In the early years of the Ming Dynasty in China, the founding emperor Zhu Yuanzhang (known as Zhu Hongwu by the people) was famous for his unique temperament of "walking the dragon and walking the tiger". This describes him as walking like a dragon and a tiger leaping, revealing an extraordinary imperial style. One day, in order to build a magnificent palace, Zhu Hongwu ordered the military advisor Liu Bowen to gather the craftsmen of the major carpentry factories in the capital, and used the bell as an order to start work, and the project was in full swing.
One evening, Zhu Hongwu inspected the construction site alone after the bell rang for a long time, and saw that the construction of the main hall was nearing completion, and there were only dense scaffolding on the empty construction site. At this time, Zhu Hongwu seemed to recall the unrestrainedness of his youth, and on a whim, he put on the posture of "double-peaked piercing ears" and "flying feet", and his posture was smart, as if he had returned to the days of dancing and playing swords in the past.
Just as he was immersed in the joy, a laugh came from the beam. It turned out to be an oiler who was a little deaf because he didn't hear the end of the day bell and remained on the high scaffolding to paint the dragon pattern. He mistook the emperor for a street performer, and he couldn't help but laugh.
Zhu Hongwu raised his head when he heard the sound, and when he learned the truth, he was furious, thinking that his majesty had been violated. He immediately recalled Liu Bowen, ordered him to bring the oiler for questioning, and even threatened to take his head. Liu Bowen found the oilman, and after listening to the explanation, he had a plan and told the oilman to pretend to be mute so as not to get into trouble.
When the oilman met Zhu Hongwu, he really replaced words with gestures, and no matter what he asked, he always said "Ah, horn, horn, horn!" Answered, and successfully passed the test. Liu Bowen explained in a timely manner: "Your Majesty, he is indeed a mute. Zhu Hongwu felt a little relieved, but he still interrogated the name and origin of the oilman, and the oilman still responded in dumb language, which made people believe it. In the end, Zhu Hongwu waved his hand impatiently and blasted it out of the palace gate.
After this incident, the lucky oiler saved his life because of his wit, but the image of Zhu Hongwu's "dragon walking and tiger step" was circulated in the world and became an interesting story. The philosophy of life contained in the story is that wisdom can often turn danger into relief, and when facing an opponent who cannot be underestimated, flexible response and timely disguise may become the key to life and death; At the same time, under the imperial power, even unintentional actions may lead to death, revealing the laws of survival under the strict hierarchy of ancient feudal society.