During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang dynasty, Wu Bao’an, a native of Hebei, served as a county magistrate in Suizhou, but had not been promoted for a long time. His fellow townsman, Guo Zhongxiang, was prime minister’s nephew. At that time, a rebellion broke out in the south, and Guo Zhongxiang went with the army to quell the rebellion, serving as general’s assistant. Wu Bao’an wrote him a long letter recommending himself, hoping to find a position in the army. Guo Zhongxiang was moved by his sincerity and secured him a position.
However, before Wu Bao’an could arrive, the Tang army was annihilated due to reckless overconfidence and Guo Zhongxiang was captured. The southern barbarian tribes allowed relatives to ransom prisoners with valuables, but because of Guo Zhongxiang’s special status, they demanded an exorbitant ransom of one thousand bolts of silk (ordinary prisoners only needed thirty bolts). In dire straits, Guo Zhongxiang sent a letter to Wu Bao’an pleading for help, asking him to deliver the letter to his uncle.
By the time Wu Bao’an received the letter, Guo Zhongxiang’s prime minister uncle had already passed away. He decided to rescue Guo Zhongxiang by his own means. He sold all his possessions, left his wife and children behind, and went alone to the Yaozhou area, where he began accumulating bolts of silk through petty trading, saving every coin he could. This went on for a full ten years, still he only gathered seven hundred bolts of silk.
By the end of this time, Wu Bao’an’s wife, left with no means of support, set off with her young son, begging along the way in search of her husband. Fortunately, the newly appointed military governor of Yaozhou provided them with assistance, allowing the family to be reunited. Deeply moved by Wu Bao’an’s righteous deed, the governor lent him several hundred bolts of silk from the official treasury, helping him raise the full ransom amount and redeem Guo Zhongxiang. It was only then that Wu Bao’an and Guo Zhongxiang met face to face for the first time.
After being rescued, Guo Zhongxiang was quickly appointed to an official position, while Wu Bao’an went to serve in another place. After his term ended, Wu Bao’an and his wife both died of illness. Their coffins were temporarily placed in a temple, unable to be returned to their hometown.
Upon learning of his benefactor’s death, Guo Zhongxiang wept bitterly. He traveled to the place where Wu Bao’an and his wife’s coffins were kept, carefully labeled each bone, placed them in bags, and carried them on foot for thousands of miles back to their hometown, where he buried them. He observed a three-year mourning period living in a hut beside the grave, raised Wu Bao’an’s son to adulthood, and found him a wife. Later he even petitioned the emperor to allow him to resign so that Wu Bao’an’s son could take over his own official position.
Origin: Tai Ping Guang Ji
#32 吴保安
唐玄宗时期，河北人吴保安在遂州任县尉，久未升迁。他的同乡郭仲翔是当朝宰相的侄儿。当时南方叛乱，郭仲翔随大军出征平叛，吴保安便写了一封长信自荐，希望能在军中谋职。郭仲翔被他的诚意打动，向上司举荐了他。
然而，吴保安还没赶到，唐军就因轻敌冒进而全军覆没，郭仲翔被俘。南蛮部落允许亲属用财物赎人，但因郭仲翔的特殊身份，对方索要一千匹绢（普通俘虏仅需三十匹）的天价赎金。身处绝境的郭仲翔托人给吴保安带去求救信，恳请他将信送到伯父手里。
吴保安接到信时，郭仲翔的宰相伯父已经去世，他决定自己设法营救郭仲翔。他变卖了全部家产，然后抛下妻儿，独自前往姚州一带，靠做小生意一分一厘地积攒绢帛。这一去就是整整十年，也只积攒了七百匹绢。
吴保安的妻子因生活无着，带着幼子沿途乞讨前来寻夫，幸好得到新任姚州都督资助，才得以团聚。都督被吴保安的义举震撼，从官府仓库借出几百匹绢，助他凑齐了赎金，赎回了郭仲翔，这时吴郭两人才第一次见到对方。
郭仲翔获救后很快被授官，而吴保安也去另一地任职。吴保安任期满了以后与妻子相继病逝于外地，棺木寄放在寺庙里，无法归乡。
郭仲翔得知恩人去世，痛哭流涕。他赶到吴保安夫妇的棺木所在地，将其骸骨一节节标记好，装到袋子里， 徒步数千里背回故乡安葬。他在墓旁守孝三年，又将吴保安的儿子抚养成人、为其娶妻，最后甚至请求皇帝允许自己将官职让给恩人之子。
出自《太平广记》