Yan Shu, a famous writer and politician in the Northern Song Dynasty, was recommended by local officials as a "prodigy" when he was 0/4 years old. He could have won the official position without taking part in the imperial examination, but he did not do so, but resolutely took the exam.
As it happens, the topic of that exam was done by him and directed by several famous teachers. In this way, he stood out from more than 1000 candidates with no effort and was praised by the emperor. But Yan Shu is not complacent, on the contrary.
When he was interviewed by the emperor for the second time, he told the emperor the truth and asked for another question to test him in class. After discussing with the ministers, the emperor proposed a difficult topic for Yan Shu to write in class. As a result, his article was praised by the emperor.
After Yan Shu became an official, she always went home to study behind closed doors after handling official business every day. Later, when the emperor learned of this situation, he was very happy and made him an official below the Crown Prince. When Yan Shu went to thank the emperor, the emperor praised him for studying hard behind closed doors.
Yan Shu said, "It's not that I don't want to go to the banquet, but that my family is poor and has no money, so I won't attend. I am ashamed of the emperor's praise. " The emperor also praised him for his genuine material, simplicity and honesty, and he was a rare talent. A few years later, he was promoted to prime minister.
The story of Yan Shu being appreciated and reused by the emperor shows how important it is for a person to be honest and trustworthy and not to cheat and gain the trust of others!
2. The story of Song Lian
Song Lian liked reading when he was a child, but his family was poor. I have no money to buy books, so I have to borrow them from others. Every time I borrow a book, he talks about the deadline, returns it on time, and never breaks the contract. People are willing to lend it to him.
Once, he borrowed a book, and the more he read it, the more he couldn't put it down, so he decided to copy it. But the deadline for returning the book is coming. He had to copy books overnight. It's the middle of winter and the twelfth month, dripping into ice. His mother said, "Son, it's midnight. It's cold. Copy it at dawn. People are not waiting for this book to read. "
Song Lian said, "No matter how many people are waiting to read this book, it must be returned before the deadline. This is a question of credit and a sign of respect for others. If you are dishonest in what you say and do, how can you get the respect of others? "
Once again, Song Lian was going to consult a famous scholar in the distance to make an appointment, but it snowed on the day of departure. When Song Lian picked up her luggage and was ready to go on the road, her mother said in surprise, "How can you travel far in this weather?" Besides, the teacher has closed the mountain in heavy snow.
Your old cotton-padded jacket can't resist the cold in the mountains! "Song Lian said," Mom, if you don't leave today, you'll miss the day of your official career, so you'll stand me up. To stand up is to disrespect the teacher. No matter how heavy the snow is, I will go. "When Song Lian arrived at the teacher's home, the teacher was moved to praise him and said," Young people, keep your word, be eager to learn, and you will surely make great achievements in the future! "
Let a tree represent this letter
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Qin Shangyang presided over the political reform with the support of Qin Xiaogong. At that time, at a time of frequent wars and panic, in order to establish prestige and promote reform, Shang Yang ordered a 30-foot-long wood to be erected outside the south gate of Beijing, and made a promise in public that whoever could move the wood to the north gate would be rewarded with twelve taels.
None of the onlookers believe that such an easy thing can get such a high reward, so no one is willing to try. So Shang Yang raised the reward to 50 gold. Under the four rewards, there must be brave people. Finally someone stepped forward and carried the wood to the north gate.
Shang Yang immediately rewarded him with fifty gold. Shang Yang's move established prestige in the hearts of the people, and Shang Yang's next reform was quickly popularized in Qin State. The new law made the State of Qin stronger and eventually unified China.
4, bonfire:
There is a favorite princess in Zhou Youwang, whose name is Bos. In order to win her smile, Zhou Youwang ordered more than 20 beacon towers near the capital to light bonfires-bonfires are a signal of border warning, which can only be lit when foreign enemies invade and need to call the princes for help.
As a result, as soon as the princes saw the bonfire, they led the soldiers to arrive in a hurry, realized that it was a trick set by the king to smile at his wife, and then left angrily. I finally smiled happily when I saw the usually prestigious princes at a loss.
Five years later, another large-scale attack on Zhou, the bonfire of Youwang was rekindled, but the ministers were late-no one wanted to be fooled again. As a result, you Wang was forced to commit suicide and was praised and captured.
5, a promise:
At the end of the Qin Dynasty, there was a man named Ji Bu. He kept his word and had a very high reputation. Many people have established a strong friendship with him. At that time, there was even a proverb: "It is better to get a hundred pounds of gold than to keep a promise."
Later, he offended Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang and was offered a reward for his capture. As a result, his old friends not only were not confused by the heavy money, but also risked the extinction of Jiuzu to protect him from disaster. A person who is honest and trustworthy will naturally get a lot of help and gain everyone's respect and friendship.
On the other hand, if you covet temporary comfort or petty advantages and lose trust in your friends, you will get "benefits" on the surface. But for this benefit, he ruined his reputation, which is much more important than material things. Therefore, breaking a promise to a friend is tantamount to losing a watermelon and picking up sesame seeds, which is not worth the loss.