Do you like the story of Lou Shide? Today, the History Encyclopedia editor will provide a detailed interpretation for everyone~
The position of the Tang Dynasty in Chinese history goes without saying, as it produced numerous talents and strong individuals like clouds. Therefore, there are many people who are full of vigor and arrogance, while those who are tolerant, humble, peaceful and indifferent are rare and rarely seen. And the protagonist of the story we are going to talk about today is the representative of the latter. It is not an exaggeration to say that he was the most cultured person in the Tang Dynasty.
He is Lou Shide.
For this person, some friends may not be very familiar with him. Let’s take a brief look at the stories recorded in historical books about him.
One day, he entered the court with an official. Due to his obesity and slow movements, Lou De Shi couldn’t keep up with the person who had been waiting for him many times. So the person impatiently cursed, “I can’t stand you, a country bumpkin who kills thousands of knives.” Lou De Shi didn’t get angry, but instead smiled and said, “If I, Lou De Shi, am not even a country bumpkin, then who else is
After Lou Shide was later promoted to prime minister, he went out to inspect and cultivate farmland. The subordinates had already set off, but he sat on the crossbar outside the Guangzheng Gate and waited for someone to bring his horse due to a leg ailment. At this moment, a county magistrate, who did not know him, introduced himself and sat side by side on a large wooden block chatting with him. After learning that he was the prime minister, he was shocked and quickly stood up to apologize, calling him a “death sentence”. Lou Shide not only didn’t argue with him, but also played a few light hearted jokes with him.
After arriving in Lingzhou, Lou Shide finished his meal at the post office and was about to leave. His subordinate judge said, “We haven’t even had water to drink, and no one is paying attention.” Lou Shide called the post office commander and scolded him, “What’s the difference between the judge and me? How dare you ignore him? Bring a board.” The post office commander quickly kowtowed and apologized, and Lou Shide said, “I wanted to beat you up, but as an ambassador, beating you, this small post office commander, has spread bad news about my reputation. Tell your superior, your life is in danger. Forget it, I’ll spare you.” The post office commander kowtowed and sweated, leaving in embarrassment. Lou Shide looked at his back and said to the judge, “I took out my anger for you.” Everyone was moved by this.
Another time, Lou Shide’s younger brother was appointed as the governor of Daizhou. As he was about to leave, Lou Shide asked him, “I am the prime minister, and you also serve as the governor. Our family is too privileged and may attract jealousy. How can we save our lives
His younger brother immediately knelt down and said, “Even if someone spits on my face from now on, I won’t dare to retaliate. Just wipe off the saliva, and I won’t let you worry.” Unexpectedly, Lou Shide said, “This is exactly what I’m most worried about. If someone spits on your face, it’s angry with you. If you wipe off the saliva, it means you’re unhappy and will make them even angrier. You should accept it with a smile and let the saliva dry on its own.” The idiom “spitting on your face dries on its own” comes from here.
In that case, is Lou De’s teacher a mediocre and cowardly person? Actually, it’s not like that!
Lou Shide, born in Yuanyang, Henan Province today, was a famous minister and general of the Tang Dynasty. He was quick witted since childhood and became a jinshi and a county magistrate in Jiangdu at the age of 20. In order to resist the invasion of Tubo, Emperor Gaozong of Later Tang recruited brave soldiers nationwide. As a civil servant, Lou De’an actively volunteered for military service. Later, he was ordered to send envoys to Tibet. During the talks with Tibet, he promoted the Tang Dynasty’s intention of a ceasefire and peace seeking to stabilize Tibet, while taking the opportunity to consolidate the border and force Tibet to agree to a ceasefire. In the following years, Tubo no longer violated borders.
A few years later, Tubo continued to harass the border, and Lou De’an led his army to counterattack, achieving a series of “eight battles and eight victories”.
Later, Empress Wu Zetian considered that the supply of military grain in border towns was crucial, so she appointed Lou Shide as the ambassador for the inspection and calibration of military fields in the northwest states. The military garrisons in the northwest and northern border towns of the Tang Dynasty have always been prosperous, and among them, the period under the leadership of Lou Shuide was particularly brilliant.
More importantly, Lou Shide is an upright official who is good at appreciating and recommending talents.
Di Renjie’s appointment as prime minister was related to Lou Deyi’s recommendation, but Di Renjie knew nothing about it. He thought Lou Deyi was just an ordinary general and looked down upon him, repeatedly excluding him from serving in other places. After Wu Zetian found out, she asked Di Renjie, “Is Lou De virtuous and wise?” Di Renjie replied, “As a general, he is cautious in his duties. I don’t know if he is virtuous or not.” The implication was that he was not very wise.
Wu Zetian asked again, “Does he know how to appreciate talents?” Di Renjie said, “I have worked with him before, but I have never heard of him understanding how to appreciate talents.” Wu Zetian smiled and said, “The reason why I appointed you as prime minister is because Lou Deyi recommended you. He really appreciates talents.” She then casually took out the memorial that Lou Deyi had recommended him before. After reading it, Di Renjie felt very ashamed and sighed to himself.
In 699 AD, Lou Shide passed away due to illness at the age of 70. Later, along with thirty-seven others including Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui, they were appointed as high-ranking officials by Emperor Dezong of Tang.
