【Description】
Li Hongzhang had no idea that the blessing of prosperity enjoyed by his family began with a thought of kindness in the mind of his grandfather.
【Content】
Li Hongzhang was a famous minister of the Qing dynasty. He was somewhat similar to today’s prime ministers. Under the emperor, he held the greatest power. He managed regular state affairs and military matters. His ancestral home was Hefei, Anhui Province.
His grandfather studied Traditional Chinese Medicine and had been invited to treat the sick many times. One day, there was a heavy snowfall. There was no carriage to ride home, so he had to walk. Halfway along the road, beside the farmland, there was a faint sound of a baby crying. He looked around to find where the crying was coming from. He easily spotted the baby at the roadside; perhaps the baby’s parents wanted the child to be found easily, so she wasn’t very well hidden.
Due to the harsh cold, the child was weak, and her cry was faint. She needed immediate treatment. Grandpa Li knew the baby girl needed treatment. He brought her home and carefully examined her. Her face was covered with bumps. What was that? Smallpox. Because of this, her family had left her outside. A poor family of farmers had no other way to deal with this; that was the only way. They could only do that; if not, everyone would be infected.
Grandpa Li was a kind doctor. He decided to find a way to cure the baby girl. Grandpa Li wasn’t someone who hid things. So, after she recovered, and once the child grew up, he told her bluntly that she’d been found by the roadside. He told her the whole story in detail. The girl was grateful; she did all kinds of chores at his home. She was like a granddaughter and a servant. Their relationship was hard to define.
This young girl’s face was covered with pockmarks. Her big feet were never bound. She was still considered a member of a well-off family, but no one ever came to ask for her hand in marriage. One day, it was winter, and she fell asleep at the table. Grandpa Li’s son, Li Wenan, took off his robe and covered the girl with it. Grandpa Li saw his son’s act of kindness and thought he could have his son marry the girl. And he did, the two really got married.
Strangely, after Li Wenan got married, his luck changed. His luck had always been poor before this. For example, he spent six years finishing first and second grade of elementary school. The reason? Bad grades. The other kids had moved up, while he was still in elementary school. After marrying this young lady, Li Wenan passed every exam he took. Yes, even the advanced-level exams. He quickly gained the court’s favor. So, many men’s fortunes come from women. This is a fact. Fortune knows no gender. Sometimes your fortune comes from your spouse.
They had six sons, and four of them became top-ranking officials. What does that mean? It means they only took orders from the emperor. All four were top-ranking officials. Li Hongzhang was the most outstanding among the six. His mother was honored by Emperor Guangxu, the emperor at that time. He granted her a very noble title: “Gaoming Furen” (Imperial Command Lady).
She was given an imperial medal and an imperial cane by the emperor himself. Facing these was like facing the emperor, and you needed to bow on the spot. She also received a robe that matched her title. Her family’s door featured a large plaque inscribed by the emperor. And so, they were respected by many.
This is the story of a famous family blessed with prosperity in the late Qing dynasty.
(One thought of kindness brings prosperity to the family.)