Yan Shu, also known as Tongshu, was a prime minister and literary figure during the Northern Song Dynasty. He was intelligent from a young age and was known as a child prodigy. After entering the officialdom, he was highly valued by Emperor Renzong of Song, but he spent his entire life failing to achieve his highest political ideals. Below, the editor of the History Encyclopedia brings you relevant content to share with you.
In ancient times, there were many literati who aspired to become imperial teachers.
Tang Dynasty poet Chang Jian wrote in his poem “The Late Encounter of Duke Taigong”: “Under the four jade pillars, one can be called an imperial teacher.” It seems that becoming an imperial teacher has become their highest political ideal and aspiration throughout their lives.
Li Bai, the exiled immortal who was born with talent, also aspired to be a teacher to the emperor, to make contributions to the country, and to achieve great success. That’s why he wrote “As if hunting in the Wei River, I can still be a teacher to the emperor” to express his unwavering ambition in his later years.
Poet saint Du Fu once wrote “To the emperor Yao and Shun, and then to make the customs pure” to express his aspiration to assist the king and make the social customs honest and simple if he is highly valued.
However, contrary to their wishes, the Poet Immortals and Poet Saints seemed to lack some luck in terms of “favorable timing, favorable location, and harmonious people”. They never became God’s teachers throughout their lives and could only “raise their glasses to dispel their sorrows and make them even more sorrowful”; But some people have achieved the highest political ideal that many literati have never been able to accomplish in their entire lives.
For example, Yan Shu, the tutor of Emperor Renzong Zhao Zhen of Song Dynasty.
Yan Shu, with the courtesy name Tongshu, was born in Linchuan County, Fuzhou (now Linchuan, Jiangxi) on Jiangnan West Road. He was a politician, literary figure, and famous poet of the Wanyue School in the Northern Song Dynasty, and was particularly skilled in Xiaoling. Together with his seventh son Yan Jidao, he is known as “Da Yan” and “Xiao Yan”, and together with Ouyang Xiu, he is known as “Yan Ou”.
At the age of seven, he was able to belong to the literary genre. In the early days of Jingde, Zhang Zhibai comforted Jiangnan and recommended him as a child prodigy. The emperor summoned more than a thousand scholars and scholars to participate in the imperial examination. However, Shu’s demeanor did not deter him from assisting in writing and achieving success. The emperor praised him for his achievements as a fellow scholar. ——The Biography of Yan Shu in the History of Song Dynasty
Yan Shu, born in the second year of Chunhua reign of Emperor Taizong of Song (991 AD), was truly a darling of heaven. At the age of five, he was known as a “child prodigy” and went on to become a successful candidate. In his academic year, he was recommended by Zhang Zhibai, who was pacified by Jiangnan, to take the imperial examination. Only then did he gain the appreciation of Emperor Taizong of Song and become an official. During the reign of Emperor Renzong of Song, official positions skyrocketed.
And his most famous identity is the imperial teacher.
Yan Shu was nineteen years younger than Emperor Renzong of Song, and became his teacher when Renzong was still the crown prince. After ascending to the throne as emperor, Emperor Renzong of Song also relied heavily on and respected the teacher Yan Shu.
However, such a highly respected prime minister has also experienced demotion.
Tasha Xing: Blue Sea Without Waves
The blue sea has no waves, but there is a way to Yaotai. After pondering, they flew together in pairs.
At that time, I bid farewell to my crush, knowing where the mountains and rivers were far away.
Qi Xi condenses dust, while Xiang Gui covers the mist. Who should I attach the red paper with small characters.
The tall buildings look like dusk, and the leaves of wutong are drizzling with rain.
In the third year of the Tian Sheng reign, Yan Shu was impeached by the imperial censor for offending Empress Dowager Liu, dismissed from his official position, and demoted to Xuanzhou. Emperor Renzong must have pleaded for his teacher at that time, but Empress Dowager Liu had too much power and could not resist her. He could only watch helplessly as his teacher was demoted from the court. Both Yan Shu and Emperor Renzong were filled with endless helplessness in their hearts.
This poem ‘Walking on the Sand’ was written while on the way to be exiled to Xuanzhou.
Yan Shu regrets it. If he had known he would go through this ordeal, it would have been better to fly with his “crush” to the unobstructed “Blue Sea” and the passable “Jade Terrace”. How could they be so far apart from each other now, wanting to cherish them but no longer having them; The mountains are high, the water is far away, and even long written letters cannot be sent to each other. Everything changes rapidly, so unpredictable
The term ‘Yaotai’ once appeared in the Chu Ci: Li Sao: ‘Looking at the winding corners of Yaotai, I see the lost daughter of E.’ Both ‘Bihai’ and ‘Yaotai’ are fairylands, but he was exiled to a remote place. At the beginning, he borrowed from the fairyland and wrote it beautifully. The strong contrast between “immortal” and “mortal” precisely reflects the difference in his official position before and after being demoted, as well as the sense of disparity in his heart?
Once a prime minister, once a exiled official.
When he ascended the tall building alone and looked far away, he saw the drizzle sprinkling on the leaves of wutong from the sky.
When reaching the summit, one can overlook the small mountains.
——Du Fu’s’ Viewing Mount ‘
Most ancient gentlemen, literati, and ink masters had the elegant taste of reaching high and looking far. Climbing high not only has beautiful meanings such as “step by step promotion”, but also allows one’s soul to transcend and broaden their mind, temporarily breaking free from the limitations of vision, experiencing the mysteries of all things, and releasing all their inner ambition, spirit, boldness, and ambition on those high places.
Yan Shu is particularly fond of climbing high, and he has expressed his interest in climbing high in many poems.
Standing alone on a tall building, gazing at the distant horizon.
——Yan Shu’s “Butterfly in Love with Flowers: Chasing Chrysanthemums, Worried about Smoke and Orchids, Crying Dew”
Mr. Wang Guowei praised Yan Shu’s phrase in “The Words of the Human World” as the first level of life that must be achieved by those who have accomplished great things in ancient and modern times.
Differently, it started raining during this ascent. The rain hit him on the “wutong tree” just like the sudden turning point on his way to office. But the wutong tree is “near dusk”, and I don’t know whether it can withstand this trouble.
So, this poem is not just about expressing concern and parting feelings for the person in the boudoir as it appears. Upon a deeper appreciation of this work, more of the feeling is Yan Shu’s inner helplessness.
“Bihai”, “Yaotai”, “Shanshui”, “Qixi”, “Xiangboudoir”, “wutong leaves”, and “rain” are all soft objects. Although the whole poem is lonely, there is tenderness hidden in it, without any resentment or hatred. This indicates that in his heart, he fully understood Emperor Renzong’s situation at that time. At the same time, he also did not give up on the court and his own student.
In the fourth year of the Qingli reign, Yan Shu was impeached by remonstrators. In order to avoid further difficulties for Emperor Renzong, Yan Shu voluntarily proposed to leave Kaifeng and later served as an official in many places. It was not until June of the first year of Zhihe that he requested to return to Kaifeng due to illness. Renzong has always had different feelings towards his teacher, and finally found the opportunity to take care of him. After Yan Shu returned to Kaifeng, he asked Yan Shu to teach him and meet him every five days. At this time, Yan Shu was no longer the prime minister of the Song Dynasty, but his courtesy was still treated with the standards of a prime minister. After Yan Shu passed away, Emperor Renzong suspended his court for two days; He was appointed as the Minister of Works and concurrently served as an attendant, and was posthumously honored with the title of “Yuanxian”. The first inscription on the Yan Shu Stele was inscribed with the four characters “Monument to Old Learning” in seal script. This is enough to demonstrate that regardless of whether Yan Shu was demoted or not, he always held a very important position in the heart of Emperor Renzong.
People in later generations often envy the extraordinary teacher-student relationship between Yan Shu and Emperor Renzong of Song.
Yan Shu not only has extensive knowledge and outstanding talent, but also has a good way of being a person. He is a clean and honest official, living a simple life, always adhering to the way of being an official, without any deviation; His temperament is also resolute, straightforward, upright, and humble; Not only that, Yan Shu also cherishes talent, knows how to appoint people well, and often supports his younger generations.
He lived his entire life as a great Song, emperor, and citizen. Even as a local official, he established schools and trained talents for the Song Dynasty, and did many great things that benefited the country and the people.
Helpless, the flowers fell, and the familiar Yan returned.
——Yan Shu’s “Washing Creek Sand: A New Song and a Cup of Wine”
This is Yan Shu’s most popular poem, with the theme of ‘Hurting Spring’; Between the lines, there is a melancholy and helpless sigh about the passing of time. The falling and returning of “flowers” and “swallows” are like the present and past of the same person. Flowers bloom and fall, swallows come and go, perhaps he has already prepared himself for these unpredictable encounters in life.
Having served as an official for over fifty years, Yan Shu, who was highly respected and respected, can be regarded as a virtuous minister of the Song Dynasty. Whether it was an imperial tutor or a Taiping prime minister, Yan Shu was quite competent.
If he comes in another life, he will definitely be willing to be an imperial teacher for the country, the people, and the emperor again.
