Teacher Ni Haixia said that every 500 years, a "Tianguan" will appear. Tianguan is the king's counselor. Once the king ignores his advice for the first time, the counselor will stop giving advice. Many counselors in ancient my country also followed this routine.
In the early years of the Western Han Dynasty, Liu Jiao was named King of Chu. He appointed his former classmates Shen, Mu and Bai as senior officials of the Chu State.
Mr. Mu did not like to drink, so Liu Jiao always placed a glass of sweet wine in front of him at every banquet. This tradition continued after Liu Jiao's son Liu Yingke and grandson Liu Wu succeeded to the throne. However, as time went by, Liu Wu gradually forgot this tradition.
At a banquet, Mr. Mu found that the familiar sweet wine was missing from his table. He felt a sinking feeling in his heart, knowing that this was a sign of Liu Wu's changing attitude towards him. He knew the truth that "one leaf can tell the coming of autumn", so he decided to withdraw in time.
Mr. Mu left the table and sighed, "It's time to go. The king no longer gives me sweet wine, which means he no longer cares about me. If I don't leave, I'm afraid I'll be dragged to the streets to be exposed to the public one day." From then on, he claimed to be sick and planned to leave the State of Chu.
Shen and Bai advised him, "Aren't we grateful for Liu Jiao's kindness? Liu Wu just forgot once, why make such a fuss?"
Mr. Mu said, "The Book of Changes says: 'A gentleman sees an opportunity and acts immediately, without waiting for the whole day.' Liu Jiao and his son treated us with courtesy because they valued morality. But Liu Wu looked down on us because he had lost his morality. How can we work with people who have lost their morality for a long time? I am not leaving just for a glass of sweet wine." Mr. Mu resigned from Liu Wu. Shen and Bai chose to stay.
As Liu Wu got older, his behavior became more and more absurd. He was tyrannical and unlearned. Taifu Wei Meng did not dare to teach him directly, but only wrote poems to persuade him. Liu Wu turned a deaf ear to these words. Wei Meng saw that he was a stubborn person and chose to leave.
At this time, Emperor Jing of the Western Han Dynasty adopted Chao Cuo's suggestion to reduce the power of the feudal lords, and Liu Wu felt threatened. He decided to join forces with King Wu Liu Bi to launch a rebellion. After Shen and Bai got the news, they begged Liu Wu to give up. Liu Wu had long been fed up with them, so he ordered them to wear ropes around their necks, wear prison clothes, and pound rice on the streets.
In fact, not only counselors, but also ordinary people like us should give advice to others with one hand and not two. If others do not accept it, do not speak freely.
At the end of the Sui Dynasty, the whole country was in chaos. Li Gang, the Minister of Rites of the Tang Dynasty, served as the Prince's Secretary and assisted the Crown Prince Li Jiancheng. At first, Li Jiancheng respected Li Gang very much. However, as time went by, he was gradually deceived by some of his close ministers who spoke eloquently and developed disgust and suspicion towards his meritorious brother, the Prince of Qin, Li Shimin.
Li Gang saw that the prince had strayed from the right path, and repeatedly gave him advice and admonitions, hoping that he would be tolerant and harmonious with his brothers. However, Li Jiancheng turned a deaf ear to him and continued to do as he pleased. Li Gang felt powerless and decided to resign from his official position.
After Emperor Gaozu of Tang, Li Yuan, received Li Gang's resignation letter, he flew into a rage and asked, "You were willing to be an aide to He Panren, a merchant from the Western Regions, but now you are unwilling to serve as a high-ranking official in my dynasty? I ordered you to assist Jiancheng, why did you insist on leaving?"
Li Gang knelt on the ground and said, "Although He Panren is a thief, every time he wanted to kill innocent people, I could persuade him to change his mind. I have no regrets under his command. However, Your Majesty is a monarch who founded the country. I know that I am not talented and learned enough. My advice is like water poured on stone, which is hard to hear. How dare I continue to defile Your Majesty's ears?"
Li Yuan was silent for a long time after hearing this. He knew that Li Gang was an upright person, so he tried to persuade him to stay, saying, "I know your character very well. I hope you can continue to stay in the court and help my son."
Not long after, Li Gang resigned again for the same reason.