Excerpted from "Yan Zi Ci Qian Jin", historical allusions, selected from "Yan Zi Chun Qiu Internal Miscellaneous Articles".
original text
Yan Zifang has dinner, and the special envoy is here. Divide the food, the messenger is not full, and Yan Zi is not full. The messenger objected and the words were public. Gong said, "Hey! If Yanzi's family is poor! I don't know, it's my fault. " Please send an official daughter and a city rent to serve the guests. Yan Zici. Finally, he bowed his head and said, "The baby's family is not poor. With the courtesy of the monarch, cover the three families and delay the friendship to shake the people. The monarch's gift is also thick, and the baby's home is not poor. The baby heard this, and the husband took the king away and gave it to the people. It is the minister who represents the people of Jun Jun, and the loyal minister does not do it; Taking the monarch without giving it to the people is a hidden basket, and the benevolent does not do it; Enterprising for the monarch, retreating to offend the scholar, and moving wealth to others after death is to slaughter and hide, but the wise do not do it. In short, the husband is cloth, and one bean has enough to eat, so it is free. "
Duke Jing of Jin asked Yan Zi to say, "In the past, my predecessor Huan Gong gave Guan Zhong 500 letters from the bookstore, but he took them away without saying goodbye. What's the point of his resignation? " Yan Zi said, "When a baby hears about it, a sage loses when he worries, and a fool gains when he worries. Who cares about the lost baby? Therefore, I will worship again and dare not order. "
translate
Yan Zi was eating when Qi Jinggong sent a special envoy. (Yan Zi) Divided the food and gave it to the envoys. As a result, the envoys did not have enough to eat, and Yan Zi did not have enough to eat. When the envoy came back, he told Qi Jinggong (about Yan Zi's poverty). Qi Jinggong exclaimed, "alas! Yan Zi's family is really as poor as (you said)! I don't understand, it's my fault. " (So) send someone on a business trip to send his daughter and tax, and (let him support the guests with his daughter and city rent). Yan Zi didn't accept it. After many farewells, he politely declined to say, "My family is not poor. Thank you for your reward. Kindness has spread to my father's family, my mother's family and my wife's family, and extended to my friends to help the people. Your salary is rich enough, and my family is not poor. I've heard people say that they take rich rewards from the monarch and give them to the people. This is that courtiers, not monarchs, rule the people, and loyal courtiers don't do this; Taking a generous reward from the monarch but not giving it to the people is to put the property in a basket for your own use, which is not what benevolent people do; In North Korea, you will get rich rewards from the monarch. In the outward direction, we should not offend the scholars because of the reward from the monarch. After death, the property will be transferred to others. This is to accumulate property for ministers. Smart people don't do that. With clothes to wear and food to eat, you can avoid (all) troubles (as long as you are satisfied). "
Qi Jinggong said to Yan Zi, "In the past, our former monarch, Huan Gong, gave Guanzhong a land population of 500 miles, and he accepted it without refusing it. Why did you refuse to accept it? " Yan Zi replied: "I heard that smart people think too much and will inevitably make mistakes." Stupid people, after careful consideration, have their merits. I think it's Guan Zhong's fault and mine, right? So thank you again. It's unacceptable. "