In the "Historical Records of the Zhao Family" written by Sima Qian, it is recorded that in the Spring and Autumn Period, Cheng Ying, a righteous warrior of the Jin Kingdom, in order to protect the orphans of the Zhao family, risked the risk of killing his head with Gongsun Pestle, successfully protected the orphans of the Zhao family, and avenged the revenge of the Zhao family. However, Cheng Ying did commit suicide after becoming famous. So, why did he choose to commit suicide?Before revealing the secrets, let's take a look back at history.After Jin Linggong was killed by Zhao Dun's brother Zhao Chuan, Zhao Dun assisted Jin Chenggong and his son Jin Jinggong successively. During the reign of Jin Jinggong, Zhao Dun died, and his son Zhao Shuo succeeded his father and married Princess Zhuang Ji, the sister of Jin Chenggong. At this time, the Jin Kingdom, the government had been controlled by Tu Anjia, the favorite minister of the Jin Linggong that year. Tu Anjia was angry about the fact that Jin Linggong was killed by the Zhao family, and wanted to find an opportunity to take revenge. After he came to power, he won over many generals and wanted to completely eradicate the power of the Zhao family.
In 601 BC, Tu Anjia of ** began to wantonly on the Zhao family under the pretext that Zhao Dun had committed the crime of killing the monarch that year. Tu Anjia pretended to pass on the will of Jin Jinggong and led a group of military attaches to rush into the Zhao family. Overnight, Zhao Shuo, his family, slaves and maids, a total of more than 300 people, all fell in a pool of blood and became unjustly killed. Only Princess Zhuangji, who was pregnant, was spared because she was the sister of the monarch and was sent back to live in the inner palace. Zhao Shuo has a doorman, called Gongsun Pestle. He said to Zhao Shuo's close friend Cheng Ying: "The Zhao family is so kind to you, how can you bear to watch their entire family being killed?"Cheng Ying replied: "Mrs. Zhao is pregnant, if she is lucky enough to give birth to a boy, I will raise him well and not let the Zhao family sacrifice endlessly."If I had given birth to a girl, it would have been too late for me to die. Gongsun Pestle was very moved when he heard this, and the two formed a friendship of life and death, and decided to work together to protect the bloodline of the Zhao family.
Soon, Princess Zhuang Ji really gave birth to a boy in the palace, and when Tu Anjia heard about it, he took people to the palace to search. Princess Zhuang Ji hid the baby in her skirt, but Tu Anjia didn't find it. But he was not reconciled, so he posted a notice saying: "If anyone knows the whereabouts of the Zhao orphans, and those who report it, they will be rewarded with a reward of 1,000 taels;."Whoever does not speak or harbors orphans is beheaded by the whole family. Cheng Ying said to Gongsun Pestle: "How can we protect the orphans of the Zhao family?"Gongsun Pestle asked: "Raising the orphan and helping him take revenge, which is easier than death?"Cheng Ying said: "Of course it's easy to die." Gongsun Pestle said again: "Zhao Shuo is as kind to you, so you can choose a more difficult task." Let me die for him first. So, Gongsun Pestle held Cheng Ying's child, pretended to be an orphan of the Zhao family, and hid in the mountains with him on his back. When Tu Anjia learned the news, he ordered the generals to go into the mountains to hunt them down.
A few days later, Cheng Ying walked out of the mountains alone and said to those generals: "I can't raise the Zhao orphans, let alone help him restore the family business." Whoever is willing to give me a thousand taels **, I will tell the place where the Zhao orphans are hiding. After Tu Anjia found out, he immediately agreed to Cheng Ying's request. Cheng Ying received 1,000 taels**, and led the army to capture Gongsun Pestle in the cave. Gongsun Pestle deliberately scolded Cheng Ying: "You shameless villain!."In order to preserve the bloodline of the Zhao family, we have suffered a lot. Now, you've betrayed us!Then he said to the generals, "Oh my God!"What is the sin of the Zhao orphans!Kill me, please let him go. "How dare the generals instructed by Tu Anjia be soft, and as a result, Gongsun Pestle and the pretending Zhao orphans were both killed by them.
Tu Anjia was finally convinced that the Zhao family was dead, so he was no longer worried. Of course, this is just a ploy by Gongsun Pestle and Cheng Ying, and the real Zhao orphans have been hidden in the mountains by Cheng Ying. In this way, Cheng Ying was burdened with the scolding of the world, and raised the last bloodline of the Zhao family with humiliation.
Fifteen years later, Jin Jinggong fell ill, so he found someone to divinate him. The result of the divination is that the descendants of the meritorious person do not have a good life, so the meritorious person is to blame. Cheng Ying's friend Han Ju took the opportunity to say: "Now that the descendants of the meritorious ones have cut off the incense, isn't it the Zhao family?"Jing Gong asked, "Are there any descendants of the Zhao family alive?"Han Ju said: "The orphans of the Zhao family are still alive. So Jing Gong discussed with Han Ju to support the Zhao orphans. Seeing this, the generals hurriedly admitted their crimes and said that they would eradicate Tu Anjia for Jinggong. With the support of the army, Jing Gong quickly wiped out Tu'an Jia's clan and recovered the original Zhao fiefdom. In this way, Cheng Ying finally avenged the destruction of the Zhao family and got rid of the ministers of the Jin Kingdom.
After Cheng Ying completed her mission, she chose to commit suicide. So, why would a hero who has achieved fame choose such an ending?
First, after learning about the tragic experience of Gongsun Pestle, Cheng Ying's mood fell into extreme grief. He was heartbroken by the loss of his best friend and comrade-in-arms. In Cheng Ying's mind, Gongsun Pestle is not only an irreplaceable confidant, but also a close comrade-in-arms who can work together and share life and death. Their friendship transcends time and experience and becomes the most precious treasure in each other's lives. Second, Cheng Ying felt deeply guilty that his actions were not completely successful. Although the Zhao orphans were able to escape death, the entire Zhao family was still in danger. This situation made Cheng Ying unable to let go, and he constantly reflected on whether his actions were not thoughtful enough and whether he did not take into account all the possibilities. However, no matter how hard he tries, he can't change this harsh reality. Third, he believes that his mission has been accomplished and that he has no motivation or meaning to continue living. He committed suicide to express his nostalgia for his friend Gongsun Pestle, as well as his helplessness and regret that he could not change reality. In short, there are many reasons why Cheng Ying chose to commit suicide, including the influence of the background of the times and personal emotional factors. This act of his allows us to see the inner world and noble spirit of a hero. In order to express loyalty and guilt to Gongsun Pestle and the orphans of the Zhao family. Cheng Ying's deeds have been passed down through the ages, and his loyalty and courage have also been admired and remembered.