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Chapter 369: Shun was born in the 7th year of Yaoli, and became old in 2 years

When the day is as long as the night and the bird star can be seen, it is the middle day of spring, which is now the spring equinox. At this time, all things come back to life, people start farming, and animals are busy mating and breeding.

Next, Xishu was in charge of summer. The summer solstice is when the day is longest, the night is shortest, and Mars appears. The "Mars" here is not the one in the nine planets, but the second star in the seventh constellation of the Eastern Azure Dragon in the twenty-eight constellations, also known as the Big Mars.

Friends who often read the Book of Songs should remember the line "In July, the fire is flowing, and in September, clothes are given away." The "fire" here refers to Mars. It was midsummer, the earth was scorching hot, the people worked hard in the fields, and the birds and beasts shed their hair and changed their feathers.

In mid-autumn, the day and night are equal, the Pleiades shines brightly, and people work hard and harvest a good harvest. Birds and animals put on new clothes. In mid-winter, the nights are long and the days are short, and the Pleiades shines in the sky. In winter, when the Pleiades appear, people start to store winter supplies, and birds and animals put on soft fur.

So, this is the origin of our 366 solar terms. Sima Qian then wrote: "The period is days, with leap months to adjust the four seasons." The calendar at that time stipulated that there were days in a year, and leap months were used to adjust the four seasons. Now that the calendar has been established, the next step is to promote it - how to convey these calendars to the people of the world?

You have to know that there was no paper at that time, let alone calendars. The spread of information depended on word of mouth among officials, and all officials followed the order. So Emperor Yao ordered all officials to strictly abide by the law.

The word "信" here does not refer to a letter, but a homophone of the Chinese character "信". Emperor Yao always reiterated the discipline, so that all officials performed their duties conscientiously and actively promoted it.

All walks of life are thriving, legislation is improved, and remarkable results have been achieved. Under this more perfect legislative system, the people live and work in peace and contentment, and the country is peaceful and the people are safe.

However, as Emperor Yao got older, new problems arose, which were also problems that all emperors would encounter: succession to the throne. There are endless stories about this topic, such as the nine sons of the Qing Dynasty fighting for the throne and the Xuanwu Gate Incident in the Tang Dynasty. Emperor Yao also took great pains to choose his successor.

Sima Qian used a long paragraph to record this incident: "Yao said: 'Who can succeed this matter?' Fang Qi said: 'The heir Dan Zhu is enlightened.' Yao said: 'Alas! He is stubborn and vicious. We cannot use him.' Yao asked again: 'Who can succeed him?' Huan Dou said: 'Gong Gong is not upright. He cannot succeed him.'" During the morning meeting, Emperor Yao asked his ministers: "Tell me, who can succeed me to the throne?" A man named Fang Qi said: "Your son is good. He is suitable to be the heir."

Unexpectedly, the usually amiable Emperor Yao flew into a rage, saying, "My son is too naughty and has a bad character. He is not the right material at all." Huan Dou then suggested that Gong Gong be sent, the great god who angrily crashed into Mount Buzhou in mythology. However, here, he is just an ordinary mortal.

As expected, Emperor Yao rejected Gonggong. Although Gonggong did a good job, he was too slick. He looked respectable on the surface, but he was full of evil intentions. He was not a suitable successor. Everyone was speechless for a while, and no one was suitable to recommend. Emperor Yao sighed repeatedly.

Just when everyone was worried about the selection of the successor, another major event happened in the world - a flood. In April, the flood was so severe that the people suffered terribly. In order to save people's lives, Yao temporarily put aside the issue of succession rights and sought a solution. He asked the ministers: "Is there anyone who can make the people understand the worries of the people?"

All the ministers said in unison: "Gun." In fact, they were not cursing anyone, but this person was called Gun, he was Dayu's father, and he might be as good at controlling floods as Dayu. But Yao thought this person was not good enough and ordered him not to return to his tribe because he had been a leader and harmed his own people.

Yao not only had high moral standards himself, but also paid great attention to the moral cultivation of his family, subordinates, and even the people of the country. He almost never used people with questionable character. Whether it was his successor or someone to control floods, he firmly chose people with good morals.

Gun and Gonggong both failed to meet his moral standards. However, the flood was urgent and could not be delayed. The ministers advised: "It is just that the disaster is not useful. Your Majesty might as well let Gun try for the time being. If it doesn't work, you can replace him." Yao had no choice but to let Gun control the flood first. "Historical Records" records: "Gun controlled the flood for nine years, but his work was unsuccessful." Gun controlled the flood for nine years, but he did not control it well.

So Yao was worthy of being the emperor, and he was really good at judging people. Later, he let Gun's son, Dayu, control the flood. We will talk about this later.

The topic returned to the successor. In April, Yao asked his ministers: "Can you take on the throne?" I have been on the throne for 70 years. Who among you can take on this job and inherit my throne? The "践" here means "enter the throne", and the "足" character refers specifically to the emperor taking the throne. However, the ministers modestly said: "He has no virtue in farming, so I am afraid he will not be able to take on this important task." There was no one available in the huge court.

Yao had no choice but to lower his requirements and announced to his ministers: "Westerners should take noble wives, and those who are alienated and hidden should be recommended." No matter how high or low, as long as they have good character and talent, they can be recommended. Everyone suggested: "There is a Yu Shun among the people, who may be the successor of Emperor Yao."

Yu Shun and the last of the Five Emperors finally appeared. So Emperor Yao ordered to summon Yu Shun. The ministers praised Yu Shun for being so outstanding. He grew up in a bad family environment. His father was unruly, his mother was treacherous, and his brother was wild and rude. These so-called relatives repeatedly set up tricks to kill Shun. However, despite being in a bad family environment, Shun did not grow up badly. Instead, he shaped his personality charm with kindness and perseverance.

Not only could he live in peace with such a family, but he also influenced and changed them with his own good character. Such behavior also won praise from neighbors. The minister asked: "Your Majesty, what do you think of this person?" Yao also nodded and said yes, finally finding a candidate with noble morals and cultivation.

Yao seemed to have glimpsed the future of China in this young man. He had been disappointed in his successor three times, but now he was finally moved. However, the succession was a major matter and could not be decided lightly. It concerned the fate of the entire country and the lives of the people of the world. "Historical Records" records that Yao said: "I want to test Shun and observe his virtues." So Yao began to test Shun.

Yao's test of Shun was undoubtedly the most critical test of the heir to the throne in history. This event not only occupies a large amount of space in Sima Qian's "Records of the Grand Historian", but is also praised by literati and poets of all generations, and has become a model of the emperor giving way to the wise in the hearts of the Chinese nation. The first thing Yao wanted to test Shun was his virtue. So Yao married Shun two daughters to observe his inner character, and let nine men serve him to observe his outer character.

Yao betrothed his two daughters to Shun to observe his character at home, and also arranged for nine princes to live with him to check his behavior outside. Some people may feel puzzled about Yao's two daughters, Ehuang and Nvying, as they thought it was a waste to test someone by including his own daughters, and marrying them off together.

Of course, we today cannot understand the practice of using marriage between relatives to gain power, and we would think it is unfair to the two of them. However, when we understand history, we have to put the story into the context of the time and see what the era they lived in was like.

First of all, Ehuang and Nvying were not only the daughters of Emperor Yao, but also his ministers. At that time, obtaining information was a big deal. Shun's marriage to Yao's daughters could help Yao easily solve this problem and make the source of information more reliable.

Furthermore, if Shun succeeded, Yao would not have to worry about anything, and he could also protect his own and the tribe's future. It was also good for Shun. Shun was just a poor boy from the countryside, an ordinary citizen, and had no influence in the court. But with this marriage, he could get political resources, better integrate into the officialdom, and carry out his work more smoothly.

Those who originally only supported Yao would naturally let down their guard and continue to support Shun when they saw that Shun was Yao's son-in-law, thus avoiding internal disputes.

These are all means taken for the sake of profit. Some people may feel uncomfortable listening to this, thinking that a saint like Yao should not resort to means, but to be honest, for politicians, noble character and means are not contradictory. Truly powerful politicians usually use means skillfully to maximize the interests of themselves and their team. After all, political strategies and means often have advantages and disadvantages.

Taking into account the interests of one side, it is inevitable to sacrifice the interests of another side. As long as a politician can harm as few innocent people as possible, history will still recognize his limitations.

Sima Qian went on to write: "Shun lived in Guiyi, and was very cautious in his conduct. Yao's two daughters did not dare to be arrogant in serving Shun's relatives because of their noble status, and were very virtuous women; Yao's nine sons were all very loyal." These prove that Shun's virtues could infect others.

After he married two princesses, they stopped being arrogant and behaved like ordinary wives. Yao's nine sons also became more honest and simple. Yao was impressed by him, but he felt that being an emperor could not rely on his own virtue alone, but also needed to seek benefits for the people.

Then, Yao began the second test. Yao said: "The work of moral education is to make Shun follow the Five Classics, namely, fatherly righteousness, motherly kindness, brotherly friendship, younger brotherly respect, and sonly filial piety." In that era of imperfect laws, these moral norms were important tools for maintaining social order. Shun understood what Yao meant.

He had a lot of experience in moral education, so Shun started the work of spiritual civilization construction. He taught people how to abide by the Five Classics and cultivated the earliest concept of human relations. Shun successfully completed the task of moral promotion and won the trust and love of Yao.

Although Shun had obtained the right of succession, he still needed to learn how to govern the country. Therefore, Yao asked Shun to contact officials and understand the duties of various official positions. In terms of diplomacy, Shun had to receive guests from afar and princes from all directions to strengthen the connection between the central government and the princes.

Finally, Shun had to be familiar with the land of China, because only by experiencing it personally could one truly understand it. Emperor Yao sent Shun to conduct field investigations on mountains, rivers and lakes, so that he could have a more direct understanding of the conditions in various places.

During this process, Shun encountered a storm, but he not only did not die, but also did not delay things. In the eyes of the ancients, this showed that Shun had a destiny. After three years of testing, Yao determined that Shun not only had noble moral qualities, but also had a strong ability to deal with problems, and was a qualified heir. So Yao decided to pass the throne to Shun.

Although both Yao and Shun were descendants of the emperor, to Yao, Shun was too distant a relative and was no different from an ordinary person. In that era when status was assumed to be passed down through blood, Yao decided to abdicate to Shun. This was a

This requires a lot of courage. Sima Qian wrote in the "Records of the Grand Historian": "You have been planning and talking for three years." If you were allowed to ascend the throne, and you can say that you have been thorough, kept your words, and fulfilled your promises in the past three years, then you can take over the throne now.

If you were Shun, how would you answer? Would Shun agree immediately? No. Hearing this, Shun directly said that his moral character was not good enough and wanted to refuse. But Yao would not agree and forced it on him anyway.

Some people may think Shun was too modest, after all, Yao had observed him for three years just for this day. But in fact, such modesty was necessary.

The ancients had the rule of "three concessions". Whether it was the emperor or an ordinary person, when accepting the kindness of others, they had to give in first and then accept. This not only showed generosity, but also reflected the importance of the request.

On the first day of the first lunar month, a grand abdication ceremony was held in the ancestral temple. Wenzu was the great ancestor of Yao. In other words, the Wenzu Temple was like Yao's ancestral temple. Yao regarded Shun as his own son, which was a deep recognition of Shun.

But he did not completely hand over the throne to Shun, but only half of it. Although the abdication ceremony was held, Shun was actually just a regent.

Therefore, Emperor Yao ordered Shun to act as the regent to see if there would be a will from Heaven. Yao did not stop testing Shun. During his regency, Shun did a good job and made remarkable achievements. For example, he made many achievements in legislation, sacrifices, management of princes, administrative divisions, criminal law, personnel, etc.

The Records of the Grand Historian states: "Yao had been in power for seventy years before he got Shun. He was old after twenty years, so he ordered Shun to take over the government and recommended him to heaven. Yao had been in power for twenty-eight years before he died. The people mourned as if they had lost their parents, and for three years no music was allowed in all directions, in order to remember Yao."

During Shun's regency, Yao was very satisfied and did not interfere with his power. After Yao's death, the people of the country were very sad, just like losing their parents. The whole country mourned for three years to express their longing for Yao.

Sima Qian went on to write: "Danzhu, the son of Yao, was unworthy and unfit to rule the world, so the power was given to Shun. If it was given to Shun, the world would benefit and Danzhu would suffer; if it was given to Danzhu, the world would suffer and Danzhu would benefit. In the end, he did not use the suffering of the world to benefit one person, but was sufficient to benefit the world."

This is the story of the fourth emperor in the Records of the Five Emperors. The most important and famous part is the abdication of Yao to Shun. Some people may think that abdication is just a pretense of hypocrisy, but Sima Qian holds a different view.