Zeyang (4)

1 Wei Ying signed a contract with Tian Houmou. Later, Tian Houmou breached the contract for some reasons, which Wei Ying got very angry at. He planned to send someone to assassinate Tian Houmou in revenge.

2 Gongsun Yan, Wei Ying’s underling with a position of Xishou, felt it notorious. He persuaded Wei Ying, “Your Majesty is a king of great force. How could you do assassination, such a despicable thing? Please give me two hundred thousand soldiers and I will lead them to attack him for justice. I will capture his people as our slaves and confiscate his livestock, making him insulted and regretted for breaching the contract all his life. At last, we will wipe off his towns to make him overturn for good. When he fails and flees, I will catch him and smite his back to break his spine for venting your anger.”

3 Jizi felt uneasy when he stood beside them and listened. He disagreed. “Others toiled to build the towns. Why do you want to destroy them? It has been seven years since the last war; it is a good time for us to establish a strong country. Yan is a rude warrior. Your Majesty, don’t follow his nonsense.”

4 In the court, the ministries discussed the case by varying opinions.

5 Huazi disagreed with all the opinions. He said, “Who suggested to attack Tian Houmou is foolish; who suggested not to is blind; who said both were wrong is not smart. In my opinion, all their ideas are not the best way.”

6 Wei Ying was bewildered for the different suggestions. He asked, “What should I do on earth? We can’t make it become trivia and even nothing, or we forgive him too much.”

7 Huazi replied slowly, “As long as we conform to Tao, it is fine.”

8 After Huizi heard the specious words, he sneaked to come near Dai Jinren and whispered. Dai Jiren took it right, nodding.

9 After whispering, Dai Jinren stood to say to Wei Ying, “Your Majesty, have you ever seen snail? The little creature with shell on sticky body crawls slowly on the ground?”

10 Wei Ying said: “Yes! I know.”

11 Dai Jinren said, “There is a country called Chushi on the left antenna of the snail; there is the other country called Manshi on the right antenna of the snail. The two countries often resort to war for territory. The war takes a heavy toll – more than ten thousand people die. The winner in the war sojourns on loser’s territory for fifteen days. They retreat after plunder and burn all.”

12 Wei Ying cut in. “You are telling me a fiction! Aren’t you? There is nothing like that happening in the world.”

13 Dai Jinren replied, “It is not a factorized fiction. Let me ask you, the space of universe is limited or limitless?”

14 “It is limitless.” Wei Ying replied.

15 Dai Jinren followed to ask, “Well. Now that it is limitless, it means that all imagination is possible to become truth someday. Now you close your eyes to image that you travel to a country called Tongda. When you arrive there, you recall our state of Wei. Do you doubt if the State of Wei is virtual or fictive?”

16 Confused by his saying, Wei Ying said, “Well. It seems so.”

17 Dai Jinren drew his conclusions. He said, “In the country Tongda, there actually is the State of Wei, and besides Wei there is place called Liang who is our neighbor country where there is a king. By such a comparison, do you think there is difference between the Manshi on right antenna of the snail and the King of Liang in Tongda?” Wei Ying reflected that though Tongda was fictive, but nothing was impossible in a limitless space of universe, so there was no difference between them. Both were actuality that we couldn’t image, which was why they were the same.

18 Wei Ying had to answer, “No difference.”

19 A discussion ended in such way. After ministries left, Wei Ying sat by himself blankly.

20 As Wei Ying was attracted by Dai Jinren’s talk on limitless space and time, Huizi came in.

21 Wei Ying told Huizi, “Just now Dai Jinren’s talk really was wonderful. As I know, even the sage, such as Yao and Shun, couldn’t tell me such advanced knowledge.”

22 Huizi said occultly, “The sound from upright flute is loudest. The sound from the small hole of sword is much weaker, no higher than the sound of ghost. Comparing to Dai Jinren’s talk, Yao and Shun’s talk is the sound from the small hole of sword, though they are regarded as sage, their ideas are petty.”

23 Weiying nodded continuously and said “Yes”.

24 Huizi said to himself in mind: “Don’t you know that Dai Jinren’s expostulation is from me. The really wonderful person is in front of you. You fool!”