When history goes back to the turbulent Three Kingdoms era, some people can't help but admire the heart of the men who are sworn brothers in Taoyuan; some people can't help but recall the battle of wits and courage of the heroes of the Three Kingdoms; some people can't help but think of Cao Cao, who was "a capable minister in governing the world and a traitor in troubled times"... But who remembers the stone that the pioneer Sun Jian hunted in the devastated Luoyang after the princes of the eighteen towns jointly elected Yuan Shao, the "Fourth Generation and Three Dukes", as the leader of the alliance and attacked Dong Zhuo?
Sun Jian's choice was different from Cao Cao's. He chose to occupy Luoyang and control the jade seal carved from stone. Moreover, because of this beautiful stone, he died before his ambition was fulfilled and was killed by Liu Biao when passing through Jingzhou.
Before he died, Sun Jian glanced at the words on the jade seal for the last time: "If you are ordered by heaven, you will live a long life." Then he died suddenly. Why is this jade seal so charming that countless heroes flock to it?
In fact, it is the "He's Bi" that people are familiar with.
The earliest records about the origin of He's Bi can be found in books such as "Han Feizi" and "New Preface", and the plots recorded in them are similar. The emergence of He's Bi is attributed to a master of jade carving, this person is Bian He.
Bian He was born in the Spring and Autumn Period, and the specific dates of birth and death are unknown. At that time, Bian He was just an ordinary citizen, but the discovery of He's Bi made him a prominent figure.
On this day, Bian He was looking for jade that could be carved into utensils in Chushan Mountain as usual, and was working hard for his jade carving livelihood. However, until three o'clock in the morning, Bian He did not find a piece of jade that could catch his eyes, and he couldn't help but sigh in disappointment. Just at this time, a group of passers-by passed by the mountain. Two of them were having a lively discussion and mentioned that in Jingshan (now Nanzhang County, Hubei Province), someone saw a phoenix bathing in fire perched on a bluestone slab in the mountain. As the saying goes: "The phoenix never falls in a land without treasure." After hearing this, Bian He was overjoyed. He concluded that there must be a treasure on Jingshan Mountain, so he decided to set out the next day and rushed to Jingshan Mountain to look for the "unexpected" treasure. .
The next day, Bian He packed up his luggage and set out towards Jingshan Mountain in the southwest. After trekking for hundreds of miles, he finally reached his destination. When I first saw this mountain, its peaks were like clouds, with tigers and dragons crouching on top of each other, which corresponded to the scenery described by the phrase "the mountain is in the ethereal space" (Bai Juyi's "Song of Everlasting Sorrow"). Bian He then became more convinced that there was a treasure in this mountain.
Huangtian paid off his hard work. After careful searching, Bian He finally found a piece of uncut jade in the mountain. Although this rough jade is no different from an ordinary stone, Bian He has decades of experience in searching for jade, so he only needs to observe its shape, listen to its sound, and identify its color to be able to identify the jade with his keen eye.
In Bian He's era, there were hierarchical divisions in occupations. "Guanzi·Xiaokuang" says: "The four common people, namely scholars, farmers, workers and merchants, are the stones (pillars) of the country." Therefore, the status of scholars (that is, officials) is the most prominent, and the status of "farmers" is the most prominent. Therefore, it ranks second not because the rulers value farmers, but because in the ancient small-scale peasant economy, agriculture was the foundation of a country. Strictly speaking, its wealth and status were not as good as those of industry and commerce. Industrial and commercial people are not as good as officials, who can get prominent status and special respect. Therefore, the latter three all tried their best to seek an official position.
However, "Huainanzi·Qi Su Xun" says: "This is why people do not hold official positions, and officials do not hold concurrent jobs. Scholars, peasants, industry, and commerce are different from each other in their hometowns and states. This is why farmers and peasants talk about their power, scholars and scholars speak and behave, and workers and workers The boundaries between scholars, farmers, industry and commerce are clear. To transcend this boundary and realize the miracle of "carp leaping over the dragon's gate", one must either have talent or good luck.
So now the opportunity Bian He had been waiting for finally came. As long as you give this piece of jade to King Chu Li, you can soar into the sky and change your destiny. So, Bian He didn't bother to appreciate the jade carefully, and simply rushed to the capital of Chu State (now southeast of Yicheng, Hubei Province) at night and starry night to present the jade to King Li of Chu. Unexpectedly, after hearing Bian He's eloquent words, King Li of Chu was still hesitant about whether the jade was genuine or not, so he invited the famous jade craftsmen in the capital to identify it.
The jade craftsman had long heard that someone presented the so-called "precious jade" to the king. At first sight, he found it to be a good thing. But then he thought, if he recognized the authenticity of this piece of jade, it would be equivalent to indirectly acknowledging Bian He's ability. When the king is happy, he will definitely treat Bian He with great courtesy. Then, where will he be in this huge capital from now on? status?
So the jade craftsman came up with a plan and told King Li of Chu that this jade was just an ordinary stone in the mountains and definitely not a peerless jade. Who is King Li of Chu? The king of a country is responsible for everything. Being able to receive Bian He graciously shows his kindness and magnanimity. Unexpectedly, this person did not know the current affairs and dared to deceive the king. King Li of Chu was furious and pushed Bian He out of the hall and cut off his left foot.
Bian He came to Chudu with great ambitions, but unexpectedly suffered such a disaster and returned to Chushan sadly. Soon, King Li of Chu died suddenly and King Wu succeeded to the throne. Bian He thought to himself that although people in the world are stupid, there are still wise people; although King Li of Chu is turbulent, King Wu may not be unclear. So Bian He took the jade in his arms again and rushed to the capital.
He didn't know that it was not so much King Li of Chu who was stupid as the jade craftsman who was greedy. Now that Bian He's jade has fallen into the hands of that greedy jade craftsman again, he must be humiliating himself.
Sure enough, when the jade craftsman saw that it was still the piece of raw jade presented by Bian He, he secretly laughed in his heart, but said calmly on his face: "At first, you thought that the late king was stupid and deceived him with fake jade for personal gain; now you are using the same tricks again. Shi, what are your intentions to deceive the king again? Do you think that King Li of Chu is wise and King Wu is easy to deceive?" ("Han Feizi")
While Bian He was still arguing, King Wu of Chu became furious and ordered his men to push him out of the hall again and cut off his right foot.
A few years later, King Wu of Chu died suddenly and King Wen of Chu succeeded to the throne. As soon as this person succeeded to the throne, he implemented benevolent policies, reduced taxes and corvees, and took great care of the people. From this point of view, King Wen of Chu was a wise monarch who Bian He offered treasures twice but failed to obtain. It's a pity that at this time and that time, King Bian and Xian Baoli had their left foot chopped off; King Xian Baowu had his right foot chopped off, and they were already struggling to move. When I heard that King Wen was wise, I felt very sad and burst into tears. After three days and three nights, his eyes were already bleeding. At that time, King Wen was cleaning up the unjust prisons of the previous dynasty. After hearing that Bian He failed to offer treasures and was tortured instead, he sent people to Chushan to ask Bian He: "There are many people in the world who have their feet cut off, why are you the only one crying so sadly?" Bian He stopped crying after hearing this and said sadly: "I am not crying because my feet were cut off, but because real gems are regarded as ordinary stones, and loyal people are regarded as deceivers. I am I feel sad for confusing right and wrong and not distinguishing between right and wrong!" When the visitor heard this, he was deeply moved, so he took Bian He and Puyu back to the capital to explain the whole story to King Wen of Chu. When King Wen of Chu heard this, he hurriedly ordered people to break open the surface of the jade, and found a piece of unparalleled beauty, which was the "He's Bi".
According to records, "He's Bi" was named to reward Bian He for his loyalty. However, what makes people puzzled is: why didn't Bian He directly break open the jade and get the beautiful jade to present to King Li of Chu? Is it because he is not good at craftsmanship and is worried that he will not be able to carve the most outstanding utensils based on the original jade perfectly? Or is he not sure whether there is really beautiful jade in it, so he doesn't dare to open it without permission? We don't know. But what we know is that Heshibi has since entered the stage of history and achieved a series of amazing legends.
After King Wen of Chu obtained the Heshi Bi presented by Bian He, he regarded it as a national treasure. Just as recorded in "Warring States Policy": "Zhou has PiE, Song has Yue, Liang has XuanChou, and Chu has He Pu." It can be seen that. At this time, He's Bi was still a piece of rough jade and had not been carved into a tool. Probably because of the fear that once carved, He's Bi would become a dead object and could not be carved into other objects, so it has been kept in the royal palace for collection.
400 years have passed, and the period has gone through great changes in the Spring and Autumn Period, and it has entered the Warring States Period, when conflicts among various countries became more intense. At this time, He's Bi once again appeared in the eyes of the world after four centuries of silence.
At this time, the Chu State had already experienced several generations of royal changes. Bian He, who was the first to discover He's Bi, and King Chu Wen, who was the first to recognize He's Bi, had already turned into dust and merged into the dust of history. . However, He's Bi is still regarded as a national treasure by the Chu State and is not easily revealed to others.
The Chu State was now more powerful than 400 years ago. The Zhou royal family had declined, and the Chu State took the opportunity to rise. On the road to the rise of Chu State, Prime Minister Zhaoyang played an indispensable role.
Who are the people in Zhaoyang? According to Sima Qian's records in "Historical Records: The Chu Family", Chu, a large southern country at that time, had three surnames: Zhao, Qu and Jing. It is said that Zhaoyang was a general in his early years and went to Xinghua on the coast of the Yellow Sea to develop, and then became the ancestor of Xinghua's humanities. Soon, Zhaoyang was promoted to Shangzhu Kingdom because of his outstanding military exploits, and his position was above the prime minister. At this time, King Wei of Chu, as the king, gave Zhaoyang the most important national treasure "He's Bi" in order to express his recognition for Zhaoyang's meritorious service.
Zhaoyang was overjoyed. From then on, he was grateful to the King of Chu and regarded "He's Bi" as his life. Even if you go out to play, don't forget to take it with you. In ancient times, gentlemen wore jade to show their high moral character. Zhaoyang brought "He's Bi" not only to show that he was highly virtuous, but also to show his great achievements.
One day, Zhaoyang led his guests to visit Chishan. The guests had long heard that Zhaoyang had been favored by the king and was lucky enough to receive the Heshi Bi, so everyone rushed to bewitch Zhaoyang and asked him to take a look at the "Heshi Bi". As the saying goes, a wise man will make mistakes after all his considerations. Although Zhaoyang was good at both civil and military affairs, he could not help but be hot-headed for a while. Seeing that everyone was so elegant, he generously took out He's jade for everyone to watch.
However, after everyone had finished their music and dispersed, He's Bi disappeared. There is no record in history of how the He's Bi was lost, nor is there any record of whether Zhaoyang made any efforts to recover the He's Bi. But what is certain is that he could not and did not dare to speak out at the time. First of all, these many guests are either his close friends or dignitaries in the court. Naturally, Zhaoyang cannot ruin other people's reputations and forge enmities with everyone just for a mere piece of jade; secondly, He's Bi was stolen by the King of Chu. It is regarded as a national treasure, and when it is given to me, I hope that he can take good care of it. If the national treasure is lost and the King of Chu learns about it, it will be very disadvantageous to me.
The loss of Suihe's jade has become an unresolved case.
Another 50 years later, the situation of the six countries has undergone earth-shaking changes. In the 31st year of King Nan of Zhou Dynasty, that is, 284 BC, the Qin State in the west formed alliances with South Korea and Wei State with lightning speed. The following year, the Qin State formed an alliance with the Zhao State, one of the few rivals in the east, and completed the strategic intention of King Zhaoxiang of the Qin State to establish distant relations and close attacks, and to establish alliances with the eastern countries. The sword pointed at the Chu State.
The ruler of Chu State at this time was King Qingxiang of Chu. On this day, a scout sent to the State of Zhao reported to King Qingxiang of Chu that Miao Xian, a native of the State of Zhao, had actually obtained the national treasure of the State of Chu, the Heshi Bi, which had been lost for 50 years. Suddenly, the whole country was shocked. However, at this time, the King of Chu had no intention of recapturing He's Bi. Facing the unsafe situation, how to work hard to survive was the top priority.
However, although the King of Chu had no intention of seizing He's Bi, it did not mean that King Huiwen of Zhao could sit back and relax. Because King Qin Zhaoxiang, the king of Qin, a powerful country in the west, was eyeing the Heshi Bi and was only waiting for the strength and time to mature.
However, the king of Zhou is still there, so Zhou rites still exist. No matter what you do, it's best to have a legitimate reason so that you won't be criticized for it.
Just when King Zhaoxiang of Qin was thinking about the Heshi Bi but couldn't find it, a minister advised him: As long as the King of Qin makes some small plans and uses 15 cities as bait, he can force Zhao to submit. If the State of Zhao obeys the State of Qin and offers He's Bi, then the exchange of the city can be laughed off; if the State of Zhao does not obey the State of Qin, then the State of Qin will have a reason to attack the State of Zhao. Why wouldn't King Qin do this to kill two birds with one stone?
So, a letter was sent from King Qin to King Zhao. To be able to stand firm in the turbulent era of the Warring States Period, King Zhao Huiwen was certainly not a stupid person. He expected that King Qin's move had evil intentions. Once he presented He's Bi to Qin, the 15 cities promised by King Qin would definitely be like flowers in the water and the moon in the mirror. However, once Zhao rejected Qin's "friendly" behavior, King Qin would definitely be angered and get into trouble. .
It’s not a matter of giving it, and it’s even less of a problem if it’s not given. What should King Zhao Huiwen do? As the saying goes, "There is no way out of mountains and rivers, and there is a village with bright willows and flowers." Just when King Zhao Huiwen was working hard to achieve nothing but three thousand troubles, the eunuch leader Miao Xian stood up and gave King Zhao a glimmer of hope.
That ray of dawn is Lin Xiangru.
Regarding Miao Xian's records, it can be seen that there are very few records in history, so his life story has become a blank. Only "Historical Records: Biography of Lian Po and Lin Xiangru" and "Han Feizi: He Family Chapter" each have a few words of introduction. Therefore, Miao Xian is just a small figure. The reason why he can be seen in history and not forgotten by the world is that he once did the wisest thing in his life - recommending Lin Xiangru.
At this time, Lin Xiangru was just a diner under Miao Xian and was unknown. When Miao Xian saw that King Zhao Huiwen was hesitating about who to send as an envoy to Qin to reply, Miao Xian lost no time in recommending Lin Xiangru to King Zhao Huiwen.
The envoy's trip is related to the honor and disgrace of Zhao State, so naturally he cannot be careless at all. King Zhao Huiwen didn't know Lin Xiangru at all, so he asked Miao Xian how virtuous and capable Lin Xiangru was, so he could represent Zhao as an envoy to Qin.
Miao Xian said to King Zhao Huiwen: "I once made a mistake, and I was planning to flee to Yan State. At that time, Lin Xiangru stopped me and said: 'Do you know King Yan?' I said to him at that time: 'I followed the king on the border. I met with the King of Yan, and the King of Yan told me privately that he was willing to make friends with me. So I thought that I knew him well, and that’s why I thought of going to him.” Lin Xiangru then said to his ministers: “The State of Zhao is a strong country, but the State of Yan is a weak one.” State, when you were favored by Zhao State, King Yan wanted to make friends with you. Now you have fled to Yan State as a criminal. Yan State is afraid of the power of Zhao State, so how can it dare to take you in? King Yan will definitely take you in. You were tied up and sent back to the State of Zhao. You might as well take the initiative to lie under the ax and plead for punishment, so that you might have a chance of being pardoned.' It was because I followed Lin Xiangru's advice and took the initiative to plead guilty to the king, that I was pardoned by the king. Therefore, I privately believe that Lin Xiangru is a brave and resourceful man, and it is appropriate to send him as an envoy."
As the saying goes, a thousand-mile horse often exists, but a bole does not always exist. Although Miao Xian was a small person, he did not hesitate to recommend talents when Zhao was in danger. Its advantages can be summarized as two points:
First, discerning heroes. The value of a discerning eye lies in the word "knowledge". Miao Xian indeed has a unique discerning eye and can deeply understand Xiangru's talents from one thing. Without Miao Xian's wise eyes and Miao Xian's talent, then a thousand-mile horse like Lin Xiangru would probably only be "forgotten and unknown".
Second, be courageous and knowledgeable. He recognized that King Zhao Huiwen was a wise king who would not pursue his past mistakes, so when recommending Lin Xiangru, he was able to highlight Xiangru's strengths, not avoid his own shortcomings, and dare to use his own shortcomings to set off Xiangru. long. Everyone praises Qi Huangyang in the Spring and Autumn Period, saying that he "does not avoid enemies when doing external things, and does not avoid children when doing internal things." Don't you know that for the sake of the country, Miao Xian did not hesitate to reveal his privacy and be blamed by the monarch? Not taboo. Such deeds of not concealing selfish interests, not avoiding shortcomings, and promoting talents for the country and the people should be respected and praised by future generations.
Since then, Lin Xiangru has officially entered the stage of history. From then on, he has a broader world, allowing him to soar up to 90,000 miles and travel at the cusp of the Warring States Period.
