When a person is about to die

When a person is about to die, his words are also good. Good may not necessarily be good, but it is possible to be more true, and some are more beautiful.

Wang Jingwen of the Liu Song Dynasty was executed by the emperor with poisoned wine. When the edict and poisoned wine arrived, he was playing chess with his guests. After reading the edict, put it aside first. After the chess game is finished, he puts the chess pieces away, gives the edict to the guests to read, then raises the poisoned wine and says: "I have to drink this pot of wine alone!" Then he drinks it all in one gulp, and goes to heaven or hell. .

The original text of this sentence is "This wine is not suitable for persuasion." It is only six words, but it is said so coolly and without losing the identity. Compared with Socrates who said "I still owe a wish to a chicken in the temple, please pay it back for me", Jin Shengtan said "dried tofu and peanuts taste like ham when chewed together, you must know", Qu Qiubai said "Chinese tofu, "In fact, it's also delicious" and other famous quotes, wouldn't this sentence appear more natural, less pretentious, and more impressive?

Feng Menglong's "An Introduction to Ancient and Modern Stories" recorded this incident and the sentence "This wine is not suitable for persuading each other", but if you want to know the details, you have to read the Thirteenth Biography of "Southern History". It turned out that Wang Jingwen came from a high family and was knowledgeable. When he was young, he fell in love with Emperor Wu of the Song Dynasty. He wanted to marry his daughter to him, and even took his name as the name of Emperor Ming of the Song Dynasty. He also asked Emperor Ming to choose his sister as queen. Wang Jingwen, on the other hand, had no ambitions. He resigned many times for promotions and promotions, and even refused to resign because of illness. After Emperor Ming ascended the throne, he became more cautious. Although he was repeatedly appointed as Zhongshu Ling, Zhongshu Supervisor, and Prince Taifu, he still refused to do so. He had no choice but to accept a false title. He still requested to guard in other places and stay away from the government. Even so, when Emperor Ming of the Song Dynasty knew that he could not afford it, he was afraid that when the queen came to the court in the future, he would be the "Uncle Yuan" and would naturally be in charge of the country. With his qualifications and talents, the world might change from Liu to Wang, so he still Attacked him. Emperor Ming asked the messenger who delivered the poisoned wine to say to Wang Jingwen:

I don't think you are guilty, but I cannot die alone, so please do it first.

Finally, he told the truth. He did not create a treason case or label him as a rebel or something. It was still a nostalgia for old friendship.

This is the most terrifying aspect of authoritarian politics. If the king wants his minister to die, he will have to die. Even if he is a highly respected minister, or even becomes the second in command, he cannot save his life. Although Socrates also committed suicide by drinking poison, he still defended himself for a while, and then the "people's representatives" threw shells into the bottle to vote, and went through the process of democratic collegiality. Jin Shengtan and Qu Qiubai were "mingzhengdian torture" or "secret judgment" without trial. "There is no inn in Huangquan, who will I stay at tonight" and "Extra Words" can still be written down on paper and passed down to future generations. Like Wang Jingwen, if he loves the princess, he wants the princess to sleep with him, but if he hates him (perhaps we should say fear him), he will give him a pot of poisonous wine, but after all, the six words "this wine is not suitable for persuading" can still preserve it. Only later in the "Great Trial" of the Soviet Union, torture was used to force the "prisoners" to make false confessions and self-incrimination. When Mao Yuan killed Zhang Zhixin, he first cut off her trachea and pinched the base of her neck to silence her like "killing a dumb duck". It is the darkest and most inhumane thing to not leave even one clear sentence behind.

However, the words left by Wang Jingwen were really graceful and beautiful.

I once had an idea, which was to compile a volume of the most famous last words and poems written in ancient and modern times, Chinese and foreign poems, as well as wills, suicide notes, last words, and the last words left by people when they passed away. It can be called "man's dying". If this idea can be realized, Wang Jingwen’s words must be selected.

(December 2004)