In the old days, astrology was highly regarded and was very popular among educated gentlemen. The government had special posts for astrologists. Most educated people had some general knowledge of astrology. It became a custom before executing any important plan that the performer—from emperor, general, administer, civil servant, even ordinary people—would observe, study and interpret the specific movements of stars or hire an astrologer to do it. The astrologer would choose the best time to start the task, which people generally believed could bring good fortune and secure the success of this task.
Having waited for over a week, the army made no move. The soldiers were bored. The food supply was rapidly decreasing. Health conditions were deteriorating. There was rumor of a potential mutiny if this tedious and fruitless delay continued. All of the low-level officers were both depressed and distressed.
During this time, an astrologist approached the commanding general. “Congratulations, sir. Last night, I carefully studied the stars for hours and learned that you will win the coming battle in the next few days. Please, accept my premature but very sincere greeting….”
“Nonsense!” the general, obviously annoyed and disgusted, abruptly cut the astrologer short and scolded him. “How dare you, try to use superstition to butter me up? The existence of our dynasty is at stake. By all means, we must do our best to rescue Our Majesty. I don’t give a damn about those twinkling stars.”
Astonished, this aged astrologer, with embarrassment and uneasiness, grumbling for a moment, excused himself and left. A few days later, the general initiated a full-scaled attack. After winning several bloody military engagements, they finally recovered the capital city and saved the emperor. All of the commanders and assistants gathered to congratulate the general. One close associate, out of curiosity, asked him the reason behind his harsh reaction toward that astrologer’s accurate prediction.
“Maybe you are too young to understand this. However, I can try to explain to you. There is something that we all know but couldn’t comment on it,” the general, with a profound smile, calmly explained. “I didn’t rebuff him because of his forecast, but I am totally against him expressing it so publicly. As a common practice and a tradition, we indeed sometimes have our military plans correspond with the stars’ movements. When it is favors us, we will boldly launch an assault. However, if I allowed our soldiers to comprehend this, I would totally forfeit the control of our army. If someday in the future an ill-fated sign was spotted in the sky, the soldiers would be scared, demoralized, and eventually lose their will to fight. Our army might collapse right in front of the enemy! How could we expect to win a war in a situation like that?”
“To keep that from happening, we must never place ourselves under the mercy of the heavens. We can use customs and superstitions for our own advantage but never allow it to upset our determination. To prevent my soldiers from relying on the stars, I had to openly deride the astrologer, although I privately agreed with him.”
“Sir, you are really clever and farsighted,” called his associate, and all his compatriots praised the general in unison.
A Voluntary Sucker
Ming Dynasty1368 A.D. to 1644 A.D.
In this contemporary, material-oriented society, money is a symbol of success and prestige. However, it was not always so. In the old days, education was essential and money was regarded as an distasteful necessity. Chinese society was generally divided into four categories; intellectual, farmer, worker, and merchant. The goal of the educated class was to successfully pass three extremely competitive national examines and become government officials. Through step-by-step promotions, they might eventually high ranking positions, which carried both power and prestige, and could more efficiently serve the country.
On the other 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