Zeyang (1)

1 Peng Zeyang went to the State of Chu for his career. In the capital, he went around to ask people to recommend him to the King of Chu.

2 The first man whom he asked was Yijie. After being invited for dinner several times and receiving many gifts from Peng Zeyang, Yijie agreed to help him. He did mention him to the King and wished that the King spared time to give an audience to him. However, the King had no response. As a sly politician, when he found the King had no intention, he didn’t mention it again.

3 Peng Zeyang didn’t give up, he found Wang Guo and asked him to recommend. Someday Peng Zeyang asked Wang Guo, “Could you introduce me to the King of Chu?”

4 Wang Guo declined, “I am not good at it; you should ask Gong Yuexiu’s help. He has more influence on it than me.”

5 Peng Zeyang asked curiously, “Why haven’t I heard this person? What kind of person is he?”

6 Wang Guo answered, “He is a hermit. He fishes turtle for living in the winter and stays in deep mountains for practice in the summer. When he is asked why to do so, he always replies that there is his home and it is common to live at home.

7 As the matter of recommendation, if Yijie could not do it for you, letting me alone. My relation with the king is worse than Yijie’s. He could not. How can I? As you know, the king is haughty. If you offended him, he would go all out to let you be in a hole until you drive crazy. Therefore, only two kind people can stay with him and have influence on him: one is flattery; the other is upright and righteous.

8 You asked for Yijie’s help before. That guy is very clever and shameless. He takes worldly moral standard as nothing. In order to cater for the king, he could use any ways as he can. So, he is welcome in the palace and enjoys the honor and wealth that are bestowed by the king. He is helpless to the king’s practice while he is helpful to the king in doing evils.

9 Since a man like him stays with the king, when the king does much evils, he feels less guilty as if he dreamt warm sunlight of the spring in throat-cut winter or dreamt the cool wind of winter in broiling summer.

10 The other kind of people who can persuade the king is like Gong Yuexiu; they are upright and righteous; they seek for nothing so that wealth, position and fame cannot bind him; threat and interest cannot tempt him. What’s more, they can make their family forget the pain of poverty. They can make men of rank neglect their stateliness and being humble, so that, the King of Chu and other men of ranks would like to accept their suggestion. As men of perfect practice, they can make the people around them become amiable. The people who stay with them can improve or correct themselves by their subtle influence—all people, king and ministry, brother, father and son and couple do their own duty and deserve in their own place.

11 If the governor was helped by such sage, people would be relaxed; the state wouldn’t use all arms to indulge in war and the reforms don’t respect traditions which would bring a big mess to the state at the end of day.

12 The virtue as Gong Yuexiu’s, is far beyond us. In the front of the King, only the lickspittle and people of right virtue can have a voice. Now that Yijie cannot help, you have to ask Gong Yuexiu. Sorry! I can’t do it for you.”