The sun sets over the mountain and casts a large expanse of sunset glow on the horizon. The tower in the west is rimmed with gold in this glow.

Wang Xiaolie put down his wine glass, looked at the sunset, and said slowly: "In this world, people live together, unless they are tribes, every country has a king, officials, and servants. I often wonder why there are these people

?I said that in human life, one should hear the noises of chickens and dogs, and people should not interact with each other until death. Is that right? Many people say it is not true. I think it cannot be said simply that it is wrong, but there are conditions. If you have nothing in your home

Yes, you can get whatever you want, and there is nothing wrong with reducing interactions between people.”

Having said this, Wang Xiaolie looked at everyone and asked, "Do you think so?"

The rest of the people shook their heads in confusion. At first glance, Wang Xiaolie's words seemed to have a lot to say, but when you think about it more, you may not think so.

Wang Xiaolie said: "When people live in the world, many times they don't have to be like this, but have to be like this. Han Fei said that in ancient times, there were few people and many animals. In fact, there were not only many animals, but also many things. If you were around

Without wild animals, just hunting a deer or catching a fish was enough for the family to feed. Later, as there were more and more people, feeding was not so easy, and people learned to farm. Later, it was not just farming.

There are also all kinds of novel things. For example, the wine to drink, the incense to smoke, the bed to sleep on, the table to use, and the utensils are becoming more and more exquisite. Later, there are the sounds of silk and bamboo, beauties singing and dancing, and many more

Nice and fun stuff.”

Having said this, Wang Xiaolie raised his glass, drank it down, and said, "This world is very prosperous, and this world is actually very interesting."

Everyone drank together. They put down their glasses and looked at Wang Xiaolie. Everyone felt that what Wang Xiaolie said today was extraordinary.

Wang Xiaolie said: "You want to have these beautiful and fun things, and I also want to have them. But there are not so many? What should I do? Some people talk about getting rid of desires, saying that life is bitter and the root of suffering.

It is desire. Some people say that those who are capable live there. Others say that those who are virtuous live there. There is a reason for saying this, and there is a reason for saying that. Is there any reason? I say, they all make sense.

!”

"So what if it makes sense? Are you asking me to live like that? Why should others tell me how to live? That won't work!"

Having said this, Wang Xiaolie pressed the wine glass heavily on the table, looked at the crowd and said, "Most of you have been reading the books of sages since childhood and learned the principles of sages. The book says that we should be gentlemen and good people.

It has to be this way, it has to be that way, it can’t be like that. Does it make sense? It makes sense. But so what if it makes sense? Does it require us to all live like that?"

Chen Yuyi was stunned when he heard this. After a while, he said: "Zhen Fu, if we read the books of sages, we should naturally become gentlemen!"

"Why do you want to be a gentleman?" Wang Xiaolie shook his head. "If you ask me, a gentleman is like Beichen, high in the sky, pointing a direction, but cannot be picked up in his hand. Those principles of being a gentleman can guide us.

How we behave in this world does not make us a gentleman."

Chen Yuyi and Chen Qiudao looked at each other, feeling extremely shocked.

Wang Xiaoxing said: "We Han people have learned Confucianism, so many of us want to be gentlemen. But those barbarians do not understand Confucianism, so what? There is also Persia to the west, who are cannibals, so they

I don’t want to be a gentleman. There are also people further west. I heard that they all want to be a magic stick. So, people have various ways of living in this world, and they don’t necessarily have to be a gentleman.”

Having said this, Wang Xiaolie thought for a while and said: "What I mean by this is not to deny reading the books of sages, nor to deny being a gentleman, but to say that there are other ways of living and ideas. It cannot be because they don't follow us.

The same, it feels wrong. Officials of a political power govern all kinds of people. Some are loyal, filial, benevolent and righteous, some worship Buddha and practice Zen, some take elixirs and cultivate immortality, and some just want to live a comfortable life. These officials,

They must try their best to make all people live freely and happily under their rule. Therefore, these officials have very high requirements."

Chen Yuyi said: "The governor said that officials should be selected. Is this what you mean?"

Wang Xiaolie shook his head: "Not only this, but also other meanings. As I said before, you have your reasons, I have my reasons, and he has his own reasons. Many of these reasons are

It really makes sense and is not a forced argument. For example, among the Confucian sages, Xunzi said that human nature is inherently evil, while Mencius also said that human nature is inherently good. Is human nature good or evil?"

Chen Qiudao said: "Before this dynasty, more people in the world believed in Xunzi, and more people believed that human nature is inherently evil. In this dynasty, Confucian scholars respected Han Yu, and more people respected Mencius, and they believed that human nature is inherently good.

There are more people.”

"Then is human nature good or evil?" Wang Xiaolie smiled. "If human nature is inherently evil, there is a set of governance methods. But if human nature is inherently good, there is another set of governance methods. What is it?

Good or evil? Let me tell you, there is no human nature, let alone good or evil. People are just people, born from their mother’s womb and living in this world. To say whether human nature is good or evil is just to promote your own way of governing the country.

It’s just a theory.”

The "Three Character Classic" says that in the beginning, human beings are inherently good, similar in nature, and far apart in habits. This is a Confucian view, and there are other views. Especially in the Song Dynasty, there was also the theory of temperament, and finally Zhu Xi's theory of existence and destruction.

Scholars have conducted many discussions on human desire. This issue is very important and is directly related to scholars’ theory of governance.

People of later generations are not familiar with the historical debates of Chinese scholars, and they do not pay attention to the importance of understanding human nature. In another field, everyone knows that there is a rational person hypothesis in economics. It is believed that all people participating in economic activities are rational people.

The theory has a foundation. This rational person hypothesis is similar to the Confucian understanding of human nature. Starting from whether human nature is good or evil, we can deduce how the country and the people should be governed.

Seeing everyone looking at him in confusion, Wang Xiaolie waved his hand: "So we don't need to discuss whether human nature is good or evil, nor do we need to deduce how to govern from this. The essence of political power is that so many people come together and work together.

Living and working together requires managing so many people. Whether people must live together is not important. Whether people will still live like this in the future is not important. What is important is what we are facing now and how we want to manage it.

What does it look like? Do you want everyone to stick to their duties, have enough food and clothing, and have no desires or demands? Or do you want to live better day by day, and each generation becomes stronger than one generation? The predecessors walked, the current people ride horses, and the future generations ride in cars.

Future generations of people will fly in the sky——"

Hearing this, Niu Gao, who had been confused all the time, couldn't help but laughed out loud: "The observation is funny, how can people fly in the sky? If they can fly in the sky, wouldn't they become gods?"

Wang Xiaolie said with a smile: "If you can fly a kite into the sky, why can't people fly in the sky?"

Niu Gao couldn't help being stunned after hearing this. After a while, he said: "It's one thing to fly a kite into the sky, but it's another thing for a person to fly into the sky."

Wang Xiaolie said: "Maybe one day, it will be the same thing? We can't just say it and think it can't be done. My brain is a very magical thing. I can think of everything. First thought

When I first came out, I thought it was a fantastic idea. But one day, it might become commonplace."

Niu Gao remained silent. Looking at the crowd, he had no choice but to be confused.

Wang Xiaolie said: "I have said so much, but I mean the same thing. Governing the country and selecting officials cannot be restricted by various opinions. Governing the people is actually very simple. It is to make the people live better and better, without having anything.

Worrying things. It’s not that this person is a great Confucian, that person is an eminent monk, and so on, when they are selected into the government. It’s that every official has a standard. What abilities do you need to be an official, and what do you need to do.

As an official, what can't be done and what must be done? If you can't do it, what are the penalties? If you can do it, what are the rewards? How much money can you make per month as an official, and what kind of benefits are there?

.”

Chen Yuyi said: "As a governor, selecting officials is nothing more than selecting talents and appointing capable people. We scholars read the books of sages, and we want to be gentlemen, and when we enter the court, we will be virtuous ministers. If it is like you said, isn't it just like recruiting people from businessmen!

"

Wang Xiaolie shook his head: "Many times, choosing officials in the court is not as good as hiring people from businessmen. Of course, our officials have more than just such requirements. This is just the minimum requirement, and officials must meet it. Officials in the court

, there are also distinctions between general officers and attendants. Higher requirements correspond to other levels."

Having said this, Wang Xiaolie thought for a while and said: "Let's put it this way, these officials are just like pieces of clothing. Being an official is like wearing these clothes. You have the power of an official and enjoy the benefits of being an official."

When you take off your clothes, you are just like an ordinary person. The power and treatment of an official lies in that public uniform. I do not advocate private visits in private to observe the people's sentiments. You must also understand these contents when wearing public uniforms.

Please understand, these officials are officials just because they wear official uniforms. They are not officials just because they are this person."

Chen Yuyi couldn't help but frown after hearing this.

Wang Xiaolie said: "Officials wear official uniforms because they hold this position. In addition, there are also people with high moral standards and selected people. That is another system, such as the imperial court's post. Put it this way, you

You should understand, right?"

Chen Yuyi looked at Chen Qiudao and said, "I understand a little bit, but I don't understand some things."

Wang Xiaolie said: "Let me put it simply. The so-called officials are the things that the government thinks need to be managed by the government, what needs to be done, and the right people to wear the official uniforms. What the government looks at are the officials and staff.
Chapter completed!