Text/Changkong Hao
May in western Hubei seems to be no longer as hot as in previous years. These days it seems that the wind is light and the clouds are light, and occasionally there will be pattering rain. On the 21st of this month, I took a train from Yichang to Jingzhou, an ancient city full of mysterious history.
40 minutes later, we arrived at Jingzhou Railway Station. Because I had read the map beforehand, I got on the bus to the ancient city wall smoothly. Along the way, from the modern urban atmosphere, we are looking for bits and pieces of the era when "Guan Yu carelessly lost Jingzhou" during the Three Kingdoms period. What I didn't expect is that Jingzhou is developing very rapidly. This can be seen from the city's planning and the scenery along the road. Along the East Ring Road, you can already see Jiulongyuan Park, Jinfeng Amusement Park, Jinfeng Plaza, etc., because across the river is the majestic ancient city wall. When you cross the bridge on the moat, you will see the old The ancient city wall and the four golden characters "Jingzhou Ancient City" on the wall. After entering the city wall, there is the Beiyuan platform. When you get off the bus, the tall "Jiangling Beiyuan" on the right is not far from the city wall in front. Behind the Stele Garden is the former residence of Zhang Juzheng (south gate).
Perhaps, for Jingzhou, Guan Yu is just a foreigner, but what really makes Jingzhou proud is the famous politician Zhang Juzheng it gave birth to. He is the first historical celebrity in Jingzhou. He was called the "Jingzhou Prodigy" when he was young. He was a politician and reformer in the Ming Dynasty and was called "the outstanding prime minister". The former residence is where Zhang Juzheng, in order to show his loyalty and support to Ming Shenzong, specially built a hall in his hometown in Jingzhou to enshrine the imperial calligraphy given to him by Wanli. ?Due to historical reasons, his former residence was destroyed by the war. In order to provide future generations with a place to remember and commemorate Zhang Juzheng, Jingzhou City decided to rebuild Zhang Juzheng’s former residence.
The entrance fee to the former residence is RMB 20. Because you are a soldier, you will receive a free ticket after showing your military officer ID and enter after verification. The former residence of Zhang Juzheng, which now imitates the architecture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, covers an area of ??more than ten acres, with a total construction area of ??more than 2,340 square meters. According to its original architectural landscape layout, it faces north and south, with four front and rear courtyards, an east room and a west garden, and the courtyard is in the style of a small garden. Viewed from the air or from the ancient city wall, the main building of the former residence is symmetrical about the central axis, with staggered heights and a neat layout. It mainly includes landscapes such as University Official Mansion, Pengri Tower, Taiyue Hall, Jiuniaoyuan, Chunzhong Hall, Wenchang Pavilion, Zhang Wenzhong Ancestral Hall, and Stone Table Corridor.
The first courtyard after entering the gate is the university official residence. The garden is lush and green, and looking at the ancient buildings around it, it seems to have entered another era. Here you can freely imagine the various situations back then, and guess the majestic strategy that Zhang Juzheng strategized here. According to records, after Zhang Juzheng's father passed away, he requested to return to his hometown to bury his father. The emperor was reluctant to let him leave, so he sent Shangbao Shaoqing Zheng Qin and Jinyi commander Shi Jishu to escort him back to Jingzhou. It was agreed that he would return to the capital after the funeral three months later. Even so, the emperor ordered the ministers to ride their horses to deliver the urging edict in advance, and gave him a silver seal of "Emperor Lai Zhongliang" as a reward. It can be imagined that at that time, according to feudal ethics, he should observe filial piety at home, but because he was considering the complicated state affairs and his master was young, he suddenly returned without saying goodbye. What a great feeling for his family and country. This is so consistent with the fact that many of our soldiers leave their wives and leave their families, and "loyalty and filial piety cannot have both".
Going through a small garden is the Sun Tower. Emperor Wanli once bestowed Zhang Juzheng with the title of "loyalty to the sun". "Holding the sun" means loyally assisting the emperor. This shows how much trust, expectation and honor the emperor gave him.
Further south is the Chunzhong Hall. In the hall there is a stele of "Yuanfu Liangchen". These four words were also handwritten by Emperor Wanli.
In the south of the hall, there is a standing statue of Zhang Juzheng. It seems that he is looking forward proudly with a righteous face and full of knowledge. To the south of Chunzhong Hall is Taeyue Hall. There is a couplet on the door of Taiyue Hall: "One person can be the emperor's teacher, and his shoulders can bear the affairs of the world." There is a plaque above the door "One phase through the ages." In the hall, there is the evaluation of Zhang Juzheng by the famous thinker and writer Li Zhi of the Ming Dynasty: Prime Minister Outstanding.
Taiyue Hall is also an exhibition room of Zhang Juzheng’s life and deeds. The pictures and texts on the walls around the hall reproduce Zhang Juzheng’s life experience, which is divided into Jingzhou prodigy, first involvement in politics, three years of leave, promotion and honors. Sections include first assistant, determined reform, selection of famous generals, flood control, abide by moral integrity, and dedication.
From these display boards, we can learn that Zhang Juzheng was born in a civilian family in Jingzhou City. He was literate at the age of 2, entered school at the age of 5, mastered the Six Classics at the age of 10, became a scholar at the age of 12, passed the imperial examination at the age of 16, and entered the imperial examination at the age of 23. In his official career, he entered the cabinet as a bachelor at the age of 43, and became the chief assistant (prime minister) of the cabinet at the age of 48. After serving as the chief minister of the cabinet, he supported the collapse of the building through the 10-year resurgence campaign, allowing the Ming Empire to advance in the long river of history for an additional 72 years. No wonder Liang Qichao asserted in the "Supplement to the Chinese Historical Research Method": "A politician can only have one right." It can be seen that Zhang Juzheng's reform measures to turn the tide had a profound impact on history, shining like a dazzling star.
In front of the right side of Taiyue Hall is Taishi's residence. This was the residence where Zhang Juzheng returned to his hometown to bury his father in the sixth year of Wanli in Ming Dynasty (1578). Because the government relied on him to preside over it, when he left Beijing, Wanli specially gave him a silver seal of "Emperor Lai Zhongliang". At that time, all important national affairs were reported to Jingzhou immediately, and it was here that Zhang Juzheng handled the government affairs for forty years. Seven days.
After visiting here, you can go out to the south gate exit. I turned back to the west of the central axis and passed through a gate. There was Zhang Wenzhong Temple and Wenchang Pavilion. Zhang Wenzhonggong Temple is located in the backyard of Zhang Mansion. When Zhang Juzheng was alive, there was "Shide Qingyuan Temple" built to worship his ancestors. Later, it was changed to "Zhang Wenzhonggong Temple" by Zhang Juzheng's great-grandson Zhang Tongchang. There are also Wenxing in the temple. There is a statue of Zhang Juzheng in the hall. Of course, there is also a "Bagua" fortune teller who sets a table next to the hall. Every time someone comes in, he will take the initiative to ask if they need feng shui, horoscopes, fortune tellers, etc. When I entered, he was talking on his cell phone. Busy explaining business to a person remotely. It seems that his business is still very prosperous. Because there were several people with their children who were still waiting for their husband, it turned out that their children were about to take the college entrance examination and came to seek blessings from Wenquxing.
To the north of Zhang Wenzhong Temple, there is Wenchang Pavilion. In front of the pavilion is the Divine Turtle Pond, also known as "Bai Gui Pond". There is a turtle in the pool with a gold ingot hanging on it. There are some coins thrown in by tourists and some red fish swimming around in it. According to historical records, on the eve of Zhang Juzheng's birth, his great-grandfather Zhang Cheng dreamed that a bright moon fell in the pool, illuminating the ground, and then a white turtle floated leisurely on the water. Because of this strange dream, and the homophony of "Gui" and "turtle", Zhang Juzheng was named Bai Gui (a homophony of white turtle, Bai Gui means a symbol of power and wealth in ancient times), hoping that he would bring glory to his family in the future. This turtle pond was built because of this story.
There are two trees next to the Turtle Pond, and the trees are covered with red cloth strips for prayers. It is said that Zhang Juzheng planted Ligustrum lucidum and Wintersweet trees with his own hands when he was young. Since then, Zhang Juzheng has been promoted repeatedly, and his parents are healthy and live a long life. The locals regard these two trees as sacred trees. People often come here to pray and make wishes.
Going further to the right is the backyard, where is the Taiyue Tea House, which was called Lezhiyuan in ancient times. In the garden, there are small bridges, flowing water, pavilions, rockeries and green bamboos, which are smart and elegant. Jingzhou has a climate with four distinct seasons and tea has been around since ancient times. In the 33rd year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (1554), due to Yan Song's reign and the chaos in the government, Zhang Juzheng was depressed and frustrated, so he excused himself to return to Jingzhou and built several thatched cottages in two places inside and outside the city, named "Lezhi Garden". The garden inside the city is called "South Garden". Zhang Juzheng made tea and washed medicine here, recuperated his health, and devoted himself to studying the national constitution and classics. He lived in seclusion in Lezhiyuan for three years before returning to Beijing's political arena. He once wrote a poem: "The red sleeves add fragrance to thousands of families, and the green plums cook wine and look at the eternal universe with a smile." Taiyue Tea House is named after this.
After the visit, I went out from the north gate of my former residence. Where I came out was a spacious street named after Zhang Juzheng. The street is busy with traffic and people coming and going. It turns out that the east gate scenic spot of the ancient city wall is in front of us. I walked forward with the flow of people, and along the ancient city wall was the Inner Ring North Road. While walking, I was thinking that this is the ancient city of the Three Kingdoms that I have longed for. Is this where Guan Yu defeated Maicheng? But how did Zhang Juzheng manage national affairs thousands of miles away here? How did the Japanese invaders break through the city wall, occupy and ravage Jingzhou? With thoughts and questions, I walked towards the east gate of the ancient city in front of me. Perhaps history is for people to study and think about. I hope I can find a suitable answer here.