Gao Shilian of “Twenty-four Meritorious Ministers
On the 28th day of the 2nd month (March 23rd) of the 17th year of the Tang Dynasty (643 A.D.), Emperor Taizong of Tang ordered Yan Liben to paint the portraits of twenty-four ministers of merit in the Lingyin Pavilion of the Chang’an Palace in remembrance of the many ministers who had fought together. These portraits are life-size, and Taizong often went to the nostalgia. The pavilion is divided into three layers, the innermost layer of the painting for the highest merit of the minister, of which, the opening ceremony with the Third Secretary, the right servant of the Shang Shu, Shen Guo Gong Gao Shi Lian ranked sixth.
Emperor Taizong said: “Gao Shilian has been involved in ancient and modern times, and has a clear mind. In the face of difficulties does not change the section, when the official without cronies. The only thing he lacks is a bone of advice.”
A famous family member with a high reputation for talent
Gao Shilian (575 – February 14, 647), whose real name was Gao Jian and whose character was Shilian, was a native of Bohai Muangshan County (now Jing County, Hebei). He was the uncle of Empress Changsun of Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty.
Gao Shilian’s grandfather, Gao Yue, was the cousin of Emperor Shenwu of Northern Qi, Gao Huan, who was crowned King of Qinghe and became the left servant archer and lieutenant. His father, Gao Li, was the king of Le’an of Northern Qi and also served as the left servant archer. After entering Zhou after the Northern Qi, he was somehow not killed by Emperor Wu of Zhou together with Gao Wei, the later lord of Qi. After the Sui Dynasty replaced the Northern Zhou, his father also served as the assassin of four states of the Sui Dynasty, including Taozhou.
According to the history, Gao Shilian was very talented and elegant when he was young, and he was well versed in literature and history. He became friends with Xue Daoheng (540-609), a great poet of the Sui dynasty, and Cui Zujun, a scholar of the residence, who were known as the “literary patriarch of the generation”, and was an instant talent, and was praised by public officials.
However, Gao Shilian thought that he was a member of the Northern Qi clan and should not make friends with famous people, so he kept a very low profile and lived in seclusion in the Terminal South Mountain, shutting his door to guests.
Value of love and recognition of talent
During the reign of Emperor Yang of Sui Dynasty, Gao Shilian became a court official (in charge of ceremonial affairs). Gao Shilian’s sister married Chang Sun Sheng, a general of the Sui Dynasty (? -956) and had a son, Changsun Wuji (594-659), and a daughter, Changsun. Gao Shilian and his sister were so close that he took his sister and two children into his home to take care of their food and living after the death of Changsun Sheng in the fifth year of Daye (609).
Gao Shilian had a good understanding of people, he found the temperament of the young Li Shimin was different from ordinary people, and decided that he would be able to achieve great things, so he married his sister’s daughter, Changsun, who was later the famous Queen Wen De (601-636).
Filial piety and brotherhood
During the Sui army’s crusade against Liaodong, Yang Xuanqian, the Minister of Rites, started a rebellion in Liyang (northeast of present-day Henan Jion County), and Duangsheng, the minister of the Ministry of War, fled to Goryeo in haste. Since Gao Shilian and Duangsheng had a relationship, they were also implicated. In the ninth year of Daye, Gao Shilian was relegated to Zhukis County in Lingnan as the chief bookkeeper. At that time, the world was already in great turmoil.
Gao Shilian served his mother with great filial piety and was worried about the seriousness of the miasma in Lingnan, so he was not able to bring his mother with him to the post, so he left his wife, Xian Yu, to support her. Thinking that once he left, his sister, who had no one to depend on, would have no place to live, he sold his mansion and bought a small house for his sister to live in, and distributed the rest of the money to his family, and then went on his way alone and lightly.
In the midst of the chaos, the local magnates had cut themselves off as kings and traffic was blocked. Gao Shilian stayed in the south for a long time and did not know his mother’s situation. One day when he took a nap, he dreamed that his mother was talking to him and he was sitting next to her, so close to her. When he woke up and found out that it was a dream, Gao Shilian missed his mother so much that he couldn’t help but cry. Coincidentally, he received a message from his mother the next day. The people of the time thought that this was a miracle inspired by his filial piety.
Returning to the Tang Dynasty with a form and the merit of the command
After Li Yuan established the Tang Dynasty, he changed his name to Wu De. In the fifth year of Wu De, Gao Shilian and Qiu He, the governor of Jiaotui, surrendered to Li Xiaogong, the commander of the Tang army, and submitted to the Tang court. In the following year, Gao Shilian became the ruler of Yongzhou. At that time, Li Shimin was the pastor of Yongzhou, and he respected Gao Shilian very much because he was his wife’s uncle and he was very talented and reputable.
In the ninth year of Wu De, the Turk invaded, Li Yuan ordered Li Yuan Ji to replace Li Shimin in the expedition, with the intention of seizing Li Shimin’s military power. The conflict between Li Shimin and the hidden prince Li Jiancheng further intensified and finally triggered the Xuanwumen Mutiny.
Before that, the military power of the King of Qin was taken away. At this critical moment, when Li Shimin had no troops in his hands, Gao Shilian personally led the officials and soldiers to release the prisoners in custody from the prison, issued them weapons, formed a temporary force, and rushed with them to Fanglin Gate, effectively cooperating with Li Shimin’s action for the ultimate success.
After Li Shimin was made the crown prince, he appointed Gao Shilien as the right concubine son of the crown prince. After the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang, the reign was changed to Zhenguan. In the first year of Zhenguan, Gao Shilian was appointed as the Duke of Yixing County.
Since Gao Shilian was a good speaker and had a very elegant manner of speech and behavior, his advice often attracted the attention of famous gentlemen and ministers of the court.
Good governance of Shu
In the first year of Zhenguan (627), Gao Shilian was transferred to Yizhou (Yizhou covers the area of today’s Sichuan Basin and Hanzhong Basin). During his tenure in Yizhou, Gao Shilian did a lot of things to change the customs.
At that time, there was a despicable custom in Shu that people were afraid of ghosts and monsters and hated diseases. If a parent was seriously ill, most of the children in Shu did not attend to them personally, but hung food on wooden sticks and handed them to their parents from a distance. Gao Shilian, in accordance with the people’s feelings, gave instructions and finally improved the bad customs of the Shu people.
Back in the Qin Dynasty, Li Bing governed Shu and built many water conservation projects to divert the water of Min River (also called Wen River or Du River) from flooding and to help the people irrigate their fields. Therefore, a hectare of land located nearby was worth a thousand dollars, and many wealthy families would compete to grab those lands. In order to facilitate more people in Shu to irrigate their land, Gao Shilian dug new canals in addition to the original ones, so that the people of Shu could benefit greatly.
In order to revitalize the schools in Shu, Gao Shilian recruited literati and held literary meetings whenever he had spare time, and ordered Confucian scholars to lecture on scripture and history. Gao Shilian’s good governance became a beautiful story in Shu.
Re-entered the court and held important positions
In the fifth year of Zhenguan (631), Gao Shilian joined the court again and was appointed as the minister of the Ministry of Justice, and was made the Duke of Xu. Gao Shilian was good at identifying talents and familiar with the affairs of the gatekeepers, and all the officials he recommended, regardless of their talents and origins, were worthy of their positions. Later, under the order of Emperor Taizong, Gao Shilien compiled the Clan Records according to the ranking of different clans, in order to praise the loyal and virtuous people and depose the rebellious and evil ones.
In 638, Gao Shilian and Changsun Wuji were granted permission by Emperor Taizong to inherit the title of Assassins for generations because of their meritorious service. Gao Shilian was renamed the Duke of Shen, and was hereditary Assassin of Shenzhou, and moved to the Right Servant of the Shang Shu. In 643, King Taizong ordered that Gao Shilien’s portrait be painted on the Lingyinge in recognition of his achievements.
In 645, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty conquered Goguryeo and asked Crown Prince Li Zhizhi to oversee the country and stay in Dingzhou. Gao Shilian was appointed as the prince’s tutor and presided over the imperial government.
Emperor Taizong mourned the fall of a famous minister
In 646, when Gao Shilian was seriously ill, Emperor Taizong of Tang visited him personally. Gao Shilian talked to Emperor Taizong about his life experiences and finally cried and said goodbye to him.
In the first month of the following year, Gao Shilian died at his home in Chongrenli, Chang’an, at the age of 72.
When Taizong heard the news, he ordered to drive to Gao’s house to mourn in person. Fang Xuanling thought that Taizong had just taken the medicine of gold and stone, and that it was forbidden to mourn. Emperor Taizong said, “I am mourning this time not only for the courtesy of rulers and subjects, but also for the deep love of my deceased friends and the generosity of my in-laws.”
Seeing that Taizong had led hundreds of horsemen to the Yanxi Gate, Changsun Wuji galloped his horse and rushed in front of Taizong, advising him not to hang the funeral: “Hanging the funeral after taking medicine is clearly forbidden in the medical books. Your Majesty, who raises the people, must cherish himself for the sake of the country. My deceased uncle Gao Shilian, before he died, knew that he was beyond saving, so he said to me: ‘Your Majesty’s kindness is as heavy as a mountain, and he usually cares so much that even such trivial things as hairpins and shoes will not be forgotten. After my death, Your Majesty may have to personally attend the funeral. I reflect on myself, I am just a mere mortal, not helpful to His Majesty, how can I continue to bother His Majesty after my death. If the spirits of the dead have spirits, I will certainly be condemned.'”
Changsun Wuji’s words were earnest, but Taizong still did not allow it. Chang Sun Wuji fell down in front of his horse and cried bitterly, and only then did Taizong return to the palace. On the day of Gao Shilian’s funeral, Taizong climbed to the northwest tower of the old city, looked at the coffin and mourned.
The Zhaoling Mausoleum was the location of the tomb of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, and only courtiers who had made meritorious achievements could be buried with them after their death. The Emperor Taizong issued an edict that Gao Shilian be buried with him in the Zhaoling, posthumously given the title of Situ, governor of Bingzhou, posthumous title of Documenta, with the temple court of the Emperor Taizong.
Gao Shilian, whether in the officialdom, or stay at home, his treatment of people are reflected in a “virtue” word. He was also a good friend to Emperor Taizong and maintained the righteousness of the ruler and his subjects from the beginning to the end; he was devoted to the society and the mountains of the Tang Dynasty, transforming the people’s customs and promoting good governance, and devoted to the welfare of the people. As Emperor Taizong said, “His virtue is profound and his efforts are far-reaching.”
Reference.
The Old Book of Tang, Volume 64, Volume 65, Volume 69
The New Book of Tang, vol. 95
The Imperial Decree on the Burial of Gao Shilian in the Complete Tang Dynasty
Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 198
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