Jolene

In the winter of the first year of Tianbao of the Tang Dynasty, Qiao Lin set out from Taiyuan to the capital to take the examination. When he arrived at Daliang (now Kaifeng, Henan Province), he stayed in an inn. It was so cold and snowy that his horse froze to death and all his servants left him. Qiao Lin heard that Liu Yanzhuang, a lieutenant of Junyi, liked to make friends, so he went to ask for help. One of Yanzhuang’s friends was a man named Shen Tusheng, who was proficient in palmistry. He claimed to be over 80 years old and was a bully and arrogant person. Even though Hik Chong’s friends and guests were well-known people, he never bowed to them.

When Qiao Lin came, he was very cordial to Qiao Lin, which was strange to Hikozhuang. Hik Chong said to Shen Tu Sheng, “I have never seen you say a word to any of my guests, whether they are virtuous or unworthy. Qiao Lin is just a simple man of the cloth, why are you so polite to him?” Shen Tusheng replied with a smile, “This man is not an ordinary person! He will become your superior. You should treat him well, and you will be rewarded by him later. I befriended him for your sake. Unfortunately, when you look at his face, there are signs of rebellion. If he becomes a high official, he will not last more than a hundred days, and after he is seventy years old, he is bound to die. You remember what I have said today.”

Yan Zhuang then entertained Qiao Lin for several days and presented him with a carriage and horses so that he could reach Chang’an safely. And Shen Tu Sheng also prepared to take his leave, and before he left said to Hik Chong, “I have received your kindness, and today I have repaid it; let us part from now on.” After Shen Tu Sheng left, his whereabouts were never known.

Qiao Lin did later win a scholarship and became a staff member of a high-ranking official. In the middle of the Dali period, he was appointed as the governor of Huai Prefecture when Yanzhuang was the magistrate of Xiuwu, a county under the jurisdiction of Huai Prefecture, and his family appealed for redress of grievances due to a miscarriage of justice in his case. When Qiao Lin arrived in Huizhou, he was able to get Yan Zhuang pardoned.

In the early year of Jianzhong, Qiao Lin was promoted to the post of Minister of the Central Secretariat, but resigned due to illness after only eighty-seven days in office. Later, when Zhu bright plotted to rebel, Qiao Lin had already cut his hair and became a monk. When Zhu Bright found out about it, he forced him to accept his appointment and participated in the rebellion. After the rebellion was quelled, Qiao Lin stated how he was forced to participate in the rebellion. The emperor did not allow him to die, so Qiao Lin was put to death. He died at the age of seventy-one.

(From “Qian Ding Lu”)