The sun went down and a full moon rose. The cold radiance covered the earth like mercury pouring down.
Wang Xiaolie ate a few cockroaches and said to Wang Qingxiu: "My sister said that she will marry into the Zhang family next month. I wonder if they are ready? I am busy with government affairs and have no time to worry about my sister's marriage. I will entrust it to Cui Qing." , are you ready?"
Wang Qingxiu said: "I'm not a vain person, so what's wrong with me? It's just that Dalang's status is extraordinary now. The Zhang family has spent a hundred cents on it, for fear of making Dalang dissatisfied."
Wang Xiaolie said with a smile: "I am the best person to talk to. What are they afraid of? As long as my sister is satisfied, everything will be fine."
Wang Qingxiu sighed: "If others hear what you say, they will be very happy. They will also be very domineering when doing things on weekdays. Otherwise, how can you show the power of a brother? I brought you up, but I know that what you say No matter how well you say it, I'm not allowed to do anything inappropriate."
Wang Xiaolie said: "Can't you live a good life if you don't do extraordinary things? Do you have to cheer in front of you and have people kneel down and worship you in order to show your authority? Those who do this are only secular people. Sister, after all It’s different from them.”
Wang Qingxiu picked up the wine glass, facing the moonlight, and looked at the scarlet wine in the glass. After a while, he said: "Sometimes, I also feel that it is very majestic, and I inevitably want to give it a try. But it is just a thought. Because I know that Dalang hates such things very, very much. If I do it, I must be extremely disappointed. You are right, must that be the way to show your power? Your power is not like this."
Wang Xiaolie said: "Yes, how can power be like that? You have done good things for the people, and the people must be grateful. Showing this kind of gratitude and loving you in all kinds of ways is the most powerful thing. It is not that you can put people Beat or kill, people are afraid of you, so they keep you high."
Wang Qingxiu said helplessly: "You are a younger brother who has hundreds of thousands of soldiers under his command and expanded the territory for more than a thousand miles. I am also very honorable as a sister. But you are different from others in everything and have weird ideas, so I am very careful, for fear of causing trouble for you. . I don’t know, for me, is this a blessing or a curse?”
Wang Xiaolie said: "Sister, as long as you think about it, you will be blessed. Living in this world, you eat better than others, dress better than others, and have a high status. Isn't it enough? You have to be domineering and feared by everyone. , that’s not right.”
Wang Qingxiu said: "That's all I can think about."
The two drank for a while and chatted, and before they knew it, the night got dark. The moon in the sky moved to the zenith.
Wang Xiaolie said: "Before I went to Hedong, I met Zhang Qi and he was a good man. Later I found out about his family background and found that he was from a good family. My sister is getting married. I will see him again in the next few days. .”
Wang Qingxiu said: "Why do you see him again? He only talks about his busy schedule every day, so how can he have time to see these relatives!"
Wang Xiaolie sighed: "Being busy is indeed busy. But no matter how busy you are, you always have time to spare. If you marry, the Zhang family will be different from now on. Being an in-law with the Xuanfu envoy is a big deal. There must be many idle children, Baba Find him, eat, drink and have fun with him. If you are not careful, you will use my power to do something."
Wang Qingxiu shook her head repeatedly: "The Zhang family is not that kind of family!"
Wang Xiaolie said: "It wasn't the case before, and you can't say what will happen in the future. The most difficult thing for people living in this world is self-discipline. And the higher the status, the harder it is to self-discipline. There are always a bunch of people around you, you say What, what do these people do? How many of them can control it? I have been very strict with myself until today. Why do these people listen to me? Because I am strict with them and even stricter with myself. Sister, you must remember this."
Wang Qingxiu said nothing. Sitting there, looking at Wang Xiaolie.
The moonlight shines on Wang Qingxiu's body, giving it a cold color, as if it were made of withered jade.
After a long time, Wang Qingxiu sighed: "It's really not easy to do things like my brother said."
Wang Xiaolie said: "At this time, the farmers are still busy in the fields, and the workers have just returned home to prepare dinner, and they are even more busy at that moment. Compared with them, our life is already very easy. If since ancient times, there have been The family members of powerful people live like my sister, and my sister won't find it difficult for me to live. It's just that for many years, the powerful have been greedy for enjoyment. I asked so, but my sister found it difficult."
Wang Qingxiu smiled and said: "That's all, you always have various reasons, and I don't bother to care about you!"
Wang Xiaolie leaned on the chair, took a glass of wine, and raised his head to look at the full moon in the sky. This moon has been hanging in the sky for countless years and has seen many joys and sorrows in the world. I don’t know if the world of mortals is good or bad in the eyes of the moon.
As a politician, if you are strict with yourself, many things will be easier to handle. Once self-discipline is not strict and the discipline is strict, things will be difficult to handle. What to do if it’s difficult? At this time, all kinds of power tactics, conspiracies, and tricks are indispensable.
It's not that Wang Xiaolie doesn't know conspiracy or doesn't understand power, but he knows that if he does that, he will be just a vulgar guest in the world. Saving the country and the world is just talk. Even if they are not saved, even if the Central Plains is lost, someone will be able to drive out the captives and restore the Central Plains a hundred years later.
This bright moon in the sky, seeing myself like that, just saw another tragedy and joy in the world of mortals.
Being strict with oneself is actually very difficult. To what extent do you discipline yourself? If you become an official, do you have to eat poorly, wear patched clothes, and be busy like ordinary people every day? Wang Xiaolie doesn't think so. If you become a high official, of course you will have a higher salary and more money. If you are spending your own money, what else can others say? The so-called self-discipline means taking the money you should take and doing what you should do. Don’t take money you shouldn’t take, and don’t do things you shouldn’t do. Otherwise, the people below will not know what to do.
How is it possible that you want the smartest people in the world to be officials without giving them generous rewards? Are all the smart people in the world fools? If you don’t give money, of course they have to get it themselves. The power in the hands of officials first becomes a tool for officials to make money, and politics will naturally become corrupted.
The so-called political corruption is most likely not about how much money officials have embezzled or how many bad things they did. It's that such officials occupy positions and control the channels for advancement, causing those who can really do well to lose opportunities. A society that cannot select the best talents will eventually perish.
How could Wang Xiaolie, who had been born in two lifetimes, be willing to just be a worldly guest? This rolling world of mortals is just a dojo for Wang Xiaolie. In this dojo, what is being refined is not the elixir, nor even oneself, but all living beings.
Just to get a higher status, more money, more beauties, and even praise from the people for yourself is to look down on yourself. Wang Xiaolie wanted not only to save the country and the people, but also something more advanced. Although Wang Xiaolie can't tell what this thing is now.
If you are strict with yourself and cannot do whatever you want, is it wronging yourself? Wang Xiaolie doesn't think so. As a minister, he has an army of 200,000 and nearly 10 million people under his rule. Isn't he powerful enough? Isn’t it enough to have enough food and clothing on weekdays with a few thousand guan of money a year?
