Chapter 316 The Purpose of Discipline (II)
Even for Huo Chong, it was not so easy to meet Master Chang Dao. This master of metaphysics was getting busier and busier with his personal research. He was truly a recluse who lived in seclusion and had a noble demeanor.
However, this time when Huo Chong arrived at the door of Master Changxin, the Taoist boy led Huo Chong in without even notifying him.
When the two met, Master Chang Xin sighed, "Brother Huo, that's fate. You don't have to take it too seriously."
Huo Chong felt that the Taoist priest was referring to the members of the working group who were killed this time. When he recommended these people to Huo Chong, the Taoist priest said that these guys "are not as smart as themselves." Huo Chong felt that these people had a simple and clear concept of good and evil. They had no tolerance for evil and were people with a strong sense of justice.
But Huo Chong was still not sure, so he sighed: "After all, they were recommended by the Taoist priest, and those people are all good people."
There was a hint of regret in the Taoist priest's expression, "Good people don't live long. If you believe that the world is either black or white, then you will be enemies everywhere. Alas, this is fate!"
Huo Chong felt a little uncomfortable. Every time the Taoist said this, Huo Chong felt that the world was full of the vagueness of metaphysics. If human cognition could really reach the very bottom level, it might really be possible to have a relatively accurate prediction of the future.
However, the deaths of these people were real, especially since they were inspectors who really tried their best to complete their inspection tasks. Huo Chong really couldn't turn a blind eye to such deaths, or simply deal with them for utilitarian purposes.
Just as I was thinking, I heard the Taoist priest say, "Brother Huo, I see that the sky has changed recently. Although it has been moved out of Ziwei Palace, there is unexpected vitality emerging."
"...Ah? Oh." Huo Chong took some time to understand that the Taoist priest was talking about a big event, probably referring to the Qing Dynasty. However, Huo Chong no longer cared about what would happen to the Qing Dynasty. Huo Chong firmly believed that these current events were the key to determining the future of the Chinese regime.
Master Changxin looked at Huo Chong and said in a cold tone: "Monk. Fate is fate. If you use your thoughts to judge what those children think, you are too arrogant! Do you really think those children are just puppets in your hands?"
Huo Chong shuddered and got goose bumps all over his body. For so long, Master Changxin rarely used such impolite words, but this time, the severity made Huo Chong feel like it was struck directly in the heart.
I was shocked to hear Master Changxin continue to say: "What those children did were what they firmly believed in. Even if they only saw right and wrong, didn't they do what they believed in? If those children were really puppets in your hands, they should have done things the same way as you did. You wouldn't have let things go to this extent."
Being accused like this, Huo Chong felt better. After thinking for a while, Huo Chong felt that he had found something that could make him feel at ease.
An organization is corrupted from the moment it is established. Even the so-called loyalty to an individual will be gradually eroded by time and events.
Instead of focusing all attention on the part that has begun to corrupt, it is better to focus on those who have sacrificed their lives for the principles of the organization. When the organization begins to corrupt, at least these people are using their own efforts to reverse the trend of corruption and fight against those corrupt elements.
Regardless of what Huo Chong thought, Master Chang Xin continued, "Brother Huo, you are a man of the world. Since you are in the world, you have to roll around in this world. Since you are in the world, you naturally have your morality. In my opinion, those children died because it was their fate. However, based on your morality, do you think those children died worthy of their death, or did you let them die worthy of their death?"
"Yes. Thank you, Taoist priest." Huo Chong praised. Having said that, Huo Chong decided to put his feelings aside first, and turned to the topic of Taoist priest Chang, "But I don't know what you mean by leaving Ziwei Palace and finding a glimmer of hope?"
"I only care about what I believe in. If it is based on what I believe in, then this is it. As for what the glimmer of hope is, I don't understand."
Huo Chong was speechless for a moment after hearing what Master Changxin said. This is what the masters of metaphysics say, "So always be without, in order to see its wonders, always be with, in order to see its boundaries. These two things come from the same source but have different names, both are called mysterious, and the more mysterious they are..."
Anyway, it's good enough to know that it's mysterious. If you really dig deeper, it's just like farting in your pants and venting your anger at both ends.
After discussing what could be discussed, Huo Chong asked the Taoist priest to recommend some more people, but was rejected mercilessly by the Taoist priest. The reason was that the time was not right, and the Taoist priest did not feel that he had to do it.
Huo Chong could only say goodbye.
Looking at Huo Chong's back, Master Changxin sighed slightly, and finally some sadness and loss appeared in his expression.
A young Taoist priest stepped forward and advised: "Teacher, I think Monk Huo will not let those Taoist friends die in vain."
Master Changxin shook his head helplessly, "Although it is fate, I still feel sorry for them."
Hearing this, the young Taoist lowered his head. Master Changxin turned to look at the young Taoist, "Mingxin, I know you don't want to practice Taoism anymore, and want to follow Master Huo to make a career in the secular world. But I think the time is not right yet..."
Mingxin looked up at Master Changxin and said, "Teacher, you told me a fortune before, but it wasn't like this."
"Alas, that hexagram is ambiguous. I really don't know what it means. Someone has already died, and I don't want you to ..."
Mingxin's eyes were bright, "Teacher, I am very concerned about the change of mind you mentioned last time. Maybe the world has already changed its mind?"
Hearing this, Master Changxin knew that Mingxin really wanted to enter this secular world, so he brought up the idea of changing his mind.
Seeing that his disciple had already been tempted by worldly desires, Master Changxin decided to try harder and asked Mingxin what he thought of the change of heart.
Mingxin explained clearly.
It is not complicated to ask for a fortune. Three coins, three leaves, or three blades of grass. Any object with a front and back side that is believed to be clearly influenced by yin and yang can be used to ask for a fortune.
The front side is yang, and the back side is yin. Throw it down and follow the order to deduce the hexagram.
The first hexagram in the front is called the Ben hexagram, also known as the main hexagram or the original hexagram. It reflects the information of the initial stage of things or the current situation.
However, the Book of Changes is not so simple, each hexagram has six lines, representing the six directions or six stages of the development of things.
The current stage is unstable, so the six lines will change, which is called line change.
The I Ching looks at the good and bad trends of things changing. Not only the six lines change, but even the hexagram itself changes. The changes in the six lines in the same hexagram represent the changes and developments caused by the influence of things at a certain stage. The great way never stops, and changes never end. At a certain time, a change of hexagram will appear. A change of hexagram means a change of hexagram. As the saying goes, a change of hexagram affects the whole body.
The changed hexagram is derived from the change of the original hexagram. The changed hexagram represents the final result of the development and change of things. Therefore, the changed hexagram represents the trend and tendency of the future development and change of things. To predict the good or bad fortune of the divination result, the original hexagram and the changed hexagram need to be combined, neither of which can be missing.
After saying this, Mingxin said: "I am learning here, teacher, and I am grateful for your teachings. However, I reflect on my personality and I really cannot live alone. I still want to be with others in the torrent of the world. Please help me."
Master Changxin heard Mingxin's explanation of the change of heart, which was indeed accurate. However, he no longer had the mindset of a cultivator in his words. The great way of cultivation, which should have been the fundamental path, was no longer the backbone in Mingxin's heart. He then realized that his disciple no longer had the intention to cultivate. At least at this moment, he no longer had the mindset to cultivate.
Sighing, Chang Xin said to Chang Ming: "Since you have come to this, I only want you to do one thing. You must listen carefully! Keep it in mind!"
Seeing that the teacher agreed to help him, Mingxin was delighted and said, "Please teach me, teacher!"
"Mingxin, the affairs of the Great Dao are always your own business. Since you are my disciple, you must not ask others to tell fortunes for you in the future. Just tell fortunes yourself." At this point, Master Changxin suddenly felt inspired and said casually, "If you ask others to tell fortunes for you one day, it will be the day when your luck has run out. You must remember this."
Mingxin was stunned. But after a moment, he saw him pick up three straw chips from the table with bright eyes and throw them on the ground.
The master and the disciple looked down together and said at the same time: "Qian Gua."
Mingxin was still not confident, so he read out the Qian hexagram, "Yuanhenglizhen."
Master Changxin saw that his disciple was still not confident, and he was somewhat happy in his heart. Previously, Master Changxin had cast a hexagram for Mingxin, but it was the Qian hexagram. Although all six lines looked auspicious, it did not look like he would stand out.
Qian Gua is the first of the sixty-four Gua in the Book of Changes. Both the main Gua and the guest Gua are Qian Gua. Three Yaos are in the right place, and three Yaos are not in the right place. There is no response relationship. The Gua Xiang is the sky, and the characteristic is strong. Xiang says: The sky is strong, and the gentleman should constantly strive for self-improvement. The Gua Ci is "Yuan Heng Li Zhen".
Qian Gua focuses on manifestation, which is "manifest learning", while Kun Gua focuses on concealment, which is concealment learning. The two Gua are inseparable and are a whole, which is the most essential process of the movement of all things. Qian Gua talks about the process from the occurrence to the prosperity of a thing, that is, spring birth-summer growth, which is the opposite of Kun Gua, which talks about the process of autumn harvest and winter storage.
Both the host and the guest are very strong. The ratio of the yang numbers of the host hexagram and the guest hexagram is 1:1, which is the ratio of the two largest yang numbers. The host and the guest are evenly matched. Both sides have strong power and the same high shortcomings. They can be strong competitors or win-win collaborators. The key lies in how the host handles it skillfully.
Although this hexagram may not be very auspicious, it is already a well-known fact. It indicates that one will leave the mountain.
Master Changxin then recited three of the six lines of the Qian Gua, "A hidden dragon should not be used. A dragon in the field is auspicious for meeting a great master. A flying dragon in the sky is auspicious for meeting a great master. I will write you a letter, and you go to see Monk Huo and ask Monk Huo to accept you as his disciple."
While the master and his apprentice were engaging in "feudal superstition", hundreds of miles away, Huo Chong's second apprentice Yang Wangfu was using the interrogation points written by Qian Qing for him, repeating Song Qingkun's words, "I know those inspectors are looking for trouble. If they don't find something, how can their merits be shown ? You have suffered too."
Song Qingkun felt that Yang Wangfu's words were really considerate and touched. He also sighed, "Brother Yang, those people are just looking for trouble. In fact, they could have just come to me to talk about the things under them. They have to pretend that they have received an imperial decree. Our people are easy to use and considerate. If there is any problem, they can just come to us to discuss it, and we will all be fine. Don't we have to find someone to deal with them so that they will know that it is not the case?"
Yang Wangfu's heart seemed to be hit hard. He suddenly felt angry. In order to hide his excitement, Yang Wangfu took out a cigarette, gave it to Song Qingkun opposite him and the two people from the supervision department next to him, and lit their cigarettes.
After taking a few puffs, his trembling fingers gradually stabilized. Yang Wangfu suddenly felt sad. It seemed that Song Qingkun did not do as he said before and just called the subordinates to scold them.
In other words, Song Qingkun was just as Qian Qing expected. He did not think that the opinion of the supervisory department sent by Huo Chong was correct, but believed that Song Qingkun himself was right. Since he believed that he was right, then it was wrong to go against Song Qingkun.
Of course, we cannot allow wrong things to happen, and we must teach wrong people a lesson.
While Yang Wangfu was thinking, he heard Song Qingkun tentatively ask: "Brother Yang, I also know that you can't beat someone to death. Next time I won't dare to say anything. I will discipline my subordinates. Brother Yang, do you think I should go see the governor and kneel before him?"
One of the things Qian Qing wrote was about Song Qingkun's understanding of his current status. Yang Wangfu felt that Song Qingkun had fought in wars after all and was very loyal. He would not be so foolish as to think that such a thing could be easily gotten over.
What was even more unexpected was that Song Qingkun actually thought he could get away with it, no matter how many people on his side died.
With the last hope, Yang Wangfu sighed: "You also know that killing someone means paying with your life, right?"
"Yes. Big brother, I don't care about those people below. Just kill them however you want. It's all their fault! If it weren't for them, I wouldn't be like this!" When he said this, Song Qingkun gritted his teeth and it seemed that he was really angry.
Yang Wangfu asked, "You didn't know they would kill people. Tell me, what did you tell them?"
Song Qingkun looked at the people on both sides, wanting to say something but stopping himself. Yang Wangfu said to them, "You go out first and let us talk."
The two supervisory department officials did not say anything, but stood up and left. When they reached a quiet place outside the door, they began to talk in low voices.
"Song Qingkun gave the order."
"Um."
"Do you think Committee Yang won't tell us what Song Qingkun said?"
This question made the two supervisory cadres silent for a while. As Huo Chong's second apprentice, although Yang Wangfu did not have the status of Huo Chong's agent like Qian Qing, he also had a very high status.
If Yang Wangfu doesn't say anything, the supervisory cadres can't do anything about him. After a moment of silence, the cadre who asked the question sighed and said, "I think Commissioner Yang is also leading in that direction. Let's ask him later. If he doesn't say anything, we'll write it in the report."
Although the two said so, neither of them looked relaxed as if they were doing their job impartially. After all, this involved a lot of people . Although the county magistrate was not a particularly high-ranking official in the Chinese court, he was not of the same rank as the two supervisors. As for Yang Wangfu, he was even less someone they could touch.
The reason why this matter is difficult is not because the matter itself is difficult, but because there are people behind these people. Even if the two policemen are willing to risk their lives and directly confront Yang Wangfu. Yang Wangfu also has Qian Qing, his cousin. Even if the supervisory department thinks they have all the reasons, everyone understands that Qian Qing's words are more effective than the supervisory department's words.
Faced with this reality, the two people from the supervisory department could only wait. Apart from waiting, they also knew that they could do nothing.
After a long while, Yang Wangfu came out. He looked angry, regretful, and a little sad. The two supervisory officials did not dare to say a word.
Yang Wangfu stopped, took several deep breaths, and sighed in a low voice: "Alas! Let me tell you, Song Qingkun said that he asked his subordinates to find a way to settle this matter. If you can talk to those... sacrificed comrades, then talk to them in a good way. If you can't talk well, then think of a way to suppress this matter. I can only tell you this, you..."
"Don't worry, Commissioner Yang. We will never say that you said this. Those people are shameless, and we will not let them implicate you again." The supervisory cadre replied happily.
Yang Wangfu knew why the two were so happy, but he was not happy at all. It was beyond Yang Wangfu's expectation that things had come to this point. Originally, Yang Wangfu really thought that the people in the county did not know what the people in the countryside had done. He did not agree with Qian Qing's view that the people in the county knew.
However, now Yang Wangfu had to admit that his expression was different. Qian Qing said that Huo Chong's tone was very benevolent and righteous, and his purpose was not to kill too many people and to lighten the crimes of those people at will.
It’s just that those people were not disciplined, did not say things that they shouldn’t say, and did not keep secrets.
If what Huo Chong said is true, this time someone was ignorant and didn't understand the seriousness of the situation, so the cadres were killed.
However, in reality, these people are not so stupid. They are not ignorant, but too sensible. They know too well that if what they have done is exposed, it will cause trouble.
In order to avoid being exposed, they thought about suppressing the matter. As for how to suppress it, it would be best if they could persuade them. If they couldn't persuade them, they would resort to violence.
In this case, although they did not issue an order to kill, they did not care whether the cadres of the working group lived or died.
If such a report were to be submitted, the people in these counties would be badly injured if not killed.
As for the fact that they still thought they could get away with it and continue to be officials, Yang Wangfu really wondered if they were crazy.
If they are not crazy... Yang Wangfu shuddered. If they are not crazy, then what is the difference between these people and those officials of the Qing Dynasty?
The so-called county magistrate who ruined the family, the prefect who wiped out the clan. For the sake of these people's official positions, how many people died is not a big deal. As long as they can keep their official positions, these people don't care what they do.
Seeing the supervisory cadres continue to go back to question, Yang Wangfu walked back with a heavy heart. Things have come to this point, there is nothing to say. If Yang Wangfu continues to protect them, not to mention that Yang Wangfu himself is unwilling. If Qian Qing knew about it, he would probably dare to go to Yang Wangfu's house.
Qian Qing has this kind of aura and this kind of principle!
