This story names 江革行佣供母：Jiang Ge Looked After His Mother by Working as a Hireling.
Jiang Ge was from Linzi (in today’s Shandong Province), his father passed away when he was young and he looked after his mother quite well. During the wars, Jiang Ge carried his mother fled from the danger. Several times they met bandits, they would killed him. Jiang Ge cried and said: My mother was old and there was no one looking after her... The bandits saw him filial piety and did not bear to kill him.
Then he moved to Xiapi (in today’s Jiangsu Province), to look after his mother by working as an hireling. He itself was poor and walked barefooted, his mother had anything she needed.
At the times of Emperor Ming of Han (28－75), he was chosen as a Xiao Lian -- Xiao and Lian were two subjects to select officials in the Han Dynasty (206— 220). Xiao means a person was filial piety, Lian means a person was rectitude. Especially in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220), they were the only road that anyone who wanted to become an official. Later, both of the two subjects were combined into one subject. Therefore, Xiao Lian also means the people who were chosen and had the good quality of filial piety and rectitude. Usually, after a person was chosen as a Xiao Lian, if he had no any official position, he would be offered one. If he was a low rank officer, he would be promoted on a high rank official position.
Then in the times of Emperor Zhang of Han (57年－88), he was chosen to be Xian Liang Fang Zhen – A good and able man and then he was appointed a higher rank official position,.
I painted this painting last week.
How do you think of this painting and this story? Do you enjoy them?
