In the article "Analytical Narrative Methods and Techniques, on Its Influence on Classical Chinese Novels", the author once said that the use of flashbacks in "Zuo Biao" is a passive application. In fact, the characters in "Left Biography" also adopt a passive way of shaping. In contrast, "Warring States Policy" consciously shapes characters around the character, not just from the perspective of narrative function. The following is to take Li Ji in the "Left Biography" and Zheng Gui in the "Warring States Policy" as examples to analyze.
1. Li Ji in "Left Biography"
The records of Li Ji in the Zuo Biography are concentrated in the Twenty-eighth Year of the Duke of Zhuang and the Fourth Year of the Duke of Zhuang. "Twenty-eight Years of Zhuang Gong" contains: Li JiXiao, who wanted to establish his son, Zhao Wai Liang Wu, and Dongguan Huan Wu... Erwu Gong and Li Ji Qun Gongzi li Xi Qi, the Jin people called the second couple. It is said that after Li Ji was favored, he wanted to make his son Xi Qi an heir, so he bribed the male pet to send the prince, Zhong'er, Yiwu and others to the frontier, and then framed the princes, and finally Made Xi Qi the heir.
The "Four Years of the Duke" gives a more detailed account of the process of Li Ji framing the prince and the other two princes:
and the general Li Xi Qi, who conspired with the Zhongdafu, Ji said that the eldest son: Junmeng Qi Jiang, will be sacrificed quickly. The eldest son was sacrificed to Qu wo and returned to gong. Gongtian, Ji placed the palace for six days. Public to the point, poison and sacrifice... Ji Weeping: Thief by the eldest son... Ji Sui's second son: Everyone knows it. Heavy ears run pu. Yi Wu Ben Qu
It is said that Li Ji tricked the crown prince ShenSheng into going to Quwo to sacrifice his deceased mother Qijiang, and then Shensheng brought back the sacrificial wine and meat to the Duke of Jin. Li Ji poisoned the wine meat and cried that it was a sacrifice by Shen Sheng. After Shinson's suicide, Li Ji also said that Gongzi Zhong'er and Yiwu also knew about this matter, causing Zhong'er and Yiwu to flee.
Li Ji can be said to be the female character who spends the most ink on depiction in "Zuo Biao", but the only description that can show Li Ji's distinctive characteristics is "Ji Weeping: Thief by the Eldest Son". "Bribes outside the liang five" and "conspiracy with the middle doctor" and so on focus on the narrative, not on the description of the characters, of course, we can analyze the characteristics of Li Ji's sinister, good scheming and so on.
Li Ji film and television image
That is to say, Li Ji in "Zuo Biao" is a woman who will stop at nothing to bring her son to the throne, but the author's intention is not to show how sinister and bad Li Ji is, but just to narrate this history as objectively as possible. Also because the author did not completely blame Li Ji, we can also see the cowardice of Prince Shensheng and the fainting of Jin Xiangong through this story.
2. Zheng Gui in the Warring States Policy
The articles recorded in the "Warring States Policy" include "King Huai of Chu Detaining Zhang Yi", "Zhang Yi Zhi Chu" and "The Beauty of the King of Chu", all three of which revolve around Zheng Gui's fear of falling out of favor, but the direction of development is different, thus shaping Zheng Gui's multi-faceted personality.
Zhang Yi once lobbied King Huai of Chu that if the State of Chu broke off diplomatic relations with the State of Qi, the State of Qin would give the State of Chu six hundred miles of land. However, after King Huai of Chu broke off relations with the State of Qi, Zhang Yi said that he had promised to cut the land for six miles. King Huai attacked Qin in anger, and Zhang Yi once again sent an envoy to the Qin state. Therefore, the opening cloud of "King Huai of Chu Huai Detaining Zhang Yi" says: King Huai of Chu holds Zhang Yi and will want to kill him. At this time, Zhang Yi was already in the middle of a game of death, but she was saved because Zheng Gui was afraid of falling out of favor.
Zheng Sleeve film and television image
The courtier Jin Shang deceived Zheng Andi: The King of Qin has a daughter and beauty, and he simply chooses the beautiful people in the palace to learn music, in order to be happy to obey... The king of Chu, feeling yule, will respect his dear and forget his son, and his son will be degraded and neglected day by day. It is said that Jin Shang deceived Zheng Gui and said that there was a beautiful princess in the Qin Kingdom, and now in order to save the hero Zhang Yi, the King of Qin would marry the princess to the King of Huai, and at the same time there were all kinds of golden jade treasures and beautiful palace women who understood music as a dowry, and people were not only beautiful but also princesses of a big country, and as soon as she came, you would fall out of favor. Therefore, Zheng Gui listened to Jin Shang's words and persuaded the King of Chu Huai to release Zhang Yi.
It is not difficult to see that although Zheng Gui is favored, he is actually extremely insecure, and the story in "Zhang Yizhichu" can also show this. When Zhang Yi lobbied the Chu kingdom again, he said to the king of Chu Huai, "The daughter of Pi Zheng and Zhou, pink and white, ink and black, stands in Qu Lu, and those who do not know and see, think that they are gods." After Zheng Gui heard this, he quickly sent five hundred jinshi to Zhang Yi, and Nanhou also sent it.
"The Beauty of the King of Wei" is also a story that revolves around Zheng Gui's fear of falling out of favor, but unlike the previous two times, this time someone really sent the beautiful woman to the Huai King's palace, so the focus of the narrative became a palace fight. The book reads: Lady Zheng Sleeve of the King said that the newcomer is also very fond of the newcomer, and if the clothes are played well, then the child he likes is for it... Love is greater than the king. It is said that the King of Wei sent a beautiful woman to the King of Chu Huai, and Zheng Gui knew that the King of Chu Huai liked this beautiful woman very much, so he acted more than the King of Chu loved this beautiful woman.
Note that a very literary way of writing is used here, and Zheng Gui's abnormal behavior creates a suspense in the narrative. Did Zheng Gui want to buy people's hearts, or did he want to show it to King Huai, or was he sincerely good to Wei Nu? As the plot continues to develop, Zheng Gui knows that King Huai thinks she has no jealousy, so she tells Wei Nu that the king does not like your nose, and when you see the king in the future, you must cover your nose.
Wei Nu listened to Zheng Gui's words and covered her nose every time she saw King Huai. At this time, the plot suddenly reversed, and when King Huai asked Zheng Gui why she acted in this way, Zheng Gui replied: It seems to smell the smell of the king. So Wei Nu was cut off her nose, and Zheng Gui successfully eliminated her competitors. At this point, we find that Zheng Gui is still the jealous woman who is afraid of falling out of favor, and she is still so sinister.