The sun sets over the mountain, casting a large swath of sunset glow on the horizon. The tower in the west is rimmed with gold in the glow of the sky.
Wang Xiaolie put down his wine glass, looked at the sunset, and said slowly: "In this world, people live together, unless they are tribes, every country has a king, officials, and servants. I often wonder why there are these people ?I said that in human life, one should hear the noises of chickens and dogs, and people should not interact with each other until death. Is that right? Many people say it is not true. I think it cannot be said simply that it is not true, but there are conditions. If there is nothing in your home Yes, you can get whatever you want, and there is nothing wrong with reducing interactions between people.”
Having said this, Wang Xiaolie looked at everyone and asked, "Do you think so?"
The others shook their heads in confusion. At first glance, Wang Xiaolie's words seem to have a lot to say, but when you think about it more, you may not think so.
Wang Xiaolie said: "When people live in the world, many times they don't have to be like this, but have to be like this. Han Fei said that in ancient times, there were few people and many animals. In fact, there were more than just animals and everything. If you are around Without wild beasts, just hunting a deer or catching a fish was enough for the family to feed. Later, as there were more and more people, feeding was not so easy, and people learned to farm. Later, it was not just farming. There are also all kinds of novel things. For example, the wine to drink, the incense to smoke, the bed to sleep on, the table to use, and the utensils are becoming more and more exquisite. Later, there are the sounds of silk and bamboo, beauties singing and dancing, and many more Nice and fun stuff.”
Having said this, Wang Xiaolie raised his glass and drank it in one gulp. Said: "This world is very prosperous, and this world is actually very interesting."
Everyone drank together. Putting down their cups, they all looked at Wang Xiaolie. Everyone felt that what Wang Xiaolie said today was extraordinary.
Wang Xiaolie said: "You want to have these beautiful and fun things, and I also want to have them. But there are not so many? What should I do? Some people talk about getting rid of desires, saying that life is bitter and the root of suffering. It is desire. Some people say that those who are capable live there. Others say that those who are virtuous live there. There is a reason for saying this, and there is a reason for saying that. Is there any reason? I say, they all make sense. !”
"So what if it makes sense? Are you asking me to live like that? Why should others tell me how to live? That won't work!"
Having said this, Wang Xiaolie pressed the wine glass heavily on the table, looked at everyone and said, "Most of you have been reading the books of sages since childhood, and learned the principles of sages. The book says that we should be gentlemen and good people. You have to do this, you have to do that, and you can’t do anything. Is it reasonable? It makes sense. But so what if it makes sense? Just ask us to live like that?"
Chen Yuyi was stunned when he heard this. After a while, he said: "Zhenfu, if we read the books of sages, we should naturally become gentlemen!"
"Why do you want to be a gentleman?" Wang Xiaolie shook his head. "I would say that a gentleman is like Beichen, high in the sky, pointing a direction, but cannot be picked in his hand. The principles of being a gentleman can guide us on how to behave in this world, but they cannot make us a gentleman. "
Chen Yuyi and Chen Qiudao looked at each other, feeling extremely shocked.
Wang Xiaolie said: "We Han people have learned Confucianism, so many of us want to be gentlemen. But those barbarians do not understand Confucianism, so what? There are also Persians and cannibals in the west, they just I don’t want to be a gentleman. There are also people further west. I heard that they all want to be a magic stick. So, people have various ways of living in this world, and they don’t necessarily have to be a gentleman."
Having said this, Wang Xiaolie thought for a while. Said: "What I mean by this is not to deny reading the books of sages, nor to deny being a gentleman, but to say that there are other ways of living and ideas. Just because they are not the same as us, it does not mean that it is wrong. Officials of a political power, There are all kinds of people under their rule. Some pay attention to loyalty, filial piety and benevolence, some worship Buddha and practice Zen, some take pills and cultivate immortality, and some just want to live a comfortable life. These officials must try their best to let everyone live under their rule. Be comfortable and happy. So these officials have very high requirements."
Chen Yuyi said: "The governor said that officials should be selected. Is this what you mean?"
Wang Xiaolie shook his head: "Not only this, but also other meanings. As I said before, you have your reasons, I have mine, and he has his own reasons. Many of these reasons are It really makes sense, it’s not a strong argument. For example, among the Confucian sages, Xunzi said that human nature is inherently evil, and Mencius said that human nature is inherently good. Is human nature good or evil?"
Chen Qiudao said: "Before this dynasty, more people in the world believed in Xunzi, and more people believed that human nature is inherently evil. In this dynasty, Confucian scholars respected Han Yu, and more people respected Mencius, and they believed that human nature is inherently good. There are more people.”
"Then is human nature good or evil?" Wang Xiaolie smiled. "If human nature is inherently evil, there is a set of governance methods. But if human nature is inherently good, there is another set of governance methods. Is it good or evil? Let me tell you, there is no human nature, let alone innate goodness. It's evil. People are just people, born from their mother's womb and living in this world. To say whether human nature is good or evil is just to promote one's own theory of governing the country."
The "Three Character Classic" says that in the beginning, human beings are inherently good by nature, similar in nature but far apart in habits. This is a Confucian view, but there are other views. Especially in the Song Dynasty, there was also the theory of temperament, and finally Zhu Xi's theory of preserving heaven's principles and destroying human desires. Scholars conducted many discussions. This issue is very important and is directly related to scholars’ theory of governance.
Many people in later generations do not understand the historical debates among Chinese scholars, and they do not pay attention to the importance of understanding human nature. Changing to another field, everyone knows that there is a rational person assumption in economics. It is believed that those who participate in economic activities are rational people, and the theory has a foundation. This rational person hypothesis is similar to the Confucian understanding of human nature. Starting from whether human nature is good or evil, we can deduce how the country and the people should be governed.
Seeing everyone looking at him in confusion, Wang Xiaolie waved his hand: "So we don't need to discuss whether human nature is good or evil, nor do we need to deduce how to administer the government from this. The essence of political power is that so many people come together and work together. Living and working together requires managing so many people. Whether people must live together is not important. Whether people will still live like this in the future is not important. What is important is what we are facing now and how we want to manage it. What does it look like? Do you want everyone to keep their duties, have enough food and clothing, and have no desires or demands? Or live better day by day, and each generation becomes stronger than one generation. The predecessors walked, the current people ride horses, and the future generations ride in cars. Future generations of people will fly in the sky——"
Hearing this, Niu Gao, who had been confused all the time, couldn't help but laughed out loud: "The observation is funny, how can a person fly in the sky? If he can fly in the sky, wouldn't he become a god?"
Wang Xiaolie said with a smile: "If you can fly a kite into the sky, why can't people fly in the sky?"
Niu Gao couldn't help being stunned after hearing this. After a while, he said: "It's one thing to fly a kite into the sky, but it's another thing for a person to fly into the sky."
Wang Xiaolie said: "Maybe one day, it will be the same thing? We can't just say it and think it can't be done. My brain is a very magical thing. I can think of everything. First thought When it came out, it seemed like a fantastic idea. But one day, it might become commonplace."
Niu Gao remained silent. Looking at the crowd, I have no choice but to be confused.
Wang Xiaolie said: "I have said so much, but I mean the same thing. Governing the country and selecting officials cannot be restricted by various opinions. Governing the people is actually very simple. It is to make the people live better and better, without any Annoying things. It’s not that this person is a great Confucian, that person is an eminent monk, and so on, who are selected into the government. But every official has a standard. To be an official, what abilities must he have and what needs to be done. As an official, what cannot and must be done? If you can't do it, what are the penalties? If you can do it, what are the rewards? How much money can you make per month as an official, and what kind of benefits are there? .”
Chen Yuyi said: "Zhenfu, selecting officials is nothing more than selecting talents and appointing capable people. We scholars read the books of sages, and we want to be gentlemen, and when we enter the court, we will be virtuous ministers. If it is like you said, isn't it just like recruiting people from businessmen! "
Wang Xiaolie shook his head: "Many times, when selecting officials in the court, it is better than hiring people from businessmen. Of course, our officials have more than just such requirements. This is just the minimum requirement, and officials must meet it. Officials in the court , and there are divisions between general officers and attendants. Higher requirements correspond to other levels."
Having said this, Wang Xiaolie thought for a while and said: "Let's put it this way, these officials are just like pieces of clothing. Being an official is like wearing these clothes. You have the power of an official and enjoy the benefits of being an official." When you take off your clothes, you become an ordinary citizen. The power and treatment of an official lies in that public uniform. I do not advocate private visits in private to observe the people's sentiments. You must also understand these contents when wearing public uniforms. Understand that these officials are officials just because they wear official uniforms. They are not officials just because they are this person."
Chen Yuyi couldn't help but frown after hearing this.
Wang Xiaolie said: "Officials wear official uniforms because they hold this position. In addition, there are also people with high moral standards and selected people. That is another system, such as the imperial court's post. In this way, you You should understand, right?"
Chen Yuyi looked at Chen Qiudao and said, "I understand a little, but I don't understand some things."
Wang Xiaolie said: "Let me put it simply. The so-called officials are the things that the government thinks need to be managed by the government, what needs to be done, and the right people to wear the official uniforms. What the government looks at are the officials and staff. Ability, officials and staff will receive higher treatment if they do their job well. In terms of selecting talents and appointing talents, it means appointing talents. And for moral people, it is selecting talents, which is another system."
