Why he can govern the country so well is also very simple, that is: first, he can use people and make the best use of them; Second, to be "teachable" means to be able to accept opinions and others dare to speak. In particular, he can remonstrate, and Wei Zhi, a famous minister, dares to remonstrate, and it will be a much-told story for later generations. In fact, being able to accept opinions and do a good job in state affairs is also good for yourself. Why not? Li Shimin's courage in coachable became his greatest virtue, which means that most other emperors refused to accept opinions, were unreasonable and could not touch the tiger's ass. That's exactly what happened. The official spoke to the emperor carefully, but he was killed because what he said was not to the emperor's taste. In the past, the autocratic dynasty set a standard for loyal ministers, that is, "remonstrate to death, fight to death." It is easy to understand that the military attache who can die on the battlefield is a loyal minister. As for "remonstrating death", it is unreasonable to ask civil servants to die for remonstrating (persuading the emperor). I hope that the civil servants can "talk endlessly" to convince the emperor, of course. Whether the emperor listens or not is his business. It is not outrageous that the emperor will kill people because of disagreement and dispute. It is terrible to put forward "admonishing death" as a request, which is equivalent to admitting that the emperor can kill people at will.
Because many emperors don't want to remonstrate, some emperors will be angry because they are tired of the courtiers who come to remonstrate. Why can only Li Shimin accept guidance and advice with an open mind? We have to ask a reason. Is it because his cultivation is particularly good? No, it's because he studies well and is sensible? Not exactly. When he gained a reputation as a coach, he was still young, in the prime of his life, and his career was in full swing. At this time, he can treat things that can be adjusted with humility and patience. There is always a special reason. To understand the reason, you have to say a little more.
Li Yuan, the founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty, had 22 sons. Queen Dou has four sons, the eldest son is completed, the second son Shimin, the third son Yuanba died young, and the fourth son Yuanji. After Li Yuan ascended the throne, feudalism was the prince, Shimin was the king of Qin, and Yuanji was the king of Qi. Shimin was more capable, and made great contributions when he fought for his country with Li Yuan. He was worshipped as "General Tiance", ranking above all kings. He is arrogant because of his achievements, and his relationship with Cheng Jian and Yuan Ji is very tense and irreconcilable. Although he is a prince, he has no authority and is very insecure. Is to unite against the people of the world. Both sides have their own henchmen and are at odds with each other. They all complained to Tang Gaozu and accused each other of "scheming". Li Yuan tried many times to make proper arrangements to resolve conflicts, but all failed. Finally, the contradiction intensified, and finally a great tragedy broke out-the change of Xuanwu Gate.
On June 4, 626, 27-year-old Li Shimin brazenly staged a palace coup, led his men to ambush in Xuanwu Gate, north of Chang 'an Miyagi, and suddenly attacked Yuanji, who came to make a pilgrimage. Before his men could do it, he personally shot his eldest brother, Prince Jian, and Yuanji was also killed.
This is a great event that shocked the whole country. The story is clear and there is nothing to hide. Li Shimin murdered the prince behind the emperor's back by extremely shameful means. At the same time, it is unforgivable to commit treason and extermination of human relations, both public and private. Although he made great determination before launching this incident. I also made some necessary preparations, but when it was done, I was too scared to meet Tang Gaozu. His worries at that time can be imagined. Before he acted, he held the idea that I wouldn't kill you and you killed me, and he was determined to take risks to show off. I didn't think much about how to deal with the aftermath after the job was done. But after the action, the situation was very serious. Although our own side is quite strong, the other side still has certain strength, which cannot be destroyed in a short time. And morally, legally, and in public opinion, I am in a very unfavorable position. Although the surprise attack won, the next step is good or bad. It's hard to predict. At this time, Tang Gaozu's attitude is very important. If Tang Gaozu is provoked, he must be responsible for it, then he is very passive. Do you want to kill your father in addition to your brother, and bear greater charges in the conflict? If we give Tang Gaozu a carrot and stick and hold him steady for a while, it is still possible to try to resolve the contradiction. So he decided to ask his general, Wei Chijingde, to tell Tang Gaozu about this change, act with a camera and try to ease the contradiction.
Entrusted by Wei Chijingde, Jia Jia entered the palace with a spear to see Tang Gaozu. I want to persuade, which means deterrence. Li Yuan was shocked to hear the news and sighed: "I didn't expect such a thing to happen today!" He felt both sad and embarrassed. If the coup is seriously investigated, it will inevitably kill each other, and I don't know when it will end, which is naturally extremely unfavorable to the Lee regime. On second thought, he had to ask Wei Chijingde to call Shimin to discuss how to deal with the aftermath. When Shimin saw Li Yuan, he "howled for a long time". I don't know if it was a guilty conscience or a posturing. At this time, a stone in his heart fell to the ground, and he felt that this was a rescue. Li Yuan first made Shimin a prince, and two months later, he made a prince in the Zen position and became the emperor's father himself. Followers of Shimin took over the regime. Although the completion and Yuanji died unjustly, Tang Gaozu's compromise decision finally avoided a big bloodshed.
Although Tang Gaozu stopped pursuing it, it didn't end there. "Old Tang Book" said: At that time, people were confused, such as "drought seedlings looking for rain." Why was the overall situation unstable and people's hearts confused after Li Shimin ascended the throne? He knows what he wants. That's because he conspired to kill his brother to seize the position, which caused dissatisfaction among many people of insight in the government and the people, and the people's hearts were not on his side.
Faced with such a dangerous situation, Li Shimin was relatively calm and came up with a series of measures to treat both the symptoms and the root causes. The so-called palliative is to solve the immediate problems: we must resolutely crack down on what has already appeared, and we must never be soft, so as not to spread; For those who are not exposed but know that they are emotionally unstable, we should try our best to appease, win over and increase their positions and reward them for turning to themselves. What is more difficult is how to eradicate this problem. He, the emperor, was born with a bad name and a bad word, which put the people of the whole country to shame. If you want to fundamentally change people's perception of themselves, you have to be modest and cautious, do things carefully, and hold your tail.
Being trained with an open mind is certainly a good way to win people's hearts. This is the real reason why he is more willing to accept trainable people than any previous emperor. His target audience is mainly Prime Minister Wei Zhi. There are special reasons. Kevin·Z, the old minister, is the heart of the prince. He has been making suggestions for the completion of this project. After Tang Gaozu compromised, he had to return to Li Shimin. He has a certain reputation. Knowing the inside story of the struggle between the two sides, Li Shimin dared not offend many people, let alone Wei Zhi, because he had concerns. It is also in this case that Wei Zhi dared to make a bold face, protested directly and pointed out some shortcomings of Li Shimin. When future generations don't know the truth, they think that Wei Zhi is honest and outspoken, while Li Shimin accepts it modestly. This kind of relationship between monarch and minister is rare throughout the ages, and it is worthy of being a model. The voice of praise has been heard for thousands of years.
I didn't know they often sang duets. Many things are discussed by them in advance. For something that should not be done, Li Shimin should do it first, and Wei Zhi stood up and protested. Li Shimin immediately humbly accepted the advice and withdrew his order. This is exactly what modern people call "show". Show it to who? Who does the double reed sing for? The target is the common people. Li Shimin sang a duet as a saint, and Wei Zhi sang a duet as a saint. On the surface, sages and sages complement each other, but in fact, this is not the case. Li Shimin is not really generous; he really accepts opinions. Even when singing a duet, he still felt very uncomfortable.
There is a passage in the Biography of Wei Zhi in the New Tang Dynasty, which can explain Li Shimin's change from "being happy with coachable" to being tired of remonstration, and it can also be said that it is the truth of coachable, Li Shimin. This passage is: (Wei Zhi said to Li Shimin) At the beginning of your chastity, guide others to make suggestions (induce others to make suggestions); Three years later, when you meet the exhorter, you will follow; Compared with a year or two ago, I was reluctantly dismissed, but I didn't even feel uncomfortable. The emperor was surprised and said: What is a public exam (based on what)? (Wei Zhi) Right: When Your Majesty first ascended the throne, he talked about the death of Yuanfa. Sun Jian, the law can't be punished. Your majesty gave you the princess of Lan cemetery, amounting to one million yuan. Or: the reward is too thick. A: I will reward him if I don't remonstrate. This guidance led to protests. After Liu Xiong falsely accused Suidu, some companies had to make false reports illegally. If you are going to die, Dai Zhou will play, and the crime will be transferred. Hold on to four or five, and then forgive it. Say, behave yourself first, and you are not afraid of punishment. This joy also comes from hints. He wrote a letter near huangfude. Luoyang Palace is difficult to repair. Rent collection, thick collection; Common Shang Gao bun, also in the palace (outside influenced by imperial secretary). Your Majesty said (very unhappy): It was the son who made the country refuse to accept one person and charge no rent. The imperial secretary had no hair (shaved his head), but he said what he meant (he was very satisfied). I play: I can't think of anyone unless I write a letter. Urgency borders on slander. At that time, although your majesty listened to the minister's words and appreciated silks, he was ultimately unhappy. This is hard to protest.
The reason is not difficult to understand. At the beginning of Li Shimin's reign, the shadow of the change of Xuanwu Gate still existed. He had to pretend to be an open-minded man to win the favor of his subjects. A few years later, things changed, and he was no longer so patient with trainable things. Later, Jiangshan sat firmly, and his worries were eliminated. He couldn't help but get angry, that is, he temporarily restrained himself, and "the meaning was not fair." It can be said that the elegance of coachable no longer exists.
However, in order to keep the reputation of living in harmony with the monarch and subjects of Wei Zhi for a long time, and to publicize the virtue of being willing to teach for a long time, Shuang Huang will continue to sing. Even if others think the atmosphere is bad, they dare not say more. With his old brand, Wei Zhi can always knock and knock, and all he needs is a little scolding and a lot of help. Or don't say the specific content, just say "a reminder" and so on. For example, the famous "Ten Thoughts":
First, if you can see what you want, you will be satisfied.
Second, when I am rich, I will think of Zhi Zhi.
Third, if you are high-risk, you will think modestly.
Fourth, when you are full, you think about losing money.
Fifth, when you encounter pleasure, you will think about obeying festivals.
Sixth, after the banquet, I will think about the future trouble.
Seven, to prevent traps, and then think of Yan Na,
Eight, sick and evil, just think about yourself.
When you are rewarded, you should think that you should not be arrogant because of happiness.
Ten, the punishment should not be excessive because of anger.
To put it bluntly, it is a cliche, with neat words and emphasis on confrontation. It can be said to be a word game. Later, Li Shimin took the initiative to ask Wei Zhi how the administration in recent years compared with the past. Wei Zhi is the last decade. Wen Yue:
At the beginning of your majesty's career, he was pure and lustless and turned into a wilderness. Today, Wanli has sent envoys to visit Korea, and gradually changed. At the beginning, I loved the people like a son, but now I abuse the people's power, and gradually I also. At the beginning, I worked hard to serve things, but now I am addicted to hard work. Although I am worried about time, I will never stop talking. And the thing of enjoying oneself is really in my heart, and it is only three steps. At the beginning, a gentleman was far from a villain, but now a gentleman, stay at a respectful distance from others; For the villain, it is close to you and gradually. It was useless and harmful to do nothing at the beginning, but now it goes hand in hand and step by step. If you are thirsty at first, like it now, so that you can make a good statement. Six gradually. At first, I didn't have a good opinion about hunting and traveling. I went out this morning and came back at night to enjoy myself. Seeing you for the first time is very polite, and the group's feelings have reached a high level. Now I'm too careful. I didn't apply for loyalty. At the beginning, I was diligent in seeking treatment, but my days were insufficient; Today I am arrogant, I am arrogant. In the first year of frequent floods and droughts, pensions were not rich; Corvee is becoming more and more popular nowadays. Yuan Yuan's heart may not be as safe as it used to be, and it will arrive in ten minutes.
Li Shimin saw it. People who live will write the full text on the screen to remind themselves at any time (in fact, it means being happy with the publicity of coachable). Wei Zhengze was awarded "ten catties of gold, two stable horses", and both sides were happy.
Even so, Wei Zhi still has to master the discretion, don't go too far. If you can't master the temperature, you will still offend the sky and bring unexpected disasters. According to the record of Zi Tong Zhi Jian (KLOC-0/94), after a strike against the DPRK, Li Shimin returned to the inner court and said, "Wei Zhi humiliated me every time." Give me a hard time in public. "You will have to kill this Tian She Weng" (you will kill this old man one day). After the queen repeatedly persuaded and explained the interests, he calmed down. It can be seen that his patience in trainability is too limited. After listening to sharp opinions, you will not only get angry, but also think of killing people. And it was none other than Wei Zhi, the monarch and minister who was consistent with him, a veteran who was passed down as a beautiful talk for generations. Please think about it, how many of these wonderful talks are true?
If we say that Li Shimin's modesty is due to his unpopularity and political instability, he must do so. Then there is another thing that shows that he is a hypocrite who pursues fame and gain and deceives the world. This is the so-called "imprisonment" incident. Perhaps it is because he, as a self-propagandist, has been used to singing a duet for many years and has to find some topics to make a fuss about, so as to publicize that he is a rare great saint in ancient and modern times. Unfortunately, his IQ is not high, and the tricks he came up with are full of loopholes, which can be seen by anyone with a discerning eye. The result not only failed to achieve the expected purpose, but was spread as a joke. The general story is this: In 632 AD, Li Shimin believed that under his rule, people would live and work in peace and contentment, and their moral standards would be greatly improved. In order to carry out an amazing experiment, he ordered all 390 prisoners sentenced to death to be temporarily released to visit their families for one year. Today next year, I will come back as scheduled to accept the death penalty (very humane). It is said that these people have all returned due, not a few. Li Shimin was so happy that he ordered a pardon for everyone. It was a beautiful story at that time. People believed that those condemned prisoners were moved by Li Shimin's great kindness and became loyal gentlemen. Ouyang Xiu of the Song Dynasty wrote an article "On Prison", criticizing that this was Li Shimin's pursuit of fame and gain, deceiving the world and stealing fame. The fact is that both Li Shimin and the condemned man tried their best to reach a tacit understanding. That is to say, Li Shimin estimated that they would not be released before coming back, and the condemned prisoners also estimated that they would be pardoned before coming back. This is a good show for ordinary people. Li Shimin got a good reputation and the condemned man was pardoned, which was beneficial to both sides. It is the common people who are fooled. I commented on this matter in "On the Prisoner" and said: My husband can come whenever he wants. It is the love of thieves; It means to come back without asking. This is the thief's heart. I saw thieves (guessing each other). In order to become this name, birds have so-called kindness and loyalty! There is no such thing as "kindness" and "trustworthiness". )
It can be seen that using politics to deceive the world can only deceive for a while, but it is difficult to deceive for a long time. This kind of farce can only fool all beings, not many discerning people and people of insight. It's not easy to be smart, cheat future generations! Take Lanting's preface by despicable means.
Chinese calligraphy is a unique art of Han people. Good writing is the basic skill of intellectuals. Xiao Yan, Emperor of Liang Yuan in the Southern Dynasties, was admired by scholars all over the world because of his excellent handwriting, and Li Shimin envied him. As long as his handwriting is good, he will naturally become a qualified emperor, which is the fundamental reason why Li Shimin loved and practiced calligraphy all his life. If you want to practice your handwriting well, you must look at famous posts and monuments around the world. A famous work written by the father and son of Wang Xizhi, the first calligrapher in ancient and modern times, has become his dream treasure. The emperor has a lot of wealth and power, so nothing is impossible. Thus, the imperial edict, the famous brands of the two kings in the world, all paid tribute to the Yuhua Palace in Chang 'an. For example, Wang Xizhi's Youmu tie, Quick Snow Clear tie, Wang Xianzhi's Mid-Autumn Festival tie and pear-sending tie all went to Li Shimin. Come on! Come on!
However, Wang Xizhi's most famous preface to Lanting has never been found. Someone provided a clue, and this post was kept in the hands of a famous Zen master in Vietnam (Zhejiang). After an imperial edict came down, the eloquent old monk was invited to Chang 'an. Although the emperors and ministers in the Tang Dynasty spoke highly of Qian Qian, the old monk refused to admit that it was hidden. Li Shimin had no choice but to look up at the sky and sighed, "You are the son of heaven, but you have no chance to see this magical product. What can you do? " What can I do? "Li Shimin has two ministers, resourceful, and Du Ruhui is versatile. Just as everyone was discussing the plan, Fang came up with a good idea, that is, first bring eloquence back to Vietnam to cool things down, and then send a glib suggestion to "cheat." How to cheat? Xiao Yi impersonated a generation of scholars.
The children of noble families, carrying some real duties of the two kings, introduced in the name of asking for advice from teachers, which is almost eloquent. After a period of juggling, Xiao Yi really paid off, cheated the trust of eloquence, and saw the authenticity of The Preface to Lanting from the hand of eloquence. As soon as the real thing appeared, Xiao Yi immediately "changed his face" (the speed of changing his face was no less than that of Sichuan Opera), and immediately took out an imperial official, severely criticized the old monk for "deceiving the emperor" by not telling the truth, and personally announced that the real thing would be confiscated and turned over to the court. The poor 82-year-old monk was shocked and soon died of depression. Xiao was in high spirits and won the victory. Li Shimin got this national treasure and finally realized her dream for many years. On his deathbed, he ordered the national treasure to be buried with him and always accompanied by the holy bow. Later, although some people robbed the tomb many times, they just didn't see it. Some people satirize corrupt officials, saying that if you want this and that, you can't take it into the coffin when you die. Li Shimin actually brought the original "Preface to Lanting" into the coffin. Say goodbye to this world, I still don't know where I am.
After understanding these historical truths, we can't help thinking: under the autocratic monarchy, being an emperor is really too cheap. No wonder so many people do whatever it takes to get the throne of the emperor. Because ordinary people (including civil and military officials) have to be "responsible for their own profits and losses" when they do things, and they have to bear the blame when they do well. Only when the emperor can "negative profits" and not "negative losses". Doing good deeds, such as "the rule of Zhenguan" and "the rule of Kaiyuan", will of course be solemnly recorded in history; They did bad things, for example, Li Shimin killed his brother in order to seize the throne, which led to a series of court coups. For example, Li Longji's prized frontier commander caused the Anshi Rebellion and almost destroyed the Tang Dynasty, as if they didn't need to bear any responsibility. Unlike modern people, when he became president, he did a good job, but if he was re-elected, he would take the blame and might step down early. Therefore, people today are far less eager to be president than the ancients when they were emperors.
A history book is a kind of account. Since it is an account, it must be recorded clearly, whether it is profit or loss, it must be recorded truthfully. Although it can't be done at all, it should at least be roughly good. The records in China's history books have special treatment for emperors, especially the founding emperors, but they are not responsible for their merits and losses. In this case, the history books become confused accounts with unclear explanations, and the benefits of the emperor are remembered for a long time. How did the country collapse in the blink of an eye? Excuse me, historians, how to explain to future generations? How can fake hukou make future generations forget the past and be a teacher of the future? Therefore, for emperors of past dynasties, it is best to record their merits and demerits, unveil their veil and let everyone see their true colors more.
Looking back over the past two thousand years, there are hundreds of emperors, big and small, in the history of China, and Li Shimin, which is second to none. It is conceivable what emperors of all grades are like. It's ridiculous that Taizong tried his best to change his impression in people's minds in order to cover up the ugliness of the change of Xuanwu Gate. Later, he even developed a habit of not forgetting to pursue fame and gain, deceiving the world until his death. To this, the author has a poem sigh yue:
Win a good reputation to cover up a bad reputation,
Pardon the death penalty by chasing fame;
From the world at that time,
It is difficult to deceive the discerning people of future generations!