University of Virginia Library

Chapter XIV

MINISTERS APT TO BETRAY, MOLEST,
OR MURDER THE RULER[1]

Wicked ministers, in general, all think of following the
mind of the lord of men in order to attain the status of
enjoying the sovereign's confidence and favour. For this
reason, whatever the sovereign likes they praise accordingly;
whatever the sovereign hates they blame accordingly. On

the whole, such is the general nature of mankind that people
regard each other as right if their matters of acceptance and
rejection are in common, and as wrong if their matters of
acceptance and rejection are diverse. Now that what the
ministers praise is what the lord of men regards as right,
this is called "acceptance in common"; since what the
ministers blame is what the sovereign regards as wrong, this
is called "rejection in common". Indeed, people who have
their matters of acceptance and rejection in common[2] and
offend each other, are never heard of. That is the way the
ministers win the sovereign's confidence and favour.

Indeed, if wicked ministers can take advantage of the
status of enjoying the sovereign's confidence and favour to
blame, praise, promote, and degrade the officials, it is because
the lord of men has neither the tact and measure[3] to keep
them under control nor[4] the procedures of comparison and
verification to judge them. Worse than this, because in
the past they held every judgment in common with him,
he would believe in any word they now utter. This is the
reason why favourite ministers can deceive the sovereign
and accomplish self-seeking tasks. In consequence, the
sovereign is always deluded and the ministers are always
powerful. Such ministers are called "lord-manipulating
vassals".[5]

If the state has "lord-manipulating vassals", then no
official will be able to exert his wisdom and strength and

thereby express his spirit of loyalty nor will any magistrate
be able to uphold the law and thereby accomplish his merits.
How to explain this? Indeed, to choose safety and profit
and leave danger and trouble, this is human nature. Now,
if men who, being ministers to a ruler, apply their forces to
accomplish their merits and exert their wisdom to express
their spirit of loyalty, eventually plunge themselves into
misery, incline their families towards poverty, and entangle
their fathers and sons in their own troubles, and if those
who delude the sovereign for the sake of wicked profits
and serve nobles and vassals with bribes of cash and
commodities, always glorify themselves, enrich their
families, and benefit their fathers and sons, then how can
people leave the way to safety and profit and choose the
place of danger and trouble? Should there be such a fault
in the government of the state, it is clear that it would be
impossible for the superior to expect the inferior to do no
wickedness and the magistrates to uphold the law.

For this reason, as soon as the attendants come to know
the impossibility of seeking safety[6] by remaining honest
and faithful, they will certainly say: "When we serve the
superior honestly and faithfully and increase our meritorious
services, to seek safety is as hopeless as to distinguish between
black and white colours with blind eyes. When by following
the true path and the right tact[7] we serve the superior,[8]
practise righteous principles, and never covet wealth and
nobility, to seek safety is the same as to discriminate between

flat and sharp notes with deaf ears, which is still more
hopeless. If neither road leads to safety, why should we
not associate for the purpose of deluding the sovereign,
committing villainy, and thereby pleasing the heavy-handed
men?" Such people will no longer regard the intentions
of the lord of men.

Likewise, as soon as officials of all posts come to know the
impossibility of seeking safety by playing square and upright,
they will certainly say: "When we serve the superior
cleanly and incorruptibly, to seek safety is as hopeless as to
make squares and circles without the carpenter's compasses
and squares. If we hold office by observing the law and
not forming juntos, to seek safety is the same as to scratch
the head with the foot, which is still more hopeless. If
neither road leads to safety, why should we not discard the
law, practise selfishness, and thereby please the heavy-handed
men?" Such people will no longer regard the laws
of the sovereign.

Such being the case, those who work for the heavy-handed
men by practising selfishness are many; those who
serve the ruler by observing the law are few. For this
reason, the sovereign stands in isolation above while the
ministers form juntos below. This was the very reason why
T`ien Ch`êng finally murdered Duke Chien.

Indeed, tactful men, when ministering to a ruler, would
enforce[9] theories of regulations and measures to clarify the
law of the sovereign and harass wicked ministers in order to
glorify the sovereign and tranquillize the state. Accordingly,
as soon as theories of regulations and measures are enforced,

reward and punishment will infallibly become applicable.
The lord of men will then earnestly illustrate the tact of
the sage but never have to follow[10] the commonplaces of the
world. He will decide between right and wrong according
to the relation between name and fact and scrutinize words
and phrases by means of comparison and verification.

For this reason, attendants and courtiers, as soon as they
come to know the impossibility of seeking safety by means
of falsehood and deceit, will certainly say: "If we do not
stop wicked deeds and apply our strength and exert our
wisdom to serve the sovereign, but merely associate with
one another for treasonable purposes and make arbitrary
blame and praise so as to seek safety, it is as hopeless as to
expect to live by falling into an abyss of immeasurable
depth with a weight of thirty thousand catties[11] carried on
the back."

Likewise, officials of all posts, as soon as they come to
know the impossibility of seeking safety by coveting wicked
profits, will certainly say: "If we do not obey the law by
keeping ourselves pure, incorruptible, square, and upright,
but simply want to secure wicked profits by bending the
law with the greedy and corrupt minds, it is as hopeless as
to expect to live by going up to the top of a high hill and
then falling down into the bottom of a deep ravine."

If the road to safety and danger is so clear, then how
can the attendants beguile the sovereign with empty words?
And how dare the officials exploit the masses covetously?
Accordingly, ministers able to express their spirit of loyalty

are never put out of sight[12] ; inferiors able to attend to
their duties never show resentment. That was the way
Kuan Chung governed Ch`i and Lord Shang strengthened
Ch`in.

From such a viewpoint, I can see that the sage in governing
the state pursues the policy of making the people inevitably
do him good[13] but never relies on their doing him good
with love. For to rely on the people's doing him good
with love is dangerous, but to rely on their inevitability
to do him good is safe.

To be sure, ruler and minister having no blood kinship,
if able to seek safety[14] by following the right and straight
way, the minister will apply all his strength to serve the
sovereign; if unable to seek safety by following the right
and straight way, he will practise selfishness and thereby
violate the superior. Knowing this well, the intelligent
sovereign simply establishes the system of advantages and
disadvantages and thereby shows the world what is right
and what is wrong.

Certainly for this reason, though the lord of men neither
teaches the officials with his own mouth nor finds the culprits
and ruffians with his own eyes, yet the state is always orderly.
The lord of men does not have to possess such eyes as those
of Li Lou in order to be bright, nor does he have to possess
such ears as those of Musician K`uang in order to be acute.
If he does not trust to measures but relies on his eyes alone
for his brightness, then what he sees will be little. For it

is not the technique to avoid delusion. If he does not count
on his august position but relies on his own ears alone for
his acuteness, then what he hears will be little enough. For
it is not the way to avoid deception. The intelligent sovereign
would make All-under-Heaven inevitably see and hear on
his behalf. Therefore, though his person is confined in the
innermost court, his brightness illumines everything within
the four seas. If nobody in All-under-Heaven can delude
or deceive him, what is the reason therefor? It is because
the roads to darkness and chaos have crumbled while the
faculties of acuteness and brightness have appeared.

Therefore, who can hold his august position skilfully,
finds his state in safety; who does not know how to utilize
his august position, finds his state in danger. For illustration,
in by-gone days it was the custom in Ch`in for both ruler
and minister to discard state laws and uphold private creeds,
wherefore the country was disorderly, the army weak, and
the sovereign ignoble. Thereupon Lord Shang persuaded
Duke Hsiao of Ch`in to alter the law and renovate the
custom by making public justice clear, rewarding the
denouncers of culprits, discouraging secondary callings,[15] and
encouraging primary works.[16] In those days the people of
Ch`in were used to the beaten track that men guilty of
crimes could be pardoned and men of no merit could be
honoured. Therefore, they were very apt to violate the
new law. In the meantime, however, the censure of offenders
against the new law became strict and definite; the reward
of the denouncers of culprits became big and of faith.
Hence no culprit was missed. Men sentenced to punishment

became many. The people grumbled and resented it.
Criminal offences[17] were heard every day. Lending no ear
to all these, Duke Hsiao enforced the Law of Lord Shang
to the utmost, until at last the people came to know that
men guilty of crimes would infallibly be censured and
informers against culprits[18] became many. Hence the people
dared not violate the law and penalty could be inflicted on
nobody. Therefore, the state became orderly, the army
strong, the territory extensive, and the sovereign honourable.
The cause of all these was nothing other than heavy punishment
for sheltering criminals and big rewards for denouncing
culprits. Such was also the way to make All-under-Heaven
see and hear on the ruler's own behalf.

The law and craft of the best government are thus clear
enough. Yet scholars in the world never understand them.

Further, all stupid scholars in the world do not know the
actual conditions of order and chaos but chatter nonsense
and chant too many hackneyed old books to disturb the
government of the present age. Though their wisdom and
thought are not sufficient to avoid pitfalls,[19] they dare to
absurdly reproach the upholders of tact. Whoever listens
to their words, will incur danger. Whoever employs their
schemes, will invite confusion. Such is the greatest height
of stupidity as well as the greatest extreme of calamity.
Though they gain fame for discussion and persuasion just
as the upholders of tact do, yet in reality the former are as
far apart from the latter as a distance of thousands of li.

That is to say, the similarity is nominal but the difference
is actual.

Indeed, what the stupid scholars in the world are to the
upholders of tact, that is the ant-hill to the big mound.
They are very different from each other. The sage is the
one who scrutinizes the facts of right and wrong and
investigates the conditions of order and chaos. Therefore,
when governing the state he rectifies laws clearly and
establishes penalties severely in order to rescue all living
beings[20] from chaos, rid All-under-Heaven of misfortune,
prohibit the strong from exploiting the weak and the many
from oppressing the few, enable the old and the infirm to
die in peace and the young and the orphan to grow freely,
and see to it that the frontiers be not invaded, that ruler and
minister be intimate with each other, that father and son
support each other, and that there be no worry about being
killed in war or taken prisoner. Such is one of the greatest
achievements. Yet the stupid men do not understand it
and condemn it as misgovernment.

Of course, the stupid men want order but dislike the true
path to order.[21] They all hate danger but welcome the way
to danger. How do I know this? Indeed, severe penalty
and heavy conviction are hated by the people, but by them
the state is governed. Mercy and pity on the hundred
surnames and mitigation of penalty and punishment are
welcomed by the people, but by them the state is endangered.
The sage who makes laws in[22] the state is always acting

contrary to the prevailing opinions of the age, but is in
accord with Tao and Teh.[23] Who understands Tao and
Teh, will agree with the principles of justice but disagree
with the commonplaces of the world. Who does not understand
Tao and Teh, will disagree with the principles of
justice but agree with the commonplaces of the world. If
throughout All-under-Heaven those who understand Tao
and Teh are few, then the principles of justice will generally
be disapproved.

If the upholders of law and tact, being located in an
unrighteous position, accorded slanders by everybody, and
addicted to the words of the age, want to face the severe
Son of Heaven and seek safety, is it not hard for them to
hope[24] for any success? This is the reason why every wise
man to the end of his life never becomes celebrated in the
world.

Lord Ch`un-shên,[25] younger brother of King Chuang of
Ch`u, had a beloved concubine named Yü. The son born
by his wedded wife was named Chia. Yü first wanted the
Lord to desert his lawful wife. So she injured herself. She,
showing[26] the injuries to the Lord, shed tears and said:
"To be able to become Your Excellency's concubine, is
very fortunate, indeed. However, to please madame is not
the way to serve the master; to please the master is not the

way to serve madame. Being unworthy myself and not able
enough to please two lords, thy servant will eventually by
force of circumstances displease both. Therefore, instead
of dying at the madame's place, I prefer to be allowed to
kill myself in front of Your Excellency. After[27] allowing
thy servant to kill herself, if Your Excellency favours anybody
else among the maid attendants, will Your Excellency be
more considerate than now and never become a laughingstock
of people?" The Lord, accordingly, took the falsehood
of his concubine Yü as true, and deserted his lawful wife.

Yü next wanted to kill Chia and make her own son the
heir apparent instead. So she tore the lining of her own
petticoat. Showing the torn clothes to the Lord, she shed
tears and said: "It is a long time since Yü became able to
enjoy Your Excellency's favour, which Chia has known of
course. Just a while ago, he thought of taking liberties with
Yü by force. Yü struggled with him, till he tore her clothes.
No other impious act committed by a son could be worse
than this!" Enraged thereby, the Lord killed Chia. Thus,
the wife was deserted because of the falsehood of the
concubine Yü and the son was killed because of the
same.

From this I can see that even the father's love of the son
can be demolished and damaged. Now that the mutual
relationship of ruler and minister does not involve the
kinship of father and son and the slanderous words of the
officials are not so simple as those coming out only from
the single mouth of a concubine, no wonder worthies and
sages are slaughtered and executed! This was the very

reason why Lord Shang was torn to pieces by chariots in
Ch`in and Wu Ch`i was dismembered in Ch`u.

In general, ministers, when guilty of crimes, never want
to be censured, but, when of no merit, all want to be honoured
and celebrated. However, the sage, when governing the
state, never bestows rewards on men of no merit but definitely
inflicts censures on culprits. If so, the characters of the
upholders of tact and measure are certainly disgusting to
the attendants and wicked ministers. Accordingly, nobody
but an intelligent sovereign can take advice from them.

Scholars of the present age in counselling the lord of men
do not say, "Make use of the august and commanding
position and thereby harass the wicked and villainous
ministers," but all say, "Practise nothing but benevolence,
righteousness, favour, and love!" Accordingly, rulers of
the present age have praised the names of benevolent and
righteous men but have never examined their realities, so
that in serious cases they have ruined their states and lost
their lives and in minor cases they have seen their territories
dismembered and their ranks relegated. How to explain
this? Indeed, to give alms to the poor and destitute is what
the world calls a benevolent and righteous act; to take pity
on the hundred surnames and hesitate to inflict censure and
punishment on culprits is what the world calls an act of
favour and love. To be sure, when the ruler gives alms[28]
to the poor and destitute, men of no merit will also be
rewarded; when he hesitates to inflict censure and punishment
upon culprits, then ruffians never will be suppressed.
If men of no merit in the country are rewarded, the people

will neither[29] face enemies and cut heads off on the battlefield
nor will they devote their strength to farming and
working at home, but all will use articles and money as
bribe to serve the rich and noble, accomplish private virtues,
and make personal names, in order that they may thereby
get high posts and big bounties. In consequence, wicked
and self-seeking ministers become many and violent and
outrageous fellows gain the upper hand. Under such
circumstances, what but ruin can befall the state?

Indeed, severe penalty is what the people fear, heavy
punishment is what the people hate. Accordingly, the wise
man promulgates what they fear in order to forbid the
practice of wickedness and establishes what they hate in
order to prevent villainous acts. For this reason the state
is safe and no outrage happens. From this I know very well
that benevolence, righteousness, love, and favour, are not
worth adopting while severe penalty and heavy punishment
can maintain the state in order.

Without the severity of the whip and the facility of the
bridle, even Tsao-fu could not drive the horse; without
the rule of the compasses and squares and the tip of the
inked string, even Wang Erh could not draw squares and
circles; and without the position of authority and power
and the law of reward and punishment, even Yao and Shun
could not keep the state in order. Now that rulers of the
present age thoughtlessly discard heavy punishment and
severe censure and practise love and favour, to realize the
achievement of the Hegemonic Ruler is also hopeless.

Therefore, the skilful sovereign makes rewards clear and
displays advantages to encourage the people and make them

get rewards for meritorious services but no prize for any
act of benevolence and righteousness. He makes penalties
severe and punishments heavy to restrain the people and
make them get censure for criminal offences but no pardon
by love and grace. Therefore, men of no merit never long
for any reward and those guilty of crimes never look for
an amnesty.

If you have a solid carriage and a good horse, you can
go over slopes and cliffs on land; if you embark in a safe
boat and hold its easy helm in hand, you can get over the
hazards of streams and rivers on water. Similarly, if you
have the measures of law and tact in your grip and carry
heavy punishment and severe censure into effect, you will
be able to accomplish the achievement of the Hegemonic
Ruler. Now, to have law and tact, reward and punishment,
in governing the state, is the same as to have a solid carriage
and a good horse in travelling on land and have a fast boat
and an easy helm in travelling on water. Whoever has them
in his grip will eventually accomplish his purpose.

Yi Yin mastered them, wherefore T`ang became supreme;
Kuan Chung mastered them, wherefore Ch`i became
hegemonic; and Lord Shang mastered them, wherefore Ch`in
became a powerful state. These three men all understood
the statecraft of supremacy and hegemony clearly and
observed the measures for order and strength closely
and were never restrained by worldly and popular sayings.
Thus, meeting the demands of the intelligent sovereigns of
their times, they emerged from the status of wearers of
hemp cloth[30] to the posts of High Official and Prime Minister.

When holding office and governing the state, they actually
accomplished the task in honouring their masters and
extending their territories. Such persons are called "ministers
worthy of respect".[31]

T`ang, because he got Yi Yin, rose from one hundred
square li of territory to become the Son of Heaven. Duke
Huan, because he got Kuan Chung, became the first
Hegemonic Ruler, called nine meetings of the feudal lords,
and brought All-under-Heaven under one rule. Because
Duke Hsiao got Lord Shang, his territory was extended
and his army was strengthened. Therefore, whoever has
loyal ministers, has no worry over enemy states outside
and no anxiety about rebellious ministers inside, enjoying
permanent peace in All-under-Heaven and handing down
his name to posterity. Such ministers are the so-called
loyal ministers.[32]

Take the case of Yü Jang. When ministering to Earl
Chih, he could not counsel the lord of men and make him
clearly understand the principles of law and tact, rule and
measure, so as to avoid disasters, nor could he lead and
control his masses so as to keep the state in safety. When
Viscount Hsiang had killed Earl Chih, Yü Jang branded[33]
his face and cut off his nose, thus destroying his facial features
in order to avenge Earl Chih on Viscount Hsiang. In this
wise, though he earned the reputation for destroying his
features[34] and sacrificing his life for the cause of the lord

of men, yet in reality he rendered Earl Chih not even such
a bit of benefit as the tips of autumn spikelets. Such a man
is what I look down upon, whereas rulers of the present
age regard him as loyal and exalt him. In antiquity, there
were men named Poh-i and Shu-ch`i. When King Wu
offered to transfer All-under-Heaven to them,[35] both declined
it and starved to death on the Shou-yang Mound. Ministers
like them, neither afraid of heavy censure nor fond of big
rewards, cannot be prohibited by punishment, nor can
they be encouraged by reward. They are called "ministers
of no account".[36] They are what I make light of and cast
aside, but are what rulers of the present age think much of
and seek out.

There is a proverb saying, "Even the leper feels pity for
the king."[37] It is not a reverent saying. Nevertheless, since
in antiquity there was no empty proverb, everybody should
consider it carefully. It speaks for[38] such sovereigns as are
liable to molestation or murder.

If the lord of men does not have law and tact to control
his ministers, then though he is still on the green margin of
his life and has excellent talents, chief vassals will, as usual,
gain influence, administer all state affairs at their will, and
make all decisions on their own authority, everybody working
to his own advantage. Fearing lest uncles and brothers of
the sovereign or some heroic men should exercise the

authority of the lord of men to suppress and censure them,
they would depose[39] worthy, full-grown rulers and set up
young, weak ones on the throne, or set aside lawful heirs[40]
and place unlawful ones in their stead.

Hence it is recorded in the Spring and Autumn Annals:
"Prince Wei of Ch`u was once on his way to visit the court
of Chêng. Before he crossed the state border, he heard about
His Majesty's illness and therefore turned homeward. When
he went in to inquire after the King's illness, he strangled
His Majesty to death with the ribbons of his hat, and finally
established himself on the throne.[41] The wife of Ts`ui Chu
of Ch`i was beautiful. Duke Chuang formed a liaison with
her and frequented the house of the Ts`ui Clan. One day,
when Duke Chuang went again, a dependent of Ts`ui Tzŭ,
named Chia Chü, led the followers of Ts`ui Tzŭ and attacked
the Duke. The Duke rushed into a room and suggested
dividing the state with him, but Ts`ui Tzŭ would not grant
the request. The Duke then asked permission to kill himself
in the ancestral shrine, but again Ts`ui Tzŭ would not
listen to the request. So the Duke started to run away.
When he was going across the mud fence on the north of
the compound, Chia Chü shot him with an arrow and hit
his thigh. The Duke fell down upon the ground, where
Ts`ui Tzŭ's followers cut the Duke with lances and killed
him.[42] Thereupon his younger brother was installed on the
throne as Duke Ching."

As witnessed in recent times, no sooner had Li Tai[43]
come into power in Chao, than he starved the Father
Sovereign[44] for one hundred days till he died; no sooner
had Nao Ch`ih come into power in Ch`i, than he pulled
out the sinews of King Min[45] and hanged him on the
beam of the ancestral shrine where he died after one
night.[46]

Therefore, the leper, despite the boils and swellings all
over his body, as compared with rulers of the Spring and
Autumn Period, never suffers such miseries as neck-strangling
and thigh-shooting, and, as compared with rulers of recent
times, never suffers such miseries as starvation to death and
sinew-pulling. Thus, the mental agony and physical pain
of the rulers molested and murdered certainly exceed those
of the leper. From this viewpoint, though the leper feels
pity for the king, there is good reason for it.