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Hole melting
Kong Rong, this name is a household name in China. When people think of him, the cute little boy who made pears at the age of four immediately comes to mind.
However, the truth of history is often more complex than we think. Kong Rong was born in the late Eastern Han Dynasty and is a descendant of Confucius.
When he was ten years old, he accompanied his father to visit the famous scholar Li Ying. The young Kong Rong actually claimed to be Li Ying's "child of the world", which surprised the guests present.
When questioned, he cleverly replied with the relationship between Confucius and Lao Tzu, because Li Ying was a descendant of Lao Tzu, and this explanation left everyone speechless.
Although this scene shows Kong Rong's wit, it also hints at his sharp character in the future.
As he grew older, Kong Rong's talent became more and more dazzling. He is well-read and brilliant, and is known as one of the "Seven Sons of Jian'an".
However, this talent was not reflected in his career. In the troubled times, Kong Rong frequently clashed with the powerful, revealing a side that was ignorant of the world.
The most prominent are the various contradictions between Kong Rong and Cao Cao.
When Cao Cao wanted to punish the lieutenant Yang Biao, Kong Rong stepped forward and used historical stories as examples to persuade Cao Cao to take back his fate. Although this move demonstrated Kong Rong's sense of justice, it also laid the groundwork for future tragedies.
Not only that, Kong Rong also openly opposed Cao Cao's prohibition of alcohol.
He made a generous speech in the court and asked: "If alcohol is forbidden because of the troubled times, then why can't you stop marrying because of the death of the country?" Although there was no shortage of truth in this remark, it undoubtedly angered Cao Cao.
What is even more puzzling is that Kong Rong actually dissuaded Cao Cao from conquering Liu Bei and Sun Quan many times.
He bluntly pointed out that this is "a crusade against the teacher of benevolence and righteousness with a teacher of unrighteousness", how can it be undefeated? Such sharp criticism made Cao Cao's anger accumulate more and more.
Kong Rong's words are sharp, not only for political affairs, but even to "stretch" his hand into Cao Cao's private life.
When Cao Cao's son, Cao Pi, accepted Yuan Shao's daughter-in-law as his wife, Kong Rong actually described her as a red face like Daji, and boldly wrote to Cao Cao about this comment. What king would like such a nosy, unpleasant man?
However, nothing is more shocking than Kong Rong's "unique insight" on family affection.
He has openly stated that children are nothing but the product of lust, and that the relationship between mother and child is like that between objects and containers, and once separated, there is no more to do with each other.
This point of view is undoubtedly shocking in the ancient society that attaches importance to filial piety, and it can be seen that Kong Rong is no longer the Kong Rong in "Kong Rong makes pears".
With the accumulation of contradictions, Kong Rong's fate gradually moved towards tragedy. In 208 AD, Cao Cao ordered the death of Kong Rong's entire family on charges of unfilial piety and rebellion.
It is really embarrassing that such a person who is famous for being a "filial son" ended up with such a fate.
Kuang Heng
In addition to Kong Rong, there is also the well-known Kuang Heng who chiseled the wall and stole the light.
As a teenager, Kuang Heng lived in a four-walled environment, but he was very eager for knowledge and wanted to change his poor fate through reading.
In order to be able to read and write, he preferred to work as a landlord for a short time, just to borrow a few books. Even when night fell, Kuang Heng did not stop learning.
He cut a small hole in the corner of the wall and continued his study by the faint candlelight of his neighbor's house. This story of "chiseling the wall and stealing the light" has become a classic allusion to encourage students to study diligently in later generations.
Kuang Heng's hard work will eventually pay off. Some of his interpretations of the "Book of Songs" soon spread all over the world, "That is, to say poetry, Kuang Heng comes; Kuang said poetry and understood people. The praise spread far and wide.
However, although Kuang Heng is very knowledgeable, his career path is not so smooth.
Kuang Heng was repeatedly frustrated in the examination for official positions, and it was not until the ninth time that he barely passed, and obtained an inconspicuous position in literature.
The turning point of fate came after Kuang Heng became the crown prince.
After the crown prince ascended the throne, Kuang Heng began to rise steadily, rising from Langzhong and Dr. all the way to Doctor Guanglu and Prince Taifu, and finally ascended to the high position of prime minister and was named Le'an Hou.
Above the court, Kuang Heng won the trust of the emperor with his profound knowledge. He advised the emperor to quit some extravagant habits, not to be cronyistic, and to listen to more remarks that were beneficial to the court.
Whenever the imperial court discussed major affairs, Kuang Heng could always quote scriptures and witty words to impress the ministers present.
However, the taste of power seems to have made Kuang Heng gradually lose himself.
When Shi appeared to be powerful, he was as submissive as the other ministers; And when Shi Xian lost power, he immediately joined forces with others to impeach Shi Xian. This behavior of wall-to-wall grass is in stark contrast to his early image.
What is even more embarrassing is that Kuang Heng actually took advantage of his position to illegally occupy more than 40,000 mu of land.
When this scandal was revealed, the emperor was furious and demoted him to commoner. The former prime minister was once reduced to an ordinary person, and such a gap has to make people feel the impermanence of fate.
Li Shen
"At noon on hoeing day, sweat drops into the soil. Who knows that Chinese food is hard work. ”
This poem is simply the enlightenment of our childhood about saving food.
Its catchy tone not only made the non-math children remember the farming picture of "hoeing the day of the day, sweat drops of grass into the soil", but also made people have a good impression of its author Li Shen worrying about the country and the people.
However, the truth of history is often unexpected, and the real Li Shen is very different from the image created in his poems.
After Li Shen lost his father at a young age, he went into exile with his mother. This experience was supposed to make him empathize with the suffering of the people, but it evolved into an extreme vanity and extravagance in his later life.
When he passed the imperial examination and entered the official career, Li Shen's lifestyle changed dramatically.
In Li Shen's mansion, courtesans and dancers are like clouds, and the sound of staggering is endless. His lavish life even gave rise to an idiom that has survived to this day – "commonplace".
It is said that when the poet Liu Yuxi attended Li Shen's banquet, he was shocked by the many beautiful courtesans in his family, and wrote the poem "Commonplace and idle things, cut off the history of Suzhou".
In his official career, Li Shen also showed a completely different side from the spirit of his poetry.
He advocated participating in the "partisan dispute" of the imperial court and was dependent on Li Deyu, the prime minister of the "Li Party", and the ups and downs of his career were closely related to the party struggle. In order to curry favor with his boss, he did not hesitate to abuse his power, and even caused a tragedy of human life.
The most despicable thing is that when Li Shen was a magistrate, he once concealed the locust plague in his jurisdiction and ordered the people to be driven away.
When his subordinates questioned this decision, he said coldly: "Those grass people who have been affected by the disaster are like chaff, and their life and death can only be left to the natural course." "
This remark is in great contrast to the sympathy of "who knows that Chinese food is hard work" in his poem.
In addition, the biggest stain in Li Shen's life is the "Wu Xiang case" that he handled in his later years. In order to curry favor with Li Deyu, he fabricated charges against Wu Xiang, the governor of Jiangdu County, and insisted on sentencing him to death when the evidence was insufficient.
Although this unjust case was rehabilitated after Li Shen's death, it also ruined his reputation, he was held accountable, his official title was stripped off, and his descendants were never allowed to be officials.
Looking back on Li Shen's life, it seems to be full of drama.
His poem "Compassion for Nong" has been passed down through the ages and praised by future generations; And he himself has been stinking for thousands of years because of all kinds of misdeeds. This huge contrast can't help but make people sigh: an excellent poet is not necessarily a noble person.
epilogue
Looking back on the long history, we often see such a phenomenon: there is an obvious contradiction between the works or contributions of some famous figures in history and their personal conduct.
The stories of Li Shen, Kuang Heng, and Kong Rong profoundly illustrate this point.
This contradiction not only provokes us to think deeply about history, but also provides a complex and interesting perspective on how we evaluate historical figures.
Importantly, we need to learn to distinguish between the work and the author. A person's talent and contribution exist objectively and should not be completely denied because of his or her personal character.
Li Shen's poem "Compassion for Nong" has been passed down through the ages, and the values of saving food that he conveys should not be erased by his extravagant life.
Similarly, the story of Kuang Heng's "stealing the light" has inspired countless future generations, and even if his actions in his later years are controversial, the value of the story itself remains.
But that doesn't mean we should ignore the shortcomings of historical figures.
On the contrary, a comprehensive and objective evaluation of historical figures, both recognizing their contributions and recognizing their shortcomings, can help us understand history more accurately.
At the same time, this contradictory phenomenon of "having talent but not virtue" also provides us with valuable historical lessons. It reminds us that while pursuing talent and achievement, we should also pay attention to moral cultivation.
Celebrities are hugely influential, and inconsistencies in their words and actions can have negative consequences. This inspires us to look at celebrities rationally and not blindly worship them.
In general, in the face of the contradiction between the works or contributions of historical figures and their conduct, we should adopt an open, inclusive and rational attitude. neither for the sake of nonsense, nor for blind worship; It is necessary not only to objectively evaluate history, but also to draw useful enlightenment from it.
This balanced perspective not only helps us understand history more deeply, but also provides important references and inspirations for our real lives.
History is a mirror, and by observing and thinking about these complex historical figures, we can better understand the multifaceted nature of human nature and grasp the direction of our own life more clearly.
While appreciating talents, we should pursue the harmony and unity of character and talent, which may be the most valuable inspiration given to us by these historical figures.
Resources
1. Kong Rong - Baidu Encyclopedia
2. Historical truth: The poet who wrote "The Day of the Hoe" is actually the cool official hated by the people! ——Guangxi Satellite TV, released on May 27, 2019
3 Kuang Heng, who "chiseled the wall and borrowed light", later illegally occupied more than 40,000 acres of land? —Shangguan News, February 28, 2022