Traditional Culture: When the Emperor Ruled with Compassion, People Loved Him
Translated by Qing Yan from Tang Dynasty History book Zhenguan Zhengyao (Clearwisdom.net) In Year One of the Zhenguan Era, Emperor Tang Taizong
told his imperial chief of staff, "The women in the imperial palace are
miserable. At the end of the Sui Dynasty, the imperial palaces recruited too
many women. Many of them live in out-of-town royal palaces where the emperor
seldom visits; it is a waste of money and human resources. I do not like this
situation. All they do is house cleaning. What else can they do? Let them go
back home and get married. We can save money and the people will be much
happier and have their own lives." After that, the imperial palaces sent
more than 3,000 women home. In Year Two of the Zhenguan Era, Central China had a drought followed by a
horrendous famine. Emperor Tang Taizong said to his cabinet, "The extreme
climate is the result of my lack of virtue; my rule is not based on virtue.
Therefore we are being punished. What have the people done wrong to deserve
this hardship? I have heard that people sell their sons and daughters for
money. I feel very sad!" He then dispatched cabinet member Du Yan to
survey the drought area. He bought back the children with the Emperor's
personal money and returned them to their parents. In Year Seven of the Zhenguan Era, Xiangzhou Governor Zhang Gongjin passed
away. The Emperor was deeply saddened and he went to several memorial services
to express his feelings. Some officials wrote a note to him: "The Huai
book of Yin-and-Yang says that one should not cry in mourning because it may
bring bad luck." Emperor Taizong answered, "My relationship with my
ministers is like father and son. I feel sad from my heart. How could I not
cry?" After that, the Emperor started to cry again. In Year Nineteen of the Zhenguan Era, Emperor Taizong personally commanded
the army to conquer Korea. While resting at Ding Zhou, some soldiers stopped
by. Emperor Taizong met with the soldiers at the North Gate. One of the
soldiers was sick and could not follow the troops. Emperor Taizong invited him
to his own bedside and asked him where he was hurting. The Emperor also asked
the doctors in Ding Zhou to treat the sick soldier. Because of the Emperor's
compassion, all his generals and soldiers were willing to follow him in
battle. On their return trip, Taizong ordered the troops to honor the bones of
the dead soldiers in a ceremony, in which they offered to sacrifice cows,
sheep and hogs. The Emperor came to the ceremony and cried. All the military
personnel were moved to tears. After the ceremony, the parents of the lost
soldiers said, "The Emperor cried at our son's funeral. Now he can rest
in peace." When Emperor Taizong's troops were attacking Baiyan Town in
East Liaoning Province, General Li Simo was hit by an arrow. The Emperor
himself sucked the bad blood out of General Li's wound. All the soldiers were
deeply touched. Written October 3, 2005
Chinese version available at
http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2005/10/7/111753.html
Yearly Archive
Printer Version
feedback@clearwisdom.net
|
Related Articles
|