..續本文上一頁le and breaking it; second, hunting without restraint. Emperor Guangwu, being a wise and great ruler, did not get angry, but openly acknowledged his mistakes and presented the guard with a hundred bolts of cloth to reward him for his dutifulness.
前面也曾提到過，唐代最英明有爲的皇帝太宗，也有個最直言敢谏的魏征；太宗對魏征擇善固執的精神十分欣賞，魏征也相當欽佩唐太宗的器量，因此只要唐太宗的言語行爲有任何不當，魏征必定直言進谏，唐太宗也都能虛心接受。
Earlier we mentioned the greatest and most talented emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Taizong, and his minister Weizheng, who was known for his frankness and courage to criticize. Emperor Taizong appreciated Weizheng”s faithful adherence to goodness, and Weizheng admired Emperor Taizong”s magnanimous character. Therefore, whenever the emperor”s words or behavior were the slightest bit inappropriate, Weizheng would speak up right away and the emperor would humbly accept his remonstrances.
此外，太宗還有位長孫皇後，更是唐太宗的賢內助。有一回唐太宗得到一只名貴的小鷹，十分喜愛，便拿在手上把玩著，並訓練小鷹一些技能。正玩在興頭上，外面通報魏征觐見。唐太宗心想﹕真是煩！什麼時候不好來，就偏揀在這時辰？待會兒讓這老頭子見了，一定又要啰嗦個半天，講什麼「玩物喪志」的大道理。于是把小鷹藏在衣袖裏，准備早點兒打發魏征走。
Emperor Taizong had an empress, Chang Sun, who was also a worthy helper to him. One time the emperor obtained a precious young falcon. He adored the bird and held it in his hands and played with it, trying to teach it some tricks. Right then, word came that Weizheng was requesting to see him. The emperor thought, "What a bother! He always comes at the most inconvenient time! Once the old man sees the bird, he”ll go on and on about how trifling with amusements is a waste of energy." Thereupon the emperor hid the young falcon inside his sleeve, thinking to quickly send Weizheng off on some pretext.
不料魏征眼尖，早就看到唐太宗的動作，因此故意大事小事談了一件又一件，說個沒完；唐太宗心裏發急，又不能不應付他。等到魏征終于告退，唐太宗才噓了口氣；一看，小鷹已悶死了。唐太宗雖然懊惱，卻不敢怪罪魏征，因爲他太想做好一個能納谏的賢君，只好不再玩小鳥了。
He didn”t realize that Weizheng”s sharp eyes had noticed his movement, and that the official deliberately brought up large and small matters one after another. It seemed that he would never finish. Taizong was getting anxious, but he could not refuse to listen. When Weizheng finally took his leave, Taizong let out a sigh of relief. However, the little falcon had already died of suffocation. Although Taizong was regretful, he dared not blame Weizheng because he wanted so badly to be a worthy ruler who could accept criticism. In the end, he had to give up the hobby of raising young birds.
又有一次，長樂公主出嫁，唐太宗最疼這個長孫皇後親生的女兒；因此命令備禮要隆重，嫁妝多過另一位不是皇後親生的永樂公主。魏征又說話了﹕「疼愛之情雖有差別，同是公主的身份卻是一樣的，不可以失了禮製。」唐太宗只好聽從。回宮後告訴皇後，不料皇後不但沒感覺失望，反而贊歎說﹕「以前陛下敬重魏征，妾未知其故；現在聽了這番勸谏，才知道魏征真不愧是國家的重臣！」
Another time when Princess Chang Le, Emperor Taizong”s most beloved daughter of Empress Chang Sun, was to get married. The emperor ordered especially elaborate gifts and ceremonies. In fact, her dowry surpassed that of Princess Yong Le, who was not the Empress” own daughter. As usual, Weizheng had something to say: " Although your affections differ, they are of equal rank as princesses and you should not ignore the rules of etiquette." Taizong had no choice but to listen. When he returned to the palace and told the empress, to his surprise she was not disappointed, but rather praised the minister, saying, "In the past I did not understand why Your Majesty respected Weizheng so highly, but after hearing his exhortation, I realize that Weizheng is truly worthy of being an important official of the country ."
又一次，唐太宗終于受不了魏征不留情面的勸谏，下朝回宮仍怒不可遏，便說﹕「朕非殺了那個鄉下老頭子不可！」長孫皇後忙問﹕「誰啊？」唐太宗又氣又委屈地說﹕「還有誰！就是那頑固的老家夥魏征啊！每次在朝廷當面侮辱我，我皇帝的尊嚴擺哪兒啊？」長孫皇後默然退下，換上了大禮服，恭敬地站在庭階上；皇帝十分不解，皇後就說﹕「妾聽說君主如果聖明，臣子自然正直。今天魏征這樣正直，全是因爲陛下聖明之故，怎麼可以不道賀呢？」高帽子一戴，唐太宗哈哈大笑，自然心開意解了。
Another time, Taizong had had it with Weizheng”s merciless admonishments. He left the court and returned to his palace quarters in fury, saying, "I”ve got to take that old country bumpkin”s life, and that”s that!" Empress Chang Sun asked in haste, "Who are you talking about
" The emperor, with anger and indignation, replied, "Who else
That stubborn old fellow Weizheng! He always insults me to my face in court. Where has my dignity as the Emperor gone
" The empress silently withdrew, changed into formal ceremonial dress, and stood respectfully on the courtyard steps. The emperor was totally puzzled. The empress said, "I”ve heard that if the emperor is noble and wise, his ministers will naturally be forthright. Today Weizheng was so frank all because Your Majesty is noble and wise. How could I not offer congratulations
" Once he heard the praise, Taizong laughed and understood.
長孫皇後運用智慧，不但保住丈夫的顔面，更保全了魏征的老命，使他還有機會繼續直言強谏。所以內能有賢後婉勸，外能納賢臣直谏，這應是唐太宗所以能成爲一代明君的原因。明君、德後、賢臣，都流芳青史，相得益彰，豈不印證了「善相勸，德皆建」嗎
With her wisdom, the empress not only saved face for her husband, but more importantly, saved old Weizheng”s life, allowing him to continue to exhort the emperor . The reason Taizong was such an eminent emperor was that he had a worthy empress who offered gentle advice, and he could listen to his worthy minister”s straightforward exhortations. This wise emperor, virtuous empress, and worthy minister shall all be remembered in history as complementing one another. Is this not proof of the verse, "If we urge one another toward goodness, then we will all develop our virtue"
《弟子規淺釋 Standards for Students 第六章﹕泛愛衆 Chapter Six: ON CHERISHING ALL LIVING BEINGS - 6》全文閱讀結束。