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狄仁傑，唐時山西太原人，字懷英，聰敏勤讀，精通五經赴京應試，夜宿逆旅，店主少婦，新寡貌美，見仁傑文質彬彬，奇特修偉，而生慾念。仁傑以正義感化，而不放逸。因此陰騭，而中狀元。京中有人預卜，今科狀元誰屬？答曰：「火犬二人之傑也。」於并（併）州為官，清廉愛民，同事外調，老母患疾，憂無照顧，愁眉不展。仁傑自動請求代替，上司同情，另派他人。仁傑自併州調太原，越太行山，登峰東望，白雲悠悠，觸景思親，對左右言：「白雲之下，吾親人居舍在焉。」有「白雲居舍」之成語。高宗時，滯案如山，奉命判案，於一年之間，審案一萬七千件，公正無冤。百姓心悅誠服。為武則天之丞相，何為幸運。七十三卒，則天泣曰：「朝堂自今無人，天奪吾國老，何甚速也。」
我們今天講一個正直無私的做官的人，他叫狄仁傑，字懷英，是唐代時候山西太原的人，他非常的聰敏又勤學，精通五經四書，因為在古代是科第的制度，他就到京城去趕考。在趕考的路上，有一次他住在一個店裏頭，這個店主人是一位新喪丈夫的寡婦，這個寡婦大約也是性情很剛強，因為剛強所以就把她丈夫給剋去了。這回狄仁傑到她這個店裏住下來，她看見狄仁傑相貌堂堂，文質彬彬，精神也飽滿，很有一種尊嚴不可侵犯的樣子，相貌修偉，像一個大丈夫的樣子。這少婦因為新喪夫，於是她春情大動，用種種方法，把自己打扮得很時髦的、很摩登的、又很妖豔，就來誘惑狄仁傑。
狄仁傑因為是一個正人君子，不被美色所迷；所以他以很正當的道理開解她，令她把這淫慾的念頭停止了，所以也就不敢放逸了。這樣子，因為這是一種陰騭的德行，所謂「善欲人見，不是真善；惡恐人知，便是大惡」。他能把這不正當的人感化得歸正途了，這都是有陰騭的，他以這種的陰騭感化，於是就中了狀元。
在京裏還沒有考試的時候，就有人在那兒預先來揣測，猜新科的狀元是誰呢？這麼來占卦問卜，得到的答案說「火犬二人之傑」。在沒有考試以前，就有這種的預言，可是，一般人也不一定知道是誰。考完了之後，才明白火犬就是「狄」字，二人是個「仁」字，之傑也是狄仁傑這三個字。所以這是很有靈感的。
在他初次做官到併州，非常的清廉，又公正，所以老百姓對他也非常的佩服。這時候因為他同僚，就是同事的母親有病，在他上邊的官正要調他到遠方去做官；因為這個人很孝順的，調他到旁的地方去，他因為掛著他母親有病，他不能湯藥親嚐，照顧母親，於是他也無法可想，就愁眉不展的。狄仁傑知道這個事情，就自告奮勇向上級來陳情，說因為他同事的母親有病，不能遠離，可不可以他替代到那個地方去；那麼長官覺得他這種思想是很好的，於是也沒有叫他替代，就另外派一個人到外邊去做官了。
由這一點就見出狄仁傑他處處是幫助人，處處是為人做著想，他做官做得非常好。
以後他由併州，調到太原去做官，路經太行山，他登到山頂上向東來望，白雲悠悠，就令他想起他的父母，曾經在這個地方住過，就對左右說：「白雲之下是吾親居舍」，他們在這個地方住著呢！因為這個，就有一句成語「白雲居舍」，留下這麼一個紀念。
在高宗的時候，因為有法官都不審案件，案件堆積如山，他於是奉命去審理這些案件，他在一年裏邊審清了積案，積聚的案件有一萬七千多宗。每一個案件可都是恰到好處，判的是公平也公允，一般人對他非常的心悅誠服，老百姓也非常愛戴他。所以他在武則天的時候做宰相，也把這個國家治理得很太平的。到七十三歲他就死了，武則天因為他死，也哭了。因為武則天一生對狄仁傑最敬畏，她一見到狄仁傑就很守規矩了，狄仁傑他這個正氣，就是武則天這樣子不守規矩的人，果然也是望而生畏。武則天就說，我這個廟堂中，朝堂裏邊沒有人了，為什麼上天把我國家的元老，把我國家的功臣令他這麼快就去了呢？所以她有無窮之嘆。這一段主要是說狄仁傑，他正念秉公不會有一點點的邪念。
待續 |
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Essay:
Di Renjie was from Taiyuan in Shanxi during the Tang Dynasty- His formal name was Huai Ying. Clever and diligent in his studies, he mastered the Five Classics. On his way to the capital to take the examination, he stopped for a night at an inn. The hostess of the inn was an attractive young lady who had just been widowed. She was afflicted with thoughts of desire when she saw how refined and stately Renjie was. Although she tried to seduce him with her charms, Renjie was not moved by her beauty. He used propriety to reform her and did not allow himself to take liberties.
As a result of this private good deed, he took first place in the imperial exam. In the capital, someone made a prophesy that the person taking the first place would be “the fire dog, a hero among two people.” [This is an allusion to the name of Di Renjie in Chinese.]
As an official in Bing District, he was incorruptible and carely deeply for the people. When a colleague assigned to be transferred away was worried that nobody would look after his aged and sick mother, Renjie found out about this and volunteered to replace his colleague. His supervisor was so moved that he sent someone else.
Later he was transferred from Bin District to Taiyuan. On the way, he passed by Taihang Mountain. Ascending its summit, he gazed east at the distant white clouds and thought of his parents. He told those around him, “Under those white clouds is my parents’ house.” From this incident evolved the Chinese idiom, “House under the white clouds.”
During the reign of Emperor Gao, there were mountains of cases awaiting judgment. He was instructed to judge the cases and within a year he had judged more than 17,000 cases with equality and fairness. As a result, the delighted people sincerely accepted him.
When he passed away at age seventy-three, Empress Zetian wept and said, “From now on, there will be no one like him in the royal court. Why did the heavens seize this elder of our country so soon?
Commentary:
We will talk today about a righteous, unselfish government official—Di Renjie. He was born in Tang Dynasty, at Taiyuan, Shanxi Province. His other name was Huaiying. He was smart and diligent, and so he thoroughly mastered the Five Classics and Four Books. In ancient China, one had to pass imperial examination in order to become an official. Thus, he went to the capital to take the exam. On the way to the exam, he stayed at an inn where the owner was a widow who had recently lost her husband. Perhaps this widow was so staunch and unyielding that her husband died because of her personality. When Di Renjie stayed at her inn, she couldn’t help but be attracted to his dignified, gentle appearance and upright spirit. Hence, she dressed up in a stylish, bewitching, coquettish way to seduce him.
Being a man of honor, he was not confused by her beauty. Instead, he reasoned with her in a proper and righteous manner and put an end to her licentious thoughts. Consequently, she wasn’t bold as before. What he had done was a hidden virtuous deed that no one knew. A good deed is not truly good if you want others to know about it, whereas an evil deed is truly malicious if you try to keep it a secret. Because he created hidden virtue by influencing a person with improper intentions to reform, he took first place in the highest imperial examination.
Before the examinations took place in the capital, people were trying to guess who would come out first in the highest imperial exam. They divined by means of Eight Trigrams that the “the fire dog, hero among two people” would win. Most people did not understand what this prediction meant. After the exam, they realized that ‘fire’ 火plus ‘dog’犬referred to the character
di 狄. ‘Two people’ 二人composed the character ren 仁, and ‘hero’ is
jie 傑 so the phrase made the three characters “Di Renjie” 狄仁傑. Thus the prophecy was correct.
When Di Renjie first became government official, he worked in Bing District. He was honest, upright and fair, so all citizens admired him. At that time, the higher authorities planned to transfer his colleague to another place. His colleague’s mother was sick and as a filial son, the colleague was depressed thinking that he wouldn’t be able to personally take care of his mother and give her food and medicine if he were transferred away. He couldn’t figure out any way to deal with this. Hearing this, Di Renjye, volunteered to be transferred out in his stead. The higher authorities valued his considerate thinking, and assigned another person to take that position.
We can tell from this incident that Di Renjie was really a good official who was considerate and who always helped others. On the way from Bing District to fill a position at Taiyuan, he passed by Mt. Taihang. While looking east at the distant white clouds capping the peak of Mt. Taihang, he was reminded that his parents once lived there. He told his attendants that his parents’ house was under those white clouds. The idiom “house under the white clouds” evolved from this incident.
During the reign of Emperor Gao, the judicial court neglected to judge the cases brought before them, and thus the cases piled up like a mountain. Di Renjie was assigned to investigate those cases. In one year, he cleaned up the accumulated cases and finished over 17,000 cases. All the cases were dealt in a proper and appropriate manner, and they were all resolved fairly and impartially. All the people were pleased, and they loved and respected him. As the prime minister under Empress Wu Zetian, he governed the country until peace prevailed. Therefore, when he died at the age of 73, Wu Zetian cried because she held him in the highest regard. His presence caused her to behave decently. She was usually ill-behaved and licentious, but she respected and was afraid of Di Renjie’s honest and upright character. Wu Zetian said at his death, “There is no one in my royal court now. Why did the heavens take this meritorious elder so soon?” She was filled with endless lamentation. The main point of this section is that Di Renjie was a just and upright person who did not entertain the slightest bad thought.
To be continued
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