Tang Taizong Wei Zheng
●Wei Zheng was a famous remonstrator in the Tang Dynasty.
Once, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty returned to the harem angrily and said to the Queen's eldest son, one day, I will kill this "country bumpkin". Queen Changsun asked who to kill, and Taizong said that Wei Zheng often made things difficult for him in public in the court, making it impossible for him to step down. After hearing this, the queen hurriedly said to Taizong that the reason why Wei Zheng dared to speak frankly to his face was because your majesty is a wise king. A wise king has wise ministers, and it is too late to rejoice, so how can he start killing indiscriminately? Taizong suddenly understood, and after that, " "Encourage political integrity", accept advice with an open mind, and respect Wei Zheng even more. Wei Zheng also remonstrated as before, "thinking about all the uses and speaking out everything he knows", and never feared Long Yan's wrath. As a result, the monarch and his ministers teamed up and complemented each other, finally creating the glorious era of the "Government of Zhenguan" in the Tang Dynasty. After Wei Zheng's death, Emperor Taizong cried and sighed as if he were mourning his heir, and uttered the eternal famous saying: "Use copper as a mirror, you can straighten your clothes; use ancient times as a mirror, you can know the rise and fall; use people as a mirror, you can know gains and losses... Wei Zheng died If you pass away, then you will die in one mirror?" He also ordered the ministers to write a passage from Wei Zheng's suicide note on the imperial hut as a motto, and follow Wei Zheng as an example to "admonish immediately after knowing it." It is indeed rare in history for an emperor who rules the world to rely so heavily on an old minister and be so devoted to him.
●Wei Zheng took refuge in the Tang Dynasty founded by Tang Emperor Li Yuan in his early years and worked for Prince Li Jiancheng. Because of Wei Zheng's outstanding talents, he was highly valued by the prince.
Later, Li Shimin launched the "Xuanwumen Mutiny" and killed his brother Li Jiancheng. The young and keen Li Shimin knew that Wei Zheng was a talent, so he summoned him personally. When Li Shimin saw Wei Zheng, he asked him very angrily: "Why do you want to alienate our brothers' feelings?" The ministers present felt that Wei Zheng would be killed. However, Wei Zheng was calm and composed, and replied in a very confident tone: "If the crown prince had listened to me earlier, he would definitely not have ended up like this." After hearing this, Li Shimin was impressed by Wei Zheng's spirit of fearlessness and integrity. I was moved and admired his personality from the bottom of my heart. Therefore, instead of punishing him, he was reused.
Soon, Li Shimin appointed Wei Zheng as an admonishment official (an official position dedicated to advising the emperor), and later promoted him to prime minister. At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty worked hard to govern and often summoned Wei Zheng to discuss with him the gains and losses of governing the country. Wei Zheng was ambitious and courageous, and he boldly gave advice with a pragmatic spirit. During his decades in office, in order to make the people of the Tang Dynasty rich and powerful, he made more than 200 remonstrances to Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. Every time, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty carefully considered his suggestions and adopted them as much as possible.
●Because Wei Zheng was able to offend Yan Zhijian, even when Tang Taizong was furious, he dared to face court disputes and never gave in. Therefore, Tang Taizong sometimes felt awe towards him. Once, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty wanted to go hunting in the Qinling Mountains for fun. He had all his gear ready, but he was unable to make the trip. Later, when Wei Zheng asked about this matter, Tang Taizong replied with a smile: "I did have this idea at the beginning, but I was afraid that you would speak out and give advice again, so I quickly gave up the idea." Another time, Tang Taizong got a bird. The good falcon puts it on his shoulder and is very proud of it. But when he saw Wei Zheng walking towards him from a distance, he quickly hid it in his arms. Wei Zheng deliberately played for a long time, causing the kite to suffocate in his arms.
In the sixteenth year of Guan (642), Wei Zheng fell ill and was bedridden. The envoy sent by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty to visit him met across the road. Wei Zheng was frugal all his life and had no proper place to sleep at home. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty immediately ordered that all the materials used to build a small hall for himself be used to build a big house for Wei Zhengying. Soon, Wei Zheng died of illness at home. Taizong came to express his condolences in person, burst into tears, and said: "I use copper as a mirror to correct my clothes and hats; I use the past as a mirror to know the ups and downs; I use people as a mirror to know gains and losses. I always keep these three mirrors to prevent myself from making mistakes. Today Wei Zheng passed away, and then the mirror died.
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