The Impartial Judge Bao
Do you know the phrase "iron-faced and selfless"? It describes someone who is very fair and just.
This phrase is connected to a real historical figure named Bao Zheng. He lived during the Song Dynasty and was a real official, not a made-up character from a story.
When Bao Zheng was an official, he was very brave. Even when the emperor's relatives did something wrong, he dared to speak up. His stories were written into plays and many books.
The most fun part is that the black mark on his face was actually painted on by actors! The real Bao Zheng looked just like an ordinary person.
Long ago, there was a little boy named Bao Zheng. His face was dark, and his eyebrows were thick and black, so he looked very special.
The other children laughed at him and said his face was like the dark night. When Bao Zheng heard this, he smiled and said, "A dark face is nothing to fear; the heart must be bright."
He believed that as long as his heart was bright, he could do the right thing. So every day he was happy and cheerful, and he did not feel sad because of what others said.
Bao Zheng worked very hard ever since he was little. At night, his family had no money to buy oil for a lamp, so he read by the light of the moon. The moon was bright and round, and he read every single word carefully, one by one. His mother asked him, "Why do you work so hard?" Bao Zheng said, "I want to become an official who can help good people and stop bad people." When his mother heard this, she patted his head, and her heart was deeply moved.
When Bao Zheng grew up, he really did become an official. On his first day at work, he took out an iron plate and placed it on his desk. He spoke to the iron plate: "My heart must be as hard as iron. No one's pleas will change my mind." From that day on, he was determined to be a fair official and not favor anyone.
One day, a wealthy uncle came to see him. The uncle's son had hit someone, and he wanted to ask Bao Zheng to let him off. The uncle said, "We are family, so please help out." Bao Zheng shook his head and said, "If family breaks the law, they must be punished too." When the uncle heard this, his face changed color.
His uncle was very angry and scolded him for having no conscience. Bao Zheng said, "I have love for you, but the law is greater."
He punished his cousin according to the law. When the people heard about it, they all clapped their hands and cheered, saying that Bao Zheng was truly fair.
In his heart, Bao Zheng knew that this was the way to show true love.
Another time, the emperor's relative grabbed a farmer's field. No one dared to speak up, afraid of angering the emperor. But Bao Zheng wrote a memorial and told the emperor about it. He was not afraid of losing his job; he only wanted fairness. He believed that if you do the right thing, you don't need to be afraid.
After reading Bao Zheng's memorial, the emperor grew very angry. He pounded the table and said, "You dare say my relative stole farmland?" The great hall was very quiet. Everyone was worried for Bao Zheng. But Bao Zheng stood up straight, not afraid at all. He said, "If I am wrong, please punish me. If I am right, please return the farmland to the farmers." The emperor looked at Bao Zheng's dark face for a long time. At last, he nodded.
The farmer got his field back and was so happy that he cried. He knelt down and said, "Thank you, Lord Bao!" Bao Zheng helped him up and said gently, "Don't thank me. Thank fairness. It was fairness that helped you." After this story spread, everyone knew about Bao Zheng. People smiled and called him "Iron-Faced Lord Bao." Because his face was as black as iron, and his heart was as firm as iron—he was afraid of no bad person.
Someone asked Bao Zheng, "Why won't you show any favoritism at all? Even when your own relatives beg you, you don't let them off."
Bao Zheng replied, "If I showed favoritism, someone would be wronged. I don't want good people to cry."
He touched his own face and said, "My face is made of iron—I'm not afraid of others scolding me. But my heart is warm, and I want to help everyone."
When everyone heard this, they all felt he was right.
Later generations used the phrase "iron-faced and selfless" to describe people like Bao Zheng. Iron-faced means your face is like iron, fearing nothing; selfless means having not even a tiny bit of selfishness. Children, you can learn from him too. Be good to your friends and love one another; but when a friend does something wrong, you must bravely speak the truth. That way, your heart will also be like Bao Zheng's—bright and warm!
