Guo Jun, style name Hongyi, was from Wenshui, Shanxi. His family lived harmoniously together for seven generations, with dogs and pigs suckling side by side, crows and magpies building nests together. People at the time regarded this as a sign of filial piety. The local government reported this to the court, and the Emperor sent the official Yu Wenbi to visit his family. The supervising official, Liu Yu, even visited his home to commend him during an inspection of Hebei. When Han Wang Liang was appointed governor of Bingzhou, he highly praised this and rewarded Guo Jun and his brothers with clothes.
Tian Yi, no one knows where he is from. He was especially filial, and his reputation for filial piety towards his mother spread far and wide. His stepmother had been bedridden for over a year, and Tian Yi personally changed the bedding to keep it dry. He would only eat when his mother ate, and if she didn't eat, he wouldn't either. Later, when his mother fell gravely ill with dysentery, Tian Yi thought it was food poisoning and even sampled the food himself. After his mother passed away, Tian Yi was overcome with grief and fainted on the spot. His wife also died from excessive grief, and the villagers buried them together.
Niu Hui, style name Xiaozheng, was from Anyi, Hedong, Shanxi. He was exceptionally filial; when his parents passed away during the reign of Emperor Wu Cheng of Northern Zhou, he lived next to their graves and personally piled up the soil. A hemp plant grew in front of the grave, soaring to a height of ten feet with a sturdy trunk and lush leaves that stayed green year-round. A crow built a nest on top of it, and when Niu Hui wept, the crow mourned alongside him, which many found peculiar. Emperor Wu commended his family and promoted him to be the magistrate of Gantang County. He died in the early years of the Kaihuang era.
His son Zishixiong has been upright and filial since childhood. After his father passed away, he lived by his father's grave and personally shoveled the dirt. There was a locust tree in front of his house, which used to grow especially lush. However, during his period of mourning, the tree surprisingly withered. When he completed the mourning period and returned home, the dead tree miraculously revived! The emperor learned of this and was moved by their filial piety, issuing a decree to commend them and naming the place they lived "Leide Li."
Liu Shijun, a native of Pengcheng in Xuzhou, was exceptionally filial. After his mother passed away, he fainted several times but revived each time. He didn't eat or drink for seven days, lived by his mother's grave, personally shoveled the dirt, and planted many pine and cypress trees. Even foxes and wolves were touched by his devotion and brought him food. After Emperor Gaozu ascended the throne, he also recognized his family.
Lang Fanggui, a native of Huainan, had ambitions from a young age and lived together with his cousin Shuanggui. During the reign of Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty, Fanggui went out in the rain and the Huai River flooded. He waited at the ferry crossing for a boat to cross the river, but the boatman got angry with him and fractured his arm. When he returned home, Shuanggui asked anxiously what had happened, and Fanggui explained in detail. Shuanggui, angry, ran to the ferry crossing and killed the boatman. The ferry guards arrested them, and after questioning, they believed that Fanggui was the mastermind and should be sentenced to death, while Shuanggui was an accomplice and should be exiled. The brothers argued over who was the mastermind and should receive a severe punishment. The county court couldn't decide, so they escalated the matter to the prefecture. The brothers both confessed, but the prefecture couldn't make a decision either, and both contemplated suicide by jumping into the river. The prefecture reported the situation to the court, and the emperor, intrigued by the situation, pardoned them, recognized their family, and rewarded them with a hundred bolts of cloth. Eventually, Fanggui rose to become the chief scribe of the prefecture.
Zhai Pulin, a man from Chuqiu, was known for his kindness, righteousness, and filial piety, with a reputation for showing filial piety to his parents. Despite repeated summons to take up official posts in various regions, he consistently declined in order to work the land and support his parents. He was known by his neighbors as "Mr. Chuqiu." While caring for them, he never changed his clothes for seventy years. In the early years of the Sui Dynasty, after his parents passed away, he was overcome with grief to the point of losing his sanity. He built a shelter next to their graves, personally dug the grave, and wore only thin linen clothing even in winter. A black dog from his home always accompanied him at the graveyard, howling in sorrow whenever Zhai Pulin wept, leaving onlookers in awe. Two magpies built nests in the cypress tree in front of his house and would often fly into his shelter, displaying no fear and behaving quite gently. During the Sui Dynasty, a magistrate inspecting his acts of filial piety reported to the court, resulting in his appointment as the magistrate of Xiaoyang County.
Li Derao was from Baishan County in Zhao County. His grandfather, Li Che, was the Right Minister of the Wei Dynasty; his father, Li Chun, held the position of Chief Historian in Jiezhou during the Kaihuang era of the Sui Dynasty. Li Derao was bright and eager to learn from a young age, kind-hearted, and well-respected by all. In his youth, he became a Junior Scholar and worked in the Ministry of Interior, handling official documents. He later rose to become an Imperial Censor, performing his duties impartially, even having the courage to correct the mistakes of the relatives of high-ranking officials. In the third year of the Daye years of the Sui Dynasty, he was promoted to the position of Attendant Censor, frequently inspecting various places, righting wrongs for the innocent, and commending those who were filial to their parents and loving towards their siblings. Although his rank wasn't particularly high, his upright character and noble morals earned him great respect at the time. Those who associated with him were renowned scholars and talents of the time. He was particularly filial to his parents; when they were ill, he often went days without food and wouldn't change his clothes for weeks. During the mourning period after their passing, he went without water for five days, and from overwhelming grief, he vomited several liters of blood. On the day of the funeral, in the middle of a heavy winter snowstorm, he walked barefoot for over forty miles in coarse mourning attire, crying all the way and nearly fainting. Not a single person among the more than a thousand attendees at the funeral was without tears. Afterwards, dew miraculously fell from the trees in his family’s yard, and magpies built nests under the eaves of his house. When the Minister Yang Da inspected Hebei, he made a special trip to Li Derao's home to pay his respects, renaming the village where Li Derao lived as "Filial Piety Village" and the township as "Harmony Township." Later, he was appointed as the magistrate of Jinhe County, but before he could even take office, a wave of banditry hit the area, with bandit leaders such as Ge Qian and Sun Xuanya creating chaos in the Bohai region. The court ordered the pacification of these bandits, but they were too scared to surrender. Upon hearing of Li Derao's honesty and reliability, they sent a petition to the court saying, "If Li Derao is sent, we will surrender together." The Emperor then dispatched Li Derao to persuade these bandits to surrender in Bohai. When Li Derao arrived in Guan County, he found that the county had been captured by other bandits, and he was tragically killed.
His younger brother, Li Dezai, was a man of integrity who kept his promises. During the reign of the Sui Dynasty, he served as a judicial assistant in Lishi County, and the governor, Yang Zichong, held him in high regard. Later, when the rebels rose up, Yang Zichong was killed and his body was discarded outside the city. Li Dezai mourned deeply and arranged for his burial. After arriving in Jiexiu, he sought out the rebels and requested to handle the funeral arrangements for Yang Zichong. The general greatly appreciated him, posthumously conferred an official title upon Yang Zichong, and appointed Li Dezai as an envoy to handle the funeral affairs for Yang Zichong in Lishi.
Hua Qiu was from Linhe County in Jiji County. He lost his father at a young age and had always been filial to his mother, gaining a reputation for his filial devotion. His family was very poor, and he supported himself by doing odd jobs. When his mother fell ill, Hua Qiu grew thin and disheveled, and people across the entire region felt sympathy for him. After his mother passed away, he neglected his appearance, and eventually lost all his hair. He built a shed next to his mother's grave, built up the tomb himself, and refused any help offered by others. During the Deyi era, the court ordered a hunt for foxes, leading to large-scale hunting in counties. A rabbit being chased by hunters ran into Hua Qiu's shed and hid under his knees. When the hunters arrived at the shed and saw the situation, they were surprised and let the rabbit go. From then on, the rabbit would come to the shed every night and became quite attached to Hua Qiu. County officials praised his devotion to his mother and reported it to the emperor. Emperor Yang of Sui sent officials to offer their condolences and honored his family. Later, as bandits began to roam the area, often near Hua Qiu's shed, they warned each other, "Don’t mess with this devoted son!" Many villagers were saved from misfortune thanks to Hua Qiu.
Xu Xiaosu was also from Ji County. His family was part of a large clan with thousands of households, most of whom took pride in their extravagance and luxury, but Xu Xiaosu is known for his frugality and filial piety. Despite his young age, whenever disputes occur in the family, everyone would ask him to mediate, and those he criticized would all acknowledge their mistakes and back down. Xu Xiaosu lost his father when he was very young and didn't know what his father looked like. As he grew older, he asked his mother what his father looked like, then had a painter draw a portrait of him, constructed a small shrine in his honor, and regularly paid his respects. He was extremely filial in serving his mother, and for decades, his family had never witnessed him lose his temper. When his mother grew old and fell ill, Xu Xiaosu personally took care of her, attending to her diet and daily needs with great care. After years of devoted care, onlookers couldn't help but feel sorrowful. After his mother passed away, Xu Xiaosu ate only vegetarian food and drank water; even in the depths of winter, he wore only light clothing, becoming extremely thin. He personally constructed tombs for his grandparents and parents, lived next to the graves for over forty years, with disheveled hair and barefoot, and eventually passed away in that condition.
His younger brother, Xu Debei, was intelligent and knowledgeable in the Five Classics, and was recognized as a Confucian scholar in the Hebei region. After Xu Debei passed away, his son, Xu Chumo, also observed mourning rituals beside the graves, and their family has been celebrated for their filial piety for generations.
Historical records say: in the past, promoting filial piety often depended on the support of royal officials and ministers. But in recent years, the emphasis on filial piety and brotherly love is now more prevalent among ordinary families. People like Yanshi and Daoze, some of whom hailed from generations of high-ranking officials, some who swore to serve the country, ended up losing their families and suffering due to their devotion to filial piety. While this contradicts the system established by ancient emperors, it also highlights their deep filial devotion!
The two brothers, Lang Gui, almost died to protect each other, yet they both survived; Tian Yifei and his wife observed a period of mourning for their parents, and both earned a good reputation. Derao's compassion moved the mountain bandits, and Dexi's loyalty impressed Xing Wang, all of which are worthy of praise. Niu Hui, Liu Jun, Zhai Lin, Hua Qiu, and others, at home, some are overgrown with lush vegetation, while others have wild animals and birds that have become tame. If it were not for their deep filial piety, moving heaven and earth, how could this be possible?
