Sima Qian's deepest impression on the world should be the "History of History" he wrote, and it is precisely because of this huge work that we have a clearer understanding of what has happened in the thousand-year-long era that has been around us. At that time, when he wrote this work, he was also blocked, but in the end he completed this treasure of modern man with his will and wisdom.
In the "Records of History" he wrote, there are many very famous characters, and Meng Tianjun is one of them. This person was one of the four kings of the Warring States period, and he raised more than 3,000 people just as a disciple, which can be said to be a very famous person at that time. When everyone looks at a person, they only look at the shining side, but they can't think of the darkness when the other person is down. Even this person with such a high reputation once had dark times, and when he was bleak, he also lamented the coldness of the world. Sima Qian used his pen and ink to leave the course of events.
Meng Yijun was a famous general, he had done a great service to his mother's country, and the power he held in his hands was also comparable to that of very few people. However, such a big figure also had a time of distress, when his political enemies deliberately denigrated him for plotting rebellion, plus the King of Qi himself was also afraid of the power in his hands. Since someone sued him for rebellion, the King of Qi naturally took back the power in his hands and expelled him from his official rank. When the doormen learned of his death, they no longer cared about the kindness of their past encounters, and most of them left, and only a very small number of them continued to stay with him. Among these people was a strategist named Feng Huan, who eventually used his own methods to help Meng Yijun gain power again. Meng Yijun, who had regained power, was very grateful to Feng Huan, and he specially said to Feng Huan: "The reason why I was able to regain power was entirely because of your help. Those who leave me when they see me in distress will certainly not have the face to see me again, and even if they dare to come, I will certainly no longer accept it. And scold them fiercely. Feng Huan heard his master say this, and hurriedly advised him: "There are many rich people who are willing to help, but when you are no longer rich one day, there will naturally be fewer friends, and you don't have to mind at all." ”
Sima Qian's own experience is also very similar to that of this Meng Yijun, which can be said to be a big ups and downs, he has also prospered, but he has also fallen. He was originally born in a family of official eunuchs, and the conditions in his family were relatively solid, but because he helped Li Ling intercede in front of the emperor, not only did he not help Li Ling, but even he himself was implicated and tortured by the palace. After experiencing this bad thing, those who used to visit his home often stopped coming and going. When Sima Qian saw this scene, he deeply felt the coldness of the world in his heart. Therefore, when he completed this work, he generally described it with the concept that "the human heart is difficult to guess". Among the many people he recorded, Su Qin's life experience was the best.
Su Qin was also a typical example of Huai Cai, and later he went to the Ghost Valley Zi to learn all kinds of knowledge, but he gained very little. After he returned home, his relatives, who were not very close to him, despised him even more, saying that he was not good at doing his right work, but instead learned something unrealistic. Relatives also felt that he had given up the road to make a living and relied on eloquence to make a living, even if he was frustrated. After that, his plan for the Six Kingdoms played a great role in the anti-Qin resistance, and he was named the Minister of the Six Kingdoms. This time, after he returned to his hometown, no one dared to laugh at him anymore, and his relatives, who had previously sneered at him, also became low-browed and obedient. When Su Qin asked his relatives why their attitudes were so far apart, his sister-in-law respectfully replied to him: "Because before you had no achievements, but now you are in a high position of authority." ”
He also felt helpless about his sister-in-law's answer, and his relatives looked down on him as poor and depressed, but feared him as powerful. If I had a little thin yield in my hometown before, I would have been so mediocre. Later, when he left, he specially left all the money on his body to his relatives. When he was downcast, there were many people who were looked down upon, and Su Qin was not the only one. Even Han Gaozu had this experience, taking his friends home for dinner before Liu Bang became emperor. The food at his sister-in-law's house was obviously enough to entertain his friend, but she did not entertain him, but drove his friend away. Therefore, after he became emperor, he treated all his brothers kindly, but ignored the son of this sister-in-law, and then he was still hindered by his father's affection, so he casually sealed an official position.
In addition to these, the biography written by Sima Qian for Li Guang also contains this kind of cold emotion. Li Guangyuan was a great general with many military achievements, but after only one defeat, he was stripped of his black veil. After he lost his official position, those who had been extremely respectful to him also began to look down on him. Once, when he was drunk and passing by the Baling Pavilion, the chief of the pavilion not only did not let him pass, but also sneered at him. Li Guang was then reused, first killing the officer who had insulted him. In Sima Qian's pen, there are many more encounters above, whether it is ordinary people or in high positions, as long as they fall down, they also see the cold and warmth of the world.
Article author: Dahui
The entire graphic was produced by the team of the Big Cafe Say History Studio!