Be frugal and practice honesty and diligence

——Yan Ying

1. The history of three generations of wise ministers

Yan Ying, courtesy name Ping Zhong, a native of Qi State Yiwei (now Gaomi City, Shandong Province), was the son of Qi official Yan Ruo. In the twenty-sixth year of Qi Linggong (556 BC), Yan Ruo died, and Yan Ying succeeded him as the official. He was an outstanding statesman and thinker in the late Spring and Autumn Period, and a generation in Chinese history. A virtuous minister. Sima Qian said that Yan Ying "puts more emphasis on thrift and hard work than Qi. Since they support each other, the food does not focus on meat, and the concubines do not wear silk. When he is in court, if the king's words reach him, he will speak dangerously; if his words fail to reach him, he will act dangerously. The state has a way, That is to obey the destiny; to be unruly is to balance the destiny. In this way, the three generations will be famous among the princes. "

Starting from the period of Qi Linggong, the Cui and Qing rebellions occurred in the history of Qi. , it was precisely when the civil war in Qi State continued, the political situation was unstable, and class conflicts became increasingly acute that Yan Ying appeared on the political stage of Qi State as a politician. In 556 BC, Yan Ying's father Yan Huanzi died of illness, and Yan Ying succeeded his father as minister. From then on, Yan Ying inherited Huan Guan's domestic and foreign policies of enriching the country and strengthening the army. Based on the actual situation of Qi, he put forward propositions and measures that were in line with the national conditions in politics, economy, diplomacy, etc. He was able to admonish the princes of Qi and put them into practice, so that Qi would be prosperous. It has always maintained its status as a great power amidst the disputes among the princes of other countries. Domestically, agriculture, industry and commerce have also achieved great development, stabilizing people's hearts and maintaining social stability.

2. Governing the country with people-centered etiquette and justice

Yan Ying regarded "people-centered" as the fundamental principle and method for success in planning major events, and clearly pointed out: "Planning is based on the people" Those who live up to justice will surely gain, and those who do things for the people will succeed...Those who are proud of the people will do things, even if they succeed, it will not be honorable. Therefore, I heard the method of righteousness and planning, and it is the basis of civil affairs." ” (The third chapter of "Yanzi Chunqiu Neipianwen") That is to say, everything must be done in the interests of the people and for the sake of the people. Only in this way can we get the support of the people and achieve success. He believes that "the people are the foundation of everything", "big things will bring big benefits, small things will make little profit, weigh the size of things, the importance of rights, the state has obligations, and the people have benefits, in this way, those who live in this world will succeed", "humble" Without losing respect, the rulers should be humble and people-oriented. If only the people are left behind, there will be a legacy! If the people are left behind, there will be a righteous conduct! The "people-oriented" thinking is also reflected in his specific actions of loving the people. For example, "At the time of Duke Jinggong, it rained for seven days. Yanzi asked for grain to be sent to the people. He asked three times, but the Duke refused." So Yanzi went home angrily and took away his family's belongings. Food was distributed to the people.

Yan Ying also put forward the economic proposition of "equalizing the rich and the poor regardless of whether there is power or not" in response to the social reality of uneven wealth distribution in Qi. He believes that uneven distribution of social wealth will seriously endanger social stability. Therefore, he gave advice to King Jinggong: "Be thin on the body but thick on the people, make promises to the body but be broad to the world. His position is high enough to govern and teach, but not to threaten the world. He takes wealth, whether he has power or not, regardless of whether he has it or not. Rich and poor", this proposition was welcomed by the general public.

Yan Ying also attached great importance to the use of etiquette and justice to inhibit the development of private families. "Zuo Zhuan: The Ten Years of Duke Zhao" records such an incident: On Gengchen Day in the fifth month, the armies of Qi Jinggong, Chen, and Bao fought with the armies of Luan and Gao in Jili, the capital of Qi. As a result, the armies of Luan and Gao were defeated. They were defeated again in Qidu Village. The people of Qidu pursued Luan and Gao, but they were defeated again in Lumen. Finally, Luan and Gao fled to Lu. Chen and Bao wanted to take the opportunity to divide the property of Luan and Gao. However, Yan Ying believed that this was an act that violated etiquette and justice. He sternly told Chen Wuyu: "It must be done to all the princes. Rang is the master of virtue. Rang is called Yide. All flesh and blood have the spirit of competition, so it is beneficial." Don't be strong, think about righteousness. Righteousness is the foundation of benefit. If there is no yin, it can be cultivated. "In Yan Ying's view, righteousness is the foundation compared with benefit, and only using righteousness can control benefit. Only in this way can selfish desires be restrained and deviant behavior that violates etiquette be avoided. Otherwise, forgetting one's righteousness for the sake of profit will inevitably lead to disaster. He pointed out that the property of Luan and Gao must be dedicated to the monarch. After listening to Yan Ying's words, Chen Wuyu dedicated all the properties of Luan and Gao to Qi Jinggong, and then lived in seclusion in Ju Kingdom to take care of himself.

In this way, Yan Ying curbed the selfish desires of Dr. Qing and thus safeguarded the interests of the office.

Yan Ying attaches great importance to etiquette and righteousness. On the basis of inheriting Guan Zhong's theory of "righteousness", he put forward new insights based on the actual situation at that time. This is that in addition to obeying the consciousness of class differences, he emphasized that "harmony is like a soup, add salt and pepper to cook fish, and blanch them." Use salary. Kill your husband and give him a taste, relieve his shortcomings, and relieve his faults. The same goes for the emperor and his ministers. Yan Ying used making soup as an example, compared it with the relationship between kings and ministers, and pointed out that if the chef cooks fish without using various seasonings and without using firewood, the deliciousness of the soup will not be enhanced. Based on this, Yan Ying believes that the relationship between monarch and minister should also be a relationship of mutual complementation and unity of opposites. That is, when the monarch thinks it is feasible, but in fact it is not feasible, the ministers should point out the unfeasible principles and methods. Therefore, he regards harmony without difference as "righteousness", which is the basis of what is appropriate for people to do. On the contrary, if the king says yes and the ministers agree, and if the king says no, the ministers also agree, this is not a harmonious but different relationship between the king and his ministers, but an imperfect and disharmonious relationship between the king and his ministers. Once Jinggong was very happy after drinking, and he wanted to move to Yanzi's home late at night to continue drinking and having fun. When Yanzi heard about it, he immediately put on his court clothes and stood in front of the door to welcome the marquis. After seeing Jinggong, he asked: "Is there anything important happening to the king? Late at night Come." Jinggong said, "I would like to enjoy the wine and enjoy it with you, Master." Yan Ying replied, "As for setting up the banquet and displaying the food utensils, someone should do it. But I don’t dare to accompany you.” Yan Ying declined the matter politely. Here, Yan Ying's words and deeds reflect righteousness, which is harmony without difference.

It was precisely because Yan Ying valued righteousness and governed the country with etiquette that the Qi State at that time maintained the remnants of the hegemony of Huan and Guan to a certain extent, and enabled the Qi State to maintain the status and dignity of a great country.

3. Recruiting talents without any personal feelings

In terms of employing people, when Duke Jing asked Yan Ying how to appoint people, Yan Ying pointed out that "people have different abilities, but they have different abilities." Don't blame everyone for one thing. ......

Let people do their best without overpowering their weaknesses; let others do their work without overpowering their weaknesses." ("Yan Zi Chun Qiu") ·Internal Chapter 1") In other words, we should not blame talents for their perfection, but should focus on using their strengths and not pay too much attention to their shortcomings. According to "Historical Records", when Yan Ying's driver first started driving for him, he thought he was driving for the prime minister, and he was very proud of himself. But soon the coachman changed his attitude and showed a spirit of humility in everything. Yan Ying asked the reason. The coachman told him truthfully. It turned out that the coachman's wife saw her husband's arrogant manner while driving through the crack in the door. When the coachman came home, his wife asked to leave. The coachman asked why, and the wife said to her husband: "Yan Ying is only six feet tall, but he is the prime minister of Qi, and his reputation is prominent among the princes. Today I saw him looking peaceful, humble and cautious when he went out. And you are eight feet tall. , but he was driving a car and was very arrogant, so I wanted to leave." From then on, the driver became cautious and humble and no longer arrogant. Yan Ying recommended the coachman to Jinggong as a doctor because he listened to his wife's advice, encouraged himself, and worked hard.

During the reign of King Jinggong of Qi, the State of Jin sent troops to attack A and Juan, and the State of Yan also invaded Heshang. The troops of Qi State were retreating steadily, and Duke Jinggong was very worried. At this time, Yan Ying recommended Tian Rangju to Jinggong. Jinggong appointed him as general. Tian Ranju managed the army strictly and killed the late supervisor Zhuang Jia according to the military law, which made the Qi army strict in discipline and the military power was greatly boosted. Especially because he took the lead and shared the joys and sorrows with the soldiers, he won the support of the soldiers and their morale was very high. The Jin army withdrew, and the Yan army also crossed the river and retreated. Tian Ruoju led his troops to pursue them and recovered all the lost territory. ("Historical Records·Biography of Sima Ranju")

While Yan Ying promoted talents, he also strongly opposed the appointment of those who were incompetent, moral and rude, and punished his ministers. For example, Yan Ying's retainer Gao Jiu worked with Yan Ying for three years. Not only was he not promoted, he was fired. Gao Jiu asked Yan Ying the reason.

Yan Ying was ordered to go to Chu as an envoy. Because Chu was strong and Qi was weak at that time, the king of Chu wanted to humiliate him to show his majesty. When Yan Ying came to the east gate of Yingdu, the gatekeeper did not open the door for him. He pointed to the side door that had just been opened and said to Yan Ying: "Prime Minister, you can enter and exit through this door according to your size. Why do you need to open the door?" Yan Ying said An idea struck him and he realized that the kings and ministers of Chu State were trying to tease him, so he said, "This is the Dog Gate. Those who are on envoys to the Dog Kingdom should enter through the Dog Gate." Yan Ying's words left the gatekeeper speechless, so he had to open his door. The gate welcomes Yan Ying to meet the King of Chu. When the King of Chu saw Yan Ying, he asked again: "Is there no one in Qi?" Yan calmly replied: "Our Qi is a big country. People can cover the sun by raising their sleeves, and their sweat is like rain. People are standing shoulder to shoulder, how can you say there is no one?" The king of Chu asked again: "If that's the case, why do you want to be an envoy?" Yan Ying replied: "Qi State appoints envoys according to their virtuous talents. Envoys are sent to wise countries, and incompetent envoys are sent to incompetent countries. I am the most untalented and virtuous person, so I am most suitable to be sent as an envoy to Chu." The king of Chu was speechless again. The King of Chu invited Yan Ying to a banquet. When he was in high spirits, two soldiers tied up one man and came to see the King of Chu. They said that a person from Qi had committed the crime of theft. The King of Chu asked Yan Ying again: "Are the people of Qi good at stealing?" Yan Ying retorted: "I heard that orange trees grow south of the Huai River and produce oranges, and when they grow north of the Huai River, they produce oranges. It’s very bitter. The taste of the fruit is different. What’s the reason? It’s because of the different soil and water! This person didn’t know how to steal in Qi, but he stole when he came to Chu. Could it be that Chu has an environment that encourages people to steal?” Yan Ying's answer made the King of Chu blush and feel unhappy. ("Jiang Zi Chun Qiu Nei Pian Miscellaneous Part 2") Yan Ying sent Chu to Chu. With his wit and eloquence, he ridiculed the rudeness and stupidity of Chu's monarchs and ministers, and safeguarded the dignity of Qi.

Yan Ying was an outstanding politician and thinker in Qi State. Under the guidance of people-centered thinking, he respected etiquette in politics and governed the country with etiquette; he dared to give direct advice and rescued the emperor; he valued the people's welfare. He is virtuous, honest and thrifty; he combines hardness and softness, and is loyal and patriotic; thus enabling the declining Jiang Qi regime to maintain its status as a great power in the struggle for supremacy among other countries, and gain the admiration of the princes and the admiration of later generations. It is called a generation of virtuous people. Mutually. So much so that Tai Shigong said sincerely: "If Yan Zi is here, even if I hold a whip for him, I will admire him very much."