In the late Tang Dynasty when Guo Ziyi lived, eunuchs held absolute power, the court was dark, petty people emerged, and countless loyal and righteous people were persecuted. So, what does this have to do with the topic we are going to talk about today about Guo Ziyi’s constant absence from the government? Below, the history encyclopedia editor will bring you a detailed introduction. Let’s take a look together!
Guo Ziyi, a famous general of the Tang Dynasty, was a prominent figure in the revival of the Tang Dynasty. He made significant contributions during the An Lushan Rebellion and the Pan Zhen Rebellion, and enjoyed high prestige and reputation throughout the country. He was once honored as the King of Fenyang, and his palace was built in the Qinren neighborhood of the capital Chang’an. Since its completion, the Fenyang Palace has been open every day, allowing people to enter and exit without Guo Ziyi’s permission to interfere with it.
One day, a general under Guo Ziyi’s account was about to take up a post in another city and bid farewell at the palace. Knowing that there were no taboos in Guo Ziyi’s mansion, he walked straight into the inner house and happened to see Guo Ziyi’s wife and her daughter dressing up, while the prince Guo Ziyi was serving them on the side.
They would ask for the prince’s towel one moment, and then ask him to fetch the water the other time, making the prince behave like a servant. At that time, this general dared not ridicule Guo Ziyi. After returning home, he couldn’t help but tell everyone about it, and within a few days, the whole capital city talked about it as a joke.
But Guo Ziyi didn’t care at all after hearing this. On the other hand, his several sons felt embarrassed and decided to express their opinions to their father. They all asked their father to close the door of Fenyang Palace like other palaces and not let idle people enter and exit freely. However, Guo Ziyi firmly refused to allow his sons to do so. They all cried and knelt down, begging her. But no matter what, Guo Ziyi ordered his sons to do according to his requirements!
One of the sons also said, ‘Father has great achievements and everyone respects you, but you don’t respect yourself. It can be seen that all the sons have spoken like this. It seems that they are extremely disgusted with their father’s behavior!’!
After hearing these words, Guo Ziyi spoke earnestly to her sons, “The reason why I opened the door of the mansion to allow people to enter and exit is really for self-protection. What use do those superficial reputations have for us
The sons were all very surprised and didn’t understand the reason behind it. Guo Ziyi continued to tell them that our Guo family did have some prominent reputation, but there was a risk of losing it at any time. I am now honored as the King of Fenyang and have no greater wealth to seek. It is inevitable that I will lose when I have a good month. We should retreat bravely now, but now that the court is using people, the emperor dare not let me retire. Therefore, we cannot enter or retreat now.
In this situation, if I keep the door tightly closed and do not interact with the outside world, as long as there is someone who has a grudge against my Guo family, it is easy to falsely accuse us of having two intentions towards the court. There will inevitably be those who add fuel and vinegar to the situation and hinder the wise. The throne is high and mighty, and this is also what he fears the most. It is easy to create false and unjust cases. At that time, wouldn’t all the children of our Guo family be buried here? After listening, the sons finally understood their father’s good intentions!
Guo Ziyi was able to protect himself in a relatively dark society at that time, which shows his shrewdness. At that time, Guo Ziyi held a high position and power, so there were naturally courtiers who wanted to kill him. To prevent jealousy from petty people, Guo Ziyi was careful everywhere, afraid of being caught by his enemies.
