Duke of Zhou was the younger brother of King Wu of Zhou dynasty and the uncle of King Cheng of Zhou. After King Wu’s death, the young King Cheng ascended the throne, and the Duke of Zhou acted as regent. This aroused suspicion among his older brothers, Guan Shu and Cai Shu, who spread rumours that the Duke intended to usurp the throne.
Faced with a deluge of rumours and suspicion, the Duke of Zhou bore the humiliation with fortitude, devoting himself entirely to assisting King Cheng, and quelled a rebellion instigated by Duke Guan and Duke Cai.
Seven years later, King Cheng came of age. The Duke of Zhou returned the reins of government to King Cheng and withdrew to the position of a subject.
Wang Mang (45BC-23AD) was the nephew of the Empress Dowager of Emperor Yuan of Han dynasty. He lived frugally, was humble and courteous, and treated scholars with respect. These actions earned him the praise of being a ‘model of virtue’, and both the court and the public regarded him as a “sage” who could save the empire from crisis. Having amassed immense prestige, Wang Mang compelled the then-young Crown Prince to cede the throne to him, establishing the Xin Dynasty—an event known to history as ‘Wang Mang’s Usurpation’.
Reflecting on these, Tang dynasty poet Bai Juyi wrote a poem:
“When the Duke of Zhou feared the days of slander,
And Wang Mang treated his subordinates with humility—
Had they but died then,
Who could have discerned truth from falsehood?”
#35 表象与真实
周公是周武王的弟弟、周成王的叔叔。周武王死后，年幼的成王继位，周公代为摄政。这引起了周公的哥哥管叔、蔡叔等兄弟的猜忌，他们散布流言，说周公想要篡位。
面对铺天盖地的流言和猜疑，周公忍辱负重，全心辅佐成王，并平定了一场由管叔、蔡叔发动的叛乱。
七年后，成王长大成人。周公将政权归还于成王，自己退居臣位。
王莽前(45年—23年）是汉元帝皇后的侄子。他生活简朴，为人谦恭, 礼贤下士。这些行为让他博得了“道德楷模”的赞誉，朝野上下都认为他是挽救危局的“圣人”。在积累了极高的声望后，王莽逼迫当时年幼的皇太子将帝位让给他，建立了新朝，史称“王莽篡位”。
有感于此，唐朝诗人白居易做了首诗：
周公恐惧流言日，王莽谦恭下士时
“向使当时身便死，一生真伪复谁知？”
大意是：
如果周公死在被流言蜚语中伤的日子
而王莽在还没篡夺皇位的谦恭时期就死去
那么他们 真面目和伪善的假象
又有谁能分辨得清呢