Chapter 12 Section 11 Respecting Jiang's Godson

In the state of Lu in the late Spring and Autumn Period, the government was in the Ji family.Ji Kangzi was in charge of state affairs from the fourth year to the twenty-seventh year of Duke Ai (506-468 BC).Ji Kang's son had power over the state of Lu, and his uncle and father-in-law, Wen Bo, was a very favored doctor. The father-in-law, Wen Bo, thought that he was an official and a doctor, and his nephew was in charge of the country, so he was very dignified and dignified, and slowly developed a sense of arrogance and extravagance.One day, he retreated home to pay respects to his mother, a little arrogant.

The old lady was diligent and frugal all her life. Although she was full of high-ranking officials and generous salary, she could enjoy the glory, but she didn't do this. She still sat in front of the spinning wheel and spun like ordinary women.Seeing his mother like this, father-in-law Uncle Wen was very dissatisfied and said: "Mother, you should also rest. In a family like ours, the old mother is still spinning, and it is not rumored that my son has not served his mother well. I'm afraid my nephew Ji Kangzi will be upset if he scolds his son for being unfilial!" After hearing this, Jing Jiang sighed deeply, and then started spinning again, saying, "The State of Lu is really going to perish! Let you people be officials, and the fate of the country is entrusted to you, but you I don’t know the principles of building a family and running a country. Sit down for me and let me tell you slowly.”

The father-in-law, Wen Bo, sat respectfully in front of his mother's spinning wheel.Jing Jiangyu said earnestly: "The ancient sage kings ruled the country, settled the people in barren land, let them cultivate and cultivate, and use them to work for the people, so they can rule the country for a long time. Why? When the people are hardworking, they should think good, otherwise Leisure leads to licentiousness, and licentiousness leads to death of goodness. If people do not think of kindness, evil thoughts will breed. Since ancient times, people in fertile lands are fond of licentiousness, and people in barren lands are kind and righteous. This is the result of making people work and relax. As small as The common people, as big as the Son of Heaven, the Sangong, the Jiuqing, and the hundred officials, all have the same reasoning. The Son of Heaven and the officials are diligent and honest, so the country’s politics must be lenient, benevolent and moral, and the world will be peaceful. This is the case in the kingdom of the Son of Heaven. For the fate of the country, test their state positions in the daytime, review their codes and punishments in the evening, watch all workers at night, and prevent any officials from having sex, then the country of the vassals will be peaceful. Pay close attention to learning the culture of classical music, cultivate morality, and always care about the conduct of family affairs, then there will be peace. Scholars receive their karma in the morning, talk about it in the daytime, practice and consolidate it in the evening, and reflect on it at night without regrets, so they will naturally cultivate themselves. Ordinary people It's the same, work at sunrise and rest at sunset, if you don't slack off for a day, your family will be safe and your people will be prosperous."

Listening to the old mother's teaching, father-in-law Wen Bo nodded frequently.When Jing Jiang talked about this, he thought to himself, these are men's affairs, and our family does not lack food and clothing, fat horses and carts, full of official clothes, dragging silk and silk, do we still need elderly mothers to weave themselves?So he said puzzledly: "My mother said that it is all a man's business, and the child dare not be idle and lazy. The old mother is old, and she should just sit and enjoy the blessings. It is not that the son is unfilial." Jing Jiang went on to say: "Listen to me, laziness is a sin. This is the system throughout the ages. Not only men are like this, but women are also the same. Be a female celebrity. From top to bottom, everyone is hardworking, who dares to be lustful? Today, I am a widowed old lady, and you are a doctor with a lower position, serving the king day and night. I am worried that you will forget your ancestors. Besides, I see that you are becoming lazy, how can you avoid crimes if you continue to develop! I hope you will remind me every day not to abandon the karma of the ancestors, but today you say why you don’t just sit back and enjoy the blessings. From this point of view, although you I inherited my father's official position, but I'm afraid that you will end the Ji family's fireworks like this!"

The earnest teaching of the old mother reminded the son to refrain from extravagance and laziness with the words and principles of seeing the big from childhood, which greatly inspired the father-in-law, Uncle Wen.It turns out that the reason why the old man keeps on spinning is to use his example to make his son diligent in political affairs, be diligent and thrifty, so as to protect his family and make his family prosperous forever.Later, he told Ji Kangzi about it, and Ji Kangzi was also very educated. From then on, father-in-law Wenbo always stood next to his mother when he returned home every day, watching her withered fingers holding the spinning thread, and the buzzing sound of the spinning wheel seemed to be constantly teaching.