hand, for merchants, who were mostly meager peddlers, the expectation was totally different. Merchants were at the bottom of the social ladder, even those with lots of money. Laws prohibited them from wearing certain types of materials, hat colors, shoes, and jade. Even with wealth, they weren’t truly respected by other levels of people. This small but interesting episode occurred in the late sixteenth century A.D.
In the capital city of Peking, an opulent merchant intended to move his family to a distinguished area of the city, where high-ranking officials had their homes. A real estate broker informed him that there was by chance a mansion available. The owner asked for 700 ounces of silver. After a brief inspection, the merchant, satisfied, promised to deliver the seller 1000 ounces of silver the next morning.
“Uncle, why be a sucker!” one of his nephews asked, hearing of the arrangement. “You could have had it for the original price. Why waste another 300 ounces of silver for nothing?”
The elder merchant laughed. “You don’t understand how to do business at all, my nephew. In any business deal, you must be prescient, valiant and generous. The first rule of thumb is to get your objective accomplished at all costs. The price itself is merely secondary. My objective is to enter that neighborhood. The quality of the surroundings is much more important than the house. To be more precise, the neighbors’ acceptance of us is critical for the family future. I am buying prestige and the recognition of our high-society neighbors. The owner, a retired high-ranking government official, could sell it to another gentleman of the same social status. Why favor me, a base-born and stinking-rich merchant? If I purchased it with 700 ounces of silver, I would invite endless problems. Other arrogant neighbors would be hostile to us. After we move in, they would complain, protest and isolate us. With the extra 300 ounces of silver, I more than satisfy the owner, who will speak well of us to our new neighbors. I will live there for generations to come. To secure a long-term tranquillity is much more important than the extra money, which will eventually be canceled out by coming inflation. Nephew, be farsighted and broad-minded. Never let money manipulate you. For a successful businessman, you must learn how to master your money. Spend it wisely and boldly for your ultimate long-term advantage.”
Buy Your Own Fish
Spring and Autumn Period770 B.C. to 476 B.C.
A competent prime minister, Gonsong Yee13 very much enjoyed eating fish. Every morning, many people lined up at his front doors, eagerly presenting gifts of expensive and exotic fishes to him. Observing this, with great uneasiness, Yee calmly thanked them for their kindness but flatly refused to receive any one of those fish. This lack of social courtesy deeply surprised and annoyed his young brother, who lived with him. One night, after dinner, he curiously asked his elder brother for the reason.
“It’s very simple,” the prime minister revealed. “To avoid potential trouble, a wise man should never let his inclinations or hobbies be known by the public. I fail miserably on that point because my taste for fish is common knowledge. Knowing my likes, those gift-givers will try to satisfy them. If I accept their gifts, I owe them favors. When making a decision, I would inevitably or subconsciously have their concerns on my mind. I might bend a law to return a favor. If this continues, I risk getting caught and losing my position and reputation. Who then will bother to give gifts to a disgraced and powerless prisoner? Therefore, I must vigorously decline their generosity. Without owing them any gratuity, I am my own master. Making appropriate and unbiased decision, I can keep my post much longer and continue to buy my own fish.” His brother promptly apologized for his shortsightedness.
Merit is earned, not given. So is success. There is no free meal in the world. One should always count on oneself, not anybody else, because others have their own interests in mind.
The Unfaithful Bodyguard
Yuan Dynasty1206 A.D. to 1360 A.D.
When one’s master betrays the country, what should one do? In the old days, the bond between servant and master was very close. This intimate relationship often lasted a lifetime, and even extended to their offspring. This episode happened in the middle of the fourteenth century A.D., near the end of Yuan dynasty.
In Canton, two ambitious men assembled tens of thousands of grumbling farmers and started to raid cities and towns. A local gentleman, Ho Zan,14 rapidly reported this revolt to his governor and meanwhile collected a few thousand labor hands to cope with this chaotic situation. They had a few skirmishes with the rebels with indecisive result. The government duly dispatched several thousand well-trained soldiers, along with tens of thousands of local military forces. After many bloody battles, the imperial army repossessed territory after territory and eventually besieged the rebel’s headquarters, a mid-sized city.
Killing one of the rebel leaders, the government soldiers encircled this city. However, the city was well-fortified, and the desperate rebels held off the army for months. To bring an end to this situation, Ho Zan publicly announced that he would provide a handsome bounty of eight thousand ounces of pure silver to whoever captured the other ringleader, a man named Wong Chen,15 who was hiding in the besieged city with a few thousand diehard rebels.
A week after Ho Zan’s announcement of a reward, the rebel ringleader was sent, heavily bound, to Ho Zan’s camp by one of the rebel’s own bodyguards.
“Look at yourself! How pathetic and helpless you are.” the gentleman remarked in mockery. “Even your own servant betrayed you. How can you expect to accomplish anything at all when you can’t even trust your own men?”
Shamefaced and sweating all over, Wong Chen dared not utter a word. After rewarding this bodyguard, Ho Zan ordered his assistants to prepare a caldron of boiling water and place it on a horse-drawn cart. Believing it to be prepared for himself, the ringleader shivered and trembled with terror. “Oh, by the way,” called Ho Zan to the departing bodyguard, “you must stay here for a little longer.” Several soldiers seized the man and brought him back to their master. Wrathfully staring at him, this gentleman, with obvious contempt, reprimanded him.
“You picked the wrong time to become so moral. Why didn’t you turn yourself in and expose your master’s conspiracy to the local authority while it was in the bud? You didn’t do so because you wanted to enjoy the glory with your master. However, you didn’t want to share the misery with him. What an unprincipled crook! By turning in your own master for a bounty when he was cornered, you instantly become a double-crosser, a heartless traitor who abuses your master’s trust. Your disloyalty is the single most unforgivable crime any subordinate could possibly commit. I must punish you and teach other cunning servants a dear lesson. This spa is prepared for you, the betrayer.”
With a gesture this gentleman ordered his servants to tie up this astonished bodyguard and throw him into the caldron, which would be drawn through some of the most crowded streets of the city. The unlucky bodyguard was slowly boiled alive while his crime was loudly and repeatedly declared on the road. From that day on, no servants dared to betray their masters.
Raise Pigs in the Palace
Northern Sung Dynasty960 A.D. to 1127 A.D.
In the old days, the size of an imperial palace was so enormous that even an emperor might not visit every corner of it during his regime. This interesting story happened in the middle of the eleventh century A.D. The emperor Sung-Shen16 was strolling around the royal garden and surprisingly discovered a pigsty. With astonishment and exasperation, he immediately directed one of his assistants to summon the responsible supervisor. Minutes later, the supervisor hurriedly arrived, and fell to his knees trembling with anxiety.
“What’s wrong with you,”
