In ancient China, there were four classes of "scholars, peasants, industrialists, and merchants", "scholars" refers to those who are officials and has the highest status in society, and "merchants" refers to merchants, who have the lowest status in society. The reason is as bai juyi, a great poet of the Tang Dynasty, said: "Merchants value profits over separation", businessmen attach importance to interests and despise friendship, coupled with the ancient concept of "gentlemen are righteous, villains are profitable", so in ancient times, only businessmen who made money were the most despised.
However, now it seems that this is a very ridiculous and backward concept, in fact, in ancient times, there were people who sought grievances against merchants, as early as the Western Han Dynasty, the historian Sima Qian specially opened the "History of History and Cargo Breeding" in his "History", for the merchants to establish a biography that Sima Qian's move was related to his experience. After Sima Qian was sent to prison for the "Li Ling case," he had three options: the first was to carry out the death penalty and beheaded; the second was to accept the palace punishment and leave his life behind; and the third was to donate 500,000 yuan to spend money to atone for his sins. Sima Qian accepted the palace punishment precisely because he could not come up with 500,000 yuan, so Sima Qian realized that if I had money, I could not be exempted from the palace punishment? So there's nothing wrong with making more money reasonably and legally.
However, there were very few people who held sima qian's "advanced thinking" in ancient times, and there was still a great deal of disapproval of merchants in society. However, we say that people are social animals and need social recognition, so many successful businessmen, in order to improve their social status and get social recognition, not only pursue profits, but also pursue fame and power, so they break stability, take risks, and embark on the road of abandoning business and politics.
There are many such examples, such as Confucius's disciple Zigong, Wu Zetian's father, the wushi who later invested in the Taiyuan rebellion of Tang Gaozu Li Yuan, and the red-topped merchant Hu Xueyan.
The most successful example of this is Lü Buwei, who was rich enough to rival the country when he was a businessman, and after entering politics, he served as a minister for three years during the period of King Xiang of Qinzhuang, and for nine years during the reign of King Yingzheng of Qin.
However, just as the so-called anti-Tao movement, Lü Buwei, who was already an extremely popular subject and had reached the peak of his personal power, drank poisoned wine and committed suicide after receiving a short 30-word letter from Qin Wang Yingzheng.
So what did Yin Zheng write in the letter, so that Lü Buwei chose to commit suicide after reading it? Does Yin Zheng really want to kill Lü Buwei?
Let's think about it, if Lü Buwei is at ease as a businessman, he can live a life without worry and worries. However, he chose to enter politics, and only then did he have a big ups and downs, and he died for it. Thinking of his choice, will Lü Buwei regret it? What does Lü Buwei's story illustrate? What are the lessons for the present generation?
Let's get closer to Lü Buwei, a representative figure who abandoned business and entered politics.
For Lü Buwei, it can be said that he used his business talent and his business acumen to play politics, and the idiom of "strange goods can be lived" is his invention.
So, who is the strange thing in Lü Buwei's eyes? The fallen prince of the Qin Kingdom.
Yiren is the grandson of King Zhaoxiang of Qin and the son of An Guojun, in fact, An Guojun has more than 20 sons, the rank of the yiren is roughly around the middle, and he is out of the house, and his birth mother is not favored by An Guojun, so when the Qin state and the Zhao kingdom finish the war and talk, when they need to send people to the Zhao kingdom as hostages, they choose this poor and unwelcome alien.
After Yiren came to Zhao Guo, he met Lü Buwei, who had a unique insight and thought that Yiren was a potential stock and wanted to invest in him and package him.
So Lü Buwei returned home and asked his father, "How much profit can I make from farming?" ”
The father replied, "Ten times." ”
Lü Buwei asked again, "What about the jewelry business?" ”
The father replied, "A hundred times." ”
Lü Buwei asked again, "What about raising a king?" ”
The father said: "The benefits cannot be estimated. ”
Such a huge profit, of course, is worth a vote.
We say that Yiren was the son of An Guojun, who had already been made crown prince at that time, and made his favorite concubine Lady Zheng, that is, Lady Huayang.
Lady Huayang was An Guojun's favorite person, but if she did not give birth to a son for An Guojun, then it meant that An Guojun did not have the eldest son.
However, An Guojun had many other concubines, and they bore An Guojun more than 20 sons, that is, in the absence of the eldest son, any son of An Guojun, including the infidel who was a hostage in the Zhao Kingdom, could be made crown prince.
And the one who can influence the Prince of An Guo is his pillow person, his favorite Lady Huayang.
Lü Buwei was interested in this, under his operation, since Lady Huayang was the most favored, had no sons, and the inhumans had no patrons, then let the Inhumans be her sons, in order to please Lady Huayang, Lü Buwei also specially let the Yiren wear the costumes of the Chu Kingdom, that is, the costumes of the Chu Kingdom, the hometown of Huayang, to see her, and Huayang was very touched and said: "Son, you will be called Chu in the future!" ”
Therefore, the inhuman was renamed Zichu after that.
Then, under the persuasion of Lady Huayang, he succeeded in making An Guojun Lizi Chu the crown prince.
In 251 BC, King Zhaoxiang of Qin died and was succeeded by King An Guojun, who was also known as King Xiaowen of Qin. King Xiaowen of Qin died after a brief reign of one year (also said to have been three days), and his son Zi Chu succeeded him smoothly, that is, King Xiang of Qinzhuang.
After another three years, King Xiang of Qinzhuang also died, and was succeeded by the son he and queen Zhao Jisheng had.
Zhao Ji was originally Lü Buwei's concubine, and was favored by the yiren who was still a hostage in the Zhao kingdom at that time, that is, the later Zi Chu, who was going to be a concubine, and later the yiren became the king of Qin, and Zhao Ji became the queen. The son of Yiren and Zhao Ji was the son of The Later Unification of the Six Kingdoms and the establishment of the Great Unification State.
When Yingzheng succeeded to the throne, he was just 13 years old, and the power of the Qin state fell into the hands of Lü Buwei.
At that time, Lü Buwei was not only the chancellor of the Qin State, but also known as the "Middle Father" by the Qin King Yingzheng, and Lü Buwei was popular for a while.
He also followed the example of the four princes of the Warring States and raised 3,000 disciples who wrote a "Lü Shi Chunqiu" for him.
It is said that after the completion of the "Spring and Autumn of the Lü Dynasty", Lü Buwei hung the manuscript on the gate of Xianyang City and said that as long as someone could change a word in the book, he would be rewarded with a thousand gold.
Lü Buwei, who contributed a "Lü's Spring and Autumn" to Chinese culture, as well as the two idioms of "strange goods can be lived" and "a word of a thousand gold", is also the minister of the Qin Kingdom, and has reached the peak of his life at this time in terms of fame and power.
However, just as the so-called extremes of things must be reversed, the movement of the opposite Path, and soon Lü Buwei quickly fell from the scenery to the abyss.
In 253 BC, Lü Buwei received a short 30-character letter from The Qin King Yingzheng in Luoyang, Henan Province, and chose to commit suicide by drinking a duck, which was poisoned wine. Why did This Lü Buwei, who started out in business and used political speculation as a means to assist two generations of monarchs of the Qin State and ascend to the position of Chancellor, commit suicide?
The trigger that led to Lü Buwei's suicide was the lào (lào) rebellion.
Who is Yan Yi?
We say that Lü Buwei had a concubine, Zhao Ji, who was given to yiren by Lü Buwei. Later, Yiren became the King of Qin, that is, the King of QinzhuangXiang, and Zhao Ji became the queen, that is, the Queen of Zhuangxiang.
King Xiang of Qin zhuang died after three years as emperor, and his 13-year-old son Yin Zheng succeeded to the throne, while Zhao Ji, who was only in her 30s at this time, became a lonely family and became the empress.
We say that Zhao Ji was originally Lü Buwei's concubine, and that the lonely Zhao Ji and Lü Buwei had a rekindled old love, and Lü Buwei often went in and out of the empress's palace. Over time, Lü Buwei felt that this was not okay, one was the empress dowager, the other was the prime minister, and the impact was not good, especially if he let Yin Zheng know, would he still have a way to live in the future? Lü Buwei wanted to pick a son and not do it, but he could not anger the empress, so Lü Buwei selected a strong man through the national selection and gave him to the empress dowager, and he could jump out of it.
The person who was selected by Lü Buwei and sent to Empress Dowager Zhao Ji was Yan Yi.
If Lü Buwei knew what Yan Yi had done in the future, he would definitely regret his decision.
First of all, Yan Yi was very popular with Empress Dowager Zhao Ji, who had an affair with the empress dowager and gave birth to two sons. The "Chronicle of Lü Buwei" records that the empress dowager and Concubine Yi had an agreement that if the King of Qin died, the sons of Concubine Yi and Zhao Jisheng would inherit the throne.
Secondly, with the support of the empress dowager, Yan Yi was good at government and did evil, he even learned lü buwei to raise doormen, Lü Buwei raised 3,000 customers, he followed suit, and also raised more than 1,000 customers, in short, the ambition is getting bigger and bigger.
In April of the ninth year of Qin Shi Huang, Yingzheng turned 22 years old and wanted to hold a crowning ceremony at the Qinian Palace in Yongdi (present-day Fengxiang, Shaanxi).
According to the laws of the Qin state, the monarch of the Qin state turned 22 years old, went to the Qinian Palace to hold a crowning ceremony, and after wearing a long sword, he could govern, and he could take back his power from the empress.
At this time, Yan Yi knew that once the Qin King Yingzheng took over power, he was the first person to be removed, so Yan Yi took the risk, borrowing and stealing the orders of Empress Dowager Zhao Ji and the King of Qin, and mobilizing the army to launch a rebellion.
When Yan Yi launched a rebellion, Ying Zheng quickly mobilized troops, and the two sides fought a battle in Xianyang City, killing hundreds of people, and finally suppressed the rebellion, and Yan Yi was captured alive.
After Yan Yi was captured alive and interrogated, Yan Yi quickly confessed and implicated one person, that is, Lü Buwei.
After all, It was Lü Buwei who looked everywhere and offered it to the empress, and Yan Yi's entry into the palace was the result of Lü Buwei's operation.
Therefore, in the ten years of the reign of The King of Qin, Yingzheng dismissed Lü Buwei from his position as Xiangguo and let Lü Buwei return to Luoyang, Henan. Lü Buwei was a native of Henan, who started his business in Henan, and Yin Zheng sent him back to Luoyang, Henan.
It is said that Lü Buwei has returned to Luoyang, and Yan Yi's case is also closed, isn't this the end of the matter, why did Lü Buwei commit suicide?
Let's continue to look down, after the end of Yan Yi's case, according to historical records, Lü Buwei was dismissed from his position as chancellor and returned to Luoyang.
After Lü Buwei returned to Luoyang, the emissaries of the Six Kingdoms came to Lü Buwei's food in an endless stream, asking Lü Buwei to come out of the mountains and not to live in seclusion here, after all, the boy did not show his life ambitions, and he was born with an eight-foot body, and they invited him to the Six Kingdoms to become an official.
"Shi Yu, the emissary of the guests of the princes, looked at each other in the Tao, please Wen Xin Hou" "History of Lü Buwei Lie's Biography"
In fact, this incident was a very common phenomenon at that time, and after the Minister of Qin left office, he was often hired by the Six Kingdoms as a high-ranking official. Therefore, after Lü Buwei stepped down, the emissaries of the Six Kingdoms also came to invite him, which was a very normal thing.
But this incident caused a person to worry, who is this person? He is The Emperor.
What is Yingzheng worried about? It is recorded in the history books that Yingzheng was "afraid of change" by himself. Yin Zheng was afraid and worried that Lü Buwei would riot.
Because Lü Buwei served as a minister in the Qin Kingdom for 12 years, he had both talent and prestige. Therefore, Yin Zheng was worried, worried that he would rebel, so Yin Zheng wrote a letter to Lü Buwei, and the wording was very harsh.
The King of Qin was afraid of his change, so he gave Wen Xin Hou Shuyi: "What merit does the king owe to Qin?" Qin Fengjun Henan, eating 100,000 households. Why is Jun he pro-Qin? Known as the middle father. He and his family moved to Shu! "Lü Buwei invaded himself a little, feared the curse, but drank and died." See Chronicle of History, Volume 85
Yin Zheng said menacingly: What kind of merit do you Have Lü Buwei, we in the Qin Kingdom have sealed You Henan, and we still want to make 100,000 people your food; what kind of blood relationship do you have with us Qin, I even call you Zhongfu. Starting today, you and your whole family will move to Shudi.
Because Lü Buwei had relatively deep roots in Henan, Yin Zheng feared that he would rebel and exiled him to a remote and unfamiliar Shu land.
After Lü Buwei saw this letter, he committed suicide by drinking. He chose to commit suicide by drinking poisonous wine.
But the problem was, originally Lü Buwei saw a migration order, this letter was not given death, why did he commit suicide?
The "History of Lü Buwei Lie" records that Lü Buwei felt fear in his heart, and he was afraid of the Qin King's step-by-step pressing, first to avoid the phase, then to migrate, and finally to give death. Instead of letting you kill me, which is faceless, I would decisively choose to drink and commit suicide.
So why did Lü Buwei feel afraid? Just as the so-called do not do bad things are not afraid of ghosts knocking on the door, the body is not afraid of the shadow oblique, the contempt is shallow in knowledge, roughly summarizing the fear in Lü Buwei's heart, or his lack of heart, stems from the following reasons.
First, fornication with the Empress
Although Empress Dowager Zhao Ji was once Lü Buwei's concubine, after The Qin King Yingzheng succeeded to the throne, Lü Buwei also ran to the palace to have an affair with Empress Dowager Zhao Ji for a period of time, and if Empress Dowager Yingzheng knew about it, she would certainly not spare him.
Second, let Concubine Yi enter the palace
Lü Buwei sent a strong man, Concubine Yi, into the palace and gave it to the empress dowager, and also had two children with the empress.
Moreover, later, Yan Yi was good at government affairs and launched a rebellion.
These were All Lü Buwei's pots, and he was selected by him in the national audition to put Concubine Yi into the palace.
Third, Lü Buwei was too powerful
Lü Buwei served as a chancellor for three years during the reign of King Zhaoxiang of Qin, and for nine years during the reign of Emperor Yingzheng, with his power tilted to the opposition and his power was too great.
Moreover, he also led troops to fight, made many achievements in battle, and helped the Qin state to take many cities. Too much credit.
Moreover, Lü Buwei had 3,000 disciples under his hands, and Lü Buwei said that these were all talents selected for the Qin state and would be loyal to the Qin state in the future, but Yingzheng was not at ease with these people, and later after Lü Buwei's death, Yingzheng either expelled his 3,000 disciples or sent them into exile, and none of them had a good one, which showed that Yingzheng regarded Lü Buwei's disciples as his own politically hostile forces.
Therefore, lü Buwei's deeds, the power and prestige he possessed, were difficult for the Qin king to tolerate, and in the end it was inevitable that he would end up with a death-giving end. We say that Lü Buwei is very concerned about his own reputation, he abandoned business and politics, just to get a good reputation, let people write "Lü's Spring and Autumn", the same is true, if in the end he ended up with a death by the King of Qin, it is difficult for him to accept, so it is better to start in advance and commit suicide by drinking wine. At the same time, it is also to tell the world that I am not a businessman who only attaches importance to money and interests, I also have ideals and pursuits, and for my own reputation, I can even choose to commit suicide.
Summary: If Lü Buwei is a businessman, he can be rich in the world, then it can be said that he will have no worries about food and clothing, start well and end well, and live a stable and comfortable life.
But if he invests in politics, he must be prepared for everything, and he may gain the fame and power he has dreamed of, or he may fall to the bottom.
Therefore, people's whole life is constantly choosing, whether you can bravely choose the rapids to retreat when you reach the top, avoiding possible dangers, this is also a science.
In order to preserve his reputation, Lü Buwei chose to commit suicide before Ying Zheng might kill him.
In fact, if he could, at an earlier stage, give up power and retreat from the rapids, perhaps he could seek profit and avoid disaster.
We say that Yingzheng succeeded to the throne at the age of 13, when he was too young and was presided over by Lü Buwei. However, after Yingzheng held the crowning ceremony at the age of 22, he had to personally govern, so in ancient times, the monarchy was the greatest power, and Lü Buwei held so much power in his hands, which already posed a threat to Yingzheng.
If at this time Lü Buwei can delegate power, disband his own protégés, disband his own clique, and even become famous, it is better to simply choose to go into hiding, perhaps he can seek profit and avoid disaster.
However, Lü Buwei still could not bear to give up the hard-won power he had gained step by step, and missed the best time to save his life.
Therefore, in the "Vegetable Root Tan", it is said: "Hong has not come to the aid of the bow first, and the rabbit has died and then called out to the arrow, which is always not a crash; When the wind is blowing, the waves rise, and the shore is everywhere away from the ship, which is the work of the hand. ”
This means that the geese have not yet come to open the bow, the rabbit has run and then draw arrows, which is not a good time; when the wind is blowing, the sea will not make waves, and when it reaches the shore, it should leave the ship, so that there is an extraordinary kung fu.
Therefore, we must seize the opportunity and make the right life choice at the right time. But throughout the ages, there are probably very few people who can do it, because we will all be tested by interests and shortcomings of human nature, and at this time we may need to have a string in our minds, understanding that sometimes we choose in the opposite direction of human nature, such as retreating in a rapids, such as the fierce heart of a strong man, rejecting the temptation of money and beauty, so as not to let the same tragedy in history repeat itself.