Chapter IX
EIGHT VILLAINIES[1]
In general there are eight ways whereby ministers are led[2]
to commit villainy:—
The first is said to be "through the bribery of sharers
of the same bed".[3]
What is meant by "through the bribery
of sharers of the same bed"? In reply I say: By graceful
ladies, beloved concubines, feminine courtiers, and pretty
lads, the lord of men is bewildered. Counting on the
sovereign's pleasant rest from governmental work and taking
advantage of his being drunken and satiated, the sharers of
the same bed would get from him what they want. This is
the way to secure unfailing grants. Therefore, ministers
bribe them in secret with gold and jewelry and thereby
make them bewilder the sovereign. This is said to be
"through the bribery of sharers of the same bed".
The second is said to be "through the bribery of bystanders".[4]
What is meant by "through the bribery of
bystanders"? In reply I say: Actors, jokers, and clowns as
well as attendants and courtiers would say, "At your service,
at your service," before the sovereign has given any order,
and say, "Yes, yes," before he has commanded them to do
anything, thus taking orders ahead of his words and looking
at his facial expressions and judging his needs by his colour
in order thereby to render him service before he makes up
his mind. Such people advance and withdraw en bloc,
respond and reply with one accord,
[5]
thus identifying their
deeds and unifying their words so as to move the sovereign's
mind. Therefore, ministers bribe them in secret with gold,
jewelry, curios, and the like, and commit unlawful acts to
their advantage and thereby make them beguile the sovereign.
This is said to be "through the bribery of bystanders".
The third is said to be "through the entertainment of
uncles and brothers".[6]
What is meant by "through the
entertainment of uncles and brothers"? In reply I say:
Sons by concubines are much loved by the sovereign;
prime ministers and court officials are consulted by the
sovereign. All such people exert their energies and exchange
their ideas while the sovereign always listens to them.
Ministers, accordingly, entertain concubines and their sons
with music and beauties, and win the hearts of prime ministers
and court officials with twisted words and sentences. Then
through them they make promises and submit projects to
the throne, so that when the tasks are accomplished, their
ranks are raised, their bounties increased, and their minds
thereby satisfied. In this way they make them violate the
sovereign. This is said to be "through the entertainment
of uncles and brothers".
The fourth is said to be "through fostering calamities".[7]
What is meant by "through fostering calamities"? In
reply I say: The sovereign enjoys beautifying his palatial
buildings, terraces, and pools, and decorating boys, girls,
dogs, and horses, so as to amuse his mind. This will
eventually bring him calamities. Therefore, ministers exhaust
the energy of the people to beautify palatial buildings,
terraces, and pools, and increase exactions and taxation for
decorating boys, girls, dogs, and horses, and thereby amuse
the sovereign and disturb his mind, thus following his
wants and harvesting their own advantages thereby. This
is said to be "through fostering calamities".
The fifth is said to be "through buying up vagabonds".[8]
What is meant by "through buying up vagabonds"? In
reply I say: Ministers distribute money out of public
revenues to please the masses of people and bestow small
favours to win the hearts of the hundred surnames, and
thereby make everybody, whether in the court or in the
market-place, praise them, and, by deluding the sovereign
in this manner, get what they want. This is said to be
"through buying up vagabonds".
The sixth is said to be "through the employment of
fluent and convincing speakers".[9]
What is meant by
"through the employment of fluent and convincing
speakers"? In reply I say: The sovereign, with all avenues
to news blockaded, rarely hears any disputes and discussions
and is therefore apt to change his mind by eloquent
persuaders. Accordingly, ministers find eloquent speakers
from among the subjects of other feudal lords and feed able
persuaders in the country, then make them speak about their
self-seeking designs with skilfully polished words and fluent
and convincing phrases, show the sovereign the direction
of advantages and powers, overawe him with the location
of calamities and disadvantages, manipulate all kinds of
false sayings, and thereby deprave him. This is said to be
"through the employment of fluent and convincing
speakers".
The seventh is said to be "through the arrogation of
authority and strength".[10]
What is meant by "through the
arrogation of authority and strength"? In reply I say:
The ruler of men maintains his authority and strength by
keeping all officials and the hundred surnames on his side.
Whatever he considers good is regarded as good by the
officials and the people; whatever he never considers good
is not regarded as good by the officials and the people.
Ministers then gather bold swordsmen and desperate rascals
to display their authority and make it known that whoever
sides with them always gains and whoever does not side
with them is bound to die, and thereby overawe the officials
and the people and practise selfishness. This is said to be
"through the arrogation of authority and strength".
The eighth is said to be "through the accumulation of
support from the four directions".[11]
What is meant by
"through the accumulation of support from the four
directions"? In reply I say: The ruler of men, if his
country is small, has to serve big powers, and, if his army is
weak, has to fear strong armies. Any request by a big power
the small country always has to accept; any demand by a
strong army the weak army always has to obey. Accordingly,
ministers raise exactions and taxations, exhaust public
treasuries and armouries, empty the provisions of the country,
and thereby serve big powers and utilize their influence to
mislead the ruler. In serious cases, they would even send
for foreign troops to assemble in the border-lands while
they restrain
[12]
their sovereign inside the country. Otherwise,
they would invite special envoys from enemy states to molest
their ruler and thereby overawe him. This is said to be
"through the accumulation of support from the four
directions".
These eight in general are the ways whereby ministers
are led to commit villainy and the sovereigns of the present
age are deluded, molested, and deprived of their possessions.
Therefore, every sovereign should not fail to study them
carefully.
The intelligent ruler, as regards women, may enjoy their
beauty but ought not to follow their entreaties and comply
with their requests.
As regards those near him, though he enjoys their presence,
he must always call their words to account and never let
them utter any uncalled-for opinion.
As regards uncles, brothers, and chief vassals, the ruler,
on adopting their words, ought to hold them liable to
penalties in case of failure and appoint them to office in case
of success but never give them any arbitrary promotion.
On seeking pleasures and enjoying curios, the ruler ought
to have a definite personnel in charge of them and allow
nobody to bring such objects in and out at pleasure[13]
and
thereby let the ministers anticipate the sovereign's want.
In regard to favour-distribution, it ought to be done on
the initiative of the ruler to open the emergency treasury
and public storehouses and benefit the people. No minister
should be allowed to bestow personal favours.
Regarding persuasions and discussions, the ruler must
ascertain the abilities of men reputed to be good and testify
to the defects of those reputed to be bad, but never allow
the ministers to speak to one another about them.
As regards bold and strong men, the ruler should neither
neglect reward for merit on the battle-field nor remit punishment
for boldness in the village quarrel, and allow no
minister to give them money in private.
With respect to the requests made by other feudal lords,
if they are lawful, grant them; if they are unlawful, spurn
them.[14]
The so-called doomed ruler is not one who no longer has
a state but one who has a state but not in his grip. If he lets
his ministers control the home affairs through the support
they receive from abroad, the ruler of men will be doomed
to ruin. Granting that to obey big powers is to save one's
own country from ruin, the ruin will in case of obedience
come faster than in the case of disobedience. Hence never
obey them. As soon as the ministers realize that the ruler
will not obey, they will not make friends abroad with other
feudal lords. As soon as the feudal lords realize that he will
not obey,[15]
they will not trust that any of his ministers can
befool him.
The reason why the intelligent ruler establishes posts,
offices, ranks, and bounties, is to promote the worthy and
encourage the men of merit. Hence the saying: "The
worthy get large bounties and take charge of high offices;
the men of merit have honourable rank and receive big
rewards." The sovereign appoints the worthy to office by
estimating their abilities, and bestows bounties according to
the various merits. For this reason worthies do not disguise
their abilities in serving the sovereign; and men of merit
rejoice in advancing their careers. As a result, tasks are
accomplished and merits achieved.
That is not so nowadays. There is neither any discrimination
between the worthy and the unworthy nor[16]
any
distinction between men of merit and of no merit. Anybody
esteemed by the feudal lords is taken into service. Any
request made by the courtiers is granted. Uncles and
brothers as well as chief vassals ask for ranks and bounties
from the sovereign and sell them off to their inferiors and
thereby accumulate money and advantages and support their
personal dependents. Therefore, men who have much money
and many advantages purchase offices in order to become
noble, and those who have friendships with the courtiers
ask for grants in order to uplift their social prestige. In
consequence, officials and officers who have rendered the
country meritorious services are lost sight of, and the shift
of posts and offices runs off the legitimate track. For this
reason, everybody in governmental service overrides his
post, cultivates friendship with foreign powers, neglects his
duties, and covets money[17]
in every way, with the result
that worthies are disheartened and will no longer exert their
efforts while men of merit idle their time away and give up
their careers. Such is the atmosphere of a decaying country,
indeed!
