During the Tang Dynasty, the north-central part of Vietnam and parts of Guangxi, collectively known as “Jiaozhou”, were under the jurisdiction of the Tang Emperor. In this remote state, which was very far from China, there came a righteous man, Liao Youfang, who shook China and Yi, and did something that aroused the admiration and admiration of the ministers of the dynasty and became a cultural coordinate of the dynasty.
In 815 AD, Liao Youfang from Jiaoshu entered the capital to take the examination, but failed. He then went to Sichuan for a relaxing trip. He went to the west of Baoji and stayed in a hotel. One day, he suddenly heard a painful moaning sound, so he went to the next room and saw a dying scholar.
Liao Youfang asked him, “What is wrong with you?” The scholar said reluctantly, “I have worked hard to enter the capital for the exams, but I have failed several times in a row. Now I am dying. Before I die, I have one thing to ask. I wish to entrust my remains to you!” The scholar was in pain and could not speak anymore. Although it was a one-sided relationship, seeing someone in distress, Liao Youfang was anxious to find someone to cure him, but the scholar passed away in the blink of an eye.
In order to bury the scholar, Liao Youfang sold his horse cheaply to a rich gentleman in the village. With the money he got from the sale of the horse, he bought a coffin for the sick stranger and buried him properly. Unfortunately, he did not know the scholar’s name, so he had to erect a tombstone for him without a surname. The inscription reads.
“I lament the fact that when you died, you were already shy and penniless. You had a hard Life and failed to achieve success in several examinations. Although I only met you once, I really mourned for you. I don’t know where your hometown is, and I don’t know how I should tell your Family!”
When Liao Junjia was returning from his trip to Sichuan, he passed by Lingniao Station to stay overnight. While he and the people were chatting, a postmaster, the military general in charge of the post, approached him. He introduced himself and said, “My name is Dai Keqin, and I would like to invite you to my house for a chat.”
Liao Jun followed the postmaster to a mansion, where he saw the postmaster’s wife dressed in plain clothes, mournfully crying and bowing down to Liao Youfang. Youfang did not understand what she meant and hastily told her to get up. The postmaster explained, “This spring, the showman you buried was named Hu Ò, my wife’s little brother.”
The postmaster and his wife were so grateful to Liao Youfang that they brought out the best of everything in the house and treated him attentively, just like their own family. Liao Jun felt that it was not right for him to enjoy the mountainous Food and seafood every day when he did not do anything great. He thanked the postmaster and his wife politely and was about to leave for his hometown. Before leaving, the postmaster and his wife gave him a pack of silk, worth a thousand taels.
Liao Youfang refused to accept it, saying, “I am just an ordinary man who knows a little about the past and the present. It is only natural for me to bury a literary friend by chance. I am really ashamed to accept such a generous gift from you!” After saying that, Liao left with his horse.
The postmaster took the gift and got on his horse to see him off, and sent him on one journey after another, and he didn’t leave until the next post. When the postmaster saw that he really did not accept the gift, he had no choice but to look at his distant back and wept alone. So, the postmaster gave the silk to the villagers in the countryside as a reward.
A respected gentleman in the village reported their kindness to the state government. The state government was also deeply moved, so they reported the matter to the court. In the glorious Tang Dynasty, the country was so clean and simple that all the ministers of the court admired Liao Youfang’s righteous deeds. Thus, this ordinary scholar without merit was jointly recommended by all the ministers of the court. At that Time, the foreign people in remote areas were also moved by it. All the people in the Tang dynasty, regardless of the Chinese and foreigners, called him “the righteous man of Huang Tang”.
In the next year, Liao Youfang won the scholarship and was appointed as the magistrate of Yunyang County in Jingzhao Prefecture. Dai Keqin, a postmaster, was also respected by the people because he did not love the valuable silk and gave it to them as a reward for his righteous deeds. Later, Dai Keqin was promoted to the position of the festival envoy and became the local military governor.
(The incident is according to Taiping Guangji, Vol. 167, Qi Yi II)
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