Chapter 35 2. Xiao He: Past, Present, and Future

Let's look back at another person, Xiao He.Now, Prime Minister Xiao He is really old.The Master said: To grow old without dying is to be called a thief.Looking back, since Liu Bang entered Hanzhong, he has been in the position of prime minister for nearly fourteen years now.For more than ten years, he has acted like a man, and behaved like a man. He has always been trembling and walking on thin ice.Don't form a party, don't seek personal gain, and don't hold grudges, just do good deeds and accumulate virtue.As a result, he still spent time in prison. The person who put Xiao He in jail was his old partner, the old master Liu Bang.Speaking of this, we have to start from the 12th year of Gaozu (195 BC).We know it was an eventful year.At that time, Yingbo rebelled, and Liu Bang had to go to the army with his illness.Liu Bang is on the battlefield, worrying about the temple.What he was worried about was not Liu Ying, nor Empress Lu, but Xiao He.

Why worry, this is probably Liu Bang's unspeakable secret.Xiao Heke is dedicated to his duties, he is a living model worker, and he is also a big housekeeper who makes people feel at ease. He is so worried.If you think so, you are wrong.Lao Tzu said: Be selfless to achieve selfishness.That is to say, Xiao He appears to be impartial and selfless on the surface, which may be fulfilling his selfishness from another aspect, that is, his personal prestige and virtue. From the perspective of leadership, it is best for a slave to be neither good nor bad, neither up nor down.If it sucks, it will affect the efficiency of doing things.If it is very good, but I am afraid that it will be too bright and overwhelming.Therefore, only those who are neither good nor bad, and who are neither good nor bad, can use it smoothly, and it is even more reassuring.

It was precisely Xiao He who made Liu Bang afraid of his rising influence.In all the years we've been together, I've never seen him make a mistake.In the long history of life, a person who has never made mistakes is either a god, a perfect man, or an ambitious man who intends to do so. To put it bluntly, Liu Bang was afraid of Xiao Hemin's will, and his wealth was overwhelming, threatening the stability of Liu's imperial power. Fear of Xiao He is Liu Bang's old problem for many years.We know that when the Chu and Han were fighting, Liu Bang and Xiang Yu fought desperately on the front line, and they still did not forget to send someone to ask about Xiao He's work.As a result, in order to eliminate Liu Bang's concerns, Xiao He had to send the whole clan to serve on the battlefield.Well, after many years, Liu Bang's old problem has recurred again.When he was fighting with Yingbo outside, he often sent people to ask Xiao He what he was doing recently.

When you are alone, you have a devil in your heart, and when you see people outside, you will think that you are a devil.However, Xiao He always had a clear conscience when doing things, and he didn't notice Liu Bang's frequent sending people to question his intentions.So no matter how many people Liu Bang sent to ask, he always said the same thing: Please rest assured, the emperor, I will still work as diligently as before, and use all the private wealth of the whole family to support the army. Unexpectedly, when Xiao He's words reached Liu Bang's ears, he became even more frightened.Xiao Guoxiang, Xiao Guoxiang, who told you to work so hard.If you are serious, I will panic.Guaranteed that you, the so-called perfect person, a virtuous person in the world, is the one who took away my Liu family.

As the saying goes, the authorities are obsessed, but the bystanders are clear.At this time, one of Xiao He's disciples noticed Liu Bang's abnormal behavior, and he quickly said to Xiao He: You are not far from the day when the clan will be wiped out! Menke's words were like thunder on dry land, and Xiao He's soul was blown out of his body.Genocide?I am diligent and frugal, I work hard, and I am wholeheartedly in charge of the affairs of the court. Why should I destroy my clan? The doorman smiled.Your Majesty is destroying hard-working people like you.As long as you think about it, you will know that you are already in the prime minister, you are under one person and above ten thousand people, and you cannot be added more.What's even more frightening is that since you entered the customs, you have won the hearts of the people for ten years.His Majesty has repeatedly sent people to greet you, but he is afraid that you will be attached to the hearts of the people and shake Guanzhong!

ah?Xiao He's mouth opened wide like a carp lacking oxygen.I want to turn my heart to the bright moon, but the bright moon shines on the ditch.Your Majesty, Your Majesty, for many years, we have been accompanied by monarchs and ministers, just like lovers.You are my sun, I am your moon; you are my rose, I am your sweetheart.Unexpectedly, in the end, it turned out to be a different dream in the same bed, all in vain! At this moment, no words could describe Xiao He's strong sense of loss.He longed for the doorman to lie out of jealousy, but when he thought about it carefully, it was really abnormal for the messenger to come back from the front to visit him repeatedly.It has been an old revolution for more than ten years, and everyone knows the basics. Doesn't Liu Bang's tricks fully reflect the anxiety in his heart?

Liu Bang panicked, but Xiao He didn't expect to be even more panicked.So, Xiao He urgently asked the disciples for help: What should I do?Does it have to end up as a cunning rabbit and die like a lackey? Things are certainly not that bad.At this time, the doorman gave Xiao He a move.This trick is aimed at Xiao He's spirit of being selfless and dedicated to benefiting others. The name of the trick is: harming the public and benefiting the private, harming others to benefit oneself!There are two specific methods that can be referred to: one is to buy private land by force; the other is to release usury!

This is the famous self-defamation law.The beauty of this trick lies in two points: First, the parties involved will lose popular support and lower their prestige.Once the prestige is reduced, the threat of the emperor will be much less. This is of course what Liu Bang hopes to see; secondly, a person with political ideals and ambitions in the world would disdain to do such corrupt and illegal things.Conversely, if he is corrupt and breaks the law, it only shows that he is a material person, not an ideal person. The scariest thing in the world is not material things, but ideals.A person who is only greedy for the enjoyment of life without lofty ideals is nothing to be afraid of.This is just like when Liu Bang entered Xianyang City, he was uncharacteristically, neither greedy nor robbing, nor whoring nor domineering.In the end, this trick moved the people in Guanzhong to a mess, and they were determined to follow him.

At this time, Xiao He's mind opened up, and he suddenly realized.If he had to use one sentence to describe the suggestion of Menke, it would be, it's wonderful! Therefore, Xiao He acted quickly to create a notorious reputation before Liu Bang's class teacher returned to the court.Good things are hard to do, but bad things are much easier.Sure enough, when Liu Bang returned from the front line, before entering Chang'an City, thousands of people blocked the way to sue Xiao He! Now, Liu Bang's coke is broken.While pretending to be fair, he accepted the pleadings, while humming a little tune in his heart.Xiao Guoxiang, everyone says you are a good and virtuous minister, so you are nothing more than that.So Liu Bang returned to the city with a lot of pleadings, waiting for Xiao He to worship.

At this time, Xiao He was also waiting for Liu Bang.When Liu Bang returned to live in Weiyang Palace, he immediately went to visit.At this time, I saw Liu Bang shaking a lot of complaints, and said to Xiao He with a smile: "Master Guo, you keep saying that you work hard and use your private money to fund the army. Is this how it is?" Xiao He could only pretend to be in a hurry to apologize. Liu Bang smiled again and said: Forget it.You started this matter yourself, and you have to settle it yourself.Therefore, you have to go there yourself to apologize to the people. Liu Bang's move is called the step.Liu Bang is such a kind of person, as long as his imperial power is not robbed, everything else is negotiable.Besides, Xiao He is a good man, he cannot be beaten to death with a stick just because he made a mistake once.So, this step has to be given.

So, the matter is over.A political crisis is resolved. The good show, of course, is yet to come. At that time, Liu Bang kept asking Xiao He to plead guilty to the people, but Xiao He really took it seriously.Soon, he set his sights on a piece of land, which was the famous Shanglin Garden.Since the Qin Dynasty, Shanglin Garden has always been the back garden and hunting ground of the royal family.However, because Shanglin Garden has been in disrepair for a long time, coupled with the lack of funds for the initial construction of the country, this good earth has gradually become barren and has become a land of weeds and trees. Therefore, Xiao He wrote a letter to Liu Bang under the banner of returning the forest to farming for the people, stating as follows: Chang'an is crowded with people and the land is narrow, and it is a pity that there are many open spaces left in Shanglin Garden.Your Majesty can distribute it to the common people for farming. In this way, the common people will not only harvest the crops, but you can also get straw as animal food. Xiao He is so cute.Menke said harming others to benefit oneself, not harming the emperor and benefiting the common people.From ancient times to the present, almost every Chinese has a common dream, that is to become a big landlord.Of course, Liu Bang is the largest landlord in the world, and he doesn't care about the hundred miles of land in Shanglinyuan.The problem is that it is a small matter to let the land go, but a big one to pay the stickers.Xiao He cut off the royal land to subsidize the people, the people benefited, Xiao He won the hearts of the people, Liu Bang almost lost everything except the pile of animal food that Xiao He said. You win, I lose.How can there be such a good thing in the world?Sure enough, as soon as Liu Bang received the invitation, he was furious and clamored to clean up Xiao He.So, he immediately summoned the Minister of Justice (Ting Wei) and said, "Xiao Guoxiang must have hooked up with a profiteer, and even hit me with the bad idea of ​​going to Linyuan, you go and lock him up." In this way, Xiao He has been an official all his life, and this is the first time he has fallen into the water.In fact, it would be nonsense to say that Xiao He doesn't understand the rules of officialdom games.There was only one reason why he risked his life to make this move: he was too kind and too confident. First of all, in order to save his own life, he has already done something that severely based his personal safety on the pain of the people who lost their land.The proposal to give up the land to Liu Bang this time is by no means a masterpiece of self-defamation, but out of conscience, seeking benefits for the people in exchange for peace of mind. Secondly, Xiao He thought that asking Liu Bang to give up the vacant land in Shanglinyuan was a double win.If it doesn't work, it's at best ignored.Unexpectedly, at this moment and at that moment, the old and suspicious Liu Bang still couldn't bear it, so he was arrested and jailed. Even a good horse stumbles, Xiao He, you should stay in jail for now.You have to believe that good people are rewarded with good things, and someone will speak good things for you in front of His Majesty. Sure enough, a few days later, Xiao He's savior arrived. The person who took the initiative to speak well of Xiao He in front of Liu Bang was a Wei Wei named Wang.The so-called guard is the commander of the palace guards.Liu Bang imprisoned Xiao He, superficially out of irritation from Shanglinyuan, but in fact he was worried that his heart would be bad and he would create a rebellion.However, whether to rebel or not, the commander who defends the palace has the most say. First of all, Wang Weiwei asked Liu Bang: What crime did Xiao Xiangguo commit, why did His Majesty arrest him suddenly? Liu Bang: I heard that when Li Si was the prime minister serving the Emperor of Qin, he would go to the emperor if he had any good points, and he would take care of all the bad points himself.For a prime minister like Xiao He, if there are advantages, let me take care of them.He actually wants to divide my Shanglin Garden to please the common people, so if I don't arrest him, is that okay? Wang Weiwei: Your Majesty, you are wrong to say that.First, be loyal to your duties and seek benefits for the people. This is what a real prime minister should do.Second, His Majesty has no reason to suspect that Xiangguo is colluding with profiteers.Back then, His Majesty and King Xiang had been at odds with each other for many years, and later Chen Xi and Ying Bu rebelled one after another, and you were all on the expedition.When it is time, Xiangguo guards the Guanzhong, as long as he shakes it, Guanzhong does not belong to His Majesty.If the prime minister of the country really wanted to make a profit, he didn't do it at that time, but now he wants to covet the few taels of silver?Third, the Qin Emperor just ignored it, and the country perished.This is Li Si's fault, so he has nothing to learn from us.Your Majesty, don't think of Xiao Guoxiang too superficially. Wang Weiwei's words were overwhelming and irrefutable.Of course Liu Bang understood this truth, but he was still very unhappy.Even if Xiao He is really a citizen of the country, but what about my face, Xiao He doesn't give me face, how can I be happy? After listening to Wang Weiwei's words, Liu Bang just kept silent and went back to the palace alone. However, on the same day, an envoy came to the prison to release Xiao He. It turned out that Liu Bang had figured it out after all. For Xiao He, these days in prison made him deeply understand what politics is.The so-called politics, first pass through the barriers of the monarchy, and then the government of the people.Without the favor and support of the leaders, all ideals and dreams of democratic governance are nothing but shit. So how can you win the appreciation of the leadership?That is humility, humility, and humility.As Liu Bang said earlier, if there are benefits, they belong to the leader; if there are disadvantages, they are covered by themselves. Therefore, Xiao He, who was originally modest and cautious, became more like a timid mouse after he was released from prison.He even put aside the treatment that Liu Bang had bestowed on him for entering the court with a sword, and ran into the palace barefoot to plead guilty to Liu Bang. When Liu Bang saw Xiao He's scene, he couldn't help but sigh.Old revolution of more than ten years, in fact, I don't want to arrest you and put you in prison.It's just that I don't punish you, my old and fragile heart is not at ease.Rise up, Prime Minister.You are wrong about this matter, and I am wrong about two.If so, let's even it out. So, Liu Bang said a lot of words of reconciliation to Xiao He.The two monarchs and ministers reconciled. After this fatal blow, Xiao He no longer dared to raise any opinions to his superiors.He's old and doesn't want to bother anymore.He understood at last that in his lifetime all the ideals and golden ages of high-spirited feats were past.Now, his only wish is to be like an oil lamp, quietly waiting for the oil to be exhausted and the lamp to be extinguished instead of being wiped out by the strong wind. Resting the mind in peace is the way of heaven.Xiao He waited, but Liu Bang couldn't survive him in the end, and he went to heaven to report to heaven.In fact, for Xiao He to live to this extent, it doesn't matter if he lives a year longer or less.The curtain of life, just like the mist in early spring, permeates the sky above Chang'an. In the second year of Xiaohui (193 BC), spring, the first month. This spring has come a little strangely.First of all, two dragons appeared in the well of a commoner's house in Lanling in the east (Lanling Town, southwest of Cangshan County, Shandong Province).Immediately afterwards, an earthquake occurred in Longxi (Lintao County, Gansu Province).Then, a great drought in summer shrouded the land of the Han Dynasty like a haze. In the eyes of the ancients, all the ominous signs of nature have more or less an internal connection with people.Sure enough, this summer, Liu Zhongxian, who was famous for his runaway, passed away.Immediately afterwards, Xiao He was seriously ill in bed, dying, with only one breath left. At this time, Liu Ying heard that Xiao He was seriously ill and came to visit him.Of course, Liu Ying is not only a black hair white hair, but more importantly, he wants to see what will Xiao He wants to leave. Liu Ying asked Xiao He: Who can replace the king after a hundred years? If you translate Liu Ying's sentence in a non-serious modern language, it means: After you die, who will succeed you? In fact, Liu Ying's question seemed to be more of politeness.Regarding the issue of the successor of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bang had made it very clear to Lu Zhi before his death.After Xiao He, Cao Shen must take over.This truth can be seen clearly and clearly from the time when the founding of the country was discussed.The first one is dead, isn't the second one taking over, is it left for the latter? Therefore, it is a certainty that Cao Shen will be the successor, and there is no doubt about it.However, Xiao He didn't answer Liu Ying directly. Instead, he said to Liu Ying like kicking a football: There is no one who knows a minister better than the Lord. Of course Xiao He said that you, Liu Ying, are the one who knows best, so I don't need to say more about the answer. Yes, don't talk about Liu Ying, the answer is probably recognized by the ministers of the Manchu Dynasty.So, Liu Ying was no longer polite, and asked directly: What do you think of Cao Shen? As soon as Liu Ying finished speaking, she saw Xiao He kowtowed on the pillow like an old chicken, saying: Your Majesty, you have found the right person, I will die without regret! Liu Ying stood silent, and the room was speechless.