Original text and translation of Mr. Linchuan Tang’s biography

Translation:

Mr.'s name is Xianzu, the meaning of the word is still, and his nickname is Ruoshi. He has been very smart and outstanding since he was a child. He has a tall and straight physique, and a handsome face. People who saw him praised him and said: "The Tang family has such a child." He was able to write essays and poems at the age of five. He will answer when tested, and he will answer again when tested. He showed no embarrassment despite being tested many times. At the age of 13, he took part in the public examination for school inspector and became a disciple. Every time you take an exam, you will definitely be the best among your peers. He was recommended in the countryside in the year of Gengwu, and he was only twenty years old. The people who saw him praised him again: "This is a person who is as talented as a horse with sweat and blood. He can travel a thousand miles a day. He is not a person who only walks in small steps on a wide and flat road."

Ding Chou When he participated in the general examination in 2011, Zhang Juzheng sent his followers to lure him with the promise of passing the examination, but his husband refused. He said: "I don't dare to lose my virginity like a woman." Although the gentleman is an old filial piety and integrity, his reputation has risen even more, and people all over the world regard him as lucky. By the time he passed the Jinshi examination in the Guiwei period, Zhang Juzheng had passed away, and those who were attached to him had all left. The teacher then sighed: "Suppose I was appointed because of dependence, wouldn't I fail because of dependence?" At that time, he was assisting two people in Puzhou and Suzhou. Their children had both passed the Jinshi examination, and they were friends who studied under the same teacher. So they wanted to invite him to the imperial court and offer him a post as a reward, but none of them agreed, for the same reason they rejected Zhang Juzheng.

Because I like to stay in the mountains and rivers, I asked to be Dr. Nan Taichang. After taking office, he closed the door and never left home, without any thought of becoming an official. Open the book and immerse yourself in it like a bookworm. The sound of reading will not stop until late at night every day. His family laughed at him and said: "What does the old doctor do to read?" He said: "I read my book, no matter if I am a doctor or not." Soon, he was transferred to Nanci Bulang with his doctorate. Although there is nothing much going on in the ministry, Mr. is very careful about his duties. Because he wrote a letter criticizing those in power for obstructing speech for selfish reasons, he was demoted to Guangdong and became Lieutenant Xu Wen. After staying for a long time, he was transferred to Suichang Order. And because there were many mistakes in the taxation of minerals, when he went to Beijing with the planners, he asked the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel to resign and go home. Although the lord, Dianxuan, and imperial censors all tried to persuade him to stay, his husband never looked back and resigned and went into seclusion irretrievably.

At home, Zhongcheng Huiwen and the ceremonial guards below the county guards often filled the alleys, but he did not invite and greet them. Even if there are major events at the time, we won't talk about things that don't cause public outrage. Others advised him to ask for intercession to build relations. He said: "I can't use my face and words to gain money, and do things that I don't know what future generations will say." Pointing to the books on the bed, he said: "With these, you won't be poor." There is no book that the husband does not read. He is especially good at studying "Selected Works", closing the book and reciting it, and he is good at every word. There is no one who does not imitate the writing of poetry, especially those who are proficient in the writing styles of Qinglian Shaoling and others of the Six Dynasties in Xijing. The husband then wrote the remaining parts into legends, such as "Purple Xiao" and "Resurrection", the level of which is indeed beyond everyone else. After each piece of music was written, Xiao Shi was asked to sing it, and he responded to it, and the sound of the song shook the sky. Everyone who knew him called him a god.

My husband and I agreed to visit the mountains and rivers of Lingyan Huqiu, but we couldn’t prepare enough food for three months, so we gave up hesitantly. But if the husband does not say that he is poor, others will not know that he is poor. Don’t you, sir, firmly believe in your own heart? Even if I hold a riding crop for him to drive the carriage, I am still happy and admire him.