I recently read "Book of Jin". Volume 89 is "Biographies of Loyalty and Justice". The concepts of loyalty and filial piety are quite complicated to talk about, so let’s quote the original text first.
Wei Zhong, whose courtesy name was Zijie, was from Pingyang. Less generous, more ambition. He is eager to learn and broad-minded, and his nature is true to his promises. He cultivates himself behind closed doors and does not interact with the current world. Whenever good or bad times come, he receives gifts from relatives and receives nothing. At the age of twelve, I lost my father, mourned him and became haggard, and then he rose up with the stick. Sikong Peixiu hung it up, crawled and howled, and his grief was touching. After showing off, he told others: "This son will grow up to be a good weapon." When he returned, he ordered his son to build Yan. After serving Qian, he stayed in the tomb. They were built out of admiration, but they were all entrusted and disappeared. The family is poor, the pigtails are not enough, the people cannot bear their worries, but they are loyal and do not change their happiness. The armor is a servant shooting, and a few words are spoken to Sikong Zhang Hua. When people asked why, Zhong said: "I am a lowly scholar with no official feelings at all. Moreover, Mao Xian is flashy but not practical, Pei Yu is lustful and unsatisfied, abandons the ceremony and becomes a thief. If this is the case, it is not suitable for a man to do evil!" Pei often entrusted me with his heart, and he was always afraid that the mighty waves would cause the mountains to drift, so he could catch a glimpse of Wo Jiao at the end of the mountain. "The prefect Chen Chu was the hero. When the Qiang of Huishan broke into the county, Chu ran away with his son. The thieves shot him and hit him three times. Zhong risked his sword to attack Chu. He defended him with his body, crying and saying: "Wei Zhong is willing to put himself on behalf of the king and beg for mercy from all the kings." He also suffered five arrows. The thief said to him, "You are a righteous man!" Zhong then betrayed Chu and returned. Liu Cong, a later official, was the general of Zhenxi and the captain of the Ping Qiang. He fought against the rebel Qiang and was killed. He died unyieldingly.
Xin Mian, also named Boli, was a Taoist from Di in Longxi. Father Hong, General Zuowei. Mian is knowledgeable and has integrity. During the reign of Emperor Huai, he moved to serve as a servant. When Luoyang fell, he followed the emperor to Pingyang. General Liu Cong was appointed as Doctor Guanglu, but he reluctantly refused. Cong sent Qiao Du, his Huangmen servant, to force him to drink medicinal wine, and exhorted him, "How can a man sacrifice his life for a few years by serving a second surname? I'm going to see Emperor Wu!" He introduced the medicine and was about to drink it, but Du stopped suddenly and said "The Lord is testing your ears, you are a true scholar!" He sighed and left. Congratulations for his chastity and deep respect for him. He built a house in the west mountain of Pingyang. He sent wine and rice to him every month, but he refused even if he tried to persuade him. He died at the age of eighty.
Bin, a younger brother of the Mian clan, was a minister during the reign of Emperor Min. When the emperor was in trouble in Pingyang, Liu Cong sent the emperor to drink wine and wash his nobility, hoping to see the intentions of the Jin ministers in court. The guest stood up, hugged the emperor and cried loudly. Cong said: "I killed Yu Min's generation before, so it is not enough to stop evil!"
Liu Minyuan, whose courtesy name was Daoguang, was from Beihai. Be diligent in your studies and don't take risks to change your mind. He is good at celestial calendars, yin and yang calculations, and devotes himself to "Yi" and "Tai Xuan". He is not good at reading history. He often says to comrades: "When reciting books, you should understand the roots of meaning. Why waste effort on superficial words! Those who read "Yi", The source of righteousness, "Tai Xuan", the Gate of Reason, whoever can understand this is my master. "The rebellion in Yongjia started from Qixi. Guan Ping of Tong County was more than seventy years old. He followed Min Yuan to the west and reached Xingyang, where he was robbed by thieves. Min Yuan had been spared, so he called the thief again and said, "This gentleman is an old man and has very few years to live. Min Yuan please take his place on his behalf, and I hope all the gentlemen will give up on him." The thief said, "How is this gentleman related to you?" Min Yuan said, " The people of Tongyi are poor and have no children. If the king wants to serve him, he is too old to serve him. If he wants to eat, he will not be as good as Minyuan. "There is a thief who scolds Minyuan. Said: "If I don't let this man go, I won't worry about you!" Min Yuan said with a sword: "How can I hope that evil will happen! I will kill you and then die. This man is poor and old, and the gods should show mercy to him. My relatives are not flesh and blood. Yi is not a teacher or friend, but I am begging for my help. All the officials are kind and willing to listen to me. Why do you have such a shy face to say this? How often, I would rather lose you gentlemen! If you are a high-ranking emperor, then you should be a minister of Chen Xiang! You should follow the path and praise your virtue. How can you tolerate this person and harm your beauty? You should get rid of this person for the sake of all the kings, so that they can become the overlords. "The former general will kill him. The leader of the thieves suddenly stopped him and said to him, "You are a righteous man! He is committing a crime of righteousness by harming you." He was spared. Liu Yao, a later official, was the minister of Zhongshu and the chief historian of Taiwei. ——"Book of Jin·Volume 89"
Liu Cong and Liu Yao were both monarchs of the former Zhao Dynasty, and the Huns, Wei Zhong and Liu Minyuan were all Jin people. Jin people served the Huns. According to current concepts, these people are Jin traitors. However, the "Book of Jin" classifies them as loyal and righteous people. Why is this?
In addition, Xin Mian, Xin Bin, and Yu Min mentioned in this biography were unwilling to serve Liu Cong, Xin Bin, and Yu Min, so they were killed and were also considered loyal people.
They seem to be two completely different outlooks on life and values.
Why does the "Book of Jin" think that they are all loyal and righteous people?
There is no doubt that Gu Yanwu, a great thinker in the late Ming Dynasty, must have read "Book of Jin". People who can be famous throughout the ages will never waste their fame in vain, especially someone like Gu Yanwu. Regarding such issues, Gu Yanwu's view is:
There is a country that will be destroyed; there is a world that will be destroyed. Is there a difference between subjugating the country and subjugating the world? It is said that changing one's surname to one's name is called the country's subjugation; benevolence and righteousness are enough to lead animals to eat people, and people will eat each other, which is called the world's subjugation. Why did people in the Wei and Jin Dynasties destroy the world by talking about it? This is what "Mencius" calls Yang and Mo's words, which makes the world have no father and no king, and is like a beast. In the past, Ji Shao's father Kang was killed by King Wen of Jin Dynasty. During the revolution of Emperor Wu, Shan Tao recommended him to serve as an official. During the Shao period, he stayed in a private house and refused to leave. Tao said, "I have been thinking about you for a long time. There is still news in the four seasons of heaven and earth, but what about people?" ! It was recited for a while and regarded as a famous saying. But they don't know that they are betraying justice and hurting the teachings, and that they are leading the world without a father! The man Shao Zhi was in Jin was not a king; if he forgot his father and served him as a king, he would have been fatherless for more than thirty years before his death, which is a long time. And how could Dangyin's death be enough to atone for his sins? ! Moreover, when he first entered the officialdom, did he know that there would be a defeat in Chengdu, so that he could establish his reputation as a loyal person later in life?
Since Zhengshi, the great righteousness has been unclear and has been biased towards the world. For example, Shan Tao, who is the leader of evil doctrines, makes Ji Shao's virtuous people and commits crimes against the world, regardless of the incompatibility between evil and right doctrines. If you say that Shao is loyal, then you must say that Wang Pei is unfaithful and then you can do it. Why is it strange that the prime minister led his ministers to Liu Cong and Shi Le, watched his old master in green clothes drinking wine, and did not try to move his heart? This is why you know how to protect the world, and then you know how to protect your country. Those who protect the country, their king and his ministers, and those who eat meat seek it. Those who protect the world are so humble as ordinary people, how can they be held responsible? ——Gu Yanwu's "Rizhilu·Volume 13"
Wei Zhong was promoted to the throne but was not a meritorious official, and he was an assistant to the prefect. Moreover, he was forced to join the officialdom, not voluntarily. When the prefect Chen Chu was in trouble, Wei Zhong risked his life to defend the enemy and was called a righteous man. Therefore, Liu Cong, a later official, had no moral shortcomings. Liu Minyuan dressed in white was responsible for the rise and fall of the Jin Dynasty, and he did not need to bear much responsibility. Therefore, Gu Yanwu said: "Those who protect the country are their rulers and their ministers, and those who eat meat seek it." When a national crisis strikes, we are the first to bear the brunt, so we cannot shirk our responsibilities.
However, celebrities in the Jin Dynasty were also some shameless guys. For example, Wang Yan, one of the three princes, was defeated and captured. He actually told Later Zhao Shile that the rise and fall of the Jin Kingdom had nothing to do with him, and even advised Shi Le to proclaim himself emperor. Even Shi Le thought he was too shameless, but because his reputation was so great, Shi Le didn't want to bear the name of Killing Xian. They had no choice but to send people to knock down the wall and bury him alive. ——"Book of Jin·Volume 43"
Wang Yan was by no means the only shameless celebrity in the Jin Dynasty. Suo Wei, a distinguished family in Dunhuang for many generations. His father, Suo Jing, was a famous calligrapher in the Jin Dynasty and the author of "Cursive Script". Logically speaking, such a family background should serve the country. But when Liu Yao besieged Chang'an, the city was hungry and exhausted, and everyone was eating each other. Emperor Min of Jin wanted to surrender, but Suo Wei was unwilling. He also lied that the food in the city could last for a year, and sent his son to negotiate terms with Liu Yao, asking Liu Yao to grant him a high official and generous salary, and he would surrender the city. The former Zhao Emperor Liu Cong couldn't stand such a traitor seeking glory. After Emperor Min surrendered, he killed Suo Wei. "Book of Jin" says that they should be killed in Dongshi. Still killed in a busy city. In ancient times, senior ministers were killed in court in order to maintain their dignity. Killing in a busy city is just to expose the body.
In the Oriental Star shipwreck the year before last, more than 400 people died. Some people on the Internet excused the captain, saying that he didn't want this to happen, that it was an accident, and that the captain was not responsible. It was really shameless. Similarly, there is a recent group of netizens who do not have any political power. In reality, every section chief is servile, and they cannot even resist arbitrary charges. Boycotting the United States, Japan, and South Korea at every turn, running to the door of businesses to pull flags, and shouting slogans are indeed not just ordinary blindness and ignorance.
The difference between Gu Yanwu’s subjugation of his country and his subjugation of the world is worth pondering. When the country is overthrown, the surname is changed and the name is changed. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the surname Zhu was replaced by Aixinjueluo. For the common people, whoever becomes emperor has to pay taxes and grain. Of course, shaving one's hair and changing clothes and forcing people to accept Manchu customs are absolutely unacceptable. It also aroused strong resistance from the people at that time, and the Manchus killed tens of millions of Han people to promote it successfully.
But do people do this because they love the Ming Dynasty? Not necessarily, I'm afraid it's just my living habits that I love.
Yes, clothing, lifestyle and food are also the culture of this country. The country can perish, but the culture cannot perish, and the ideology cannot perish. In a narrow sense, patriotism means loving one’s own country’s culture. Mr. Cheng Shude said: "Culture is the life of a country, thinking is the tendency of the people, and education is the foundation of a country. Anyone who loves his country will not fail to love the culture of his country. The pursuit of thought and the process of education are all based on this. allow". If the people of a country deny their own culture and endorse the ideology of the invaders, they are completely doomed. This is what Gu Yanwu is worried about when the world is destroyed. Nations rise and fall, and meat-eaters plan it. The rise and fall of the world is the responsibility of every common person.
Chinese people often say that loyalty and filial piety cannot have both ends. But in the concept of orthodox Confucian intellectuals, filial piety is higher than loyalty. If you can't figure this out, think about Wu Zixu, who killed the monarch. Ji Shao's father, Ji Kang, was killed by Sima Zhao, King Wen of Jin Dynasty. Shan Tao actually persuaded Ji Kang to become an official and serve his enemy's son, Emperor Wu of Jin Dynasty, Sima Yan. The reason is: "There is still news in the four seasons of heaven and earth, but how much worse than human beings?!" Defeating justice and hurting religion is really worse than an animal. If you think this is a bit extreme, think about something else. There has been a "mother-humiliation murder case" in Shandong recently. Can Yu Huan work in a company where people have insulted his mother?
Shantao is not only disinterested in Yanwu. People in the Jin Dynasty were not interested in him. Sun Chuo once criticized Shantao. He was an official but not an official, and he was not a hidden person. Do you want to be an official or live in seclusion? Yan Yanzhi of the Southern Dynasty wrote the poem "Ode to the Five Lords" and simply excluded Shan Tao and Wang Rong from the "Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove". Maybe it’s because I hate these two fame-seeking people from the bottom of my heart.
Ji Shao later died in the Battle of Dangyin. In order to protect Sima Zhao's mentally retarded grandson, he was shot into a hedgehog, and his blood spattered on the imperial uniform of Emperor Hui of Jin. It was very tragic. In "The Biography of Loyalty and Justice", he is the leader. Wang Pe mentioned in Gu Yanwu's "Rizhilu" had a similar fate to Ji Shao. Wei and Wu, in the Battle of Dongguan, Sima Zhao made a wrong decision and was defeated by the Wu army. Wang Pei's father, Wang Yi, believed that Sima Zhao was responsible. As a result, Sima Zhao was angered and killed. As a result, Wang Pei refused to join the Jin Dynasty for the rest of his life. So Gu Yanwu said, if you think Ji Shao is a loyal minister, then Wang Pei is disloyal. Isn't this contradictory?
When Fang Xuanling and others wrote "Book of Jin", they also tried their best to bridge this contradiction. Original text of "The Biography of Loyalty":
Shi Chen said: Zhongsan was punished for his skin, and Wang Yi was brutally punished for resisting. In both cases, it can be said that death was not his crime. Weiyuan was a shameful minister to the Jin Dynasty, and Yanzu was willing to die in danger. Although the reason was the same, the path he took was different. However, they were both famous in the world, and the bamboos and silk were hung down. Wouldn't it be considered that the king and father are at the top of the three, and loyalty and filial piety are the most important. The pioneer in all walks of life! Moreover, Pei alone is good at his own body, so he can fulfill his filial piety, and Shao is also beneficial to things, and Li should exhaust his loyalty. It can be said that Lan Gui is different but harmonious, and "Shao" and "Wu" have different sounds but are beautiful together. Some commentators may argue that it is difficult to get ridiculed even if they die, and if they criticize their remarks, they are not serious commentators. Husband, God is so hateful! Since An enjoys its glory, danger is contrary to its disaster, and there is no basis for advancement or retreat. How can one establish a person! Ji Sheng's whole body was destroyed in this way.
Zhongsan is Ji Kang. Because he once served as the doctor of Zhongsan, later generations called him Ji Zhongsan. Wang Pei's courtesy name was Weiyuan, and Ji Shao's courtesy name was Yanzu. Fang Xuanling believes that the monarch is heaven, can his father compare with heaven? Therefore, even if the monarch kills his father, he should be loyal to the monarch. This is the case with Ji Shao.
Alas! These words were just written for the monarch Li Shimin.