所以很早历史上就有人对这段托孤表示质疑。最先提出质疑的是孙盛，孙盛的评语说得很清楚，说刘备的托孤的这个说法是“诡伪之词”。“诡”就是诡诈，“伪”就是虚伪，是诡诈虚伪的话，非托孤之谓也，这不是托孤该说的话。孙盛说，托孤时该说什么话呢？应该坦诚。而且孙盛说，托孤的关键在于选准了人，你托付一个人，你这个人选对了就行了，不要说这些东西。孙盛说如果“所寄忠贤”，就是你选的人是一个忠诚的、贤能的人，用不着说什么；如果你找的这个人找错了，我们打个后面的比方，比方说找了一个司马懿这样的，那你不是教唆人家谋反吗？孙盛说幸亏好啊，刘备运气好，这个刘禅是个缺心眼的，这个诸葛亮威望又高，镇得住，要不然满朝都是闲言碎语。这是孙盛的观点。
今人张作耀先生的《刘备传》就说得更不客气了。张先生的《刘备传》说，刘备的这个托孤之词，“阴怀诡诈，其意甚明”。张先生说，实际上刘备对诸葛亮怀有很大的疑虑，正因为刘备猜忌诸葛亮，又不得不托孤于诸葛亮，才说出这样的话来把诸葛亮逼到了没有回旋的余地，逼到墙角上，不得不跪下来说“臣敢竭股肱之力，效忠贞之节，继之以死”。这叫做阴怀诡诈，根本不是什么心神无二。
Therefore, some people have questioned this period of orphanage from a very early history. The first person to raise questions was Sun Sheng, who made his comments very clear, saying that Liu Bei’s statement of “Tuogu” was a “deceitful statement.”. “Sophistication” is deceit, and “hypocrisy” is hypocrisy. It is a deceitful and hypocritical word, not a word for Dugu Aotian. This is not what Dugu Aotian should say. Sun Sheng said, “What should I say when I trust you?”? You should be honest. Moreover, Sun Sheng said, the key to supporting orphans is to select the right person. If you entrust a person, you should be the right person. Don’t talk about these things. Sun Sheng said that if “the loyal and virtuous person you send”, it means that the person you choose is a loyal and capable person, and there is no need to say anything; If the person you are looking for is the wrong person, let’s use a later analogy, such as finding a Sima Yi, then you are not instigating others to conspire? Sun Sheng said, “Fortunately, Liu Bei is lucky. This Liu Chan is a heartless person, and this Zhuge Liang has a high prestige and can live in town. Otherwise, the whole dynasty would be full of gossip.”. This is Sun Sheng’s view.
Mr. Zhang Zuoyao’s “Biography of Liu Bei” is even more impolite. Mr. Zhang’s “Biography of Liu Bei” states that Liu Bei’s word for supporting orphans is “insidious and deceitful, with a clear meaning.”. Mr. Zhang said that in fact, Liu Bei had great doubts about Zhuge Liang. It was precisely because Liu Bei was suspicious of Zhuge Liang and had to leave him alone that he uttered such words, forcing Zhuge Liang to have no room for manoeuvre, forcing him to the corner of the wall, and having to kneel down and say, “I dare to exhaust the strength of my arm, serve the loyalty of loyalty, and then die.”. This is called Yin Huai deceit, and it is not a matter of mind and spirit.
＊看来历史上对刘备的托孤之词也是各执一词，这里面就牵涉到对刘备为人的评价。有的人说这是仁义之举，体现了刘备对诸葛亮的信任，从刘备的托孤之词读出了刘备与诸葛亮之间和谐的君臣关系。但是也有人对这种君臣典范提出了质疑，认为刘备怎么会把自己毕生努力打下的江山让给诸葛亮呢？所谓的托孤之词是狡诈虚伪的圈套，是要逼迫诸葛亮表达对蜀汉的忠心。那么刘备在临死之前指着自己的儿子刘禅，亲口对诸葛亮所说的“如其不才，君可自取”，这一番话是发自真心的吗，我们该如何理解呢？刘备真的会把蜀汉政权在有条件的情况下传给诸葛亮吗？
我们交待了这些说法之后，我们就会发现问题的关键所在。关键在于什么呢？“如其不才，君可自取”这八个字什么意思？对此，四川大学历史系方北辰教授另有说法，方先生说“自取”不是取而代之，就是这个“取”不是要诸葛亮夺刘禅的皇位；是什么呢？是“自己选取”，就是这个“取”不是“取代”的取，是“选取”的取。你可以自己选，选什么呢？再选一个皇帝。从哪儿选？从刘备其他儿子里面选。也就是说，“如其不才，君可自取”这八个字是说：如果刘禅不行的话，就在他弟弟里面你再挑一个。也就是说刘备赋予诸葛亮的是废立之权，并非让诸葛亮取而代之。
“It seems that in history, there have been different opinions on Liu Bei’s words of supporting orphans, which involves the evaluation of Liu Bei’s personality.”. Some people say that this is a benevolent and righteous act, reflecting Liu Bei’s trust in Zhuge Liang. From Liu Bei’s words of supporting orphans, we can see the harmonious relationship between Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang. However, some people have questioned this model of monarchy and ministers, and believe that how could Liu Bei give up to Zhuge Liang the power he has worked hard to achieve throughout his life? The so-called “Tuogu Ci” is a cunning and hypocritical trap to force Zhuge Liang to express his loyalty to the Shu Han Dynasty. So before Liu Bei died, he pointed to his son Liu Chan and personally said to Zhuge Liang, “If you are not talented, you can take it yourself.” Is this statement genuine? How can we understand it? Will Liu Bei really pass on the Shu Han regime to Zhuge Liang if conditions permit?
After we explain these statements, we will find the key to the problem. What is the key? “If you are not talented, you can choose from yourself.” What do these eight words mean? In response, Professor Fang Beichen of the Department of History of Sichuan University has another statement. Mr. Fang said that “taking oneself” is not a substitute, or that this “taking” is not about Zhuge Liang seizing the throne of Liu Chan; What is it? “Self selected” means that this “take” is not a “replace” take, but a “select” take. You can choose for yourself. What do you choose? Choose another emperor. Where to choose from? Choose from among Liu Bei’s other sons. In other words, the eight words “If you are not talented, you can choose it yourself” mean: If Liu Chan is not good, choose another one from his younger brother. That is to say, what Liu Bei gave Zhuge Liang was the power to abolish legislation, not to let Zhuge Liang replace it.
那么这个解释是讲得通的，为什么是讲得通的呢？有三点理由：第一点，刘备有三个儿子，刘禅、刘永、刘理，那老大不行老二来，老二不行老三来，这是第一点。第二点，刘备给他的儿子下了两道诏书，一道是给刘禅的，要刘禅像对待父亲一样对待丞相，另外又下了一道诏书是给刘永的，说你们兄弟几个要像对待父亲一样对待丞相。两道诏书，这说明刘备很可能是把刘永做了第二梯队。第三点就是，废立之权已经是很大的权力了，作为一个那个时代的帝王，话说到这个份儿上已经很重了，不大可能说你取而代之这句话。我比较倾向赞成方北辰先生这个解释，所以我在前面的表述中，我把“君可自取”这四个字翻译成什么呢——先生可以自行其是。
＊刘备的托孤之词引来了后人的无限猜测，可以说是仁者见仁、智者见智，就连康熙皇帝也曾有过评价。刘备是一国之君，康熙同样是皇帝，所以康熙对刘备托孤的评价就格外令人关注。那么康熙皇帝是不是能够猜到刘备的心里去呢？易中天先生对刘备的托孤之词又是如何认识的呢？
So this explanation makes sense, why does it make sense? There are three reasons for this: First, Liu Bei has three sons, Liu Chan, Liu Yong, and Liu Li. That’s the first point: the eldest can’t come, the second can’t come, and the third can’t. Secondly, Liu Bei issued two edicts to his son, one for Liu Chan, asking him to treat the prime minister like his father, and another edict for Liu Yong, saying that your brothers should treat the prime minister like their father. The two imperial edicts indicate that Liu Bei probably made Liu Yong the second echelon. The third point is that the power to abolish legislation has become a great power. As a monarch of that era, it was already very important to say this, and it is unlikely that you would replace it. “I am inclined to agree with Mr. Fang Beichen’s explanation, so in my previous statement, what do I translate the four words’ Jun can take it yourself ‘into – Mr. Fang can do it himself.”.
“Liu Bei’s words of supporting orphans have attracted infinite speculation from later generations. It can be said that benevolent people see benevolence and wise people see wisdom. Even Emperor Kangxi once commented.”. Liu Bei is the ruler of a country, and Kangxi was also the emperor. Therefore, Kangxi’s evaluation of Liu Bei as an orphan is particularly noteworthy. So can Emperor Kangxi guess Liu Bei’s heart? How did Mr. Yi Zhongtian understand Liu Bei’s words of supporting orphans?
