Chapter 50 Shameful Cowardice Chapter 1

Qin Wang Yingzheng went to the side hall to keep warm after appreciating the plum blossoms. Wang Wan and Zhu Langguan went to the front of the hall without mentioning the guards, leaving Li Si standing alone at the gate of the courtyard, unable to enter, and unwilling to retreat.An abrupt beauty is certainly an unbearable speed of life, but a waste of opportunities is an unbearable hatred through the ages.The opportunity was right in front of Li Si's eyes. King Qin Yingzheng was in the hall ahead at this moment, waiting for him.It is unknown when such an opportunity will appear again.Li Si must seize this opportunity to meet the King of Qin and impress the King of Qin with his wisdom and rhetoric.At the present opportunity, Li Si shuddered because of excitement, but also hated himself because of timidity.He stood in the ice and snow, brewing his determination and courage bit by bit.

In Western wedding ceremonies, the presiding priest usually has to say something: "If anyone among you has a reasonable reason to think that this marriage should not take place, please say it now, before the Lord. Otherwise, never say it.” This sentence seems to be for the sake of the newlyweds, but in fact it is encouraging the bridegroom or the bride’s old lover to jump out and wreak havoc and ruin the marriage.This is a trick commonly used in negotiations, and the time is tight.Hey, this is the last chance God gave you, if you don't say it, it will never be too late, even God can't save you.

The technique of timing can not only be used to encourage others, but also can be used to motivate yourself.In Stendhal's novel, there is such a detail that shocked me greatly when I was young: Eighteen-year-old Julien set a goal for himself: when the clock struck ten o'clock in the evening, he must hold Madame de Renal's hand and stay.This was the first hurdle he had to cross to become Madame de Renal's lover.Madame de Renal, wife of the mayor and mother of three children, was not only barely noble, but cherished her reputation of chastity.Julien, on the other hand, was nothing more than a poor boy who served as governess at Madame de Renal's house.But Julien forced himself to accept such a difficult task.He wants to conquer Madame de Renal's spirit and body, but also to use this to temper his own soul and make it stronger.

That evening in the garden Madame de Renal sat next to Julien, and on the other side of Madame de Renal sat a friend of hers, Madame Derville. After explaining the general background, let us taste Stendhal's wonderful original text directly. Julien was so preoccupied with what he was about to do that he could find nothing to say.The conversation was listless and lifeless. Julien thought to himself: "Should I be as trembling and pitiful as the first duel?" He couldn't see his mental state clearly, and he had too many suspicions about himself and others. This kind of anxiety is really terrible, and it is better to feel better no matter what danger you encounter.How many times had he wished that Madame de Renal had something to do, and had to go back to the room and leave the garden!Julien tried his best to restrain himself, and his voice changed completely; Madame de Renal's voice also trembled, but Julien was not aware of it.The battle of duty against timidity was too painful to attract his attention to anything but himself.

The castle clock had already struck quarter to nine, but he still didn't dare to move.Julien, angry at his cowardice, thought to himself: "The clock strikes ten, and I will do what I have wanted to do all day and at night, or I will go back to my room and shoot myself in the head. .” Julien was so excited that he could hardly help himself.Finally, the clock above his head struck ten o'clock, and this moment of waiting and anxiety was finally over.The bell, the terrible bell, echoed in his mind, making his heart jump. Just before the last lingering sound of the bell, he put out his hand and took Madame de Renal's, but she withdrew it immediately.Julien, not knowing what to do now, took the hand again.Although he was dazed, he could not help being startled, the hand he held was as cold as ice; he squeezed it hard, and the hand was trembling; Madame de Renal made a last effort to think. He drew his hand back, but the hand remained.

Julien's heart was overwhelmed by a torrent of happiness, not that he, Madame de Renal, but that a terrible ordeal was at last at an end. I love this detail the most in the whole book.Julien put a time-defining spell on himself: "After the ten o'clock bell rang, I will do what I want to do all day long at night, otherwise I will go back to the room and shoot myself head." In order to keep his head, what other hand would he not dare to hold?What risk do you dare not take?