Chapter 896: People make plans, but God makes things happen
Under a cold crescent moon, Xia Yan stared at Jiang Qingzhi, squinting his eyes, looking left and right...
"Understood?"
"Enlightened!"
"What did you realize?"
"Death is in heaven, life is in me."
Xia Yan was stunned, and a strange light suddenly appeared in Tang Shunzhi's eyes.
"Death in heaven."
"Yes." Jiang Qingzhi nodded. "Death is beyond your control. If the King of Hell wants you to die at three o'clock in the morning, who can keep you alive until five o'clock?"
"Heaven moves forward!" Xu Wei raised his eyebrows. People who are familiar with him know that this guy's competitive spirit has been aroused.
Xia Yan smiled slightly, liking this kind of atmosphere very much...not the guest of honor, but more like friends and family.
Then when you meet someone, you have to bow, greet the uncle, greet the boss, greet the old man... You will get annoyed if you see it too much.
When people get old, they tend to go to two extremes. One is that they become more and more particular about rules, and they sit with their hands behind their backs all day, looking at their children and grandchildren and scolding or teaching them when they are not happy with something. In the end, the younger generations would run away when they see them.
This is about an old friend of Xia Yan.
The two of them would get together for a drink from time to time, and every time the old friend would complain about the things his children and grandchildren did that he couldn't stand, but in the end, it was all about the rules.
——Young people are becoming more and more unruly. This generation... oh! It's degenerate.
Since the beginning of human records, the feeling that each generation is inferior to the previous one can be vaguely seen between the lines.
Just like in later generations, public opinion always said that this was the lost generation, that this generation was finished...but in the end it was not finished, instead it turned out to be a great success beyond the expectations of the elders.
The other extreme is to not follow the rules and treat them as nothing. To reach this state is to see through these so-called rules, which are just a means of restraining people.
Xia Yan had been an official for many years and had been in power for many years. After escaping death, he kept reflecting and asking himself why he was so reluctant to give up power.
Is it the pleasure of commanding the world?
Xia Yan didn't think so, he thought it was a rule.
For those in power, rules are a tool to restrain their subordinates. They watch those officials and generals, and those peddlers and hawkers who dare not step out of line within the rules, while they hold a stick in their hands and beat anyone who disobeys.
I'm out of bounds!
I can decide your fate!
Watching you struggling in the cage, what a pleasure it is!
"This kid!" Xia Yan smiled more and more happily.
Being in a high position at a young age and in charge of a country's reforms, anyone, whether old or young, would feel full of vigor and happiness.
Afterwards, he will follow in Xia Yan's footsteps, watching those officials and generals, and those peddlers and hawkers struggling in the cage of rules. A word, a line, or even an expression from himself can decide their life, death, honor and disgrace.
Who can give up such enjoyment?
both are not.
But Jiang Qingzhi can.
He leaned against the pillar, shook off the ashes, and smiled in a very relaxed manner. Xia Yan discovered that this smile contained... a kind of carefree and relieved feeling.
"Heaven moves with vigor, and a gentleman should constantly strive to improve himself." Jiang Qingzhi took a puff of medicinal smoke, "So since I am born here, I cannot control my own death, so I can control my own life."
Xu Wei closed his eyes, "How I live is up to me."
"My destiny is in my own hands!" Hu Zongxian was stunned.
"No, my life is determined by me, not by God!" Tang Shunzhi stroked his beard and smiled with genuine satisfaction for the first time. "You decide my death, but I decide my life. Wonderful!"
"Some people die before seeing the sun, some die in their prime, and some leave at the age of 100... Why?" Jiang Qingzhi thought of future generations, and the so-called experts who summarized the reasons for longevity were all kinds of strange and varied.
What is the longevity? Eat more meat and look at more beautiful women...
Why do you need to learn how to maintain your health? You should strictly follow the methods of health preservation from the moment you open your eyes every day... various exercises and massages, various teas or food supplements.
"Some people eat meat and drink wine until they are a hundred years old, while others are cautious and prudent and do not live more than fifty."
"Some people are sick all their lives but live long, while others are strong as an ox in the first half of their lives but die suddenly..."
Jiang Qingzhi smiled, "The ancient Mohists said that this is the strength in the bones, that is, the good physique and good foundation given by parents."
Later generations called this kind of longevity genetic longevity, which means that no matter how much trouble you endure, you will not die.
"If you are supposed to die, you can't live, no matter how you take care of yourself. If you are supposed to live, you live, no matter how you torment yourself, you can't die!"
Fu Cheng watched with a smile on his face. Sun Chonglou scratched his head, "Master, the young master and the others were talking about longevity and short life... Could it be that the young master was thinking about this during his retreat?"
Fu Cheng shook his head, "Yes and no. Shitou, there is nothing more important than life and death. The so-called soft-heartedness is actually inseparable from the fear of the suffering of birth, aging, sickness and death. Fear affects the mind, and people will be soft-hearted or cruel. If you don't see through this, you can't make changes."
"Death is decided by God, then life is decided by me." Jiang Qingzhi suddenly thought of his parents. Their marriage seemed accidental, but in fact it was inevitable.
His father wanted to go north to do business with someone, but he unexpectedly found out that his girlfriend was pregnant... Jiang Qingzhi's mother made a fuss, "Okay! I won't go, I'll get married!"
My father planned to stay for a while after getting married before going back north, but his partner met with setbacks there and lost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
This is fate... Dad thinks he has a good life, but in Jiang Qingzhi's view, this is not only his fate, but also the fate of his mother and himself.
He was born with the fate of his parents, and he has been lonely for half his life with the fate of his parents. Fate is so magical, no matter how you do it, it seems that there is a big hand controlling everything about you, from your eating, drinking, defecating, to your breathing, everything is under the control of this big hand.
"Since you can't help yourself, why not do what you want?"
Jiang Qingzhi threw a cigarette to Hu Zongxian, who took it in a panic, "Uncle, I..."
"Every time he sees me smoking, he envies me, but he refuses to speak because of his face. Lao Hu, as long as you don't affect others, you should put aside these concerns and do what you want."
Seeing him light a cigarette awkwardly, Jiang Qingzhi couldn't help but laugh, and then continued: "You say I am soft-hearted, but that is my nature."
"Nature cannot be shaken!" Jiang Qingzhi looked at Xia Yan, Tang Shunzhi and others with sharp eyes...
"Nature cannot be shaken."
"Yes, I am who I am. It is not me who pursues perfection, but the rules imposed on me by this world!" Jiang Qingzhi pointed at the night sky, "I will not accept them!"
I won’t accept it!
From Xia Yan to Xu Wei, and to Emperor Jiajing in the palace, they were all waiting for him to come to his senses and then take drastic actions.
Can!
Xia Yan blinked his eyes, and his originally happy emotion was suddenly filled with anger.
So my joy was in vain?
You kid is still stubborn!
"You...this is the new policy!" Xia Yan was furious.
Xu Wei and others were stunned and looked at each other, but this was not the time for them to get involved.
Xu Wei glanced at Tang Shunzhi, but Tang Shunzhi was smiling very happily, and it seemed that he was happy for Jiang Qingzhi.
“The New Deal is a thing.”
"How can you be so soft-hearted? Those people are like tigers and wolves, staring at us with greedy eyes and drooling, wanting to tear us into pieces. But you are too soft-hearted! Back then, Han Xin..."
"Cough cough!" Xu Wei coughed loudly, interrupting the old man's words.
Back then, Han Xin did not listen to the advice of his advisers, was indecisive, and ultimately ruined his own family.
"Everything has its purpose. Achieving the purpose is success. As for the process, you should enjoy it instead of suffering. You don't have to distort your own nature. That's called... stupidity!"
Jiang Qingzhi rubbed his stomach and said, "I'm hungry. Let's set up the food and get some wine."
He turned around and said, "Tell my wife, just say, if she wants to drink, then drink. If not, I will go back later to drink with her!"
Fu Cheng blinked his eyes, "Uncle..."
"The young master is not crazy." Sun Chonglou said seriously: "I think... Master, I think this is the young master."
"Who was that in the past?"
"The previous one was a fake young master."
Xia Yan pointed at Jiang Qingzhi angrily. Hu Zongxian and Xu Wei hurried over to persuade him, but no matter how they tried, the old man couldn't calm down his anger.
"Mr. Jingchuan." Hu Zongxian asked Tang Shunzhi for help.
"Mr. Xia." Tang Shunzhi came over.
"Mr. Jingchuan, Qingzhi shoulders a heavy responsibility, but he insists on doing it his own way. The new policy is like walking on a tightrope. If you are not careful, you will fall into the abyss and the Ming Dynasty will be destroyed. Doesn't he know? The reform of the former Song Wang Anshi failed. Even if the gods came to the world, they could not save the declining national destiny. The same is true for the Ming Dynasty!"
Xia Yan's beard and hair stood out.
"Be patient." Tang Shunzhi said gently, "Has the purpose of the Guangning Earl's mission been achieved?"
Xia Yan nodded reluctantly, "But he...if he wasn't so kind-hearted, how could he have caused such a commotion?"
“Is this turmoil good or bad for the new policy?”
"Naturally..."
"That's right!" Tang Shunzhi smiled and said, "Look, what we thought was unfavorable, Qingzhi turned it into an advantage. In this case, why should we blame him?"
"Can……"
"As long as the goal can be achieved, the process should not be a torment, but an enjoyment." Tang Shunzhi smiled and said, "Master Xia, don't you understand? This is Qingzhi's nature. If he acts against his nature and forcibly changes his temperament, from a sentimental person to a monster who only cares about power... Master Xia, is this a good thing?"
Xia Yan stood there in a daze, "But the new policy..."
"He has the means to turn disadvantages into advantages. He has a goal in mind, to pull the Ming Dynasty out of the abyss. He is moving towards this goal and never stops. In this case, why must he follow the so-called rule that one must be ruthless to succeed? Lord Xia, the rules!"
Tang Shunzhi sighed, "Qingzhi means that he is unwilling to distort his own nature to cater to the so-called rules of this world. It's not that he can't change himself, but he doesn't want to, is unwilling, and disdains it!"
Xia Yan slowly looked at Jiang Qingzhi, "Those standing in front of us are all fierce and fierce. Do you think you can act according to your own nature?"
"Can you succeed by being ruthless?" Jiang Qingzhi asked back.
Tang Shunzhi said: "Wang Anshi is ruthless."
Mutable method failed.
"Life is not about suffering." Jiang Qingzhi's eyes were particularly deep in the night. "I act according to my heart. I am happy to win, and I am also happy to lose."
He looked at the crowd and said, "Life is up to God, death is up to me. Man proposes, God disposes!"
(End of this chapter)
