History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 3 Zhu Wen's Wisdom

Wisdom and courage are two basic elements indispensable to success.

Wisdom will raise a person's vision, just like looking far from a height. To see far, one must also have the courage to try. One cannot be a giant in thought and a dwarf in action. Dare to think and dare to do, this is courage.

Even if you have a clear goal and take solid steps, you may not be able to achieve it overnight with the help of courage, because you will encounter various detours and stumbling blocks along the way. Some of them you foresee in advance, while others come without any warning.

Then, you may suffer the frustration of failure.

At this time, you need to be strong, and strength comes from persistence in success and confidence in overcoming difficulties.

Your persistence and confidence come from your wisdom and past successful experiences. Your wisdom tells you that this is a road to light, not a dead end.

You decide to stand up and move towards your goal again. Dare to step on setbacks and do not succumb to the difficulties in front of you. This is the ultimate derivative of the two elements - courage.

On the foundation of wisdom and courage, with the blessing of determination and bravery, you will eventually achieve success in your career.

When you stand on the peak of success and enjoy the pleasure of overlooking all the other mountains, you may suddenly feel confused - where should I go next?

You are at the highest point. No matter which direction you go, it is downhill. You look up and see the clouds and the sky. You will have two questions: Where is the way to heaven? What will it be like beyond the clouds?
At this time, wisdom and courage are useless. You who are on the top of the mountain only need one thing - humility.

Wisdom tells you that if you are not a birdman, you will never be able to ascend to the sky. Only by letting go and letting your mind be sublimated can you ascend to the clouds in the spiritual world. So, please bow your head and learn to be humble.

What is it like to stand on the top of a mountain? Few people can answer this question, because few people can actually stand on it.

Among these “very few” people, there was one named Zhu Wen.

He used his own life to tell us about this wonderful mountain climbing experience and also demonstrated to us what would happen if we did not learn humility at the top of the mountain.

Zhu Wen was wise, courageous, and of course determined, and he also developed bravery.

Now, he is standing at the foot of the mountain. Let us appreciate the wonderful journey of this climber:

Zhu Wen never lost a fight. However, he did not believe in violence. He knew that those who fell under his fists were always convinced but not convinced in their hearts. How could he convince people? Zhu Wen had a way.

While chatting and arguing at the wine and gambling table, Zhu Wen intentionally or unintentionally "recalled" some interesting past events:
"When I was born, a red light suddenly appeared on the roof of the house, illuminating the most beautiful clouds in the sky. The villagers thought our house was on fire, so they rushed to put out the fire with basins and buckets, shouting and yelling. But my family knew nothing in the house, and everything was normal. It was not until we heard the noise outside that we went outside and noticed this strange scene, and found that purple smoke and red light were coming out of the roof. Just as I was wondering, I was born in the house. Coincidentally, as soon as I was born, the supernatural phenomenon immediately dissipated on its own. No one knew what was going on. Don't you think it's interesting?"

We have seen many people bragging and talking nonsense, but it is rare to see someone who can brag as much as "Approaching Science".

"You don't believe it? If you don't believe it, go ask my dad!"

"Where is your father? Let's go and ask him."

"Leave the village, go west, about one or two hundred miles, there is a big locust tree, count eastward, there is the second grave..."

People have two faces and white teeth. I, Zhu Wen, have said this. If you don’t believe it after I say it once, I will say it twice. If you don’t believe it after I say it twice, I will say it three times. Believe it or not.

The more this supernatural story is told, the more it becomes. Zhu Wen also recalls that when he was a child, a wandering hermit came to his doorstep. When the hermit saw little Zhu Wen, he immediately exclaimed that this child was the reincarnation of the Red Emperor...

The Red Emperor is the ancient emperor Yan Emperor. According to folklore, Liu Bang, the first emperor of the Han Dynasty, was the reincarnation of the Red Emperor. He killed the white snake, the reincarnation of the White Emperor, in Mangdang Mountain and thus conquered the world.

Now, another "reincarnation of the Red Emperor" has appeared in this area...

Bragging and talking nonsense were not enough to show Zhu Wen's wisdom. He once deliberately completed a performance, allowing Liu Chong's mother, Old Lady Liu, to witness a miraculous moment:

On a cold autumn day, Zhu Wen first caught a red snake (probably a common non-venomous red-banded snake) and hid it on his body, then lay down in the woodshed to "take a nap". Old Lady Liu happened to pass by and was worried that he would catch a cold, so she went back into the house and took out a quilt. When the old lady returned to the woodshed, Zhu Wen was gone, and there was a red snake where he had just been lying! Frightened, the old lady went back to the house to call for help, and when she came to the woodshed again, she saw Zhu Wen sleeping soundly. Snakes are often called "little dragons" in northern China, which is the image of dragons in the mortal world.

"I saw Zhu Wen take on the form of a dragon with my own eyes!" The kind-hearted old lady Liu endorsed Zhu Wen firmly and assured him solemnly that Zhu Wen must be the reincarnation of the Red Emperor and would be either rich or noble in the future.

Old Lady Liu became a die-hard fan of Zhu Wen and often warned Liu Chong not to wrong Zhu Asan, saying that he was the Red Emperor on earth and even though he was a loser today, he would definitely be a big shot in the future.

Liu Chong became even angrier and thought to himself, "You little bastard Zhu San, you take advantage of the old lady's soft heart and try to get away with it by using such petty tricks. I'll beat your buttocks and face to pieces!"

"Mother, the Red Emperor's great ancestor is not blind, who can be reborn into his family?"

Old Lady Liu called Liu Chong to the inner room and said in a low voice, "You are away from home all year round, busy with official duties, and rarely take care of the family. Don't forget that there are three handsome young men in their twenties at home!"

The old dragon was lying on the beach, and his words awakened Liu Chong from his dream. Liu Chong suddenly woke up.

"Whether it's fake or real, why not just go with the flow?"

For Zhu Wen, the claim that he was the reincarnation of the Red Emperor was his last fig leaf. Don’t look down on me, I was also rich in my previous life!

For Old Lady Liu, this was to ward off disaster for the Liu family. Only if she believed that Zhu Wen was the reincarnation of the Red Emperor, would all her favors and care for him seem justified and not abrupt. Otherwise, blindly tolerating and condoning him would only encourage the arrogance of the bad guys.

They played a double act in tacit understanding and gave each other a way out. This was Zhu Wen's wisdom, and even more so the wisdom of Old Lady Liu.

Perhaps, Old Lady Liu and Zhu Wen had a tacit understanding.

Perhaps, the director of this play is Old Lady Liu.

Ginger is old and spicy.

From then on, Liu Chong continued to play the role of a strict father, using limited corporal punishment to teach Zhu Wen. Old Lady Liu was still the kind old lady, protecting the rebellious Zhu Wen.

Zhu Wen did not forget the kindness of the Liu family, and after he became rich, he also repaid Liu Chong's family.

Throughout history, people like Zhu Wen usually spend their lives wandering around, marrying and having children, struggling in poverty, and dying in poverty; or they turn back, settle down to farming, marrying and having children, struggling in poverty, and dying in poverty. His descendants will also repeat the lives of their fathers.

However, the long river of history will also stir up ripples and waves, as the saying goes, heroes are made by the times.

The Tang Dynasty had long since gone from prosperity to decline and was gradually entering its twilight years. When Zhu Wen was born, the Tang Dynasty was experiencing a period of rejuvenation. Emperor Xuanzong of Tang worked hard to create the "Dazhong Reign", which allowed the aging Tang Dynasty to see a prosperous situation of rejuvenation. Later generations even compared it to the "Wenjing Reign" of the Han Dynasty and the "Zhenguan Reign" of the early Tang Dynasty. Emperor Xuanzong of Tang was also known as the "Little Taizong", and was considered to be comparable to Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin.

However, God did not grant him longevity. In the 13th year of Dazhong, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang passed away.

His successor was his son, Li Wen, who changed his name to Li Yi, Emperor Yizong of Tang. The following year, the reign title was changed from "Dazhong" to "Xiantong".

When Emperor Yizong of Tang first ascended the throne, he was full of confidence and was determined to be a wise and enlightened ruler. He wanted to carry forward the achievements of the "Da Zhong Governance" and restore the glory of the prosperous Tang Dynasty.

But he didn't know that beneath the glory of "Da Zhong's Governance" there were undercurrents, and the Tang Dynasty was facing severe internal and external troubles.

These internal and external troubles not only eroded the body of the Tang Dynasty, but also had a serious impact on the psychological growth of this generation of young people. The chaos of the times distorted their worldview, outlook on life, and values. The distorted three views made them react to this era when they grew up to become the backbone of society, and finally created a chaotic historical period - the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms.

Thanks to the book friend "Xiao Xiao Xiao Xiao Xiao Xiao Xiao Ni Shen Xian Ge Ge" for his generous and generous 3 recommendation votes! More updates will be added tomorrow

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(End of this chapter)