Ji Kang had a poor son, Ji Shao. When Ji Kang died, he was about ten years old. The age that can remember, but is not sensible.

In his later memories, his impression of his father was like a name written on the water, perhaps integrated into the heart of the wave, but on the calm water, there was no trace. He rarely spoke of his father, who was all too famous. In his time, the government kept Ji Kang secret, but the students loved him, remembered him, and worshipped him fanatically. And he, as Ji Kang's only heir, could not frankly express his feelings for his father. His father once left him a gift, and it was a letter. Paper longevity for a thousand years, through this tenacious carrier, Ji Kang, as a father, accompanied his son in such a way during the growth of Ji Shao in his absence. Unlike the cynical and arrogant Ji Kang, as a father, he is frank, sincere, and even verbose and chattering.

At that time, Ji Shao was still young and probably didn't remember. In the early summer of Tongyin, when the bamboo shadow was babbling and toddler, the pair of loving eyes behind him looked at him calmly, not excited, not angry, calm and content. Raising a life is a strange thing, and Ji Kang, who is a father, does not ask his son to follow his footsteps without hesitation. On the contrary, he pointed out a wise way for his son to protect himself, wishing him to be an independent, person-in-character, and most importantly, a happy person. In the end, he still hopes that his son will become a Confucian gentleman, not his own clamor of "not soup, martial arts, but thin Zhou, and Kong". Where is he "Bo Zhou, Kong", it was his dream to help the world and save the people, but he was too serious, so that like Kong Rong, when he saw that the filthy present world had defiled his faith, he jumped up with hatred to draw a line with it.

The "Family Commandment" left to Ji Shao reads like this:

People have no ambitions, and they are not people, but a gentleman is attentive, does what he wants, and is self-serving. Those who measure their goodness must plan and then act. If the will is what it is, then the mouth and the heart swear, and the death is the same. Shame is not enough, and it is expected to be helped. If the heart is tired and the body is lazy, or involved in external objects, or tired of internal desires, unbearable to the near trouble, and can't bear to be petty, then it is discussed to go. If you discuss it, you will fight with each other. If the two hearts fight, the love of the service will prevail. There may be a middle way and give up, or there may be a failure and failure. The code is not solid, the attack is cowardly, the oath is violated, the plot is good to vent, the pleasure is wanton, and the ease is extreme. Therefore, although it is prosperous and shining, there is no knot show, year-round diligence, and no once merit, so the gentleman sighs.

……

There is no need to act in a small way, but if you see the poor and there is someone who can give alms, then you will do it righteously. If a person wants something from me, he should first think about himself, and if there is a lot of damage and waste, and there is little righteousness to help today, then he should be in power and reject it, although he will be humiliated, he should still be abandoned. However, the pleas of the people are all self-possessed, so they come to ask me, and this is more than that. Not so, but lightly. I can't bear to talk about it, and I am petty. Not for the aspiration also.

The husband's words, the gentleman's opportunity, and the opportunity animal should be the right and wrong, so you can't be careless. If the intention is not good, and the intention is to speak, then you should be afraid of the loss that cannot be made, and bear it. If you don't say anything about it, if you can't say anything else, you can say it or not, but you can say it all right.

……

Outside Ronghua has less desire, is not urgent, has no desire in the end, and is beautiful. Don't be petty, be humble; There is no need to be a little shameful, and you should be a big one. If the court gives up the official, the righteousness gives life, and if Kong Wenju begs for the death of his brother, this is the festival of loyal ministers and martyrs. Mortals have their own public and private interests, be careful not to force others to know. He knows what I know, and he is jealous of me. If you know now and don't say anything, you don't know. If you see whispering and discussing privately, let it go, and don't make anyone jealous. Or persecution, force me to say, if his words are evil and dangerous, then be righteous and moral. Who? A gentleman does not tolerate hypocrisy.

……

The gift of horses, the gift of car clothes, when the deep, what is it? Ordinary people are thin and profit-oriented, and those who are self-exhausted today will do something. The reason why the laity are willing is that the gentleman is very evil. ……

Ji Kang seemed to lack confidence that he could watch his children grow up safely, so he left this "Family Commandment". At the same time, before he died, he entrusted Ji Shao to Shantao, with whom he announced his severance, instead of Xiang Xiu, who was more inseparable from him, or the more famous Ruan. In addition to ensuring that Shantao's character is impeccable, more importantly, he needs to find a model for his precious son to live with quality in this turbulent era, and he wants Ji Shao to become a man who does not wronged himself and is worthy of being a model for the past and present. For a person like Ji Kang who never wastes time planning and arrangement, this is his fatherly love.

The biggest difference between Shan Tao and Ji Kang lies in his forbearance. Shantao is an idealistic but very realistic person, he knows what can be done and what can't, and he can survive and grow in the cracks better than Ji Kang. More importantly, as a realistic person, he is upright and respectful, and he uses pragmatism to achieve those lofty ideals.

After Ji Kang's death, Ji Shao lived in seclusion with his mother. Ji Shao was a descendant of anti-government political prisoners at this time and could not be an official. As the son of the man whose name cannot be mentioned, he is like a non-existent person, living in a corner where the light has never illuminated. But Shantao, as a minister, in those difficult battles in the court, his eyes never left the orphans in the manor that was no longer beautiful. He needed a moment to let Ji Shao ascend to the court. Shantao's wish may seem like a fantasy, but this is Ji Kang's wish, and it is also his glory: to be poor and good to himself, and to help the world. More importantly, when Sima Shi has already sat firmly in the country, what a realistic person should do is not to sleep in the past and sigh and resent, what he wants to change is the future. It is far more meaningful for Ji Shao to change the future than hiding in his father's shadow and doing nothing for a lifetime.

The opportunity was finally hunted by the keen mountain waves. After Sima Yan came to power, the direction of the wind changed. Sima Yan is far from being eloquent, not as sharp and ruthless as his father and grandfather, and even less as good as the civil and military demeanor of the Cao family and his son before. But it was he who unified China and gave the country twenty years of rare prosperity.

History's requirements for this emperor who sowed seeds and enjoyed the shade of his descendants are very simple: to unite with the mud and unite all the forces that can be united. Unite the intellectual elites who had fought to the death in the previous struggle for Zen concessions and contribute to this new regime. Stability was the first priority, and the massive hostility of intellectuals was the thorn in the ass of the emperors of the emerging dynasty. They don't have guns, but they have mouths, and they can trick the guns into setting off waves of resistance, even if they kill them all, you will be dazzled. Besides, if all the people have been killed, who will reap the wheat?

With the "amnesty of the world" after the Wei Dynasty as the prelude, Sima Yan extended countless olive branches to the descendants of metaphysicians. Xu Yun's son Xu Qi came out, and he was supposed to be the chief secretary of the sacrificial office, but some people objected, saying that he was afraid of his life if he was placed next to the emperor. Sima Yan dared to gamble, with a wave of his hand, it didn't matter, his father's character was so good, his son would not be bad, but promoted him to the adjutant of the sacrificial department. Jia Chong's former wife and Li Feng's daughter Li Wan, who was exiled because of Li Feng's rebellion, also came back at this time. Although Jia Chong has already remarried Guo Huai, it doesn't matter, the two ladies are on an equal footing, only left and right, and no one can be offended.

Shantao looked at these obvious signals and didn't say anything. He needed a good timing. He has confidence in the Ji Shao he has cultivated, and his ordinary official position is not worthy of Ji Kang's son. At the very least, it has to be an organization department, or a powerful body such as the secretary's office. The appearance is not amazing enough, and it will not be easy to stand out in the future. Soon, the position of secretary Cheng became vacant. The emperor asked the organization minister Shan Tao and the secretary general Jia Chong to discuss a candidate.

At this time, the celebrity faction represented by Shan Tao and the merit faction represented by Jia Chong were fighting incompatible, but Shan Tao and Jia Chong were still polite and discussed. Sima Yan was happy to watch them fight, and his little abacus crackled: the sandpiper and the clam competed for the fisherman's profit.

Previously, Shan Tao and Jia Chong had their own wins and losses under Sima Yan's principle of "no one can be offended", but this time, Shan Tao had to fight. Ji Shao is not simply his adopted son, Ji Kang's son is a banner at this time, Ji Shao's entry into the center of the court can not only wash away Ji Kang's crimes, but also slap them in the face of Zhong Hui, who was planning to weave Ji Kang's crimes.

So Shan Tao went directly to the emperor for an interview, and gave Ji Shao a guarantee in front of the emperor: This kid has a good character, good learning, literary talents, and a good sense of pronunciation, he should be able to do the work in the organization department, and he can be given a chance to exercise first. Shan Tao said very cautiously, and he also gave Sima Yan face: Ji Shao's identity, you know, if you want to unite the celebrity faction, it is a small fight to win over those people before, this one is the real character, and the opportunity to show your willingness to unite celebrities and their descendants has come! Sima Yan and Shantao have a tacit understanding. Following Shantao's meaning, Sima Yan said, since he is so talented, he should be a secretary directly.

Ji Shao was hesitant about this opportunity to enter the center of the country. He seemed to understand that this was his father's will, but he was still not sure. Doing things for the Sima family, can those in the world who praise his father's independent personality and indomitable character understand him? So on a long night, Ji Shao and Shantao sat on their knees and talked for a long time about their father and the current situation. When he finally asked if he could be this official, Shan Tao only replied, "The four seasons of heaven and earth change like this."

Look ahead.

Far temples are not the way out for the cultural elite, and struggling outside the system is either suppressed or left to fend for themselves. Cultured and politically ambitious, if you want the country to run the way you want it to, you have to learn to work with the authorities. This is the lesson of the blood of several generations since the "Party Case" in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and confronting the state apparatus with flesh and blood is tantamount to hitting a stone with an egg, so it is better to change the clever method. Moreover, the gap between them may not be as deep as expected, Sima Shi was still a frequent visitor to He Yan and Xiahou Xuan's private gatherings before he took power, and Zhong Hui was also a guest of honor at the Zhulin Yaji, except for the uneven academic level, they just have different ideas of governing the country.

This is the meaning of Shantao's sentence "There is still news at the four o'clock of heaven and earth", Ji Shao understands it very well. Ji Shao, who was in the court, showed more of a Confucian duty, low-key, loyal and diligent. But as an individual, he did not lose his father's face, and he also had his own celebrity demeanor. Like his father, he was simple and natural, and did not like to dress up. He was also amiable, living with several nephews and treating them as if they were his own sons. has a hot relative Jia Mi who wants to make friends, Ji Shao is neither humble nor arrogant, and keeps his distance. When Qi Wang Jian was an assistant to the government, once Ji Shao asked him to report on official business but it was a banquet, Sima Jian heard that Ji Shao was good at music, so he asked him to play the piano, but Ji Shao refused because the officials of the court did not do the things of servants.

Thinking about it, his father's idea of the unity of Xuan and Confucianism was really realized in him.

Ji Shao's positioning for himself is very accurate, he has lived up to neither the country nor his father. Ji Shao was born in the Eight Kings Rebellion, but in this war, he tried his best to maintain the stability of the country. When Sima Yi, the king of Changsha, controlled the imperial court, Sima Hao, the king of Hejian, and Sima Ying, the king of Chengdu, raised troops to go to Beijing. The soldiers who were sent by the imperial court to crusade against Sima Hao and Sima Ying asked Ji Shao to be their commander, saying that as long as he led them, they would still be honored even if they died. What does Ji Shao know about military affairs? It's just that his solemnity and loyalty to the country have touched these soldiers who want to work hard for the country and make them feel cordial.

Ji Shao's death also caught up. During Sima Hao's reign, he had already been dismissed from office. It's just that later everyone gathered to attack Sima Ying, and Sima Yue, who had just taken power, easily restored his title. Sima Yue took the stupid emperor to attack Sima Ying who was in Yecheng. Ji Shao probably knew that this was a journey with no return. Before setting out on the expedition, his colleague Qin Zhun asked him, you are about to go to the battlefield, you must always prepare a good horse, right? Ji Shao just said, my task is to protect the emperor. If the emperor has three long and two short, what is the use of me having a good horse?

The momentum of this "pro-conquest" is very huge, and the whole country beats the water dog Sima Ying, counting on himself to be the next person to sit in the position of first assistant, so the troops are quite active, and it is said that there are millions of people. But Sima Yue, who couldn't lead the troops, was surrounded by Sima Ying's 50,000 people in the place of Dangyin, surrounded by Sima Ying's general, Shi Chao's 50,000 people. Sima Yue saw that the big thing was not good, so he quickly threw away the signboard emperor and fled for his life. So the ministers who gathered around the emperor to eat the emperor's food ran faster than a mouse (including the famous philosopher Mr. Guo Xiang). Only Ji Shao was left, unwilling to escape, and kept staying by the side of the stupid emperor Emperor Jin Hui. Like Confucius's student Zilu, even in the brutal battle, with arrows flying all around, he still straightened his crown and did not change his face. When he finally died, blood spattered the emperor's clothes, and he made one last fearless resistance to protect the stupid emperor. The stupid emperor Sima Zhen, who had been confused all his life, had a very low IQ, and didn't care about anything, but after being rescued, he rarely had his own insistence: he refused to change his bloodstained clothes, he said that it was Ji Shao's blood shed to protect him and could not be washed.

But the stupid emperor also understood Ji Shao's meaning wrongly. Ji Shao's principles of life are clear from beginning to end. He followed his father's "Family Commandments" to be a person worthy of the sages and morality. He is a civil official who spattered the emperor's clothes in the midst of thousands of troops, where is the emperor of Emperor Jin Hui, and he protects the authority that represents the orthodoxy of the country. After all, martyrdom is the most glorious destination for a man.