During the reign of Emperor Shenzong of the Northern Song Dynasty, an anecdote occurred in Yuzhou City: the county magistrate Liu Dechang should have been promoted to secretary and provincial secretary because of his outstanding achievements in local governance. Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty suddenly issued an imperial edict saying that Liu Dechang must cooperate with His lame brother Liu Dezhong, who made a living as a beggar, changed his profession. Liu Dezhong took over the post of Secretary and Provincial Secretary, while Liu Dechang became a beggar.
Liu Dezhong and Liu Dechang are brothers. Why did Liu Dechang become an official while his brother Liu Dezhong became a beggar? Speaking of which, there is an interesting story!
It turns out that the Liu brothers were originally from the same family. , both of them were very studious since they were young, well-read poetry and books, and had lofty ambitions. Unexpectedly, the good times did not last long. After their parents passed away, the two brothers were not good at managing money at a young age, and soon their family fortunes declined.
The brothers lived a very difficult life as all the valuable things in the house were pawned. This year, there was a big competition in the capital. Both brothers wanted to go to Beijing to compete, but they had no money, so they had to borrow them separately. Unexpectedly, those relatives and friends who used to be like candy to the Liu family saw that the Liu family was no longer what it used to be, and they all looked down upon others, so no one was willing to lend money to these two impoverished scholars. The two brothers ran around for several days, and finally returned home dejectedly with empty hands. Seeing that the exam period was approaching day by day, the two of them thought about it and finally came up with a way.
Liu Dezhong suggested: "Brother, as a brother, you will take the capital exam this time. I will be a beggar and follow you all the way, collecting money and food for you to use along the way. When you pass the exam, you can take the exam in the future. How about sponsoring me to go to Beijing to take the exam?" Upon hearing this, Liu Dechang thought this was a good idea, but he put on an embarrassed look and said, "Brother, thank you for coming up with such an idea, how can I rush the exam for myself? And why do you suffer so much grievance? I should beg along the road to support my brother to take the exam!..."
"Look at what you said," Liu Dezhong said with a smile, "We are brothers, how can we distinguish between each other? You have millions of dollars. Don't argue with me, it's decided!"
Seeing how decisive his brother was, Liu Dechang said quickly: "Brother, if I get the title and become an official, I will definitely help you go to Beijing to compete."
Early that morning, the two brothers. Set off for the capital. Liu Dechang was dressed in an ancient satin coat, shaking a folding fan, and looked like a scholar. And Liu Dezhong was dressed in rags, holding a dog-beating stick in one hand and a begging basket in the other. No matter how you looked at it, he looked like he came from a family begging for food. The two brothers were afraid of being laughed at by others, so one walked in front and the other walked behind, keeping a long distance between them, pretending not to know each other. Every time he went to a dormitory, Liu Dezhong would pay his brother's accommodation and food expenses in advance and would not live with him. The most unlucky thing was that it happened to be a rainy day. My younger brother stayed in the hotel and slept peacefully, while my elder brother huddled under the eaves of someone else's house and suffered from the wind and rain. Being a beggar also requires skills, and that is how to prevent being bitten by dogs. Liu Dezhong did not have this ability. Once he came to the door of a wealthy family and couldn't get anything, and was bitten on the leg by a vicious dog released by the family. Because there was no money for medical treatment, the wound on the leg became infected, rotten and swollen. By the time he arrived in the capital, one leg was disabled.
Liu Dechang took part in the examination, and he was indeed at the top of the list. Soon after, he was appointed as the county magistrate of Yuzhou by Emperor Shenzong.
When Liu Dechang returned to his hometown of Yuzhou, those who had lost contact with the Liu family in the past came to get close to him one by one. There was a senior official named Xia Linsheng. His daughter Xia Cuiwen was a well-known beauty in the city. Many people wanted to marry her, but Xia Yuanwai had a high eye and wanted to find a rich and powerful family to be his backer. If you don't succeed, it's a lowly job and leave a big girl idle in your boudoir.
Now, when Xia Yuanwai saw that Liu Dechang had a promising future in high school, he took the initiative to go to the Yamen to act as a matchmaker for his daughter to marry her to Liu Dechang. Liu Dechang naturally couldn't ask for it. So, the marriage was settled.Unexpectedly, this daughter of the Xia family was extremely domineering and unparalleled in her vanity. As soon as she entered Liu's house, she took away all the financial power in the family and set many terms for Liu Dechang, one of which was: she was no longer allowed to beg for food with that man. Liu Dezhong, his disabled brother. Xia Cuiwen said: "Ms. sir, your brother is now disabled. According to the rules, he will not be able to participate in the capital competition in the future. A useless person like him has only one way to go, and that is to continue to make a living by begging. You are No matter how much money you give him, he won't be able to do business, so what's the use?" Liu Dechang has already experienced how powerful his wife is, so how can he dare to say anything? He nodded repeatedly and agreed not to support his brother again!
One night in the middle of the night, Liu Dechang found Liu Dezhong and had a runny nose. She shed tears and told her brother about her difficulties: "Brother, now I can no longer take any control at home. Please forgive me! Don't blame me for this..."
Liu Dezhong felt a surge of joy after hearing this. Leng, but then he thought about it, he was already in this situation, and it was difficult to do anything, so he said: "Brother, I am very happy that you can have such a promising future. At least we have a character in the Liu family. Brother Maybe you were born a beggar, who can you blame? I have only one request for my brother, I hope you will be an upright official who works diligently and loves the people, and will not dishonor the face of our ancestors of the Liu family!"
Liu Dechang did not expect that his brother would be so understanding. I really can't explain it. Expressing gratitude, he said: "Brother, please rest assured, I will be a good official and will never disappoint you!" After saying that, Liu Dezhong waved his brother Liu Dechang off with tears in his eyes.
Liu Dechang really did what he said. Anyone who wanted to come to the door to give gifts or bribes was turned away by him.
Liu Dezhong stopped visiting his brother from now on, fearing that he would be embarrassed in front of his wife and continue to be his own beggar. However, many people knew that Liu Dechong was the brother of the county magistrate. Therefore, some people who wanted to curry favor with Liu Dechang used charity as an excuse and gave him a lot of money. Liu Dezhong accepted it correctly and then gave it to those poor families. Although Liu Dezhong had cut off contact with his younger brother, he was still worried that if he married such a money-grubbing and powerful woman, he would lose his footing over time and become a corrupt official who would be reviled by thousands of people. Therefore, wherever he went, he paid attention to inquire about the people's opinions and hopes for the new county magistrate. He recorded it in detail in a booklet, and then asked the government officials to pass the booklet to Liu Dechang. There are several twists and turns and bizarre cases in Yuzhou, which were solved only through Liu Dezhong's visits and visits among the people.
Liu Dechang managed Yuzhou very well with the help of his begging brother, and therefore had outstanding political achievements. Three years later, Liu Dechang's term of office has expired. On the recommendation of his superiors, he will be promoted to Secretary Provincial Secretary.
Liu Dechang was very proud of his success in the officialdom. He had a sudden thought: He owes a lot to his brother for being where he is today. Now that I am going to work elsewhere, why not take my brother with me? With him traveling all over the country and collecting information extensively, why worry about me? Isn't his career going smoothly? So he went to Liu Dezhong and expressed his thoughts. When Liu Dezhong heard what his brother said, he couldn't help but feel a little sad. He thought: Brother, brother, do you want me to be a beggar all my life?
Liu Dezhong thought so in his heart, but did not show it on his face. He turned around and thought: No matter what Anyway, Liu Dechang is my biological brother after all, so I have to help him. As long as he can be a good official, it’s okay for me as an elder brother to suffer a little. With this thought, he nodded in agreement.
Unexpectedly, when the two brothers left Yuzhou, such a strange thing happened: some people who heard that Liu Dezhong was about to leave rushed to the road and tried hard to persuade him not to leave. They all regarded him as someone who dared to speak out to the government, and no one wanted to let him go.Seeing this scene, Liu Dechang couldn't help but feel embarrassed: he was the majestic head of a county, and when he left, it was deserted. No one came to see him off, but a beggar was actually stopped in the middle of the road by many people, reluctant to leave. If this matter was spread, When you go out, where can you put your face?
An imperial minister who was on an incognito patrol saw that the people had such respect for a beggar. He felt very strange, so he secretly inquired about the reason. After inquiring, he understood the whole story. . The imperial envoy returned to the capital and reported the matter to Emperor Shenzong.
Emperor Shenzong was quite displeased after hearing this. He thought to himself: This Liu Dechang is too shameful. He has gained power and has no regard for brotherhood. He still lets his brother beg for food. How can he not be greedy in the future if he is an official like this? Thinking of Liu Dezhong's loyalty and unappreciated talent, he couldn't help but feel moved in his heart. With a swipe of his pen, he wrote an imperial edict, saying that Liu Dechang could be where he is today only because of his brother's help. In order to give him a chance to repay his brother, he specially ordered his brother to replace Liu De. Changzhi went to Ezhou Prefecture to take up his post. Liu Dechang became a beggar, collecting public sentiments for his brother. If he had any merit, he would be replaced separately.
The imperial edict of Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty came to Yuzhou, and Liu Dechang was stunned. His arrogant wife thought that she would become a beggar woman following her husband, looking for life and death, and kept arguing. That Xia member was so regretful that his intestines were green, and there was nothing he could do. Thinking that it was difficult to disobey the sacred order, Liu Dezhong had no choice but to accept the order and leave.
Soon, Liu Dezhong thought of his brotherhood and wrote to Song Shenzong, stating his brotherhood with Liu Dechang and his younger brother Liu Dechang's honest political achievements in Yuzhou. Emperor Shenzong was moved by Liu Dezhong's awe-inspiring righteousness regardless of past accusations, so he ordered Liu Dechang to be reinstated as Yuzhou County Magistrate and ordered him to reflect on his actions.
Since then, the anecdote about the two brothers taking turns being beggars and taking turns becoming officials has become a household name in Yuzhou City. It is passed down from generation to generation, educating future generations that people must help each other and love each other.

