During the Tang Dynasty, Mu Zhi, a native of Henan, came to Beijing to take the imperial examination. After the exam, I went with a few friends to pay a visit to Xian Yuben, who was an official in the court. Xian Yuben was very enthusiastic about this group of scholars and entertained them to have dinner together.
Before the meal was finished, suddenly a servant came to announce, "Your Master is here." When Xianyu Bian heard this he hurriedly put on court clothes and went to greet him, and ordered the food to be removed. After a while, the respected master came in, but it turned out to be a blind Taoist priest.
Mu Zhi has an upright temperament and is young and energetic. I was not allowed to eat half of the meal, so naturally I was very angry. He was angry at Xian Yubi's indifference, and what he saw was a blind Taoist priest with an ordinary appearance. just sat there carelessly and didn't get up to say hello.
After a long time, the Taoist priest suddenly said to Mu Zhi: "You haven't become an official yet, have you?" Mu Zhi said: "Not yet, I just finished the exam." The Taoist priest said: "Looking at your face, you should be an official next to the emperor. This month is tenth You will know in the afternoon of the fifth day. Your policy theory was rated third, and your official position is zuobuque." Mu Zhi was doubtful and left.
On the 15th of this month, just after noon, I heard someone knocking on the door. When Mu Zhi opened the door, he saw that the official sent to inform him that he had been awarded the position of Zuo Buque.
Later Xianyu Bian came to congratulate Mu Zhi on becoming a court official. Mu Zhi held a grudge against Xianyu Bian's neglect of him a few days ago and refused to see him.
But is different from 弁 and is kind . didn’t take it seriously and came again a few days later. Only then did Mu Zhi want to see him. Xian Yu Ben said : "The Taoist priest I met at my house a few days ago is Jia Long. He knows things like a god and his words are not inaccurate. You should go to see him again to express your gratitude."
So, Mu Zhi and Xian Yu Bian went to visit Jia Long. When Jia Long met Mu Zhi, he said to him: "From March to September, you should not eat mutton. By then you will be a member of the Ministry of War, and you will be given the title of Zhizhi Gao (you can draft imperial edicts for the emperor)."
At that time, Tang Dezong admired Mu Zhi very much and often said to him: "Most of the things that Ai Qing asked for are very feasible." Therefore, Mu Zhi himself was also very proud, thinking that he would be promoted soon, and he looked down upon the official position of Zhizhigao. So he didn't take Jia Long's words seriously.
After returning home, Mu Zhi said to people in private: "It is destined that a person can be an official of any kind. There is no way to know how to make imperial edicts without eating mutton. This is just a Taoist preaching to confuse the public." After that, Mu Zhi ate the mutton when he should, without any scruples.
In April, Zhao Jing said to Mu Zhi: "I know an expert, and I will take you to meet him." Unexpectedly, when he got there, he saw that it was the blind Taoist priest Jia Long.
Zhao Jing respected Jia Long very much and treated him as a disciple. Mu Zhi was a little embarrassed. The Taoist priest looked at Mu Zhi carefully and said in a serious tone: "When we last met, I told you not to eat mutton, and you would be able to become a Zhizhigao by September. Why didn't you listen to me? Now that you have eaten mutton, not only will you lose your official position, but you will also be in danger."
Mu Zhi was a little panicked now, and asked quickly: "Isn't your life in danger?" Jia Long said: "Originally it was a capital crime, but fortunately the emperor appreciated you and you were exempted from death, but you had to be demoted to another place."Mu Zhi asked again: "If you are demoted, when can you return to the capital? "Jia Long said: "At least fifteen years. ”
Sure enough, within a few days, Prime Minister Li Mi reported to the emperor, saying that Mu Zhi and Lu Jingliang often boasted during the court meetings that their memorials were adopted by the emperor. Whenever there is good governance in the country, it is all his own suggestions; but Whenever there is bad governance in a country, it is because I tried hard to persuade the emperor but was not accepted. The ministers were very angry, thinking that the two men had committed the crime of disrespect by their clever words and deceived the public, and should be handed over to Jingzhaofu to be executed with a stick.
Tang Dezong said: "I don't know Lu Jingliang, but I know Mu Zhi, and he shouldn't do this. " Li Bi reported again, saying that the two men would be punished with sixty sticks and exiled to Yazhou. Tang Dezong saw that the public outrage was difficult to calm down, so he decreed that Mu Zhi should be made a minor official and demoted to a remote place.
Until fifteen years later, when Tang Xianzong was in power. , and then recalled Mu Zhi to the capital. (from " Strange News Collection ")
This Muzi was the one who had a conflict with Jin Kingdom Gong Han Huang in the previous article. He also escaped with the help of strangers.
The battle between the seventh-rank official Mu Zhi and the famous minister Han Huang
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