As one of the most powerful dynasties in ancient history, the Tang Dynasty not only produced a number of brilliant and talented emperors, but also had many sages and courtiers in history. When it comes to famous ministers, it is inevitable to avoid the "four great sages" of the Tang Dynasty, the former being Fang Xuanling and Du Ruyi, who are known as Fang Mou Du, and then there are Yao Chong, Song Jing, and two famous ministers.
Among these four great sages, Yao Chong, who was different, not only had remarkable political achievements, but also worshiped in the wu zetian era, Ruizong, and Xuanzong dynasties. The reason why he can serve as an official for three generations is not only that he is talented, but also that he is good at scheming and shrewd.
When Tang Xuanzong questioned Yao Chongzong about yao Chong's second son's "going through the back door", he only used a few words to calm Xuanzong's anger, but instead brought down the people who said bad things behind him.
Two-phase battle
In fact, behind Tang Xuanzong's seemingly random question was the rivalry between Yao Chong and Wei Zhigu, the two prime ministers.
Compared with Yao Chongyin's political achievements in the era of Wu Zetian and Ruizong, by the time of Emperor Xuanzong, he was already above ten thousand people, and Wei Zhigu's previous achievements were a bit insufficient.
Wei Zhigu, who was originally a minor official, gradually became a heavy minister who was juxtaposed with Yao Chong, under the recommendation of Yao Chong. Of course, Wei Zhigu's talent did not need to be said, otherwise it would not be comparable to Yao Chong, but for this person who was pulled up by his own hand but sat on an equal footing with himself, Yao Chong actually had a contemptuous attitude.
In Yao Chong's view, if it were not for him, he would not have the Wei Zhigu he is today. So Yao Chong, he arranged some bad errands for Wei Zhigu, such as the selection of officials in charge of Luoyang, so that Wei Zhigu was transferred from the central government, and his power was also vacated. Wei Zhigu naturally thought so, so Wei Zhigu had a heart of revenge against his former benefactor.
It just so happened that Yao Chong's two sons were in Luoyang at that time, and he was even more grateful to his father's knowledge of Wei Zhigu, and wanted Wei Zhigu to seek an official position for him. On the other hand, Wei Zhigu responded, and on the other hand, he told Tang Xuanzong about this matter after returning to Chang'an.
As an emperor, it is natural to guard against officials abusing their power. So Tang Xuanzong found Yao Chong, and during the conversation, he knocked on the side and said, "How many sons do you have, what are your positions?" ”
Unexpectedly, Yao Chong's words made Wei Zhigu deposed.
Take the initiative to admit that the anti-general first army
Hearing this question, Yao Chong naturally knew in his heart that the emperor was questioning him, and he also knew that it must be Wei Zhigu's handwriting, who had gone to Luoyang and returned to be at odds with himself, and if he blindly covered up, it would make the emperor unhappy.
So he said, "The three sons of the minister, two of whom are now serving in Luoyang. But these two people are not instruments, although they have a lot of desires, they rarely interact with people, most of them think that I once had the grace of knowing Wei Zhigu, so they went to Wei Zhigu to seek an official. ”
A few seemingly simple words, but it explains the "cause and effect", because they are too stupid to interact with people, and they also think that when I promoted Wei Zhigu, the other party must also be willing to lend a helping hand, but they did not want Wei Zhigu to help but instead came to file a complaint.
Upon hearing this, Tang Xuanzong was immediately angry, but the object of this anger was Wei Zhigu, saying: "This Wei Zhigu is really ungrateful, you are his benefactor, he is not only not grateful, but behind your back said bad things." ”
Hearing that the emperor was so angry with Wei Zhigu, Yao Chong did not immediately open his mouth to thank him, but instead first said good things for Wei Zhigu: "All this is unruly and disturbs the law, and His Majesty can forgive them is already a great favor to his subjects, and if he punishes Lord Wei, it will definitely make everyone think that His Majesty is not wise enough and violates moral education." ”
When Xuanzong heard this, he naturally felt: "Can't I, an emperor, remove you from your post?" If you don't know how to be grateful, how can you be grateful for my kindness?
Despite Yao Chong's repeated persuasion, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang issued a decree the next day to dismiss Wei Zhigu from the post of vice chancellor.
I have to say that Yao Chong's ability to adapt to changes and ponder people's hearts is really superb, and he turned the situation around with one word and also sent down the other side. In fact, Yao Chong's deeds such as this are really quite a lot, and it is easy to reverse his disadvantages.
It can not only protect the body, but also protect the family
In the era of Wu Zetian, Yao Chong, Zhang Kamzhi, and other ministers who were serving as prime ministers launched a "Shenlong coup" to oust Wu Zetian from power, but on the third day, Emperor Zhongzong went to Wu Zetian's palace with hundreds of officials, and everyone appeared to visit, but in fact it was a demonstration. At the same time that everyone was rejoicing, Yao Chong secretly cried.
When asked by Emperor Zhongzong why he was crying, Yao Chong said: "I am a subject, and I had to overthrow her for the sake of the Tang Dynasty, but at the same time, her appreciation of me also made me sad as a courtier." Although this remark made Yao Chong's officials degraded and released, he was also able to avoid the fierce court struggles that followed, and Yao Chong's wisdom could be said to be wise to protect himself.
Yao Chong's plan before his death also fully reflected this.
He used Zhang, who was also prime minister, to find stability for his children and family. When Yao Chong's official and Zhang said that it was incompatible with water and fire, calculating that the other party was coming and going, Yao Chong knew that after his death, the other party would not easily let go of the Yao family, so he came up with a plan.
He summoned his two sons and asked them to take out all the family's rare treasures and put them in front of the coffin during the funeral, and if Zhang, who came to mourn, said that he had a favorite, he would give them to him, and begged him to write an inscription for himself.
Then, as Yao Chong's life predicted, Zhang said that he really spent his eyes in front of these treasures, and coupled with the "sincere pleading" of Yao Chong's two sons, he agreed to write an inscription for Yao Chong. What was written on this inscription was naturally a praise for Yao Chong's exploits, and then Yao Chong's son handed it over to the emperor according to his father's account.
In this way, Zhang Said could no longer ignore the inscription he had written by his own hand to say bad things about Yao Chong. Thinking about it carefully, Yao Chong's thinking and shrewdness can be described as really far-sighted and shrewd.
"Repaying grievances with virtue" is also the art of speaking
When people say bad things, most people will choose to fight back with the same attitude, and although the party that loses is inferior, the party that occupies the right side will inevitably be crowned by some people as being calculating. Since "complaining with resentment" cannot be gained, why not try "complaining with virtue"?
The "complaint with virtue" mentioned here is not really that the other party has done something unfavorable to you and you are tolerant of it, but when the other party says bad things about you, not only does not refute it, but instead says all the good things about the other party, and the open and generous praise is actually to highlight the other party's narrowness and despicableness.
In the comings and goings between Yao Chong and Wei Zhigu, this is exactly the embodiment of this. When confronted with Wei Zhigu's behavior of saying bad things behind his back, Yao Chong, not only did not deny it, but admitted that he had done something wrong, and defended Wei Zhigu everywhere. In this way, Wei Zhigu was set off as an ungrateful, anti-biting villain.
The reason why Yao Chong did this was naturally to fully understand the emperor's psychology. In ancient times, officials not only paid attention to talent, but also attached great importance to morality, and those who promoted you without gratitude stabbed a knife in the back, how can such a person ensure that he will not do anything unfavorable to the emperor in the future.
The emperor naturally understood this, which not only did not pursue Yao Chong, but instead punished Wei Zhigu. I have to say that Yao Chong, who is well versed in the art of speaking, does not pursue the speed of a moment's tongue, but also pursues the final result.
It is enough to see that the use of good language is a very important thing, often what to say must be considered according to time, scene, and object, and the wisdom of this cannot be underestimated.
As Confucius once warned his disciples: "To speak when not asked is to be impatient; not to say it when asked is to conceal; to speak hastily without looking at the face is to be blind." ”
brief summary
From this small episode, it can be seen that Yao Chong's deep understanding of the way of speaking and the wisdom of people. In fact, Yao Chong's worship of the chancellor since the time of Wu Zetian, and the later Ruizong and Xuanzong periods, is still highly valued, which is enough to see this person's political skills and strategy. Don't do ordinary people's things, adapt to changes, it is Yao Chong.
Leaving aside Yao Chong's political achievements, the few interesting remarks he left behind—the overthrow of Wei Zhigu in a few words, and the fact that he could calculate the endorsement of his political enemy Zhang Shu after his death—all showed the importance of far-sightedness, and only by looking at the overall situation and formulating policies in advance could we stand in an invincible position.
Of course, the heart of preventing people is indispensable, and the heart of harming people is even more indispensable, if you want to harm others like Wei Zhigu but harm yourself, it will be more than worth the loss.
The picture comes from the network, if there is infringement, contact to delete!