Ouyang Xiu was lonely in childhood, his father died at the age of four, and his family was poor. His mother taught him to read and write on the beach, which is the origin of the story of "painting on the beach". From the autumn of the first year of Tiansheng in Song Renzong to the spring of the eighth year of Tiansheng, 24-year-old Ouyang Xiu finally obtained the qualification of "civil servant" after a long "eight-year war of resistance" and was transferred to Xijing (now Luoyang, Henan) as an official. The promotion of official position is mainly to assist the left-behind officers to be responsible for interrogating criminals and other affairs.
In the first year of Song Renzong Jingyou (A.D. 1034), Ouyang Xiu, 28, went to Bianjing (now Kaifeng, Henan), the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, and worked as a library proofreader in the Bachelor's College.
The year before Ouyang Xiu was appointed as a member of the cabinet, Ouyang Xiu wrote a personal letter to Fan Zhongyan, which was suspected of reaching out to the central leadership and demanding official positions.
Fan Zhongyan "rarely has a big festival" and often sings to himself: "Scholars worry about the world first, and then enjoy the world!" . That year, Fan Zhongyan was promoted to an admonition officer, equivalent to the current director of the Central Supervision Bureau or the secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. "Although the remonstrating officer is humble, he is equal to the Prime Minister." Although the official is small, he has a great responsibility, which shows that the position of the admonisher is very important. Ouyang Xiu sincerely feels happy that Fan Zhongyan, a man with both talent and morality who enjoys a high reputation among literati, was promoted to an admonition officer, so he wrote this letter to congratulate him.
Fan Zhongyan read Ouyang Xiu's letter and was very happy. Since then, the two have been constantly coming and going, becoming close friends and being ridiculed by the opposition as "cronies." However, Fan Zhongyan did not promote Ouyang Xiu according to this relationship. In the first year of Kangding, Song Renzong (A.D. 104 1), Fan Zhongyan, a transshipment ambassador in Shaanxi, only offered Ouyang Xiu the job of "full secretary" and hired him as a scribe to write military official documents. Ouyang Xiu immediately declined politely on the grounds that his mother was seriously ill.
Ouyang Xiu didn't get Fan Zhongyan's recommendation and reuse, but he respected Fan Zhongyan very much and sang with him at work. Ouyang Xiu stated in "On Du Zhongcheng's Appointment of Officials" that "the world is good, but it is bad, so it should bounce off; Although it is a human evil, if you are virtuous, you must repay it, echoing the thoughts put forward by Fan Zhongyan in "The Emperor is Good" and "Selecting Talents and Appointing Capabilities". However, Fan Zhongyan's idea of punishing official corruption was criticized by Prime Minister Lv Yijian. Lv Yijian threatened to resign and sued Fan Zhongyan for exceeding his authority, recommending cronies and alienating the monarch and his subjects. Fan Zhongyan was demoted to Raozhou.
Fan Zhongyan was demoted on trumped-up charges. Gao Ruone, an admonition official whose duty is to adjust the gains and losses of state affairs, said behind his back that Fan Zhongyan should be demoted. Ouyang Xiu listened to Gao Ruoyi's defense, and the more he thought about it, the more angry he became. He made a big speech and wrote the article "Advice to Gauss".
Ouyang Xiu said angrily and reproachfully, "Is Fan Zhongyan really wicked? Then, as an admonition officer, why didn't you tell Gao Ruoyi that he was immoral when you were promoted and used? Now that he has been demoted, how can you satirize him behind his back? If you are a talented person, then today the emperor and the prime minister drove him away on trumped-up charges, and you have the responsibility to stand up and speak for Fan Zhongyan. " In other words, if Fan Zhongyan dares to be virtuous, you can't escape the blame. An admonition officer who "knows no shame in the world" and "does not speak his position" should get out of here.
Ouyang Xiu's righteous letter, Madd Jon, flew into a rage. After reading it, he immediately sent the letter to the court, saying that Ouyang Xiu had attacked the emperor. So the emperor ordered Ouyang Xiu to be expelled from the court and demoted him to Yiling (now Yichang, Hubei) as a county magistrate. This is May of the third year of Song Renzong Jingyou (AD 1036). Ouyang Xiu was 30 years old.
In April of the third year of Li Qing (A.D. 1043), due to the recommendation of Yan Shu, the prime minister and envoy of the Tang Dynasty, Ouyang Xiuzhao returned to Bianjing to learn about the situation of the suggestion court and became an suggestion officer. After seven years of wandering outside, Ouyang Xiu returned to Beijing this time, very excited and excited. Together with several lecturers, he meticulously performed his duties, looked at the ruling party and the opposition party with keen eyes, and with great courage pointed out Chen Chao's political losses, challenged authority and fired at stereotypes. He was nicknamed "the shed stork". Song Renzong admired Ouyang Xiu's "straightforward" style and praised: "Where did Ouyang Xiu get it?"
In that year 10, the famous "Qingli New Deal" in history kicked off. At this point, Fan Zhongyan has been promoted to participate in politics, which is equivalent to the current Deputy Prime Minister of the State Council. Ouyang Xiu actively participated in Fan Zhongyan's New Deal, played "Detailed Ding Gong Ju Tiao" and put forward a set of reform measures from talent training to talent selection.
After more than a month, Ouyang Xiu was promoted again and was appointed as Zhi Zhi. The imperial edict is equivalent to the emperor's confidential secretary and has the right to participate in the decision-making of state affairs. According to the practice of the Song Dynasty, "You must try before you die", but Ouyang Xiu did not take the exam and went directly to his post. At this time, Ouyang Xiu can be described as a prosperous career.
Under the brilliant situation of "Qingli New Deal" in spring, the undercurrent is surging with "conservative" forces. Xia Song, an old-school figure who was banned by Ouyang Xiu and failed to become an envoy of the Tang Dynasty, jumped out and attacked the reformists, saying that "the country's big salary is for private benefit, and the cronies will form alliances", so the discussion about "cronies" became lively again. In order to crack down on the attacks of the old school, Ouyang Xiu wrote the theory of cronies, which is regarded as a sacred word when the forces of all parties are formed today. He wrote: "A gentleman and a gentleman are friends of the same mind; It is natural for villains and villains to be friends with the same interests. " He believes that "a villain has no friends, but a gentleman has friends." The reason is, "those who are good to villains are also profitable, and those who are greedy are also rich." When they are like-minded, it is also false to regard the temporary party as a friend. ""No common goal, no common goal. Those who keep it are virtuous, those who do it believe, and those who cherish it are honored. Self-cultivation and self-cultivation benefit the same people; Serving the country is a concentric economy; From beginning to end, so was this gentleman's friend. "
Song Renzong was deeply moved after reading "The Theory of Partisans". However, the old guard did not give up the attack. In the fifth year of Li Qing in Song Renzong (A.D. 1045), in March, the reformist heavyweights Fan Zhongyan, Han Qi, Fu Bi and Du Yan were abolished, and the New Deal measures were abolished. Ouyang Xiu's defense in "On Du Zhongyan's Strike" was invalid, and the two-year "Qingli New Deal" came to an end.
Just like the political crime of "anti-state", it is often difficult to rule people to death, while the crime of "corruption" and "pornography" involving ethics can make people unforgettable and never turn over. Ouyang Xiu was not rejected by the aggressive "nepotism case" this time, but fell into a "niece case" that was difficult to clean up.
Zhang's niece is the daughter of Ouyang Xiu's brother-in-law Zhang Guizheng and his ex-wife. After Zhang Guizheng died, Ouyang Xiu's sister took her to Bianjing to live with Ouyang Xiu's family when she was seven years old. A few years later, Ouyang Xiu decided to marry her to his distant cousin Ouyang Sheng. Unexpectedly, Zhang hooked up with a follower and became a traitor. After the revelations, Ouyang Sheng sued them in Kaifeng.
Kaifeng Prefecture has been accused of being impeached by Ouyang Xiu for corruption and dereliction of duty, and has always held a grudge. After listening to Zhang's case, I thought it was a godsend. I could kill two birds with one stone, and I ordered someone to interrogate it severely, trying to complicate the simple case. Under the temptation of prison guards, Zhang confessed some situations with Ouyang Xiu when he was unmarried.
Jia Changchao and Chen Zhizhong, the prime ministers of the dynasty, were the old-school figures that Ouyang Xiu lashed out at during the Qingli New Deal. When they learn about the case, if they get the treasure, they will instruct the admonition officer Qian to write a letter to impeach Ouyang Xiu for adultery with his niece, and find out Ouyang Xiu's brilliant poem "Looking at Jiangnan" as evidence. Between the lines, "Liu is in the south of the Yangtze River, and Xiao Ye is not in the dark. Rayon is light and flexible, and Yinger thinks that the branches are too tender to sing. Save it for spring. Fourteen-five, holding the pipa leisurely. Go up the stairs and down the stairs. Be careful when you meet each other. Moreover, until now. "
Ouyang Xiu argued: "The word" weak willow "is a metaphor for prosperity and describes an innocent girl image, which is a work of art and has nothing to do with adultery." But Qian said, "When Zhang first came to your house, he happened to be seven years old. Isn't that the age to learn how to spend money? " This made Ouyang Xiu dumb to eat Rhizoma Coptidis, and he couldn't say how bitter it was. Although there is no evidence for the retrial of this case, Song Renzong still demoted Ouyang Xiu to Chuzhou (now Chuxian County, Anhui Province) as the magistrate in August of the fifth year of Qing Dynasty (AD 1045) on the grounds of "indecent behavior".
In the sixth year of Song Renzong Jiayou (A.D. 106 1), in August, Ouyang Xiu was promoted to participate in politics and became a prominent official of the court. At this time, 55-year-old Ouyang Xiu was diabetic, white-haired and an out-and-out "alcoholic", but he and Prime Minister Han Qi were United in assisting in state affairs, especially in the matter of establishing my nephew Pu Anyi and Wang Zhizi as the Crown Prince. Ouyang Xiu not only directly participated in the deliberation and planning, but also wrote all the invitations, and the name change of the Prince was also written by Ouyang Xiu. Therefore, in this award, the court rewarded him, promoted him to Dr. Jin Guanglu, and gave him "the hero who pushed loyalty and helped the plan."
In March of the eighth year of Song Renzong Jiayou (AD 1063), Injong died of illness, and Song Yingzong Zhao Shu acceded to the throne. Unexpectedly, Emperor Yingzong in Ouyang Xiu's hands was a troublemaker, which caused him a lot of trouble.
The first trouble, "the battle between the two palaces." Shortly after Emperor Yingzong ascended the throne, he suddenly became ill, incoherent and insane. After several discussions, Ouyang Xiu, Han Qi and other China ministers had to ask Cao Shitai to listen to politics and deal with the defeat of the imperial court with Yingzong. However, Yingzong's illness was good and bad, and he often behaved surly, which angered the Queen Mother. The queen mother had had enough, so she had the idea of abolishing legislation.
The discord between the two palaces is directly related to the stability of the political situation, and Ouyang Xiu is worried about it. So Yingzong got better, and together with Han Qi, he went forward to persuade Taitui to return to politics. Ouyang Xiu said: "The Queen Mother has served Renzong for decades, and Rende is in the world. At that time, Zhang Guifei was pampered, but the Queen Mother was still generous. But today, mother and son can't tolerate it? " After Empress Dowager Cixi's anger eased slightly, Ouyang Xiu added: "Renzong has been in power for a long time, and Deze has benefited everyone. Therefore, after his death, everyone in the world will uphold his legacy and support the new monarch. No one dares to disagree. Now the Queen Mother lives in the palace, and our five or six China ministers are just scholars. If we don't follow Injong's orders, who will listen to us? " Hearing this, the queen mother sat up with anger and had to withdraw the curtain and return to politics. Because of this incident, Empress Cao was offended at home.
The second trouble, "the dispute of Puyi". The so-called "Puyi" is a question of what title to give to Wang Anyi, the biological father of Yingzong. Now that Yingzong has adopted Injong, his relationship with King Pu is no longer a father-son relationship, but a relationship between monarch and minister. However, Yingzong was obviously unwilling to follow this etiquette, so he issued a detailed imperial edict in April of the second year of Song Yingzong Zhiping (AD 1045). At that time, the ministers of the DPRK were divided into two factions: one was an admonition officer represented by Sima Guang, the top scholar of imperial academy, Wang Jue and Fan Chunren, the son of Fan Zhongyan. They think that King Pu and Renzong are brothers, and Yingzong should call Pu An Di. The other school, represented by Han Qi and Ouyang Xiu, thinks that "those who are born are called parents, but those who are impolite in ancient and modern times are called Bo Huang", and Yingzong should be called Wang Piao Huang Kao.
When the dispute reached the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager sent a letter to severely reprimand the Chinese book province for improperly discussing the imperial examination, but a year later, Empress Dowager Cao suddenly changed her attitude and began to write: "The emperor can be called' pro'." As soon as this letter came out, Sima Guang and others immediately questioned that it was written by Han Qi and Ouyang Xiu, and exhortation officials Lu Hai, Fan Chunren and Lu Dafang signed a letter, criticizing Ouyang Xiu for "wolves are in power, so it is better to strike first", accusing Ouyang Xiu of "opening evil theories and making false quotations" and criticizing Ouyang Xiu's behavior as "the political code is unforgivable, and the place where people and gods are located * *. And asked the queen mother and Yingzong to withdraw the imperial edict.
You can't go back, Fan Chunren and others insisted on resigning from the admonition officer. Yingzong hesitated and decided to demote them.
On the surface, the "dispute of Puyi" ended with the victory of Han Qi and Ouyang Xiu's calligraphy school, but the "dispute of Puyi" made Ouyang Xiu offend the remonstrator and many court officials.
The third trouble, the "purple robe incident". In the first month of the fourth year of Song Yingzong Zhiping (AD 1067), Yingzong died of illness, and the dead Yingzong also brought a trouble to Ouyang Xiu. At the funeral ceremony held by the imperial court for Yingzong, all the officials wore plain clothes to show their condolences, except Ouyang Xiu, who was negligent and wore a purple soapy silk robe under the mourning, revealing the mourning. This oversight was discovered by Liu Yao, the supervisor. After the "Pu Yi Controversy", many people in the DPRK hated Ouyang Xiu and wanted to impeach him, but they couldn't find the opportunity. Now the opportunity came, so Liu Yao immediately wrote a letter to impeach Ouyang Xiu, accusing him of "elegance and bright colors" and "serving the big funeral, especially hurting ethics." Strongly urge the court to convict Ouyang Xiu.
At this time, Shenzong, who had just sat on the throne, needed the support of the elders of the three dynasties and suppressed this letter. He just sent a messenger to quietly inform Ouyang Xiu to change the purple robe inside as soon as possible.
The fourth trouble, "the eldest daughter-in-law storm." Shortly after the purple robe incident, in March, a bigger and more vicious "eldest daughter-in-law storm" came to Ouyang Xiu again. The reason why the "eldest daughter-in-law storm" is also related is that Jiang, the key figure in the "eldest daughter-in-law storm", is a supporter of Ouyang Xiu in the "Puyi dispute".
Jiang is Ouyang Xiu's favorite pupil, and Ouyang Xiu has always liked him. After the "dispute over Puyi" subsided, Ouyang Xiu strongly recommended him as the censor, and later promoted him as an admonition officer. Although China's ministers gained the upper hand in the "Puyi dispute", social discussions generally supported the demoted admonition officials. Therefore, Jiang, a supporter closely related to Ouyang Xiu, was naturally not accepted by people and was regarded as a traitor by courtiers. He was very upset and tried to change this embarrassing situation. When he learned from Peng Siyong that Ouyang Xiu was shameless and had an affair with his eldest daughter-in-law, oh, he decided to go back and write an impeachment letter overnight, asking the court to put Ouyang Xiu to death and make his body public. In order to draw a clear line with Ouyang Xiu, make a complete break.
Ouyang Xiu was furious after learning this situation, and immediately went to Zhang Jia to ask for a thorough investigation of the matter. He said: "I am the latest minister and an important government official. If what Jiang framed today is true, I have committed a great crime. " If not, it is a great injustice. How can you commit a great evil with impunity and lose to injustice without snow? "
Of course, what happened between Ouyang Xiu and his eldest daughter-in-law, Wu, is also groundless and purely a rumor, but what the rumour maker Peng Siyong said revealed that it happened for a reason. Peng Siyong said: "It is really unreasonable to investigate Ouyang Xiu's crime based on a rumor, but Ouyang Xiu's first opening of Pu Yuanyi has already offended the public." So for the sake of Emperor Yingzong's personal reputation, Ouyang Xiu was really attacked by many people who didn't know the truth.
In his later years, Ouyang Xiu was once again vilified by such filth, and his already decadent mood was even more desolate. He went to gleb in succession, insisting on being relieved of his post as a political assistant and returning to Jiangxi.
Song Shenzong sent envoys to Ouyang Xiu's mansion many times and sent him a letter to persuade him to return to Zhongshu Province. However, Ouyang Xiu made up his mind. Shintoism had to approve Ouyang Xiu's request, and in March of the fourth year of Song Yingzong Zhiping (AD 1067), it issued an imperial edict to let Ouyang Xiu know Bozhou (now Bo County, Anhui Province). This year, Ouyang Xiu was 60 years old.
Ouyang Xiu was demoted this time, although it was "resignation", but it also showed that Ouyang Xiu could not exert his fists in the court. In the preface to returning to the field, he stated: after the "Puyi dispute", although "he held an important position in the court and participated in the decision-making of state affairs. However, you can't be motivated by time, you will get angry when things happen, and you should be clear and think that this is beneficial; You can't be obedient, but you can be partial to the world, so that all kinds of grievances will gather and be insulted by villains. " He is tired of this troublesome career, and he hopes to live a quiet, leisurely, stable and prosperous pastoral life in his later years. Therefore, I am determined to "make the best use of the place I travel." So, in "Bozhou Begging for Zagreb", he asked the court to retire. However, contrary to expectations, the court did not approve his request for abdication, not only failed to approve it, but in August of the first year of Xining in Song Shenzong (A.D. 1068), he was transferred to Qingzhou (now Yidu, Shandong Province) and served as the envoy of JD.COM East Road.