The Human World (3)

1 The prince of the King of Weiling was a notorious hooligan whom everyone was afraid of.

2 Invited unexpectedly by the King of Weiling to be the teacher of the prince, Yanhe was frightened at a loss. He knew that Qu Boyu had been stayed long time in the State of Wei and he was an elder with fine practice. Yanhe therefore paid a special visit to Qu Boyu and consulted him about how to be the teacher of the prince.

3 Yanhe said, “As you know, the prince is born cruel. The precedent teachers were teased to death, without good results. I know that it would be an arduous but fruitless work; however, if I didn't try my best to teach and correct him now, the chap in power in the future would fiddle with the country and the country would be suffered.

4 If I taught and corrected him too far, the chap would be annoyed and I would be the first victim.

5 The chap didn’t make of his wrong and error; however, he was good at carping. If I carelessly gave him a handle against myself, I would bear a bitter fruit.

6 Sir, Could you tell me how to do the work to the point?”

7 With a well awareness of the arduousness of the work, Qu Boyu looked at him and said, “Well, from your questions I know that you have seized the key point of the work.

8 Right! In the work, you have to be discreet and keep out of trouble.

9 Outward you should keep amiable to the prince. Inward you must teach, correct and induce him at any time.

10 You have to balance the outward and the inward. You keep amiable to him but must correct him. You should make him not detect your education and inducement, lets he think that you are fishing for fame and compliment and pretending to be chaste.

11 When the prince plays cheerfully like a kid, you do the same as him; he sometime behaves out the code of conduct and you follow and don’t care the code. The prince’s attitude is unruly and free, you also follow him.

12 In general, you must stand for and beside him. In the case, you may induce him to go to the right way.

13 As we know, a mantis tries to obstruct a chariot. The mantis’ stupidity is to overrate his power and to think himself as Hercules. It is miserable to be unaware of his own power, which we should take warning from.

14 Never talk big to the prince. Brag yourself and at the meantime criticize him and carp at him. Who to be the prince’s teacher like this must have come to bad end.

15 Do you see the tiger breeders? They never feed living beastie to the tiger because they are afraid that it could arouse the tiger’s nature of cruelness when praying the beastie. They seldom feed it with the joint because they are afraid that the tiger’s cruelness burst out when tearing up the joint. They feed tiger always at a fixed schedule which is arranged by the rule of tiger’s nature.

16 The tiger’s nature is different from that of human. Some one can get well alone with tiger while others often annoy it. The reason for that is to do in terms of the tiger’s nature or to the contrary.

17 A guy loved his horse very much. Usually he used basket as horse shit vessel and used big calm shell to take horse urine. He was very considerate in taking care of his horse. Someday he saw a horsefly sucking blood on the buttock of the horse. In order to drive off the horsefly he slapped it. As a result the horse was frightened and broke off the rein, bit and the headstall.

18 Bursting into anger, the horse completely forgot the master’s kindness and consideration, such as its shit vessel and urine shell. Could you blame the horse?

19 So the first principle to be the prince’s teacher is that you should be aware of his temper and then guide him without offending him.