3. Preventing the Rise of Commotions[12]
Who knows ruler and minister differ in interest, will
become supreme. Who regards the difference[13]
as identity,
will be intimidated. Who administers the state affairs in
common with his ministers, will be killed. Therefore, the
intelligent sovereign will scrutinize the distinctions between
public and private interests and the relative positions of
benefit and harm, so that wicked men will find no chance
to act.
There are six kinds of creators of commotions, namely,
dowagers, concubines, bastards, brothers, chief vassals, and
celebrities for wisdom. If magistrates are appointed and
ministers bear responsibilities in accordance with law, the
sovereign's mother will not dare any kind of rampancy. If
propriety and bestowal have different grades, concubines
can not speculate whether their sons might replace the heir
apparent. If the supreme position tolerates no rivalry,
bastards cannot dispute with legitimate sons. If authority
and position
[14]
are not shaken, royal brothers cannot trespass
on the ruler's power. If subordinate officials are not from the
same clan, chief vassals can not delude the ruler. If prohibitions
and rewards are always enforced, celebrities for
wisdom cannot create any commotion. . . .
[15]
Ministers have two resorts, called outer and inner. The
outer is said to be "the feared"; the inner, "the loved".
What is requested by the feared is granted; what is suggested
by the loved, is followed. Thus, the feared and the loved
are what the rapacious ministers appeal to. If officials
recommended by foreign states are cross-examined[16]
and
censured for their continuous development of personal friendships
and acceptance of bribes from abroad, they will
not count on the outer resort. If ranks and bounties follow
meritorious services, and if those who make request on
behalf of their friends and relatives are equally implicated in
the practice of favouritism, nobody will count on the inner
resort. If both the outer and the inner resorts are not relied
on, culprits outside and inside[17]
the court will be suppressed.
Officials who advance according to the regular order till
they reach posts of great responsibilities, are wise. Those
whose posts are high and responsibilities are great, should be
held under surveillance by three means of control, namely,
"taking hostages"
[18]
, "holding securities"
[19]
, and "finding
sureties"
[20]
. Relatives, wives and sons can be taken as
hostages; ranks and bounties can be held as securities; and
the "three units and basic fives" that are implicated
[21]
in
any of the members' illegal acts, can be found as sureties.
Worthies refrain from evils for fear of "hostage-taking";
greedy people are transformed by the measure of "security-holding";
and culprits are harassed by the measure of
"surety-using". If the superior does not exercise these
means of control, the inferiors will dare to infringe upon his
authority
[22]
. If small culprits are not eliminated, he will have
to censure great culprits. When censuring
[23]
culprits, if name
and fact correspond to each other, he should immediately
enforce the censure. If their life is detrimental to the state
affairs and their death penalty is harmful to the ruler's name,
then he should poison them through drinking or eating,
otherwise send them into the hands of their enemies. This
is said to "eliminate invisible culprits"
[24]
. Harbouring
[25]
culprits is due
[26]
to the practice of misrepresentation. The
practice of misrepresentation is due to the contempt for the
law. If visible merits are always rewarded and disclosed
crimes are punished, the practice of misrepresentation will
stop. Him who gives no opinion of right or wrong, presents
unreasonable persuasions and remonstrations, and shows
contempt for the law, the ruler should not take into service.
Uncles, cousins, or worthy and excellent ministers, living
in exile, are said to be "roaming calamities"[27]
. Their menace
comes from their provision of neighbouring enemies with
numerous opportunities. Eunuchs and courtiers are said to
be "profligate rebels".[28]
Their menace comes from their ill
will caused by irritation and suspicion. To conceal anger,
shelter criminals, and harbour them, is said to "increase
commotions"[29]
. The menace lies in the rise of men expecting
godsends and making arbitrary promotions. To delegate
equal authority to two chief vassals and maintain the balance
of power between them without partiality, is said to "nourish
calamities"[30]
. The menace lies in the precipitation of family
quarrels[31]
, intimidations, and regicides. To be careless and
not to keep oneself godlike, is called to "lose prestige"[32]
.
Its menace lies in the rise of such treason as regicide by
poisoning. These five are menaces, which, if the lord of men
ignores them, will eventually precipitate such disasters as
intimidation and regicide. If matters of dismissal and appointment
originate from inside, then there will be order; if from
outside
[33]
, then chaos. Therefore, the intelligent sovereign
would estimate meritorious services inside the court and
harvest profits from abroad. Consequently, his state is always
orderly; his enemies, always chaotic. The reason for chaos
is that unduly hated ministers would create such outer
commotions by means of delusion, and unduly loved
vassals would create such inner commotions by means of
poisoning.
