Chapter 7 Chapter Seven Xu Jie's Awakening

Based on a rough calculation, Xu Jie should be regarded as a person who died three times.Of course, he didn't die. In October of the 16th year of Hongzhi (1503), Xu Jie was born in Xuanping, Zhejiang. Since his father was from Huating, Songjiang (now Shanghai), he was counted as a native of Songjiang in the history books of later generations. Xu Jie has a happy family. His father is the local county magistrate (Bapin). Although the official is small, it is an economically developed area after all, and it is not too difficult to make a living.Generally speaking, his family is relatively well-off, and the comparative composition is roughly equivalent to that of small landlords.

Although his family was well-off, he didn't have to go to the streets to sell newspapers, roll coal balls, and he didn't have to fear starvation and freezing to death, but Xu Jie was closer to death than anyone else. His first death experience was when he was one year old. His family members hugged Xu Jie to enjoy the shade by the dry well. There seemed to be something missing in his hand, and when he looked back, Xu Jie had fallen into the well. This can be regarded as a lack of great virtue. Although Xu Jie, who was in free fall, did not fall into the water, he had an intimate contact with the hard ground at the bottom of the well.

I have always thought that committing suicide by throwing yourself into a well is a more painful way to die. It is far worse than throwing yourself into a river. Just like in today’s real estate market, if you want to die, you can’t find a spacious place. It’s better to throw yourself into a river. Wherever you jump, you don’t need to consider the landing area, and you can enjoy the invincible river view at the end. You can see wherever you want, and no one can stop it. Although the dry well can't kill people, it should be able to fall disabled. After Xiao Xujie fell into the well, the whole family took a long time to fish him out (without construction machinery). But he neither cried nor made a fuss—passed out.

His dizziness became severe. No matter how he tried to rescue him, he couldn't wake up after pinching people with soup and medicine. This continued for several days. On the third day, the doctor told them: Quickly prepare the coffin. On the fourth day, Xu Jie woke up. Xu Jie, keep growing, next time you will be closer to death. In the second year of Zhengde (1507), Xu Jie went out with his father on the road. His father walked in front, and he followed closely. When passing a high mountain, Xu Jie accidentally had an accident. Of course, he did not fall into the mountain. Dry well, relatively speaking, the place where he fell this time is quite special - a cliff.

When the old man heard the sound and turned his head, Xu Jie had already fallen off the cliff. The father burst into tears immediately, there is still hope in Dry Well, under the cliff is the territory of the King of Hades, and the underworld recruits people as soon as they are accepted. I almost finished crying and had to go down to collect the corpse. My father took a few helpers and went around to the bottom of the cliff, but when I searched left and right, I couldn't find anyone alive or dead. He must not be able to fly, the father raised his head and saw his son hanging on the tree.

From then on, Xu Jie's experience has become a legend in the streets and alleys. Everyone thinks that he survived such a catastrophe, and this person must have future blessings. This seems to be true. Since then, Xu Jie's life has entered a smooth road, but the biggest test in life is still waiting for him. Only by enduring this torture that is more painful than death can he grow into a man who can bear the burden of humiliation and stand alone. The mainstay of the crisis. The days after that were unremarkable. In the eighth year of Zhengde (1513), Xu Jie's father resigned from the public office and returned to his hometown in Huating County. Here, Xu Jie received a good education. He was very smart and had a high understanding. Four years later, he was admitted as a scholar in one fell swoop, and entered the county school as a student.

In the 14th year of Zhengde (1519), 17-year-old Xu Jie went to Nanjing to take the provincial examination, but failed in the result, so he had to go back home and continue to prepare for the examination. But this may not be a bad thing for him, because in the second year, a person came to his hometown and completely changed Xu Jie's life. In the fifteenth year of Zhengde (1520), a new scholar became the magistrate of Huating. His name was Nie Bao. It should be said that Nie Bao is a competent county magistrate, and besides his official duties, he also has a hobby - chatting. Every day after get off work, he would go to the county school to discuss a subset of classics and history with those scholars.

It was there that he met Xu Jie. When Nie Bao talked to Xu Jie for the first time, he was surprised by the young man's superb understanding and witty words. He was keenly aware that this is a talent with unlimited future. So, when the conversation was over and everyone dispersed, Nie Bao found Xu Jie in private and asked him a question: would he like to learn from him. Xu Jie was not stupid, he knew what this meant, so he answered in the affirmative without hesitation. Since then, Xu Jie worshiped Nie Bao as his teacher and studied with him. But Xu Jie did not expect that this seemingly ordinary county magistrate was not an ordinary person. What he was about to show Xu Jie was a mysterious and novel world.

Soon after, Xu Jie discovered to his surprise that what Nie Bao taught him was not the classics and history articles that he usually talked about, let alone stereotyped essays for exams, but a knowledge that he had never heard of. In Xu Jie's view, this is an extremely profound and mysterious knowledge that encompasses everything in the world, and what's even more strange is that even the principles of being practical and conducting oneself in the world are different from those of the sages he has learned before. Words are quite different. But he didn't hesitate. In the following two years, he has been studying and studying hard, day and night.Because his intuition told him that this unique teacher was teaching him a special kind of wisdom, which would eventually become the most important wealth in his life.

In the first year of Jiajing (1522), Yingtianfu was about to hold a provincial examination, and Xu Jie was twenty years old this year. His admiration and admiration for Nie Bao has reached its peak. In the past two years, he has asked countless times and received answers countless times. He has grasped the essence of Nie Bao's teachings and understood this unique system, but For two years, there is still a question that makes him very curious, and has not been answered. So on the day he left home for the exam, he asked Nie Bao, who was seeing him off, this final question: "How do you know so much?"

Nie Bao smiled mysteriously: "That was taught to me by another person." "A few years ago, when I was studying in Jiangxi (Nie Bao is from Ji'an, Jiangxi), I met a man, and what he said was very weird, and I didn't take it seriously. .” Nie Bao raised his head, walked out of his memories, looked at this young man who was about to embark on the journey of life, and said the final answer: "Although I had never been a teacher back then, I was taught by him all the money. Everything I taught you was taught to me by him back then. Your future is uncertain. I hope you will use your heart to comprehend this knowledge, and it will be of great use." .” "This study is the so-called "intellectual study of conscience". It was passed on to me as a scholar named Wang Shouren." Xu Jie firmly remembered the name Wang Shouren. He bid farewell to Nie Bao and thus opened the first page of his legendary life. The rural examination in Nanjing went very smoothly. Xu Jie finished answering the examination questions in a smooth manner, handed in the papers in advance and left the examination room. But he never expected that just when he was full of confidence, his papers had already been thrown into the pile of those who failed. His luck was really bad. When the examination examiner of Yingtianfu saw his paper, he threw it on the ground as if a person on earth had seen an alien: What the hell is this written on! Just when Mr. Xu Jie was about to become a repeat student, God smiled at him again. At this time, the chief examiner just walked in. Seeing this scene, he picked up the paper, read it carefully for a long time, then walked up to the examiner, and expressed his conclusion: "It should be Jieyuan." The so-called Jie Yuan was the first place. It took a long time for the stunned examiner to realize, but he still insisted on his own opinion—failure. The contrast between Xie Yuan and the failure of the ranking is too great, the two sides can't stop arguing, and finally reached a compromise, admitting Xu Jie, not Xie Yuan. At that time, Xu Jie didn't know anything about all this and was completely kept in the dark, but it didn't matter, he had obtained further qualifications. One year later, he would see the real big scene and face the rulers of this empire . In the second year of Jiajing (1523), Xu Jie went to Beijing and took part in the imperial examination. It seems that the examiners in the capital were really good. His articles were not criticized again. Xu Jie's psychological quality is not bad, and he didn't panic when he met the big boss, and he completed his answers calmly.After the palace examination, the cabinet ministers read the answer papers and saw his articles. They were all very surprised and admired, thinking that he must be the number one scholar in this subject. At this moment, another person walked into the examination paper room, exactly the same as in the rural examination, and he also found Xu Jie's examination paper. This person was Lin Jun, who was then Minister of the Ministry of Punishment. He walked by for nothing, so he stopped by to have a look. He picked up the paper and read it carefully for a while, then blurted out a comment: "Good article! Be the number one reviewer!" Trouble this time. It should be said that the Lord Shangshu gave a good evaluation, but the problem is that he really shouldn't say this. I am ashamed to say that although this dear man loves talents and is also a senior cadre, he has a shortcoming - he is not popular with others. At that time, the cabinet minister Fei Hong and others had deep conflicts with him, and he was usually disliked by him. Now He came up with such a sentence suddenly, and made an inference on it—the author of this article has an ulterior relationship with him. With Lord Tuolin's yell, Xu Jie, who was originally the number one scholar, became Tanhua Xu Jie. The first prize has become the third prize, but it’s okay, let’s be wrong, but the leader’s eyes are sharp after all, when he was named on the Xu Jie Gold List, went to the court to meet the examiners, and paid homage to the pier, his talent Finally got affirmation. There, Xu Jie met Yang Tinghe, the number one man in the court. When this 21-year-old youth appeared in front of this top official, Yang Tinghe immediately made a judgment: "This boy's fame and fame in the future will not be inferior to mine!" Fei Hong, who avenged his personal revenge, was also criticized by the leaders: "How do you do things, why didn't you rank him number one?!" Admiration, admiration, Mr. Yang Tinghe has not been in vain for so many years. Prosperous, Tanhua Xu Jie's prospects are bright, brighter than bright lights, the leaders appreciate him, as the third place in the national college entrance examination, the Hanlin Academy opens the door to him, a road opens at his feet, Shujishi - promotion ——Entering the cabinet, prosperity and wealth are waiting for him. With great joy, Xu Jie returned to his hometown in fine clothes. His father was very excited. He had only been the director of the Bapin County Office (county magistrate) in his life. His son was so promising.His mother, Gu Shi, also had a runny nose and tears, and couldn't even speak. While they were busy crying with excitement, an unexpected visitor had quietly arrived at the door. This person is Nie Bao. Not long ago, he just learned that he would leave this place soon to serve as the censor of the case in Fujian. At this moment of parting, he found Xu Jie. In the past days, just like that person back then, he selflessly taught this young man named Xu Jie all he had learned in his life, but he knew very well that although this student was extremely smart, he still failed to understand that The most essential point. When he entered the lobby and saw the young man carried away by excessive joy, he immediately realized that it was time to reveal the secret. "I'm leaving here, please take care." The smile on Xu Jie's face turned into astonishment, and he opened his mouth wide, as if he wanted to say something. Nie Bao smiled and shook his hand: "Your future is limitless. I don't have any gifts to give you, so I will teach you the last lesson." "You already know the essentials of mind learning, but the essence of it is only the four words 'integration of knowledge and action'. If you master it well, you can cultivate yourself, regulate your family, and stabilize your country." Nie Bao paused, looked at Xu Jie who was listening breathlessly, and continued: "You are talented and intelligent, and you will become a great weapon in the future. However, the officialdom is dangerous and your career is bumpy. I hope you will cherish yourself. If you are in a difficult time, keep these four-character mantras in mind and comprehend them carefully, and you will surely turn the crisis into safety." "Even if you are in a desperate situation in the future, you still need to stick to it. Don't give up lightly, remember!" Xu Jie stood aside, solemnly bowed to the teacher, and replied in a deep voice: "The student understands." However, Nie Bao's reaction was far beyond his expectations. "No, you don't understand," Nie Bao smiled mysteriously, "at least not now." In the third year of Jiajing (1524), Xu Jie bid farewell to Nie Bao with full of joy and doubts, and went to the capital to take up his post. As an outstanding talent of the empire, he entered the Hanlin Academy and became a seventh-rank editor. Although this place does not have the prestige and prestige of local officials, it is the center of attention, because once you enter here, half of your foot has already stepped on it. Into the cabinet. At this time, Xu Jie was a successful young man with a promising future. He had just finished his marriage and married a beautiful wife. The so-called bridal chamber wedding night, when he was named on the gold list, all the good things were caught up by him alone, but Xu Jie, who had reached the peak of his life, never Unexpectedly, as soon as he touched the handle of the door of happiness, he was about to slip into the abyss of pain. In August of the third year of Jiajing (1524), Xu Jie, who had just entered the Hanlin Academy, received the unfortunate news that his father had passed away before he could sit on the bench. Xu Jie was a filial son, he was very sad, he reported his father's death, packed his backpack and went home without saying a word, and stayed at home for three years. Just arrived at the unit, did not get to know the leader well, and did not have a good relationship with colleagues, so he went home to hang out for three years, which is really a bad time, but Xu Jie didn't know that all this was just a warm-up exercise, a deadly catastrophe It is about to attack him. In the sixth year of Jiajing (1527), Xu Jie returned to Beijing, resumed his post as an official, and began to work as a clerk in the Imperial Academy, copying and studying central documents all day long. After three years of ordinary life, trouble came, starting from the memorial he saw Zhang Cong. We have already said what happened afterwards, Zhang Cong wanted to punish Kong's second child, but Xu Jie objected, so Zhang Cong wanted to punish Xu Jie, and finally Xu Jie went away. It seems very simple, but in fact it is not. When Xu Jie plucked up the courage to refute Zhang Cong, he didn't care too much about it. At worst, he would be dismissed from office. What can you do to me?Still can kill me? That's right, to kill you. Because Xu Jie scolded too much, several censors from the Metropolitan Procuratorate also joined in the fun, and scolded Zhang Cong again. At best, it was only as wide as the gutter, and he immediately said that he would kill Xu Jie who took the lead. The naive Xu Jie never expected that he would lose his head for expressing his personal opinions and contradicting the leader, but when the matter came to this point, he would be a knife if he stretched his head or retreated, so he simply went all out, and he would not be a coward! He was not afraid, and said directly: If you want to kill, kill, I am not afraid! But Xu Jie, who put life and death aside, did not expect that there was a more tragic fate waiting for him, because in this world, death has never been the most vicious punishment. While he was sitting quietly waiting for punishment, another bad news came. His wife died suddenly, leaving only a two-year-old child. Xu Jie was in great grief. He had only been married for six years before his wife left forever, but what made him even more miserable was that he didn't even have the ability to handle his wife's funeral, because he had offended Mr. Zhang, so he couldn't move around and had to stay. Waiting in place for processing. In fact, in the eyes of many people at that time, Xu Jie was already doomed, because according to the Lubian News report, the Metropolitan Procuratorate had already released the wind, and the imperial censor Wang Hung was instructed by Zhang Cong to sentence Xu Jie to death. Xu Jie finally failed to escape the third trick of the god of death. In fact, beheading is nothing. Once the eyes are closed and the heart is bent, according to the traditional saying, it will be regarded as multiple bowl-sized scars (although it cannot be cured).But the most unbearable thing is that they lock you up and don't kill you, and hang you for fun, making you feel that every day may be the last day of your life. This is the kind of pain that Xu Jie endured. He is shrouded in the shadow of death every day, and someone may break in to announce his death at any time, but besides the fear of death, he also has a deeper pain—the death of his wife I was young, and the situation at home really echoed that old line—there is a seventy-year-old mother on the top, and a nursing child on the bottom. As the so-called 20 years of hard work, returning to before liberation overnight, it took 20 years for a great future and a happy family, but now the future is ruined, the family is ruined, but it only took more than ten days. Sometimes, heaven is just one step away from hell. Everything that happened suddenly is enough to make people crazy, and I believe that as long as it is a human being, it will be unbearable. But the most painful part of life is that it is obviously unbearable, but you still have to endure it. When Xu Jie heard the death penalty decided by the Metropolitan Procuratorate, he finally couldn't bear it under the heavy pressure, so he pulled himself together and decided to endure it all over again. What can I do if I can't bear it? Xu Jie began to prepare for the funeral. He called his good friend Shen Kai, gave him some silver, and only entrusted him with two things: "Please bury my wife, take my child back to my hometown in Huating, and give it to my mother." Shen Kai nodded seriously and accepted his commission. Xu Jie, who got the promise, was relieved, and he said loudly: "If you die, die, now I have nothing to worry about! Please tell Zhang Xueshi (that is, Zhang Cong, then a scholar of Jinshen Temple) for me. I did this alone, and I have no regrets!" God has always been very humorous, Xu Jie, who wanted to die, just couldn't die, and the execution opinion of the Metropolitan Procuratorate was sent to the Ministry of Criminal Justice. It happened that several bureau-level officials of the Ministry of Criminal Justice were Xu Jie's fellow villagers and friends, so they told the matter. I was suppressed, and I went around to help him with activities, and finally the big things became small, and the small things disappeared. Of course, Zhang Cong will not give up. Since he can’t kill you, he will ruin your future. After that, he will never have to go back to work in the Imperial Academy, let alone think about ministers and cabinets, just go to Fujian honestly. What's even more disgusting is that this Xueshi Zhang also filed a complaint in front of the emperor, which made Jiajing so excited that he even had eight big characters carved on the pillar-Xu Jie villain, never tell Yes, it seems that he was afraid that he had a bad memory and forgot about it (it turned out that his memory was indeed bad). Well, with these eight-character comments, Xu Jie's future will come to an end. But he didn't say much, he packed his luggage and prepared to go on the road. Before leaving for his post, he had to go back to Huating to say goodbye to his mother who was at home. Xu Jie is not even afraid of beheading, and naturally he is not afraid of being dismissed from office, but he always feels guilty about his mother who worked so hard to raise him. The glory and wealth have been paid for, so how can he see his mother?Why return? But when he saw his mother, he realized that he was wrong. After listening to him tell all the story, his mother, Mrs. Gu, smiled gratifiedly: "You were demoted for being outspoken. This is my honor!" Then she stood up and went to prepare the luggage for the long journey for the surprised son. After all, I'm not alone!Xu Jie smiled.He finally made up his mind. Let's go to Fujian!In the whole world, there is no way to be unstoppable! Xu Jie is lucky, because based on previous experience, if God asks you to endure hardship, there will be benefits for you, this time is no exception, as usual, God has already prepared a precious gift, waiting for Xu Jie to collect. Of course, before that, he wouldn't give up until he tossed Xu Jie into a mess, because God, his old man's habit would never change—receive the goods first, and then pay. Is it a good position to be an official in Yanping Prefecture, Fujian? The answer is no. Yanping is located in northern Fujian, and most of them are mountainous areas. The magistrate there can't even sit in a sedan chair, and often has to ride a horse. It's even more difficult to push officials, because it specializes in judicial and various criminal cases. The so-called troublesome people come out of poor mountains and rivers. Unfortunately, Yanping fully meets this condition, so major and important cases frequently occur here, and most of the subordinate officials of the judicial system are local people, and it is very difficult to cover up favoritism.From this point of view, when Zhang Cong assigned him back then, he had considered it carefully. So, when Xu Jie, a short Shanghainese, appeared in front of the local subordinates, the people who were accustomed to local bosses were almost sure at the same time that this person would leave soon. Generally speaking, the grammar and authenticity of this sentence are correct, but the subject of the sentence is not Xu Jie, but themselves. The first thing Xu Jie did after he took office was to deal with the backlog of cases. Thanks to his subordinates, the judicial achievements of Yanping Mansion in the past few years have been outstanding. Cases have piled up like a mountain, but they are never dealt with. The prison has become the most suitable place to live in Yanping , The old prisoners were not dealt with, and the new prisoners came in again.The momentum is growing day by day. Back then, there was no time limit for detention. You can be locked up as long as you say, and there is no spectrum at all.Delay for three to five years, sentence for one or two years, and after the trial is over, it is common to count and release in court. So Xu Jie told his subordinates that starting tomorrow, he would work overtime to examine the case. The subordinates responded very enthusiastically, and they all expressed that they must assist the leaders to do a good job.Xu Jie was very happy. The next day, all the officials reported on time, but Xu Jie was surprised to find that although these people were sitting in the office, they were only concentrating on doing foreign work, and they didn't work hard, so they had no effect at all. Xu Jie finally understood that the group of seemingly friendly subordinates in front of him greeted each other with smiles all day long, but they engaged in non-violent non-cooperation behind their backs. Xu Jie became angry. He verbally reprimanded several officials who sabotaged their work, but he didn't expect that these people had a stronger temper than him, so they reprimanded him on the spot, and then they simply stopped coming. The mess is left to you, let's see what you do alone! Xu Jie clenched his fists, he knew that he could not count on these people, but the problem was in front of him, what should he do alone? In fact, many things can be done by one person, as long as you have enough determination. Xu Jie opened the dusty file and began to review and sort out the cases one by one. In this strange place, he had no assistants or friends, and worked hard under a lonely lamp. After more than a month of hard work, he finally completed this seemingly Impossible task. Those who should be sentenced have been sentenced, those who should have been released, and all those who have been wronged through the ages and the heinous crimes have also been dealt with.For the first time, the world was completely quiet. The local snakes broke their glasses. They didn't expect that this white-looking outsider would be so tough, but what they didn't expect was that this was not the end of the matter. Not long after, Xu Jie suddenly ordered the arrest of several officials of the Judicial Office—the leaders of the non-violent non-cooperative movement. They were charged with corruption and bribery. Given their poor background, such evidence is not difficult to find. .So the shunts are shunted, and the laid-offs are laid off. From then on, no one dared to fight against Xu Jie again, because they had already realized that there was an extremely terrifying power in the body of this frail scholar. In many records, this story is often quoted to illustrate Xu Jie's good working attitude, and to reflect his ideological realm of serving the people wholeheartedly, and so on. In fact, things are not that simple. Under this layer of halo, there is another side of Xu Jie's character hidden—hiding first and then revealing, as the saying goes, it is also called after the autumn to settle accounts, or it is not too late for a gentleman to take revenge in ten years. And those soul-stirring events twenty years later also clearly told us that in the heart of this gentle scholar, such a life creed is always engraved——every revenge must be revenged. Soon after, Xu Jie's reputation spread throughout Yanping following this incident. Many people liked him and many hated him.Several people who were laid off by him also called the local underworld and threatened to bleed him. So someone found him and told him bluntly, you are no longer a Beijing official, just make some extra money in this small place and just dawdle, why bother to be so serious? Xu Jie replied as follows: "Although I am a small official, I have responsibilities, and I dare not slack off for a day. Although this place is remote, I can still work hard!" Well said, well said, but Mr. Xu Jie, who is working hard, you will soon encounter a real trouble, and this trouble is beyond your ability to solve. The thing is, although the Yanping area is poor, it still has a natural advantage-mineral production.The thing produced in this mine is also quite special-silver. At that time, the status of silver mines was roughly equivalent to today's banknote printing factories. As long as they could be dug out, they could be used, and there was no need to worry about inflation. Yanping is a place with fierce folk customs. The so-called fierce folk customs, in layman's terms, means that people don't read books, dare to make troubles, rely on mountains to eat mountains, rely on water to eat water, and don't eat for nothing. As a result, small silver kilns without the approval of the production safety department opened up one after another, digging holes everywhere, and colluding with the local underworld to dominate one side and exploit the common people. Xu Jie, who had just settled the injustice case, was in high spirits. He was ready to show his skills again and completely deal with these scumbags who harmed the people.But something unexpected happened to him. Despite repeated orders and repeated investigations, the situation did not improve at all.Officials still drink tea and chat, bullies still steal money. Xu Jie was not a naive person. He knew very well that the reason why the officials adopted such an attitude was because they must have a share of the stolen silver. Officials and gangsters colluded, snakes and rats swarmed, and no one was willing to carry out his orders.This time, Xu Jie was really helpless. He could read the documents and try the case by himself, but asking him to carry a steel knife and go deep into the tiger's den to suppress bandits would be too much of a joke. At first, in Xu Jie's view, this was just a public security case that he had to solve, but he did not expect that the handling of this matter would become a turning point in his life. Time passed day by day, but there was no progress in the matter. While waiting day by day, Xu Jie began to have doubts. Even when he was punished by Zhang Cong and reprimanded by the emperor, Xu Jie was never afraid, because he always thought that what he did was right and justified, but now he seems a little guilty. For more than 20 years, Xu Jie has always been a very confident person despite the ups and downs. He believes in the Four Books and Five Classics he has learned, the words of the sages he has heard, and those famous ministers and figures in history. His immortal achievements have always been an example for him to learn from.Xu Jie once firmly believed that as long as he abides by the teachings of the saints and abides by etiquette and integrity, he will be able to cultivate himself, govern his family, govern the country and the world. But now something went wrong, and Xu Jie was surprised to find that being vigorous and upright has no effect in reality, at least in this matter now, it has no effect at all. However, his subordinates did not have the same moral awareness, nor did they intend to cultivate similar morals. They ignored Xu Jie's painstaking efforts, just stood aside and watched with cold eyes, waiting for Xu Jie's departure, and then continued to obtain their benefits . Xu Jie couldn't figure it out, he was outraged, outraged, how could the world be like this! It is not the peaceful and prosperous world recorded in the book, and it is not the paradise where people are kind. This is an ugly world, and all people care about most are their own gains and losses. The so-called sacrificing one's life for righteousness, the so-called caring for the world, in the hearts of his greedy subordinates, it all comes down to two words - fart. Desperation filled Xu Jie's heart. He suddenly discovered that the sage's way and principles of dealing with affairs that he had believed in for more than 20 years turned out to be useless. , Leave a name in history?What a joke! Xu Jie finally encountered the biggest crisis in his life—the crisis of belief. What he has learned for many years is useless. What else in the world can we believe in?Can hold on! ? However, he did not give up in the end, because he still had a second choice - the study of conscience, the unity of knowledge and action. A good friend of mine who graduated from the Department of Philosophy once said to me that undergraduate majors in philosophy should not be offered in universities because students don’t understand them. This is a famous saying. As the most profound wisdom in the world, philosophy is the crystallization of the thinking and life of countless geniuses. They have suffered many losses and suffered a lot before finally condensing it into just a few words in the book. A twenty-year-old youth will not understand this, they are too naive, too childish, they may be able to get 100 points in the exam, but it is impossible to really understand the meaning of it.So although they hold the truth in their hands, they can't use it, and they step into the society with enthusiasm, but they are beaten to death. Xu Jie is roughly such a person, and he doesn't understand. Although he understands all the contents of Xinxue, he doesn't know how to do it.As for the four words that Nie Bao told him six years ago, it was even more pointless. What is the unity of knowledge and action?Answer: It is the unity of knowledge and action.Comment: Nonsense. Xu Jie thought over these four words repeatedly, but still couldn't figure it out. Nie Bao's solemn and solemn expression still appeared in front of his eyes when he spoke. He was sure that this gentleman was not making fun of him. But the problem is that he can't see the effect of these four words. Could it be that if you read it like a mantra, the miners will flee and the officials will act honestly?What is the use of the so-called study of conscience, the so-called study of light, in this real world? In the vast darkness, where can I find light? ! Puzzled, Xu Jie fell silent. Amidst the officials' cold eyes and cynicism, he began to think for a long time. In painful thinking, he finally discovered that he might have made a fundamental mistake, and there was a big problem with the beliefs and principles he had adhered to for more than twenty years.This traditional moral system may be right, but it is useless.What really determines the behavior of most people is something else. As long as you find such a thing, you can solve all the problems.So Xu Jie decided to deny all his past, overthrow everything and start over, to find that thing. Preaching is useless, etiquette and shame are useless, and loyalty, filial piety and righteousness are useless. Apart from making people drowsy, this thing has no effect. After stripping away all the pretense of this ugly world, Xu Jie finally found the final answer-benefits. The absolute morality of being mindful of the world and sacrificing one's life for righteousness does exist, but it is a pity that this thing is too advanced and the price paid is too high. From ancient times to the present, most people are unwilling to consume it except for a few advanced elements. Interests, only sufficient interests, have the magic power to drive people. This is the true face of this world, extremely cruel, but extremely real. In the face of this cruel reality, Xu Jie finally understood the true meaning of the unity of knowledge and action. No matter how great and upright the ideal is, to realize it, one must know two words—flexibility.Only by being flexible and taking practical actions can we adapt to this ever-changing world. So on the day when he woke up, Xu Jie discarded the words and ideas he had believed in for decades, and made an unprecedented decision in the face of those unscrupulous mine tyrants and corrupt officials. Not long after, Xu Jie's followers were surprised to find that almost overnight, the local gangsters who occupied the silver mines suddenly retreated into the rivers and lakes and returned home honestly. Amid mixed feelings of wonder and excitement, they reported the good news to Xu Jie, but to their surprise, Xu Jie did not feel the slightest surprise or joy, as if this had been expected by him. And it is. A few days ago, Xu Jie led a few cronies to the location of the silver mine. Instead of going to the government office there, he found another group of people—the local chief. Of course, these so-called village chiefs are not good people, and they naturally have a share in the benefits of stealing mines. Just when they didn't know the intention of this lord's visit and were panicked, Xu Jie showed his trump card: Get rid of those mine tyrants, and I will give them to you. your greater good. So everything was settled, and these people who had been untouchable in the past suddenly became full of life. They immediately mobilized, mobilized every household in every village, and arrested those who participated in the robbery overnight. There was no delay. Under the influence of Xu Jie's policy, villages all over the country followed suit one after another, and there was a climax of cracking down on mine robbers. Local officials were all stunned and helpless about this special mass movement.The mine thieves couldn't go on, so they had to leave, and the disaster that had endangered the local area for more than ten years was lifted. Xu Jie finally succeeded. He did not stick to the so-called absolute morality, and used interests to defeat interests.But when he told all the inside information frankly, a follower was very disapproving and became angry, accusing Xu Jie of being slick and making compromises. "Yes, it was a compromise," Xu Jie replied calmly, "but I won." After going through arduous experiences, Xu Jie finally knew the rules of survival in this world, and also thoroughly understood the meaning of the mind and the secret that Nie Bao left him. "The unity of knowledge and action, I think I have understood." Xu Jie stared at the direction he came from back then, and made this confident answer. In the thirteenth year of Jiajing (1534), Xu Jie finally came to the fore. Because of his outstanding political achievements, he was promoted to be the co-prefect of Huangzhou, Huguang (now Huanggang, Hubei). , I got the news again - he was promoted again and changed to Zhejiang Xuezheng. After three years of education work in Zhejiang, Xu Jie ushered in a second turning point in his life, this time his position is Jiangxi Deputy Commissioner. As a senior official in Jiangxi, Xu Jie no longer has to climb mountains every day and search files late at night. 但是麻烦还是找到了他的门上。 一天，他家的门卫突然前来通报，说有一个人想见他，徐阶还以为有何冤情，便同意了。 可是这位仁兄进来之后，即不哭也不闹，却直截了当地向徐阶表示，自己积极肯干，要求进步，通俗点说，就是升官。 徐阶笑了，他从未见过如此莫名其妙的人，你说升官就升官？Why?可是很快他就笑不出来了，因为这位找上门来的人说出了他如此自信的理由： 我是夏首辅的亲戚。 这实在是个很合理的理由，也十分正常，提拔夏言的亲戚，夏言自然也会提拔自己，公平交易，符合市场规律。而已经学会变通的徐阶似乎没有理由拒绝。 然而他拒绝了，留下一句话后，他把这个人赶出了家门。 “我到此为官，是来管束你们（尔曹属我诲），不是滥用职权，谋求晋升的！” 这位仁兄灰头土脸地走了，自然不肯干休，马上给夏言写信痛骂徐阶，还四处扬言，要给徐阶好看。 徐阶听到了风声，却一点都不以为意，不理不睬，只当是没听见。 这是一个意味深长的事件，经历磨难，懂得变通的徐阶已然成为了一个熟悉官场规则的人，他很清楚，讨好夏言能给自己带来什么，但他却坚定地回绝了。 在很早以前，徐阶曾决心做一个正直的人，匡扶社稷，为国尽忠，许多年过去了，他受到过无数打击、经历了很多痛苦，却从未背叛过自己的初衷。 事实证明，他始终是一个坚持原则的人，是一个了不起的人。 嘉靖十八年（1539），坚持原则的徐阶遇上了坚持原则的夏言，于是他又一次得到了改变命运的机会，在外历练八年之后，他即将踏上回京的道路。 一般来说，大兴土木搞工程是当官拿回扣发财的不二法门，所以凡有修理河道、建筑粮仓之类的项目，各级官员无不摩拳擦掌，跃跃欲试。而徐阶大概是唯一的例外。 但在他即将离开的时候，却也出人意料地提出了一个类似的要求——修建一个祠堂。 祠堂一般都是用来纪念某人的，可让经办官员惊讶的是，徐阶所要纪念的这个人，既不是他的朋友，更不是他的亲属，事实上，他根本没有见过这个人。 “此人是我的老师。”徐阶这样回答旁人的疑问。 于是在王守仁祠堂建成的那天，徐阶亲自到访，在众人诧异的眼光中，他整肃衣冠，向这位伟大的先辈跪拜行礼： “我曾随文蔚（聂豹字文蔚）公习阁下之道，磨砺十年方有所悟，虽未能相见，实为再传弟子，师恩无以为报，唯牢记良知之学，报国济民，匡扶正道，誓死不忘！” 拜别了这位素未谋面的导师，徐阶踏上了返京之路。 近十年的磨砺与历练，那个不谙世事的青年翰林，已然变成了一个工于心计，老谋深算的官场老手。 但这并不是徐阶的唯一收获，更重要的是，他终于领悟了所谓光明之学的真意。 领教了黑暗中的挣扎、沉浮，天真幼稚的徐阶终于回到了真实的世界——一个丑恶现实的社会，但耐人寻味的是，那门追求光明的奇特心学正是诞生于在这黑暗的世界中，倔强地闪耀着自己的光芒。而创立者王守仁先生一生饱经风雨坎坷，却怀着一颗光明之心死去。 因为天真的理想主义者纵使执着、纵使顽强，却依然是软弱的。他们并不明白，在这世上，很多事情你可以不理解，却必须接受。 只有真正了解这个世界的丑陋与污浊，被现实打击，被痛苦折磨，遍体鳞伤、无所遁形，却从未放弃对光明的追寻，依然微笑着，坚定前行的人，才是真正的勇者。 不经历黑暗的人，是无法懂得光明的。 背负着黑暗活下去吧，徐阶，坚持下去，你会找到光明的。