In history, the prime minister can be said to be less than one person and more than ten thousand people. In some periods, the prime minister even had too much power and would even ignore the emperor. As a person with such great power, he should have a good life. But there are some prime ministers who work hard, work hard, and are extremely frugal in life. The person this article talks about is Zhang Jian, the prime minister of the Liao Kingdom during the Song Dynasty. The emperor at that time, in order to test whether he was really like this, secretly burned a hole in his clothes. Unexpectedly, a year later, the hole was still there.
Zhang Jian is from Beijing, and was still called Wanping at that time. He grew up in a good living environment, and his family was also a family of officials, but he did not develop the style of a wealthy yamen. Because he had a good education and studied hard, he ranked first in the imperial examination and became a Jinshi.
After Zhang Jian became an official in the court, he was friendly to others, and he was upright and lived a simple life, which made people around him respect him. When the then emperor Liao Shengzong visited Zhang Jian's area, the local Jiedushi did not give the emperor anything valuable. Instead, he said that their local treasure was a man named Zhang Jian.
Immediately, Liao Shengzong met with Zhang Jian. At first sight, it turns out that he is well-deserved, his knowledge and conversation are good, and his clothes are simple and plain. Such talents must be reused properly, so they were taken away by Liao Shengzong and became the emperor's capable general.
Although Liao Shengzong was very fond of Zhang Jian, because of his trust in Zhang Jian, he often entrusted him with many important tasks. But he didn't let himself become arrogant because the emperor treated him like this. I have always maintained the principles of frugality and uprightness. So how frugal is he?
Whether it is daily life or how we treat our own salary, it can be said that we are frugal in every aspect. Normally, only one dish is enough for meals, and the clothes are the cheapest coarse linen clothes, not luxurious fabrics like Jinluo silk and satin. Usually when my salary is distributed, I only keep the part that I use for my own living, and the rest is used to support the poor, and there is not even a bit left at home.
Because of this, the current emperor paid special attention to Zhang Jian. And he did not live up to the emperor's trust and always maintained his original intention and principles. After the death of Liao Shengzong, Liao Xingzong succeeded to the throne. Although he was not as capable as his father, he was fortunately assisted by the capable minister Zhang Jian. When
was assisting Liao Xingzong, an interesting thing happened. Because Zhang Jian had been wearing the same clothes for ten years, the emperor wanted to see if that was all he wore. So he quietly ordered someone to burn a hole in his clothes. It makes people smile that an emperor actually behaves like a child.
In fact, the emperor wanted to see if Zhang Jian was as frugal as he seemed, or if he was just pretending. As a result, Liao Xingzong was not disappointed. A year later, the hole in the clothes of the prime minister was still there. The emperor asked him why he didn't buy a new one. His salary was not enough. However, Zhang Jian said that he had kept these clothes for many years and that he was still wearing them, so he was not willing to change them.
The emperor also felt helpless about Zhang Jian's behavior. After all, he was his prime minister. He wore shabby clothes every day, which was unworthy of the country. So he ordered Zhang Jian to select brocade silk and satin from the treasury and make himself a new suit of clothes. Facing the emperor's will, Zhang Jian could not resist, so he took some at will to show that he had done what the emperor wanted.
Zhang Jian is so frugal, not many people can do it, and his status is so high. In addition to being thrifty, he also has good moral character and the ability to govern the country, which has to be awe-inspiring.
