"Nangya Ranking Number One, Jiangzuo Mei Lang", if Mei Changsu is a "Qilin Talented Man", then I would like to call the old eunuch Gao Zhan "Qilin Eunuch", the uncrowned king on the "Langya List".
In today’s “Little People Series”, let’s talk about the secret of this “Uncle Qilin” having the last laugh.
01 Eunuch's Self-cultivation
Gao Zhan, the leader eunuch, the emperor's follower.
A good "follower", in addition to serving tea and water, patting his back and trying his best to serve his master, must also learn to "dedicate himself". Especially when his master is the emperor with more than ten thousand people, a chief eunuch needs to provide "emotional value" to the emperor.
At the beginning of "Nirvana in Fire", Emperor Liang chose a son-in-law for Nihuang. Everyone knew that this was actually because Emperor Liang was afraid of Nihuang's deterrent to the southern border. This is how our Eunuch Gao explained this obvious act of suspicion: "Most people are not worthy of a person like the princess, so your majesty should worry more about her!"
The master is always right, even if he is really wrong. , then you have to turn what is wrong into right. Look, the world of imperial power is in tatters, and our father-in-law is mending it.
Gao Zhan is a rare person in the world of "Nirvana in Fire" who can be funny with the emperor. He has to follow the emperor's words. When the emperor plays chess, he can also say that he should play here and not there. It can be seen that he has won the Sacred Heart. But no matter how deep he is in the Sacred Heart, he will never touch the "Dragon's Reverse Scale", such as party disputes, such as Chi Yan, King Qi, and Concubine Chen.
Emperor Liang lamented the past and talked about Concubine Chen. When he turned around, he found Gao Zhan standing far away. He could say to his face that the emperor was not good at chess, but he would not mention it, and he would not even dare to listen to Concubine Chen's old stories. When Harry Potter mentioned Voldemort's name, even if others heard it, they would only dare to call it "You-Know-Who".
Gao Zhan, a eunuch, is called a "general manager" at best, but in the final analysis, he is just a "slave". What is the duty of a "slave"? He just doesn't hear what's going on outside the window and only cares about serving others.
"Minions" don't have to be too smart.
Emperor Liang asked: Do you know that both the prince and King Yu are competing for a "Qilin Talent"?
Gao Zhan: I don’t know. (How could I, a slave, dare to know? If I knew it, I would do well. Isn’t that the same as a slave doing politics? What I am doing is the party struggle that the emperor hates most. I don’t care about my longevity.)
Emperor Liang asked: Don’t you find it strange, Wu Ying? The palace raised an issue against Prince Jing, but someone in the harem took action against Concubine Jing?
Gao Zhan: Are you saying that Concubine Jing, mother and son are in conflict today?
I must give Eunuch Gao a thumbs up for pretending to be stupid and reaching this level! You must know that at this time, Gao Zhan had already helped Prince Jing win the throne, and Prince Jing's chances of winning were already very high, but even so, Gao Zhan still cautiously pretended to be confused. He simply stamped the word "self-preservation" into his thoughts and burned it deeply into his mind.
I can’t help but think of Wei Xiaobao. Why did Kangxi like Wei Xiaobao? In addition to the friendship between the two of them "scolding the alpaca" together, another important reason is that Kangxi felt that Wei Xiaobao was uneducated and could not achieve great things. To put it bluntly, he was not a threat to him. When Kangxi knew Wei Xiaobao's true strength, he began to be afraid of him and could no longer be brothers.
Therefore, for the superior, the person he likes most is a smart fool. He is smart within the acceptable range and can be as stupid as he can in other places. This is best.
02 The Eunuch's Advanced Magic Weapon
We know that as a eunuch, Gao Zhan, whether he has high emotional intelligence, knows how to advance or retreat, or knows how to act stupid, what is deeply rooted in his mind is actually two words - self-preservation.
A eunuch, as long as the emperor he serves is not too stupid, is not destined to be "nine thousand years old". In the reality of accompanying the emperor like a tiger, starting well and ending well is already the best outcome.
Seeing that the emperor is getting old and the situation of seizing the heir is before him, a smart slave must choose a virtuous master for himself if possible. Before Prince Jing emerged, Gao Zhan had never shown any partiality and acted cautiously as a slave.But when he discovered that Prince Jing had the intention to seize the throne, he began to help Prince Jing and Concubine Jing in a timely manner, even overtly and covertly.
I don’t know if you have noticed it, but Gao Zhan’s discovery that Prince Jing has the intention of seizing his legitimate son is in the same episode as when he helps Concubine Jing regain her favor. The poison in the eyes and the quickness of the attack are called decisiveness! It was as if he had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
Secretly, the emperor was very troubled because the prince and Prince Yu were competing for the vacant position of head of the six departments. Gao Zhan smartly asked the emperor whether he should go back to his palace or go to his empress. At this moment, the emperor was upset and he definitely didn't want to be alone. I stayed there, and the power struggle was unavoidable at the place where I often went. I naturally wandered to the Imperial Garden, and was naturally attracted by the scent of medicine. I also naturally thought of the unique Concubine Jing.
In Ming Dynasty, after Xie Yu's fall, the two princes started arguing again. Just as the emperor was about to take a nap, Gao Zhan woke him up and reminded him that today was Concubine Jing's birthday.
In secret, Gao Zhan followed the emperor into Concubine Jing's house, and kicked the threshold, reminding Concubine Jing at the right time that the emperor is watching behind you, so be careful what you say.
In Ming Dynasty, Gao Zhan personally announced the edict and introduced in detail the etiquette process of King Jing's canonization of the prince, mentioning every detail.
In secret, while the maid of Zhiluo Palace was delivering desserts, he conveyed the message: "Mr. Su is not allowed to enter the palace."
In the bright future, the emperor asked him, do you believe that Mei Changsu is Lin Shu? He rarely said the right thing: I don’t believe it! (This is Gao Zhan's only positive answer in the entire "Nirvana in Fire")
This is Gao Zhan. Once he identifies the target, he will take action without hesitation.
Having been in the palace for many years, he naturally knows the character and temperament of every master. Both Prince Yu and the Crown Prince are selfish and indifferent. Following them may not lead to a happy death. Only Prince Jing is kind and kind. He just wants to die a good death. Prince Jing is of course the best or even the only choice.
Facts have proved that he made the right choice. He became the person who survived to the end and had the last laugh in "Nirvana in Fire" and still had status and respect.
03 Basic human ethics
Of course, in addition to being smart and decisive, our Mr. Gao also has a background of kindness.
Yes, he chose Prince Jing in the end, but I don’t know if everyone noticed that he helped Prince Jing from the beginning when Prince Jing was not welcomed.
Prince Jing first appeared. The prince, Prince Yu and the emperor were appraising calligraphy and painting. The three father and son talked happily, leaving Prince Jing, who was also the prince, to wait for more than an hour. At this time, it was Gao Zhan who promptly reminded Emperor Liang that you still have a son standing outside!
Not only was Prince Jing, Gao Zhan also took care of Meng Zhi many times.
The prince and King Yu competed for the position of head of the six departments. Emperor Liang asked Meng Zhi what he thought. Although Meng Zhi is the second-ranked expert on the Langya List, he is like a "novice" in politics. He stumbled in his answers, and Gao Zhan listened with fear. When Meng Zhi finally finished his answer without any danger, Gao Zhan breathed a sigh of relief and smiled knowingly.
Not to mention, regarding the confinement of the prince, Gao Zhan repeatedly prevented Meng Zhi from asking Emperor Liang to issue an edict clearly. It's a pity that Meng Zhi only understood the pros and cons after some analysis by Mei Changsu.
A person as smart as Gao Zhan knows that Meng Zhi is "confused". He may also know that even if he helps Meng Zhi, Meng Zhi may not thank him, and may even blame him wrongly. But he is still willing to help him, which is kindness. Because he knew that Meng Zhi was one of the few good people in the palace, an upright and reliable good man.
Throughout "Nirvana in Fire", we almost never see the chief executive Gao Zhan say any harsh words to his subordinates. With his status, he actually has the capital to be superior. Not to mention other slaves, even the civil and military officials have to give him some respect. But he never showed any sense of superiority. On the contrary, he also showed gentleness and kindness to other insignificant people. For example, when the Forbidden Army was delivering food on New Year's Eve, he would say "It's hard work for the Forbidden Army brothers"; for example, even if he had the last laugh, he would still serve as an old man and give more advice to his subordinates.
Seeing Gao Zhan's kindness, I often think of the concubine Jing in "The Legend of Zhen Huan". In the palace, walking on thin ice, it is not easy to release kindness in a dangerous environment, but they all did it. In fact, being kind to the people around you may not necessarily make people help you, but at least it will make people less likely to step on you.
This is what we call "what goes around comes around".
is written at the end
Speaking of this, I think the reason why "Eunuch Qilin" Gao Zhan had the last laugh is found: understand what the master wants, understand what you want, and stay kind when possible.
People who can do this may not necessarily be able to fly very high, but at least they can go further and walk more steadily.
