Preface
In history, there are many amazing twists and coincidences, and the story of Zhao Kuangyin's defection to Wang Yanchao is undoubtedly one of them.
At that time, Zhao Kuangyin, who was down-and-out, went to Wang Yanchao alone, but only received a meager remuneration of ten yuan, but all this took an unexpected turn after he became emperor in the future.
How did Zhao Kuangyin treat Wang Yanchao after he became emperor? Did he resent the humiliation at the beginning, or did he feel grateful? What kind of human nature and conspiracy are hidden behind this historical story?
1. A down-and-out boy
The life of Zhao Kuangyin, the founding emperor of the Great Song Dynasty, can be described as ups and downs, and he has experienced countless encounters in life. And his initial situation was that he was a penniless down-and-out scholar.
Zhao Kuangyin was born in the Zhao royal family of the Northern Han Dynasty, and his father Zhao Hongyin once served as the inspector of the school, and his family was well-off. However, after Zhao Hongyin's death, the Zhao family's fortunes began to decline. The young Zhao Kuangyin watched the decline of the family and was determined to revive the Zhao family.
A down-and-out boy breaks into the world
In this way, Zhao Kuangyin threw down his books, waved goodbye to his hometown, and wandered alone. He once said to himself, "Nothing can stop your yearning for freedom." So, he wandered aimlessly, hoping to make a difference.
However, an ideal is an ideal after all, and the skinny reality soon dragged him back. Zhao Kuangyin wandered for less than half a year, and found that his wallet was cleaner than his face. He began to dig sweet potatoes in the fields to satisfy his hunger, and lived a life worse than that of a beggar.
2. Throwing Wang Hikochao
Just when Zhao Kuangyin was about to be starved to death, he remembered a person - Wang Yanchao. Wang Yanchao is not only an old friend of Zhao Kuangyin's father, but also a hero, in a high position. So, Zhao Kuangyin decided to defect to Wang Yanchao without hesitation.
Defection with high expectations
"With Wang Yanchao, the master, I will definitely be able to start my career again!" Zhao Kuangyin is full of expectations for his future. He put down his body, starved, and finally came to the city of Fuzhou, where Wang Yanchao was.
When Zhao Kuangyin saw Wang Yanchao, his eyes flashed with hope. He told Wang Yanchao about his ideals and ambitions, and expressed his desire to find an official position under Wang Yanchao.
Wang Yanchao's refusal
However, Wang Yanchao did not treat him as warmly as Zhao Kuangyin expected. Instead, he scoffed at the down-and-out boy who had nothing to offer. In Wang Yanchao's view, Zhao Kuangyin is just a poor boy who eats and drinks for nothing, and he has no interest at all.
So, Wang Yanchao ordered someone to take out ten copper coins and unceremoniously sent Zhao Kuangyin away. For Wang Yanchao, this is already the end of benevolence. But for Zhao Kuangyin, this is undoubtedly a major humiliation and blow.
3. Inspirational struggle
was so despised by Wang Yanchao, Zhao Kuangyin was naturally angry and anxious. But he was soon relieved, because he realized that relying on others was better than relying on himself. So, he made up his mind to create a career with his own hands.
Be indignant
"The eldest husband gave birth to a seven-foot body, why not make it eternal?" Zhao Kuangyin secretly determined to break out of this world. From then on, he began his own path of struggle.
At the beginning, Zhao Kuangyin lived a life of exile, often hiding in Tibet, for fear of being arrested as an outcast. However, he never gave up on his ideals and kept working hard. Slowly, he began to make some friends, and with his talent, he began to make small achievements.
Serendipity
In addition to his own efforts, Zhao Kuangyin's success also benefited from some coincidences. For example, he once helped a general who later recommended him for an important position. For example, he also helped some powerful people, and these people later also showed him great kindness.
In this way, step by step, Zhao Kuangyin slowly began to walk to the pinnacle of life. More than ten years later, he was finally elected as the founding emperor of the Great Song Dynasty. And Wang Yanchao, who once despised him, has now become a little courtier under him.
Fourth, magnanimity
After ascending the throne, Zhao Kuangyin did not drink Wang Yanchao's "humiliation" back then. On the contrary, he showed the magnanimity of an emperor.
Set up a feast to entertain the festival envoys
In the second year of Jianlong, Zhao Kuangyin summoned the envoys from all over the country to Beijing. He not only personally greeted him at the Mingde Gate, but also entertained everyone with a large banquet. During the banquet, Zhao Kuangyin frequently toasted the envoys and commended them.
This made the envoys present nervous, for fear that Zhao Kuangyin was playing some conspiracy. However, Zhao Kuangyin's purpose was soon revealed.
Questioned Wang Yanchao
After three rounds of wine and five flavors of food, Zhao Kuangyin's eyes suddenly fell on Wang Yanchao, who was sitting in the corner. He asked, half-jokingly, half-seriously: "Qing used to be in Fuzhou, I went to Yiqing, why don't you accept me?"
Hearing this question, Wang Yanchao was so frightened that he knelt on the ground and kowtowed to plead guilty. He thought that Zhao Kuangyin was going to take revenge on what happened back then.
Wang Yanchao's flattery
However, Wang Yanchao quickly reacted and began to curry favor: "How can a spoonful of water stop the divine dragon! "
What this means is that Zhao Kuangyin was a divine dragon back then, and Wang Yanchao was just a small assassin history, how could he accommodate the divine dragon? If Wang Yanchao really kept Zhao Kuangyin at that time, then how could Zhao Kuangyin have today's achievements?
Hearing this, Zhao Kuangyin laughed, turned around and talked to others, and never pursued Wang Yanchao's old affairs. From this moment on, Zhao Kuangyin showed the magnanimity of an emperor.
Fifth, those who know the times
On the surface, Zhao Kuangyin seems to have let go of his mustard against Wang Yanchao. However, Wang Yanchao himself knew in his heart that the emperor's tolerance was just an appearance, and it was still unknown whether he would be held accountable for himself.
Please apologize
Therefore, Wang Yanchao had no sleep that night, and the next morning he went to the table to plead guilty, repeatedly saying that he was guilty and begging for punishment. This performance made Zhao Kuangyin very satisfied with this interesting old minister. He sent a message to Wang Yanchao, saying that he would no longer pursue the old things of the year.
From this incident, we can see that Wang Yanchao is a person who is extremely knowledgeable about current affairs. He clearly realized that as an old minister of the former dynasty, if he was not interested, he would easily be purged by the new dynasty. Therefore, he chose to take the initiative to admit his mistakes and apologize to show his loyalty to the new dynasty.
Take the initiative to surrender military power
A few years later, when Zhao Kuangyin was preparing to cut the feudal domain and take back the military power of the Jiedu envoy, Wang Yanchao once again showed his ability to understand the times. At that time, Zhao Kuangyin implicitly revealed this intention to the envoys. However, all the festival envoys present here are cunning old foxes, and no one is willing to take the initiative to give up the power in their hands.
At this time, Wang Yanchao stood up and took the initiative to express his willingness to hand over the military power and go home to retire. His move undoubtedly gave Zhao Kuangyin a good excuse, allowing Zhao Kuangyin to smoothly recover the military power of the envoys in various places.
From these two incidents, we can see that Wang Yanchao is an extremely shrewd and capable character. He is well versed in current affairs, good at grasping proportions, never exceeding the rules, and will not cause trouble for the emperor. It is this ability to understand current affairs that allowed him to survive the turbulent years of the founding of the Great Song Dynasty unharmed, although he was an old minister of the former dynasty.
6. Stay away from right and wrong
Under the appreciation of Zhao Kuangyin, Wang Yanchao has been firmly in a high position until Zhao Guangyi, Taizong of the Song Dynasty, succeeded to the throne. In the eighth year of the Taiping Rejuvenation of the Kingdom, Wang Yanchao was already over 70 years old, and he decided to follow the example of the ancients and took the initiative to ask Song Taizong to retire.
Take the initiative to return to the hometown
"The ministers of the previous dynasty have no merit in this dynasty. This is the reason why Wang Yanchao resigned from Song Taizong. Although Song Taizong refused twice, Wang Yanchao insisted on retiring, and finally obtained Song Taizong's favor.
Since then, Wang Yanchao has completely stayed away from the court and lived a leisurely retirement life. He often took one or two small children with him, wandered around, and lived a carefree life. Even if the old subordinates invited him to take charge of the military and political power again, he refused all of them, and truly achieved the realm of not asking about the world.
Enjoy your old age in peace
In the third year of Yongxi, Wang Yanchao passed away peacefully at the age of seventy-three. In order to commend this old minister, the imperial court specially posthumously presented him with Shang Shuling.
From Wang Yanchao's life, we can see that he is not only shrewd and capable, but also has extraordinary foresight. He knew very well that the Great Song Dynasty was moving towards the basic national policy of "emphasizing literature and suppressing military force", and the glorious era of military generals had passed. Therefore, he chose to retire voluntarily to avoid getting involved in the power struggle in the court.
It is this kind of wisdom that understands current affairs and knows advance and retreat, so that although Wang Yanchao is an old minister of the former dynasty, he can go through two dynasties and die well, and enjoy his old age in peace. From his life, we can see that maintaining humility and staying away from right and wrong is the only way for a person to succeed.
epilogue
Through this story about Zhao Kuangyin and Wang Yanchao, we can see that whether it is an emperor or a courtier, maintaining humility and magnanimity is the key to success.
Although Zhao Kuangyin was "humiliated" by Wang Yanchao back then, he was finally able to forgive Wang Yanchao, reflecting the mind of a generation of Ming Jun. And Wang Yanchao showed the style of a shrewd and capable old minister, he knew the current affairs, knew how to advance and retreat, and finally could enjoy his old age in peace.
I hope that through today's sharing, you can get some enlightenment and wisdom in life. After all, each of us is a traveler of destiny, and only by knowing how to follow the trend can we finally reach the other side of success.