What did Kong Xiangxi's great-grandfather say on his deathbed that changed the whole family?

As one of the four major families in the Republic of China, the Kongs had a great time. It was Kong Xiangxi who pushed his family to the peak. In fact, the rise of the Kongshi family had already begun in the hands of Kong Xiangxi's great-grandfather.

Kong Xiangxi was born in Taigu County, Shanxi Province, and his family is both a businessman and a Confucian. As the finance minister of the National Government, Kong Xiangxi has reformed the monetary system in China for 13 years, and accumulated a lot of wealth for the National Government and himself. It must be said that he has great talent in business. This is mainly due to his growing environment. Kong Xiangxi's ancestors ran the bank business, and since his great-grandfather, in just a few generations, it has become a powerful force among Shanxi merchants at that time.

All this is related to a sentence made by his great-grandfather before he died. It is precisely because of this sentence that the Kongs embarked on the road of business and laid the foundation for the further development of Kong Xiangxi. What did Kong Xiangxi's great-grandfather say before he died?

Kong Xiangxi's great-grandfather was Kong Xianchang. It is said that he was brilliant since he was a child and read a lot of poems. At the age of 16, he won the first place in the boy's quiz. After a little older, he became more ambitious, vowed to seize the tribute, and embarked on the road of learning to be an official. Unfortunately, there was only one quota for this tribute, and Yang Meng, a scholar from his hometown, was competing with him. Yang Meng was also a knowledgeable man, and he was determined to win this quota.

The two have been fighting in secret, and the closer the exam is, the more diligent they are. Before the exam, Kong Xianchang realized that he had made great progress in his knowledge and was very sure of the exam. He thought that he would definitely win the first place, so he put down his grandiose words before entering the venue: "Take this tribute, such as exploring the bag and taking the ear!" Say it and enter the answer sheet.

In other words, Kong Xianchang felt very relaxed after three exams, and he also wrote his own test paper from memory for experts to appreciate. Everyone who read it said that this kind of article is clearly Dongpo's life, which is beyond the reach of the world, not to mention drawing tribute, even being the top scholar! What these people say is polite. After all, they just finished the exam, so it's right to say a few good words! Kong Xianchang himself knows that what they say is just pleasantries, just taking part in accidental amusement. But he thinks he is sure of winning. I waited for the good news at home.

On the day when the list was released, many friends came to the family, waiting for him to get good news or be a little happy, all waiting for congratulations. When the imperial list came, it was Meng Xiucai who won, and he lost his name in Sun Shan. It is said that to be no.1 is a great joy in life, so failing the exam is the greatest pain in a candidate's life. With so many good friends at home, Kong Xianchang got such a message. He couldn't say how bitter he was in his heart. He couldn't afford to fall down when he saw one mouthful of blood pouring out of his mouth.

From then on, Kong Xianchang became ill and died soon. On his deathbed, Kong Xianchang took his son (grandfather Kong Xiangxi) by the hand and made a will: "Reading is so useful, all my children and grandchildren want to learn and understand, so don't try to get fame and repeat my mistakes! Then he swallowed his last breath.

It is precisely because of Kong Xianchang's words that the fate of the Kong family was changed. Later generations of the Kong family no longer sought fame in their studies, but devoted themselves to shopping malls with the concept of applying what they have learned to practical use, and became a strong force among Shanxi merchants. If it were not for this sentence, there would probably be no later Kong Xiangxi. It can be seen that sometimes a key decision can affect the fate of the whole family.

In fact, in Jinzhong society at that time, such phenomena were everywhere. At that time, Shanxi people did not rank scholar, agriculture, industry and commerce, but put commerce first. The change of ideas was one of the reasons why Shanxi merchants were able to expand rapidly at that time.

From this story, we can see that people sometimes might as well live a wider life, and once they are unhappy, they will pass. Why do they persist? Yes, people live with dignity, but not a little humiliation can't be tolerated. Just like Kong Xianchang, if he had been stronger at that time, he would have been brave after being ashamed and worked harder, and he might have won the prize next time. Of course, history has no ifs, so let's take every day seriously!