Scholars read tons of books, but gotta check reliable historical texts to be sure. Even if parts of the *Classic of Poetry* and *Classic of Documents* are missing, we still get the gist of the Yao, Shun, and Yu era. Yao wanted to give up the throne, passing it to Shun. Between Shun and Yu, wise ministers recommended them, then tested them in real-life roles. After decades in office, proving their worth, the throne was passed on. Handing over the reins of power – not easy, huh? But some say Yao offered the throne to Xu You, who refused, shamed, and went off to live as a hermit. Then there's Bian Sui and Wu Guang during the Xia Dynasty – what's their deal?
Sima Qian wrote: "I visited Mount Ji, heard Xu You's buried there." Confucius wrote extensively about guys like Wu Taibo and Boyi. I hear Xu You and Wu Guang were righteous dudes, but there's not much written about them. Why's that? Confucius said, "Boyi and Shuqi held no grudges, so they had few regrets." "If you live a virtuous life, what's there to regret?" Boyi's story gets to me. Reading his poems makes it even more poignant.
According to the story, Boyi and Shuqi are the two sons of the Prince of Gu Zhu. The father wanted to appoint Shuqi as the heir, but after his death, Shuqi passed the throne to Boyi. Boyi said, "This is father's command!" and then fled. Shuqi also refused to accept the throne and escaped. Therefore, the people of the country made his younger brother the ruler. Later, Boyi and Shuqi heard that Lord Chang treated the elderly well, so they wanted to go to him. When they arrived, Lord Chang had died, and King Wu had a wooden statue made of Lord Chang, calling him King Wen, and then set out to conquer King Zhou of Shang. Boyi and Shuqi advised King Wu, "Is it filial piety to not bury your father after his death and instead go to war? Is it righteousness for subjects to kill their ruler?" King Wu's men wanted to kill them. Jiang Taigong said, "These are righteous men!" and helped them escape. King Wu suppressed the rebellion of the Shang Dynasty, and the world submitted to the Zhou Dynasty. But Boyi and Shuqi felt ashamed and believed they should not eat the Zhou Dynasty's food, so they retired to Shouyang Mountain to pick and eat wild greens. When they were starving to death, they composed a song that said, "Climbing the western mountain, picking bitter greens. Violence met with violence, a path we knew not. Shen Nong, Yu Shun, Xia Yu, all gone to dust – where can we turn? Alas, death's shadow falls, our lives are done!" And then they starved to death on Shouyang Mountain. So, were they right to feel that way?
Some folks say, "God helps those who help themselves," but can Bo Yi and Shu Qi really be considered good people? They were saints, practically, and look what happened—they starved! Furthermore, Confucius had over seventy students, but he only recommended Yan Hui as a diligent learner. However, Yan Hui often went hungry, making do with whatever scraps he could find, yet he enjoyed whatever meager food he had and ultimately died young. What exactly is the way that Heaven rewards good people? Dazhi, a mass-murdering, cannibalistic tyrant who led an army of thousands, lived to a ripe old age. What kind of virtue did he have? These are the most obvious and easiest to see examples.
Now, in my day and age, you see people breaking all the rules, living high on the hog, and their kids and grandkids still raking it in. But the good guys? They're always getting screwed. Makes you wonder, huh? Is there even a just God?
Confucius said, "You can't mix oil and water," each person acts according to their own thoughts. Therefore, "If getting rich and powerful was easy, I'd be doing it. Otherwise, I'll do my own thing." "Only in the cold winter can one know that pine and cypress are the last to wither." The people of the world are all muddy, only noble people can stand out. Is it because they're heavyweights, and I'm a lightweight?
"A gentleman worries about his posthumous reputation." Jia Yi said, "Greedy people chase after money, those of noble spirit pursue renown, boastful men seek power, and ordinary people seek survival." "Birds of a feather flock together." "As the clouds follow the dragon and the wind the tiger, so too, when a sage appears, all things are revealed." Even Boyi and Shuqi, virtuous though they were, gained greater renown thanks to Confucius. Even Yan Hui, despite his diligent studies, became more renowned for his actions by following Confucius. Those hermits, their deeds often lost to obscurity, are a truly sad sight! And so, common folk wishing to build their reputation and cultivate virtue must find patrons; otherwise, how can they hope for lasting fame?"
