In 266 BC, King Xiang of Qi sent envoys to the State of Zhao, and the State of Zhao was regent by Empress Dowager Yuewei, and the envoys came to ask Zhao Wei for peace. Before the letter could be opened, Zhao Wei asked the envoy, "What is the harvest of this year's fields?" Are people living well? Is the king's body healthy? The Complete Works of Wisdom Advisors records that Wei Hou asked the messenger, "Is there no harm in the years?" Is the people harmless? Is the king also harmless? ”
The envoys of the State of Qi were not happy when they heard this, and said angrily: "I came to ask the queen for peace at the behest of the great king, and the queen did not first ask the king about the latest situation, but first asked about the harvest of the farmland and the life of the people, and finally inquired about the situation of the great king. The Complete Works of Wisdom Advisors records that the messenger was displeased, saying: "After the envoys have served the envoys, they do not ask the king now but ask the people first?" ”
Listening to the rebuke of the envoys of the State of Qi, Zhao Wei did not laugh in anger and only said a few words, and the envoys of the State of Qi had nothing to say.
This is the story of Feng Menglong in the Ming Dynasty recorded in the "Complete Collection of Wisdom Tanks" after qi envoys rebuked Zhao Wei. When envoys of a big country come to worship, the representative is a country, and the language is slightly inappropriate, but the influence is the relationship between the big countries, especially in the era of the warring states and the seven heroes competing for hegemony, the relationship between the seven countries is complicated.
So what kind of character is this Zhao Weihou? What is the relationship with King Qi Xiang?
In the Ming Dynasty Feng Menglong's Chronicle of the States of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, zhao he, the king of Zhao Huiwen, married the daughter of King Tiandi of Qi in the tenth year of his reign, and was the queen of Zhao Wei. That is to say, Zhao Weihou was a princess of the State of Qi, and later married into the State of Zhao and became the queen of the State of Zhao. On the generations, King Xiang of Qi and Empress Zhao Wei are brothers and sisters,
By 266 BC, King Huiwen of Zhao died, and his son Zhao Dan succeeded him as King of Zhao, the King of Zhao Xiaocheng. Because King Xiaocheng of Zhao was still young, his mother Zhao Wei later came to the court to listen to the government and deal with state affairs, when she was only in her early thirties.
At this time, Zhao Wei was the regent of the State of Zhao, and King Xiang of Qi controlled the State of Qi, and the relationship between the two became both brother and sister, and became a state-to-state relationship.
Shortly after the death of King Huiwen of Zhao, Zhao Weihou had just come to power, and the State of Qin took this opportunity to send troops against the State of Zhao. How could the State of Zhao confront the powerful State of Qin? Zhao Wei had no choice but to borrow troops from his brother King Qi Xiang, and although the two were brothers and sisters, when they rose to state relations, King Qi Xiang asked Zhao Wei's son Chang'an Jun to come to Qi as a hostage before he was willing to send troops. Although Zhao Weihou could not bear it, he finally agreed under the advice of his courtiers.
The State of Qi sent troops to rescue Zhao and rescued the dangerous situation of the State of Zhao, and the relationship between the two countries was one step closer, that is, in this case, King Xiang of Qi sent envoys to the State of Zhao.
In the face of the envoys of the State of Qi, Zhao Weihou did not ask the king, first cared about the lives of the people, and the emissaries of the State of Qi felt in their hearts that this was clearly that they did not look up to the King of Qi? A moment of anger arose from his heart, so he scolded Zhao Weihou.
Zhao Weihou smiled and said, "That's not what it says. If the harvest of the fields is not good, the people cannot live and work in peace; if the country does not have the people, how can there be a king? If you ask the king first, then is it really the end of the book? The original text of the "Complete Collection of Wisdom Tanks" reads: Wei Hou said: "Otherwise." If there is no age, why should there be a people? If there is no people, why should there be a king? Is there a Sherbon and ask the last Jehovah? ”
Zhao Weihou's words reflect the people-oriented idea that "water can also carry boats, and can also cover boats"!
Zhao Weihou is a very capable female politician, she attaches importance to the people's livelihood, sympathetic to the people, her "heavy people over the king" thinking of governing the country, is now "people-oriented" concept of governance.
The Complete Works of Wisdom Experts also records Zhao Weihou's questioning with the envoys of the State of Qi, talking about two wise men and one virtuous daughter of the State of Qi:
The first is a person named Zhong Ion, who, whether he has it or not, dresses and eats and thinks of others first;
Zhao Weihou said that both of them were people who assisted the great king to raise the people, so why didn't they reuse him until now?
Zhao Wei later mentioned that the virtuous daughter was a baby girl (personal name) of the Beigong, who gave up the happiness of her marriage and stayed at home to serve her parents, which can be used as a model for all the people in the world!
If the imperial court did not attach importance to the two wise men and one virtuous woman in front of them, how could the King of Qi rule over the people as a king?
The idea of being gentle on the people and being noble and putting people first is the traditional virtue of the Chinese nation, and after Zhao Wei more than two thousand years ago, during his reign in zhao guo, it was precisely this idea that ran through the government and the opposition, condensed the people's hearts, and enabled the Zhao state to continue the posture of being a powerful country juxtaposed with the seven heroes of the warring states.
In 264 BC, the second year of Zhao Xiaocheng's reign, Zhao Weihou finally died of illness at the age of 41, and during her two years of reign, she attached importance to the people's livelihood, sympathized with the people, and was pro-virtuous, far from a small person, so her prestige increased greatly. Reusing Lin Xiangru, Lian Po, Plain Jun Zhao Sheng and others to manage the government and resist the frequent intrusions of the Qin State, although the national strength is not as great as before, but it is precisely because of her rule that the Zhao State has lasted for nearly a hundred years!
This is a small story about Zhao Weihou in the "Complete Collection of Wisdom Tanks", which is included in "Boudoir Wisdom". This set of books contains more than 1200 small historical stories of ancient wisdom, divided into ten and twenty-eight sub-categories. Historical allusions cover the wisdom of life from the pre-Qin to the Ming Dynasty, including kings to ordinary people, reflecting the ancients' ingenious use of wisdom and strategy to solve problems and overcome enemies.
Friends who are interested in the "Complete Collection of Think Tanks" can click the link below to take a look and buy it.