"By the way?" Zhuangzi remembered and asked, "Let me regard the lacquer garden as my base and dojo, is it also what Bai Lao meant?" ”

This old man is really thoughtful for his son-in-law!

"This? This one? The middle-aged man was so anxious that he waved his hand again and again and said, "I don't know!" I really don't know! I'm just guessing! I think! You should do this so that you can spread the Tao widely.

Isn't that the Mo family? Isn't it? It's not just right now, the monarch of the Song Kingdom has officially appointed you as the official of Qiyuan Town, you can just use this place as your dojo and base, just like the Mo family did back then! Isn't it? ”

Zhuangzi pondered.

There is some truth in what the middle-aged man said, but? The Song State is a small country, and the monarchs of the Song State are not the kind of big people who take saving the world as their own responsibility, they are not Qin Xiaogong and Wei Ying.

The king of the Song State and his courtiers were concerned about their own power and the enjoyment of their own personal lives. They are unscrupulous in order to maintain their status and enjoy their existing luxury life.

If you spread Taoism here in Qiyuan and make the Song Kingdom stronger, the other vassal states around you will feel that their safety is threatened. The surrounding vassal states will put pressure on the Song monarch to prevent you from continuing to spread Taoism.

So! It is unreliable to establish a dojo and a base in the Song Kingdom. Once the other surrounding vassal states put pressure on the Song State, in order to keep their position, those courtiers of the Song State will take action against you in order to keep their position and luxurious life.

So! If you want to establish your own base to spread Taoism, you must have a strong military force as a guarantee. You must convince the Song monarch to defend his sovereignty by force.

But? Will the monarch of the Song Kingdom and those courtiers of the Song Kingdom cooperate with you?

Will they believe you?

The result of the spread of Taoism was when the monarch and his courtiers lost the enjoyment of luxury.

Shoot yourself in the foot, that's what a fool can do!

"It's not that simple! Alas! ”

Zhuangzi sighed again and said, "The Mo family is an example, and the Song Kingdom is unreliable. If the Song State had always taken the Mo family seriously, the Song State would have been strong a long time ago. But the monarchs and ministers of the Song State not only did not pay attention to the Mo family, but also feared that the Mo family would become strong and weaken their power position.

Only when the country is in danger and you work for the country will the king and those courtiers welcome you. When the country is no longer in danger and the crisis is about to pass, the king and those courtiers are worried and afraid that you have usurped their power and position, and they will start to attack you again.

That's the reality!

The power is in the hands of the king and the courtiers, and you will always be just a tool for them to use. So! I think! It's too early to establish a base and a dojo. Only by spreading Taoism can all the wise men of the world believe. At that time, it can be answered.

And now! If you establish a base and a dojo too early, you will follow in the footsteps of the Mo family. There will be many people who will blend into Taoism, and then! As a disciple of Taoism, he spread false Taoism everywhere. They are not spreading Taoism, but deliberately misinterpreting Taoism, just like the spies in the Mo family back then, deliberately misinterpreting ......"

"Do you love your home country, Song? Do you love your hometown of Mengxian Mojia Branch? ”

Seeing that Zhuangzi did not accept his opinion to establish a base, and still had a heartbeat, the middle-aged man interrupted Zhuangzi's words and asked.

"Love!"

Whether our home country and hometown give us love or hate, we can't forget it.

"If you really love, you stay! Save the people here in Qiyuan! ”

The middle-aged man said in a low voice, very seriously and sincerely: "I understand everything you said!" But no matter how mediocre the monarch of the Song Kingdom is, he won't let the people believe, right? The people of Qiyuan are willing to believe in Taoism, and they do not violate the laws of the Song Kingdom, what can the monarch do with us? Don't? He doesn't want any of the people who keep the law? He doesn't want him to be in turmoil and force the people to rebel if the society is stable? ”

Zhuangzi said, "I have promised to stay!" I've already started to clean up the lacquer garden! Feel relieved! I'm not leaving! ”

"Hmmm! I believe in you! ”

"I'm still leaving! Go to Qi country! But! I won't leave if I don't manage the paint garden well! ”

"That's good! That's good! ”

"I basically figured out what was going on in the lacquer garden because I was last passing by here. So! It's not hard to manage. Zhuangzi said confidently.

"Then how are you going to manage this small place in the Lacquer Garden?"

"This?" Zhuangzi looked up at the middle-aged man and smiled bitterly.

Seeing that the other party was still looking at him, waiting for him to answer, he had to say: "Quote the words of Lao Tzu, the ancestor of Taoism!" 'Those who are good in the past will not be foolish, but will be foolish. The people are difficult to govern, and they are wise. Therefore, the country is governed by wisdom, and the thief of the country; If you don't govern the country with wisdom, the blessing of the country. 'What do you mean' if you don't use the people to be foolish!' ’？ ”

"Then what does it mean that 'if you don't use the people, you will be foolish'?"

He had heard this sentence of Taoist Lao Tzu, but he didn't understand it. There are many people in the world who do not understand what it means to "not be foolish to the people". Don't? Is it really as you understand it? Can't the people be too smart? Do you want to make the people stupid to make it easier to manage?

Looking at the other party's curious and serious look, Zhuangzi smiled: "The meaning of this sentence is that I have a set of fair and just laws in my heart, but I don't tell you, I make you feel that I am a foolish official." ”

"You are a foolish official, how do you govern the country? How to manage the lacquer garden? ”

"Didn't I say that? I have a fair and just law in my heart, but I don't know it! When I'm enforcing the law, I use it, so far! It will be able to effectively govern the country's society. ”

"You have a fair and just law, why don't you publish it? Why not rule the country by law, like the Qin State? The middle-aged man asked puzzled.

"If you publish it, it is! If you have a policy on it, they have a countermeasure below! So! The law cannot be published! ”

"That?" The middle-aged man was even more confused and asked, "You have no law published, what will the people follow?" That? Isn't this society chaotic? Isn't it? ”

"Why is it messed up?" Zhuangzi smiled: "People don't know how to live yet? There is no law, and people don't know how to live anymore? ”

"That's it!" The other party affirmed: "How can we live without the law?" ”

"And how did you live before?"

"How did I live before? I? The middle-aged man stiffened his neck and said, "There used to be a law, huh?" I live according to the law! I will do what the law allows, I will not do what the law does not allow, I will obey the law! ”

"To live is the law! How do you keep yourself alive, that's the law! Your way of life is the law! If you lose your life in your lifestyle, there is something wrong with the law you are following. ”

Zhuangzi further extended: "You don't affect the survival and life of others, you see that others can't survive and give help, so that others can also live." Maybe? We all survive and live well.

If you, although you don't affect the survival and life of others, you won't protect yourself, thinking that if you don't affect others, others won't affect your survival and life, that's also your fault! That's that you won't protect yourself.

Taoists think! You don't affect the survival and life of others, and don't let others affect your survival and life. Such! You can survive and live well! It's survival! Survival is the law! It's the code of conduct! It's the open law! Don't? Can't you even survive? You don't even know how to keep yourself alive? ”

(End of chapter)