"De facto celebrities": Wang Rong, a sample of "Wei jin style"

Wang Rong was the youngest of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Forest, born in the Wang clan of Langya, and was the first-class high gate at that time, which Ruan Zhi and Ji Kang could not compare. (ICphoto/Photo)

In the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Forest, Ruan Zhi and Ji Kang represent the ideal of the real celebrities, and Wang Rong is the de facto celebrity who was more prevalent in that era. - "Real" and "de facto" are often antonyms.

One moment it says that Wang Rong is very clean and tall, his father died, and people sent him millions of dollars, and he did not accept it at all; the next moment he said that he was extremely greedy, and he was the largest landlord in Luoyang, but when he sold plums, he had to drill li cores, afraid that people would get their own good seeds. One moment he said that Ruan Zhi admired Wang Rong very much, and the next he said that Ruan Ji and Ji Kang were drinking wine, and when they saw Wang Rong, they said: "The common things have returned to defeat people!" ”

This is not a contradiction in the "Sayings of the World", but that Wang Rong lived to be seventy-two years old, and he was born in the heyday of Cao Wei (234), and when he died, the Western Jin Dynasty was already dying (305). The times have changed a lot, and Wang Rong, who has been up and down with the times, has also changed his face. The seemingly conflicting records are the true faces of Wang Rong at different stages of his life.

Wang Rong was the youngest of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Forest, born in the Wang clan of Langya, and was the first-class high gate at that time, which Ruan Zhi and Ji Kang could not compare.

Since the Han Dynasty, an important way for officials to select is to raise filial piety, the Jin Dynasty is more known as "ruling the world with filial piety", and the Wang clan of Langya is famous for filial piety (Wang Xiang of "Lying On Ice and Seeking Carp" is Wang Rong's grandfather), Wang Rong of course must also show filial piety and incorruptibility, but he has already achieved fame, and this kind of drama does not need to be performed again.

What is really interesting is not how greedy Wang Rong is, but the words of Sima Yan, the Emperor of Jinwu, who defended him after he was accused of corruption: Rong Zhi is doing something, is it selfish to get it, and he does not want to be a different ear!

Wang Rong's nature is not a greedy person, but the people around him are very greedy, and if he is too incorruptible, he will look very strange. Therefore, Wang Rong's corruption is also to avoid embarrassing his colleagues.

It is really unreasonable for the emperor to be so considerate of the collective corruption of the entire official field, and such a dynasty can rule for a long time.

When Ruan Met the fifteen-year-old Wang Rong, he liked him very much, because Wang Rong was really smart and had a talent for metaphysics and clarity. But one of the core questions of metaphysics, "what is the personality of the saint", Wang Rong played a role in this, and played the game of how the door valve family touted each other, Ruan Zhi was of course not used to it.

Wang Rong mixed up the official field, probably very comfortable. However, such a famous disciple as him, comfortable can also be constantly promoted, Genteel said, called "advective enterprising, sitting until the secretary of state."

As an official, Wang Rong generally followed two principles. The first is to absolutely defend the interests of the family family. He has long been responsible for the selection of officials, and the standard is the highest, so he lets the sons of their families become officials, and those who come from cold doors do not give a chance at all. It can be said that the last crack in the door left by the rise of the wei and Jin dynasties was wang Rong's death.

The second general principle that Wang Rong adheres to is not to take sides.

From the Wei and Jin Dynasties to the Rebellion of the Eight Kings, the city head changed the banner of the Great King. Wang Rong is eating melons as much as possible not to speak, and to speak as irresponsibly as possible. Once he was forced to speak, which offended Sima Yuan, the king of Qi. Wang Rong pretended to have just taken five stones, and now he had a seizure and was planted in the dung pit.

Celebrity service scattering is a popular custom, and people who have taken the five stones may lose their minds, talk nonsense, and run blindly.

Wang Rong made himself a big dung, reminding people that Wang Ye, you can't bother with me.

A few days later, the King of Qi was completely defeated in the power struggle, and the newly enlisted Prince wang still recognized Wang Rong's status as a great scholar and senior official.

Anyway, Wang Rong was almost at the end of his life. Even if he didn't die from the soldier's axe, his life expectancy would be almost over.

Looking back on his life, Wang Rong could not avoid feeling very emotional in his heart. In "The New Language of the World, Wounded Death", it is said that one day Wang Rong was wearing an official uniform, sitting in a car with open sides, and passed by the Huanggong Liquor Pass, which had been drinking with Ruan Yuan and Ji Kang.

Wang Rong was very emotional, so he said: "In the past, I drank with Uncle Ji and Ruan Sizong here, and the bamboo forest tour also predicted the end." Since the death of Ji Sheng and Ruan Gong, he has been bound by the times. Although it is close today, it is like a mountain and a river. ”

Wang Rong remembered the "Bamboo Forest Tour" of that year, which was the past forty years ago.

For forty years, Wang Rong has enjoyed the wealth of the dynasty, but he still has the wind and currents under the forest, and he has almost taken advantage of it. Wang Rong's "former officials are as many as high officials", and many of the children of the same ethnic group who have been carefully cultivated and promoted have also achieved fame. With Wang Rong's cleverness, it is natural to foresee that no matter how chaotic the world is, the Langya Wang Clan will still be the most powerful family, and the reputation of future generations will not be particularly good, but it can probably be very good.

Just like the day he jumped into the dung pit, this day Wang Rong was wearing the official uniform of Shang Shuling. The garment may have been re-tailored, may have been washed many times, but it always seemed to faintly emit the stench of the dung pit.

No matter how close Wang Rong described himself to Ruan Ji Kang, they had already hated Wang Rong for defeat, and now that Izumi knew about it, I was afraid that they would avoid it even more.

Wang Rong's death is probably still sincere, mourning Ruan Zhi and Ji Kang, and also mourning the self who could play with them.

(The author is a university teacher and historian)

(This article is only the author's personal opinion and does not represent the position of this newspaper)

Liu Bo