Hsu Wu Kuei went to see Marquis Wu, who said, ‘Sir, you have been living in the forests of the mountains for a long time, surviving on acorns and chestnuts, filling yourself with onions and herbs and totally ignoring me! Now, is it old age? Do you want to eat meat and drink wine? Or have you come here to bless our altars of the Earth and the harvest?’
‘Sir,’ said Hsu Wu Kuei, ‘I have lived in poverty and have never been able to eat or drink at Your Lordship’s table, but I have come to bring comfort to you.’
‘Really! Comfort me?’ said the ruler.
‘I wish to comfort both your body and your spirit.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Heaven and Earth sustain all things,’ said Hsu Wu Kuei. ‘No matter how high you get, you should never consider that this shows you to be better. No matter how low you get, you should never consider that this shows you to be useless. You are ruler of the tens of thousands of chariots, the only ruler who taxes all the people of this country in order to satisfy the desires of your senses, even though your spirit does not wish to do this. The spirit prefers goodness and harmony and does not like wild living. Wild living is like an illness and this is what I have to comfort you over. What do you think of this, Sir?’
‘Sir, I have wanted to see you for some time,’ replied Marquis Wu. ‘I wish to love the people and to act righteously and stop warfare. Would that do?’
‘Certainly not. Loving the people is the beginning of harming the people. To act righteously and to cease warfare is the root of increased warfare. If you set about things thus, Sir, you will not succeed. All attempts to create beauty end in evil consequences. Your Grace may plan to act benevolently and righteously, but the result is the same as hypocrisy! You may give shape to things, but success leads to argument and argument leads to violence. Your Grace must not have hosts of troops massing in your forts nor lines of cavalry parading in front of the Palace of the Dark Shrine.
‘Do not harbour thoughts that betray your best interests. Do not try to overcome others by cunning. Do not try to conquer others through plots. Do not try to defeat others by battle. If I kill the leaders and people of another ruler and seize the lands to satisfy my material wants, while my spirit is unsure of the validity of such actions, what is the point? Your Grace, the best thing is to do nothing, except develop true sincerity and thus be able to respond without difficulty to the true nature of Heaven and Earth. Thus the people will not die and it will not be necessary for you to have to enforce the end of warfare!’
The Yellow Emperor went to see Great Kuei at Chu Tzu Mountain. Fang Ming was the driver and Chang Yu travelled beside him. Chang Jo and Hsi Peng guided the horses and Kun Hun and Ku Chi rode behind the carriage. When they eventually arrived in the wild region of Hsiang Cheng, the seven sages were all confused and couldn’t find anyone to ask the way.
They came upon a boy leading horses and asked him the way, saying, ‘Do you know how to get to Chu Tzu Mountain?’
‘Certainly,’ he said.
‘Do you know where Tai Kuei lives?’
‘Certainly.’
‘What a remarkable lad!’ said the Yellow Emperor. ‘Not only does he know how to reach Chu Tzu Mountain, he also knows where Tai Kuei lives. I would like to ask you how to govern everything below Heaven.’
‘Governing everything below Heaven is surely the same as what I am doing at the moment, what’s so hard about that?’ said the lad. ‘When I was younger, I liked to wander within the confines of the six directions but my eyesight began to fail. A wise elderly gentleman told me, “Climb up and ride in the carriage of the sun and explore the wild region of Hsiang Cheng.” Now my eyesight is better and I am able to wander beyond the borders of the six directions. Ruling everything under Heaven is just like this. So what’s the big problem?’
‘Ruling everything under Heaven is, I agree, not your problem, my boy,’ said the Yellow Emperor. ‘However, I would like to hear how to do it.’
The lad did not answer. So the Yellow Emperor asked again. The boy said, ‘Governing everything below Heaven is surely rather like leading horses! Get rid of anything that might harm the horses!’
The Yellow Emperor bowed twice to him, called him his Heavenly Master and departed.
If philosophers cannot see the effect of their ideas, they are not happy.
If debaters cannot argue cogently, they are not happy.
If interrogators cannot find candidates for criticism, they are not happy.
All of these are restrained by such attitudes.
Those scholars who are noticed by their generation rise to power.
Those who win the affections of the people consider high office a reward.
Those with great strength enjoy a challenge.
Those who are brave and fearless revel in troubles.
Those skilled in sword and spear look for wars.
Those who are retiring rest on the laurels of their fame.
Those who are lawyers want more power to legislate.
Those who perform rituals and ceremonies enjoy their status.
Those who like benevolence and righteousness like to be able to display them.
Farmers who cannot weed their fields are not contented.
The merchant who cannot trade at the market or by the well is not satisfied.
The common folk like to have work to do from sunrise to sunset, as they keep each other going.
The various craftsmen like to be using their skills.
If his wealth does not grow, the greedy man is
