the world, and the road is far away, and he will not be able to see his parents.
Zhang Siyuan was born in poverty, and he was admitted to the Jinshi by himself, left his hometown, and came to the capital alone. Parents are too old and frail to bring with them. He originally wanted to order a sedan chair for them to slowly carry back to the capital after taking office, but considering that his parents were in their twilight years and could not adapt to the migration, he had to give up this idea.
At first, Zhang Siyuan also asked someone to bring a letter back to visit his parents and report the news that he was well. But it took four or five months to go back and forth, and the messenger was too tiring to go back and forth. In addition, the family cannot be taken care of for a long time, and daily life becomes a problem. Zhang Siyuan hesitated in his heart, and finally gave up this way.
The only thing he can do is to find an opportunity to go home and see it for himself every year. However, in the first few years, the new Gongsheng who want to take up a post in Beijing will be sent to various places to work in a dispersed manner, and it usually takes five or six years to be promoted. Zhang Siyuan was sent to a remote border to serve as a magistrate, and the ministers who elected him always seemed to deliberately embarrass him.
In the first few years, Zhang Siyuan took leave to go home, and it was not until the third year that he was finally approved and embarked on the journey home. Thinking that he hadn't seen his parents for four or five years, Zhang Siyuan was excited and nervous. But when he rushed home after many hardships, he saw that his father had passed away and his mother was seriously ill in bed. At this time, Fang regretted not taking his parents with him when he first came to Beijing, and now it is too late to change his mind.
Zhang Siyuan accompanied her mother through her last days, and then buried her parents with filial piety. Since then, he has become even more lonely in the capital, and his only spiritual sustenance is to take time to return to his hometown every few years to visit his parents' graves and remember their kindness. However, the busy schedule of work makes this opportunity to return to the hometown less and less. In the past ten years, Zhang Siyuan had only two opportunities to hurry back to his hometown and kneel in front of his parents' graves to shed tears of longing. In his spare time, he can only write letters to the younger generations in his hometown, greeting the little things at home.
Year after year, Zhang Siyuan finally climbed to an important position in the court and became a celebrity around the emperor. But it was at this time that the succession to the throne caused a political turmoil, with various forces vying for each other, and there were many factions in the DPRK and China. Zhang Siyuan did not want to get involved in the power struggle, but it was no longer voluntary to participate. He felt that the situation was dangerous, and he carefully maintained the situation, so he saved his life.
This power struggle lasted for many years, and the throne changed frequently, and Zhang Siyuan went through several monarchs. At first, the reign of Emperor Xuan of Chu, whom Zhang Siyuan served, was relatively stable. Until Emperor Xuan died, the crown prince was still young, and many imperial relatives began to covet the throne, and the dark tide in the court was surging. Zhang Siyuan, as the commander of the South Study, was ordered to assist the prince in handling political affairs, so he had to participate in it and jump off the beam carefully.
In the end, Emperor Shujing won the throne for Mingzong. After Mingzong ascended the throne, he went on a killing spree and killed the heroes of Emperor Xuan's period. Zhang Siyuan, as Emperor Xuan's old department, was almost not spared, and only saved his life under the cover of his colleagues. After that, the situation in the court was turbulent, and Mingzong could not control the military and political power, and was usurped by the emperor's younger brother King Huai. After King Huai ascended the throne, Mingzong's henchmen were liquidated. Although Zhang Siyuan had already retired, his past official position made it difficult for him to escape responsibility.
In this bloody storm, Zhang Siyuan witnessed the death of many ministers of the DPRK and China, some were killed, some were exiled, and some committed suicide in prison. He also almost lost his life many times. If it weren't for his cautiousness and early transfer from the South Study, King Huai's faction would probably also be held accountable to him. The wealth accumulated over the years is no longer desirable, but replaced by a desire to return to the basics.
It was not until the struggle for the throne subsided, the new emperor ascended the throne, and the situation stabilized that Zhang Siyuan arranged candidates for official positions and asked for retirement. At this moment, he just wants to stay away from the stormy court, return to his hometown and village, and live a stable life for a few years.
The day that Zhang Siyuan had been looking forward to finally came. Immediately after leaving office, he packed his belongings and set out on his way home. The villagers who passed by praised him for his success and return to his hometown. When he walked into the house and saw that the ancestral house was still there, the memories of his childhood came flooding back to him. Zhang Siyuan, who was already gray-haired, knelt in front of his parents' graves again and cried bitterly. Many years ago, he left home to study for the exam, and came to Beijing to seek officials and was busy in the court, until now that his obsession has been fulfilled, he feels infinitely relieved.
After retiring, Zhang Siyuan lived the idyllic life of his dreams. No longer fighting for officialdom, he can finally enjoy the quiet time in the countryside. Every morning, Zhang Siyuan would walk along the ridge stream, listen to the birds, watch the flowing water, and then return home to taste tea and write. Sometimes he would invite some old friends to his home as guests, playing chess and reminiscing about the past affairs.
Zhang Siyuan also often went to the village school to give lectures to the children, teaching them the principles of governing the family and the country. After school, the children would graciously send him home. On the way, Zhang Siyuan will tell them some ancient stories and fables, so that the children can understand the truth of life. The villagers welcomed Zhang Siyuan back to his hometown, saying that he was a great benefactor of his fellow villagers.
Once, Zhang Siyuan learned that his hometown had been hit by a fire, and many villagers had lost their homes and property. Zhang Siyuan immediately used his wealth to help the villagers rebuild their homes. He also used his connections to win tax cuts and relief policies for the victims. The villagers were grateful to Zhang Siyuan for his kindness and came to his house to express their gratitude.
Zhang Siyuan also actively supported the construction of bridges and paving roads in his hometown. He financed the rehabilitation of country roads so that pedestrians no longer passed through the mud; Funding was also allocated to renovate the wooden bridge to make it easier for villagers to travel and travel. The villagers all said that thanks to Zhang Siyuan's return, the roads and bridges in his hometown have a new look, and travel has become extremely convenient.
After seeing Zhang Siyuan's good deeds, some first-class scholars also came to visit, hoping to take this opportunity to ask him about politics. Zhang Siyuan warmly received the visitors and put forward some suggestions on government affairs to them. He also hosted a banquet for these guests, allowing them to taste the delicacies of his hometown. After the guests left, they all praised Zhang Siyuan, saying that Zhang Siyuan was a good ruler with a heart for the people.
In his later years, Zhang Siyuan lived the life of his dreams. Every day, he would go to the bamboo forest in the back mountain to meditate, listen to the birds, watch the flowing water, taste tea, write, and live intimately with nature. Sometimes when the sun sets, Zhang Siyuan will look into the distance, and his heart is only full of relief and steadfastness. He accumulated virtue and did good deeds in the township, and won the love and respect of the people.
Conclusion: The ancients said goodbye to the old and returned to their hometown, which is to return to the original hometown of the soul, just like returning to the birds and forests, returning to the roots of the leaves, and now we still uphold this quiet and far-reaching temperament. It can be seen that returning to the hometown is not only a return to the geographical location, but also a return to the inner desire and peace.