Annotation to Canon III:—
One of the Middle Officers of Ch`i, named I-shê, once had
a drinking feast with the King. Greatly drunk, he went out
and leaned on the gate of the lobby. Thereupon the cut-footed[28]
gate-man asked, "Has Your Excellency not any intention
of giving the remaining drops of wine to thy humble
servant?" In reply I-shê scolded him, saying, "Get away!
How dare a penalized man ask for wine from his superior?"
The cut-footed man ran away. As soon as I-shê left the cut-footed
man purposely poured water below the eaves of the
lobby gate in the manner of urination. Next day, when the
King went out, he rebuked it and asked, "Who passed water
here?" In reply the cut-footed man said: "Thy servant has
seen nobody. However, yesterday Middle Officer I-shê stood
here. The King, therefore, blamed I-shê and killed him.
The King of Wey had two ministers who were not on
good terms with the Lord of Chi-yang. Once the Lord of
Chi-yang purposely made his men falsify the King's order
to scheme to attack himself. Thereupon the King sent out
men to ask the Lord of Chi-yang, "Who bears you a
grudge?" "Thy servant is not at feud with anybody,"
replied the Lord, "but he has not been on good terms with
two of your Majesty's ministers. Still that displeasure should
not have come to this!" The King then asked the attendants
about it, and all said, "Of course!" The King, accordingly,
censured the two ministers.
Chi Hsin and Yuan Ch`ien were at feud with each other.
Ssŭ-ma Hsi came recently to bad terms with Chi Hsin, and
so secretly ordered men to assassinate Yuan Ch`ien. The ruler
of Central Hills, thinking Chi Hsin was the contriver of the
murder, held him guilty.
The King of Ching had a favourite concubine named
Chêng Hsiu. As the King newly got a beautiful girl, Chêng
Hsiu purposely told her, "The King was very fond of seeing
people covering their mouths with hands. Be sure to cover
your mouth when[29]
you go near to the King." When the
beautiful girl went in to have an audience with the King, she,
accordingly, covered her mouth. The King asked the reason
therefor. "She has already talked about the bad odour of
Your Majesty," replied Chêng Hsiu. One day, the King,
Chêng Hsiu, and the beautiful girl, all three took seats in
a carriage, Hsiu told the coachman to carry out the order
definitely and immediately as soon as the King said any word.
When the beautiful girl came up very near to the King, she
covered her mouth several times. Displeased, the King
became very angry, saying, "Cut off her nose!" when the
coachman drew out his sword and cut off the beautiful girl's
nose.
According to a different source: Once the King of Wey
presented the King of Ching a beauty. The King of Ching was
greatly pleased by her. His royal concubine, Chêng Hsiu,
knowing the King loved her with pleasure, also loved her
with pleasure even more than the King did, and among
clothes and ornaments selected whatever she wanted and
gave them to her. "Madame, knowing I love the new lady,
loves her with pleasure even more than I do," remarked the
King. "This is the way the dutiful son should support his
parents, and loyal subjects should serve the ruler." Knowing
the King never thought she was jealous, the royal concubine
purposely told the new lady, "The King loves you very much
but dislikes your nose. When you see the King, always cover
your nose with hands. Then the King will forever love you."
Thereafter the new lady followed the advice, and, every time
she saw the King, would cover her nose. So the King asked
his royal concubine, "Why does the new lady always cover
her nose every time she sees me?" "How can I know?"
said the royal concubine. The King kept asking her insistently.
"Just a while ago," said she in reply, "I heard her saying she
disliked to smell the odour of Your Majesty." "Cut off
her nose," said the King in anger. As the royal consort had
instructed the coachman to carry out any order definitely
as soon as the King said any word, the coachman, accordingly
drew out his sword and cut off the beauty's nose.
Fei Wu-chi was a courtier of the Magistrate of Ching.
Ch`i Yüan newly came to serve the magistrate. The magistrate
liked him very much. Therefore, Wu-chi said to the magistrate,
"Your Excellency likes Yüan so much. Why does
Your Excellency not hold a wine feast at his home sometime?'
"Good," said the magistrate, and ordered Wu-chi to prepare
a wine feast at the home of Ch`i Yüan. Then Wu-chi told
Yüan, "The Magistrate is very militant and fond of weapons.
You should be cautious and respectful and quickly parade
weapons beneath the hall and in the courtyard." So did Yüan
accordingly. When the Magistrate arrived, he was greatly
surprised, asking, "What is all this about?" "Your
Excellency, be sure
[30]
to leave here," replied Wu-chi, "as
we do not know what is going to happen." Enraged thereby,
the Magistrate took up arms, censured Ch`i Yüan, and
finally put him to death.
Hsi Shou and Chang Shou were at feud with each other.
Ch`ên Hsü newly came on bad terms with[31]
Hsi Shou, and
so made men assassinate Chang Shou. The King of Wey,
thinking Hsi Shou was the contriver of the assassination,
censured[32]
him.
There was in the Central Hills State a humble prince,
whose horse was very skinny and carriage terribly worn-out.
Some of the chamberlains who had a private hatred for him
made a request on his behalf to the King,[33]
saying: "The
prince is very poor. His horse is very thin. Why does Your
Majesty not increase the food supplies for his horse?"
The King did not grant the request. The chamberlain,
therefore, secretly set fire to the silo at night. The King,
thinking the humble prince was the contriver of the arson,
censured him.
There was in Wey an old literatus who was not on good
terms with the Lord of Chi-yang. One of the guests of the
Lord had private hatred for the old literatus and so purposely
assaulted the old literatus and killed him. Considering it a
distinguished service to the Lord of Chi-yang, he said:
"Thy servant killed him because he had been at feud with
Your Excellency." Hearing this, the Lord of Chi-yang,
without investigating his motive, rewarded him.
According to a different source: The Lord of Chi-yang
had a petty official who was not noticed by his master but
wanted to win his special favour. Once upon a time, the
Ch`i State sent an old literatus out to dig herbs in the Horse
Pear Mountain. In order to render the master some meritorious
service, the petty official of Chi-yang went in to see the Lord
and said: "Ch`i sent an old literatus out to dig herbs in
the Horse Pear Mountain. In name he is digging herbs but in
fact he is spying the country of Your Highness. If Your
Highness does not[34]
kill him, he will implicate the Lord of
Chi-yang in the plot against Ch`i. May thy servant then beg
to despatch him?" "You may do so," replied the Lord.
On the following day the petty official found the old literatus
on the shady side of the city-walls and pierced him. At last
the Lord admitted him into his confidence.[35]
