Eight Treacheries

In general, there are eight means by which ministers can carry out their treacherous schemes. The first is called "sharing the bedchamber." What is meant by "sharing the bedchamber"? It refers to the honored queen, favored beauties, and those skilled in flattery and seduction—these are the ones the ruler is infatuated with. Seizing the moment when the ruler is at leisure and pleasure, when he is sated with wine and food, they make their requests to him, which is a sure way to gain his compliance. Ministers bribe them from within with gold, silver, and jade, causing them to delude the ruler. This is called "sharing the bedchamber."

The second is called "being by the side." What is meant by "being by the side"? It refers to jesters and entertainers for amusement, dwarfs for ridicule, and close attendants by the ruler's side—these are people who, before the ruler issues an order, respond with "Yes," and before he commands them, respond with "Certainly," anticipating his intentions in advance, observing his expressions to gauge his thoughts. These people all advance and retreat together, speak with one voice, and act in unison to alter the ruler's mind. Ministers bribe them from within with gold, silver, jade, and rare curiosities, and on the outside, they engage in illicit deeds for them, using them to corrupt the ruler. This is called "being by the side."

The third is called "fathers and elder brothers." What is meant by "fathers and elder brothers"? It refers to the ruler's paternal uncles, cousins, and sons—those whom the ruler is close to and cherishes; and the high court officials and administrators—those with whom the ruler plans and makes decisions. These are all people who exhaust their efforts in participating in deliberations, and whatever they say, the ruler is sure to follow. Ministers serve the ruler's uncles, cousins, and sons with music, beauty, and charming women, and win over the high court officials and administrators with flowery words, making private arrangements with them. Once matters are accomplished, they promote them and increase their emoluments to encourage their intentions, causing them to influence the ruler. This is called "fathers and elder brothers."

The fourth is called "nurturing calamities." What is meant by "nurturing calamities"? It refers to the ruler's fondness for decorating splendid palaces, pavilions, ponds, and towers, for adorning beautiful women, and for raising dogs and horses and other playthings to delight his mind—these are the ruler's disasters. Ministers exhaust the people's strength to decorate palaces, pavilions, ponds, and towers, increase taxes to adorn beautiful women and raise dogs and horses, thereby amusing the ruler and disturbing his mind, indulging his desires while profiting from it. This is called "nurturing calamities."

The fifth is called "winning the people." What is meant by "winning the people"? It refers to ministers distributing public wealth to please the masses, dispensing small favors to win over the common people, so that both court and marketplace praise them, thereby deluding the ruler to achieve their own desires. This is called "winning the people."

The sixth is called "spreading rumors." What is meant by "spreading rumors"? It refers to the ruler, who is already obstructed from hearing opinions, rarely listens to discussions, and is easily swayed by clever words. Ministers gather eloquent speakers from the feudal lords and support skilled talkers from within the state, using their words to pursue private gain. They craft cunning and false speeches, circulating public opinion, using favorable circumstances to entice the ruler, and threatening him with calamities and disasters, fabricating false words to corrupt him. This is called "spreading rumors."

The seventh is called "intimidation by force." What is meant by "intimidation by force"? It refers to the ruler who governs the people, relying on the multitude of ministers and commoners to form his authority and strength. What the multitude of ministers and commoners consider good, the ruler considers good; what they do not consider good, the ruler does not consider good. Ministers gather sword-wielding knights-errant and harbor fugitives to display their power, openly declaring that those who obey them will certainly benefit, and those who do not will surely die, thereby intimidating the multitude of ministers and commoners to advance their private interests. This is called "intimidation by force."

The eighth is called "the four quarters." What is meant by "the four quarters"? It refers to the ruler who governs the people: if his state is weak, he must serve the great states; if his army is weak, he must fear the strong armies. What the great states demand, the weak state must comply with; where the strong army applies pressure, the weak army must yield. Ministers increase taxes, drain the treasury, and impoverish their own state to serve the great states, and then use the authority of the great states to induce their own ruler. In severe cases, they raise troops and assemble them at the borders to control the ruler from within; in lesser cases, they repeatedly send envoys from the great states to overawe the ruler and make him fearful. This is called "the four quarters."

In summary, these eight situations are the means by which ministers achieve their treacherous schemes, and they are also the reasons why contemporary rulers are deluded, coerced, and lose all their power. They must be carefully examined.

An enlightened ruler, with regard to the inner palace, appreciates their beauty but does not heed their requests, and does not allow them to make private entreaties. With regard to attendants by his side, he uses their bodies but invariably holds them accountable for their words, not allowing them to exaggerate their speech. With regard to fathers, elder brothers, and high ministers, he listens to their advice but invariably makes them bear the consequences afterward, not allowing them to act rashly. With regard to spectacles, pleasures, and rare curiosities, he ensures they come through proper channels, not allowing unauthorized offerings or removals, and not letting the multitude of ministers fathom his intentions. With regard to bestowing favors, distributing the treasury's goods and opening the granaries—whatever benefits the people—must be done by the ruler himself, not allowing ministers to grant private favors. With regard to persuasions and discussions, praising those the ruler likes and criticizing those he dislikes, he invariably examines their abilities and scrutinizes their faults, not allowing ministers to mutually praise or slander one another. With regard to men of valor, military merits are not given excessive rewards, and bravery in private feuds is not pardoned for its crimes, not allowing ministers to use personal wealth to recruit warriors. With regard to demands from the feudal lords, those conforming to the law are granted, and those not conforming to the law are refused. As for a ruler who brings about his state's ruin, it is not that he does not possess the state, but that although he possesses it, nothing is decided by himself. If ministers control the interior from the exterior, then the ruler is effectively ruined. Following the words of the great states is meant to avert ruin, but the result is a faster ruin than if he did not follow them, so he does not follow them. When the multitude of ministers know the ruler will not follow, they do not collude with external feudal lords; when the feudal lords know the ruler will not follow, they do not accept words from ministers that slander their ruler.

An enlightened ruler establishes offices, ranks, and emoluments to promote the worthy and encourage the meritorious. Therefore it is said: the worthy enjoy generous emoluments and hold important offices; those with great merit possess noble ranks and receive ample rewards. When appointing the worthy, he measures their abilities; when granting emoluments, he bases them on their merits. Thus the worthy do not boast of their abilities to serve the ruler, and the meritorious take pleasure in their own work, so affairs are accomplished and achievements are established. Now, however, this is not the case. Without examining worthiness versus unworthiness, and without considering merit versus labor, the ruler favors those valued by the feudal lords and heeds the entreaties of attendants by his side. Fathers, elder brothers, and high ministers request ranks and emoluments from above, and then sell them below to gain profit and build private factions. Thus those with much wealth buy offices with money and become eminent; those with connections to attendants by his side become important ministers through entreaties. Meritorious ministers are not rewarded according to their achievements, and official promotions are chaotic and improper. Therefore officials neglect public duties to forge external alliances, abandon their responsibilities to pursue wealth. Consequently, the worthy become lazy and do not strive, and the meritorious become negligent and waste their endeavors—this is the style of a ruined state.