A Date with Kangxi

The Minister of Punishment retired and brought several large boxes with him. When Kangxi opened the box, he saw that they were all filled with iron nails Bo Shi Tongjin Original 2020-10-28 15:27 · Creators in the field of high-quality history In the 23rd year of Kangxi's reign in the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Kangxi encountered a difficult matter. At that time, Wei Xiangshu was 69 years old and had reached the age of becoming an official. However, Kangxi was very reluctant to let go because Kangxi knew that Wei Xiangshu was an honest official and it was a time of employment, so he was reluctant to let Wei Xiangshu return to his hometown. Wei Xiangshu knew that Kangxi had not approved his memorial, so he knelt in front of the Qianqing Gate and begged. Kangxi finally relented and agreed to Wei Xiangshu's request, and gave him a plaque to send the old minister back home along the way. Unexpectedly, as soon as Wei Xiangshu left the outskirts of Beijing, big trouble would arise. University scholar Suo Etu and others reported that Wei Xiangshu had brought several large boxes with him when he returned to his hometown, and the boxes were filled with treasures. They hoped that Kangxi would conduct a thorough investigation. After receiving the report, Kangxi was very confused, because Wei Xiangshu boasted that he "swore not a penny" and had been an official for many years. He was honest and honest and did not embezzle a penny. How did he get so much money? But Suo'etu said that he had a nose and eyes, and said that the box was very heavy and must be gold and silver. Kangxi was 30 years old at the time and was in his prime. After being encouraged by Suo'etu, he immediately sent people to intercept Wei Xiangshu. Kangxi regretted it as soon as he gave the order. After all, Wei Xiangshu was a veteran of two dynasties and had worked hard for the court for many years. Even if he embezzled some gold and silver, he should leave some dignity to the old minister. It's a pity that the order has been issued, and I regret it so much that I can only wait for the result. Let's talk about Wei Xiangshu first. Wei Xiangshu, courtesy name Huanji, was born in Yuzhou, Hebei Province. In the third year of Shunzhi, he became a Jinshi in high school, entered the Hanlin Academy, and later served as censor. From the day he became an official, Wei Xiangshu vowed not to embezzle any money from the people and was willing to be a poor official. He was an upright official and was not afraid of the powerful. Moreover, as a censor, his impeachments were based on facts and were never fabricated. He was praised by Kangxi as a model of honest officials. During the Kangxi period, Suo'etu, a great scholar, gained power in both the government and the public, and formed cliques for personal gain. Wei Xiangshu repeatedly wrote to impeach Suo'etu. In order to retaliate, Suo'etu tried every means to impeach Wei Xiangshu, but unfortunately he failed. In the eighteenth year of Kangxi, Wei Xiangshu was promoted from Zuodu Censor to Minister of the Ministry of Justice. He took the initiative to write a letter and refused to leave the position of Censor. Kangxi made an exception and made him serve as Minister of the Ministry of Justice and concurrently as Zuodu Censor. After that, Wei Xiangshu collected evidence and overthrew three frontier officials including Shanxi Governor Wang Keshan, which caused a sensation. In the 23rd year of Kangxi, Wei Xiangshu could not continue to serve as an official due to physical reasons, so he requested to retire and return to his hometown. Kangxi failed to retain him, so he had to let him return home. Unexpectedly, he got into trouble because he brought several large boxes. It turned out that when Wei Xiangshu passed by the post station, a postman helped carry his luggage. He found that Wei Xiangshu's box was very heavy and did not look like clothes, books, etc. It must be gold and silver treasures, so he reported it to Suo Etu. Suo'etu hated Wei Xiangshu so much, how could he miss this opportunity? So he complained to Kangxi and asked Kangxi to investigate Wei Xiangshu's "dirty silver" and punish Wei Xiangshu. It is said that Kangxi sent people to intercept Wei Xiangshu back from the suburbs of Beijing. Wei Xiangshu looked confused, thinking that Kangxi regretted letting him return home. Unexpectedly, Suo'etu and the others were already waiting for him at the gate of the palace. Wei Xiangshu seemed to understand what was going on. He immediately straightened his back and tilted his body to see what tricks Suo Etu had in store. After a while, Emperor Kangxi rushed to the scene. In front of everyone, Kangxi ordered people to open Wei Xiangshu's box. Suo'etu and others poked their heads, waiting to see Wei Xiangshu's joke. Unexpectedly, when the box was opened, everyone was dumbfounded - several large boxes were filled with nails. Seeing this result, Kangxi was also very embarrassed, so he forced a smile and asked Wei Xiangshu: "Why does Aiqing bring so many iron nails when she returns to her hometown?" Wei Xiangshu replied: "When I was young, every time it was windy and cold, I would go to Yuzhou Township. My house often collapsed and was damaged. I saw that the nails in the capital were slightly longer than those in my hometown, so I bought a few boxes and gave them to the villagers to strengthen their houses." Kangxi was very ashamed after hearing this, and ordered Wei Xiangshu to be rewarded with some gold and silver, and sent someone to send him back to his hometown. As for Suo'etu, he had already retreated to the back of the crowd. More than a year after Wei Xiangshu returned home, he died of illness at home. Kangxi was very sad and sent the Ministry of Rites to host his funeral and gave him the posthumous title "Minguo". During the Qianlong period, Qianlong still said: "You should be like Wei Xiangshu when speaking about officials." When you serve as an official, you should be honest and honest without losing your original intention, so that you can be famous for generations. Wei Xiangshu is a truly honest official. This article refers to "Manuscripts of Qing History" and "Prosecutors in History"