Why can a county magistrate force former Beijing official Chen Ziang to death?

When it comes to Chen Ziang, people always think of his masterpiece on Youzhou Tower. This great poet, together with Li Bai, Meng Haoran, Wang Wei and others, is called "Ten Friends of Immortals". His poems are magnificent, profound and powerful, and all the rage.

However, perhaps it was this jealous genius, the legendary poet with outstanding personality, who only lived for 42 years and then fell quietly in a hurry.

As for the cause of his death, there are still different opinions, and there are two main theories.

The first view is that Chen Ziang died at the hands of Duan Jian, a stingy and greedy county magistrate.

There are many records about this cause of death in historical books. There is a record in the Book of Old Tang Dynasty: "Zi Ang's father was humiliated by Duan Jian, a county magistrate, and was arrested in the township. Jane went to prison for her work, and she died of anger. She is over forty years old. "

It is recorded in the Book of the New Tang Dynasty in a little detail: "At the beginning of the holy calendar, officials were held by elders, and officials were supported by imperial edicts. I will mourn my father, and I will be buried in the grave. I cry every time I mourn. Duan Jian, the county magistrate, was greedy for money and violent. He heard of his wealth and wanted to harm Zi Ang. His family paid 0.2 million/200 thousand, and he was taken to prison. When Ziang saw the arrest, he made a confession and did divination. He was surprised and said, "If my fate doesn't come true, I will die soon!" " If you die in prison, you will be 43 years old. "

There is also a very detailed record of his death, that is, the biography of Chen written by his best friend Lu Zangyong.

Combining these three records, we can clearly see that in the first year of Wu Zetian's holy calendar, Chen Ziang asked to abdicate and retire on the grounds that his father was old and weak, and returned to his hometown of Sichuan to fight floods. Wu Zetian issued a letter to allow him to return to China with his post and still receive a right salary.

Chen Ziang, who returned to his hometown, built dozens of huts in Xishan, making a living by planting trees and collecting herbs, and at the same time preparing the compiled history books.

In July of the following year, Chen Ziang's father died. He had to stop writing and start organizing his father's funeral. On June+10 in 5438, Chen Ziang buried his father in his hometown and wrote a letter for him. After that, Chen Ziang, who was heartbroken, cried for a day and was heartbroken. So thin.

Just then, Duan Jian, the local county magistrate, coveted Chen's property and accused him of injury.

Chen Ziang was awed by Duan Jian's arrogance and had to ask his family to raise 200,000 yuan for Duan Jian. But the greedy Duan Jian spared Chen Ziang and arrested him.

Chen Ziang was tortured in prison, so he couldn't lift his stick, knowing that his life was in danger. So he told a fortune, which showed that his life span was not long, but he looked up at the sky and sighed and said, "I'm finished!" "

However, the above statement was opposed by others, who raised two questions.

First, Chen Ziang lived a life of integrity and was famous in the imperial court. Even cruel officials like Zhou Xing and Lai Junchen are not afraid. Why are they afraid of a small county magistrate Duan Jian? Second, even though Chen Ziang has retired from his hometown, he is still a well-known official in Beijing, and he is also well-known at the local level, enough to compete with Duan Jian. Why are you in a hurry to give money after being blackmailed by Duan Jian, which eventually leads to both people and money?

Obviously, these problems are not unreasonable.

When Chen Ziang was an official, he was outspoken and outspoken. He was imprisoned by Julian for "opposing the Party" against Wu Zetian.

Later, when Wu Youyi conquered Khitan and served as a military staff officer, he repeatedly criticized Wu Youyi for improper use of troops and put forward many good strategies to break the enemy. However, Wu Youyi, who was headstrong, not only refused to listen to his advice, but thought that he was "a scholar after all, and thanked him". In a rage, she demoted Chen Ziang to sergeant.

Moreover, the Chen family is a famous family in Shehong and is famous. Starting from Chen Ziang's grandfather, "the people of the country are like birds from the phoenix." By the time his father Chen arrived, his fame was growing day by day. Many neighbors had lawsuits and disputes. They didn't listen to the county magistrate's decision, but went to Chen to seek a ruling.

(Wu Zetian)

So, which of the above two views is correct? What is the real cause of Chen Ziang's death?

I think Chen Ziang should be killed by the greedy county magistrate Duan Jian.

Indeed, there are contradictions between Chen Ziang and Wushi authorities. For example, a dispute with Wu Youyi during the war, or a letter against Wu Zetian's political views, and so on.