Chapter 23 <He is more reasonable than you (courtesy)>

Once upon a time, there were Zhang San and Li Si who went to the county government office to file a lawsuit for the distribution of real estate. Zhang San bribed the county magistrate with thirty taels of silver, asking for a verdict in favor of the case, and the county magistrate readily agreed.Later, Li Si also went to the Yamen to bribe him, and gave him fifty taels of silver, asking the magistrate to help him win the lawsuit, and the magistrate agreed. During the trial, the county magistrate asked the guards to drag Zhang San down and spank his butt after a few words. What, you are right (ritual)?The county magistrate immediately stretched out five fingers and shouted to Zhang San: He is more reasonable than you (courtesy)!

Li and Li are homonyms and synonyms. The difference between them can only be seen clearly from the shape of the characters when written, but cannot be heard by listening.This corrupt official took advantage of the homophony of reason and propriety, and secretly changed the concept, that is, the standard for judging right and wrong, and replaced reason with rite.According to this standard, the basis for judging winning or losing is not reason and law, but whether and how much gifts are given. If one person gives a gift and the other does not, the giver wins and the non-giver loses; if both give gifts.Those who give more courtesy win, and those who give less courtesy lose.But it sounds like the county magistrate is an upright official who takes reason and law as the criterion for judging cases, but in fact he is a corrupt official who breaks the law.

In the face of such corrupt officials, it is no wonder that people humorously sarcastically said: politeness is everywhere, but impoliteness is difficult.