Chapter 50 Chapter 50 Official Opportunity Six: Pretending to be a Pig and Eating a Tiger

As long as young people are capable and talented, they don't have to worry about not being able to stand out.You must know that no matter in ancient times or in the present, people who can be among the officialdom are not ordinary people.Even a down-and-out official loser has a shrewd mind that ordinary people can't match.The reason why these people fail is often due to the game situation in the officialdom. The so-called situation is stronger than people. That is to say, all those who entered the officialdom were initially placed with high hopes by their superiors, but due to various reasons, these people lost opportunities, eventually became depressed, or were infected with various bad habits, so they were abandoned by those in power , choose another newcomer, in order to seek their freshness and break the messy situation in the officialdom.

Therefore, as long as a young man enters the officialdom, deep in the heart of the power holder, he already has a seat.But in the end, whether the young man can successfully sit in this position depends entirely on the performance of the young man himself. If you perform well, you can of course get your wish, win the laurels of success, and win the glory and honor on the scene.If the performance is not good, the young people are quickly given up and become one of countless losers.The latter result is by no means acceptable to anyone. So, how should young people behave in order to be called outstanding?

Heshen, a powerful official in the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, his official success is an excellent example for future generations. Heshen, who was an official and student in the earliest days, worked in the imperial guards. His main job was to carry the sedan chair for Emperor Qianlong.Such a position, although it is very close to the emperor, but it is tantamount to the difficulty of ascending to the sky to gain the emperor's appreciation.But He Shen was not discouraged at all, and patiently waited for his chance. His chance finally came.Once, Emperor Qianlong was about to go out in a sedan chair, but in a hurry, he found that the yellow umbrella cover could not be found.Qianlong was very angry, so he asked, "Whose fault is this?" The people present were so frightened that they didn't dare to say anything. It is their responsibility." This sentence is answered simply, but there is a profound university question in it.Because what Qianlong asked was the original words in the Four Books, and He Shen's answer was actually the original words in the Four Books.An inconspicuous little bearer is actually familiar with the Four Books and Five Classics, which made Qianlong admire him immediately.

After the trip, Qianlong changed to a sedan chair instead of a car, and let the bearer Heshen follow the car. While the car was driving, Qianlong began to test Heshen again. He did not believe that a dignified emperor could not fail a bearer .However, at the end of the exam, Qianlong couldn't help being surprised: "You are the one who should have passed the imperial examination!" So Qianlong asked He Shen to be in charge of the guard of honor, promoted to guard, and soon promoted to deputy capital commander, and soon He Kun was promoted again.In this way, He Shen entered history step by step and became one of the most prominent officials in the Qing Dynasty.

He Shen's performance, at most, is just a decent response, which is still far behind Su Dongpo's strange poems in the Northern Song Dynasty when he stumped the envoys of the Liao Kingdom. During the Shenzong period of the Northern Song Dynasty, an envoy from the Liao Kingdom came. He was talented in poetry and extremely arrogant. When he came to the court in the Northern Song Dynasty, he challenged the court officials.This person is really powerful, his poems and prose, looking at the court of the Northern Song Dynasty, there is no one comparable.When the envoys retreated back to the posthouse to rest, there was a dead silence in the court hall, and those Confucian officials who had read poems and books and were full of knowledge almost died of shame one by one.The majestic Northern Song Empire was full of talents, and there was no one who could compete with the nameless envoy of the Liao Kingdom. If word of this got out, the entire imperial court would lose face.

Seeing that the ministers had lost so badly, Song Shenzong suddenly thought of Su Dongpo, and immediately issued an order, ordering Su Dongpo to go to the posthouse to meet the envoy of the Liao Kingdom, no matter what, he must win back this tone. Hearing that someone from the Northern Song Dynasty had come, the envoy from the Liao Kingdom was too lazy to get up on the couch, and asked in a disdainful tone: "Are there any people in the Northern Song Dynasty who can write poetry?" What? Those who can read the poems written by others are the real skills." The envoy of the Liao Kingdom blinked his eyes: "What? I heard it right? Is it difficult to read the poems written by others? What?" Su Dongpo said: "You say it's not difficult, then I'll write a poem for you to read." So Su Dongpo wrote a poem on the spot.

There are only twelve characters in this poem.They are pavilion characters, which are extremely long.Jing characters, written very short.Draw a word, but there is a Chinese character missing in the middle.Big characters, written extremely large.Drag words, written horizontally.Bamboo characters are thin and long.The first character, the upper radical is deliberately reversed.Cloud characters, written up and down disconnected.The twilight characters, the Japanese characters below are slanted.Jiang characters are written with twists and turns.Dip the word, but it is upside down.The word "Feng" is deliberately crooked next to the word "Shan".

Just these twelve characters, some are long, some are short, some are horizontal, some are vertical, some are reversed, some are sideways, and the sizes are different.The envoy of the Liao Kingdom had never seen such a strange poem before, and he was stunned at that time. It turned out that Su Dongpo knew that the envoy of the Liao Kingdom was very talented. If it was an ordinary poem, it would be difficult to say who would win and who would win.So he improvised the most peculiar theosophical poetry in Chinese culture.This kind of poem is actually just a kind of intellectual game, and it is nothing unusual, but has the envoy of the Liao Kingdom ever seen such a strange thing?Immediately stumped by Su Dongpo.

After the envoys of the Liao Kingdom were stunned, Su Dongpo read the whole poem as if nothing had happened: Long pavilions and short scenes are painted by no one, The boss dragged the thin bamboo shaft horizontally. Looking back on the broken clouds and the slanting sun, Qujiang dipped side peaks. It turns out that in this poem, even the shape of the characters must be read out together.Poor Liao envoy, how could he deal with Su Dongpo's peerless talent?I can only lose in despair, and never dare to speak poetry. Su Dongpo made such great contributions to the country, so how did the court reward him?

It's simple, exile immediately. why?Because Su Dongpo is too talented, it is normal for the envoys of the Liao Kingdom to not be his opponents.It would be unforgivable if he was defeated by the envoys of the Liao Kingdom. Su Dongpo failed because his starting point was too high, he thought he was talented, and was eager to let others recognize him, but he didn't know that once others recognized your ability, it meant that you had stepped into the trap of ability in the officialdom, just because you were better than others More talented, more capable, no matter how good the performance is, it is impossible to add points.On the other hand, Heshen in the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, although his talents and learning were inferior to Su Dongpo, he was by no means easy to be with. This kind of performance is enough to touch anyone's heart, and they will think that He Shen is extraordinary. Qianlong added an official to him and promoted him to a noble. Just because he is not impetuous, others have nothing to say.

For young people who are new to the officialdom, the most taboo is to be lifted to a higher position and be looked at by others. This seems to satisfy your vanity, but it also creates obstacles for your future.Why not try to reduce your weight in the eyes of others as much as possible. There is also a saying in the business world, which is called pretending to be a pig and eating a tiger. Only when others despise you, you will win the other party if you make a sudden move.It is not difficult to do this, what is difficult is to have a peaceful and calm mind.