( 1)
Wei Zhi's advice, whatever he thinks is right, must be straight to his face, stick to it and never talk behind his back. This is his value. On one occasion, Emperor Taizong said to Sun Chang Wuji, "Every time Wei Zhi gives me advice, as long as I don't accept his advice, he always refuses. Don't know why? " Before Sun Chang Wuji could answer, Wei Zhi went on to say, "Your Majesty did something wrong, so I protested. If your majesty doesn't listen to my advice and I obey it at once, then I have to act according to your wishes. Isn't it against my original intention to make suggestions? " Emperor Taizong said, "You promised to take care of my dignity at that time, and then you would remonstrate with me alone after retiring from the DPRK. Can't you? " Wei Zhi explained, "Once upon a time, Shun warned his ministers not to obey me in person, but told another story behind my back. This is not a manifestation of his deputies' loyalty to the monarch, but an act of betrayal. I beg your pardon. " Emperor Taizong greatly appreciated Wei Zhi's opinion.
On the national policy, especially after the chaos, Wei Zhi advocated that it should be quick rather than slow, and urgent rather than slow. When Emperor Taizong ascended the throne, everything was in ruins. One day, he asked Wei Zhi, "Does it take a wise monarch a hundred years to govern the country well?" Wei Zhi disagreed with the idea of Emperor Taizong. He said, "A wise man running a country is like a voice echoing immediately. You can see the effect within one year, and it will be too late to produce results within two years. How can we wait a hundred years to govern? " The servant of Shangshu shot Feng Deyi and laughed at Wei Zhi's point of view. Wei Zhi said: "The country after the chaos is like a hungry person who wants to eat, and it comes faster. The way to be emperor is emperor, and the way to be king is king. It depends on whether people, not people, can be educated. " Emperor Taizong listened to Wei Zhi's suggestion and actively took effective measures. Only after three or two years, the situation of Zhenguan rule appeared in the Tang Dynasty.
Wei Zhi advocated to win people's trust, and not to make people feel at a loss. In the Tang Dynasty, men aged 18 could participate in the conscription. On one occasion, in order to recruit more soldiers to consolidate the border, Emperor Taizong asked all men over the age of 16 to apply, but Wei Zhi strongly disagreed. He said: "When the river dries up and the forest is burned for hunting, this is the practice of killing the chicken to get the egg. There are not many soldiers, but they are good. Why should we find people who are not old enough to make up for them? Moreover, this is also a loss of national trust. " Emperor Taizong asked himself whether he had violated his promise to the people. Wei Zhi cited three examples. Although Emperor Taizong felt that his words were sharp and harsh, he was still very happy. He believed that Wei Zhi was loyal to the imperial court and sincerely assisted himself in governing the country. So he ordered to stop the recruitment of China men. At the same time, Kevin·Z got a golden urn as an encouragement.
In terms of personal enjoyment, Wei Zhi often made faces and protested directly. Once, Emperor Taizong wanted to go hunting in Nanshan, and all the horses and chariots were ready, but he didn't dare to go at last. Wei Zhi asked him why he didn't go out. Taizong said, "I wanted to go hunting at first, for fear that you would blame me, so I was afraid to go out." On another occasion, Emperor Taizong went to Luoyang from Chang 'an and was very angry because of the poor local supplies. Wei Zhi said to Emperor Taizong: "Emperor Yang Di died of the infinite pursuit of pleasure. Now I lose my temper because of the poor supply of goods, and I will inevitably follow in its footsteps in the future. Every place worships your majesty desperately in order to satisfy him. Supply is limited, and people's luxury desire is infinite. If this continues, the tragedy of the Sui Dynasty should be repeated. " Emperor Taizong was shocked by this and paid great attention to thrift in the future.
Wei Zhi also attached great importance to the moral cultivation of Emperor Taizong. He bluntly said to Emperor Taizong: "People who live in the world are upright and have no orders to do things; His body is not right, although he does not obey. " He also quoted Xunzi's words to warn Emperor Taizong: the monarch is like a ship and the people are like water. The knife cuts bread and fingers. This sentence was a great shock to Emperor Taizong, and he always kept it in mind. On one occasion, Emperor Taizong asked Wei Zhi how to be a wise king instead of a dark king, and Wei Zhi told the story of Historical Records of the Sui Dynasty. Yu Shiqi devoted himself to Emperor Yang Di's liking, saying what he liked, but not what he hated. Only good news, no bad news, led to the demise of the Sui Dynasty. From this, Wei Zhi drew a famous conclusion, that is, "it is bright to listen to others, but it is dark to listen to others".
Wei Zhi and Emperor Taizong lived together for 17 years. One is famous for his outspoken advice, and the other is famous for his open-minded acceptance of guidance. Although there were sometimes heated arguments, Emperor Taizong was able to manage by the way and speak well. This relationship between monarch and minister is extremely rare in history. After Wei Zhi's death, Emperor Taizong missed him very much and said with emotion: "My husband can use copper as a mirror to dress up; Taking history as a mirror, we can know the rise and fall; Take people as a mirror, you can know the gains and losses. I have kept these three mirrors in case I pass by. Now that Wei Zhi is dead, he died in a mirror. " ("Zhenguan politician? 6? 1 on Ren Xian) I'm afraid this is the greatest sorrow and honor enjoyed by ministers in previous dynasties. Wei Zhi became a mirror for Emperor Taizong to prevent himself from committing crimes, which fully reflected Wei Zhi's irreplaceable role in governing the country.
(2)
Wei Zhi is famous for his direct protest, but he doesn't pay attention to the art of entering the language. Sometimes we can satirize and persuade Taizong with literary and elegant metaphors, enlighten him euphemistically, and make him wake up and turn over a new leaf.
In the eleventh year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong visited Luo, and Kevin·Z accompanied the officials. Emperor Taizong gave a banquet in the West Park of Luoyang Palace to entertain the ministers and took them boating in the green pool. Pointing to the scenery and palaces on both sides of the strait, Emperor Taizong said to his ministers, "Yang Di is extravagant and has built many buildings. Palaces and gardens are all over Kyoto. As a result, officials forced the people to rebel and died in a foreign land. Now these palaces and gardens are all mine. Yang-ti's national subjugation has a lot to do with flattery, fraud, and aiding and abetting abuse. You should take a warning! " Wei Zhi immediately replied: "I take Yuwen Shu and other courtiers as a warning and take it for granted; I hope that your majesty will learn from Yang Di, and the country will be peaceful and peaceful! " Hearing Kevin·Z's words, Emperor Taizong felt very reasonable and advocated encouraging each other. He asked the ministers to entertain him with poems, and the ministers respectfully asked Taizong to give them first. After a short meditation, Emperor Taizong immediately recited in a clear voice:
Hit hundreds of pieces every day and put on five yards.
Xia Kang is relaxed and comfortable, and Shangxin is also flowing.
Only when you are infatuated with yourself can you know yourself and feel fresh.
Natural resources are disgusting, and fame comes from accumulating goodness.
This poem was named Shangshu by Emperor Taizong. He took the arrogant and dissolute bad king in Shangshu as an example, and pointed out that their ruin was due to evil deeds, and they deserved it. Although there are only a few wise kings who are self-restrained and diligent and love the people, they are immortal in history, because they pay attention to self-cultivation, constantly do good deeds and accumulate virtue for the benefit of the people. In this poem, Emperor Taizong expressed his determination to be "self-restrained and virtuous" by chanting history. Hearing this, the ministers sang in unison. Emperor Taizong asked ministers to write poems one after another, and Wei Zhi came out to write a poem "Western Han Dynasty". He recited:
Struggling to reach the road, fighting for a long and interesting door.
Drive across the Weihe Bridge and watch the soldiers watch Liu Tun.
The banquet passed through Cooper and swam out of Du Yuan.
Only when you finally marry Uncle Sun Li will you know the respect of the emperor.
In this poem, Wei Zhi takes several successful emperors in the early years of the Western Han Dynasty, such as Emperor Gaozu, Emperor Wendi, Emperor Jingdi and Emperor Wudi, as examples to show that the emperor is wise and diligent, and only by practicing martial arts and sandwiches can he be loved by the people. Wei Zhi hoped that Emperor Taizong would learn from Liu Bang and other emperors, "surrender" to Zi Ying, the king of Qin, and build a military to destroy Qin; Sun Tong, uncle of Confucian scholars, was also treated with courtesy, which opened the foundation for civil servants to govern the country. Emperor Taizong was brilliant. As soon as he heard this poem, he knew that Wei Zhi implied irony. He said excitedly, "Wei Zhi is loyal, not only admonishing me, but also enlightening me to write poems with courtesy. It can really be said that he knows Goodall, a loyal and straightforward minister. "
Emperor Taizong spoke highly of Wei Zhi. Once, he asked his ministers, "Is Wei Zhi more virtuous than Zhuge Liang?" Cen Wenben said: "Zhuge Liang is both a talent and a leader, and Wei Zhi is not as good as him." However, Emperor Taizong said, "Wei Zhi helped me to govern the country with benevolence and righteousness, hoping that I would become a wise king like Yao and Shun. In this respect, Zhuge Liang cannot compare with him. " Visible, in the heart of emperor taizong, Wei Zhi's talent and virtue is how high.