NFBE Chapter 368: Abdication to the wise ruler
Chapter 368: Abdication to the wise ruler
In the damp and humid Jingde, the vegetation grew particularly luxuriantly. It is said that silver once gushed out of the mountains, and during the Zhou Dynasty, red crows appeared as an auspicious sign. After the Qin Dynasty replaced the Zhou Dynasty, it entered a period of being favored by the virtue of water.
When Duke Wen of Qin went out hunting, he caught a black dragon, which was a symbol of water virtue. Xuanyuan was therefore called the emperor. The "earth worm" mentioned here is probably a giant earthworm, more than 30 meters long, which is about the same length as a civilian airliner today. Such a huge earthworm is terrifying to think about. However, at that time, it was regarded as a sign of good fortune.
The emperor was considered to be the representative of the earth virtue, and the yellow color was respected. After Xuanyuan became the emperor, he was not idle. The "Historical Records" recorded that he offered sacrifices to Yuhai Dengwan Mountain and Mount Taizong during the winter solstice, ascended the throne at Kongtong, went to Tounan Wilderness, and also visited the various Wenzhou and Fupushan in northern Hunan. He participated in the Battle of Zhuolu, and his footprints were almost everywhere in the land of China.
On the political level, the emperor established the most basic management system, but the influence of the emperor was far from covering all tribes, and it was impossible to achieve full centralization. Therefore, the first task was to suppress the tribes in order to achieve the purpose of indirect rule. On the military level, it was necessary to ensure that the tribe had absolute military strength to conquer all the princes.
Sima Qian recorded in the "Records of the Grand Historian" that "If there were people who did not obey the emperor's rule, the emperor would lead his army to conquer them, and if they did, he would appease them. Then he would go to the next place, splitting mountains and making roads, and never settled down in peace."
In terms of administration and diplomacy, the emperor had to keep in touch with the princes and keep an eye on their movements. However, it was difficult for him to complete such a heavy task alone, because he was also the leader of a tribe and was usually busy with his own affairs, not to mention managing other tribes. Therefore, the emperor set up the positions of left and right supervisors to monitor the various vassal states.
However, Sima Qian emphasized his supervisory duties over the princes in the Records of the Grand Historian, which shows that the Grand Historian believed that for an emperor ruling the world, controlling the stability of the vassal states was far more important than governing his own country.
At the same time, the emperor also frequently held sacrificial ceremonies to pray to the gods and gods for protection. Because in ancient times, science and technology were extremely underdeveloped, and many seemingly small natural disasters had huge destructive power.
People who depend on the weather for their livelihood attach great importance to sacrificial activities, and the emperor is no exception. Sima Qian wrote in "Records of the Grand Historian": "When all nations are in harmony and the gods and spirits are worshipped, the mountains and rivers are worshipped and many words are spoken." When he saw that all nations were in harmony and the world was peaceful, he offered sacrifices to the mountains and rivers on behalf of the general public to express gratitude for the gods' protection.
Although this may be just feudal superstition in the eyes of modern people, it also contains profound truths. In the early days, only the emperor was qualified to perform sacrificial ceremonies, and it is said that the gods would give priority to the emperor's prayers. Therefore, by enjoying this unique sacrificial right, the emperor's ruling status seems more reasonable.
This may be the reason why the emperors of the feudal dynasties were so keen on worshipping heaven and earth. Their real intention was not just to pray for good luck, but more to emphasize the orthodoxy and legitimacy of their rule.
Sima Qian mentioned in "Records of the Grand Historian": "He is bright as the sun and the moon, observant as the mountains and rivers, in tune with the heavens and the earth, proficient in ghosts and gods, follows the four seasons, and knows everything." The emperor, the ancestor of our Chinese nation, was not only a man of great political skills, he was also a scientist.
While performing sacrificial activities, he would also carefully observe nature and try to find out the laws in it. The emperor observed the movement of the sun and used a gnomon (a small grass stick) in his hand to calculate and record, thereby inferring some seemingly simple but very critical conclusions, such as how long a day is, whether the weather is going to get hotter or colder, etc.
Based on these basic knowledge, the emperor successfully created the earliest calendar. Today, we may think that legislating is not a big deal, but in ancient times, establishing a calendar was a big deal. It was like a weather forecast plus an agricultural production guide.
The emperor issued a calendar to tell the people when the weather would become warmer and they could start farming, and when the temperature would drop and they had to prepare food in advance for the winter.
Without this information, people would have a hard time. For example, if spring came very late this year, people might mistakenly think it was not time to plant crops, which would delay farming. Or they could not accurately judge when to harvest crops, nor how much food to store after the autumn harvest.
Paper had not been invented at that time, and ordinary people could not look up the calendar, let alone check the weather forecast on their mobile phones. Therefore, if they wanted to know when it was suitable to plant crops and what day it was, they could only rely on the calendar.
For this reason, formulating and promulgating the calendar was both the emperor's responsibility and a means for him to consolidate his ruling position.
Sima Qian went on to write: "Follow the changes of heaven and earth, the changes of the living and the dead, the theory of life and death, and the difficulty of survival and destruction." These four sentences are actually describing the emperor's outstanding achievements in the field of philosophy.
He adapted to the changes of the four seasons, mastered the art of yin and yang and the five elements, put forward profound insights on life and death, and explored the laws of existence and extinction of all things.
He created a unique philosophical system to help people better understand themselves and the mysteries of nature. In addition, the emperor also germinated the idea of education. He not only regarded knowledge as personal wealth, but also wanted to pass it on to the general public.
"Records of the Grand Historian" records: "Stones and bones are white, plants and trees are pure, birds, beasts, insects and moths, the sun, moon and stars are majestic, water waves, earth and stones, gold and jade, all are made of water, fire and money." He taught the people how to grow various crops, how to tame birds, beasts and insects, how to observe celestial phenomena, record the movement of the sun, moon and stars, and how to rationally utilize water resources, mineral resources and other natural resources.
He also warned the people to work hard and cherish all the property they have. Did you notice that as early as the emperor period, the Chinese land had already begun to praise the spirit of hard work and thrift.
The above-mentioned territorial governance, political system, sacrificial rituals, legislative norms, educational concepts, agricultural technology and even moral concepts are all great achievements of the Yellow Emperor period. We can see that as the emperor of the Son of Heaven, his contribution is very important. He not only won the supreme power, but also truly changed the fate of the entire Chinese nation.
To this day, Chinese people all over the world still retain traditional festivals and rituals to worship Huangdi. From his many inventions and creations, we can get a glimpse of the primitive forms of many things in later generations.
For example, "bright in the sun and moon, and observant in the mountains and rivers" gradually evolved into the 24 perfect solar terms today. It is precisely because of these crystallizations of wisdom that we can work hard on fertile land, harvest continuously, and reproduce.
Huangdi lived in Xuanyuan Hill and married the daughter of Xiling, who was Leizu. Leizu was Huangdi's first wife and gave birth to two sons. Leizu's achievements were also very great. She invented the method of raising silkworms, which was known in history as "Leizu was the first to raise silkworms". She was an outstanding representative of Chinese women. Leizu advocated marriage, was a model for the world, and brought benefits to the people. She is also the ancestor of humanities.
. According to legend, Huangdi also had a very famous concubine, Mo Mu, one of the four ugly women. Although she was a little ugly, she was a very good person, virtuous and kind, and was trusted by Huangdi. Huangdi also said: "Those who value beauty but not virtue are not really beautiful; those who value virtue are true immortals." Beautiful skins are all the same, but interesting souls are rare. According to legend, the mirror was invented by Mo Mu.
Of course, even the most powerful people will eventually fall. The "Records of the Grand Historian" records the death of the Yellow Emperor in just six words: "The Yellow Emperor died and was buried in Qiaoshan." However, in mythology, before he flew away on a dragon, he entrusted the world to his grandson Zhuanxu.
Sima Qian said of Zhuanxu in "Records of the Grand Historian": "He is calm and profound and has plans, he is open-minded and knows things, he cultivates talents according to the land, he follows the time to imitate the heaven, he relies on ghosts and gods to make justice, he controls the mood to educate people, and he is sincere in sacrifices." Zhuanxu has a calm personality, is very strategic, open-minded, and can distinguish right from wrong.
He is not only good at using geographical advantages for breeding, but also has innate psychic power, is proficient in the five elements, and is good at sacrificial art. Therefore, wherever the sun and the moon shine, all kinds of animals and plants and even large and small forests are subject to him. In short, he is a very good heir.
After Zhuanxu died, the throne was passed to his nephew Gao Xin. Gao Xin was also a capable person. The "Records of the Grand Historian" recorded: "Gao Xin was born with divine spirit, and he spoke of his name. He benefited all things, not just himself. He was smart and far-sighted, and he was clear-sighted and could see the subtle. He followed the will of heaven and knew the urgent needs of the people. He was benevolent and powerful, benevolent and trustworthy. He cultivated himself and won the submission of the world. He took the wealth of the land and used it frugally. He taught the people and benefited them. He counted the sun and the moon and greeted and sent them off. He understood ghosts and gods and respected them."
He was gifted with the ability to speak and to call out his own name as soon as he was born. He was kind to others and devoted himself to the people, never considering himself. When he governed the world, wherever the sun and moon shone, wherever the wind and rain came, everyone obeyed him. He was not only good at observing celestial phenomena, but also established 24 solar terms according to the weather and plant growth laws, which ushered in a new era of agricultural civilization.
Gao Xin was thus honored as Emperor Ku. Although there are relatively few records about Zhuanxu and Emperor Ku, they were more like kings who maintained the status quo, as if they were paving the way for the next generation of wise monarchs. Then, the throne was passed to Emperor Ku's eldest son, Emperor Zhi, but his ability was not outstanding. He then abdicated the throne to his younger brother, Emperor Ku's youngest son Fangxun.
Fangxun may not be familiar to everyone, but he has another well-known name - Emperor Yao. This name has been deeply rooted in people's hearts and has become a synonym for wise monarchs. Therefore, when mentioning Yao and Shun, everyone will think of the word "abdication". But why did Emperor Yao abdicate the throne to Shun? Let's talk about this story in the next video.
[The Chronicles of the Five Emperors: A Guide to Understanding the Model Historical Figures of Ancient Emperors]
I believe you must have heard of an ancient story - the abdication of the emperors Yao and Shun. In the historical book "Records of the Grand Historian", we can find the most authentic record of it. The throne of the emperor was passed to an outsider for the first time. So, is this abdication, which is praised as a good story for all ages, a touching story that shows noble character and the brilliance of human nature, or a political struggle with turbulent waves and crises hidden under the calm surface?
The fourth emperor Sima Qian recorded in "Records of the Grand Historian" was Yao, a famous wise monarch in history. Yao, whose name was Fangxun, was like heaven, and his wisdom was like a god. He was like the sun when approached and like clouds when viewed from afar. He was rich but not arrogant, and noble but not uncomfortable. He had excellent character. He was not only generous and kind, but also modest and polite, without any imperial airs. He inherited the excellent qualities of his father, Emperor Ku. Therefore, Sima Qian not only praised Yao's noble character in "Records of the Grand Historian", but also specifically explained the role these virtues played in the actual governance of the country.
Emperor Yao was able to show his outstanding virtue and get close to his nine clans; when the nine clans were harmonious, the people were enlightened; when the people were enlightened, the nations were in harmony. During Emperor Yao's reign, he influenced his relatives and friends by constantly improving his personal moral cultivation, which in turn had a profound impact on officials at all levels under his governance, and finally achieved harmonious coexistence among the people of the world. This approach is a bit like the Confucian practice of self-cultivation, family management, state governance and world peace. I don't know if Confucius was inspired by Emperor Yao. Both emphasize starting from the individual level and improving self-cultivation to achieve the purpose of influencing others and even the entire society.
The reason why Emperor Yao became a wise ruler was not only because of his noble character. He also had outstanding leadership skills and achieved remarkable achievements during his reign. The "Records of the Grand Historian" also described his improvement and perfection of the calendar in great detail. As early as the Yellow Emperor period, we already knew that the calendar was one of the top priorities in governing a country. So, what specific efforts did Emperor Yao make?
First, he appointed someone to be in charge of the calendar. He ordered his two major clans, Xi and He, to perfect the calendar. The "Xi" and "He" here have the same name as the sun goddess who gave birth to ten suns in mythology, but here they are just two large families. Emperor Yao ordered Xi and He to respect and obey the heaven, count the sun, moon and stars, and teach the people the time. In order to divide the four seasons more accurately, the Xi and He clans went to the four directions of east, west, south and north, each doing their own job, and formulating the four-season calendar of spring, summer, autumn and winter.
He first ordered Xi Zhong to live in Yanggu, responsible for welcoming the rising of the sun. According to legend, Yanggu is the place where the sun rises, and Xi Zhong greeted the rising of the sun with great respect. When spring came, Xi Zhong would lead the people to cultivate the land, marking the beginning of a year of farming.
In order to further improve the calendar, he also observed the movement of the sun, moon and stars. According to historical records, "the star bird in the middle of the day is in the middle of spring." The "middle of the day" refers to the day when the day is as long as the night, and the "star bird" refers to a star called a bird.