人主

The reason rulers find themselves in personal danger and their states destroyed is that great ministers are too exalted and the inner circle too powerful. Those called 'exalted' are those who act arbitrarily without law, who grasp the handles of state power to serve their private interests. Those called 'powerful' are those who monopolize authority and positional advantage to control the balance of influence. These two dangers must not go unexamined.

The reason horses can bear heavy loads, pull carts, and cover long distances is their sinew and strength. The reason the lord of ten thousand chariots or the lord of a thousand chariots can command All-Under-Heaven and subjugate the feudal lords is his authoritative power and positional advantage. Authoritative power and positional advantage are the ruler's sinew and strength. When great ministers seize authority and the inner circle monopolizes positional advantage, the ruler has lost his strength. Among rulers who have lost their strength yet managed to keep their states, not one in a thousand can be found.

The reason tigers and leopards can overpower men and seize a hundred beasts is their claws and teeth. If tigers and leopards were made to lose their claws and teeth, men would certainly overpower them. Now, the weight of positional advantage -- that is the ruler's claws and teeth. To rule men and lose one's claws and teeth: this is the same as the tiger and leopard.

The Duke of Song lost his claws and teeth to Zihan. Duke Jian lost his claws and teeth to Tian Chang. Because they did not seize them back early, they died and their states were destroyed. Today, rulers without techniques all clearly know the errors of Song and Jian, yet do not perceive their own identical failures -- they do not examine the parallels in their own situations.

Moreover, men of law and technique are incompatible with entrenched ministers. How can this be demonstrated? When the ruler has men skilled in techniques, great ministers cannot monopolize decisions, and inner favorites dare not sell influence. When the authority and positional advantage of great ministers and the inner circle cease, the Way of the ruler becomes clear.

But today this is not the case. The entrenched ministers gain power and monopolize affairs to encircle their private interests. The inner circle and close attendants form factions and cliques to control those who are distant. Under these conditions, when will men of law and technique ever be promoted and employed? When will the ruler ever deliberate and decide?

Thus one may possess techniques but never be able to employ them, because the two positions cannot coexist. How can men of law and technique avoid danger? Unless the ruler is able to overrule the proposals of great ministers, reject the arguments of the inner circle, and independently align himself with the Way, how can men of law and technique brave the danger of death to advance their counsel? This is why the world is not well governed.

The enlightened ruler promotes men to rank and salary based on merit, assigns offices based on ability. Those he advances are certain to be worthy; those he employs are certain to be capable. When worthy and capable men advance, petitioning through private gates ceases. When those with merit receive generous salaries and those with ability hold great offices, then men of private swords cannot help but abandon their private bravery and hasten to face the enemy, and men who wander seeking patronage cannot help but abandon private gates and devote themselves to integrity. This is how to gather worthy and capable men and scatter the followers of private gates.

But today's inner favorites are not necessarily intelligent. When the ruler comes to know a man and listens to him, he then goes inside and discusses the man's words with his inner favorites. To listen to the inner favorites without considering their intelligence is to debate wisdom with fools. Today's entrenched ministers are not necessarily worthy. When the ruler comes to consider a man worthy and shows him respect, he then discusses the man's conduct with the entrenched ministers. To heed their words without employing the worthy man is to debate worthiness with the unworthy.

Thus the wise man's strategies are decided by fools, and the worthy man's conduct is evaluated by the unworthy. Under such conditions, when will the worthy and wise ever be employed? The ruler's discernment is utterly blocked.

In former times, Guan Longfeng remonstrated with Jie and had his limbs mutilated. Prince Bigan remonstrated with Zhou and had his heart cut out. Wu Zixu was loyal and upright with Fuchai yet was executed with the Zhulou sword. These three men, as ministers, were not disloyal, and their counsel was not inappropriate. Yet they could not escape the disaster of death because their rulers did not examine the words of the worthy and wise, but were blinded by the obstruction of the foolish and unworthy.

If today's rulers refuse to employ men of law and technique and instead listen to foolish and unworthy ministers, what worthy and wise man would dare face the danger these three men faced in order to advance his intelligence? This is why the world is in disorder.