The story of flattery and obedience

 

The story of flattery and obedience

 

The wise man Agu Demba said to the groom Azhuo:

The Chinese idiom "flattery" comes from the eighth chapter of "Zui Xing Shi" in the Ming Dynasty. People derived the idiom "flattery" based on this story, which refers to trying to say complimentary words to others, words to please others, submissive flattery, and catering to others.

Agudengba told Azhuo a story about Liu Bang, the founding emperor of the Western Han Dynasty, and his groom Xia Houying:

Liu Bang was born in a peasant family, and his parents did not even have names. Liu Bang's original name was "Ji", which means "the third child". It was not until he became emperor that he changed his name to "Bang".

When Liu Bang was thirty years old, he became a village official - the pavilion chief in Pei County, Qin Dynasty. He is open-minded, cheerful and courageous in his work. Many people get along with him. Local people Xiao He, Fan Kuai, Xia Houying, etc. are all his good friends. These people later contributed greatly to Liu Bang's establishment of the Han Dynasty.

Fan Kuai was a fellow villager of Liu Bang, and he was a dog-killer and a dog-seller. After Chen Sheng and Wu Guang launched an uprising, the magistrate of Peixian County was frightened and planned to use the opportunity of uprising to respond to Chen Sheng, so he sent Fan Kuai to summon Liu Bang to help. Unexpectedly, when Liu Bang brought hundreds of people, the county magistrate regretted it again. So Liu Bang persuaded the people in the city to kill the county magistrate and led two to three thousand men to join the army.

Xia Houying and Liu Bang also had a long-standing friendship. He turned out to be a horseman in the county government. Every time he was ordered to drive carriages for passing envoys, and when he passed Liu Bang's place when he came back, he would always chat with Liu Bang for a long time and did not leave until sunset. Later, Xia Houying became a county official and had closer contacts with Liu Bang. One day Liu Bang was playing with him and accidentally injured him. Someone accused Liu Bang of being the chief of the pavilion and beating people, so he should be severely punished. Xia Houying quickly explained to him. Unexpectedly, Xia Houying was later arrested and imprisoned for perjury, and spent more than a year in jail. Later, Liu Bang raised troops in Peixian County. He and Fan Kuai took the initiative to participate and served as generals.

After Liu Bang's power gradually developed, a small businessman named Guan Ying who sold silk came to defect to him again. This man later became Liu Bang's confidant, leading troops to fight in various places and making many military exploits. At the beginning of the second year, Liu Bang's army approached Chenliu, and a local official named Li Shiqi came to offer advice. Liu Bang adopted Li Shiqi's strategy and hung the head of the county magistrate on a bamboo pole. As a result, the defenders opened the city gate and surrendered. In Chenliu, Liu Bang replenished a large amount of food, weapons and soldiers. Then Li Shiqi recommended his wise and courageous younger brother Li Shang, who brought another 4,000 people to Liu Bang.

Later, Liu Bang defeated Xiang Yu and became emperor in 202 BC, establishing the Western Han Dynasty. After Liu Bang became the emperor, he made many outstanding officials, including Fan Kuai, Xia Houying, Guan Ying, Li Shang and others. But these people are hardly sycophants.

Agudemba tells another story about flattery:

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, there was a hermit named Yan Guang. He was an upright man and an old friend of Situ Houba. Once Hou Ba sent someone with his handwritten letter to invite Yan Guang to his home. Yan Guang refused and wrote back: "Please tell Mr. Junfang that his official position is high enough. If he can serve the emperor based on benevolence and righteousness, the world will be happy. If he blindly flatters the emperor and obeys the decree, he will be in trouble in the future." There will be a risk of death." After hearing this, Hou Ba sighed repeatedly.

Agudemba sang a short ballad "Flattery and Follower":

 

There are endless stories of flattery,

Sometimes we find strange phenomena,

Some people have profound and extraordinary knowledge,

But the moral character is the most despicable.

A flatterer treats a noble person,

Always groveling and flattering,

Followers treat people of low status,

It is arrogance and arrogance.

 

The absurdity of this flattery,

It is not uncommon in ancient and modern Chinese and foreign history.

It is also common in daily life,

Why should a person be willing to be a slave all his life?