Translation

There was a man named Feng Chen in Qi State. Too poor to support himself. He asked someone to tell Lord Mengchang that he would like to live under his door as a guest. Mengchangjun asked him what he was good at. The answer is that there is nothing he is good at. Asked him what he was capable of? He replied that he had no ability. Lord Mengchang smiled after hearing this, but still accepted him ("Warring States Policy·Feng Xianke Lord Mengchang").

The people nearby thought that Lord Mengchang looked down on Feng Xuan, so they made him eat poor food. (According to Mr. Mengchang’s hospitality practices, the guests are divided into three classes according to their ability: the upper class (car guests) have cars; the middle class (guests under the door) have fish to eat; the lower class (guests with grass utensils) have no fish to eat.) After a while, Feng Chen leaned against the pillar, flicked his sword, and sang: "Let's go back with the long sword! There is no fish to eat." The people around told Meng Changjun about this. Lord Mengchang said: "Let him eat fish and live like a middle-class guest." After a while, Feng Xuan played his sword and sang: "Let's go back with the long sword! There is no car when we go out." Everyone around made fun of him. He told the matter to Lord Mengchang. Lord Mengchang said, "Give him a car and treat me like a first-class guest." Feng Xuan then took his car, held his sword high, and went to visit his friend. He said happily: "Mr. Mengchang treats me like a first-class guest." ."

Shortly thereafter, Feng Chen played his sword again and sang: "Let's go back, Long Sword!" At this time, his subordinates began to dislike Feng Chen and thought that he was greedy. . When Lord Mengchang heard about this, he asked him, "Does Mr. Feng have any relatives?" Feng Xuan said, "I have an old mother at home." So Lord Mengchang sent someone to feed his mother so that she would not feel lacking. So from then on. Feng Xuan stopped singing.

Later, Meng Changjun took out his notebook and asked his disciples: "Who is familiar with accounting?" Feng Chen signed his name on the notebook and signed the word "can". Lord Mengchang was surprised when he saw the name and asked, "Who is this?" The people around him said, "It's the person who sang 'The Return of the Changchai'." Lord Mengchang smiled and said, "This guest is really talented. I treated him badly." I haven’t met him yet!”

He immediately sent someone to invite Feng Chen to meet him, and apologized face to face: “I am exhausted by trivial matters, distracted by worries, and I am weak and incompetent. , buried in national affairs all day long, so that I neglected you, but you are not surprised, but you are willing to go to Xuedi to collect debts for me, right?" Feng Chen replied: "I am willing to go." So I settled. The carriages and horses packed their belongings, loaded up the contract documents and set off.

When saying goodbye, Feng Chen asked: "After the debt has been collected, what can I buy back?" Mengchang Jun said: "Just look at what my family lacks." Feng Chen drove to Xue and sent officials to pay back the debt. People came to verify the deed. After the verification, he pretended to be ordered by Lord Mengchang to reward all the debts to the debtors and burned the bonds on the spot. The people all shouted "Long live". Feng Xuan drove his carriage straight to Qidu without stopping, and asked to see Lord Mengchang early in the morning. Mengchang Jun felt strange that Feng Xuan returned so quickly. He immediately put on his clothes and hat, went to see him, and asked, "Have all the debts been collected? Why did you come back so quickly?" Feng Xuan said, "All the debts have been collected." ."

"What did you buy?" asked Mr. Mengchang. Feng Xuan replied: "You once said, 'Let's see what my family lacks.' I privately considered that your palace is full of pearls and treasures, the stables outside are full of hunting dogs and horses, and the backyard is full of beauties. What is missing in your house is It's just 'Renyi', so I used the debt to buy 'Renyi' for you." Mengchang Jun said, "What's the point of buying Renyi?" Feng Chen said, "Now you just have a small piece of Xue Yi, if you don't care about it. How can the people treat the people as their sons and use merchants' methods to make profits from the people? Therefore, I forged your order without authorization and gave the debts to the people, and burned the deeds, so that the people cheered "Long live". This is the way I buy justice for you."

After hearing this, Lord Mengchang said unhappily: "Well, sir, forget it." A year later, King Qi Min said to Lord Mengchang. "I don't dare to treat the former king's ministers as my ministers." Mengchangjun had no choice but to go to his territory, Xue. It was still a hundred miles away, and the people of Xuedi, with their young and old in their arms, were waiting on the roadside to welcome Lord Mengchang. Seeing this scene, Mengchang Jun looked back at Feng Xuan and said: "The 'righteousness' you bought for me has just started to work today."

Feng Xuan said: "A cunning and clever rabbit has three holes to avoid being caught. Death, you only have one hole now, so you can't sit back and relax. Please let me dig two more holes for you." Mengchang Jun agreed and gave him fifty cars and five hundred kilograms of gold. Feng Xuan went west to the state of Wei. He said to King Hui: "Now the state of Qi has exiled his minister Mengchang Jun abroad. Whichever prince can welcome him first can make his country rich and powerful."

So King Hui vacated the prime minister position, transferred the original prime minister to the rank of general, and sent an envoy with thousands of catties of gold and hundreds of cars to hire Mengchang Jun. Feng Chen drove back first and warned Mengchang Jun: "A thousand catties of gold is a very heavy betrothal gift; a hundred cars is a noble envoy. The kings and ministers of Qi must have heard about this." The envoys of Wei went back and forth. After three visits, Lord Mengchang resolutely refused and refused to go to Wei.

When the King of Qi heard the news, he and his ministers were horrified. He quickly sent the Taifu to bring "a thousand pieces of gold, two chariots, a sword, a seal" and other things to apologize to Lord Mengchang in a very solemn way. Lord Mengchang wanted to "take care of the ancestral temple of the former king, but tens of thousands of people will rebel against the rule of the country."

Feng Chen advised Mengchang to take the opportunity to ask for the ancestor's sacrificial vessels and "build an ancestral temple in Xue". After the ancestral temple of the State of Qi was completed in Xuedi, Feng Chen reported to Lord Mengchang: "The three caves are ready, and I am happy to sleep high." ("Warring States Policy·Qi Ce") Since King Qi Min deposed Mengchang Jun from his position, many of his diners have left him. After Mengchangjun returned to his position, Feng Chen rode his horse to greet him, but no other guests arrived.

Mengchang Jun said to Feng Xuan with emotion that he had been hospitable all his life and never dared to make mistakes in treating his guests. However, when they saw that I was dismissed from office, they all left me. Now that I am relying on Mr. Feng Chen to restore my appearance, how can the disciples have the dignity to see me again? If I see them again, "I will spit in their faces and be humiliated." After hearing this, Feng Xuan quickly got off his horse and kowtowed to Lord Mengchang. Lord Mengchang stopped him and asked him if he was apologizing for other disciples. Feng Xuan said, no. But it is "the king's words are lost".

He said that the development of anything has its own laws, just like living things must die, this is an inevitable law; "rich people have many friends, poor people have few friends", this is also an inevitable law. law. People who go to the market rush to the market in the early morning; but at sunset, even if people pass by the market, they just walk past without even looking at it. It's not that they love the early morning and hate the evening, but because in the evening, what they hope to get is no longer there. If you lose your position, the guests will naturally leave. You should not blame the scholars for this, and hope that Lord Mengchang can "treat guests as before".

Mr. Mengchang was very grateful for Feng Xuan's reminder, so he thanked Feng Xuan again and accepted Feng Xuan's suggestion, "I respectfully obey my orders. After hearing what the teacher said, I don't dare to disobey him." ("Historical Records·Biography of Mengchangjun")

Feng Chen had superhuman wisdom and great strategic vision. With a highly responsible attitude towards Lord Mengchang, he actively made suggestions for the stability of Lord Mengchang's political status. During the decades when Lord Mengchang was the Prime Minister of Qi, the "disaster without Xianjie" ("Warring States Policy·Qi Ce") was inseparable from Feng Chen's careful planning.

Extended information:

Background of the work

This is another famous chapter of "Warring States Policy". It belongs to "Warring States Policy·Qi Ce IV". During the Warring States Period, various countries were in dispute, the patriarchal system was destroyed, and the power of princes, kings, nobles and other lords was weakened. They urgently needed a large number of supporters and planners, so the princes would compete to support scholars, thus the word "shi" emerged. Special class.

During this period, the trend of raising scholars (diners) was very popular, especially among the four princes. For example, Lord Mengchang of Qi State, Lord Pingyuan of Zhao State, Lord Xinling of Wei State, Lord Chunshen and Lu Buwei of Chu State, etc. Most of these scholars are good at eloquence and planning, have certain political opinions, or have special skills, or even special skills. "Three thousand diners" has become a characteristic of that era.

The scholar class was a special class at that time and had certain social power. They were attached to the monarch and constantly offered suggestions and advice to expand their political influence and consolidate their power. Among these people, dragons and snakes coexist, there are both roosters and dog robbers, and there are also talents with extraordinary courage. The protagonist of this article, Feng Chen, belongs to the latter. The article not only displays the talents and wisdom of the scholars in the Warring States Period through Feng Chen, but also reflects the political outlook of that period.