The Three Emperors and Five Emperors of Daode, with the name of Xia Hou Shang Zhou. Qingshi has several lines of names and surnames, and countless barren hills in the north. Welcome to the Hundred Families of History, get close to historical figures, and feel the life of hundreds of families. In this issue, we introduce you to a generation of famous people - Yanzi.
Speaking of Yanzi, it can almost be said that he is a well-known figure in China. The resourceful little man in "Yan Zi Makes Chu" who safeguards the dignity of the State of Qi has left a deep impression on us. Yan Zi, born in 578 BC, died in 500 BC, name baby, character Zhong, 谥号平, customarily called Ping Zhong, Yi Wei people, is today's Laizhou people in Shandong Province, the Spring and Autumn period of the Qi state shang dafu.
We all know that YanZi is short, but do you know how short he really is? Legend has it that Yanzi is "less than six feet long", which translates to about 1.4 meters now, is it very short? However, do not judge people by their appearance, yanzi was the minister of the state of Qi, successively served as the three dynasties of Qi Linggong, Zhuang Gong, and Jing Gong, and assisted the government for more than 50 years, and was known for his political foresight, diplomatic ability, and simple style.
In the era when Yan Zi lived, the State of Qi was no longer the State of Qi when the Duke of Qi Huan was nine princes and the masses were hegemonic, political turmoil, internal and external troubles, the Duke of Qi Zhuang was killed by the minister Cui Zhu, and the army of the State of Jin even hit the capital of the State of Qi, Linzi. In order to suppress the people's resistance, the State of Qi implemented a severe punishment law, and there is an idiom "highly noble and lowly" that refers to the social situation at this time, which means that everywhere people who have been executed (yue) are cut off, so that the shoes made for such people are sold very expensive, while the shoes worn by ordinary people are sold very cheaply.
In order to advise the monarch to reduce his punishment, YanZi was always trying to find a way. Once, Qi Jinggong's most beloved horse died, and Jinggong was furious and wanted to kill the horse breeder. The horse breeder asked Yanzi for help, and Yanzi said to him, "Do you know what crime you have committed?" The monarch asked you to keep a horse, but you raised the horse to death, which is the first sin. Second, the horse you raised to death is the king's most beloved horse. And most importantly, you made the monarch kill for a horse, and the people must resent the monarch for his cruelty when they know it, and the princes must look down on us when they hear that our monarch kills people so casually. You have committed three capital crimes, so go to your cell and wait for your death. Listening to Yan Zi's words, Jing Gong realized his mistake and had no choice but to say, "Let him go quickly, don't damage the good reputation of the widow's benevolence." ”
This story fully reflects the characteristics of Yanzi's good advice, he did not go straight to the point when advising the king, laying out the facts and reasoning to the monarch, and making the monarch listen to it; but according to different environmental occasions, he adopted different ways of persuasion, or advice, or skillful advice, and this often achieved excellent results, so we call Yanzi a master of language art.
About Yanzi, there is also a story called two peach killing three soldiers. It is said that at that time, there were three famous warriors in the State of Qi: Gongsun Jie, Tian Kaijiang, and Gu Yezi. The three of them were highly skilled in martial arts and courageous, and they made great contributions to the Qi state. These three people are like-minded, married as brothers with different surnames, and believe that they have high martial arts and great merits, and they do not pay attention to all people. Qi Jinggong also felt that these few reckless men did not talk about etiquette and ethics, and now that their power was getting bigger and bigger, they would be in trouble if there were any disasters in the future. Once, when Lu Zhaogong visited the State of Qi, Qi Jinggong hosted a banquet to entertain him. After drinking and eating, yan zi saw that there were still two large golden peaches on the table, so he said to Jing gong: "Please ask the king to order the courtiers, whoever has the greatest merit will eat the peach, how?" Qi Jinggong agreed, and the three warriors standing at the door all thought that their achievements were incomparable. Gongsun then said, "Once when I was hunting with the king, suddenly a fierce tiger jumped out of the forest, and I used all my strength to beat the tiger to death and saved the monarch. With such a great achievement, shouldn't you still eat a golden peach?" Yan Zi said, "The Savior who risked death, Gongbi Taishan, can give a peach." Gu Yezi saw this and shouted, "What's so strange about killing a tiger!" When I sent the king across the Yellow River, a giant turtle made waves, bit the king's horse's leg, and dragged the horse into the rapids at once, I jumped into the raging river, and sacrificed my life to kill the big turtle. Qi Jinggong said, "If it weren't for the general's removal of the turtle, my life would have been long gone, give me peach." Tian Kaijiang, who was beside him, saw that the peaches were finished, and shouted urgently: "When I was ordered to attack Xu Guo, I sacrificed my life to death, beheaded his famous generals, and captured five thousand prisoners, which frightened Xu Guo into submission." With such a great achievement, can't you eat a peach?" Yan Zihuan said, "General Tian's credit is great, but the peach is gone, and the next time the peach is ripe, please taste it." Unexpectedly, Tian Kaijiang pressed the handle of his sword in his hand and said breathlessly, "What is so great about fighting tigers and killing turtles." I fought in the southern and northern wars, was born into death, but I could not eat peaches, and I was humiliated in front of the two monarchs, what face did I have to stand above the imperial court?" After saying that, he swung his sword and killed himself. Gongsun and Gu Yezi looked at each other and shouted, "The three of us are brothers, vowing to live and die together, and now that our brothers are dead, how can we live?" After saying that, they both drew their swords and killed themselves.
Although the death of the three soldiers was tragic, they were proud of their achievements, and they were even used as tools for conspiracy to usurp the throne, and their deaths were not regrettable. Within five steps, the small and wise Yan Zi did not have a bloody blade, and killed three warriors with two peaches to eliminate political hidden dangers.
Yan Nian was intelligent and witty, able to speak eloquently, assisted the state at home, and repeatedly advised and waited; when he went to foreign countries, he not only adhered to principles, but also responded to changes, defending the national character of the state of Qi. Once, Yan Zi sent an envoy to the Chu State. The King of Chu knew that Yan Zi was short in stature and deliberately teased him, so he opened a small hole five feet high next to the city gate to invite Yan Zi to enter. Yan Zi said, "The people who sent envoys to the dog country entered through the dog cave, is the chu country a dog country?" A word makes the greeter feel self-conscious. Yan Zi met with the King of Chu, and the King of Chu said, "Is there no one in the State of Qi?" He sent you, a man who didn't look tall enough to be an envoy. Yan Zizheng replied: "There are more than 7,000 households in Linzi, the capital of the State of Qi, and the sleeves can be unfurled to cover the sky, and the sweat is like raining in the sky. But we in the state of Qi have a rule that wise emissaries are sent to wise countries, and incompetent messengers are sent to incompetent countries. I am the most incompetent person in Qiguo, so I can only come to see you. The king of Chu moved a stone and smashed his own foot, crying and laughing for a while. When the state banquet was being held, the guards came forward with a prisoner tied up and reported: "Great King, this is a Qi man who has committed theft." The King of Chu glanced at Yan Zi and asked, "Are the Qi people good at stealing?" Yan Zi replied, "I have heard that oranges growing south of the Huai River are oranges, and growing north of the Huai River becomes citrus, which is a matter of water and soil." Now, some people live and work in peace and contentment in the Country of Qi, and when they arrive in the State of Chu, they steal, is it not true that the water and soil of the State of Chu are like this?" The King of Chu said sarcastically, "A saint is a man who cannot joke with him, and it is no longer interesting for a widow to beg for himself."
Sima Qian in the Chronicle of History. Guan Yan Lie's biography once said: "If Yan Zi is here, although Yu is whipped for it, he is admired." This means that if Yanzi is still alive, even if I wave the whip for him to catch the car, I am very happy and yearning for ah! Even Tai Shi Gong admired him so much and was willing to be his coachman, which shows the high status of Yan Zi in history.
Well, today's generation of famous ministers - Yanzi, we will talk about this, thank you. Welcome to search for the WeChat public account "Historical Hundred Family Ancestral Hall", Himalaya search for "Historical Hundred Family Ancestral Hall" or "Chinese History 100 Famous Faces" to listen to related audio programs.