After Spring and Autumn

Chapter 342
This old Laizi, like Lao Tzu Li Dan, is a representative figure of Taoism, and his talents and learning were very famous at that time, but this old Laizi is not used to being disturbed by mundane things, he has always lived in seclusion in the mountains, and he is extremely filial.

When he was 72 years old, his parents were still there. In order to make his parents happy, he often put on the colorful clothes he wore when he was a child, pretending to be a child, and pleasing his parents.

Counting his age, he is now more than 100 years old, but Yan He, a well-known figure in the southern area, is a member of the Taoist lineage, so he naturally respects this old man. After all, he can be so old these days and still move around There are not many people.

So Lao Laizi was quite eye-catching. It happened that Yan He had just returned to Huai City not long ago. After hearing about this incident, because the other party was a Taoist priest, he took the initiative to come here, although he had not seen him and had already heard his name.

After all, there are not many people who can live to be more than 100 years old in this year. Lao Laizi followed Yan He very calmly, and arrived at the gate of Mengdi's mansion. At this time, Mengdi, who heard the news, guarded the door very respectfully. Before, saluted and said.

"I have met the old senior. I have some mundane affairs involved today, so I was not able to go to greet him in person. I hope you will forgive me."

It can be said that at this age, Lao Laizi can be called an old god, and Meng Di is naturally quite respectful, mainly because he is also very curious in his heart, and wants to know what Lao Laizi thinks about the Han Kingdom?
And Lao Laizi looked at Mengdi carefully, with a smile on his face, and then said softly.

"Han Hou doesn't have to be like this, the old man is just a wild crane in the mountains, and coming to Huai City is just a whim."

Meng Di didn't think so, he led the way, took Lao Laizi into the hall, sat down, and then asked for advice.

"It is rumored that the old man is impatient with vulgar affairs, and I dare not bother you. Since the old man came to Han today, if he feels that there are deficiencies, I ask the old man to point it out and make corrections."

After Lao Laizi heard this, he just smiled lightly, shook his head lightly and said.

"The old man is just a commoner living in seclusion in the mountains. How can he have so much knowledge? For such a major national event, there are naturally talented people who can help the Marquis of Han to deal with it. How can it be the old man's turn to say more?"

"On the way here, there was an incident. The two neighboring townships shared the same water. It was just that during the busy farming season, they argued endlessly because of the water source. One villager said that the fields near the fields could be watered first, but the other side said that the fields were far away as long as they got water. If it is too late, it will miss the farming time."

"During the struggle, some foreigners took advantage of the opportunity to get water and got it first. After all, it was just for the food in their mouths. The four seasons of the world have their own ways, and the people of the world work endlessly because of this. Why not?"

"There is a way to grow and you can gain momentum. As long as you persevere, you will surely gain something. All living beings are like the crops. If you put your heart and soul into it, the crops will grow well. On the contrary, when you harvest in autumn, you will get very little, not even enough to feed your hunger. "

"So the old man believes that there is no distinction between good and bad laws. If they can perform their duties, officials can use their lives with peace of mind and know what things should be done and what things should not be done. From this, when governing the people, they will not be too chasing. He did bad things because of his political achievements.”

After he finished speaking, Lao Laizi didn't say any more, and Mengdi also heard something from it, which was a tactful criticism of Han's current system of titles and official selection.

Because in this way, officials put their own self-interest before state affairs in order to seek political achievements, and many times they will lose their public will when they do things. not applicable.

After all, at the beginning of the founding of the Han Dynasty, it was also the way of Huang Lao, so in his opinion, these things are a bit too passive, and after a long time, it will become like the beginning of the Han Dynasty, with insufficient aggressiveness and everyone focusing on empty talk.

So after thinking about it for a while, Meng Di opened his mouth to express his opinion, and said slowly.

"If those officials cannot be rewarded enough, they will definitely forget state affairs for selfishness. There is no way to do this. That's why Han introduced the title system and the method of selecting officials."

"Now the system of titles in the Han Kingdom has been implemented with good results, and the people of the Han Kingdom can benefit from it. However, what the king is worried about is that because of his limited vision, there will be some ill-considered things, which will turn good things into bad things."

And Lao Laizi showed a faint smile on his face, and after a moment of silence, he said this.

"If a farmer tries his best to get more food when planting his own field, it is because he wants to harvest more, so naturally he has to pay more than others."

"But people in the world always tend to be lazy. Under such circumstances, among the children and grandchildren of farmers, there must be those who love leisure and hate work. Under such circumstances, even if there is a better way, so what?"

"Do extraordinary things in extraordinary times. After the extraordinary period, you must follow the way of heaven. Otherwise, you will suffer backlash. Hanhou is a man with outstanding vision. He must understand the meaning of the old man. We should see you today." I've seen you, the old man's wish has been fulfilled."

After finishing speaking, Lao Laizi stood up, Shi Shiran walked out, Meng Di hurriedly stood up and saw him off, he was used to doing whatever he wanted with such a character, and he didn't intend to force him to stay. He winked.

Yan He sent Lao Laizi away knowingly, or returned after half an hour, with a pensive look on his face, he said.

"The old senior's vision is indeed unique. What the old senior said just now may have been misunderstood by the lord. The old senior reminded the lord with the matter of farming. As long as you do well enough in the country of Han, then naturally there will be something. reward."

"So he hopes that the lord can love and cherish his people like a farmer treats his own crops. This is the right thing to do. As for other rules, they should be implemented for this purpose."

"If you put too much emphasis on military affairs, you will lose the best development opportunities because you cause disputes with others. The old man brought up the matter of farmers fighting for water. This is a tactful way to persuade the Lord."

And Meng Di was also thinking about this matter in his heart at this time. He felt that he was still a little preconceived, mainly because the Huang-Lao School of the Han Dynasty had too much influence on him, so that he somewhat misunderstood what Lao Laizi said. .

(End of this chapter)