"Jilu Tengxing"

Author: Li Luyuan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-01-01
Features: The book narrates the story of Tan Zhongbi, a scholar from Kaifeng, Henan, during the Ming Jiajing era. He was upright, cautious, and had strict upbringing. He spent great effort selecting teachers and friends for his son, Shaowen. Before his death, Zhongbi left Shaowen eight words of advice: "Diligently study, associate with virtuous people." Shaowen was still under twenty at the time. Among his peers were Xia Ding, Zhang Shengzu, Guan Yian'an, and Sheng Xiqiao, who were born into wealthy families and lived in extravagance. They often tempted Shaowen to drink and gamble, but Shaowen dared not due to his father's strictness. After his father's passing, these men continued to lure him. With no more restraint, Shaowen followed them. The five of them swore brotherhood, gambling and dining together. Shaowen gradually fell into bad habits, becoming promiscuous and engaging in all sorts of vices. They opened gambling dens, harbored prostitutes, and even favored young male concubines, even minting counterfeit silver coins. Xia Ding and the others were spoiled brats, indulging in food and drink, with weak bonds of friendship and often deceiving Shaowen. Shaowen sank into a quagmire, unable to escape. Later, he committed crimes and was imprisoned, awaiting trial. His family lost everything to secure his release. To repay debts, Shaowen cut down all the trees in his ancestral graves, earning the disapproval of his clansmen and ridicule from the public. He then wandered from place to place, impoverished and miserable, enduring all hardships. Eventually, he realized his mistakes, turned back from the wrong path, and resolved to repent. By the age of forty, he shut himself off from guests, devoted himself to studying, and later graduated from the Imperial Academy. Supported by his clan brother, he distinguished himself in resisting the Japanese invasion and was appointed as a county magistrate. Shaowen often used his life experiences to warn his son, Kuichu. Kuichu studied under his father and repeatedly succeeded in imperial examinations. Later, he was selected as a Hanlin scholar and restored his family's fortunes.