Hello, this is a journey of civilization. Welcome to travel to 1017 AD, the first year of Tianxi of the Song Dynasty, and the sixth year of the founding of the Liao Dynasty.The Song Dynasty changed its Yuan Dynasty this year, and the name of the Yuan Dynasty was Tianxi. This seal means good luck and happiness. The so-called Tianxi is a word of hope that God will bestow good luck and happiness to all our people.But if you listened to our last program, you will know why this year name was changed.Because there was a major locust plague last year, and the locusts swept across half of China.Therefore, the court was very busy at the beginning of this year. There was a general amnesty, all the taxes owed by the people in the past were waived, and there was no need to pay land rent in the disaster-stricken areas.Tax cuts and price cuts for daily necessities such as tea and salt, etc. Anyway, if you look at the policies at the beginning of this year, everything the court can do to reduce the burden and pain of the people, this year is really good, they have been done.But the problem is that this is not enough, because the emperor is not only worried about the immediate suffering of the people's livelihood, but also a more important problem.

Yes, what has the court been busy with in the past nine years?During the surrender of Dazhong, were the activities such as burning incense, worshiping gods, and offering sacrifices conducted by the imperial court bankrupt in terms of credit?I asked God to bless me, but God released a lot of bugs. How can I explain this thing?This is a larger political issue.So there is no other way to change the year name. It turns out that it is for the public to enjoy happiness, that is, God will definitely give us good luck. You see, I have the Book of Heaven in my hand and I am blessed, with all kinds of evidence.Now it is renamed Tianxi, which means Tianshu is not convinced. Let’s put it aside and ask God for good luck.You see this attitude is obviously much more modest.The reign name Tianxi lasted for five years in total, and these five years were the final stage of Song Zhenzong's dynasty.If you look at the program Our Civilization Journey, you will see that each issue only grabs a year, and it moves forward slowly.But it has only been broadcast for more than four months. Our Emperor Zhenzong has gone from a young man in his 30s to the age where he knows his destiny. He is almost 50 and his health is about to fail. An era is almost over.Okay, so back to the year, 1017 AD, what should we care about this year?is a person.right.In October of this year, the old prime minister Wang Dan passed away.It actually took several months for this prince to become seriously ill and die. In fact, he began to fail in health at the end of May and began to report to the court that he wanted to resign. But how could Emperor Zhenzong be willing to do so?After all, after having used the prime minister for so many years, he felt that he could not let go of his feelings, so he always disagreed.Well, the monarch and his ministers just dragged it on until August. The prince's body really couldn't hold it anymore, so he had two people support him and came to the palace to resign to the emperor.
Emperor Zhenzong looked at it from a distance and realized that Wang Dan was too thin. In addition, the emperor himself was not in good health at this time. He felt a little sad when he spoke, saying that I still have important things to entrust to you. You are like this now.But what's the matter?Then he called his son over with a little help.Who?Later, Song Renzong, who was still a child at the age of 7, asked his son to kowtow to Wang Dan.Wang Dan, if you want to be trembling, you can't even let someone help you when walking, so you are hiding tremblingly. How can you let this prince kowtow to you?Just hide, and then the 7-year-old child Song Renzong chases after him and kowtows. If you had been watching this scene at the scene, we would have experienced a kind of sadness in the chaos.

Just look at the courtesy between the two of them, the monarch and his minister. It’s hard to say who is paying blessings to whom, right?Well, in October, Wang Dan passed away at the age of 60. Emperor Zhenzong was almost 50 years old at this time. He had been the emperor for 20 years, and he personally came to visit Wang Dan by boiling medicine for him.After Wang Dan's death, the imperial court also gave him a very high honor. Among other things, the imperial court gave Wang Dan the posthumous title Wenzhen this year. He was the chaste and chaste person. Wenzhen had such a hobby that a civil servant in ancient China could do so.The ultimate hobby you can get.Wenzhen later changed his name to Wenzheng because he was named after Song Renzong Zhao Zhen.Do you think there are any people with the posthumous title Wen Zhenggong in history?Fan Zhongyan, Sima Guang, Zeng Guofan, etc., if you are not a recognized model of civil servants, or have a very special opportunity with the emperor himself, Wen Zheng would not have to think about it at this time. Not only that, the entire Song Dynasty people's evaluation of Wang Dan is alsoVery high.You see, after Renzong succeeded to the throne, the court asked Wang Dan to marry Zhenzong. What does it mean?That is to say, when the imperial court worshiped Emperor Zhenzong in the Ancestral Temple, it also had to worship the royal dynasty along the way.Wow, this is a very high honor for a minister.Historically, there were only two civil servants of Zhenzong. One was Li Hang, whom we have introduced in previous programs.Another thing is that the other people in this online loan look like prime minister Lu Duanna, and the famous Kou Zhun, hehe, I'm sorry, they are not qualified yet.You see, Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty later personally gave Wang Dan’s Shinto stele, the stone stele in front of Wang Dan’s tomb that recorded his life story, with a forehead.This humiliation was so powerful that he was called a senior senator in all virtues. Wang Dan was honored as a senior minister who was morally perfect.Oh, you see, it is the end for a minister who has reached this level. He has really given away all the honor and favor that the court can give.
But don’t you think it’s strange?Except for people who specialize in the history of the Song Dynasty, or senior history buffs, few people actually know that there was a prince in the history of the Song Dynasty.Then there is a problem. What kind of prime minister is this prince?Why is his presence so low in later generations?But the evaluation was so high at the time. How did this contrast come about?Okay, let’s take this question and travel back to 1017 AD, where the Great Song Dynasty Tianxi was wronged.

Okay, this time we’re going to talk about Prime Minister Wang Dan.Wang Dan was a native of Shen County, Daming Prefecture, which is today's Liaocheng, Shandong Province. He was a Jinshi in the V year of Taiping Xingguo, Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty.This year's Jinshi is extraordinary. When we talked about Kou Zhun in 1015 AD, we mentioned this year's Jinshi. He actually produced four prime ministers.Li Hao, we said it, Xiang Zhong we said it, Kou Zhun, we said there is this online loan.But Wang Dan did not develop the best among the four. He was the last to become prime minister, but he worked for a long time, and he worked for 12 consecutive years.You have been doing the accounting longer than the other three prime ministers in the same year in recent times. If you do the accounting again, he has been doing it longer than the seven previous prime ministers of the Zhenzong combined.If you calculate the accounts carefully, it will be terrible.

This Wang Dan actually broke a record. He was the longest uninterrupted prime minister in the 167-year history of the Northern Song Dynasty.Of course, you have to notice that my attributive is to be the prime minister continuously. If you work for a few years, you can rest for a few years.Alas, maybe Zhao Pu in the early Song Dynasty took longer, but Wang Danniu just watched it non-stop.Yes, such achievements are very rare since ancient China had such a prime minister system.It seems strange that a person with such outstanding achievements as an official is not famous in history. Few people know about Prime Minister Wang Dan.Well, don’t you think it’s weird?We can look at Wang Dan's official achievements in his life in three steps. The first step actually has little to do with him. It is a dividend of the times, and it is the times that gave him special gifts.

As we said before, Wang Dan was a Jinshi in the V year of Taiping Xingguo, Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty. How many people were admitted to this Jinshi in total?There are 119 people, 23 people are Jinshi in Section A, and 96 people are Jinshi in Section B. These are two levels.Prince Dan, I'm sorry, the second level is a Jinshi, what does it mean?Do you do the math?That is, his score is at least 23rd, and will he be 23rd in Division A in the future?He is in the B department.If this term were used in the Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, or even the Song Taizu period, it would have been impossible to pass the Jinshi examination, because the number of admissions was very small at that time, and there were generally only a dozen or so Jinshi candidates in one session. The 23 of them had no chance to go outside. Look,What does this mean?It shows that Wang Dan stepped on the wind and hit the big luck. He caught up with the dividends of Song Taizong's era of advocating literature, art and martial arts.For this background, you can refer to our 1015 program on Kou Zhun, which explained it in more detail.In short, it was because Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty wanted to expand the number of imperial examinations and the number of places increased, so Wang Dan won the Jinshi and became an official.Of course, by the way, the examination room and the battlefield seem to be two areas of national affairs, and they seem to be two different things.But if you really stand at the scene of history, you will find that the two fields of writing and writing in the examination room and the dancing of swords and guns on the battlefield are actually closely related.Let me give you an example. In the exam before the Wang Dan Examination in the third year of the Taiping Xingguo Period in 978, what was the title of the argumentative essay on the TV show hosted by the emperor?I'll read it to you called "Lecture on the stage and watch the battle". You don't even need to know the words. As soon as you hear that there is a "no" and "station" in the title, the general direction will be clear in your mind.We don’t need to examine the topic carefully. We know at first glance what direction this article should go in, right?He must be advocating that the country should organize its army and strengthen its military strength, so as to achieve victory on the battlefield. By the way, I would like to praise the emperor. He is really wise, powerful and strategizing.This article has the general meaning.Yes, because Song Taizong was going to make the Northern Expedition the next year. Before sending troops to fight, a question like this was asked in the examination room. Then of course you had to answer according to the emperor's wishes. Of course, your probability of passing the exam was high. So at this time, scholars also had to advocate for the country.There has to be force, right?This was the trend at this time, but the problem was that the trend changed the next year, and the war was defeated miserably.The first half of this war was okay. The Northern Han Dynasty was successfully destroyed. It was basically regarded as the unification of the Han Dynasty.But later Song Taizong wanted to take Youyun back for sixteen weeks and failed miserably.Song Taizong himself was hit by a sword in the leg and could not ride a horse. He finally managed to steal a donkey from the common people and drove a donkey cart, and then fled back to Kaifeng.It was a very tragic battle.Then you want to go to the next year to take the imperial examination for the Wang Dan subject, and become a Jinshi in the V year of Taiping Xingguo, right?What is the title of the argumentative essay on television?You are hearing that this topic calls for civil and military skills to come first, so I would like to ask you people, should a country put emphasis on civil skills or martial arts first?Come on, write it on the paper for me.So if you were a candidate that year and you were a little bit politically sensitive, how should you answer?What are you writing about?Does the country want to strengthen its military and strengthen its military strength?What kind of emperor is wise and powerful?Then aren't you the face of the great emperor?You can't write it like this, you have to follow the emperor's wishes, right?It's just that force is not important.Oh, the key to governing a country is the rule of law.

That must be this idea, right?Well, after understanding this subtle change, you will also understand why scholars like Wang Dan are like this.Alas, his time has come, and this is the first stage in the ascent of the royal dynasty.I heard that it is purely the opportunity given by the times, but the problem is that there are many scholars in the world, and there are also many Jinshi. Does Wang University have 119 Jinshi in this subject?So why did only four people become prime ministers in the end?Right?This is still to understand, Wang Dan can move up so slowly, in front of the prime minister, this is about his second step.His second step was not entirely due to his own efforts, but because the network of relationships that his father had started to weave began to work.

Wang Dan's father was called Wang Chu. When he was Emperor Taizu of the Song Dynasty, he was regarded as the highest official. This was an official name, and he was the emperor's secretary, the secretary responsible for drafting imperial edicts.In fact, this official is not very big, but because he is close to the emperor, he is easily appreciated by the emperor. He writes articles every day, and more importantly, other officials. Will everyone be cautious about such a close minister of the emperor?Do you want to have a good relationship with him?In addition, this royal household is indeed a social master and good at dancing.

Therefore, the list of this person's good friends is very long. For example, among them are Zhao Pu, the prime minister who was a hero in the founding of the country, and Bi Shi'an and Lu Duan, who later became prime ministers. We have all talked about this before.Moreover, this Wang Huo also presided over several imperial examinations and promoted many students.What's more important is that he had a good relationship with the later Song Taizong during the Taizu era. Then you would think that in the Song Taizong era, if the son of such a person passed the Jinshi examination, his official career would of course be relatively smooth, right?This is understandable. Let me give you an example. This kind of success is not just promoted by the emperor. He is involved in all aspects, and the marriage is very mature.After Wang Dan won the Jinshi, he could not start directly as a big manager. He started from the grassroots level and worked as a branch line in Pingjiang.Where is Pingjiang?It is today's Yueyang County, Hunan Province.I had not been an official for a few years, but I found an old father-in-law named Zhao Changyan. Zhao Changyan's own official position was not very big, he was just a transfer envoy, a local financial cadre.You understand this, but the relationship network between Zhao Changyan and others is unfathomable.You see, Zhao Changyan's father followed Song Taizong before he became emperor.Zhao Changnian's uncle was Shi Xizai, a close relative of Song Taizong, and Zhao Changyan himself was the third Jinshi in the three years of Taiping and Xingguo.

You don’t need to remember these specific terms. All you need to know is that Wang Dan’s father-in-law, Zhao Changyan, is an extraordinary person, and the network of relationships in his life is unfathomable.Then why does such a person like Wang Dan and insist on finding him as his son-in-law?The record in the history books is this: Zhao Changyan came to Pingjiang County where Wang Dan was governed and took a look, wow, this young man managed this place really well and was really talented, so he was happy and accepted him as his son-in-law.But if you think about it, how could he actually be so simple?Right?People of that era took a fancy to this son-in-law, of course because of the family behind him and the relationship and network of the entire family.So when you look at the Internet, it’s not just because you have a good relationship with someone, so you can find someone to deal with it. Someone helps you cheat for personal gain. It’s not that simple. The role of the network is that you have a network, and everyone knows it.You are running this network.Well, then other people who have the Internet and are also running the Internet will quietly come over and join forces with you silently.The so-called network effect means that the more you use it, the stronger it becomes, and the more you operate it, the bigger it gets. This is the characteristic of a network of relationships.So there is no need to worry. He, Wangdan, is in the officialdom and growing. The network behind him has not lost a moment and is also growing at the same time.

So you see that Wang Dan was born in the V year of Taiping Xingguo, that is, he became a Jinshi in the middle of 980 AD. Eleven years later, in 991 AD, he became an official with the title of Zhigao.We have just explained that the emperor's secretary was an official his father had held back then.Hey, the key is to come and work beside the emperor. This is the key step.Sure enough, another ten years later, Wang Dai finally became the official deputy prime minister of Shenzhi and rose to the top of the Song Dynasty bureaucracy.Another five years later, Wang Dai formally worshiped the prime minister and became the civil leader and prime minister of the Song Dynasty.You see, although this promotion path is not fast, compared with the ruthless character like Fan Zhongyan who started from the grassroots and changed his destiny all the way, Wang Dan's path is still a bit too smooth.It took all the hard work, or to put it simply, his promotion was a bit unsatisfactory.So do you think there are any factors in this that are the result of Wang Dan’s own efforts?Of course there is. If you look at the Song History in the Twenty-Four Official Histories, one word is used to describe the dynasty before he became prime minister: Shi Lun Meizhi.What do you mean?Even at that time, when everyone mentioned Wang Dan, they said that this young man was good and very powerful.Many people here, for example, one of the officials who met at the time said, Oh, Wang Dan can be the prime minister in the future, haha, and the holy statue we introduced before, Li Hang also admired it very much,He is said to be someone who can take on great responsibilities in the world in the future.What does this mean?Just say that he can be prime minister?Of course, the most important thing is the emperor's attitude.

It is said that once Wang Dan walked out after meeting the emperor, Song Zhenzong watched him leave, and then looked at his back and said, well, he must be the one who will create peace and prosperity for this country in the future.You see how high the level of praise is.So someone recommended Wang Dan to Song Zhenzong. Song Zhenzong said, hey, this person still needs you to recommend me?I already have him in my heart.
Look at it, such a neat chorus of good reviews is like getting points, right?Of course, the chorus of praise is the result of the slow fermentation of the network behind Wang Dan, but if Wang Dan was not a person who seemed to be calm and steady, with quick thinking and capable of taking on big responsibilities, he would not have had such an effect, right?In 1006 AD, Wang Dan replaced Kou Zhun as prime minister. It was really a fateful opportunity. Wang Dan received blessings and acceptance from all aspects.

But the biggest legend in Wang Dan’s life, as we mentioned before, is that he was not the prime minister, but he served as prime minister for 12 consecutive years, becoming the longest consecutive prime minister in the Northern Song Dynasty. How did he do this??This brings us to the third step of Wang Dan. If we follow the official history, that is, the history of the Song Dynasty, if Wang Dan becomes the prime minister, it is called the natural fate of the prime minister, and the destiny has been determined.

Indeed, there is such a record in black and white in the biography of Wang Dan in the history of Song Dynasty. It is said that Wang Dan's father once planted three locust trees in his yard, and then made a confident prediction, saying that my descendants will definitely do it in the future.Those from the Third Palace are the three largest officials in the imperial court. That’s how you understand it. I planted three locust trees today just to bear witness in the future.You see, his father is a prophet, and according to the history of the Song Dynasty, Wang Dan will be the prime minister.Not only did his father have a premonition, but even the ghost knew about it in advance.Haha, it is said that when this bastard was a county magistrate in Pingjiang, the county government office turned out to be haunted.But Wang Dan was coming to be the county magistrate, and some people heard the ghosts discussing with each other, oh, the prime minister was coming, how about we hide away, and then it was said that the county government office was no longer haunted.Listen, what this ghost is saying is not that the magistrate is coming, but that the prime minister is coming.If he is a ghost, of course he has the power of prophecy.Yes, this is what is recorded in official history.Alas, can you believe it?This book says that when a certain emperor was born, the house was filled with red light. This has the same meaning, and it is a side effect when future generations write history.Then you say that Wang Dan has been prime minister for 12 years. If he does not rely on his life, then what does he rely on?Is it a sage personality?Is it a moral article?Yes, this is also written in official history.

If you look at the text in the biography of Wang Dan in the history of Song Dynasty, it is simply a large piece of praise for his old man, saying all kinds of good things about him.But having said that, a lot of this text comes from Wang Dan’s own material. It was an introduction to Wang Dan written by his youngest son Wang Su. It was then circulated and entered the history of the Song Dynasty, because the history of the Song Dynasty isIt was compiled by people in the Yuan Dynasty. Sometimes they were lazy and just used ready-made materials.If you want a son to write about his father, there will definitely be all kinds of complimentary words.

This article about the biography of Wang Dan in the history of the Song Dynasty is very long. If you have read it, let’s talk about how clean, capable, and fair Wang Dan is. Let’s talk about this part, that is, we have removed all the moral praise about Wang Dan..We will still find that this king has a very strange style of doing things on his behalf, and this style is worthy of our careful consideration.Let me give you an example so you can feel it.We are talking about AD 1017, just two years before Wang Dan died.Our old friend Kou Zhun had an encounter with Wang Dai in 1015. At that time, Kou Zhun had just returned to the imperial court as a privy envoy, which was the head of the country's military department.But he had such a bad temper that he offended everyone, and he didn't even last a year.Seeing that this official was about to be lost again, Kou knew it well and knew that he could no longer do it, so he ran to the prime minister Wang Dan and said that if this privy minister does not want to do it, he will not do it. Court, can you tell the emperor?Tell me an official who is a historian?What is an envoy?Just serve as a military governor outside, and at the same time add a false title of prime minister in the court. In this way, you will have benefits, honor, chestnuts, and face.

So do you think Wang Dan should do this instead?It is said that this is the person. First of all, you and the emperor can really agree, and you and Kou Zhun were in the same year of the imperial examination, which is equivalent to the diligence of our classmates today to take care of each other.Moreover, Wang Dan was very kind to Kou Zhun and had been recommending Kou Zhun to Emperor Zhenzong. This friendship was supposed to be enough, but after Wang Dan heard this request, he refused without saying a word, and his refusal was very firm.He said that such a distinguished official position as Prime Minister is not something that we ministers can ask for with our mouths. Moreover, as a prime minister, I am not subject to personal requests. You, brother, don't ask for it.

Kou Zhun was very upset at the time, but he didn't expect that when he was formally appointed by the imperial court, he said, "Oh, I'm no longer a privy envoy. You have to give me an official position, right?"At first glance, it was really a stone statue. It was not only the interpretation history of exorcism, but also the prime minister of exorcism. When Kou Zhun saw that his wish came true, all his wishes came true.Well, since Wang Dan didn't want me to be the one, hey, then it must be that the emperor wanted me to be the one, so he went to thank Emperor Zhengzong, who said he had nothing to do with me.Haha, you are the one recommended by Wang Dan to be the ambassador.Hearing it, Wang Dan refused in front of others, but he really helped after others, so Kou Zhun suddenly felt ashamed and said that I am not as good as Wang Dai.Wangdan does this kind of thing often.After Zhenzong's death, the imperial court arranged for people to sort out the history books of Zhenzong's dynasty. Those materials turned out a large number of memorials by Wang Dan recommending ministers, and everyone suddenly realized it.
It turns out that when this person became this official and that person became that official, they were all recommended by Wang Dan. At that time, I really didn’t know that Wang Dan really didn’t tell anyone. How did you feel after hearing this story?You might say what's the point?At best, this is Wang Dan doing good deeds without leaving a name.At worst, hey, this is a bastard, this person is cunning, he doesn't do anything for himself when he gets a favor, and leaves face to the emperor.This is a person who has a relatively good command of officialdom. You may think so, but it is not that simple.If we just told these stories without using the official position of the imperial court as a favor and attribute all the thunder sayings to the emperor, this would be relatively easy to do.Alas, let me give you another example. Then you will realize that it is really difficult to do the following.

One year before 1017, in 1016, the imperial court promoted a new official, who was the deputy prime minister.We have mentioned this person before, he is the top pick among the three in a row, this person is called Wang Zeng.Wang Zeng was a very important person. He made his debut this year. He became the regent in 1016. He was very young at the time and was very energetic when he took office as a new official.Now that I have become the deputy prime minister, I have to work.So do you think his becoming deputy prime minister was due to Wang's birthday?That must be true. If the prime minister doesn't agree, how can he be this official?But Wang Zeng didn't care. After taking office, he immediately grabbed Wang Dai's pigtails and asked him a question.
This problem is not a small one. Wang Zeng discovered that this prince often did this when dealing with government affairs. He would not ask the emperor for instructions, but would make decisions on his own, and in the name of the court.Hey, just add a few words p and send the document directly to the next page according to the imperial edict. That's okay. What is this called? Isn't this just a false edict?Wang Ze ran to find Wang Dan, you can't do this.As soon as Wangdan heard that you were right, he immediately apologized and said it was my fault, I was wrong.So what kind of case do you think this is?Can this Wang Zeng give up and let go?So he found an opportunity when Wang Dan was not present and reported this to Emperor Zhenzong.

Then Zhenzong asked him, "Hey, let's not care whether these matters are imperial decrees or not. You just say that Wang Dan handled these matters fairly?"Wang Zong said, justice.Alas, it is indeed fair, but after all, it is a false edict.If you didn't agree, he said it was an imperial edict.This is what Zhenzong said at the time, saying that based on my observations over the years, Wang Dan doesn't have even the slightest selfishness on his head.And there is no need to ask for instructions on small matters, he can just make up his own mind. This is the privilege I gave him, and I told him, so you don’t need to defend yourself in the future.Listen to him.

It turned out that Wang Dan had clearly obtained the emperor's authorization in advance, but when Wang Zeng wronged him and accused him, he did not defend himself at all.The emperor gave me private authorization to handle small matters. If the emperor doesn't tell you, I won't tell you.Do you think this Wang Dan is too calm?It's obvious that someone has wrongfully accused me of such a serious crime in front of me, but I just won't defend myself.

Look at these two stories, one is a good reputation and I won’t take it, and the other is a bad tourist attraction and I won’t push it out. You can think whatever you want. Anyway, that’s just me. This is online lending. So, let’s change the roles.Bit?If you were the emperor, you would have such a prime minister under you.Alas, do you like him too?Indeed, the more things like this happen, the more Emperor Zhenzong trusts Wang Dan. Emperor Zhenzong will believe whatever Wang Dan says. Even if other prime ministers discuss something, Emperor Zhenzong will definitely ask more about this matter.What do you think of Prince Wang Dan?Humph, no matter how big or small the matter is, it can only be settled after Wang Dan has spoken and expressed his opinion.

At the beginning, I read historical materials by myself. From these stories, I could see Wang Dan's humiliation and self-responsibility. I admired him very much.But at the same time, I also felt that it was really frustrating to live. In order to gain the emperor's good impression and trust, I had to live like a young person.Why bother with this in King Ha's generation?This is how I felt at first.But one day when I was reading these stories, I suddenly had a realization. I changed my perspective and suddenly saw another website. I slapped my thigh and secretly admired it in my heart.Haha, then I will tell you this new angle of my observation of Wang Dan. Does it make sense to you?As a prime minister, what are his rights and responsibilities?It clearly distinguishes what are the rights and responsibilities of the other party, as well as the conversion of such rights and responsibilities between different roles in different situations.

Let's take the previous story for example, when Kou Zhun came to Wang Dai to ask for an official position, then did you, Kou Zhun, have the right to ask for an official position?You don't.Do I have the right to agree to your request?It was useless, so I refused.But the situation changed. As the prime minister, I, Wang Dan, in front of Emperor Zhenzong, have the obligation to recommend the most reasonable way to deal with the people in the court.Then I think that people like Kou Zhun, although they can be appointed as officials and have a bad temper, they still have to give face. Giving an interpretation of the history and adding a false title of prime minister is the appropriate way to deal with it, so I am like thisSuggestions to the Emperor.

So what do you think Wang Dan said?On the surface, we are right. He said no at first, but then he said no to pedestrians and then helped. It seemed contradictory and inconsistent, but in fact his logic was consistent.What logic?It’s just that in whatever role I am in and under whatever circumstances, I will do whatever I need to do, right?Let’s look at another story. Wang Zeng accused Wang Dai of falsely passing on the imperial edict. Should Wang Zeng be so suspicious?Should I accuse him like this?Yes, this is what he saw.Indeed, I did not seek the emperor's consent for this matter, and I acted in accordance with the imperial edict, so I will apologize when I should apologize at this moment.

Then can I, the prince, plead guilty?If I can tell Wang the fact that I got the emperor's authorization, I can clear up the grievances. It shouldn't be because the emperor authorized me to handle things, but he didn't authorize me to tell you this authorization, so I won't say it.As for whether the emperor told you or not, that is a matter between you and the emperor and has nothing to do with me.Do you feel it?In fact, Wang Dan was not born to be prime minister, but he acted as prime minister in a way that we are very unfamiliar with, and even very uncomfortable.What is this method?My own feeling is that it is like an iron plate. This iron plate blocks each of my characters and other characters. It also blocks between everyone and everyone, and even blocks every scene.And every scene and each other are inseparable from each other and cannot be penetrated by water.In my role as prime minister, facing this person in this situation, I only judge what is appropriate to do in this situation, and other considerations.Alas, I'm sorry, I can't see it and I can't care about it.So what do you think this way of being a prime minister should be called?Does anyone who knows modern psychology know that this is called subject separation?I brought all this book with me today.

This is the hated masterpiece of courage written by two Japanese psychologists. In this book, the concept of subject separation is clearly presented for the first time.So what is subject separation?It can be explained clearly in two sentences.The first sentence is, worry about your own affairs, worry about my affairs, don’t think about them together.The second sentence is, how do you tell what is your business?What is my business?Whoever bears the consequences of this matter is his business.Let me give you an example. For example, a friend borrowed money from me and promised to pay it back in two months. Alas, now that two months are up, he still doesn’t pay it back.Should I urge him?Haha, don’t rush me, I’m afraid I’ll bear the loss.Then I was worried that he would be unhappy.Do you think it’s common to be obsessed with this kind of thing?What to do?The topic is separated. My topic is to get the money back, because if the money is gone, I will bear the consequences, so this is my business.What should I do if my friend is unhappy?He is unhappy, and this is the consequence he has to bear, so this is his business and his subject.As soon as we were separated, I realized that I shouldn't worry about this, I didn't care.

Okay, let’s give another example. For example, there is a performance. I really want to perform on stage, but I am afraid that the audience will be disappointed with my level, so I am very torn. I want to go but dare not go. What should I do at this time?The subject is separated. If I want to go on stage, then I will prepare carefully and perform well. This is my subject.Then if I fail in my performance, the audience will be disappointed, hehe.Sorry, that's Guan Zhong's problem, he has to deal with his disappointment.You see, after the separation of subjects, the world seems to have become much clearer immediately.Of course, if you hear this concept for the first time, you will think, wow, this is so cruel. As a good person, how can I ignore other people's emotions?Please note that according to the principle of subject separation, these are also two things.

Let me give you the previous example. I urged my friend to repay my money and prevented me from losing money. This is one thing. My friend was unhappy because of this, but I didn't want him to be unhappy.I want to save our friendship. This is another matter. Deal with it separately. Deal with the money first and then deal with the friend's emotions, right?When dealing with friendship matters, let's not think about them together. If we think about everything together, it will be easy to get confused and unable to deal with it.Yes, many of the troubles in the world are like this. They are not caused by thinking about other people's things and your own things, two completely different things of your own, together. The more you think about it, the more confused you become.
Thinking of this, I suddenly felt a little enlightened. The reason why Wang Dai was able to be the prime minister for 12 years may have a lot to do with his ability to separate this subject.One code is one code, just do it as it should be, no chaos at all, no satisfaction at all.In this way, he, the Prime Minister, has no weaknesses or flaws.Only when we understand the concept of subject separation and recognize Wang Dan's strong ability to subject subject separation can we truly understand some of Wang Dan's practices.

To give another example, in the year 1017, wasn’t Wang Dai’s health failing?Go to the emperor and resign.The authentic emperor said, then you have to say who will succeed you, and you can recommend one.Wang Dan raised his hand and said, I recommend Kou Zhun.As soon as Chen Zonghua said you got it, you don't know Kou Zhun's temper. I can't stand him. It's not the first time I use him. He is strong and handsome. You can try it with other people. WangDan said I don't know about the others, I only recommend Kou Zhun, and since I'm not in good health right now, I can't stay any longer, so I said goodbye and left.

Later, when Wang Dai died, Emperor Zhenzong really had to use Kou Zhun.Let’s look at this conversation. What principles does Wang Dan stick to?It's very simple. The tasks are separated. Emperor Ming asked me who was suitable to take over. I think Kou Zhun is the most suitable. This is my opinion, my responsibility, and my task.Emperor, if you think Kou Zhun has a bad temper, you can't stand it and you feel uncomfortable.Alas, that is your subject. Do you think of a way to digest this problem yourself?You see how complete the separation of the living room is.

Another example is when Wang Dan was the prime minister before, then you, his prime minister, had the responsibility of recommending talents to the court. How did you recommend talents?How to discover talents?For example, if someone says to his face that a certain person is good, you can promote him or you can use such a person. If he doesn’t say anything, he will be there a few months later. Please pay attention to this detail and find an opportunity to meet that person a few months later., chatted and investigated, it was strange to hear that the prime minister was seeking wealth for the country. Shouldn't he be thirsty for wealth?It should be done right away, why should it be delayed for several months?Because of Wang Dan, he can't immediately want to see someone just because he says something good about someone in front of him. He can't make you feel that it's useful for you to say good things about someone in front of him.

He went to find this person after a few months, so no one knew why Wang Dai wanted to chat with this person. Is it useful to say good things about this person in front of Wang Dai?Alas, this layer is blocked. Do you still remember the analogy I just told?Wang Dan is like an iron plate that blocks all situations, so anyone who praises anyone in front of Prime Minister Wang Dan is not sure. Did the old man listen to this?He doesn't know.

If Wang Dai chats with this person and finds that, well, this person is indeed talented, he will recommend him to the emperor, but these recommended people do not know it in their hearts, and they may even want to meet Wang Dai again.Sorry, no see.The reason is very simple. I am chatting with you to discover talents for the country.This is my business, what I should do.If you come back to see me now, whether you want to climb up when you see an opportunity, or want to thank me, this is all your business, and this is not what you should do.So I'm sorry, I won't cooperate with you in doing your thing.Think about it, what a strong willpower this is.

I have read many biographies of ancient people, and I am particularly surprised that Wang Dan, a man from the Song Dynasty 1,000 years ago, actually provided such a wonderful and thorough case for the principle of subject separation in modern psychology.Of course, Wang Dan's ability to separate subjects may be due to his personality. He has no theoretical accomplishments, so human civilization as a whole did not develop so-called professionalism until after the industrial age.Just like Wang Dai, when I am in this position, I do what I should do in this position. This is the ethics of modern society.Of course, this is a topic for later. We will discuss the next issue when we encounter it later.Wang Dan has the ability to separate tasks. He distinguishes between your affairs and mine. I don't care what you think, I only worry about my affairs.I wonder if he does whatever he wants according to his own temperament and does what he should worry about?That didn’t work either, so what did Wang Dan do?

Our pursuit of a better life comes from the opening of every extraordinary door.Casa Di was born for love. The Art of Linking Homes. The more I read the historical materials related to Wang’s birth, the more incredible I find it.As for this Wang Dan, not only can he clearly distinguish other people's projects from his own, but when he completes his own projects, he can stay on top of almost everything. How did he do this??This is a very magical ability.I was looking at it, and a word suddenly appeared in my mind. Yes, this is a word that is often used when reading books about the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China. What is Zhengban?The right way to do it.What is the right thing to do?This is the most upright and fair way to deal with this matter under this situation, which is called Zhengdan.We don’t have the usage of this language in Chinese now, but I think the meaning of this word is really good. It can especially help us when we are tangled and in a dilemma. As long as you use this word, it will be like a sentence.Like light, it can illuminate the original destiny of the world.In order to explain this term, let me give an example from modern history. There is a book called Gengzi Xi Shou Cong Tan, which mentions a story about Li Hongzhang and Zeng Guofan.This is not unofficial history or nonsense. It was told by Li Hongzhang himself to the author of this book.It is said that Li Hongzhang once wanted to take over Zeng Guofan's management of the Qing Dynasty's foreign affairs, which meant dealing with foreigners.What did the Chinese look like as foreigners at that time?Foreigners are a big trouble, but they cannot be offended because they cannot be defeated, and they cannot surrender to foreigners, because they are not easy to explain to public opinion, so it is very difficult to deal with foreign affairs.So Zeng Guofan asked Li Hongzhang, so now you want to take over my responsibility for foreign affairs, what are you going to do?Li Hongzhang thought for a while and said, Oh, I just talk nonsense to them. This is our Anhui dialect.It means, well, he and I are slippery, so since we are dealing with foreigners, neither left nor right, then I should be more slippery, that’s right, right?If I find a gap in the middle, I'll just cross it.Zeng Guofan said it was wrong, it was wrong.In my opinion, the only way to deal with foreigners is to use the word sincerity, sincere sincerity.We can't defeat the foreigners, and we don't know what the foreigners think.Okay, then just be honest and treat each other sincerely.Zeng Guofan said a wise saying below. He said that if you treat each other with sincerity, although you cannot take advantage, you will not suffer too much.Hehe, this is a good saying. Although you can't take advantage, you won't suffer too much.

Li Hongzhang later recalled that all his dealings with foreigners in his life were thanks to his teacher Zeng Guofan’s reminder.You see, this is the spirit of the so-called political office, but I can’t figure out the situation.It doesn't matter, I'm upright, and I have my own way of dealing with people, which is to use a level of dealing with people. Although I can't take advantage, it won't break my bottom line and suffer big losses in the future.

Let me give you a situation that we may all encounter in reality. For example, there is a truth. If I admit it, I will suffer losses immediately. If I don't admit it, I feel a little guilty if I don't admit the truth. So what?What to do?Haha, some people are confused at this time, it’s difficult.Okay, what is the genuine version at this time?It's very simple. Admit it first and have a clear conscience first.So what should you do if there is a loss?Isn't this something else?If a loss occurs, then find a way to make up for it or recover the loss. The combination of these two methods is called correct management.

Okay, let’s go back to 1017, back to Wang Dan. Wang Dan is actually the same. You may think, alas, Wang Dan is also flawed in his life. Look at Song Zhenzong’s big fan of the Book of Heaven, Dongfeng Xisi,When Wang Dan becomes prime minister, shouldn’t he support and cooperate with you?But if you look carefully, those places where Wang Dan supported and cooperated were all the responsibilities of the prime minister.

But as a Confucian scholar-bureaucrat, he knew in his heart that these pretentious things were all Shinto socializing, and to be honest, they were all fake. He asked me to work, and to pay homage every time there was a grand ceremony. That was fine. In fact, I was the prime minister.But I'm sorry, as a person I am unhappy and disagree, and I have to show it on my face.For example, Song Zhenzong once organized ministers to view auspicious pictures, and the auspicious pictures sent from various places were drawn into an atlas.Look at this, look at that, Wang Dan said that it is true that I am the prime minister and I reported it, but these auspiciousness is not what I saw with my own eyes. I hope the relevant departments, especially the historian, will tell that these auspiciousness are not mine.The Prime Minister saw this thing with his own eyes and recorded it. You see how clearly he distinguished it. Cooperation in actions is cooperation, and he doesn't give face in terms of face. Then I really have to tell it.

What's even more amazing is that there is such a record. There was a person who supported Song Zhenzong, and the superstitious person submitted a letter and this document was transferred to Wang Dan. Is he the prime minister?Wang Dai knew this document as soon as he saw it. It was just a report. It was an auspicious wish for a promotion. That's what happened. He took the document over and sealed it with his eyes closed.Definitely don't look at it.

You see, this positive and semi-criminal method persisted until the last moment of Wang Dai's life.You should still remember that at the beginning of our program, we said that before Wang Dan fell seriously ill and died, Emperor Zhenzong came to see him again, prepared medicine himself, and rewarded him with 5,000 taels of silver. But in Wang Dan's view, this is still youThe emperor's issue, how you treat the prime minister who has cooperated with you for 12 years is your business.At this moment, at the end of life, Wang Dan, what is my topic?Do I want to reflect on myself for not admonishing me in time to stop the farce of Tianshu sealing the fan?I am a prime minister and I did not stop him.So before his death, Wang Dan left a very decisive last word: I want to shave my head, and I want to go to Tibet wearing the black monk's robes on the river.You must know that funerals are an important part of traditional patriarchal scholarship. As a Confucian scholar-official, he entered Tibet as a monk, which was very shocking at the time.As for Wang Dan, I will do whatever I want. I will not let the fact that I am not a fan of Tianshu be fooled just because I am grateful for the emperor's favor.I really can't do anything else, but I can always arrange how I will be buried, and I can always arrange how I will leave this world. I have the final say on this.

People often face dilemmas. Chaos is the right situation at this time. To put it bluntly, you just do what you have to do.Yes, but these two words will help us a lot.In fact, the wisdom of life in ancient and modern times, both at home and abroad, is a very high level.I have heard a Western fable that has a similar spirit.It is said that after a man died, he was judged by Christianity. He entered the court and saw that the judge was the archangel Gabriel, an angel of Christianity. However, there was an old man sitting at the main table. The judgeEvery time I read one of my charges, the old man quickly stood up to defend him.For example, the old man said that although he killed someone, he was doing it to protect his sister, so it was excusable.In short, every time he read a crime, the old man stood up and defended him.

At the end of the court trial, this man still betrayed and went to hell.After all, this man has committed many crimes in his life. He is not surprised by the result of this trial, but he is quite curious. Who is this old man?We met by chance, why do you want to defend me?Just go up and ask him who you are?The old man said, "My God, hum, you God, you have such a high status, why don't you become a judge?"God said yes?He said that if I were a judge, there would be no sinners in the world and no one would go to hell because I am too merciful.

Wow, the first time I heard this story, it was very shocking. We are often troubled. Should I stick to my principles, or should I be merciful and merciful?Especially when you have some power, this problem is quite big.But this fable gives us a very good authentic version.What?I ask you to respect the rules, but at the same time, I must try my best to help everyone who is stumped or trapped by the rules.Just like a security guard, a security guard's job responsibility is of course to stop those who don't have an entry pass and not let them in.But is that all?Should he stop these people at the same time? Doesn't he have a certificate?While trying to find a way for him to get in?So we can't just be torn between rules and favors. We should be honest, that is, respect the rules when we face them, help others when we face people, and see that the two can actually go hand in hand, and do whatever we want..

You see, the world is not chaotic, it is just one issue after another. If we have the ability to accurately identify it, break down the issues, separate the issues, and then solve them one by one, what should we do?Just do whatever you want.This is some inspiration I got from the story of Wang Dan, and I will tell it today for your reference.This is the year 1017 AD. This year we bid farewell to Prime Minister Wang Dan. Although there were various problems during our stay, the entire government was calm after all.As soon as Wang Dan left, Wang Qingruo became prime minister, and then there were all kinds of ups and downs, ups and downs of surrender, and incomprehensible outbursts. The political atmosphere in the Song Dynasty immediately became tense. However, at this stage, it can only be regarded as a storm.It will take two years for the huge political wave to really hit.Okay, this is what we are talking about in 1017, and we will see you in 1018 AD.