Brother Yuan:
Edu Wufu Hall was hit by Huilu disaster. Fortunately, everyone was safe and Shangfang was safe. It was quite a shock. The house is made of wooden boards and wallpaper, which is easy to catch fire. Whenever something like this happens, it can only be said that the handyman caught fire. It is certainly not suspicious of the evil plot of the gangsters, especially the spies of the enemy. If you make a fuss and make wild guesses, how many branches and leaves will grow, the enemy will spread it quickly. Only being calm and doing nothing is what Shen Fu said about a good man knocking out his teeth and swallowing blood, and what Xinggang Gong said about a lucky person who is good at getting rid of his wealth. This is a good way for those who are really in adversity.
Brother asks for advice and warning from his brother at any time. Mingzi asks himself that he has gained strength in recent years, but there is only one word of regret. In the past, my brother was proud that he had great abilities, which could be bent or stretched, used or hidden, but he always noticed that others were not good at it. Ever since Ding Ji had great regrets and enlightenment in Wuwu, he realized that he had no ability at all, and that he was somewhat good at everything. Therefore, swimming from Wuwu to nine years was different from swimming before the age of forty. It is roughly based on being able to stand up and achieve, and its usefulness is not complaining. Those who stand up will work hard to strengthen themselves and stand firm. A master can do things smoothly and effectively.
For the past nine years, I have been trying to get rid of the constant shortcomings. I have never stopped reading and writing. I have always paid attention to selecting generals and training troops. All these are self-strengthening skills. I carefully considered the memorial and official documents over and over again, and there was not a single word that was inappropriate or boastful. All of them were perfect and able to achieve the goal. As for complaining against Heaven, one should not dare to do so, but one cannot avoid it, and they can all be overcome by force at any time.
If I want to warn myself, I think I can learn from my brother’s regrets in the second year of Dingwu, and then take pains to demote me, and I will definitely make great progress. The word "Lida" was written in my younger brother's handbook when I was still young. My younger brother has always thought about being self-reliant and self-reliant, but he still lacks the experience of being able to achieve it, and it is still difficult to force him to the place of not complaining. The words in my letter are always available for guidance, and I advise my brother to enforce them. Zhao Guanghan, a wise minister of the Han Dynasty, impeached the Wei Prime Minister due to a change in the stars, and later suffered the disaster himself, which can serve as a lesson to the Yin Dynasty. Keep a word of regret silently, nothing is irreversible.
(Third day of the first lunar month in the sixth year of Tongzhi)