Kingdom of Heaven and Han

By February, Zhao Gou had arrived in Xiangyang to take charge of matters. An edict was issued again, asking Wang Xiao to go to the palace.

Wang Xiaolie took the edict and sat in the garden for a long time, and finally sighed. After calling the soldiers, he ordered Chen Qiudao, Wang Ruohai, and Chen Yuyi to come over.

The three of them entered the garden and went to worship together.

Wang Xiaoxing said: "The spring is beautiful today, and the flowers are in bloom. It is a rare good day. I have some free time from official duties these days, so let's enjoy the spring scenery together."

After saying that, he ordered his soldiers to move some chairs for the three of them to sit on.

The expressions of the three of them changed several times. Seeing Wang Xiaolie's lazy expression and nothing else, they reluctantly sat down.

Wang Xiaolie looked at the peonies a few feet in front of him and said, "The gardeners spent countless efforts to make these peonies bloom a month ahead of schedule. They hurriedly brought them to me like treasures. Let me tell you, Peonies need thousands of trees to bloom together to see their splendor and unparalleled beauty. Even if they bloom in advance, what's the point of only having three or five pots like this?"

Chen Qiudao said, "That's what Xuanfu said."

Wang Xiaolie looked at Chen Qiudao, then at Wang Ruohai and Chen Yuyi, and sighed: "It's hard for you to see me now, isn't it?"

The expressions of the three people changed and they hurriedly said they didn't dare.

Wang Xiaolie said: "It's difficult to handle. I didn't expect that after the victory in Hedong, there were rumors all over the world that I was going to rebel. After hearing these rumors, I didn't know what to do. Pass them on and arrest them. After being punished severely, there is no way to arrest the person. If you want to distinguish yourself, how can you tell the difference clearly? It is really difficult."

Then he added: "I said that I didn't have any thoughts of rebellion, and I didn't strictly deal with those who spread the rumors. It's really difficult for you to figure out my thoughts. But what can I do? Just show up and let people Peace of mind, I can do it, but I don’t bother to do it. A real man should live a pure life and do things aboveboard. If he has no choice but to pollute his nature, there should be a particularly serious reason."

At this point, he paused and said, "Rebellion is not an acceptable reason!"

After hearing these words, the three of them were all stunned. Yes, the three of them all believed that Wang Xiaolie would rebel, but did not listen to his thoughts. What if what he thinks is different from what you think?

Wang Xiaolie said: "I said, we all play various roles in this world. Some people play ministers, some people play petty officials, and some people play common people. Since you have played this role, then play it wholeheartedly. Okay. Don’t have the illusion that you are the character itself, and the character is you. In addition to this role, you still have many things to do. Those who want to practice Taoism, those who miss Buddha, some people like nature, and some people like fireworks on earth. , those are all you. When you are working, play the role wholeheartedly, try to figure out how this role should be done, and don’t mix too many personal thoughts. When you are not working, be yourself, do what you like, and What you should do. Whether you are your superiors, colleagues, or even subordinates, they all understand that you are acting and accept that you are acting."

Having said this, Wang Xiaolie shook his head: "Many people think that I am just talking, and the real meaning is not like this. Why is it not like this? Except for official business, I never interfere in your private life, as long as your private life has nothing to do with official business That's it. Many people can't distinguish between what is public and what is private. When doing official things, they carry personal feelings and personal interests. When doing private things, they are related to their official status. This situation is very common, even All three of you are inevitable." Wang Xiaolie sighed: "Even myself, when you shout that I should rebel, I will fall into a trance. In that moment, I feel that I am not me anymore. I should be the emperor. Alas, I couldn’t recognize myself in that room."

Chen Yuyi took a deep breath, cupped his hands and said, "Xiaguan Wan's death has disturbed Xuanfu's Taoist heart."

"Tao Xin?" Wang Xiaolie tilted his head and thought for a while. "Even if it's Dao Heart. - Actually it's not Dao Heart, but I can't explain it clearly, so I'll just call it Dao Heart. Of the three of you, Qufei is the only one who understands my thoughts slightly, but not completely. Go. Fei Shi was the first to follow me, and he has seen my changes in the past few years, and understands the meaning of these changes. In the bureaucratic setup of our Xuanfu Department, apart from getting, Qu Fei has contributed more. But Qu Fei’s temperament is somewhat He is lazy, especially not good at handling daily government affairs. I arranged for him to collect folk allusions, not to arrange a sinecure for his temperament, but to arrange a position because of his temperament."

Having said this, Wang Xiaolie said seriously: "We say that the emperor is a herdsman on behalf of heaven. There is no problem with this statement. As long as the emperor knows that he is a herdsman on behalf of heaven, he is here to manage the people. Although heaven does not say anything, it is omnipresent. The emperor will do it. Reasonable inferences about what should be done as the son of Heaven. Rather than what I think and want to do as the Son of Heaven. The difference between this cannot be recorded in Taoism."

"I say we are playing a role because there is a huge difference between putting things on ourselves and putting things on the characters. Qi Jinggong asked Confucius about politics. Confucius said: 'Jun Jun, ministers, father father, son son', first of all What is emphasized is that it is the king and the father. If the king and the father are abandoned, the following ones will not exist. If the king is not the king, then the ministers will not be ministers. If the father is not the father, then the son will not be the son. This understanding is the original intention of Confucius. "

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, when sages spoke, they rarely had the idea of ​​loyalty to the emperor. It is more about whether one's own way can be implemented and whether one's own ideals can be realized, which determines whether to be a minister of a country. If a monarch wants his ministers to behave like ministers, he must first behave like a monarch.

Sighing, Wang Xiaolie said: "The question now is whether the emperor recognizes himself as the son of heaven and acknowledges this illusory sky."

The three of them looked at each other and did not dare to speak.

He took out the edict and placed it on the stone table in front of him. Wang Xiaoxing said: "The official issued an edict announcing that I should go to Xiangyang to meet the Holy Spirit. Should I go or shouldn't I go?"

The three of them shook their heads secretly and closed their mouths.

Wang Xiaolie said: "As a minister, when you receive an imperial edict, you should obey it without saying a word. However, it should be the imperial edict from the emperor. If the official does not think that he is the emperor, but follows his own wishes, I have been given such an edict, should I obey it?"

Wang Xiaolie looked at the three of them and said: "It's really hard for you to talk when something like this happens. On the one hand, you are my subordinates, but on the other hand, you are still ministers of the Song Dynasty. As ministers of the Song Dynasty, you cannot Discuss your Majesty's wishes, and just follow your orders. As my subordinate, I have to consider my safety and whether I can return safely after going to Xiangyang. I hesitated, so I had to ask you what you want."

(End of this chapter)