Artists have always been a relatively low-status group in ancient China, they either play musical instruments, sing and dance, or use witty language and movements to please the audience. In the eyes of people at that time, they did not create any practical value, but for entertainment and entertainment, and their status was naturally not too high. In the Tang Dynasty, the famous poet Li Mu also wrote in a poem: "The merchant girl does not know the hatred of the country, and sings the backyard flowers across the river." Although it is actually a satire on the unscrupulous rulers, it is the "business women" who are directly criticized for "not knowing the hatred of the country" who sell songs for a living.
In fact, not all the artists in history have disregarded the society and people's livelihood as Du Mu's poems say, for example, the "History" records a respectable artist. This song and dance artist living in the Qin Dynasty, despite his low status, was willing to consult the qin shi huang, who was known for his domineering, and the notorious Qin II Hu Hai for the sake of the people. For him, even Sima Qian praised: "Good is a joke, but it is in line with the road." He is the "unsung hero" Youxu.
As an ordinary and humble artist, no one knows when and where You Xuan was born, and Sima Qian's description of him is also very simple, that is: "Qin Advocate Dwarf Also." From this description, we can know that he is first of all an entertainer, and secondly a dwarf, much shorter than ordinary people. Coupled with the above-mentioned "good for laughter", a small figure, but can sing and dance, funny and humorous image is roughly formed.
Unlike many artists who are keen to compete for the wind and jealousy, Youxu is a kind-hearted person. Once, when the First Emperor was holding a banquet, it suddenly rained heavily, and Youxu saw the guards standing guard in the rain outside the palace, and he immediately felt compassion. Therefore, he deliberately toasted to the First Emperor in the crowd, shouting that wanzai would go to the door and shout to the guards: "Although Ru is long, He Yi, fortunately Yu Li." Although I was short, I was fortunate to rest. "The meaning of this sentence is that although you are tall, you can only stand in the rain, and I, though short, can rest in the temple.
On the surface, this sentence seems to be Youxu laughing at the guards outside the palace, but in fact, it is reminding Qin Shi Huang that the "short" people who have no merit or hard work, but just perform entertainment programs can enter the temple to avoid the rain, and these guards guard the palace, and the "tall" people are outside the rain, which should not be. After Youxu made another "mockery", the First Emperor also realized that he was wrong, so he ordered that the number of guards on duty should be halved and taken turns.
Later, Qin Shi Huang planned to expand the scale of the imperial garden, raising rare birds and beasts for himself to hunt on the vast land from Hangu Pass in the east to Yong County and Chen Cang in the west. Obviously, the large-scale project of expanding the garden is not only quite laborious, but also causes the people who originally lived on these lands to be forced to migrate. Aware of the danger, Yusuke immediately confronted the First Emperor and "approved" of his idea, saying, "Goodness." There are many beasts and beasts in it, and Kou comes from the east, which makes the elk touch it. ”
From today's point of view, Youxu's statement is "yin and yang weirdness". He praised the Shi Huang's plan to expand the garden, and said that it was better to raise more animals, so that when the enemy attacked from the east, it was enough to use the antlers of the deer in the forest to confront them. Obviously, the meaning of Youxu is that such a vast area should be set aside as a garden, which will make it difficult to guard against threats from the east, in contrast, it is undoubtedly more appropriate to build a city pass and arrange for military and civilian garrisons. After listening to Youxu's words, shi huang also understood the stakes, so he canceled the plan.
After the death of Qin Shi Huang, Qin II Hu Hai succeeded to the throne, and Youxu was still quite favored. Hu Hai was stupid, cruel and unkind, and did not pity the people's strength, and even proposed to paint a layer of paint on the city wall to increase the beauty after succeeding to the throne. Of course, Youxu would not sit idly by and let this absurd idea come true, so he followed the example of the method used when he entered the first emperor and said, "Goodness." Though the Lord is speechless, his subjects will ask him. Although the lacquer city is worried about the people, it is good! The lacquer city was in turmoil, and Kou Lai could not go up. That is, if you want it, it is easy to be lacquered ears, and it is difficult to take care of it as a room. ”
In the face of two emperors with similar personalities, Youxu chose a relatively euphemistic way of advising, saying that even if Hu Hai did not say it, he planned to paint the city wall again. Although this will consume the people's strength and lead to a lot of complaints from the people, the walls are very beautiful after being painted, and the enemy cannot climb up when they attack. However, it is not difficult to paint, but the painted items need to be shaded, and if the whole city is painted, I am afraid that I will not find a large house that can be used for shading.
Even Hu Hai knew that even if the city wall was painted, it would not be able to make the enemy climb up, and Youxu's words were a reverse reminder that the paint did not have any practicality. It is worth mentioning that Youxu also gave Hu Hai a step to abandon the plan by "not finding a suitable large house for the city wall to dry". Therefore, Hu Hai laughed after listening to it, and dispelled the absurd idea of painting the city wall.
After the fall of the Qin Dynasty, Youxu submitted to the Han Dynasty and died a few years later, and the history books also failed to give an exact time for Youxu's death. From the above description, it can be seen that Youxu is a very sympathetic, kind and upright singer and dancer, who not only has humorous language, but also has a high emotional intelligence. Although people are light-hearted, Youxu has a strong sense of responsibility, and he has advised the people many times for the sake of the people, which is indeed very worthy of respect.