Local lore keeps tale of ancient hero alive
January 15, 2013, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
XU Jie (1503-1583), a Songjiang native, was probably one of the most successful prime ministers in the history of ancient China.
Among his more famous achievements was orchestrating the downfall of a corrupt Ming Dynasty minister named Yan Song.
Yan and Xu were colleagues in the cabinet for more than 17 years. For the whole time, Xu always played the role of an obedient and respectful colleague.
Yan, however, was evil and plotted at every turn to undermine Xu. Yan cleverly didn't react. In fact, he even offered his granddaughter to Yan's grandson as a concubine.
Xu's stoic subservience eventually won him Yan's trust. Xu bided his time by collecting evidence of Yan's corruption. When all the documentation was in order, he submitted it to the emperor, who dismissed Yan and his henchmen.
Retirement
After Yan died, Xu replaced him at court. He won widespread respect by encouraging officials to express themselves freely. He also waged a war on Japanese pirates ravaging China's southeastern coastline.
Xu returned to Songjiang when he retired. As a high-ranking, respected official, he was given a large estate in Songjiang. When he died, Xu was strangely enough buried in the Zhejiang Province town of Changxing,
There are numerous versions of why he wasn't buried in his hometown.
Some historians believe he was forced to leave Songjiang in his later years by Hai Rui, an upright but eccentric official whose life Xu once saved.
Hai ordered all officials to relinquish their properties to the government. Xu's estate was confiscated. A sad, embittered old man, Xu left his hometown to be buried elsewhere, according to those accounts.
Among his more famous achievements was orchestrating the downfall of a corrupt Ming Dynasty minister named Yan Song.
Yan and Xu were colleagues in the cabinet for more than 17 years. For the whole time, Xu always played the role of an obedient and respectful colleague.
Yan, however, was evil and plotted at every turn to undermine Xu. Yan cleverly didn't react. In fact, he even offered his granddaughter to Yan's grandson as a concubine.
Xu's stoic subservience eventually won him Yan's trust. Xu bided his time by collecting evidence of Yan's corruption. When all the documentation was in order, he submitted it to the emperor, who dismissed Yan and his henchmen.
Retirement
After Yan died, Xu replaced him at court. He won widespread respect by encouraging officials to express themselves freely. He also waged a war on Japanese pirates ravaging China's southeastern coastline.
Xu returned to Songjiang when he retired. As a high-ranking, respected official, he was given a large estate in Songjiang. When he died, Xu was strangely enough buried in the Zhejiang Province town of Changxing,
There are numerous versions of why he wasn't buried in his hometown.
Some historians believe he was forced to leave Songjiang in his later years by Hai Rui, an upright but eccentric official whose life Xu once saved.
Hai ordered all officials to relinquish their properties to the government. Xu's estate was confiscated. A sad, embittered old man, Xu left his hometown to be buried elsewhere, according to those accounts.
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