During the Spring and Autumn Period, Gou Jian, with the support of Fan Li and Wen Zhong's various strategies, was finally able to take revenge and destroy the Wu Kingdom, which was considered a success. However, Gou Jian was not at ease with these two ministers who were both in trouble. The astute Fan Li noticed Gou Jian's thoughts and turned around to do business in Tao without even saying hello to him. It didn't take long for Fan Li, who had the talent of the world, to become the richest man in the locality from a poor man who had no place to stand. He was known as " Tao Zhu Gong".
One day, Tao Zhugong received news that his second son had killed someone in Chu Kingdom and was imprisoned. If there was no accident, Qiu Hou would go down there to do business with the King of Hell.
Tao Zhugong asked his family to discuss how to save his second son.
Tao Zhugong had three sons. The eldest son followed him in business since he was a child and suffered a lot. When the second son was born, his family situation was much better and he had not suffered much. The third son was simply a mouse born in a honeypot, and his food and clothing were of the best standards.
Tao Zhugong thought for a moment and announced his decision: "The murderer must die. This is not an ordinary crime. Fortunately, our family is rich and we have managed all aspects of the relationship. It is not difficult to save the second brother's life. Third child, you go to the Chu Kingdom and rescue your second brother!"
Tao Zhugong said and opened the box in front of everyone. There was 1,000 gold in it, which was enough to operate in the Chu Kingdom.
The eldest brother saw that so much money had to be given away, and he couldn't help but feel distressed. He looked at the third brother, this dandy boy, wearing gold and jade, and all the equipment, with a total worth of several thousand gold. He was afraid that the third brother would delay the matter, so he hurriedly said: "Father, as the eldest son, I have to share the heavy responsibilities for my father. As an elder brother, now that the second brother is suffering, how can I enjoy the happiness at home?" What about? The third brother is still young, should I take care of the matter of rescuing the second brother? "
It's true that the boss thinks so. The third brother is a prodigal, and his ability to do things is not obvious yet, but his ability to spend money is definitely rare. The boss is worried about money and is afraid of not being able to get things done. We can still feel this mentality.
However, Tao Zhugong rejected the eldest brother's request and persuaded him: "Rescuing people is not an ordinary matter. I arranged for the third child to go there. Of course I have my own reasons, so you should leave it alone."
The eldest son still refused. He probably felt that his father could not trust him. He defended himself and said: "The eldest son is called the governor of the family. Father, if you don't arrange for me to go, it means that you don't recognize me in your heart and think that I am incompetent. "Father, you are too biased, and I can't accept it."
If it's just an argument, the worst is to give him a lesson, but it's really not possible to slap him. However, the boss not only made a fuss, but also committed suicide.
Tao Zhugong's wife saw that she could not let one of her sons die because of this incident, so she hurriedly helped her eldest son and said: "The boss is eager to save his younger brother, so let him go. If he can't think about it and something happens, it will be worse."
Tao Zhugong was also helpless, so he had to arrange for his eldest son to go to Chu to save people. When setting off, Tao Zhugong took out a letter and gave it to his eldest son, and specifically told his eldest son: "I have an old friend named Zhuang Sheng. When you arrive in Chu State, give him the letter and gold, and then just listen to him in everything. Don't question him."
The eldest son soon came to Chu State and visited Zhuang Sheng's house with the letter and gold. The place where Zhuang Sheng lived was very poor and his life was very poor. This made the eldest brother a little suspicious of his father Tao Zhugong's vision.
The boss briefly exchanged greetings with Zhuang Sheng and handed Zhuang Sheng the letter and the gold from Tao Zhugong. After Zhuang Sheng read the letter, he put it away and said to the boss: "It's none of your business. You leave Chu and go home. I will try my best to help you. You can rest assured about this. I'll wait for you. After your brother is released, you should not inquire about the inside story to avoid causing trouble."
Logically speaking, Zhuang Sheng is absolutely right. If Tao Zhugong's family stays in Chu, some people will inevitably gossip. At this critical moment, it is necessary to avoid suspicion and avoid getting involved in some disputes. Zhuang Sheng is a sensible person.
However, this stubborn boss did not listen to Zhuang Sheng, but stayed in the capital of Chu. Why didn't the boss listen to Zhuang Sheng?
He looks down on Zhuang Sheng, probably because he thinks that you, Zhuang Sheng, have become like this, your family is poor, you are not even as good as ordinary people, and you don't look like a capable person.
Therefore, while he questioned, he also made his own decision. He also had some acquaintances in the Chu State, so he simply traveled among the powerful people in the Chu State, thinking that it would add insurance to the matter of saving his younger brother. Even if Zhuang Sheng fails, he will not be in vain!
The servant of the boss said: "The master of the house has already written a letter trusting Zhuang Sheng to be fully responsible for rescuing the second young master. The master of the house must have good vision. Now that you are doing this, it is obvious that you do not trust Zhuang Sheng. Wouldn't this make Zhuang Sheng unhappy?" After hearing what the servant said, the boss shook his head and said, "I'm afraid. What an incredible request from my father! When I went to visit Zhuang Sheng, his family was so poor that no one would visit him. I don’t think Zhuang Sheng can accomplish such a big thing. We have to rely on ourselves to accomplish this. If I can accomplish it, my father will be very impressed with me.”
Boss, this is really asking for money, and you don’t trust others!
Let’s talk about Zhuang Sheng. Zhuang Sheng was famous for his honesty and uprightness in Chu State, and his status was so high that even the King of Chu regarded him as his teacher. Although Zhuang Sheng's family is poor, he has great influence.
After Zhuang Sheng sent the eldest son away, he said to his wife: "Tao Zhugong is my old friend. He has spoken. Naturally, I can't stand idly by. Don't touch the gold you gave me. I will return it all when the matter is done."
Zhuang Sheng's wife was a little confused and asked Zhuang Sheng, "Since you don't want it. , why do you want to accept it?"
Zhuang Sheng explained to his wife: "If I didn't accept it at the beginning, people would think that I was perfunctory and would not help at all, and they would inevitably have objections to me. I would accept the money first and then go to work for the other party, and they would feel at ease. "
Zhuang Sheng is so understanding of the world! In fact, this also tells us that when you ask a friend to do something, you must bring something with you. Whether or not you accept it is the other person’s business. If you don’t bring something with you, it is rude. Being rude is disrespectful and does not understand the ways of the world.
Zhuang Sheng is really a friend worth keeping with. He found time to do what he agreed to do.
On this day, he came to the palace and said to the King of Chu: "The celestial phenomena have changed and disaster has struck. The king should respond in time to resolve the disaster!"
The King of Chu has always trusted Zhuang Sheng, and hurriedly asked: "Sir, you must have a solution for a long time, please tell me quickly. The king immediately obeyed. "
Zhuang Sheng solemnly said: "If you want to resolve the natural disaster, you should pray to heaven and grant forgiveness to the world, so that the disaster will naturally be avoided." After hearing this, the king of Chu felt that it made sense and decided to follow the method and summoned the ministers to discuss it.
The dignitaries of the Chu State who were bribed by the boss naturally knew the news and immediately informed the boss. The boss felt that he was really foresight. Zhuang Sheng was indeed unreliable!
So he said to his servant: "The King of Chu is going to grant amnesty to the world, and the second brother will naturally be released. I have to ask Zhuang Sheng to get the money back. He has done nothing, so I can't take advantage of him and let myself suffer."
The boss ran to Zhuang Sheng's house again. Zhuang Sheng was surprised to see that the boss was still in Chu State, and asked him why he disobeyed and left Chu State. The boss said that Chu State had The friend told him that the King of Chu was going to grant amnesty to the whole world, and he deliberately said in an emphatic tone: "If I had known that the King of Chu was going to grant amnesty, I wouldn't have troubled you. My family's money is always tight, so I don't have to waste money." After hearing this, Zhuang Sheng looked very unhappy. He knew that the boss was here to ask for money, so he turned around and took the original 1,000 gold and gave it back to the boss. The boss didn't show any basic politeness. After taking the money, he said goodbye to Zhuang Sheng.
Boss, what you did is not honest. Regardless of whether Zhuang Sheng did it or not, how can you get the money back by yourself? This move undoubtedly pushed Zhuang Sheng into the opposite direction.
Zhuang Sheng said to his wife: "The boss of Mr. Tao and Zhu's family is really nothing. He is simply a snobbery and ruthless. He only cares about those vulgar things and does not consider my feelings at all. I actually helped such a person and was fooled by this junior!"
A gentleman is sincere, but a gentleman is not a fool. Using a gentleman, coercing a gentleman, especially playing tricks with a gentleman will only turn the gentleman into an enemy. When a gentleman plays tricks, he may not be any worse than a villain. The same strategy can even be more effective!
Zhuang Sheng went to the palace to see the King of Chu again: "Your Majesty, I heard that the son of a rich man in Taodi killed someone in our Chu country. His family gave a lot of money to bribe the Chu court officials. Now According to folklore, the reason why the king granted amnesty to the world was to find a reason to release the rich man's son, not to avoid the disaster in the Chu country. "
The king of Chu was very angry after hearing this. Money is nothing. In front of the royal power, it is nothing! Immediately ordered that Tao Zhugong's second son be pushed to the guillotine first, and then the next day he would grant amnesty to the whole world, using facts to stop the rumors.
The smart-alecked boss finally had no choice but to return home with the body of his second brother.
When Tao Zhugong saw the body of his second son, he was not surprised. He sighed and said: "The boss has followed me in business since he was a child. He has suffered a lot and knows that making money is not easy. Therefore, when he grows up, he values money very seriously and is unwilling to give up money. When the third son was born, the family was very rich. He saw that making money was easy, so he spent money lavishly and never begrudge money. He would not give up money. , Don’t think about doing big things. Only by letting others benefit will your things be easier to accomplish. This is why I didn’t agree with the boss in the first place.”
[Zixiao’s Thoughts on Reading History]
When dealing with a gentleman, you must keep one word - sincerity. What a gentleman hates most is fraud, hypocrisy and conspiracy.
Just like that, the eldest son of Mr. Tao and Zhu made such a mistake. He betrayed his trust, became ruthless, and valued money over righteousness. In the end, Zhuang Sheng taught him a social lesson: Don't play tricks with gentlemen .
Of course, Tao Zhugong also taught us a lesson: If you want to do big things, give up money first! How much money you spend can accomplish great things!
Do you think so?
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