As the saying goes, the rich are not three generations, but Fan Zhongyan's later family has flourished for more than 800 years. All this is because he did something before he died.
Fan Zhongyan, a native of Wuxian County, Jiangsu Province, is honest, compassionate and upright, and advocates reform. He was repeatedly slandered by traitors and demoted several times. He died in Xuzhou at the age of 63 and was buried in Wanan Mountain, southeast of Luoyang, Henan Province, and was named King Chu and Wang Wei.
Fan Zhongyan's childhood was unfortunate. His father died when he was two years old, so his helpless mother had to take him to remarry Zhu, the governor of Zi County, Shandong Province. Fan Zhongyan also changed his surname, named Zhu said, and grew up in Zhu's parents. After Fan Zhongyan became sensible, he didn't want to live under this fence. Although Zhu Jiajia was a rich man, he said goodbye to his mother in tears and found a temple near his hometown to study hard.
When Fan Zhongyan was studying in a temple, he did not rely on family support, but worked hard to improve himself. Historically, he only cooked a pot of porridge every day. When the porridge cooled and solidified, it was divided into four pieces, and he ate two pieces in the morning and evening. There were only a few pickles and a little salt in the porridge, so I ate it for three years.
The thrifty habit formed since childhood, even after his success, still maintains a thrifty lifestyle. Even the prime minister, breakfast is porridge with pickles.
Fan Zhongyan has four sons. The prime minister's son must be the second generation of officials, but he has always asked his children not to be special in his name. All his children live up to expectations. Lao Fan's son has a better character than ordinary children, and never says anything crazy like "my dad Li Gang". He has a son who is studying outside the city, 20 miles from the city. In summer, he used a broken fan to shade himself and walked 40 miles back and forth to school every day without any specialization. Until he graduated, no one knew that his father was the famous Fan Zhongyan.
Under this strict education, all the children of Lao Fan are noble and praised by the world.
Soon after Fan Zhongyan's four sons grew up, they were all brilliant and had both ability and political integrity. They are officials of prime ministers, ministers and assistant ministers, and the great-grandchildren of the Fan family are virtuous nobles. They have been passed down for more than 800 years, and the descendants of Suzhou Fan still thrive.
Why can a feudal bureaucrat let Fu Qi benefit the descendants of nearly a thousand years? Many people attribute these to a family motto that Fan Zhongyan left to future generations before his death:
Fan Wenzheng Gong Jiaxun Hundred-character Inscription
Filial piety should be done, loyalty and courage should be sincere;
Brothers help each other, and compassion never crosses the line.
Diligently read sage books and respect teachers as relatives;
Don't neglect manners and make London a good neighbor.
Respect the old and the young, and sympathize with the lonely and the poor;
Modest and honest, never proud.
Don't waste paper, be sure to report it to the five hubs;
Do things according to the day and cherish life.
Be a man of eight virtues, cultivate one's morality and lead the ancestors;
Sun Jian is alert, has a family and a righteous root.
It is true that Gong Fan put forward the code of conduct for future generations in his family precepts, but only this short article of 100 words can protect future generations for thousands of years? Not exactly. Family instruction is only a brief summary of Gong Fan's life, and its influence on later generations still stems from his real life.
Here, two short stories from Fan Zhongyan's The Argument are specially selected.
After Fan Zhongyan's mother died, according to the custom at that time, he invited Mr. Feng Shui to visit the cemetery he chose for his mother. Mr. Feng Shui said that his mother was buried in the Jedi, and there would be no children at home, so he advised him to move away. Gong Fan said, "Since I am a Jedi, I shouldn't let others suffer such bad luck. I would rather bear it myself. " What's the use of moving a grave if I die? "
The grave didn't move. Gong Fan is not only immortal, but also prosperous for future generations.
When Fan Zhongyan was still in his prime, he was told that there was a famous treasure trove of geomantic omen in Suzhou-Nanyuan. Many people advised him to buy Nanyuan as a residence so that future generations could become talents and officials.
Fan Zhongyan said, the family is developed, the scope of wealth is too small, and everyone is developed, which is great wealth. So he spent money to buy Nanyuan, founded Suzhou Academy, and trained many talents. In the past 1000 years, there were nearly 400 scholars and more than 80 champions here.
Fan Zhongyan's merits and demerits are immeasurable for seeking benefits for others and sacrificing his own interests. However, the blessings that God returned to Fan Ersun were dozens and hundreds of times what Fan Zhongyan paid at that time. It is because Fan Zhongyan has no self-interest that he has sown unexpected good seeds. Over the past 800 years, he has been blossoming and bearing fruit, inadvertently seeking benefits for future generations, becoming a model of sacrificing himself for the public, admired and praised by the world.
In important matters, he puts his heart and soul into the country first. In private matters, his happiness comes before his family, benefiting future generations and making him happy!
If the world wants future generations to exist for a long time, it should learn from Gong Fan.