As we all know, Shun was the first Ming Emperor in Chinese history to obtain the throne through Zen Rang, and with his filial piety and talent, he was praised by successive generations of literati.
In fact, as early as the Warring States period, when the story of Yao Shun Chan Rang had just become popular, many people had questioned it.
For example, Xun Zi believes that Yao Shun Chan Rang is likely to be a lie made up by Mencius blindly in order to promote the doctrine of his own human nature.
Han Feizi even directly scolded, "Shun forced Yao, Yu forced Shun", thinking that when the emperor must have some means, Zen Rang? inexistent. The high probability is that the following crimes are committed, seeking power and seizing the throne.
But there is a history book that is enough to make our hearts clatter.
The name of the book is called "Bamboo Book Chronicle", so how does this book evaluate Yao Shunchan's decision?
"Shun imprisoned Yao in Pingyang and took the throne." "Shun imprisons Yao, and reinstates Sedanju so that he will not see his father."
This means that the reason why Shun got the throne was not because he was outstanding in virtue and was recommended by others, but because he imprisoned Emperor Yao at that time in Pingyang and replaced him with violent means.
Moreover, in order to consolidate his rule, Shun also controlled Yao's own son Danju, so that the father and son could not see each other.
Taking a step back, even if the records in the Bamboo Book Chronicle are not entirely true, Shun is definitely not something that can be summed up in three words: "Great Good Man" or "Great Filial Piety".
Today, we will talk about Shun's growth process and reinterpret his character B-side - this famous sage since ancient times, known for his filial piety and benevolence, but it cannot be hidden that he is also a great politician with strategy and courage.
1. Great wisdom is foolish, and the road of counterattack
Things start when Shun was a child.
Shun's childhood had a Cinderella-like experience. His mother died early, and his father was called "Blind Old Man".
Not only was he blind, but his head was also a little confused, and he found a vicious and stingy stepmother for Shun, and he also had a son with his stepmother, called An Elephant.
We don't know what Shun's father really thinks, and how to kill his son Shun all day long.
Once, Heon-sook had an idea and asked Shun to repair the roof of the granary. As soon as Shun climbed up, Heon-so lit a fire under the house.
Shun thought about what to do, just looking back at his bucket, so he took the bucket in both hands, opened his arms, jumped, his body was like a glider, trembling and falling to the ground, nothing happened.
Shun
Another time, He told him to sink a well. This time Shun had a heart eye, and while digging the well, he quickly dug a small hole one-man wide on the side of the well.
Sure enough, the father came to be a demon again, and he took Shun's brother Elephant and threw stones and filled the sand into the well one by one.
Fortunately, Shun had been prepared, turned over, hid in the small hole he had just dug, and when the two people had had enough, patted their butts, and went back to continue to honor their parents and love their younger brother.
Even though such a heartbreaking thing had happened, Shun still did not have the slightest resentment, did not say that the relationship between father and son was severed, nor did he say that he would retaliate with tit-for-tat and fight violence with violence, but that he would serve his parents with virtue, serve his parents more respectfully, and bring the Confucian filial piety and benevolence to the extreme.
Is it true that his father persecuted Shun? It is more likely that the later people, because of their respect for this legendary Zen Emperor Shun, made up folk tales.
Whether it is a folk story or a real history, in short, according to the "Records of History", the short "ugly things" of these parents are known to the neighbors, the fathers and elders of the villagers know, and even yao's civil and military officials know.
Just at this time, Yao felt that his son was not a tool, and he also wanted to find a successor again. In this way, Shun, who could not fight with Yao's eight rods, intervened in Yao's life in this way. Yao's mind was hot, and his daughter and the throne were given to Shun.
Yao retreated to the second line, silently watching behind his back as his good son-in-law ruled for twenty-eight years, being the man behind Shun.
Twenty-eight years later, Yao died, and Shun gave up his seat to Yao's eldest son, Danju, and silently returned home to farm.
However, at this time, the whole world had already submitted to Shun, and no one looked at Danju in his eyes, and Shun, with the support of everyone, continued to claim the title of king.
But it is also said in the "Bamboo Book Chronicle" that Shun imprisoned Yao for twenty-eight years, replaced his throne in a dignified place, and controlled Yao's son Danzhu, so that the father and son would never have the opportunity to meet again, and there would never be a day to turn over.
2 Shun's political means: people are not ruthless and unstable
Early in his political career, Shun did three main things. We can summarize it into nine big words: establish cronies, exclude dissent, and kill capable people.
Let's start with the establishment of cronies. It is recorded in the "Chronicle of History" that after Gaining Yao's trust, Shun once promoted "Eight Kai" and "Eight Yuan" to assist his career.
Where are these "eight kai" and "eight yuan"? How did Shun choose such sixteen people from so many capable people in the country?
If we carefully examine the lives of these sixteen people, we will find that Shun's decision is really a clever method.
"Eight Kai" is actually the eight descendants of the Gao Yang clan, and the "eight yuan" is the eight descendants of the Gao Xin clan.
According to Shun's own words, the ethnic group led by these sixteen people is kind and helpful, and even in the folk, the voice is very high. When Yao was in power, he did not let them be officials, which was Yao's dereliction of duty.
But he Shun, discerning and eclectic, was willing to let these sixteen people come to the middle of the country and contribute their light and heat.
Although Shun was a poor boy with no family wealth and no background, six generations up, Shun's ancestors had a well-known name, that is, the leader of the Ancient Tribal Alliance, Huan Huan.
The "Records of History" records that this Gao Yang clan was the name of the country.
On the surface, Shun recommended the sages, but in fact, the "Eight Kai" who elected this descendant of the Emperor emphasized on the one hand that he also inherited the bloodline of the ancient emperors, and even if he became the new ruler, it was justified.
On the other hand, these relatives who cannot be beaten by eight rods are all gathered under their own command.
The life of the "Eight Yuan" is even more frightening. According to historical records, the Gaoxin clan was the name of the country of Emperor Zhao. And this Emperor Zhao was none other than Yao's biological father! Moreover, although "Eight Kai" and "Eight Yuan" are recommended together, their responsibilities are completely different.
Shun let his distant relatives take charge of the country's land, give them power, and let them formulate various systems and policies;
Send Yao's brothers and sisters to all parts of the country under the name of "preaching in all directions" and let them recite their virtues.
Shun's political means were so clever that he not only consolidated his position in the dprk, but also sent all of Yao's cronies to other places under the banner of serving the country and the people, gradually leaving Yao in a situation of isolation and helplessness.
The second thing Shun did to pave the way was to exclude dissent.
Shun not only selected sixteen men to help him with state affairs, but also expelled four men to the frontier to defend against foreign aggression. These people are Chaos, Poor Qi, Han Zhuo and Gluttony.
These four names, the ancient fierce beasts, are chaotic and do not distinguish between right and wrong, poor and strange do not distinguish between good and evil, Han Zhuo stubborn, gluttonous and greedy and cruel.
If we accept the assumption that these four people are big bad, then Shun subdued them and is indeed a good king. But the point is that these four people are not without identity backgrounds.
Chaos and poor Qi, who cannot distinguish between good and bad, are the descendants of the Yellow Emperor and Shao Hao, the son of the Yellow Emperor, respectively. Han Zhuo was a descendant of Emperor Yan, and Yu Yu was a distant relative of Emperor Yan's descendants.
Game setting "The Elder Four"
We can imagine a scene in which Shun replaces Yao as the new leader. The prestigious courtiers of the older generation stood up and denounced his behavior, and Shun said that the old man was dizzy and had lost the ability to distinguish between right and wrong.
When a younger and courageous courtier stood up and wanted to regain power, Shun scolded the people for treachery and developing evil forces.
And when Shun vigorously supported the same people, if there are also those who do not know how to do evil dare to stand up, it is of course stubborn, and the rotten wood cannot be carved.
What is the best way to deal with these disobedient people? It's not about extermination, only tyrants do it.
The best way is to let them go to the hardest and most dangerous places in the name of exile, to let them fend for themselves, and to show their justice and generosity by the way.
Of course, we do not have sufficient evidence at present to prove that this expulsion is in fact an attempt to add to the sin, and there is no excuse for it.
However, Shun has another thing, and he is quite immoral in doing it. This big thing directly made the originally less credible Zen jean more loopholes and doubts.
3 Wordless testimony – fairy tales are all lies
Speaking of Zen Rang, in addition to Yao and Shun, there is another person who has to be mentioned, that is, Yu.
And when it comes to Yu, we have to mention Yu's father, Cang, and we have to mention a big thing that Shun did after he ascended to the throne: killing capable people.
Long before Yao and Shun's encounter, Yao was struggling: who would he give up his seat to after retirement? Logically, it should be inherited by his son Danju. But Yao felt that Danju's personality was a bit stubborn and not very suitable for ruling the world.
Yao went to ask his minister for a bribe. He said, then let the co-workers come, the co-workers are good at winning people's hearts, the merits are known to everyone, he came to rule the people, others certainly have no opinion.
Yao thought about it and felt that the co-worker had too many words, and too many words would be lost, so forget it.
flood control
He went to ask the mountain god again, saying that there was anyone who could recommend it, and it was best to cure the flood that was now flooding. The mountain gods of the east, west, south, and north all say that the carp can.
Yao also felt that the social background of the carp was not very good, and it was said that he carried several lives on his back and betrayed his family. Later, under the persuasion of the four-square mountain god, he reluctantly agreed to let the carp try to cure the flood. As a result, after nine years of treatment, the fart was not used.
During the reign of Gong Du, Gong Gong, Gong Gong, and Yao, these three good villains were also capable and prestigious people in the DPRK.
However, after Shun ascended to the throne, he immediately addressed Yao, saying that the Gonggong were adulterous and cruel, and that the two of them were exiled separately, one to the northernmost part of the territory and the other to the southernmost part.
Although the identity background is not very good, it can also be regarded as a hard work and law-abiding when working.
In terms of negligence, he was just a water treatment, but he was brutally killed at the foot of Yushan Mountain, and his people were also moved to the eastern wilderness and became Dongyi people.
Most of us know that Shun later ceded the throne to Dayu, who was instrumental in controlling water. But the problem is that for Yu, Shun is both his superior and, likewise, his indirect killing of his father's enemy.
If Yao ceded the throne to Shun, there is still credibility.
But what if Shun could give up the throne zen to this Yu who had a deep hatred for him without any worries? Can Yu accept Shun's Zen concessions calmly and gratefully? Was primitive society really that good?
At the end of the 20th century, the state presided over a Xia-Shang-Zhou Dynasty project, and archaeologists excavated and studied a large number of ancient sites and tombs.
Among them is the ruins of a tao temple, which is generally recognized by the academic community as the capital of Yao. And this ruined wall buried deep in the dirt reveals a brutal struggle in ancient times.
Ruins of The Tao Temple
The new city walls break the old walls, and the new Jongmyo temples cover up the old Jongmyo temples. Archaeologists also found 5 layers of human skulls in a gray ditch, and most of the skulls had scars left by blunt objects;
As many as 40-50 people were dismembered, mostly young adult men.
Unearthed together, there was even a complete skeleton of a woman, with a broken neck and a horn inserted into the vagina...
Although the archaeological findings, it can not be clearly stated, is that Shun launched a war to seize the throne.
But this shocking evidence at least proves that there was a new force in the land ruled by Yao, using violent and cruel means to cut off the culture before the middle of the Tao Temple.
This also proves that in that distant ancient era, there may have been courtesy and fraternity, but there was also killing and atrocities, which was definitely not a fairytale country as the Confucians preached.
Edited | Liangshan
Typography | Liangshan