This program is jointly presented by Casarte, an international high-end home appliance brand.Hello, this is a journey of civilization. Welcome to travel back to 1015 AD, eight years after Song Zhenzong surrendered, and four years after Liao Shengzong came to power. In that year, the Song Dynasty still slid forward along its original trajectory.Haha, there is no other way. The surrender of Dazhong is just a year and an era. It means setting up a layer of gods on top of the human world, on top of the imperial power of the old Zhao family.Hey, adding a layer of divine power, it’s hard to say whether these gods and ghosts are useful, but Emperor Zhenzong himself did have a great time.Look at the huge Taoist temple Yuqingzhao Yinggong was built the year before.Starting from New Year's Day this year, large-scale national sacrificial ceremonies will be held freely and freely. With the venue for activities, you can see that Emperor Zhenzong is really happy. He started the new year with a big deal, first of all, he offered amnesty to the world, and in prisonAll the people who can release it will be released to me.

And what about the civilian fields that suffered floods along the Yellow River, Yangtze River, Huaihe River and the entire Jiangnan region?The emperor decided to waive all taxes this year. Just tell me how happy he is?In addition to the major events recorded in official history this year, there were two other events, which at the time seemed like very small joys and sorrows in the world. I think they are worth telling you.Let me talk about the sad thing first. Liu Yong, a great poet, is the one who wrote this poem "Where Willows Are Sober and Xiaofeng is with the Waning Moon".Hey, Liu Yong took the imperial examination this year, but failed to pass the examination. This is not his first time. Now he is 31, so pitiful.So later on, there was a famous literary legend, saying that someone recommended Liu Yong to the emperor, saying that this man was very talented, but where was his bad luck?This Liu Yong was so talented and famous, and he wrote all kinds of banquet poems. The emperor knew him, so he said it casually at that time.Oh, forget it and let him write the lyrics. Let him write the lyrics.Just such a sentence delayed Liu Yong.

He will have to wait until 20 years to truly become a Jinshi, and he will have to change his name. His current name is Liu Sanbian, and he will change his name to Liu Yong in the future.Haha, the emperor didn't recognize him anymore, he just won the Jinshi, and he was already 51 years old that year.This is a tragedy. In the imperial examination era, this was a common human joy and sorrow.But this is what happens in the imperial examination. Where there is sadness, there is happiness. There is a big happy event this year.What?In these issues this year, we often mentioned that Fan Zhongyan wrote about the dragon spirit of Yueyang, worrying about the worries of the world first, and rejoicing after the happiness of the world.Fan Zhongyan came to CICC this year, whom he had known for ten years, at the age of 26. This was of course a big step in Fan Zhongyan's life, but it also marked that the next generation of scholar-bureaucrats in the Song Dynasty had grown up and begun to appear.By the way, several important ministers in Song Renzong's dynasty have grown up this year, and some have become handsome young men.Let me give you some calculations. For example, the later famous prime minister Han Qi and the famous general Di Qing were the same age. How old were they this year?7 years old.

Ouyang Xiu, a literary scholar of the first generation, is 8 years old this year.Wen Yanbo shouted that famous saying to the emperor, saying that you, the emperor, rule the world with us scholar-bureaucrats, not with the common people. Wen Yanbo is 9 years old this year, the restoration prime minister is 11 years old this year, and the one we ChinaEveryone knows Bao Zheng, Bao Gong, Bao Qingtie, and Bao Heizi. They are 16 this year. Soon, the splendor and turmoil in the political arena of the Song Dynasty will be created by the next generation of Dr. Shi.of.

But don’t worry, the famous ministers of the older generation. We are talking about this time in 1015. The famous ministers of the older generation are still giving their final performances on the stage, so starting from this season and in the next few consecutive episodes, we may allLet’s talk about a group of veterans who are about to call their last days.So who are we talking about today, the famous Kou Zhunha? So why are we talking about him this year?If you have watched the last episode, you should remember that last year Emperor Zhenzong was so angry that he wanted to remove all the officials of the Privy Council and move away. He dismissed them all and promoted Kou Zhun to be the Privy Councilor, which is the head of the country's military department.Kou Zhun once again entered the core of power in his life.This happened in June last year, but it was only ten months ago.In April of this year, he lost his position as Privy Councilor and was sent by the emperor to Luoyang as the prefect of Henan.This was the fourth time in his life that Kou Zhun was kicked out of the core of power.
And this wasn't the last time. There was a fifth time after him. He had just tried it that time. He jumped up high and fell hard. But after falling that time, well, Kou Zhun never had the chance to make a comeback.

Until he finally died of illness in Leizhou.Where?You can see on the map that Hainan Island is separated by a sea. At that time, it was also close to the ends of the earth. He died of illness in Leizhou.Here comes the question, you said Kou Zhun is such a person and he is so capable.
And the credit is so great, but his official career.Why is it so bad?Let's take this question and travel back to 1015 AD. In this issue, we will talk about Kou Zhun. Because Kou Zhun is so famous, we will first spend a little time talking about the legendary Kou Zhun and the real Kou Zhun in history.That difference between accuracy.

first.

One point, the legendary Kou Zhun was from Shaanxi, you should have an impression.So is it called Kou Laoxin?Not really.Kou Zhun is the noble man in the painting, a native of Weinan, Shaanxi Province today. He is an old Shaanxi man, not an old believer.
Secondly, in our impression, Kou Zhun was born as a commoner. In fact, he was not. Kou Zhun's father was famous. He was the number one scholar in China during the Five Dynasties period. Although the number one scholar in the Five Dynasties was not very valuable, his father had never been a high official.But with such a father, Kou Zhun's background is indeed not comparable to ordinary civilians, right?Now let’s talk about this next thing. You may be surprised. What is the image of Kou Zhun in folklore?He is a very, very poor official. How poor is he?Anyway, when I was a child, I heard in storytelling that when Kou Zhun was a county magistrate, his poor official uniform was covered with patches, and the two black gauze hats with patches on them were gone, and he had no money to replace them with new ones.

The three classes of yamen servants under me could not pay their wages, so they had to kick them out. Some of them sold melon seeds, and some reduced their points to make money. Only when something happened did they go to the yamen and be promoted to court.He said that one time his superior came to inspect his work and wanted to make a cup of tea for him. What should he do if there was no tea?I found a broken straw hat hanging on the door. I tore a ring off the straw hat and soaked it in a teapot. I said you can try it. This is our local specialty, called circle tea.

This impression is very deep. What does this real Kou Zhun look like in the legend?We don’t look at unofficial histories, but we look at official histories. Song history says that Kou Zhun was a wealthy young man who liked luxury, drinking, and entertaining guests at night.So why is he said to be extravagant?Because they don’t use oil lamps at home.What do they use for lighting?With candles?Candles were used in the living room, kitchen, and even in the toilet. They were a luxury item in those days.

I have another piece of evidence. Many years later, Sima Guang once taught his son a lesson and wrote an article, saying that you should be diligent and thrifty. This is a very famous article and it mentions many examples.The examples mentioned in the Song Dynasty are all about, look at who, your Uncle Zhang and your Uncle Li are diligent and frugal in running the house, and how they can simplify music, but when it comes to Kou Zhun, he said this, Sima Guang said,He said that Kou Zhun was the best person in his life to let go of at that time, but there was nothing he could do about it. Kou Zhun made great contributions, and no one said he was wrong.But you see, the Kou Zhun family's family tradition is not good. Their descendants continue to howl and the family is ruined. How is it now?Kou Zhun's descendants are very poor.As for Sima Guang, there is something different from the impression in the legend. The legendary Kou Zhun has a bit of comedy, giving us the impression that he seems to be a very humorous person.But if you look at the historical materials, the Kou Zhun I read in the historical materials not only had no sense of humor, but was actually a person who, well, was a little heroic in his actions.

Sometimes this pride manifests itself as decisiveness, and sometimes as rudeness.For example, I just mentioned that he likes to entertain guests, but one of his repertoires is to drink wine with all his strength, and to choke people and drink wine behind closed doors.He is so spoiled that no one can stand it. Some wives came to the court and made a fuss, saying that you can no longer spoil our husband. He has such a personality.

Okay, I know, at this point, you can already divide the legendary Kou Zhun and the real Kou Zhun into two, completely cut off.So from now on, you know the relationship between Kou Zhun and the Yang family generals, Kou Zhun's running boots, and the night trial of Pan Hong. You know all these stories in your heart. They are all fiction. Let's ignore it. What is the real Kou Zhun like?.Alas, I am going to tell you a story about Kou Zhun that you are not very familiar with.The year is 1015 AD. How old is Kou Zhun?54 years old, how much older than I am now.In the Song Dynasty, a 54-year-old person was considered an old man.But you must know that this is not the background of Kou Zhun's life. His background in this life can only be described as a young man.Why do you say that?You have to look at his background.

Kou Zhun was a Jinshi of Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty. It is now more than 30 years ago.Who were the Jinshi that year?The names and prime ministers we mentioned in previous civilization tours, such as the holy prime ministers Li Heng and Xiang Minzhong, as well as Wang Dan who is now the prime minister, and Kou Zhun, were all born in the 5th year of Taiping and Xingguo.Jinshi.You said that his classmates were very good. At that time, Jinshi students in the same year had to call each other the same year.Yes, there was such a relationship in the officialdom during the imperial examination era. It was a very close and special relationship.First of all, let me say this, morally speaking, you have a vague responsibility to support each other in the same age. Even if you are not brothers, you are better than brothers, that's the relationship.And among the short-sighted people on this list, among all the people of the same age, Kou Zhun has a special role. Why is he the youngest?When you look at Jinshi, Li Hao is 33, Xiang Minzhong is 31, and Wang Dan is younger.23. How old is Kou Zhun?Zhong Jin was, he was only 19 that year.The young man in his prime, the youngest Jinshi among those on the same list at that time, also had an exclusive name, what was it called?It's called Tanhua.You might say that's not true.Isn’t Tanhua ranked third in the imperial examination?Right?The number one pick in the first place, the second place in the second place, and the top pick in the third place?That was the saying after the late Northern Song Dynasty. When Tanhua was mentioned in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it was the third place. But we are still talking about the early Northern Song Dynasty. From the Tang Dynasty to the early Northern Song Dynasty, what did Tanhua refer to?He is the youngest among the Jinshi.

Do you want a whole bunch of people to get Jinshi?Why, send the youngest among us out to collect some flowers to celebrate.This is called Tanhua Lang.Does anyone who has gone to college know that?In a dormitory, if everyone has a good relationship, the youngest brother will be cared for the most. He will be cared for during school and after graduation, because everyone thinks, well, I am his eldest brother.That's what it means.

He was the youngest among the same year, and the other older prime ministers were like Li Hong and Wang Dan.Yes, he has always been caring more or less overtly and covertly throughout his life.Not only that, Kou Zhun, I just said that his background in life is that of a boy. No matter how old he is, he behaves like a boy. Who doesn't like a boy?Including the emperor, the emperor at that time was Song Taizu, and Emperor Taizong particularly liked Kou Zhun.You see, after Kou Zhun finished raising Jinshi, according to the procedures of the court at that time, he had to start as a county administrator.Where is the first county magistrate?In Badong County, today's Badong County in Enshi, Hubei Province.You'll know it when you hear it.Alas, this place seems a bit far away and a bit poor.It doesn't matter, I was transferred back to the mainland after three years and worked as a county magistrate in Cheng'an County, Handan, Hebei Province, which is very close to the capital, Kaifeng.Two years later, Song Taizong took action personally and appointed Kou Zhun to be the manager in Beijing.Four years later, he personally took action again and was promoted to Privy Councilor.What is a Privy Bachelor?To put it bluntly, he became the emperor's staff officer and advisor, working directly beside the emperor, and less than two years later, he was promoted to deputy privy envoy. This was incredible. He was an important minister of the imperial court.

So how old was Kou Zhun at this time?Only 33 and a half years?Later, he was promoted, and Kou Zhun became the deputy prime minister participating in political affairs and the country. He was only 33 years old this year.You see, every step of Kou Zhun's promotion process is very solid and very fast.Yes, that's what being an official is like.As long as you don't delay every step, it goes without saying that you can mention it in two months, right?It will be promoted after two months, and it does not need to be promoted in three or four years. This is actually a very ideal rhythm. This rhythm must be cultivated by the big leaders personally.The 33-year-old deputy prime minister who participated in the administration was the youngest member of the Central Court so far in the Northern Song Dynasty. How good is Kou Zhun's start?So do you think this is the result of Kou Zhun's own struggle?It is really the result of this person being too capable and smart.

Or is there some other force behind it?Hey, I'm going to add something here. We Chinese have a very unique way of thinking, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. That is, we believe in our own efforts and don't pay much attention to other variables.

This may have something to do with the fact that we are a farming nation, we farmers, right?The land is there, the climate conditions are there, and I basically know in my heart the frequency and severity of disasters that God can give us.Therefore, how much food can be harvested from the land depends entirely on one's own efforts. Therefore, our old farmers in China have passed down this saying, which we still believe in today. What does it mean to reap melons if you sow melons, and reap beans if you sow beans?It is my effort that is the most important variable.

You see, many parents today use the same saying when training their children, saying that if you have such a good score, don’t look at others. You are looking for reasons within yourself. Do you only look at your own variables?There is no doubt that this is an advantage of our Chinese civilization.We are really diligent, we work really hard, and we are really willing to fight against ourselves.But there is also a problem with this way of thinking, or there is a blind spot, that is, it is not easy to see the role of environmental variables.

I remember the writer Wang Xiaobo once said this. He said that if you look at pushing a wheelbarrow in the countryside, it is very difficult to push it. It requires very high skills to push it well.Therefore, many people in rural areas concentrate on practicing their unicycle pushing skills until they are good enough to become a god. After becoming a god, there will be applause and everyone will admire them.So much so that these people never consider the issue of road construction, nor do they consider that if I have a good road, I don’t have to push such a difficult wheelbarrow. You see, this means that they don’t consider environmental variables and only consider their own efforts.Okay, let’s get back to our current topic.

Why was Kou Zhun's career so smooth in the first half of his career?Of course Kou Zhun himself was excellent, we don't deny this, but I'm afraid the most important reason is not this, but that Song Taizong needed him to be so successful.I repeat, it was because Song Taizong needed him to be so smooth. To put it bluntly, it was not that Kou Zhun himself pushed the wheelbarrow well, but that Emperor Taizong deliberately paved his road smoother.

Is this an environment variable that we don’t usually notice?In the past, many of us had a simplistic understanding of the role of the emperor. We thought that the emperor was just a human being. You were just lucky. You were sitting there. You were a human being, and you should be full of human weaknesses.Right?You believe the slanderous words, and you get angry when the loyal words are unpalatable. When you meet someone you like, you want to promote him. When you see something you don’t like, you get very angry. Many people understand the emperor so well, but they understand the emperor so well.The emperor was short-sighted.

If he is really like this, isn't he just a little animal?How could the emperor be so simple when he could only respond to environmental variables?In fact, there were not only very outstanding people among the emperors, especially Emperor Taizu of the Song Dynasty, who we are talking about now, he was considered half of the founding emperors, and he was like a dragon or a phoenix among people.

What's more important?The emperor's spiritual world is determined by his current position and role.What is an emperor?It is the keystone of the entire ancient Chinese political system. For such a large building to rely on it to stabilize its position, it determines that it has many dimensions to think about.

You think he has to guard against many things, guard against betrayal and deception, guard against the loss of power, guard against cliques for personal gain, and he also has to balance internal and external troubles.The civil servants and generals in the frontier and inland areas need to have monopoly power now, but also need a smooth transition in the future. They need to consider both the immediate matters now and their fate in the future, etc. It all has to be balanced.

So there is a word called the heart of an emperor. It seems that the heart of an emperor is unfathomable, but in fact there is nothing mysterious about it. His unfathomability is reflected in the fact that he has to consider things in many more dimensions than we ordinary people.If we are ordinary ministers in the court and we look up, the emperor, what we think is, well, look how good I am, how good my test scores are, look how hard I work now, what did I say?Did the sentence scratch the emperor's itch or touch his sore spot?Which of my performances satisfied or disgusted the emperor?So the emperor likes me that much, or dislikes me that much, right?What we see from bottom to top are simple variables.In fact, the reality is much more complicated. It is called the heart of an emperor.

Let’s take the situation of Song Taizong and Kou Zhun as an example. Why was Kou Zhun promoted so quickly?And he is indeed very young, very capable, very good, and very likable.But Emperor Taizong's deliberate training of him was definitely not because of me.I really like this person, but I don’t have the heart of an emperor. How can I have deeper considerations?Let’s briefly analyze a few of them. The first one is to see what Song Taizong was busy with in his life.One thing he has been doing for about 20 years in office is that massive expansion is desirable.There are many reasons behind this, the most important of which is that he wants to build his own team. Those who passed the Jinshi examination were called emperor's disciples at that time. I have apprentices, and these are all my people.Especially after his failure in the Northern Expedition, which was such a huge military defeat, as an emperor, he had to win over Doctor Shi.What's the cheapest way?It’s cheapest to issue a diploma, right?Yesterday you were an ordinary orange, but today you are myopic. This is what I give you. Isn't this the way my team put it together?

So you see, the two emperors Taizu and Taizong had completely different attitudes towards the imperial examination.Imperial examinations were also held during the reign of Emperor Taizu, but how many people were admitted to the first rank on average?Someone has calculated the average number of people admitted. During the reign of Emperor Taizu of Song Dynasty, only 13 people were admitted.By the time Emperor Taizong arrived, it had expanded more than ten times, with an average of 186 students admitted per first list minus 10.Just now I said that there were 119 people on this list in the V year of Kou Zhun's Taiping Xingguo.This is not too much. Song Taizong conducted the imperial examination for the last time. He admitted 353 people at once in three years, which was a large-scale expansion.It's not enough to just admit the number of people, you also have to let these Jinshi who succeeded in the imperial examination see a future.When he became a high-ranking official, he didn't care much about Taizu. You also held imperial examinations and admitted myopia, but these myopia entered the core circle of power when he was alive, that is, when he became prime minister, deputy prime minister, or privy councillor.When the Taizu reached this level, there was not even one.You can be appointed as soon as you pass the examination, and there are no high-ranking officials. But Taizong is different. Taizong is very active and intentional in promoting these people.

When he was alive, 16 of the Jinshi he admitted were admitted to the Central Courtyard.Among them, the one who was promoted the fastest was Lu Mengzheng, who became a member of the Central Committee in only 6 years.Humph, do you still remember Kou Zhun we just talked about?It seems that Kou Zhun was born in 1934 and became deputy prime minister at the age of 33, which is very fast.But if you calculate that Kou Zhun still spent 14 years, compared with the six years I just mentioned for Lu Mengzheng, Kou Zhun was not fast.So according to current terms, Kou Zhun is not that he is very good, he has stepped into a very good track, haha, and encountered a trend that is destined to take off.

In the early days of Song Taizong's reign, if you became a Jinshi, your official career was destined to be like this. This was because of the road, not because of his wheelbarrow.Of course there is a second reason, why was Emperor Taizong so anxious to promote Kou Zhun?There should be another motive, which is to train a team of prime ministers in advance for his future successor and the next emperor.Do you look at the time?When did Song Taizong become Kou Zhun and completed the most critical step in promotion, which was to be promoted to deputy privy envoy. Prime Minister Li was only one step away from the Central Courtyard. This step was difficult to take.when?In 991 AD, the second year of Chonghua, Song Taizong was over fifty years old.And because he had been appreciated on the battlefield before, he was not in good health at this time, so at this stage he was worried about his successor.

Oh, what kind of person to choose?When the next prime minister's team comes to court, if you look at it, of course Kou Zhun will be very conspicuous.He was the youngest among the Jinshi in the V year of Taiping Xingguo, and this advantage came into play.If you look at it from the perspective of Emperor Taizong, Kou Zhun is now in his 30s, and in ten years he will only be in his 40s, which is when he will be able to work hard.At that time, he was going to become prime minister. Not only was he young, but he was also senior. He had already been deputy prime minister in his 30s.If such a person is handed over to his descendants in the future, he will be better able to control the situation.So Emperor Taizong actually emphasized this point deliberately.

For example, when Kou Zhun was deputy prime minister when he first became minister, Song Taizong personally picked up a flower and gave it to Kou Zhun when the minister accompanied the emperor to drink and dine together.Say, come on, come on, bring it on, Kou Zhun is the youngest among our group. He is at the age where he can put flowers in his hair and drink from a big bowl.Then why do you think Taizong said this?It's because he loves to joke and spend a lot of time drinking. It's not that Emperor Taizong has a very deep character. He definitely doesn't make jokes casually.

This should be a public demonstration of Kou Zhun's political role. Although he is a deputy prime minister, he is still young. I am building a team for the future prime minister.So you can imagine the scene. The young prime minister wearing jade and flowers on his head, Kou Zhun with the jade tree facing the wind, where is he going? Do you think everyone will be impressed by this?I feel that this is the future of our Song Dynasty, this is the image.Understanding this level, it is not difficult for us to understand why later, for a trivial matter, Taizong drove Kou Zhun to a local post, and went to the local government for further training.When Kou Zhun left the capital and arrived at the place, Emperor Taizong openly wanted to ask again, alas, this old Kou Zhun was missing, how was he living outside.What is he doing?

Are you really moved by this young minister who misses you?impossible.For an emperor with the character of Song Taizong, he was sending a political signal. If you were a leader and you deliberately cultivated a young man whose age was about 20 years apart, you might do the same thing, that is, promote young people.Sometimes when he makes a small mistake, you will let him suffer some setbacks, gain more experience, and let him improve.Don't stay at the headquarters all the time. Go and exercise, but you must clearly let the people around you know that I am not beating him to death with a stick. I want everyone above and below to understand that he is someone I am cultivating.This is why Emperor Taizong told people around him that Mr. Kou Zhun was not here. I think this was his reason.In fact, Song Taizong trained Kou Zhun for another reason, a very secret reason. He was not called Song Taizong, but when he was alive, he did not know that this was the temple name given to him after his death.When he was alive, he did not know that he was Taizong of the Song Dynasty, but he wanted to be Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. This is for sure. Taizong of the Tang Dynasty was the only emperor throughout the ages and had such a good reputation. Later, all the emperors wanted to be Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. But the problem is that one person can actNot Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty.Hey, you have to have a script and someone to sing opposite you.To put it bluntly, you must have a courtier who is outspoken and admonishing, someone like Wei Zheng, so that you can be worthy of being the prince of the Tang Dynasty who accepts the sword with an open mind.Therefore, Song Taizong also learned among the courtiers who would play such a role, and found that Kou Zhun was suitable, young and close to the emperor, and Kou Zhun had a bad temper.

Did you say that once?At the court meeting, Kou Zhun may have said something that was very harsh and straightforward. Taizong was already very unhappy, so he stood up and left. He said, "I won't talk to you anymore."Kou Zhun said that he would let you go anywhere. He stepped forward and grabbed Taizong's clothes. He said, "Come on, let's continue chatting." He dragged the emperor back to his seat until the emperor and his ministers reached an agreement.Let the emperor go.So, was Song Taizong angry afterward?Not particularly happy, why did you finally find Wei Zheng?He said that the person who does things like this is the real prime minister.He also said that I have Kou Zhun, isn't this equivalent to Tang Taizong having Wei Zheng?

You see, these two people's secret codes match up.So if you look at Kou Zhun's bad temper, he actually has such a wonderful effect. Kou Zhun probably didn't expect it.If Kou Zhun could retain such a bad temper on the one hand, and on the other hand be well aware of the emperor's intention to cultivate a Wei Zheng, then if the two sides cooperated and sang in harmony, they might really be able to create many such good stories about the emperor and his ministers.

Okay, we just did an analysis, you see.Kou Zhun ate in his early years. Kou Zhun was very young and had a bad temper.This was actually the reason why the emperor wanted to cultivate him deliberately, which was something Kou Zhun did not expect.But didn’t Zweig, the Odingli writer, have a saying?That's really good. He said that all the gifts given by fate have been secretly marked out. Kou Zhun, who was struck by good luck, what price will he pay for his good luck?

Why did Song Taizong use Kou Zhun?There is actually a more secret reason for this.
You have to feel this.It was said that it didn't rain for a year, so Emperor Taizong became anxious and asked the people around him if there was something wrong that I, the emperor, had done, so that God would punish us like this?What can the people around you say?They say this and this, how can I blame you?This is fate, this is what is destined to happen, it is not up to you.

Only Kou Zhun stood up and spoke.I know what's going on.It's because our court's justice is unfair and God is unhappy.The emperor was not happy when he heard this.Say, tell me, why is the administration of justice unfair?Kou Zhun said, "I won't tell you in front of these people. If you call all the prime ministers, governors, secretaries and other high officials on the spot, I will tell you."Then the emperor said, OK, I'll call you, and I'll let you tell me the reason?Kou Zhun opened his mouth and told an old case.Did you know that when officials were found to have been involved in corruption and bribery, the amount was large enough and they had to be beheaded? At that time, Shenzhi was the deputy prime minister named Wang Mian. This person was summoned here now.Don't listen.Wang Mian's younger brother, Wang Huai, was convicted of corruption and bribery. However, just because he was the prime minister, he was only punished with a slap on the wrist. Moreover, the slap was not taken to the court, but was slapped on his own at home., and he didn’t even lose his official position.

Just like this, Kou Zhun revealed it in court.It's so unfair to say that.The injustice of justice has reached such an extent, I think it will be fine if it doesn't rain.Emperor Taizong turned around and asked, Wang Mian said on the spot, "Is this happening in your family?"Wang Mian said, alas, this is indeed the case.Then Wang Mian was scolded.It is recorded in the history books that since this incident happened, Emperor Taizong knew that Kou Zhun could be used, so what happened after that was when the deputy privy envoy promoted him to the core of power.Okay, here comes the question, why after this happened, the emperor was able to judge that Kou Zhun could be used. Was it because he was upright and not evil?Has a major case been uncovered?Definitely not. If you think a rich prime minister sounds like a big official, what does that mean in the eyes of the emperor?You protected your brother so blatantly, you definitely didn't do it secretly.Who was Song Taizong? He was an emperor who did a Taoist job in intelligence work. This matter must have had his tacit approval.So if there are people who are trying to cover up or unfair justice, it is not only Wang Mian who is involved, but also Song Taizong himself.You think he only scolded him afterwards and didn't drag his brother out and kill him. None of these things showed that he knew this well.So this is not the point. The point is that Kou Zhun actually had the courage to reveal this matter in front of everyone in the court.Of course, this is not the point. What is the point?

This is the explanation I saw in the book Qianqiu Right and Wrong Painting Kou Zhun by Professor Zhao Dongmei of the Department of History at Peking University.It turns out that Kou Zhun and the younger brother of Wang Mian we mentioned just now are the Wang Huai who committed the crime. The relationship between these two people is extraordinary.What's their relationship?Imperial examination childhood.That's right, it's Kou Zhun, the Jinshi in the V year of Taiping Xingguo that I just mentioned.The official Fan Wang Huai and the famous Prime Minister Li Han Wangdai just now were all Jinshi in the 5th year of Taiping Xingguo.You see, this requires a historian who is familiar with the historical data at this stage to be able to see the clues to solving the case.good.Seeing this, we understand why Song Taizong decided to use Kou Zhun, because Kou Zhun did not recognize any of his relatives.

Kou Zhun's social relationship is very simple. His ancestors have been commoners for several generations. Although his father was a top scholar, he has never been a high official. Therefore, Kou Zhun worked alone in Kaifeng City. He did not have any complicated political background and social background.Relationship, right?Of course, if you insist on saying that he has a network of connections, then there is one. That is the Jinshi in the V year of Taiping Xingguo that I just mentioned. Such a network of connections in the same year of the imperial examination.This is indeed the case. This network of relationships has been of great help to him. Prime ministers such as Li Han and Wang Dan all recognized this relationship, so these people have always been open to Kou Zhun.
Help in secret.

But if you look back, Kou Zhun, how does he treat this network of relationships?You knew this just now. It was so shameless that you reported your childhood Wang Huai in public without blinking an eyelid, and the report was so ugly. You want to see an official with no other background, just like this.A network of connections, alas, he was able to destroy the only network of connections with just one lift of his foot. This kind of courage is not something ordinary people can have, right?
From Kou Zhun's point of view, you can throw all the praises at his head, saying that he killed his relatives in a just act of justice, which is fair and selfless, etc.
But what is this in the eyes of the emperor?This is not ordinary morality.Alas, this is a very rare political quality that the emperor most hopes his ministers will have, but few ministers have.What is this called?What is the name of a minister who does not engage in any relations and is not a party member?This is called Lonely Minister.You must know that in ancient Chinese politics, a lonely minister is a very high evaluation of a minister.

Did Li Hongzhang write a poem to himself at the last moment of his life?Among them is a sentence called "The Autumn Wind Sword Gu Chen Tears, the Setting Sun Surprises the Marijuana Altar".Of course, if you want to understand Li Hongzhang, he is definitely not a lonely minister, but what does that mean?It shows that at the last moment of his life, he hoped that history would give him this evaluation.

What is a lonely minister?The so-called lone minister means that he does not form a political clique, nor is he attached to any political group, but he relies on his own ability to serve the emperor.Such a minister was even rarer than a giant panda at that time.It would be even worse if this person not only has no gang but is a loner, but he is also capable, responsible, and young.Who is this talking about?Doesn't this mean Kou Zhun?So he’s a bull and a horse, that’s what you think?Suppose you are the old chairman of a company and you conduct interviews yourself to recruit a college student who graduated from a prestigious school.This college student is young and has strong business ability, which is already very good in itself, but you find that he also has another quality, that is, in the company except the chairman, he will not buy anyone’s account, right?He dared to say things that the old guys who had been in the company for enough years didn't dare to say. For the sake of the company's development, he dared to offend anyone.

Then you say that such a young man should be regarded as a treasure?It must be cultivated deliberately.Understand this situation, and you will understand why Song Taizong regarded Kou Zhun as a treasure. It was a sharp sword that could be used to kill gods and Buddhas when meeting gods, and only such a thing could be held by the emperor.In your hand, do you think this is a treasure?

Kou Zhun's success in the first half of his life was all due to this reason. Of course, his difficulties and setbacks in the second half of his life were also due to this reason.Do you think Emperor Taizong was really kind to Kou Zhun, really promoted him, really cultivated him, how was it in the end?I still have to fall out with Kou Zhun, huh.The fall out came in AD 996.What year is this?

This was the year before Emperor Taizong died. At this time, Kou Zhun was still in power, although he was nominally the official deputy prime minister, right?But in fact, he is the host of government affairs, he is the boss, because other people dare not mess with him.Look at Prime Minister Lu Duan, and other colleagues know it well.Although Kou Zhun is young, his official position is not as high as ours, and his qualifications are not as old as ours, but his status in the eyes of the emperor is that of the successor of the next prime minister, so as for political affairs at this time, as long as Kou Zhun says what to do, weJust follow whatever you want. Kou Zhun's character is willing to make decisions anyway.I understand, Kou Zhun was in a load-oriented position at this time, and he actually had all the power.Then you think about it, Emperor Taizong was mentally and physically unconscious at this time. The arrow wounds he suffered on the battlefield never healed, so he knew he didn't have many days left.

If he hadn't been intolerable at this time, how could Emperor Taizong have killed Kou Zhun, the successor to the prime minister whom he had deliberately cultivated for many years.Is there no other way out for Todoroki to step down at this time?So what do you think happened?Alas, the cause was a small thing.Some people felt that Kou Zhun was unfair in a personnel arrangement, so they complained, all the way to the emperor, saying that Kou Zhun was wrong, Kou Zhun was authoritative, and he was very tyrannical.

Kou Zhun was not present when the complaint was filed, so the emperor took the complaint and asked Prime Minister Lu Duan what was going on?You are the prime minister, how come someone accuses Kou Zhun of monopolizing power?Kou Zhun doesn't even listen to you.Lu Duan said that he should seek truth from facts. This kind of personnel arrangement was decided by Kou Zhun. He has a strong personality and, you know, likes to have the final say.Although I am the prime minister, I am too old to argue with him, for fear of hurting the respectable women of the country.This is not considered to be cunning, he is telling the truth.Just as he was talking, Kou Zhun came in.When Kou Zhun heard this, he immediately said, this kind of personnel arrangement was decided by me and you together. We all made the decision collectively. How come if something goes wrong, it will be blamed on me alone, and I will quarrel loudly in the court.

Emperor Taizong reminded him, don't be like this, don't be like this, you are all prime ministers, and it is unbecoming for prime ministers and ministers to argue like this in the main hall.Then you think if Kou Zhun just lets it go at this time, there will be no more fuss about this matter. Maybe this matter will be forgotten, but no, Kou Zhun's stubborn temper has come up and he insists on fighting over the merits. Who is the one who said this?Has the final say?You are the prime minister, you agree?Even though it was me who mentioned it, it was turned into a pot of porridge by the time the scene was over.Emperor Taizong had a long face, and he said something very serious at this time.

He said: You are just a bird, you are a mouse, you have to understand human nature, not to mention you are a human being.Emperor Taizong pulled out all these words, but he never expected it.

The next morning, Kou Zhun actually appeared in the court again holding a pile of notebooks containing documents from the Prime Minister's Office.Come on, come on, don't you think I'm wrong?Come on, come on, all the written records of our discussions at that time are here. In front of the emperor, we went through them one by one, one by one, who was right and who was wrong. We put on such a posture, it's not good.Emperor Taizong sighed.Forget it, you go, Kou Zhun will be relieved of his duties.

Looking back on this process, why did Emperor Taizong despair of Kou Zhun?It's not because of anything specifically done wrong, or because of any dictatorial power that threatens the emperor. It's not because of any of this, it's just because Kou Zhun is determined to only be a sharp knife, and he refuses to do any cooperation with the surrounding network, or thatCompromise, or tolerance.This was true even of the emperor himself.You are a precious sword, but Emperor Taizong found that your sharp edge can hurt everyone around you, and my emperor's hand may not be able to hold the handle of your precious sword.What to do?No matter how sharp a knife like this is, I have no choice but to give up.This was the second time that Kou Zhun was kicked out of an important position beside the emperor, and then there was the third time, the fourth time, and the fifth time.The reasons were almost the same every time. Basically, Kou Zhun thought he had done the right thing. At the same time, he also seriously damaged the relationships with those around him, and eventually became a troublemaker, or rather a troublemaker.A person who is incompatible with the entire political situation.As a last resort, all the people around him had no choice but to tell him to leave. Well, he had no choice but to be excluded from the political center.

After listening to the story of Kou Zhun that I just told, you may say that this was an injustice in that era to a person who insisted on principles and was unwilling to join in the trend.You may also say, well, character is destiny.This is a person with great talent but a terrible personality.

Okay, so what inspiration can Kou Zhun’s story bring to us?Our pursuit of a better life comes from the opening of every extraordinary door.Casarte Born for Love Link Home Art Some people say that Ku Zhun’s life is a tragedy of character, because character determines fate. If you have such a bad character, you have a tragic fate.But I don't think so.Because if he was rejected because of his character, he had this character when he was young, but how smooth Kou Zhun was when he was young, and how brilliant his first half was.So I think Kou Zhun's life is actually a tragedy of growth.

How do you say this?You see, back to this year, 1015 AD, this year Kou Zhun was 54. He finally got another opportunity to work as the central prime minister.But what?He lost his job again in 10 months. What was the specific reason?It was really a mess, and there are records in history. To put it simply, he and his colleagues around him started to have troubles because of a little conflict, and then they made trouble.
Not open to trade.

In the end, everyone around me felt that this specific right and wrong was no longer important. What was important was that as long as you kept making trouble in the court, Kou Zhun, no one else could do other work.
So in the end the emperor had to ask him to leave.After Kou Zhun left, Zhenzong said this: Look, Kou Zhun is older and has gone through a lot. I thought that his problems could be corrected to some extent, but when he came back this time, II didn't expect that the way he behaves today is even more extreme than when he was younger, and even more extreme than when he was young.This emperor is also at his wits end.Because Zhenzong didn't say the same thing this time. Zhenzong also said almost the same thing before when he used Kou Zhun. Emperor Zhenzong's father, Emperor Taizong, also said almost the same thing. What do you think this means?This shows that the two generations of emperors were very clear about Kou Zhun's strengths and weaknesses from the beginning. They just felt that Kou Zhun's strengths and weaknesses were too outstanding and that talents were really rare. Didn't he have this shortcoming?It doesn't matter, I have many ways, for example, if I beat him, he can get better.

Either I let him practice at the grassroots level for a few years and endure some hardships, and he will get better. Or I can find someone, such as a veteran like Bi Shian, and I will put him above him to keep an eye on him, and he will get better.We have told this story before, or we can simply leave the problem to time. When Kou Zhun is older and matures, he will be better.Two generations of emperors did not think about Kou Zhun's life, which really confirms the saying that telling a man to die is a boy.There is no difference between Kou Zhun's appearance at 34 and his appearance at 54 years old.He is just as jealous and goes his own way, he does what he thinks of, and if he doesn't like it, he quarrels. If he can't win, he keeps quarreling until, alas, he is asked to leave. To put it bluntly, he has nothing to do in the past 20 years.growing up.

Now that we have mentioned this word, let us take a serious look at what growth is.Let me share a personal experience with you.Many years ago, an industry veteran told me this. He said that a person's hard skills are basically finalized by the time he or she graduates from college in his 20s. So where is the subsequent growth reflected?It is not reflected in yourself, but in your relationship with the social network around you.He summed it up by saying, "You have to rely on your own abilities."There is also a saying that people grow up on the Internet. When we were students, we believed that people's abilities can reach society on their own.Hey, people grow on the Internet, this is our focus.

I was in my 20s at the time, and I really didn’t understand much, so I asked this senior. I said it’s simple to understand. Does it mean that I need to have a good relationship with the people around me?He said no, don't misunderstand, that's not what it means. If you deliberately try to please the surrounding networks in order to build a good relationship, your network will stop growing. What is the sign of your network's growth?It is you who can export order to surrounding networks.Wow, this word has such an impact on me.Output order to surrounding networks.To illustrate this point, I remember he also told me a set of subjects. I later mentioned this set of subjects to me in my New Year's Eve speech. He said what does success mean to a 20-year-old?If someone is willing to guide you, this is called success.What does success mean to a 30-year-old?If someone is willing to use you, this is called success.So what does success mean for a 40-year-old person?If someone is willing to praise you, this is called success.

And for a 50-year-old person, what does success mean?If someone is willing to follow you, this is called success.You see, this is a perspective that looks back at a person's life growth from the social network. It is a very unique perspective. Let's look back again. What kind of order should you output to your surrounding network in this person's life?The greatest success for people in their 20s is not how strong they can become, but how strong you can be in your 20s, right?But you need to be accepted by a strong surrounding social network, that is, those successful people around you take a look and say, wow, this young man, OK, I am willing to take him.This is the so-called success of 20 years old, when someone is willing to lead it.

Then when you reach the age of 30, you must become a node in this network, a very important node. This node may not be very thick or big, but there should be one thing, that is, you can stand alone, and everyone is willing to put aIf I trust you with something, even a small one, that means you become someone who can use you.This is the order you want to output to the surrounding network at the age of 30. Leave it to me, you can rest assured.

When you reach the age of 40 in another ten years, the social network around you will also be further strengthened. Not only will you be a strong node, but because you continue to iterate around you, the nodes around you will also be strong. Between strong nodes and strong nodes,To interact, what is this?Alas, isn’t this just someone complimenting you?Many people have similar experiences.When you were in your 20s and graduated from college, you said that your classmates were very close, but they were all very young and couldn't help each other much.But you wait until you’re 40 to see it.Alas, you will find that each of your friends and classmates has begun to have some social status and unique resources, and their cognition has begun to be upgraded. Then you can give each other ideas, provide each other with resources, and help each other.This is what it means when you are 40 and someone is willing to flatter you?It means that the network interaction between strong nodes and strong nodes is formed.At the age of 50, the order of further output will change. A person should be in a state of having peaches and plums all over the world. You have many disciples and many younger brothers.You are not only an important node in the network, but you should also export order to the entire network. What does it mean that the surrounding nodes benefit from your existence?Isn’t this what is called someone willing to follow you?If you look at this course, there will be people who are willing to teach you when you are 20 years old, people who are willing to use you when you are 30 years old, people who are willing to support you when you are 40 years old, and people who are willing to follow you when you are 50 years old.I am very fortunate to have heard these words before I was 30 years old, and they have been applied to me to this day.Let’s put aside the factors that determine success or failure in these words.

The biggest inspiration to me from these words is that they show me what a human being is?People are not isolated individuals.All human values ​​can be observed from the perspective of the Internet.This was quite a shock to me at the time.If you think about our generation, our values ​​were basically formed in school. At that time, what did we think the world was like, as a student, right?We thought that during the exam, no talking was allowed, and people had to make their way in the world based on their abilities.The fruits of deeds are also fairly distributed according to individual abilities and achievements. As long as the truth is in hand, people can travel all over the world without fear. This is the worldview we had when we were in school, right?

Then you can compare it with the Kou Zhun we just talked about today. Doesn’t he live in such a conceptual world?Yes, it may be normal for a person who came from the imperial examination to fight every word in the examination room based on his own ability. It may be normal for him to think like this, but is this the real world?No, let me give you an example so that you can feel how complicated the real world is.Or should we say that there was a very famous turning point in Kou Zhun's life, that is, after the Alliance of Zen Abyss. We said in the 1005 issue of Civilization Journey that after the Alliance of Zen Abyss, Kou Zhun felt that he had made great achievements. He was an aspirant.Satisfied, Emperor Zhenzong was at least superficially grateful to him.

At this time, according to historical records, bad guys came.Who?King invades.
This bad guy.If Wang Gengruo went to the ears of Emperor Zhenzong and slandered him, saying that he had a dream of origin, he would be a king under the city.What is Kou Zhun? He is a gambler. He puts your emperor's life on the gambling table like a pig and puts all his bets on it.It is said that Emperor Zhenzong's face dropped when he praised him.It suddenly dawned on me, yo, that’s what it is, haha.So he began to hate Kou Zhun, and later he refused to let Kou Zhun become prime minister. This is what is recorded in the history books.Is that what it seems on the surface?Even if this historical data is true, I don’t really believe it.Okay, even if this historical data is true, using human common sense to judge the facts, is there any other explanation, are there any other possibilities?

Let me help you deduce a possibility. How crazy do you think Kou Zhun was at that time?He actually publicly said this to the emperor in front of others, saying, "Look at the time when I was in the Zen Yuan. If I had listened to you in everything, how could the Zen Yuan Alliance be done so quickly?"I listen to you, can the result be so beautiful?He said something like this. The emperor was well-educated at that time and said that he really shouldn't listen to me when it comes to the devil of birth and fortune. It's all your fault.Okay, if you are in our modern society today, no matter how small you have been as a leader, and you watch this scene, how do you feel?This means that the emperor is well-educated, but such ministers are useless in the court. It is not a question of whether your achievements in the past were great or not, but a matter of incompatibility between us monarchs and ministers in the future.

How can you be your superior when a subordinate is like this?But the problem is that the emperor is in trouble, and the emperor cannot fall out with Kou Zhun right away.Why?Because Kou Zhun has just made such a great contribution, your emperor immediately fell out with him openly and without any reason. You are not called a rabbit to die and a dog is cooked, and you are scolding when the bird is gone. You are not willing to be a famous emperor, soWe can only slowly look for opportunities.At this time, a bad guy called Wang Intrusion came up to Kou Zhunjin, and said a lot of slander, alliance under the city, and desperate measures. Is it because of Wang Qinruo's reminder that the emperor became aware of this problem?Did you suddenly realize it?Did you just lose face?It's impossible, the authentic emperor is not a fool.Ren Tong has the same belief. As long as he is a normal person, all these thoughts will go through his mind and he does not need to be reminded by others.He has had this idea for a long time, but now that the person's contribution is too great, he can coax him first and then talk about it.Do you think Wang Qinruojin's slander is useful?Useful, at least the emperor got two clear signals at this time.First, there was a person, at least a person named Wang Jingruo, who was willing to come out and openly confront Kou Zhun. Kou Zhun had political enemies.

Second, Wang Qinruo provided a complete set of rhetoric to criticize Kou Zhun, such as all-or-nothing and spear under the city. These rhetorics were invented ready-made.This means that if we take action against Kou Zhun at this time and ask him to leave the central government, this will not be the intention of the emperor alone. It is not that I use people to go forward and don’t use people to go back.Someone is willing to do it for me, someone is willing to find an excuse for me, someone is willing to take the blame in the history books for me, then I, Emperor Zhenzong, will go along with the flow and handle this matter.This is not my emperor, I am ruthless.

This is because some people can't stand Kou Zhun. Kou Zhun couldn't unite his colleagues. This is always the case with smart politicians.They don't get and ask for it according to their own will every day, and they do whatever they want.No, smart politicians keep a close eye on the entire political network, observe every small change in it, seize every fleeting opportunity, find every gap between various forces, and use vertical and horizontal methods to control the situation.Only a wise politician can achieve his or her demands through means, right?It's using Activision, so if you understand the story this way, alas, this is not a story about Wang Qinruojin slandering Emperor Zhenzong's change of heart, but what?

There was a crack in the entire political network that was not conducive to Kou Zhun, and Emperor Zhenzong took the opportunity to seize the opportunity of this crack and ask Kou Zhun to get out.This is the story, so Kou Zhun was not driven away by Wang Qinruo and the emperor, he was squeezed out by the evolution of the network structure.Look again, haha, none of the people among them are people who go their own way. They are people who can only respond to the environment's changing stimuli. Everyone is staring at this network, and according to the changes in this networkMove with the times and change with the situation.

Okay, do you understand how politicians on the Internet act?If you look back, our Kou Zhun has believed in one thing all his life, which is my node's ability and my judgment. He has been isolated from the Internet his whole life, and he has never been afraid of offending anyone on the Internet.As for other nodes, whether you are my colleague or the same year as mine, you can do whatever you want.Anyway, he felt that with my ability and my loyalty to the Song Dynasty, I would naturally gain the emperor's trust and support.

So what else can't be done?What is this called?This is called a lonely minister, a lonely minister, and Kou Zhun. This is what the emperor expects from him, and it is also what he expects from himself. But it is a pity that such a lonely minister cannot stay in such a real world.So when I was doing this program, I was writing a manuscript, and then I was thinking, if I could really travel back in time, I would especially like to say the words of my old senior.
Tell him.

People in the first couplet rely on themselves for their abilities, while people in the second couplet thrive on the Internet. This is just like the famous poem, which says that no one is an island and can be self-sufficient.Of course, Kou Zhun's tragedy is not over yet. Just five years later, we will talk about Kou Zhun again in the year 1020. The story about Kou Zhun is even more sinister and bloody.But at the end of today's Civilization Journey program, I still want to jump a little bit to Kou Zhun's later years. At that time, he was no longer the prime minister.It was 1022 AD. The 61-year-old Kou Zhun was demoted to Leizhou Sihu to join the army, a very small sesame official, and he almost lost his life in the process.Suddenly one day when he was staying in Leizhou, he heard the news that his nemesis who had always wanted to murder him had also been demoted, and it was even further away and worse than him.Where was he demoted to?He was demoted to Yazhou on Hainan Island.What's more terrible?From Kaifeng to Yazhou, you have to pass through Leizhou and cross the sea.

Two bitter rivals in the political arena are about to pass by each other in Lei Zhong.At this time Kou Zhun did two things.The first thing he did was send someone to deliver a whole steamed sheep to this location.You must know that eating mutton was a very high-end thing in the Song Dynasty, so a whole steamed sheep was a generous gift.When Ding Wei saw Kou Zhun, he still thought, "I don't hold grudges. Can I see Kou Zhun?"

Kou Zhun asked someone to tell him, forget it, don't suggest it, this is the first thing.The second thing is, as soon as Kou Zhun's servants heard that Ding Wei was coming, did they want to take the opportunity to kill Ding Wei for revenge?After Kou Zhun found out, he closed the door of his house and set up a big table in the yard. The table was filled with various gambling equipment. Everyone came to sit and play as they pleased, but they were not allowed to go out..Then Mr. Kou Zhun moved a deck chair himself and sat next to it to watch everyone play.

It wasn't until he was far away that he ordered the door to be opened and let his servants go out.I read Kou Zhun's historical materials, and when I read this paragraph, I felt happy in my heart.Just happy for an old friend.After this thousand years, I seem to have looked at each other with Kou Zhun, I, Kou Zhun, Kou Zhun, Kou Pingzhong, Kou Laigong.In the last moments of your life, you finally showed your tolerance for the world, and you finally grasped the appropriateness of getting along with others beautifully.Finally reconciled and integrated with this era and this network.Congratulations.This is the year 1015 AD that I will tell you. See you next year in AD 1016.