Wei Zhi was a famous minister in the early years of the founding of the Tang Dynasty. He believes that loyalty should be rational, skillful and effective, and it can only be passed down from generation to generation and passed down through the ages, instead of being a mediocre official who has a thousand words in his mind. Wei Zhi, as a capable and loyal minister, assisted the government, which brought the rule of Zhenguan of Emperor Taizong in the early years of the Tang Dynasty, and led to a situation of political clarity, economic recovery and cultural prosperity, which laid an important foundation for the prosperous Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty.
However, at the beginning, Wei Zhi served Prince Li Jiancheng and advised Li Jiancheng to arrange Li Shimin to other places. After the success of the Xuanwu Gate in Li Shimin, he immediately summoned Wei Zhi and asked him. In the biographies of Wei Zhi, there is a dialogue that sets off how broad-minded Li Shimin is: When the prince is defeated, the king blames him, saying, "My brother, what can we do?" Answer: the prince fleas follow the instructions and will not die today's disaster < P >, that is, everyone is his own master. If Prince Wei Zhi had listened to me earlier, there would not be today's results. Li Shimin felt that every word he said was reasonable, and he was a loyal man. After he acceded to the throne, he was promoted to a doctor of advice, and he was made to be around the squire. Since then, he has left a much-told story of the interaction between the monarch and the minister in history.
Wei Zhi is indeed a capable minister. He suggested that Li Shimin should set things right as soon as possible, that is, he should follow the emperor's way and be king, which actually pointed out the possible way out for the rule of Zhenguan. His advice covers a wide range, from the daily life of emperors to the long-term stability of the country. When Li Shimin decided to build the Luoyang Palace, Wei Zhi objected: The reason why the Sui Dynasty perished so quickly was that Emperor Yangdi built castles to make the people miserable. Is it necessary to follow in the footsteps of the Sui Dynasty now? Li Shimin immediately gave up. When ministers or ministers asked Li Shimin to climb Mount Tai for meditation, Wei Zhi made it clear that it was inappropriate: although considerable achievements have been made at present, the granaries are still not plentiful, the demands of distant tribes are still not satisfied, and the road traffic situation in the whole country is still not optimistic. In the face of such a grim situation, what merits can be made to comfort the world? The matter was put on hold.
The dialogue between Wei Zhi and Emperor Taizong is most famous for the famous saying that water can carry a boat and overturn it. Although this sentence was first said by Xunzi, it is further famous in the world through the dialogue between the monarch and the minister of Zhenguan politicians on the political system: I also heard the old saying: Jun, Zhou also; People, water also. Water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it.
Your Majesty thinks it is terrible, just like the imperial edict.
Translated into modern Chinese, this story is probably: Li Shimin and Wei Zhi of Emperor Taizong discussed the way of governing the country, and Li Shimin asked: What was the reason for the demise of the Sui Dynasty? Wei Zhi replied: Losing people's hearts. Li Shimin asked again: What should be the relationship between the people and the emperor? Wei Zhi said: The emperor is like a beautiful big ship, and the people are the big water in Wang Yang. The big ship can only ride the wind in the water; However, water can carry a boat, and at the same time, it can also overturn the boat, which is illustrated by the Emperor Tai-shang's raising a banner of righteousness to overthrow the rule of the Sui Dynasty. Therefore, as a king, always remember that water can carry a boat and also overturn it.
The historical stage for thousands of years is also constantly proving this truth: water can carry a boat and also overturn it. Any sage who implements the policy of benevolence, conforms to the people's hearts and keeps Xiu De in the world makes the country prosperous, the weather is good and the people live and work in peace and contentment; On the contrary, it goes against the people's will and eventually goes to destruction.