When Wu Yinzhi was an official in Jinling, he never accepted gifts from anyone. The salary given to him by the court not only maintained the life of the whole family, but also helped those who had difficulties in life. In order to save more money, he is careful everywhere, not only rarely eating meat, but also letting his wife weave and sew clothes by herself; I bought firewood in the street and carried it home by myself. One winter was so cold that Wu Yinzhi and his wife didn't even have thick quilts. When my daughter got married, because she had no money to buy a dowry, she reluctantly dragged a beloved puppy to the street to sell it, just to reluctantly buy some simple dowry.
After Wu Yinzhi was promoted to Guangzhou secretariat, he was still incorruptible.
Guangzhou is thousands of miles away from Jiankang (now Nanjing), the capital of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Many officials rely on the sky to be high and the emperor to be far away, and they are often lawless. The secretariat in charge of military and political affairs here means that local officials are always running amok. In addition, Guangzhou is rich in rare treasures. As long as one person can get a box of treasures, it will be enough for generations to enjoy. Most of Guangzhou's previous secretariat and its subordinates were criminals of corruption and bribery.
However, these people who have committed bribery do not know how to examine their moral integrity. Instead, they try their best to excuse themselves, saying that they committed a crime in Guangzhou because they accidentally drank the water from the "greedy spring" on their way to work. "Chanquan" is a spring in Shimen, 20 miles away from Guangzhou. Therefore, in order to show that they are honest officials, officials do not drink the water of "greedy springs" no matter how thirsty they are.
Wu Yinzhi took office as the secretariat of Guangzhou, but when he passed by, he had to drink "Chanquan" water. His family advised him to be careful. Wu Yinzhi didn't listen, not only drank water, but also wrote a poem:
The ancients cloud this water, pregnant with thousands;
Try to drink this water, and then don't change your clean heart.
He feels that as long as there is no insatiable desire in his heart, he will not be greedy no matter how he drinks.
After Wu Yinzhi became the secretariat of Guangzhou, the furnishings in the room were extremely ordinary, and he usually ate vegetables, dried fish and the like. Someone instigated the chef to remove the fishbone when cooking, suggesting that Guangzhou is remote and corruption will not get stuck in his throat. Wu Yinzhi is not only indifferent to this hint, but also more vigilant. When Wu Yinzhi returned to Jiankang, he didn't even bring any gold and silver. His wife once bought a catty of agarwood, and Wu Yinzhi found it and threw it into the river, so the river was called "Aquilaria Pool".
He has been an official for decades, and his family has only a few acres of thin land and a few huts. Someone wanted to give him horses and chariots, and he wanted to build him another house, but he resolutely refused. Therefore, people say that Wu Yinzhi is a good official. He can do whatever he wants, but he can't change his behavior.
Complaining about others is a common fault of corrupt officials. In fact, the greed of corrupt officials is nature. What does it matter? Zhou Dunyi, a master of Neo-Confucianism in the Northern Song Dynasty, was virtuous. He was sentenced to Guangdong Road. He is an honest official who once named a mountain spring in Lianzhou as "Li Anquan". If we drink fountains, will it be cheaper to drink cheap spring water? Don't! To be an official, one must cultivate one's morality to resist the temptation. For example, Wang Bo's Preface to Wang Tengting said: "Poor and strong, do not fall into the sky; I feel cold when I am greedy for spring, and I am happy when I am dry. " Wu Yinzhi, no matter where he is tempted, can keep clean and honest, and live a clean and honest life, which sets an example for officials and is also an example for future generations to learn.