The Two Handles

The means by which an enlightened ruler controls his ministers are merely two handles. The two handles are punishment and reward. What are punishment and reward? The answer: execution is called punishment, and conferring benefits is called reward. Ministers fear punishment and covet reward, so if the ruler personally wields punishment and reward, the multitude of ministers will fear his authority and pursue his rewards. However, treacherous ministers in the world are not like this: for those they dislike, they can obtain punishment from the ruler to inflict penalties; for those they favor, they can obtain rewards from the ruler to bestow gifts. If the ruler does not ensure that the power and benefits of reward and punishment issue solely from himself, but instead lets ministers carry them out, then all the people in the state will fear that minister and despise the ruler, attaching themselves to that minister and turning away from the ruler. This is the calamity of the ruler losing the handles of punishment and reward. The reason a tiger can subdue a dog lies in its claws and fangs; if the tiger abandons its claws and fangs and lets the dog use them, then the tiger will instead be subdued by the dog. The ruler uses punishment and reward to subdue his ministers; if the ruler abandons punishment and reward and lets his ministers use them, then the ruler will instead be subdued by his ministers. Thus Tian Chang requested titles and stipends from above to bestow on the multitude of ministers, and below lent grain with large measures to give to the common people—this was Duke Jian of Qi losing the handle of reward and Tian Chang using it, so Duke Jian of Qi was assassinated. Zihan said to the ruler of Song: "Matters of reward and conferment are what the people delight in—Your Majesty should carry them out yourself; matters of execution and punishment are what the people detest—allow me to manage them." Thereupon the ruler of Song lost the handle of punishment and Zihan used it. Thus the ruler of Song was held captive. Tian Chang used only the handle of reward and Duke Jian of Qi was assassinated; Zihan used only the handle of punishment and the ruler of Song was held captive. So now if ministers use both punishment and reward together, then the danger for contemporary rulers is greater than that of Duke Jian of Qi and the ruler of Song. Therefore, among rulers who are held captive, assassinated, and deceived, those who have simultaneously lost both punishment and reward and let their ministers use them, yet have not faced ruin—such have never existed.

If the ruler wishes to prohibit treachery, he must examine whether form and name correspond; form and name refer to speech and deeds. When a minister sets forth his proposals, the ruler assigns him tasks based on those proposals and specifically demands results according to his actions. If the results match the actions, and the actions match the proposals, then reward; if the results do not match the actions, or the actions do not match the proposals, then punish. Thus among the multitude of ministers, those whose words are grand but results are small must be punished—not because the results are small, but because the results do not correspond to the name; those whose words are modest but results are great must also be punished—not because the great results are disliked, but because the harm of results not corresponding to the name is greater than having great results, so punishment is necessary. In the past, Lord Zhao of Han got drunk and fell asleep; an attendant in charge of caps saw the ruler was cold and added a garment over him. When Lord Zhao woke up, he was pleased and asked those nearby: "Who added the garment for me?" Those nearby replied: "The attendant in charge of caps." Lord Zhao then punished both the attendant in charge of robes and the attendant in charge of caps. He punished the attendant in charge of robes for neglecting his duty; he punished the attendant in charge of caps for exceeding his authority. It was not that he disliked the cold, but he considered the harm of exceeding authority more serious than the cold. Thus an enlightened ruler, in nurturing his ministers, does not allow ministers to overstep their offices to achieve merit, nor to make proposals that are inappropriate. Overstepping offices leads to death; inappropriateness leads to punishment. Each person holds fast to his own office, and what he says matches what he does—then the multitude of ministers cannot form cliques or collude with one another.

The ruler has two calamities: if he employs the worthy, then ministers will use their worthiness to hold the ruler captive; if he promotes arbitrarily, then affairs will be ruined and cannot succeed. Thus if the ruler loves worthiness, then the multitude of ministers will embellish their conduct to cater to the ruler's desires, and thus the true condition of the ministers will not be revealed; if the true condition of the ministers is not revealed, then the ruler cannot distinguish between good and bad ministers. Thus King Goujian of Yue loved bravery, so among the common people there were many who regarded death lightly; King Ling of Chu loved slender waists, so in the state there were many who starved themselves; Duke Huan of Qi was jealous and fond of women, so Shu Diao castrated himself to manage the inner palace; Duke Huan was fond of fine flavors, so Yi Ya steamed his own son's head and presented it to him; King Kuai of Yan loved worthiness, so Zi Zhi openly pretended to decline the throne. Thus when the ruler shows what he detests, the multitude of ministers will conceal the beginnings of things; when the ruler shows what he loves, the multitude of ministers will falsely claim abilities. Once the ruler's desires are revealed, then the ministers' true dispositions have something to rely on. Thus Zi Zhi used the pretense of worthiness to usurp the throne, and Shu Diao and Yi Ya used the ruler's desires to harm the ruler. In the end, King Kuai of Yan died in internal turmoil, and Duke Huan of Qi's corpse bred maggots that flowed out of the door before he was buried. What is the reason for this? It is the calamity of the ruler lending his true feelings to ministers. The true feelings of ministers are not necessarily that they love their ruler—they act for the sake of great profit. If the ruler does not conceal his true feelings, does not hide the beginnings of his likes and dislikes, and thus allows ministers the opportunity to harm him, then it is not difficult for the multitude of ministers to become like Zi Zhi or Tian Chang. Therefore it is said: "Remove likes, remove dislikes, and the multitude of ministers will reveal their true colors." Once the multitude of ministers reveal their true colors, then the ruler will not be deceived.