Chapter 27 Confucius Traveled Around the World (Part 2): Full of Ideals, Skinny in Reality

Ye Yi's chief Shen Zhuliang, known as Ye Gong, is the son of Shen Yinxu, a famous general of Chu State.He showed great enthusiasm for Confucius' visit and took the initiative to ask Confucius how to govern the country.Confucius was still as reserved as ever, and only said six words: "Government is coming and going." In other words, the key to governing a country is to get people from afar to join and support from those nearby.After careful consideration, this is equivalent to saying nothing, because "coming far and near" is obviously an end, not a means.But Ye Gong is very satisfied, because since he took office in Ye Yi, he has developed the economy, built water conservancy, and let the people recuperate. He has already gained a good reputation in Chu State.At that time, the war was raging in the south, and Ye Yi was located in Henan, far away from the center of the war, and it became a pure land invisibly. Many people from the south of the Yangtze River brought their families to join him.He has done the so-called "coming far and near", so he is very useful to Confucius' words.

One day, Ye Gong talked with Zhong You and asked Zhong You a question: "What kind of person is your husband?" Zhong You was at a loss for words for a while. When Confucius heard about this, he said to Zhong You: "You, why don't you tell him that our master is a tireless learner who never tires of educating others, works hard and forgets to eat, and often enjoys himself Forget about sorrow, and don’t feel like you’re an old man at all’?” Confucius did not stay long in Yeyi, but returned to Cai. On the way, he met Chang Ju and Jie Ni who were farming together.Confucius sent Zhong You to ask them where the ferry was.Chang Ju didn't answer, but instead asked Zhong You: "Who is that person sitting in the car?"

Zhong You said, "It's Confucius." Changju said, "Is that Kongqiu from the state of Lu?" Zhong You said, "Exactly." Changju said: "Then why do you come to ask for the way? Confucius knows everything. He should know where the ferry is." Jie Ni asked Zhong You: "He is Confucius, who are you?" Zhong You said: "I am Zhong You, a disciple of Confucius." Jie Ni said while working: "The turbulent situation is the same everywhere. Who can change it? Instead of following Confucius to avoid bad people everywhere, you might as well follow us to avoid the whole society!"

When Zhong You came back, he told Confucius what he had heard. Kong Qiu said sadly, "How can people live with birds and beasts? If the world is safe and righteous, why should I go around to change it?" The implication is, Humans are social animals, passive avoidance is not the solution, active change is the right way.The author of this book believes that this is also the cutest side of Confucius, who always maintains enthusiasm to face the world positively, and even practices his own ideals with a kind of naivety of "doing what he knows can't be done". Another time, Zhong You got separated from Confucius and the others on the road, and met an old man carrying a straw basket.Zhong You asked him, "Excuse me, have you met my teacher, Confucius?" The old man said, "I don't work hard, and I don't know the five grains. Who is your teacher?" After speaking, he weeded with a cane.Zhong You stood respectfully with his hands arched.The old man stayed with Zhongyou to stay at his house, killed chickens, made yellow rice for Zhongyou to eat, and asked his two sons to come out to meet each other.The next day, Zhong You caught up with Confucius and reported the incident.Confucius said: "This is a hermit." He told Zhong You to go back and see him again.When Zhong You got there, the old man had already left.Zhong You's next words can reflect Confucius's proposition: "It is unreasonable not to be an official. The order of seniority and youth cannot be discarded. How can the righteousness of monarchs and ministers be ignored? He wants not to defile himself, but Ignore the great ethics between the monarch and his ministers. A gentleman comes out to be an official to practice morality. Of course, in this day and age, morality cannot be practiced, and I have known it for a long time."

In the third year when Confucius came to Cai, the state of Wu sent troops to attack Chen, and King Chu Zhao sent troops to rescue Chen and garrisoned them in Chengfu.King Chu Zhao heard that Confucius was on the border between Chen and Cai, so he sent someone to invite Confucius.When the doctors of Chen and Cai heard the news, they immediately got together to discuss: "Confucius is a capable man, and he can always hit the nail on the head when criticizing the politics of other countries. He has been living between our two countries for these years. Those of us People are not in his eyes. Now that a big country like Chu State has come to invite him, if he is reused by the King of Chu, then those of us who can talk in Chen State and Cai State will be in danger.” So they colluded Get up and send troops to besiege Kong Qiu and his party in a wilderness on the border between the two countries, making them unable to advance and retreat, and food supply is also not available.The students were so hungry that their eyes were dim and they lay on the ground unable to get up. Only Confucius was still sitting there reading poems, singing and playing the piano, looking at ease.

Zhong You was very annoyed, when is this, do you still have the heart to sing?Deliberately asked Confucius: "Is there a time when a gentleman has no way out?" Confucius said calmly: "Of course a gentleman is poor, but he can still stick to his integrity, while a villain can do everything when he is poor." People are too poor.” When we were in middle school, we all heard Kong Yiji say the first half of the sentence, and we thought it was pedantic at the time, but now we think that the original meaning of this sentence is also good. When Zhong You was criticized like this, he immediately became honest and sat on the side obediently.Confucius looked around for a week and saw that all the students were listless, and Duanmuci was even more unhappy.Confucius then asked: "Duanmuci, let me ask you, do you think I am someone who has learned a lot and can never forget it?"

Duanmuci said: "Yes, isn't it?" Confucius said: "No, I just use a basic principle to connect what I have learned." Duanmuci listened thoughtfully. Confucius knew that all the students were resentful, so he called Zhong You to him and asked, "There is a poem that says, "Bandits, bandits and tigers, lead the wilderness. Running around here and there)'. Isn’t it the ideal I pursue? Why did I fall to this point?” Zhong You said: "Maybe we have not reached the standard of benevolence, and people don't trust us enough; maybe we are not wise enough, so people make things difficult for us everywhere." Zhong You said the truth. Over the years, they followed Confucius Wandering around, bumping into walls everywhere, and never having a stable life, isn’t the main reason that Confucius’s theory cannot be accepted by people, and even makes people resist?

Confucius was furious when he heard this, and scolded: "Is there anyone who talks like this? Zhong You, let me tell you, if you can be trusted by others if you reach the standard of benevolence, Boyi and Shuqi will starve to death on Shouyang Mountain." Is it? If the wisdom of a sage can flow unimpeded, will Bigan be poached by King Zhou of Shang?" After Zhong You left, Confucius called Duan Muci over again and asked the same question.Duanmuci said: "This is because your goal is too ambitious, so no country in the world can accommodate you. Teacher, can you lower the standard a little?" Duanmuci means that if the ideal cannot be realized, it must be compared with reality. Combine, compromise appropriately.

Confucius said: "Duanmuci, the best farmers can plant the land well, but they may not get good harvests; the best craftsmen can make things exquisitely, but they may not be able to satisfy buyers; Working hard with your own ideals to make your knowledge orderly and consistent, but there is no guarantee that it will be accepted by the world. Now you are not trying to realize your ideals, but only want to be accepted by the world, this kind of ambition is not ambitious enough!" Later Confucius asked Yan Hui the same question.Yan Hui replied: "Teacher's ideal is too lofty, so the world cannot tolerate it. Even so, you persist in carrying it out. What does it matter if you are not accepted? It is more like a gentleman if you are not accepted! A person is not cultivated enough , is a disgrace to oneself; being cultivated enough but not being accepted is a disgrace to those in power. It doesn’t matter if you are not accepted, you are more like a gentleman if you are not accepted!”

Kong Qiu was overjoyed when he heard that, and said, "The boy of the Yan family is really amazing. If you have enough money, I would rather be your housekeeper." But good words cannot be eaten as food.On the seventh day, Confucius couldn't bear it any longer, and lay dying on the ground.Risking his life, Yan Hui sneaked out of the encirclement and asked the local villagers for some rice to cook.Smelling the aroma of the rice, Kong Qiu opened one eye, and saw that Yan Hui was frantically grabbing rice from the pot with his hands.He kept his composure, closed his eyes and fell asleep again, when Yan Hui came back and asked him to eat.Confucius stretched himself and said, "Just now I had a dream. I dreamed of my ancestors. I ate clean food myself before feeding them."

Yan Hui said calmly, without changing expression or heartbeat, "It's like this. Just now carbon ash floated into the pot and stained some rice. It's not good to throw it away, so I grabbed it and ate it." Confucius sighed and said, "People say that seeing is believing. Now I know that seeing is not necessarily believing. You should trust your own heart, but you can't trust your own heart either. You must remember that understanding a person is inherently difficult. It’s easy.” Many people in later generations thought that Kong Qiu was blaming himself for misunderstanding Yan Hui, but I think he couldn’t be sure whether Yan Hui was stealing or doing something, so he came up with a saying that “knowing people is difficult” in conclusion. "Confucius trapped between Chen and Cai" is a famous event in Chinese history. The question and answer between him and the three students is quite like Jesus climbing a mountain to teach the crowd. It is a compulsory course for later generations of Confucianism to improve self-cultivation. Later, Kong Qiu sent Duan Muci to Yingdu for help, and King Chu Zhao sent troops to meet Kong Qiu, and the group was able to get out of the predicament. King Chu Zhao was very happy to see Confucius.After the meeting between the two, King Zhao of Chu decided that Kong Qiu was a rare talent, and with a swipe of a pen, he planned to confer a land of seven hundred miles on Kong Qiu so that he could stay in Chu with peace of mind. Seven hundred miles is almost the size of a medium-sized vassal state.Seeing that Kong Qiu was about to widen, someone threw a bar in the middle. Ling Yin Yishen asked King Chu Zhao: "Are there any envoys sent by the king to various countries who are as eloquent and eloquent as Duan Muci?" King Chu Zhao said, "No." "Then, do you have any of your ministers who have both ability and political integrity like Yan Hui?" "No." "Are any of your generals as brave as Zhong You?" "This...nor." "Are there any of your officials as capable as Zai Yu?" "No." "Think about it." Yishen said, "The ancestors of the Chu State were granted the title of Zhou Tianzi, the title was Viscount, and the fief was only fifty miles away. Now what Confucius said was the decree of the Three Emperors and Five Emperors, and what he did was the work of Duke Zhou and Duke Zhao." The thing is, if you reuse him like this, can Chu State still enjoy the vast land of thousands of miles for generations? You are not afraid that he will use Zhou Li to restrain you and let Chu State go back to its original state? Back then King Wen of Zhou managed Fengyi , King Wu of Zhou established his capital at Haojing, and finally won the world by virtue of a land of a hundred miles. Today you rewarded Confucius with a land of seven hundred miles, and there are so many capable students following him. I am afraid it is not the blessing of Chu State .” King Chu Zhao woke up like a dream, and temporarily put aside the matter of rewarding Confucius.But he still respected Confucius very much, allowing him to be pampered and live a very rich life. One day when Confucius was going out in a car, a lunatic popped up on the side of the road and stopped in front of him and sang: "Fenghuang, Fenghuang, why are you so unlucky? It's useless to talk about the past, and maybe the future can be changed. Forget it Now, who in power now knows this truth?" The original text of this song is: The madman who sang was nameless, because he stopped Kong Qiu's car, Sima Qian called him "Jieyu", and later generations often used Jieyu to describe the madman.Wang Wei, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, once wrote a poem "A Gift to Pei Xiucai for Leisurely Living in Wangchuan": In the poem, Jieyu is compared to Pei Di, while Wang Wei compares himself to Tao Yuanming, Mr. Wuliu.Interestingly, Tao Yuanming wrote a popular poem "Gui Qu Lai Ci", in which there is a sentence like this: Undoubtedly, it is borrowed from the allusion of Jieyu satirizing Confucius. After hearing Jieyu's singing, Kong Qiu got out of the car quickly, wanting to have a good chat with him.But Jieyu ran away quickly, without giving him a chance to speak. Soon after this incident, Confucius left Chu.According to "Zuo Zhuan", in the autumn of this year, there were clouds in the sky, shaped like a big fiery red bird, which followed the sun and flew for three days.King Chu Zhao sent someone to Luoyi to ask the Taishi of the Zhou Dynasty for advice. The Taishi said: "This omen is not good for the king. If the sacrifice is held, the disaster will be transferred to Ling Yin and Sima of your country." King Chu Zhao said: "No What's the point of Gu (the princes modestly claiming it) removes the illnesses of his confidantes, but transfers them to his siblings? If Bugu didn't make any serious mistakes, wouldn't God let Bugu die young? If he is guilty, he can't escape even if he wants to." So No festival was held.Soon after, King Chu Zhao died.Confucius was on his way to the state of Wei at that time. When he heard the news, he sighed, "The king of Chu is a man who understands the truth! When the Wu army entered Chu, he did not lose his country. It is reasonable." In the second year after Kong Qiu returned to the state of Wei, Fuchai, King of Wu, and Duke Ai of Lu met for an alliance in the city of Lu. The state of Wu asked the state of Lu to buy a gift of a hundred prisons to entertain Fuchai. Bo Pi also ordered Ji Sunfei to go for an interview.Ji Sunfei invited Duanmuci to deal with Bo Pi, and the matter was settled.Later, Duanmuci traveled between Lu and Wu many times and made outstanding contributions to the diplomatic cause of Lu. Confucius had lived in Wei for a long time, so he would inevitably say some formal words, such as: "Lu and Wei are brothers, and they are brothers." Others couldn't understand it, but later generations of Confucian scholars and grandchildren devoted themselves to these words. Many papers were written to explain it.In fact, that is just a plain saying, Lu and Wei are brotherly countries, and it doesn't have any profound meaning.Many of Confucius' expositions are like this, that is, an old man with a white beard is telling the truth without any profound theories.But in any era, it is not easy for people to return to basic common sense. At that time, the monarch of Wei State was Wei Chu Gong.As mentioned earlier, Duke Wei's father, Kuai Kui, had been living in exile because he offended Nanzi.Because of this incident, the international public opinion is quite critical of Wei Chugong.Many of Kong Qiu's students became officials in the state of Wei, and Duke Wei also wanted to invite Kong Qiu to serve him.One day, Zhong You asked Kong Qiu: "I heard that the Marquis of Wei is going to ask you to govern the country. If so, what do you plan to do first?" Kong Qiu said without hesitation: "First rectify your name." Zhong You said with a smile: "Oh, you are really pedantic, and you still cling to that set of theories. These days, what is your name?" Confucius said: "Boy, you are too ignorant of etiquette. If your name is not right, your words will not be right; if your words are not right, things will not be done; Know what to do. Therefore, no matter what a gentleman does, he must first rectify his name; what he says must be able to be put into practice. Therefore, a gentleman must not be sloppy in his words and deeds!" In 484 BC, the State of Qi invaded the State of Lu. Ran Qiu, a student of Confucius, led the army of the State of Lu to defeat the State of Qi in the outskirts of Qufu.Ji Sunfei asked Ran Qiu: "Is your military talent innate, or learned?" This question is not level, how can anyone be born to fight?So Ran Qiu replied, "I learned it from my teacher, Kong Qiu." Ji Sunfei asked, "What kind of person was Confucius?" Ran Qiu said: "Whatever he does, he needs to be justified. What he does, he can let the common people know, he can tell the ghosts and gods, and there will be no regrets." Ji Sunfei said: "I want to invite him back to the State of Lu, is that okay?" Ran Qiu said: "If you let him do a job like mine, even if you give him a salary of 25,000 households, he will not come. If you want to use him, you can't treat him like an ordinary person." In the winter of this year, Kong Yu, a doctor of the state of Wei, was preparing to attack his son-in-law, Uncle Ji.The cause of the incident is very bloody: at the beginning, the uncle Ji married the daughter of Song Guogongzichao as his wife. According to the rule of buy one get one free, the sister-in-law was married as a dowry, and uncle Ji was also married as a concubine.Uncle Ji doesn't like this wife very much, but he loves his sister-in-law very much.Later, when the young master lost power, Kong Yu took the opportunity to poach the wall and persuade Uncle Ji to divorce his wife and marry his daughter to Uncle Ji.Unexpectedly, uncle Ji would never forget his ex-sister-in-law, so he called her back and placed her near Diqiu, and built a big house for her, with the same treatment as his current wife.When Kong Yu knew about it, he was furious and wanted to use force to wash away the family's disgrace. Kong Yu is the Kong Wenzi mentioned in the book.Confucius said that he was "sensible and eager to learn, and he was not ashamed to ask his subordinates." He would inevitably ask Confucius for his opinion on family matters.When Confucius heard that he was going to fight a civil war, he quickly said: "I have learned a little about sacrifices, but I don't know anything about fighting." After returning, he said to his students: "A good bird chooses a tree to live in, but a tree can't choose a bird." ?” Ordered the students to pack their bags and prepare to leave.After Kong Yu heard about it, he hurried over to persuade him to stay.At this time, the envoy from the State of Lu arrived with a gift, and Confucius took the opportunity to get off the donkey, and returned to the State of Lu after a 14-year absence. After returning, Duke Ai of Lu met with Confucius and asked him for advice on how to govern the country.In his life, Confucius could not remember how many times he was asked this question, and the answer was different each time.This time his answer was: "The key is to choose a good minister." Ji Sunfei also asked Confucius about the way to govern the country. Confucius said: "Select decent people and keep away from those with bad intentions. In this way, people's hearts will gradually improve." Ji Sunfei asked again: "The state of Lu is now infested with thieves. You used to be a big vigilante. How can you solve it?" Confucius said coldly: "If you are not greedy for money, even if you encourage others to steal, they will not go." It is conceivable that Ji Sunfei did not appoint Kong Qiu in the end, and Kong Qiu did not take the initiative to ask for it.Over the years, he has persisted in his ideals, maintained a strong fighting spirit, and hoped to change the world, and never gave up lightly even though he encountered many setbacks.However, he is a seventy-year-old man after all, and he is tired. In 481 BC, when people sent the monster captured in Juyeze to Confucius, Kong Qiu’s eyes became moist all of a sudden, and he said in a dry tone: “It seems that my ideal It’s really impossible.” According to the explanation of later generations, Qilin is a benevolent beast and a good omen for the appearance of a saint.However, at that time, the world was in great chaos and wars continued frequently. Qilin was captured as soon as it appeared. There is also a widely circulated saying that after Confucius returned to the state of Lu, he worked hard to revise "Spring and Autumn", hoping that the political ideas in "Spring and Autumn" could become the concept of governing the country, which would be beneficial to future monarchs and frighten rebellious officials and thieves. After "Xishou Huolin", he was discouraged and stopped writing.Of course, this statement cannot withstand scrutiny and can only be ignored. In fact, long before Huolin, Confucius once said to his students: "There is no Bagua map in the Yellow River, and there is no document in the Luoshui. It seems that I don't have much time." According to legend, during the time of Fuxi in ancient times, a dragon and horse emerged from the Yellow River, carrying a "river map" on its back, and dedicated it to Fuxi.Based on this, Fuxi evolved into gossip, which later became the source of "Book of Changes".During the time of Dayu, a tortoise emerged from Luoshui, carrying "Luoshu" on its back, and dedicated it to Dayu.According to this, Dayu succeeded in controlling the water, so he designated the world as Kyushu, and based on this, he established nine chapters of Dafa to govern society.Hetu Luoshu is considered to hide infinite mysteries, especially the knowledge that determines the fate of the world.In his life, Confucius seldom talked about the destiny, nor did he talk about strange powers and chaotic gods. However, in his later years, he pinned his hopes on supernatural powers such as Hetu Luoshu, which is really embarrassing. It is said that after Yan Hui's death, Confucius once said: "God, this is my life!" He said: "Why do you say that?" He said: "I don't blame others. I started from the most basic knowledge, and the more I learned, the more advanced I became. The more I learn, the more lonely I am. It seems that the only one who really understands me is God!" One day news came from the state of Qi that Duke Jian of Qi was murdered in Shuzhou by Chen Heng (this matter will be discussed shortly and will not be described here).Confucius fasted for three days and asked Duke Ai of Lu three times to attack Qi.Duke Ai of Lu said: "The state of Lu has been bullied by the state of Qi for a long time. Is it feasible for you to attack it now?" Adding half of the state of Qi is certainly possible." Lu Ai Gong said, "Go and discuss it with Ji Sunfei." After Kong Qiu came out, he went straight to his home.When asked by others, he would say: "I am a doctor anyway, and I dare not say what I have to say." The implication is that I will do my duty, and there is no need to force it. In 480 BC, a major event occurred in Weiguo.Kuaikui, the first eldest son who had been in exile for many years, sneaked back to China, sneaked to the home of Kong Yu (Kong Yu's son), held Kong Kui hostage by force, and staged a coup d'état.Duke Wei was forced to flee to the state of Lu. Zhong You, a student of Confucius, has always served as a retainer in Kong Kui's family.When the coup took place, Zhong You happened to be on a business trip.Hearing the news of the coup, Zhong You hurried back and met the doctor Gao Chai outside the city of Diqiu.Gao Chai was also a student of Confucius. He said to Zhong You: "The monarch has fled and the city gate is closed. You can turn around quickly, and you may be spared." Zhong You said: "I eat his salary, how can I avoid it?" Disaster?" Taking advantage of the unprepared guards, he sneaked into the city and went straight to the palace to look for Kuai Kui.Kuai Kui held Kong Kui on stage to watch, and Zhong You wanted to set fire to the platform to rescue Kong Kui.Kuai Kui was shocked and ordered his retainers Shi Qi and Meng Yan to come out and fight Zhong You.During the battle, Zhong You's hat strap was cut off and his hat fell to the ground.Zhong You said: "Even if a gentleman dies in battle, he must wear his hat." He put on his hat calmly and tied his hat belt.Shi Qi and Meng Yan took the opportunity to attack and killed Zhong You. When Confucius heard the news of the turmoil in Wei, he said, "Gao Chai will come back, and Zhong You must die there." When the news of Zhong You's death came, Kong Qiu was walking outside the chai gate on crutches, and Duan Muci accompanied him.Confucius burst into tears and said, "Mount Tai has collapsed, beams and pillars have been broken, and philosophers have withered!" He said to Duanmuci again: "The world has been innocent for many years. Isn't it very sad that no one can listen to my advice? People in the Xia Dynasty died, and their coffins stopped on the steps to the east; On the steps to the west; people from the Shang Dynasty died, and their coffins rested between the two pillars. Last night, I dreamed that I was sitting between the two pillars enjoying sacrifices. This morning, I just remembered that I am from the Shang Dynasty Descendants of me!" Seven days later, Confucius also died.