As the name implies, a shrine is to set up a shrine for the living to show their feelings of wearing and offering sacrifices. This thing appeared as early as the Western Han Dynasty. During the reign of Emperor Wen of Han Dynasty, Luan Bu was the prime minister of Yan State, and the people of Yan Qi established Lu 'an Commune for this purpose. During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Shi Qing was the prime minister of Qi, and the Qi people built a stone temple for him. Since then, this unique form of shrine has continued, so that in the Tang Dynasty, the state had to issue a decree to restrict officials from setting up monuments and shrines. In the Ming dynasty, due to the proliferation of ancestral temples, Gu felt infinite emotion. Today, there are people who build ancestral temples without officials, but they destroy the statues and change their owners.
When it comes to shrines, we can't help but mention the farce of setting up a shrine for Wei Zhongxian in the late Ming Dynasty, which is also the reason why shrines are notorious in later generations, but in fact, many celebrities in history have been commemorated by the people. For example, when Su Dongpo was appointed as a well-known person in Dengzhou and Hangzhou, people in both places established shrines for him. During the Secretariat of Direnning Prefecture, Pengze County Decree and Weizhou Prefecture, the people of the three places also set up shrines for him, especially the story about the establishment and destruction of Weizhou Temple, which is more dramatic and thought-provoking.
In 696 AD, the Khitan captured Jizhou. In order to stabilize the situation, Wu Zetian ordered that Di, who was demoted to pengze county because of being framed, be transferred to the secretariat of Weizhou, which is adjacent to Jizhou. After De Renjie arrived in Weizhou, he didn't expect much, and soon stabilized the people's hearts. Since then, he has made great achievements in benevolent governance, and was soon promoted to the secretariat of Youzhou, and then transferred to the central government to restore the post of prime minister. On the occasion of Di's departure, the people of Weizhou remembered his achievements and built the third temple for him after Ningzhou and Pengze.
Although it was nothing new at that time, it was obviously a great beauty, representing people's gratitude and love for Di Renjie. But unexpectedly, this beautiful thing took a dramatic turn later.
De Renjie has three sons, and the youngest one is called Di Jinghui. This Di Jinghui later went to Weizhou as an official, served as a secretary to join the army, and was in charge of examinations and music for officials. It's a pity that Di Jinghui was insatiable and abusive in Weifang. The people in Weifang were miserable and hated the government. In a rage, he destroyed the shrine of his father De Renjie.
Of course, although the shrine of Emperor was destroyed by Weizhou people in a rage, the kind Weizhou people did not forget Emperor after venting their emotions. During the Kaiyuan period, the shrine of Di Renjie was rebuilt, which was later destroyed due to the Anshi Rebellion. However, it was rebuilt during the Yuanhe period, and its monument has survived to this day, becoming a precious historical relic.
The establishment and demise of the shrine of Emperor Renjie has given people a lot of feelings and thoughts. Many people regard Emperor Jing Hui as a typical example of ancient infidelity. In the Notes on Twenty-two History in Qing Dynasty, Zhao Yi deliberately wrote that the son of a famous father was immoral, and listed many typical celebrities, including Di Jinghui who later cheated his father. There are also many people who analyze the reasons for this phenomenon, which are nothing more than the following: First, superior family status and conditions make children unable to bear it, but instead lead to distorted values, get carried away and become a domineering official's son; Second, parents have a high position, but they don't have time to discipline their children, or they spoil their children too much, which leads them to do whatever they want; Third, these rich second generation officials grew up with golden spoons. They have no life pressure, don't know the hardships of life, and lack goals. On the contrary, they are lost in life. The ancients once said that happiness can never be maintained; It is thought-provoking to compare this wealth with three generations.
However, in addition to Di Jinghui's factors, there is another force that is actually the most important to the establishment and demise of Di Renjie's shrine, and that is the people of Weizhou. At that time, due to the achievements of De Renjie, the people of Weizhou built a temple for him with reverence. However, Weizhou people did not hesitate to destroy this shrine just because Di Renjie's son acted recklessly. The strength of the people has been vividly demonstrated here.
For thousands of years, people have always understood that water can carry a boat and also overturn it. However, although the reason is clear, whether it can be followed is another matter. Because the power of water is often hidden in peace, people usually see only the peace of water, but ignore the power of water. By the time the stormy waves and strong winds suddenly arose, it was too late to be redeemed. On the other hand, the people are the most practical and simple. From a shrine to a political power, if they are supported by the people, they will spare no effort to defend it; And once you lose people's hearts, no matter how strong you are, you can't get rid of the fate of crashing down. Throughout the ups and downs of the past dynasties, which ruler did not keep saying that the people were the best, but also hastily resigned from the temple because he ignored the sufferings of the people? The power of the people is the most respectable and awesome. This is the profound enlightenment brought to us by the establishment and destruction of Di Renjie shrine.