Confucius said: The way of governing the Xia people is to respect the politics and religion of the king, although they worship ghosts and gods, they do not regard it as the content of politics and religion, they are close to human feelings and loyal, they put the fortune in the first place and the majesty in the second, and the reward in the first place and the punishment in the second, so their politics and religion are amiable but not respectable; When politics and religion decayed, its people became stupid and ignorant, arrogant and rude, simple and uncultivated. The Yin people respect ghosts and gods, and the king leads the people to worship ghosts and gods, putting ghosts and gods first and etiquette in the second, and punishment in the first place and rewards in the second, so their politics and religion are respectable but not friendly; When the church and religion decayed, its people became dissolute and not quiet, competitive and shameless.

The Zhou people respect the law of etiquette, noble and benevolent, although worship ghosts and gods but do not regard it as the content of politics and religion, close to human feelings and loyalty, its reward and punishment methods are different from Xia, and different from Yin, only to the level of the title as the standard of importance, so their politics and religion are amiable and not respectable; When the religion and religion decay, its people become greedy and cunning, rhetorical and unashamed, killing and deceiving each other.

Confucius said: The decrees of the Xia Dynasty were simple, not harsh and reproachful to the people, the taxes were lighter, and the people had a heart of proximity. The etiquette of the Yin people is quite simple, but they are harsh and reproachful to the people, and the taxes are heavier. The Zhou people set up religions and forced the people to follow rituals, although they had not yet blasphemed the ghosts and gods, and the rules for rewards, knighthood, and punishment were already extremely numerous. Confucius said: Yu Xia's decree is simple, and the common people rarely resent. Yin Zhou's decrees were complicated, and the common people couldn't stand its cumbersomeness. Confucius said: Yu Xia's simplicity and Yin Zhou's literary ornaments have reached the extreme. Although Yu Xia also has literary ornaments, it does not have its simplicity; Although Yin Zhou is also simple, it does not have as much decoration as it.

Confucius said: Although there is a resurrection of the Ming King in later generations, it will not be as good as Yu Shun. He reigned over the world, had no selfishness when he was alive, and did not pass on the throne to his son when he died; Caring for the people is like a parent caring for their children, both with the love of mourning their misfortune and the education that brings them benefits. He has both mother's and father's respect, serene and respected, stern and dear, rich and courteous, and benevolent to the people without favoritism. His ministers also respect benevolence and righteousness, and are ashamed of saying and not doing, valuing people over wealth, and devoting themselves to the king without committing crimes, despite the king's righteousness and obedience, elegant and steady, tolerant and measured. "Fu Xing" said: The majesty of morality makes people awe-inspired, and the light of morality makes people respectful, except for Yu Shun, who else can do this?

Confucius said: When serving the monarch, the subordinates should consider their own suggestions, and then meet the monarch and personally advise the monarch; After the monarch adopts it, his subordinates must go all out to promote the fulfillment of their promises. Therefore the monarch can oblige his subordinates, and the subordinates should bow down and die to fulfill their promises; Therefore, the subordinates are not punished for nothing, and if their words and deeds are in line with their deeds, the possibility of being punished is very small. Confucius said: If you serve the monarch and the great advice is adopted, you can expect to be rewarded; If a small suggestion is adopted, one can only expect a light reward. Therefore, a gentleman does not accept a heavy reward for the adoption of a small suggestion, nor does he accept a light reward for the adoption of a large suggestion. The Book of Changes says: The monarch has a great savings, not only to share with his family, but also with the sages, auspicious.

Confucius said: To serve the monarch, one should not trouble the monarch with personal matters, do not say flashy words, and do not seek to enter the body unless it is the introduction of a decent person. "Xiaoya" said: Do your job conscientiously and only get close to decent people. When the gods hear this, they will give you blessings. Confucius said: If you serve the king, if you alienate the ministers and go beyond the ranks, then you are suspected of flattery; If it is a minister who is close to the monarch and does not admonish, it is an empty position and not fulfilling his duties. Confucius said: Close ministers should assist the monarch and not make morality suffer; The head of the family is responsible for rectifying the hundred officials, and the ministers are responsible for considering the affairs of the four directions.

Confucius said: Serving the king, you can admonish the king's mistakes, but you can't go outside to publicize them. The Book of Songs says: If you love a gentleman in your heart, why don't you say it? Deep down, I always hope that he is good, why not forget it one day? Confucius said: If it is difficult to promote and it is easy to be demoted, then the virtuous and unscrupulous subordinates will be clearly distinguished. If it is easy to promote and difficult to demote, then there is no difference between the virtuous and the unscrupulous. Therefore, the gentleman, as a guest, must give in three times before entering the door with the host, and he can leave after saying goodbye once, in order to avoid confusion.

Confucius said: If you disagree with the monarch many times and refuse to resign from your official position and go abroad, you must be greedy for money. Even if someone says he doesn't have that in mind, I don't believe it. Confucius said: To serve the monarch, you must start with prudence and end with respect. Confucius said: Serving the monarch, the monarch can make his subordinates promoted, can make his subordinates downgraded, can make his subordinates rich, can make his subordinates poor, can make his subordinates live, can make his subordinates die, but it is not allowed to make = subordinates do indecent things.

Confucius said: When serving the monarch and accepting a task, if you are in the military, you should not avoid hardships and dangers; If it is above the imperial court, it should be cheap. If you are in a certain position and do not perform the corresponding duties, you will be in a mess. Therefore, the king sends an envoy to his subordinates, and the subordinates think that they are within their ability, so they carefully consider it and obey the order; His Majesty thinks that if he is not within his power, he should think carefully and obey his fate. After completing the mission, he resigned and abdicated, which showed the loyalty of his subordinates.

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