In terms of practical work, successive rulers have paid attention to it. Once, Chen Yuanlong, the governor of Guangxi, reported to Kangxi, "There is Ganoderma lucidum in the mountains of Guilin, and there are auspicious clouds covering it from time to time", and picked a branch of Ganoderma lucidum that is more than one foot high and looks like a cloud, and quoted the words of "the king's mercy and benevolence" in the "Shennong Sutra". Kangxi criticized on his recital: "There are many auspicious differences in the annals, which are not beneficial to the national economy and people's livelihood. If the local harvest is good and the family is sufficient, it is a great auspiciousness. He also commented: "As recorded in the annals of history, Jingxing, Qingyun, Linfeng, Zhicao, and the burning of pearls and jade in front of the palace, and the book of heaven descended on Chengtian, which are all false texts, and I do not take them." But the daily use is ordinary, and the real government is carried out with a solid heart. "The ancient rulers also understood that officials at all levels were not pragmatic, the common people could not live well, and their feudal rule was about to collapse.

——Speech at the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee's "Three Stricts and Three Realities" Special Democratic Life Meeting (December 28 and 29, 2015)

Further reading:

In ancient China, there was a saying of "heaven and man induction", which believed that auspiciousness symbolized the political clarity of the world. The feudal emperors therefore hoped for the emergence of the so-called "auspicious rui", which allowed those flatterers to use false auspicious fortunes to invite favors.

In the fifty-second year of Kangxi, that is, in 1713, Huang Guocai, the political envoy of Guangxi, reported to Chen Yuanlong, the governor of Guangxi, that in February of that year, a branch of Ganoderma lucidum was collected in the mountains of Guilin, which was more than one foot high and shaped like a cloud, and hoped to present it to the emperor on his behalf. Chen Yuanlong immediately sent someone to send Lingzhi to the capital, and wrote a recital, quoting scriptures to talk about "auspiciousness", saying that this is a symbol of Kangxi's benevolent government. Chen Yuanlong knew that Kangxi was "not expensive and auspicious", but he still had to bother to explain it, because he wanted to say a few words of compliment on Kangxi's birthday. Unexpectedly, Kangxi did not "appreciate", and said that for such a thing, "I don't have to read it".

Coincidentally, in the fifty-sixth year of Kangxi, Zhao Hongxie, the governor of Zhili, also said that a branch of Ganoderma lucidum grew in the neighbor's yard, saying "Tang Yu's world, Zhicao Xianrui", but today's emperor's virtue and love for the people far exceed the era of Yao Shun, and the whole world is bathed in the emperor's grace, so the auspiciousness of Zhicao should be present. Kangxi was also very disapproving, and wrote Zhu Pi: "Those who are Rui, the harvest of the New Year, and the people have food, is Da Rui." He also told Zhao Hongxie, "There is no need to say whether it is true or false."

Kangxi abandoned the vain doctrine of auspiciousness from the sky, and regarded "the local harvest is good, the family is sufficient", and "the harvest of the year is abundant, and the people have food" as "great auspiciousness", which is precisely to advocate "doing practical government with a solid heart".

Xi Jinping told the story of "Kangxi does not take Ganoderma lucidum", in order to emphasize the need for practical work, and warned our leading cadres that even the ancient rulers knew that "officials at all levels are not pragmatic, and the people do not live well and cannot survive", and will eventually collapse. He once recalled that the biggest gain of Yan'an was that "I learned what it means to be practical, what it means to seek truth from facts, and what it means to be the masses." It's something that will last me a lifetime." "Always acting according to the requirements of seeking truth from facts" has become his basic principle for thinking about problems, making decisions, and doing things. Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized that "do less of the icing on the cake and spend on the flowers", "be practical in seeking things, starting a business, and being a real person". A story of "Kangxi does not take Ganoderma lucidum" is precisely to show that leading cadres must be pragmatic and down-to-earth.