readx;? Zhong Ren, reigned 1723-1720 BC. Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info

Zhong Ren, also known as Zhong Ren, Yan Ren, Gong Ren, Qi Ren, Nan Ren, Zi surname, Ming Yong, son of Shang Tang, brother of Wai Bing, the third king of the Shang Dynasty.

In 1723, Wai Bing's younger brother inherited the throne of the Shang Dynasty monarch and took Xihao (Henan Yanshi) as the capital.

After Zhongren succeeded to the throne, he was assisted by Yi Yin, who basically abided by the legal system formulated by Tang, and the government was relatively stable, and the country became stronger and stronger.

He died after reigning for 4 years, and was succeeded by Taijia, the son of his brother Taiding. After Zhong Ren's death, he was nicknamed King Shangyi.

Taijia, reigned 1719-1708 BC.

In 1719, after the death of Zhong Ren, the founding father Yi Yin was the lord, and Tai Ding's son Tai Jia succeeded his uncle Zhong Ren as the monarch of the Shang Dynasty, with Xihao (Henan Yanshi) as the capital.

Taijia, son's surname, name Zhi, the eldest grandson of Shang Tang, the son of Taiding, the nephew of Wai Bing and Zhong Ren, and the fourth monarch of the Shang Dynasty.

Because when Tang died, Taijia was very young, and the reign of Wai Bing and Zhong Ren was particularly short, so Taijia was only a teenager when he succeeded to the throne, so it was governed by Yi Yin, the elder of the Four Dynasties.

When Taijia first ascended the throne, he indulged in wine because he was too little to do. Yi Yin wrote three articles, "Yi Xun" (also known as "Taijia Xun"), "Wanton Life" and "Hou Hou", to show Taijia and teach him how to be a good monarch, hoping that Taijia could inherit the law of Shang Tang and rule the world.

Yi Yin's "Taijia Xun" has been lost, and according to legend, the saying "Heaven is evil, it is still violated, and self-inflicted evil, you can't live" comes from "Taijia Xun". The word "live" is used as "逭" in the Book of Rites, which means to escape. "Wanton Life" is dedicated to how to distinguish between right and wrong, and it is clear what kind of things should not be done and what kind of things should be done. "After the Journey" is about the legal system of the Shang Tang period, and the education Taijia must act in accordance with the rules set by the ancestors, not to turn his back on the ancestral teachings, and to love what he wants.

Taijia read these articles, and at first he was able to act according to Yi Yin's teachings, carefully following the rules left by his ancestors. But in less than a year, he got carried away, thinking that everything should be decided by him, otherwise he would be the king of a country in vain, and he would be in the hands of the slave-born prime minister Yi Yin. He acted recklessly. Refusing to listen to Yi Yin's advice destroyed the legal system left by his ancestors, "Mencius Wan Zhang" recorded: "Taijia subverted Tang's punishment, and Yi Yin let it go to Tong." ”。 He actually followed Xia Wei's example and dealt with the people with tyrannical methods, and the people complained.

Yi Yin naturally couldn't tolerate Taijia destroying the society left by King Tang. He first repeatedly advised, hoping that Taijia would be more careful about his behavior, but Taijia ignored it as usual, maybe this is the rebellious psychology of the young man.

Later, seeing that Taijia had repeatedly failed to change his teachings, Yi Yin ousted him from power and exiled him to Tonggong (southwest of present-day Yanshi County, Henan Province), near the Shangtang cemetery. Yi Yin said to his ministers, "The heir is unrighteous in this way. If this habit continues, the consequences will be unimaginable, and I cannot ignore it. I will build a palace in Tongying (the burial ground of Tang), so that he will be close to the teachings of the previous king, and he will not be lost for the rest of his life. "During Taijia's exile, Yi Yin saw that there was no master in the court, so he ruled by himself and managed the country, which was actually the regent. The history is called "Yiyin Fang Taijia", which is similar to the Gongbo and ruling period of the Western Zhou Dynasty. The time was 1715 BC, that is, the fifth year of Taijia.

Taijia was banished to the Tong Palace, and the grave of his grandfather Shang Tang accompanied him day and night. Although Shang Tang was the founding monarch of the Shang Dynasty, the tomb was similar to that of ordinary people, with only a low palace on the cemetery for the annual ancestor worship. When the old man guarding the tomb heard that Taijia was banished to the cemetery because he violated the system of his ancestors, he told Taijia the story of Shang Tang's entrepreneurship and the various rules set by Shang Tang every day, and taught Taijia that he should follow his grandfather's example and be a wise monarch. The great exploits of his grandfather Shang Tang made Taijia both fascinated and ashamed, reflecting on what he had done, and feeling more and more sorry for his grandfather's spirit in the sky, he was determined to correct his mistakes. He took his grandfather as an example, did his best to help the old and weak, the widows and orphans, and became resolute in doing things, and Taijia would never do anything that violated the ancestral system and the laws of the imperial court.

In 1713, the seventh year of Taijia, he had been in Tonggong for two years. Yi Yin always paid attention to what Taijia was doing in Tong Palace, and his actions had already been reported to Yi Yin. Taijia's repentance and reformation made Yi Yin very happy, so on the first day of the twelfth lunar month of this year, he personally took Taijia back to the capital Haocheng with the minister of civil and military affairs, and solemnly handed over the power to him.

Yi Yin wore a top hat and a ceremonial dress to welcome the heir to the throne Taijia back to Bodu, and wrote a letter to the king: "The people cannot live with each other without a monarch, and the monarch cannot govern the four directions without the people." Heaven cares about helping merchants, so that the heir can achieve Junde, it is really the boundless beauty of merchants for all generations!"

The king bowed down and prostrated and said, "My son does not know what is virtuous, and he has caused misdeeds. Lust corrupts the law, and indulgence corrupts the etiquette, and thus brings sin to oneself. Disasters caused by heaven can be avoided, and disasters caused by oneself cannot be escaped. In the past, I violated the teachings of my teacher, and I would not have been strict with myself at the beginning, but I still relied on your support and salvation to achieve what I am now. "Note: Here is the king kowtowing to his ministers, indicating the fact that the king is weak and the minister is strong.

Yi Yin hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed, saying: "Pay attention to your own cultivation, and teach your subordinates with the virtue of integrity, you are the Ming Jun." The first king Chengtang had mercy on the poor people, so the people obeyed his teachings and did not dislike him. Even the people of friendly nations and neighbouring countries say, "Wait for our ruler, and when our ruler comes, there will be no evil." The king shall enhance thy virtue, and imitate thy fathers, and shall not slack off in thy pleasure for a moment. Serve the ancestors, think of filial piety, and receive the subordinates, think of respect. To observe the distance, you must be clear-sighted, and to be obedient and virtuous, you must be deaf. In this way, our subjects will be able to live happily ever after under the rule of the Great King. ”

Yi Yin repeatedly admonished the king: "Heaven does not have regular relatives who can worship heaven so that heaven can be close to you; the people do not always belong to a monarch, they belong to a loving monarch; ghosts and gods do not often enjoy food, and they eat to those who can be honest." It's not easy to be in the position of the Son of Heaven!"

"If you use virtuous people, you will be governed, and if you don't use virtuous people, you will be chaotic. There is nothing that does not flourish as the way of the rulers, and there is nothing that does not perish as the methods of the disorderly. From beginning to end, carefully choose your subordinates, and you are a wise monarch. ”

Therefore, the first king tried to cultivate his own virtues, so that he could match God. My king continues to have a good inheritance, and I want to see that!

If you are elevated, be sure to start below, and if you are far away, you must start closer. Do not despise the affairs of the people, but think of its difficulties, and do not delight the throne, but think of its dangers. Be cautious and start from the beginning!"