He knows well that listening to others is bright, while listening to others is dark. A wise king listens
, but a bad king is partial to faith. This is what the Minister Wei Zhi told him. On one occasion, Emperor Taizong humbly asked Wei Zhi, How can a wise king and a bad king be distinguished? Wei Zhi solemnly replied that the monarch is wise because he can listen to different opinions widely; The monarch is fatuous because he is partial to listening and believing. After saying this sentence, he cited both positive and negative examples in history and added
to demonstrate. He said that Yao and Shun were sages in ancient times because they were able to speak freely and listen to different opinions, so the villain could not deceive him. Qin Ershi, Liang Wudi and Emperor Yangdi
, however, lived in the palace, isolated courtiers and alienated people, and could not hear their real voices. Until the world collapsed and the people betrayed, they were still ignorant. By adopting the
suggestion of the liegeman, the voice of the people can be reached. These wise words of Wei Zhi are deeply engraved in the heart of Emperor Taizong. From then on, Emperor Taizong paid special attention to coachable's modesty. He doesn't care
who you are, or what your attitude is, as long as your opinion is correct, he can accept it with an open mind. Here is a true story of "the power to save the sky". At that time, Emperor Taizong < P > ordered that the dilapidated Ganyuan Temple in Luoyang should be decorated for use as a palace for visiting other places. For the emperor, it was a piece of cake to repair the small palace.
However, a small official, Zhang Xuansu, made a memorial, complaining that this was not appropriate. He said that after the Epang Palace was built, the Qin Dynasty fell; After the repair of Zhanghuatai, the State of Chu dispersed; The temple of Ganyuan < P > was built, and the Sui Dynasty collapsed. These are all lessons from history. Now, in the Tang Dynasty, everything is in ruins. Where is our national strength comparable to that of the Sui Dynasty? Your majesty continues to serve the people who have suffered from the war in the country's broken mess, spending hundreds of millions of money and building large-scale projects. Your majesty did not inherit the advantages of the previous emperors, but inherited the disadvantages of the hundred emperors. From this point of view, your majesty's gains and losses far exceed those of Emperor Yangdi. This is a memorial with a sharp pen and hitting the key. However, Zhang Xuansu, a little boy, dared to compare the wise monarch, Emperor Taizong, to a fatuous tyrant, Emperor Yangdi, and offended Tianwei. Isn't this hitting an egg on a stone? Man Chao Wen Wu was sweating for him. People are watching the reaction of Emperor Taizong. If it were not Emperor Taizong, but other
emperors, they would be furious at the sight of this disrespectful memorial, not only Zhang Xuansu's head fell to the ground, but also implicated the nine clans. However, Emperor Taizong is Emperor Taizong. Instead of blaming
Zhang Xuansu, he ordered him to be summoned. At this time, Emperor Taizong wanted to further try Zhang Xuansu's courage, so he asked, "Qing said that I am not as good as Emperor Yangdi. So, how about I compare with Xia Jie and Shang Zhou?"? You know, Jie Wang in Xia Dynasty and Zhou Wang in Shang Dynasty were notorious tyrants in history. Emperor Taizong asked this question, which has its own meaning. I don't think so, but this Zhang Xuansu replied bluntly,
If your majesty really built the Ganyuan Temple, it would be as confused as Xia Jie and Shang Zhou. Hearing this reply, Emperor Taizong was not angry, but was deeply moved < P >. He thought, a small official, dare to die and speak out, for what, not just for his country? Therefore, Emperor Taizong withdrew his edict and stopped rebuilding the Palace of Ganyuan. And table
praised Zhang Xuansu and gave him 5 silks at the same time. Wei Zhi, who has been paying close attention to this matter, heard this happy ending and sighed deeply, saying that Zhang Gong's theory on things has the power to save the world, which is < P > because of what a gentleman with noble morality said! The true story of "the power to save the world" fully illustrates the modesty of coachable of Emperor Taizong. Another advantage of Emperor Taizong is that < P > he must correct his mistakes. Once, he got an exquisite kite. For a moment, he forgot Wei Zhi's usual saying that the monarch should not be tired of playing with things, so he put the kite on his arm for fun. Unexpectedly, I ran into Wei Zhi, an old minister. In a hurry, Emperor Taizong hid the kite in his arms. In fact, Wei Zhi had already seen everything, but pretended not to know. Go up to
and talk about the pursuit of pleasure by ancient emperors, and attack by innuendo that emperors should not play with things. Emperor Taizong worried for a long time, and the kite suffocated. However, Wei Zhi talked endlessly, and Mrs. Tang < P > knew that she was indefensible and dared not interrupt. As a result, the kite still suffocated in its arms. Emperor Taizong knew that mistakes must be corrected, that people were good at their duties, and that he was ambitious.
2。 The anti-corruption story of Emperor Taizong
In the second year of Zhenguan in Tang Dynasty (AD 628), Emperor Taizong said to the ministers around him, I once said that corrupt officials all love money, but in fact they don't know how to love it. Take Beijing officials and local officials with more than five grades, for example. Their salaries are very generous, and their annual income is very large. If someone is bribed, but tens of thousands, once exposed, all the official positions and salaries will be deprived. Is this knowing how to love money? Does it count? Emperor Taizong was good at putting himself in the position of officials, and from their immediate interests, he taught them not to do things that would lead to ruin and ruin. Emperor Taizong did not object to officials' "love for money", but opposed their excessive love for money becoming greedy, and opposed "being bribed by money" and doing things that violated the law and discipline. He told the ministers around him that officials should love money properly and get it through legal channels. You can live well by legal income-salary; If you have wild ideas, if you are insatiable, you may end up as "once exposed, you will lose your rank." From the perspective of officials' self-interest, it is also very uneconomical. He wants officials to learn to calculate this account.
In order to impress the ministers, Emperor Taizong also said that in the Spring and Autumn Period, there was a prime minister in Lu named Gong Yixiu, who loved to eat fish and became a hobby, but he never accepted fish from others. In this way, he can eat fish for a long time. Because he doesn't accept bribes from others, he doesn't have to worry about going to jail one day and not eating fish. Neither a monarch nor an official can be greedy. If the monarch is greedy, it will inevitably lead to national subjugation; If officials are greedy, they will be defeated. The Book of Songs wrote: "There are tunnels in strong winds, and greedy people are scum." (See The Book of Songs? Daya? Sang Rou ",which means that the wind is blowing hard, greedy people corrupt the race. ) That's true. Emperor Taizong warned officials that only by standing upright can they stand firmly. If there is greed, it is not only the greedy individuals who are unlucky: the Lord (monarch) is greedy for the country and the minister is greedy for death. "Greedy people are scum", and one greedy person will harm many people. From a big point of view, it will affect a country; From a small point of view, it will hurt families and families.
Then, Emperor Taizong told two stories.
The first story is in Notes on Shui Jing? Mianshui is about the Warring States Period when King Hui of Qin wanted to attack Shu, but he didn't know the way to Shu. So I came up with a plan to carve five Shi Niu heads, with gold hanging behind Shi Niu's ass. When people in Shu saw it, they thought that cow shit could pull out gold. The king of Shu was greedy for gold, so he sent five Hercules to pull Shi Niu to Shu. Gal, it opened up a channel from Qin to Shu, which is exactly what Qin Huiwang hoped. Qin's army followed and attacked Shu, which was soon destroyed.
The second story is contained in Ban Gu's Han Shu? Biography of cruel officials? Biography of Tian Yannian. It is said that Tian Yannian, who served as a big sinon in the Han Dynasty, requisitioned 3, folk ox carts to lease them for profit. The rent for each car was originally 1, yuan, but Tian Yannian increased it to 2, yuan by fraudulent means, and got 6 million yuan, and swallowed half of it, that is, 3 million yuan. When he was doing this, his enemies were staring at him and secretly collecting information about his violation of law and discipline. His every move is in the hands of his enemies. So Tian Yannian's embezzlement of 3 million yuan was soon exposed. General Huo Guang said, "Put him in prison first, and then let the ministers discuss how to deal with him." Tian Yannian knew that he was guilty and was afraid of being punished. He said, "How dare I go to prison!" Then he killed himself.
After telling these two stories, Emperor Taizong was deeply moved and sighed: There are countless people like King of Shu and Tian Yannian in history! Now I want to learn from the King of Shu, and you should also learn from Tian Yannian, not learn from them. The above two stories are not fiction, but true stories recorded in historical books. With these two events in history, Emperor Taizong strongly confirmed the truth that the Lord was greedy for the country and the minister was greedy for death. When the ministers heard this, they would break out in a cold sweat, think deeply and be convinced of what Emperor Taizong said.
the combination of education and legal system. When Tang Taizong gave "anti-corruption lessons" to ministers, he not only regarded himself as an educator, but also placed himself in the position of an educated person. He said that not only officials can't have greed, but as the king of a country, he can't have greed himself; Not only officials should learn the lesson that Tian Yannian died because of greed, but he should also learn the lesson that Shu Wang died because of greed. He warned the ministers not with a condescending attitude, but with an equal attitude. It is rare for an emperor in China's ancient feudal society to do so.
the "anti-corruption lesson" given by Emperor Taizong in the second year of Zhenguan was about historical lessons. In the four years of Zhenguan, he gave a lesson to princes and ministers, talking about anti-corruption from the perspective of psychology. Emperor Taizong said that people should know fear, know what can and can't be done. I have been working hard all day, not only pitying the people and worrying about them, but also hoping that you will stay rich and prosperous for a long time. The sky is not high and the ground is not thick, so I always work hard because I am afraid of heaven and earth (afraid of being punished by the gods of heaven and earth for doing something wrong). If you can be as cautious and law-abiding as I am afraid of heaven and earth, not only will the people be at peace, but you will always be happy. The ancients said, "A wise man's wealth undermines his ambition, while a fool's wealth leads to his mistakes." Too much money is not necessarily a good thing (Tang Taizong said in the early years of Zhenguan that treasures are "things outside the body"), which can be a deep warning. If you are greedy for personal gain, it will not only corrupt the law and discipline, but also harm the people. Even if things are not exposed, don't you often feel uneasy? People are always in a state of fear, and they will get sick after a long time. Fear of taking bribes and death from fear are not uncommon. Can a gentleman endanger his life and make future generations hold their heads up in front of others because he is greedy for property for a moment? You should consider my words carefully.
Emperor Taizong keeps a good pulse on corrupt officials, and he knows what corrupt officials are thinking. The psychology of corrupt officials in ancient and modern times is the same. Didn't we hear that some corrupt officials who have been exposed in the contemporary era were like frightened birds before being "double-tracked" and arrested? When they heard the sound of police cars, they were frightened, and when they saw the people in the procuratorate, they were pale with fear? As long as corrupt officials stretch out their greedy hands, they will never face the world calmly, never have a day of peace, and they will live in fear. This is true of corrupt officials in ancient and modern times. What Tang Taizong said above will shock the princes and ministers present-whether they are honest or greedy. For officials, anti-corruption education is essential and extremely important. There is no anti-corruption education, and only anti-corruption education can't be broken.
3。 The story of Emperor Taizong's love for the people
Emperor Taizong took great care of Li Shiji, a meritorious minister. When Li Shiji returned to the DPRK to write to the Ministry of War, he was seriously ill from overwork. Emperor Taizong personally visited, urged cure too much to treat seriously, and even asked Li Shiji about the drugs he took. Doctor Tai reported to Li Shimin: "This disease is caused by wind-cold accumulation for many years. I have a prescription, and all other drugs are available, except' beard and ashes'." Taizong couldn't wait to ask, "What medicine is beard ash? Can you find it?" Doctor Tai explained: "beard ash is the ash burned by beard." Hearing this, Taizong immediately said, "I have this medicine." Immediately ordered scissors, personally cut off his beard, burned it to ashes, and personally put the beard ashes into the medicine for the world to take. Li Shiji's condition improved rapidly after taking the medicine, and he soon recovered. The world record was moved by Taizong's beard-cutting, "I saw blood at the beginning and cried to thank you." Emperor Taizong helped Li Shiji up by himself and said gently, "I depend on Qing to secure the country, and Qing's security will secure the country. I need to cure your illness for the sake of the country, not for the private interests of Qing. Why thank you?" Mencius said, "A monarch treats his ministers as brothers and sisters, and then his ministers treat him as his heart." Yes, it is.
On another occasion, Emperor Taizong invited Li Shiji to the palace for a banquet, and he got drunk and fell asleep at the banquet. Fearing that he might catch cold, Emperor Taizong took off his robe and gently covered Li Shiji. All the people present were deeply moved by Taizong's kindness in caring for the heroes.
Famous saying: Take copper as a mirror, and you can straighten your clothes; Taking the past as a mirror, we can know the rise and fall, and we can know the gains and losses.
the monarch, the boat also; Shu Ren, water also. The knife cuts bread and fingers.
take your share of wealth and abstain from nameless wine. Always be self-denying, but keep your mouth shut. If you can follow what I said, wealth and fame will last a long time.
Song title: Zhenguan Long song.