What is the background of Ding Yu in history? The history encyclopedia editor brings relevant content to everyone. Interested friends, come and take a look.
Ding Yu made a high-profile appearance in the seventh episode of “The Palace Poems of the Great Song Dynasty”: his outstanding scientific research and literary theories impressed the Crown Prince. During the palace examination defense, he calmly and confidently spoke, touching the Crown Prince’s heart with every sentence: “Our land of the Great Song Dynasty can become a home for the people to live in, or a training ground for killing people!” He believed that “only by seeking peace through war can we rest and recuperate!” The Crown Prince was right in his mind and said, “Ding Yu’s words are very suitable for me. You are the top scorer in this new subject
Afterwards, Ding Yu continued to perform with high gloss and demonstrated his military prowess as a scholar. He led an army of eight thousand carriages to suppress the rebellion in the south and was awarded the title of “Grand Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat” by Emperor Zhenzong of Song for his false military achievements of “capturing and beheading tens of thousands of soldiers”.
Not long after the defeat of the Western Shu army and their demotion, they returned to their original positions and returned to the court. Based on his keen observation and observation of the political situation in the Liao Dynasty, he issued a military order and predicted that three days later, due to heavy rain, the 100000 Liao soldiers besieging the border town would definitely retreat without fighting. Three days later, the Liao army indeed withdrew due to heavy rain.
Actually, Ding said there’s no such god! He is neither a top scholar nor has he ever worked as an amateur meteorologist. However, in history, Ding Yu was indeed talented in all aspects.
（1） Talented and talented
Ding Yu, who was born with slanted eyes and a look of poverty, is considered a “monkey shaped” person. However, he is gifted with intelligence and wit, with thousands of words in writing. After reading and reciting, he is good at laughing and joking as poetry. He understands every aspect of painting, game theory, and music. He paid tribute to the works of literary leader Wang Yuzhuo and was praised by Wang Yuzhuo as “not until two hundred years after Han Yu and Liu Zongyuan in the Tang Dynasty”, saying that his writing is similar to Han Liu and his poetry is like Du Fu, making him a “great scholar of today”
After passing the imperial examination, he became a judge in the Ministry of Revenue of the Three Departments. This department has complex affairs and numerous documents, making it difficult for officials to make decisions. Ding Wei, however, handled everything with ease, breaking it down into sections and handling it cleanly, demonstrating outstanding ability and efficiency in handling affairs. He aimed at the chaotic situation of grain and taxation in the imperial court, and through thorough investigation and research, formulated relatively reasonable financial and taxation income standards, greatly reducing the burden on the people.
In 1004, the Liao army launched a large-scale southward invasion, causing panic among the people on the north bank of the Yellow River. They rushed across the river with their families and mouths. The boatmen saw the profit and sat on the ground with a black heart, raising the price. The refugees complained loudly. Ding said that he was ordered to handle this matter. He first had several executed prisoners pretend to be boatmen and charge exorbitant prices, and then ordered the officers and soldiers to behead them for public display.
The clever trick of killing chickens to scare monkeys was immediately effective. Under the arrangement and dispatch of Ding Yu, the boatmen fought fiercely to ferry the thousands of refugees from the north bank to the south within three days. Ding said that he selected strong men from the refugees, raised flags along the south bank of the Yellow River, played golden drums, and fought against Diao Dou. “The voices were heard for more than a hundred miles.” The Liao army, unaware of the truth, withdrew and returned to the north, and from then on, “Yan Ran in the territory”.
Afterwards, Ding Yu was appointed as the governor of Shengzhou (now Nanjing) and also served as the governor of Suzhou. He did some good deeds in managing water resources and reducing taxes, which can be considered as a diligent and promising official.
Ding said he is knowledgeable and talented, with a lively mind. Once, Emperor Zhenzong of Song asked him, “Do you know the price of wine in the Tang Dynasty?” Ding replied without hesitation, “Three hundred yuan per dou… Du Fu had a poem as evidence:” Drink one dou of wine quickly and appropriately, and there are exactly three hundred bronze coins
One day, Emperor Zhenzong of Song and his noble consort went fishing for a long time but found nothing. They were feeling very depressed, one remained silent and the other pouted in frustration. The courtiers looked at each other helplessly, but Ding Wei stepped forward and flattered them, saying, “Your Majesty, do you know why not a single fish has bitten the hook today? These fish are afraid of disturbing the Noble Consort and you! This is exactly ‘the warbler startles the phoenix and wears the flower in the carriage, and the fish fears the dragon’s face for fishing late.'” Emperor Zhenzong of Song was photographed with ease and a smile on his face.
（2） Qu Yi Feng Ying
Ding said that in order to consolidate his power and interests, he gave up his principles and dignity, and Qu Yi catered to the wishes of Emperor Zhenzong of Song, thus being regarded as a traitor by the world.
After spending money to buy peace in the “Tanyuan Alliance”, Emperor Zhenzong of Song believed that his achievements were immeasurable and his country was prosperous and his people were safe. He began to pursue enjoyment and planned to build the Yuqing Zhaoying Palace with great enthusiasm. Due to strong opposition, he summoned Ding to seek opinions.
Ding Wei took the opportunity to criticize and said, “Your Majesty is rich in four evils. Building this palace can not only worship the heavens, but also pray for the descent of the prince, killing two birds with one stone. If anyone among the courtiers opposes it, I hope Your Majesty will use this as an excuse to punish him!” The next day, Deputy Prime Minister Wang Dan submitted a memorial and was summoned by Emperor Zhenzong of Song to parrot Ding Wei’s words.
Wang Dan was well aware that the emperor had already made up his mind and “dared not speak again.” After being appointed by Emperor Zhenzong of Song as the legitimate “Xiu Yu Qing Zhao Ying Palace Envoy,” Ding used all his skills to complete the originally planned completion of the Yu Qing Zhao Ying Palace in 15 years ahead of schedule within 7 years, while also building a large number of luxurious buildings and halls, consuming countless people’s wealth and resources.
Song Zhenzong, who was tired of staying in the capital, expanded even more, and wanted to follow the example of the Daoming monarchs of the previous dynasty who went to Mount Taishan to offer sacrifices. This image project was strongly opposed by the officials because of the injury/wealth of the laborers. Ding said when Song Zhenzong asked whether there was a gap in the funds needed for Zen, he answered without conscience: “Your Majesty, please rest assured that the officials have carefully calculated, and the funds are more than enough!” Therefore, Song Zhenzong was awarded the title of “Jidu Food and Grass Envoy on Taishan Road”.
Ding claimed to have tasted the sweetness and even claimed to be a descendant of the mythological figure Ding Lingwei. Every morning, he would occupy the singing magpies, and at night, he would watch the lanterns. Even when he went out to his mansion, he would eavesdrop on people’s voices and use divination to bring good fortune. He even boldly claimed that a domesticated turtle was the incarnation of the Supreme Lord, and dug up a hollow space to offer the so-called auspicious items of Song Renzong, such as white deer and lingzhi, totaling “95000 copies
In his later years, Song Zhenzong, inspired by the “Five Ghosts” such as Wang Qinruo and Ding Yu, lost his basic judgment and made great efforts in the campaign of creating gods. It cost more than eight million yuan to seal Mount Taishan in the east and ten million yuan more to worship Fenyin in the west. In addition to large buildings such as the Yuqingzhaoying Palace, he almost squandered the savings of the previous dynasty.
（3） Treacherous and petty people
Kou Zhun and Ding Wei were originally like-minded friends. Kou Zhun repeatedly recommended Ding Wei to former Prime Minister Li Hang. Li Hang’s eyes lit up like torches, and he concluded that Ding was not a good troublemaker, so he ignored him. After Kou Zhun became the prime minister, Ding Yu showed him utmost respect.
Once, during lunch, Kou Zhun’s beard was too long, and the soup dripped down his beard. Ding Yu saw the situation and quickly got up to wipe his beard with his sleeve. Kou Zhun smiled and said, “Deputy Prime Minister Ding, you are a minister of the country. How can you hide your beard for your superior in public?” The crowd burst into laughter, and Ding said he was angry and resentful from then on.
After Ding Yu rose to fame, he always had a serious opposition to Kou Zhun’s political views. He seized the opportunity of Kou Zhun offending Emperor Zhenzong of Song due to the establishment of the heir apparent, falsely accusing Kou Zhun of plotting a political coup and replacing Kou Zhun to the throne. After Kou Zhun was expelled from the court and repeatedly demoted, Ding claimed that in order to put him to death, he colluded with eunuchs to modify the edict of Emperor Renzong of Song, blaming Kou Zhun for the illness of Emperor Zhenzong of Song, and took the opportunity to eliminate all officials in the court who had good relations with Kou Zhun. Kou Zhun was demoted again to Leizhou (now Haikang, Guangdong) and eventually died here as a guest.
Before Kou Zhun passed away, recalling Li Hang’s warning back then, were you filled with emotions?
Evil people have their own retribution. Ding said he eliminated political enemies, defected to Liu E, colluded with eunuchs, did whatever he wanted, and controlled everything with one hand. Eventually, due to numerous crimes, he was reported and dismissed from office and demoted to Yazhou (now Hainan Province) and other places. The imperial court, through his family, has received bribes from all directions, which cannot be punished
After being demoted, Ding Wei turned to self reflection and specialized in studying the Buddhist theory of karma and retribution. He wrote a letter to his family in Luoyang, sincerely confessing his past misdeeds and talking about the cultivation and love of the court and the country for him. He warned his family not to complain about the court’s lenient and correct treatment of him.
In fact, Ding Yu did not repent suddenly, but attempted to take a winding path: he sent someone to deliver this letter to the governor of Luoyang, Liu Ye, and begged Liu Ye to pass it on to his family. This action itself is unbelievable. Ding said that there is no silver left in this place. He instructed the messenger that the letter must be delivered in the presence of Liu Ye and his colleagues. After reading the letter, Liu Ye realized that Ding had put in a lot of effort and, just in case, presented it to Emperor Renzong of Song.
Ding said that his goal was indeed achieved: after reading it, Emperor Renzong of Song was both moved and sympathetic, and transferred him to Leizhou. Ding said he once wanted to pay respects to Kou Zhun on his way, but was refused. After being exiled and exiled for fifteen years, he passed away due to illness.
Is Ding Yu a minister with mixed reviews and criticisms, or a treacherous minister who surpasses the public? Later generations have different opinions and opinions. Looking at his achievements, they are indeed commendable.
Encouraging Emperor Zhenzong of Song to embark on large-scale construction and establish a Buddhist temple is certainly a stain, but if it weren’t for Emperor Zhenzong’s arrogance and vanity, it wouldn’t have been useful to expose the heavens, so we couldn’t have completely pinned the blame on him.
As for his desire to kill Kou Zhun, although it is excessive, Kou Zhun publicly humiliated him first. It is understandable that he seeks revenge for his own actions, but at most, his magnanimity is limited and he will not be beaten to death with a single blow.
So, I naively thought that although Ding Yu ranked second among the “Five Demons of the Song Dynasty”, he still belonged to a group of people whose achievements outweighed his mistakes.
