Dan Tao is very famous.

If for nothing else, just because he is the one who was "broken up" in "Breaking up with Shan Juyuan".

Because of this, he was almost scolded. Later generations regarded him as a traitor to the seven sages of the bamboo forest and thought that he abandoned the spirit of celebrities for fame and fortune.

But anyone familiar with Ji Kang and this dear John letter knows that Ji Kang is talking about mulberry trees, cursing the imperial court and breaking up with Dan Tao.

And if you carefully taste Ji Kang's letter, you can appreciate its profound meaning. Ji Kang can probably feel that his life is running out, so he is saying goodbye to his old friends for many years.

Breaking up doesn't mean that they are no longer friends. On the contrary, they can't be friends. What separates them is nothing more than the boundary between life and death.

So the dear John book is not for dear John, but for farewell. Farewell.

So in this letter, Ji Kang talked a lot. From his living habits, to his ideals, to things he hates.

He said he couldn't take a bath for fifteen days in a month. He usually likes to stay in bed and get up to go to the toilet when he is in a hurry.

He said that he was bohemian, loved freedom, hated the shackles of officialdom, and hated the chatter and noise of that group of laity. Those hypocrites in officialdom, everyone wears a mask of hypocrisy, everyone is acting, but no one is willing to pay sincerely.

He also wrote an affectionate confession to his old friend:

"My newly lost mother and brother are often sad. The woman is thirteen and the man is eight. She is underage and very ill. I don't care about this!

Today, I hope to keep the humble hutongs and educate my children and grandchildren. When I get old, I will leave my family behind. Chen said, I want a glass of turbid wine and play the piano all my life. I want to volunteer. "

It seems that after reading this Millennium text, you can feel the sadness and feelings beyond Ji Kang's grief and indignation.

If you really want to break up, why talk so much nonsense.

In fact, Ji Kang not only didn't hate Dan Tao, but even agreed with Dan Tao's choice. From the moment he first met Dan Tao, he knew that this man was destined to take a completely different road from him.

Ji Kang knows very well what Dan Tao's choice is. However, this does not prevent them from becoming friends.

He agreed with Dan Tao's choice, so he entrusted his only son, Ji Shao, to Dan Tao before his death.

He said to Ji Shao, "With Chrysanthemum Garden, you won't be lonely." This is the origin of the idiom "Ji Shao is not alone".

Ji Kang knows that when a song ends, there will be no Ji Kang in the world. However, his only son, Ji Shao, will grow up safely under the protection of Dan Tao and realize his unfinished dream.

Stand on the road and leave a name for future generations. Perhaps this is the Confucian gentleman personality that Ji Kang really pursues. He hoped that Dan Tao could take Ji Shao instead of him to take the road he wanted to take but couldn't.

2

In order to further understand Dan Tao and his choices, we must start with a story.

That year, when Dan Tao first met Ji Kang and Ruan Ji, they made a pact with Jin Lan. Dan Tao had known Ji Kang and Ruan Ji respectively before. So when the three of them first got together, they reached an agreement with Jin Lan.

Jin Lan's story comes from the Book of Changes: "When two people combine, their interests will be cut off. Concentric words smell like blue. "

These three people hit it off as soon as they met, so they formed the deeds of Jin Lan, and they joined forces. This is also the embryonic form of Zhulin Qixian Group. Three people are the core strength of the seven sages of bamboo forest.

Ji Kang and Ruan Ji both have obvious Taoist personalities. More specifically, Ji Kang and Ruan Ji, like Zhuangzi, are carefree and bohemian, love freedom and despise the existence of secular ethics. But in fact, as Mr. Lu Xun said, in that era, the more people who violently resisted the ethics on the surface, the more they defended the ethics in their hearts. Beneath Ji Kang and Ruan Ji's carefree appearance, there is actually a very warm heart hidden. This heart is to nourish the spirit, eliminate rape and kill, punish evil and promote good.

To put it bluntly, both want to be officials. But at that time, the dark and turbid officialdom made them want to be an official, but they didn't want to give up their insistence.

Dan Tao is different from them. Dan Tao has been actively pursuing his career and accomplishing what Ji Kang and Ruan Ji wanted to do but didn't want to do. At this point, Dan Tao showed obvious Confucian personality.

Like Ji Kang and Ruan Ji, Dan Tao also has an obvious Taoist personality. Different from the two, Dan Tao is not as carefree and romantic as Zhuangzi, but as detached as Laozi. This characteristic makes Dan Tao particularly adept in officialdom. Of course, this also brought a curse to him. Forget it for a while.

Back to our story. Dan Tao and Ruan Ji, after they formed a contract with Jin Lan, took them home as guests. When Dan Tao's wife saw it, she was shocked.

So, Mrs. Han asked softly, "The imprisoned wife also looked at the fox and Zhao and wanted to peek at them, but what?"

What do you mean? In other words, during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there was a man named negative detention. His wife secretly saw two messengers, Fox and Zhao. Since there is such a precedent, I also want to follow the example of my wife in detention, can I?

So Mrs. Han suggested that Ji Kang and Ruan Ji stay for the night. Mrs. Han herself secretly observed them through the small hole in the wall, and as a result, she unconsciously watched them all night and forgot to go back to sleep.

At this moment, Dan Tao suddenly walked in and asked his wife, "What do you think of these two people?"

The lady replied, "If you ask me, your talent and interest are completely inferior to theirs, but your knowledge and tolerance are superior to theirs. That's why you can be friends. "

Dan Tao hahaha smiled. "Yes, they also think I am better than the word' degree'."

In fact, Mrs Han knows Dan Tao best. The word "knowledge" later became Dan Tao's lifelong judgment.

three

In the sixth year (245), Dan Tao was forty years old, and Dan Tao, who was so-called forty and determined, entered the official career for the first time.

It was the title of ICY, the third emperor of Cao Wei. When the emperor was young, the ruling power naturally fell on the ministers Cao Shuang and Sima Yi.

Cao Shuang, who thinks he is a Cao Wei clan, monopolizes the military power and is very arrogant. Sima yi is different. As a senior operator of Cao Cao, Cao Pi and Cao Cao, his ability to dress up as a pig and eat a tiger is not covered.

As a contemporary playwright 1, Sima Yi's acting skills are excellent. In order not to be Cao Cao's staff, he just pretended to be disabled for a long time. Now, he's going to play a dying old man, so he easily fooled Cao Shuang.

Just because Cao Shuang is kept in the dark doesn't mean that no one can see clearly. For example, our protagonist Dan Tao.

One night, Dan Tao, who was engaged at that time, woke up in the middle of the night and got up and kicked his colleague Shi Jian. "This is no time, you still dare to sleep? Do you know why Sima Taiwei didn't go to court? "

"Oh, make a fuss! Even if the prime minister doesn't appear in court for three days, just let him resign and go home. What is there to worry about? " Shi Jian answered absently.

"Duh! Shi Jian, don't be a ghost! " Dan Tao dropped this sentence, then left the official seal and left overnight.

Obviously, some people are still sleeping and some people are awake. Most people slept like a historical mirror and didn't realize that Sima Yi's butcher knife was already on his head. And Dan Tao has been awake, and he doesn't want to be a ghost under Sima Yi and Cao Shuang's horseshoe.

Facts have proved Dan Tao's foresight. Within two years, Sima Yi staged a coup in Gao Ping Ling and overthrew the Cao Wei regime. The prelude to regime change has begun. Celebrities in the world have lost more than half their lives overnight. On the other hand, Dan Tao was able to escape this disaster with its keen insight into the current situation. The Book of Jin said that he was "invisible and not involved" during that time.

When the court was in chaos, Dan Tao disappeared.

So, where did Dan Tao go?

four

The answer is obvious. Dan Tao, who escaped from the court whirlpool, and his friends Ji Kang, Ruan Ji and others appeared in the Yangshan bamboo forest where Ji Kang lived happily.

But unlike Ruan Ji, Dan Tao's stay is only temporary, and his official career is his final destination.

So, when the storm of the change of Gao Pingling subsided, Dan Tao seized the opportunity and set foot on his official career again.

Dan Tao was related to Sima Yi's wife Zhang Chunhua, so he easily met Sima Shi, who was in power at that time. As soon as they met, Master Sima asked, "Is Lv Wang going to be an official and do evil?"

Oh, is Jiang Taigong going to be an official?

As soon as they met, they put Dan Tao in the position of Jiang Taigong. If Dan Tao is Jiang Taigong, isn't it Zhou Wenwang? It can be seen how excellent a wave of business interaction is. Later generations didn't like Sima Shi very much, and naturally they didn't like Dan Tao who was in cahoots with him.

But Dan Tao is really not picky. Do you still need to choose a leader when you come out to find a job?

Dan Tao knows very well that he is not qualified to choose. So I hitched a ride with Sima's family and rose all the way, and soon I was promoted from a doctor to a doctor. After a period of time, the person in power was replaced by Si Mazhao, and Dan Tao was promoted to the official department minister, who was in charge of personnel.

During his tenure as an official, Dan Tao witnessed Ji Kang, his best friend, stepping into the abyss of death. He offered Ji Kang a helping hand. Ji Kang smiled and resolutely shook off his hand, rolling in the deep.

Dan Tao knew this was Ji Kang's own choice, and he was powerless to stop it. When a letter "Breaking up with Shan Juyuan" came out, the world thought they were going to break up, but that letter failed to break up their friendship.

But who can stop those who are bent on death? Dan Tao had to accept this fact and continue to take care of Ji Kang's only son Ji Shao after Ji Kang's death.

Dan Tao knew that his burden was heavier now. He knows that in this troubled times, political status is their only umbrella. I used to have my own wife and children to take care of, but now I have to protect my old friend's only son.

He promised his wife that although he has no power and influence now, he will definitely rank third in the future. For this promise, I will work hard now.

five

After Ji Kang's death, Dan Tao concentrated on dealing with official affairs. At this time, in the imperial court of Si Mazhao, the most powerful ministers were Zhong Hui and Pei Xiu. The two men often struggle for power and profit, while Dan Tao gave full play to the advantage of survival in the cracks, remained neutral and impartial between them, and survived the power struggle unscathed.

Later generations called Dan Tao an apple polisher. But Dan Tao knew that he would rather offend a gentleman than a villain. This is also the unchanging truth of officialdom later.

Dan Tao did carry out his principles of officialdom to the end. Later, he became the official minister and the head of the personnel department. However, it is still particularly "awkward". Others gave him 100 Jin of expensive silk thread in order to bribe him. In order not to offend the villains, he also accepted all orders, and he has no celebrity character at all. Later, the court investigated the matter and the prosecutor searched Dan Tao's home. Dan Tao unhurriedly took out all 100 Jin of silk thread and handed it over to the prosecutor. The prosecutor looked carefully and found that the expensive silk thread was covered with a thick layer of dust. Originally, after Dan Tao accepted the silk thread, he put them all on the shelf and never moved.

So people call Dan Tao "the history of hanging silk".

Visible, Dan Tao's "muddle" technology or practice, which also ensures that he in officialdom for many years, still can stand.

Let's go back to what happened in Dan Tao during Si Mazhao's time. Si Mazhao hesitated in choosing his successor. At this time, the ministers were divided into two groups that supported the eldest son Sima Yan and the youngest son Sima You. This kind of thing happened in Cao Cao's time. The struggle between Cao Pi Party and Cao Zhi Party also involves many interests disputes. Once you stand on the wrong side, the consequences will be irreparable.

Dan Tao once again showed his extraordinary knowledge, grasped the main contradiction, and decisively chose his eldest son, Sima Yan, the later Emperor Wu of Jin Dynasty.

His reason is simple, but it is irrefutable: "It is ominous to waste the long and make the young." National security will always be decided by it. "

Because the eldest son inheritance system is an established rule in ancient society, Dan Tao's reason made Si Mazhao speechless and immediately decided the position of Prince Sima Yan.

This time, the correct reform directly established Dan Tao's almost unshakable position in Sima Yan.

six

As mentioned earlier, Dan Tao later became the official department minister. This happened during Sima Yan's time.

In charge of the selection of officials in the official department, whenever there is a vacancy, Dan Tao will recommend suitable officials to Sima Yan and Emperor Wu of Song. Of course, Dan Tao will give priority to appointing officials that the emperor likes. So a group of people were dissatisfied and thought that Dan Tao abused power for personal gain and reported it to the emperor.

Sima Yan gave Dan Tao a hand and said, "The husband uses his talents, and he does not leave the single base. The world is changing."

This means letting Dan Tao handle it fairly. But Dan Tao will give priority to officials that the emperor likes. A year later, everyone had nothing to say. Because these people selected by Dan Tao are the most suitable people in their respective posts, regardless of their priorities, the result is the same. This also reflects Dan Tao's extraordinary ability to read people.

When Dan Tao recommends talents, he will write the reasons for recommendation and the ability of the person next to his name, and also divide different talents into different categories, so people call Dan Tao's recommendation form [Mountain Announcement].

During more than ten years as a senior official, Dan Tao has never forgotten Ji Shao, the son of his old friend Ji Kang. At that time, Cheng Shuji's position was vacant and he was highly recommended as a superior.

Ji Shao hesitated about it, so he asked Dan Tao. Dan Tao stared at the confused boy and said only one sentence:

"Thought for you for a long time. There is still news at four o'clock in heaven and earth. Where are people? "

I've been thinking about this position for a long time, just like the four seasons of this world, they are not static, let alone people. The implication is that the era of Si Mazhao has passed, and the situation you and your father Ji Kang are facing is different. Ji Kang is dead, but you have different missions and different choices.

So, feel free to do it.

After Ji Shao listened, he no longer hesitated. Turned and embarked on his journey, shouldering his responsibility and mission. This is his own mental journey and has nothing to do with his father Ji Kang.

At that time, people marveled at Dan Tao's famous saying "There is news at four o'clock in the world". Dan Tao is really too see through, would say such a thing. However, when Gu saw it, he cursed and thought that he was not only a traitor, but also a person like himself. It is simply "no king, no father" and "unfaithfulness hurts education."

The following is a sentence by Bay Yu Ying, the author of Looking Up at the Starry Sky in the Abyss:

"What a realistic person should do is not to sleep in the past and sigh and resent, but to change the future. For Ji Shao, changing the future is far more meaningful than hiding in his father's shadow and doing nothing all his life "(1page 37).

Actually, this statement is very clear. People always have to look forward and can't be bound by the past. You can't be blinded by the grievances of the previous generation. All we have to do is listen to our inner voices and choose our choices.

Therefore, there is absolutely no need to stubbornly believe that Ji Kang must stand on the same front as Gu. In fact, from the beginning, their choices and missions were different.

However, Ji Shao failed to follow the path he chose. Later, the Eight Kings Rebellion broke out. As the personal servant of the emperor, Ji Shao fought and died to protect the emperor and defend the country.

Also worthy of the reputation of his father Ji Kang.

7. concluding remarks

In his life, Dan Tao overcame many difficulties with his excellent knowledge and extraordinary measurement, and even spared no effort to protect his relatives and friends under his full wings and send them safely to the other side.

He was able to escape unscathed in the change of Gao Pingling, stood on the issue of establishing the reserve team correctly, and even predicted the possibility of the Eight Kings Rebellion after the Jin Emperor Sima Yan announced a general strike, all thanks to his full understanding of the situation.

And he can wander between villains, even leave a scholar's character and humbly please the emperor, which can't be done without extraordinary measurement.

Yu Jiaxi, the author of Shi Shuo Xin Yu, condemned Dan Tao's behavior. He thinks that Dan Tao fawns on Zhong Hui and flatters Sima Shi, just like a fawning dog.

But the truth is not what Yu Jiaxi said. If we interpret Dan Tao with Laozi's thoughts, we can find that Dan Tao actually has the principle of unity.

Laozi said, "defeat its sharpness, solve its disputes, and its light, and its dust." It is to converge your spirit and edges, lower your posture, soften your figure, and let yourself live in harmony with the world.

Lao Tzu's other philosophies, such as "open-minded" and "there is room for women under the sun", are all telling similar truth. It is nothing more than lowering your posture, opening your mind and accepting it with humility.

The line between what Lao Zi said and what Yu Jiaxi said about flattery is very vague, and a little carelessness makes him a wagging dog in Yu Jiaxi's mouth.

But at least Dan Tao is not the dog. Dan Tao only realized this reality earlier and more clearly than others.

He knew that the only way to save himself and his relatives and friends in troubled times was to gain a foothold in officialdom. Only in this way can he protect the people he wants to protect. In fact, he did. Ji Shao grew up healthily under his wings and was able to be independent, so he was given a chance to realize his dream. Dan Tao also fulfilled his promise to his wife: he really changed from a poor scholar to a powerful official. Moreover, after he became an official minister, he didn't take a concubine again, and he was faithful to his wife.

Dan Tao never betrayed his original intention from beginning to end. It's just that he knows that everything has a price, and in order to get something, he has to give up another thing.

In order to embark on a career, he must give up his honor and dignity. Even if it seems unprincipled and servile, this is the price for Dan Tao to realize his ideal, which is the reality that he must accept.

In this matter, the Seven Sages of Bamboo Forest saw it clearly, so they also made different choices.

Ji Kang chose his faith and jumped out of the abyss. However, Ruan Ji was struggling between his own safety and the belief he insisted on. He can only paralyze himself by drinking, hoping he won't be so sober.

The more awake, the more painful it is. Just like one of Mao's lyrics: sober people are the most ridiculous.

Dan Tao is sober, too. He knew that at the moment when he made a choice, he had to accept the reality of whipping, but he still took all the responsibilities alone. His choice may be different from Ji Kang and Ruan Ji, but it is understandable.

Everyone faces different choices in the life of the seven sages of bamboo forest, and everyone has different answers. Even from the beginning, they were not on the same side. Therefore, there is nothing to blame for Dan Tao's behavior.

At least, he is fighting alone in his own way.