40 Yan Zi Pu Yu
When Yan Zi was the Prime Minister of Qi, when he was going out, his coachman’s wife peeped through the crack in the door to see her husband. He raised the hood of the car like a big umbrella, waved his whip and drove the four horses, feeling very proud and satisfied. When (the coachman) returned, his wife asked to leave. The coachman asked her why she left, and the wife said: "Yanzi was less than six feet tall. He served as the prime minister of Qi and his reputation was well-known among the princes. Now I see him when he goes out, with an air of great ambition and far-reaching thoughts, and he often thinks about himself. You look inferior to others. Now you are eight feet tall, but you are just a driver, but you look very satisfied, so I asked to leave." After that, the driver became humble and respectful. Yanzi felt strange and asked him. The driver told him the truth, and Yanzi recommended him to become a doctor.
41 Lu You Builds a Book Nest
In my house, some books are piled on wooden boxes, some books are displayed in front, and some books are placed on the bed. Looking around, there is nothing that is not a book. In my daily life, when I am sick, when I am sick, when I feel sad, melancholy, angry or sighing, I am never without books. Guests do not come to visit, wives and children do not see each other, and wind, rain, thunder, hail and other (weather) changes are not known. Occasionally I want to stand up, but the messy books surround me like accumulated dead branches. Sometimes I can’t walk, so I laugh to myself and say, "Isn’t this the bird’s nest I mentioned?" Invite guests to come closer and take a look. The guests could not enter at first, and those who had already entered the room could not come out, so (the guests) also laughed and said: "It is indeed like a bird's nest."
42 Wei Wenhou asked Li Ke
< p> Wei Wenhou asked Li Ke: "How to govern the country?" Li Ke replied: "The principle of governing the country is to provide food and clothing to those who work hard, and to reward those who have made merit (distribution according to work, and rewards based on merit). Implement a policy of appropriate rewards and punishments." Marquis Wen asked: "I have appropriate rewards and punishments, but the people are still dissatisfied. Why?" Li Ke replied: "There are worms in the country who get something for nothing! I think: cancel the salaries of these people and use them to recruit people." The country's ambitious people have a salary from the country because their ancestors have meritorious service. Their descendants can still (inherit) their treatment without meritorious service. When they go out, they ride in carriages and horses, wear gorgeous clothes, and are considered prosperous and wealthy; at home, they indulge in drum music. The enjoyment of singing and dancing is precisely because of the enjoyment of these unworthy children, which disrupts local regulations (distribution according to work and rewards based on merit). Therefore (it is necessary) to cancel the salaries of these people and use them to recruit ambitious people from the country. Sir, this is to eliminate the moth."43 King Chu Gong established a prince
King Chu Gong had many sons he liked, so it was always clear who would be the successor to the throne (the crown prince). Not sure. Qu Jian said: "If this continues, there will definitely be a lot of turmoil in Chu State. A rabbit is running on the street (it must be translated as running), and a large group of people chase it; if one person catches it, the others who have not caught the rabbit will definitely Reluctant to leave. If everyone has not decided how to distribute the rabbit, the rabbit will run away, and the group of people will become chaotic again; if everyone has decided how to distribute the rabbit, those who are more greedy will not It will subside. Now that Chu State has so many sons that King Chu Gong likes, and the successor has not been chosen, turmoil is about to happen. The crown prince is the foundation of the country and the expectation of the people; the country has no foundation, and it will disappoint the people. , The foundation of the country is ruined. The country is basically ruined, and turmoil comes, just like a rabbit running in the street." King Chu heard what Qu Jian said and immediately appointed King Kang as his successor (prince), but it was too late. Later, Ling Yin besieged the city and launched a crusade, and Prince Qiji rebelled.
44 Ox Head and Horse Meat
In the past, Qi Linggong liked women to dress up as men. He felt that it was very majestic, so he ordered the maids to wear men's clothes. After wearing it for a long time, all the women in Qi State imitated it. Someone advised Qi Linggong: "Nowadays, all the women in the country wear men's clothes, and they look neither male nor female. If this continues, it will attract the ridicule of all the princes." After hearing this, Qi Linggong realized that something was wrong, so he Officials were sent to inspect the country and said: "Anyone who sees a woman disguised as a man must tear her clothes and cut her belt." So officials at all levels followed suit. However, women disguising themselves as men are still popular everywhere.
One day, Qi Linggong asked Yan Ying: "Some people say that it is not good for women to dress up as men. I sent people to strictly investigate, but it is still popular everywhere. Why is this?" Yan Ying replied: "You started asking women to wear men's clothes, and now you are doing it again. Forbidding them to do this is a duplicitous practice, just like selling horse meat with a cow's head. If you really want to ban it, you should ban it both inside and outside the palace." Qi Linggong followed Yan Ying's advice. , in less than a month, no middle school girls could wear men's clothes anymore.
45 Chu people learn the language of Qi
Mencius said to Dai Bu Sheng: "Do you want your king to reach a good state? Let me tell you clearly, there is a A senior official from the state of Chu wants his son to speak the dialect of the state of Qi. Should he let the people of the state of Qi teach him, or should he let the people of the state of Chu teach him? " Dai Busheng said, "Let the people of the state of Qi teach him." Mencius said. Said: "A Qi man teaches him, and many Chu people disturb him. Even if he is whipped every day, it is impossible for him to learn the Qi dialect. If he is taken to live in the streets of Qi for a few years, even if he is beaten every day It is impossible to whip him and ask him to speak the Chu language. You said that Xue Juzhou is a good man. Let him live next to the king. The people around the king, regardless of their age and status, are good people like Xue Juzhou. What about doing bad things? If the people around the king are not good people like Xue Juzhou, no matter their age or status, who can the king do good things with? What can Xue Juzhou do to the king of Song? >46 Gong Jicheng does not recognize virtuous people
Ji Cheng once said to Wei Wenhou: "Although Tian Zifang is a wise man, he is not a king with a fiefdom, but you always treat the king with courtesy. Treat him, and if someone wiser than him appears, how should you treat him? "Marquis Wei Wen said: "People like Tian Zifang are not something you can comment on at will, Ji Cheng. Zifang is a benevolent person with high moral character and caring. A benevolent person is the wealth of the country. A wise man who is resourceful and strategizing is the pillar of the country. A scholar who is well-read and well-versed in encyclopedia is a symbol of the country's dignity. If the country has benevolent people, then the ministers will not fight among themselves; if the country has wise people, the neighboring countries will not dare to invade; if the country has scholars, then the status of the king will be very noble. These are not people you, Ji Cheng, can discuss casually. ”
4 Y9 w; W( ?6 [After hearing this, Ji Cheng went to live in the suburbs for three days to express his apology.
47. Surprised by favor and humiliation
Being favored and being insulted is like being frightened. Treating such serious problems as honor and disgrace is as precious as one's own life. What does it mean to be frightened when being favored and being insulted? It's scary and unsettling. This is called being frightened by being favored and being insulted. What does it mean to value serious troubles as much as your own life? The reason why I have big troubles is because I have a body; if I don't have a body, what troubles will I have? Therefore, if you treasure your body in order to govern the world, the world can trust him; if you cherish your body in order to govern the world, the world can rely on him.
48 A gentleman walks in the right way
< p>Zengzi said: "When a gentleman walks on the road, you can see that his father is still there, and you can see that he has a teacher among him. For those who have neither father nor teacher, what can others do?" Zeng pointed out He sent his son Zeng Shen out, but he did not come back after the appointed date. People came to see Zeng Dian and said, "I'm afraid he is in trouble." Zeng Dian said, "Even if he is going to die and I am still alive, how dare he not do it himself?" Be careful and die!" Confucius was imprisoned in Kuangdi, and Po Yuan arrived last. Confucius said, "I thought you were dead." Po Yuan said, "You are still alive, how dare I die?" Yan Hui treated Confucius! Just like Zeng Shen served his father, the sages in ancient times respected their teachers so much that the teachers tried their best to teach them.49 Wang Yan was frugal and simple. Straightforward and unkempt. Once, the imperial court sent a messenger to prepare a meal for him. The messenger even tore off the edges of the pancakes and said, "Farming and harvesting are not easy. It takes a lot of effort to remove the shells and add fire." "I'm afraid you are not hungry." He ordered his followers to take away the food. The envoy was shocked and felt very ashamed. Once again, a guest ate melon with Wang Zhen, and the guest peeled the melon very thickly. Not happy. When the melon rind fell to the ground, Wang Yan picked it up from the ground and ate it. The guest looked very ashamed. He was also harsh and impatient. Once, a petty official reported something privately, but Wang Yan didn't have time to order the torture. boots to hit him.
At every banquet, Wang Zhi personally weighed the wine and meat and distributed it to the soldiers. People at that time praised him for being an average person and laughed at him for being trivial. Wang Zhi's actions came from his true feelings and he did not do anything cunning and deceitful. Wherever he served, although he had no achievements at the time, people missed him after he left office.
Wang Meng enforces the law in 50
Former Qin King Fu Jian returned from Hedong and appointed the brave cavalry general Deng Qiang as Yushi Zhongcheng. In August, Wang Meng, the internal historian of Xianyang, was appointed as Shizhong, Zhongshuling, and also as leader of Jing Zhaoyin. Tejin and Guanglu doctor Qiangde were the younger brothers of Queen Mother Qiang. He used wine to show off his evil deeds, was arrogant and arrogant, robbed people, property and children, and was a scourge to the people. Wang Meng arrested him as soon as he took office and submitted a memorial requesting for treatment. Before he could receive a reply, Qiang De's body was found in the market. After seeing the memorial, Fu Jian quickly sent an envoy to pardon Qiang De, but it was too late. Wang Meng and Deng Qiang worked together to eradicate evil and rectify unjust cases without any scruples. Within dozens of days, more than 20 dignitaries, powerful men, princes and relatives were executed or deposed according to law, which shocked the entire court. I hold my breath and hold my breath, and do not pick up any lost items on the road within the territory. Fu Jian sighed and said: "It's only now that I know that there are laws in the world!"
51 Mencius meets King Liang Xiang
Mencius went to see King Liang Xiang. When he came out, he said: Said: "(King Liang Xiang) doesn't look like a king from a distance, and when you get closer, you can't see anything awe-inspiring about him." (After meeting me) he suddenly asked: "How can the world be restored?" What about stability? ’ “I replied: ‘The stability of the world lies in unifying the world.’ “‘Who can unify the world? ’ “I said to him: ‘A king who does not like killing can unify the world.’ “‘Who will join him? ' "I answered again: 'There is no one in the world who will not surrender to him. Your Majesty, do you know the growth situation of the corn seedlings? When there is a drought in July and August, the corn seedlings will wither. Once the sky is covered with dark clouds and it rains heavily, then the corn seedlings will wither. It's growing vigorously. If so, who can stop it? And if there is a king who doesn't like killing, the people all over the world will crane their necks and wait for him. Rescue. If it is like this, the people will follow him, just like water flowing downwards. Who can stop the roaring momentum? "
52 Mencius replied to King Hui of Liang
p>King Hui of Liang said: "I am willing to listen to your advice happily!" Mencius said: "Is there any difference between killing people with sticks and knives?" (King Hui) said: "There is no difference." (Mencius asked again) "Is there any difference between killing people with a knife and killing people with political skills?" "Is there any difference between using a knife and politics?" (King Hui) said: "There is no difference." (Mencius) He also said:) "There are fat and tender meat in the kitchen, strong horses in the stalls, (but) the faces of the people are hungry, and corpses of starvation are lying in the countryside. This is (equal to) leading the wild beasts to eat people. ! Beasts kill and devour each other, and people still hate them. As the parents and officials of the people, they can't help but lead the beasts to eat people. How can I be worthy of being the parents and officials of the people? Those who use earthen clay figurines for burial should probably have no descendants, right? 'It is precisely because the earthen clay figurines resemble real people and they are buried with them (Imagine that it is not even allowed to use them for burial), how can these people be allowed to starve to death alive? What? ”
53 Wang Xizhi Xue Shu
Wang Xizhi of the Jin Dynasty, named Yi Shao, was the son of Wang Kuang. He was good at calligraphy at the age of seven. When he was twelve years old, he saw "The Book of Writing" in his father's pillow and stole it to read. His father said, "Why did you steal my secret book?" Wang Xizhi smiled but did not answer. His mother asked, "Did you read it?" Is it using brushwork?" His father thought that he was too young to understand, so he told Wang Xizhi: "I will teach you calligraphy when you grow up." Wang Xizhi knelt down and said, "Let your son read this book now. Reading will delay the child's early development." The father was very happy and immediately gave the book to him. In less than a month, my calligraphy has improved a lot. After Mrs. Wei knew about it, she told Taichang Wang Ce: "This child must be reading "Yongbi Jue". Recently, when I saw his calligraphy, he has become a master." She said with tears: "This child will definitely be able to cover up his calligraphy in the future." My reputation." During the Jin Dynasty, the imperial court held a sacrificial ceremony in the northern suburbs. When changing the blessing board, the workers cut off his words and penetrated three parts of the wood. "
54 Shu Ao was taught
Sun Shu Ao became the prime minister of Chu State, and officials and people from all over the city came to congratulate him. There was an old man wearing a linen mourning dress and wearing a Wearing a white mourning hat, he came last to pay his respects.
Sun Shuao packed up his clothes and went out to meet him. He said to the old man: "The King of Chu did not understand that I have no talent, so he appointed me as a high-ranking official like prime minister. People came to congratulate me, but you are the only one who came to mourn me. Do you have anything to say?" The old man said: "There is something to say. People will leave you if you have a high status but are arrogant and rude to others. Kings will hate you if you have a high status but use power without authorization. People who are generous but dissatisfied will be a disaster. Just hide there." Sun Shuao bowed to the old man twice and said, "I sincerely accept your advice and would like to hear your other opinions." The old man said, "The higher the status, the more humble the attitude; the greater the official position. , the more careful you are in dealing with things; if your salary is very generous, don't ask for other people's property easily. If you strictly abide by these three rules, you will be able to govern the state of Chu well."
55 Zilu meets Confucius
p>Zilu met Confucius. Confucius asked: "What are your preferences?" Zilu replied: "I like long swords." Confucius said: "I'm not asking about this. With your talent and study , should be able to have good talents." Zilu said: "Can learning improve our abilities?" Confucius said: "It is like if a king does not have ministers who dare to give advice, he will make mistakes in political affairs; if a scholar does not have people who can correct his shortcomings, Friends, it is easy to have defects in moral character. You cannot put down the whip for a wild-tempered horse, and you cannot just change the straightening quill when shooting a bow. The wood will be straight after being drawn with ink lines. A person can be of noble character if he can accept kind words and advice. . There is nothing you can't learn if you accept instruction and do evil things at any time. Therefore, a gentleman must learn. "There is a kind of bamboo in Nanshan that does not need to be rubbed." When roasted and processed, it will be very straight. After being sharpened and shot, it can penetrate the thick skin of a rhinoceros. So why do some things have to go through a learning process if they are gifted?" Confucius said: "If you put feathers on the tail of the arrow, the arrow will be sharpened. Being sharp, can't arrows shoot deeper and farther?" After hearing this, Zilu thanked him and said, "It's really a great benefit."
56 Giant Snake Stealing Eggs
Wu's Egg Shop. There are tens of thousands of eggs accumulated (Wu's Egg Shop: a small shop selling eggs in the Wu family; I don't know hundreds of millions: an imaginary number, meaning a lot), but when I count the eggs at the end of the month, there are always a few hundred missing. pieces. (The eggs were missing for no reason.) The owner was very unwilling to do this, so he waited in the henhouse morning and night for the thief to come. He saw a snake several feet long (one foot is ten feet, and one foot is about one-third of a meter. This The snake looks terrible = =). Its body is as thick as the mouth of a bowl. It sits high on the beam of the house and only lowers its head to suck the eggs. When the snake is still a few feet away from the egg, the egg will run upward on its own (that is, the snake sucks the egg and runs upward). After sucking more than a dozen eggs, the snake coiled its body around the pillar, rolled up its body and squeezed the eggs open, thus finishing its meal. Then it came here again and ate the eggs in the same way. The master suddenly realized it and said, "You are the thief. I must have a way to retaliate against you." So the master chipped a few egg-shaped blocks out of very hard wood, put them in the basket, and covered them with eggs. The next day the snake came and sucked the eggs as before, so it sucked in the eggs as well as the wooden eggs. After sucking the balls, he coiled his body around the pillar as before, but his body became tighter and tighter, and his tail kept waving left and right, as if something was very uncomfortable. After a while, the snake fled straight into the courtyard, spinning and rolling, jumping up and down again. It could jump several feet high, but even so, it was impossible to digest the eggs made of wood. The snake died like this after three days.
57 Encountering a Ghost in Zaiheng
Chen Zaiheng is in his sixties. Walking in the wild in the evening, I saw two people walking forward with lanterns. (Chen Zaiheng) If you light a cigarette by rubbing it against the fire, it will take a long time to light it. One of the people asked: "Have you passed the first seven days?" Chen Zaiheng was surprised by his words, so he lied: "No." The man said: "That's right, the yang energy is not exhausted, so the yin fire is burning. Not burning." Chen Zaiheng knew they were ghosts. He pretended to be: "Everyone says people are afraid of ghosts, is that true?" The ghost said: "No! Ghosts are actually afraid of people!" Chen Zaiheng said: "What's so scary about people?" The ghost said: "Afraid of saliva." Chen Zaiheng then sucked it. Qi spit them hard. The two ghosts stepped back three steps away, opened their eyes and said angrily: "Are you not a ghost?" Chen Zaiheng smiled and replied: "To be honest, I am just a person who is very close to ghosts!" (Chen Zaiheng) asked them again After spitting on them, both ghosts shrank in size by half; spitting on them for the third time destroyed them.
58 Chu Zifa’s mother
Chu Zifa’s mother is the mother of Zifa, the general of Chu State. When Zifa attacked Qin, the army ran out of food. Zifa sent an envoy to the King of Chu to ask for help, and asked the envoy to go home to visit his mother. Zifa's mother asked the envoy: "How are the soldiers?" The envoy replied: "The soldiers can eat beans to satisfy their hunger." The mother asked again: "Then how well is the general?" The envoy replied: "The general eats them every morning and evening. Good food and good meat." When Zifa returned from defeating Qin, his mother closed the door and refused to let him in, and asked someone to scold him: "Didn't you hear that King Gou Jian of Yue attacked Wu? King Gou Jian of Yue sent someone to pour a jar of fine wine upstream of the river, and asked the soldiers to drink the water from the river downstream. In fact, there was not much delicious wine in the river, but the soldiers' fighting courage increased five times. Another day, someone gave it to them. Bring a bag of dry food, and King Gou Jian of Yue ordered it to be distributed among the soldiers. In fact, it was only a little bit of food, but it was gone after it passed through the throat. But the courage of the soldiers in fighting increased tenfold. Now, as a general, you are a soldier. They eat beans to satisfy their hunger, but you eat good food and meat morning and evening. Why? Isn't it said in the Book of Songs? "I am happy and do not neglect business, and all wise people are happy." It means that you should not lose your sense of proportion in doing things. . You lead soldiers into a battlefield of life and death, but you enjoy yourself aloof. Even if you can win, it cannot be said to be the right way to use the army. You are not my son, so don't come into my door!" Zifa had to apologize to his mother! After admitting his mistake, he entered the house.
59 Nanyuan Shanyu
Liu Nanyuan Gong was the minister of the country, and he retired and returned to his hometown. There was an envoy named Zhizhi who was very demanding on his subordinates in terms of food and drink, which frightened all the counties. The Duke said, "This is my student. I should enlighten him and let him know." When he came, he entertained him and said, "I am about to serve dinner. I am afraid that it will interfere with your official duties, so I have reserved it specially for you." This bowl of rice. But my wife has gone to another place and there is no one to cook. Can she eat home-cooked food?" Zhi pointed out that she did not dare to refuse because of the teacher's order. From morning to noon, I haven't eaten yet and I feel very hungry. When the meal arrived, there was only rice and a bowl of tofu. He ate three bowls each and felt very full. After a while, delicacies, food and wine were all placed in front of him, and he ate them all. The father forced him to eat, but he said: "I'm full and can't eat." The father smiled and said: "You know that food is not refined and refined. It is easy to eat when you are hungry, but it is difficult to eat when you are full. It is a matter of time. It just caused this." He pointed out that after this lesson, he no longer dares to blame others for his diet. )
60 Liu Zihou’s style
When Zihou was recalled to the capital and came back as governor, Liu Meng from Zhongshan, Yu Xi, was also among those deported and should go to Bozhou. . Zihou said with tears: "Banzhou is not suitable for people to live, and Mengde has his mother alive. I can't bear to see Mengde in such a difficult situation that he can't explain everything to his mother. Besides, there is no way for mother and son to be demoted together." It makes sense." He was going to ask the imperial court to replace Bozhou with Liuzhou. Even if he was convicted again, he would have no regrets even if he died. At this time, someone happened to report Mengde's story to the court, and Mengde was changed to the governor of Lianzhou. Alas! A person can best show his integrity and morality when he is in trouble. People today admire and love each other on a daily basis, invite each other to banquets, chase games, force smiles to show humility and friendship, shake hands and swear to show sincerity, point to the sky and draw the sun, and cry bitterly to show that they will not abandon their friends even if they die. It seems like Really just as believable. However, once there is a small conflict of interest, even if it is as small as a hair, they will turn against each other and pretend that they have never known each other. You have fallen into a trap. Instead of reaching out to rescue you, he takes the opportunity to crowd you out and throw stones. The people mentioned above all have this face. I'm afraid even animals and aliens wouldn't have the heart to do this kind of thing, but those people thought they had a trick. When they heard Zihou's demeanor, they should feel a little ashamed.
61 Fifty steps, a hundred steps to laugh
King Hui of Liang said: "I have finally done my best in the governance of the country: in the famine years (poor harvest) on the north bank of the Yellow River, I will move the people there to the east of the Yellow River and transport the grain from the east of the Yellow River to the north bank of the Yellow River. I will also do the same in the bad years east of the Yellow River (the harvest is not good). The people of neighboring countries are not less, but my people are not more. What is the reason?" Mencius replied: "The king likes to fight. Please allow me to use war as a metaphor.
The war drums were beating loudly, and the two sides were already fighting. The defeated soldiers threw away their armor and dragged their weapons and ran away. Some stopped after running a hundred steps, and some stopped after running fifty steps. How about using someone who has run fifty steps to laugh at someone who has run a hundred steps? King Hui of Liang said: "No, it's just less than a hundred steps. This is also running away." Mencius said: "Since your Majesty knows this, don't expect your country to have more people than its neighboring countries." As long as the farming season is not violated, there will be no end to the food supply. It is not allowed to use dense nets to fish in ponds. Fish and turtles will not be able to eat all the aquatic products. If there is a time to cut down trees, the wood will not be used up. There is endless food and fish, and there is endless wood. This allows the people to feed the living and bury the dead without regrets. The common people have no regrets whether they live or die. This is the beginning of the kingly way. "
62 King Wu Ke Yin
King Wu defeated the Shang Dynasty, summoned Jiang Taigong, and asked him: "What should we do with the scholars and people of the Shang Dynasty?" Taigong replied: "I heard that if you like that person, you will also like the crows on his house. If you hate that person, you will also hate his fence. How about killing them all without leaving any alive?" King Wu said: "No. After the Grand Duke left, Duke Shao came in to see him. King Wu asked, "What do you think we should do?" Shao Gong replied, "How about killing the guilty ones and letting the innocent ones live?" King Wu said, "No." "After Shao Gong went out, Zhou Gong came to see him. King Wu asked, "What do you think we should do?" Zhou Gong said, "Let them live in their own homes and cultivate their own fields. Don't change because of the old dynasty and the new ministers. Get close to each other." A loving person. If the people make mistakes, the responsibility lies with me alone. "King Wu said: "How broad-minded is the peace of the world!" Anyone who respects scholars and gentlemen is because they are benevolent and virtuous.
63 The Qi Qi Man Fu
Confucius Visiting the temple of Duke Huan of Lu, Confucius saw an instrument that was tilted and easily collapsed. Confucius asked the temple guard: "What instrument is this?" The temple guard replied: "This is a place for people who are merciful to sit on." Confucius said: "I heard that the seat of mercy and forgiveness will tilt when it is empty, it will stand upright when it is half filled with water, and it will tip over when it is filled with water." Confucius turned back to the students and said, "Pour water into it." "His students brought water to fill. When half of the water was poured in, the teacup was upright. When the water was filled, the teacup fell over. When the water was emptied, it tilted again. Confucius said with emotion: "Oh, how come Will it be full but not overturned? "
A late bloomer in 64
King Zhuang of Chu has been in power for three years, but he has not issued any orders or dealt with political affairs. The minister on the right, Sima, said to King Zhuang in argot: "There is a bird It lives on the mound in the south and does not spread its wings for three years. It does not fly or sing and is silent. How should we call this bird? King Zhuang said: "Three years of not spreading its wings are used to grow wings; not flying or singing is used to observe the habits of the people." Although it doesn't take off, it will reach the sky when it flies; although it doesn't whistle, it will be amazing when it whistles. Just leave it alone, I already know. "After half a year, King Zhuang took charge of political affairs himself. He abolished ten things and established nine things. He killed five ministers and hired six ministers. As a result, the country was governed very well. He mobilized his troops to defeat Qi in Xuzhou, defeated Jin in Heyong, and formed alliances with princes from all over the Song Dynasty. Only then did he dominate the world ~ King Zhuang of Chu did not refuse to do good things because they were too small, so he had a high position. Fame. Don't show off meaningless things, so you have great achievements. Therefore, it is said: "A late bloomer has a great voice." "
65 Confucius Ma Yi
Confucius was walking (tired) and resting on the road. The horse escaped from the restraints and ate other people's crops. The farmer took the horse away. Zigong ( He was famous for his eloquence and asked to persuade the peasant. He said everything, but the peasant ignored him. A vulgar man who had just studied with Confucius said, "Please let me go and talk to him." Then he said to the farmer: "You are not farming in the East China Sea, and I am not farming in the West Sea. How could my horse not eat your crops?" The farmer was very happy and said to him: "I wish I could speak so clearly to you. How could you think of that person just now?" ” He untied the horse’s bridle and gave it to him.
66 Ruins of the Guo Family
Qi Huangong went out and saw the ruins of a place. He asked whose family this was originally? He replied that it was the Qiu Xu of the Guo family, and asked why the Guo family became Qiu Xu? He replied: That's because he is friendly to good people and hates bad people. Duke Huan of Qi said: Being friendly to good people and hating bad people should be the reason for existence, but (now) it has become Qiuxu. Why is this? The answer is: If you don't use good people and don't stay away from bad people, those good people will resent you if they know that he values ??you but doesn't use you. Those bad people will hate them because they know they have bad nature and dislike them. If you make good people hate you and bad people hate you, how can you not perish?
67 Chu people offer fish
Someone from Chu State offered fish to the King of Chu, saying: "The fish caught today cannot be eaten or sold. It is a pity to abandon it, so I came here." Dedicate it to the king." The courtiers of the King of Chu said: "This is too disrespectful to the king." The King of Chu disagreed with the courtiers' opinion and said: "You don't know, this fisherman is a kind man. I heard that the Wang family warehouse There is plenty of food, but the country has hungry people; there are many resentful women in the harem, and there are many idle husbands among the people; there is a lot of money in the palace, and there are many poor people in the country. This is all because the king is unethical. Therefore, there is fat meat in the kitchen, fat horses in the stable, and the people have The reason why I am hungry is because the king who has subjugated his country collected the property and hid it in the treasury. I have known this for a long time, but I cannot practice it. The fisherman knew my shortcomings, so he taught me by offering fish to teach me. I want to do good things for the people." So. He sent envoys to care for the widowed and lonely, took out grain from the granaries, and took out money and cloth from the treasury to help those in need; he released the redundant harem maids and let them marry wifeless men. The people of Chu State rejoiced. , the neighboring countries also surrendered to the Chu State. The fishermen offered the extra fish to the King of Chu, and the people of the Chu State benefited from it. It can be said that he did a kind and wise thing.
68. Officials meeting Taizu
Zhao Kuangyin, Taizu of the Song Dynasty, was playing the piano and watching birds in the back garden one day. An official came into the hall and knelt down, saying that he had something urgent to report. The emperor hurried out to see him and listened to what he played, but what he played was nothing more than ordinary things. Taizu said: "Why is this urgent?" He said: "It is also urgent because the emperor plays the harp and watches the birds." (It means that although this matter is not urgent, but if the emperor is anxious to play the birds and play the harp, then this matter is urgent. I guess it is A kind of irony.) Taizu was angry and hit his mouth with the handle of an axe-like tool, causing two of his teeth to fall out. The official turned back and slowly picked up the tooth and put it in his arms. Taizu was furious and said: "Are you going to take this to sue me?" The official replied: "How dare I sue the emperor? Naturally, there will be historians who record the emperor's words and deeds and write them down." After hearing this, the emperor , his anger subsided, he was given gold and silk to comfort him and allowed him to resign.
69 Don’t blame the maid
Tang Lin has a tolerant and kind temperament and is very tolerant. Once when I was going to mourn, I asked the boy servant to go home and get some white clothes. The boy got the wrong clothes and was too scared to come in. When Tang Lin found out about it, he said to him: "I'm having a bad day today. It's not the right time to cry and be sad. I just asked you to get the white clothes, so don't go." He also ordered someone to cook medicine, but the man cooked it. Tang Lin secretly knew the reason and said to him: "Today's dark weather is not suitable for taking medicine. You should throw away the medicine." In the end, he did not pursue his fault. Yangcheng once ran out of food and sent slaves to ask for rice. The slave exchanged rice for wine and got drunk on the road. Yangcheng went to pick him up and carried him home before he woke up. Later, the slave woke up and apologized to Yangcheng. Yangcheng said: "There is nothing wrong with drinking when the weather is cold!"
Gengyao was in Xi'an in 1970
When Gengyao was guarding Xi'an in 1970, he widely sought out talented people from all over the world. , and supported him as a staff member with generous salary. Jiang Heng applied for the job, and Nian Gengyao cherished his talent and learning very much... When Nian Gengyao was conquering Qinghai, one day after raising his account, he suddenly sent an order: "When we send out troops tomorrow, each person will bring a piece of wood and a bundle of straw." Shang Xia didn't understand the reason. The next day, when they encountered a deep mud pit, they asked the sergeant to bundle up grass and throw it into the pit. Then they covered it with wooden planks so that the army could move forward without hindrance. The people of this southwestern ethnic group used the pit as a natural danger. Unexpectedly, a large group of enemy troops suddenly pressed into the enemy's territory. So he captured the enemy's lair. During another expedition to Tibet, one night when the clepsydra leaked three times, I suddenly heard a strong west wind blowing, and stopped after a while. Nian Gengyao hurriedly summoned the generals, led 300 fast horses out of the camp, and searched for the bandits in the dense forest to the southwest. Sure enough, they all were captured. Someone asked the reason for it, and Nian Gengyao said: "It just stopped for a moment. It was definitely not the wind, but the sound of frightened birds flapping their wings. The bird flew out in the middle of the night. Someone must have disturbed it."
Ten miles southwest of here, there are dense woods, and there must be many birds inhabiting them. I judged that the thieves must have come to ambush, so I scared the birds. ”