Sun Tzu's Art of War and the Thirty-Six Stratagems

Zou Ji left Tian Ji's residence and went to see King Xuan of Qi that very evening. He said to the king, "General Tian seems unwilling to go on this expedition. I am worried that he will go out but not fight, and is just putting on a show. Just in case, Your Majesty can send Minister Gongsun as the military supervisor to accompany General Tian on the expedition and supervise him."

King Xuan said, "General Tian and Minister Gongsun have mutual prejudices. It would be inappropriate for Minister Gongsun to serve as the military supervisor."

Zou Ji said, "Because they have prejudices against each other, neither of them dares to hide anything from Your Majesty."

King Xuan agreed with Zou Ji's words and appointed Gongsun Yue as the military supervisor to accompany the army on the expedition.

Full of confidence, Gongsun Yue arrived at Tian Ji's tent. After bowing to Tian Ji, he said with a smile, "General Tian, ​​you didn't expect this, did you? The King has sent me to be your military supervisor."

"It must have been Zou Ji who recommended you, right?" Tian Ji smiled faintly.

Gongsun Yue did not answer. He smiled and sat on the mat, casually asking Tian Ji, "General Tian, ​​are you aware of the powers of a military supervisor?"

"Every soldier knows that," Tian Ji said impatiently.

"In that case, I'd like to know General Tian's battle plan for recapturing the border city. Is that too much to ask?"

Tian Ji said, "I haven't decided yet."

"The army has already assembled; the general couldn't have been without a plan," Gongsun Yue sneered.

"This troop deployment was too hasty, so it's natural that we didn't think it through."

"What the general says seems to make a lot of sense..." Gongsun Yue said, standing up. "I won't force you. Tell me when you've made up your mind. Please arrange a tent for me, and I'll wait for you in my tent."

After Gongsun Yue left the palace, Sun Bin planned to have Zhongli Chun disguise himself as a servant and enter the palace to find an opportunity to persuade King Xuan. He specifically consulted the oracle for this purpose. In the reception room of Tian Ji's residence, Sun Bin sat upright on a mat, holding a handful of yarrow stalks used for divination. In front of him was a square wooden tray with two hexagrams arranged on the yarrow stalks: the left was the "Gradual Progress" hexagram, and the right was the "Decay" hexagram. Tian Ji sat beside Sun Bin, staring intently at the hexagrams on the wooden tray. Sun Bin then moved the bottom yarrow stalk of the "Gradual Progress" hexagram, changing the first line to yang, and the hexagram to "Family." He then continued to change the yarrow stalks, changing "Family" to "Small Accumulation," "Small Accumulation" to "Inner Truth," "Inner Truth" to "Treading," and "Treading" to "Opposition."

When Sun Bin put down all the yarrow stalks in his hand and looked at the divination board, he seemed to be talking to himself, or perhaps murmuring to Tian Ji: "The wild geese fly down to the high hill. Although there are obstacles from the ninth three and the sixth four, the ninth five and the sixth two are in love. Even if the mandarin ducks are separated for a time, they will eventually reunite... The ending is auspicious, and Zhongli Chun can enter the palace."

"But... this divination has turned the tables. If Your Majesty takes a fancy to Miss Zhongli..." Tian Ji looked at Sun Bin with worry, "why not choose another woman?"

"No other woman could shoulder such a heavy responsibility."

A moment of silence.

That night, Sun Bin found Zhong Lichun and explained his thoughts to her. Zhong Lichun's face darkened, and she said resolutely, "Don't say anything more. Even if you talk until the sky falls, I won't go. I can kill someone, but I can't persuade someone, and I certainly can't persuade the King of Qi."

Sun Bin repeatedly explained the reasons to her, but Zhong Lichun still refused to agree. Helpless, Sun Bin was about to kneel before Zhong Lichun when she felt sorry for his legs. She relented and agreed to enter the palace, but on one condition: she had to disguise herself as an ugly woman to enter.

"How can that be? Ugly women cannot enter the palace," Sun Bin disagreed.

Zhong Lichun said, "I have my own way of getting into the palace."

"Even if an ugly woman enters the palace, she will not be able to get close to the king."

"I have a way to get close to the king."

"Even if she gets close to the king, the ugly woman won't listen to him."

Zhong Lichun was somewhat annoyed and said, "According to you, I must dress up beautifully so that the king will take a liking to me at first glance and make me his queen."

Sun Bin was taken aback, and stammered, "This... how could this be..."

Zhongli Chun snorted coldly and said, "Why not? Since Your Majesty is lustful, you will surely want to possess any beautiful woman you see."

Sun Bin was silent for a moment, then asked, "But... if you dress up as an ugly woman, the King won't even want to see you. How will you persuade the King?"

"I told you, I have a way."

Zhong Lichun disguised herself as extremely ugly, calling herself Wu Yan (meaning "ugly woman"), and went to the palace to apply for a position as a maid. The palace official in charge of managing the palace affairs refused to hire her because of her appearance. Zhong Lichun said, "The palace is hiring servants, not queens. As long as they can work, what does it matter if they are beautiful or ugly?"

The eunuch cried out, "Oh dear!" He continued, "The palace is where the king resides. All women, whether queens or servants, must be beautiful so that the king will be pleased. If I were to take in an ugly woman like you, the king would be disgusted at first sight and blame me. I cannot bear the consequences."

Zhong Lichun clung to the eunuch, weeping, saying she would rather die than return home without seeing the king. Unable to resist his entreaties, the eunuch agreed to inform the king.

King Xuan of Qi was playing chess with beautiful women when he heard that an ugly woman from Wuyan wanted to see him. He impatiently said to the eunuch, "Eunuch, is it necessary to bother me with such a trivial matter? Are you becoming more and more muddled in your official duties? Does anyone in this world, regardless of their appearance, have the right to see me? Get that ugly woman out of here!"

Meiyu suddenly had a whim and insisted on seeing the ugly woman; she wanted to see just how ugly the woman really was.

The eunuch brought Zhongli Chun before King Xuan of Qi. After looking at Zhongli Chun for a moment, King Xuan couldn't help but laugh out loud: "He's really ugly enough."

"If I were that ugly, I'd kill myself by banging my head against a wall," Meiyu chuckled.

The beautiful woman had a unique idea: "If I were an ugly woman, I would always accompany my beautiful sister. An ugly woman accompanying a beautiful woman would make her beauty stand out even more."

Meiyu thought the idea of ​​"an ugly woman accompanying a beautiful woman" was indeed interesting, so she asked King Xuan to keep Zhongli Chun in the palace. King Xuan could not refuse and had to agree.

When Zhong Lichun took her leave from King Xuan of Qi, the way she turned around made him feel that she looked familiar. He called out to her, looked her over for a moment, but couldn't remember where he had seen her before. Zhong Lichun had once saved King Xuan of Qi at the Jiaoshi Mansion. Although she was disguised as a palace guard at the time, she had still met King Xuan once. Therefore, when Zhong Lichun turned around again, she became very cautious.

Qin Hua was deeply worried about Zhong Lichun's entry into the palace. He said to Sun Bin, "Mr. Sun, Zhong Lichun's move to enter the palace is quite risky... I have a premonition that Zhong Lichun will become the master of the palace. I consulted a divination about this, and that's what the divination said."

Sun Bin was secretly worried after hearing Qin Hua's words, but he pretended to be indifferent and said, "Mr. Qin is overthinking it. The King would not even look at an ugly woman."

On this day, Zhong Lichun was sweeping the palace courtyard when King Xuan of Qi, along with Meiyu, Jianu, and many palace maids, passed by on their way back from an outing. Zhong Lichun put down her broom, raised her eyes at King Xuan, and flashed a smile. King Xuan stopped and looked at Zhong Lichun with curiosity.

Meiyu frowned slightly and said to Zhonglichun, "Ugly girl, you look even uglier like this. Don't do this."

Zhongli Chun stopped raising his eyes and showing his teeth, repeatedly raised his hand, then lightly clapped his wrist and said to King Qi Xuan, "Dangerous, isn't it? Dangerous, isn't it?"

Meiyu said to her, "Ugly girl, what's wrong with you today? You don't look good at all."

King Xuan of Qi laughed and teased Zhong Lichun, "Ugly woman, are you trying to amuse me and make me like you?"

"That vile woman had no such intention at all," Zhong Lichun replied calmly.

"Then why do you do these strange things?"

"Everyone says Your Majesty is clever, and I'd like to test you... May I ask, Your Majesty, what was the meaning behind that wretched woman's actions just now?"

"Hmm... I wasn't paying attention. Do it for me again."

Zhong Lichun raised her eyes again, showing her teeth, then repeatedly raised her hand, lightly patted her wrist, and asked, "Dangerous, isn't it? Dangerous, isn't it?"

King Xuan of Qi thought for a moment and said, "I don't know." He then turned to the beautiful woman and asked, "Beautiful woman, do you know?"

The beautiful woman shook her head.

King Xuan of Qi then asked Meiyu, "Meiyu, what about you?"

Meiyu scoffed, "Your Majesty, her strange actions mean nothing. She just wants to get closer to you."

The beautiful woman said thoughtfully, "No, the ugly woman's actions are interesting."

King Xuan of Qi pondered for a moment, then said to Zhong Lichun, "Ugly woman, what exactly do you mean by these actions?"

Zhongli Chun deliberately kept everyone in suspense, saying, "Even Your Majesty, who is so intelligent, was stumped by this lowly woman."

King Xuan of Qi sneered, "Don't be so smug. Your tricks can't fool me."

Zhong Lichun said, "Can Your Majesty tell this lowly woman the answer within three days?"

King Xuan of Qi laughed and said, "I will tell you the answer in less than three days, or at the latest tomorrow."

As night deepened, most of the palace, except for the guards on night duty, was asleep. King Qi Xuan hadn't figured out the answer yet. As if possessed, he sat on the mat, imitating Zhong Lichun's movements over and over again: raising his eyes, showing his teeth, repeatedly raising his hand, then lightly slapping his wrist, muttering to himself, "Dangerous, isn't it? Dangerous, isn't it?"

Meiyu walked up to King Xuan of Qi and urged him, "Your Majesty, go to sleep."

King Xuan of Qi ignored her, raised his eyes again, and showed his teeth.

The beautiful woman approached King Xuan and said, "Your Majesty, I suspect that the ugly woman is a witch."

King Xuan of Qi was taken aback, stopped what he was doing, and asked, "How do you know?"

The beautiful woman said, "Her actions are witchcraft, which is why the king is so engrossed in them, neglecting his meals and sleep."

King Xuan of Qi shook his head and said, "I asked the Grand Historian during the day, and he said it was not witchcraft, but a cryptic saying."

Meiyu asked, "Your Majesty didn't ask the Grand Historian what these cryptic phrases meant?"

King Xuan of Qi said, "Even the Grand Historian can't say for sure."

Meiyu said bitterly, "That damned ugly woman, I'll kick her out tomorrow!"

"You cannot send her away," King Xuan of Qi said. "If you send away this ugly woman, she will surely look down on me, thinking that I cannot come up with an answer, which is why I sent her away. Even if I don't sleep tonight, I will find an answer."

The beautiful woman thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, I have an idea that will allow you to find the answer without having to rack your brains."

King Xuan of Qi asked her what her idea was, and the beautiful woman replied, "Tomorrow Your Majesty can go to court and use the ugly woman's riddle to test the court officials. If they answer correctly, they will be rewarded handsomely. Then Your Majesty can use their answers to reply to the ugly woman."

"What if even the high-ranking officials in the court can't answer it?" Meiyu asked.

The beautiful woman smiled and said, "If they can't answer, Your Majesty can use this to shut them up and prevent them from being so self-righteous and constantly criticizing Your Majesty's actions."

King Xuan of Qi nodded in approval, agreeing that it was a good idea.

The next day, King Xuan of Qi went to court on time and said to the officials in the hall, "I was unwell a few days ago and was unable to attend court. I have heard that some people have made some criticisms about this..." At this point, he glanced at everyone and said, "I do not wish to investigate this matter. I only wish to test all of you here. If you can answer my question, I will reward you with one hundred taels of gold; if you cannot answer, then you should not be so self-righteous in the future and stop criticizing my actions."

Doctor Gao said, "Your Majesty, if I can answer correctly, I will not want a hundred taels of gold."

King Xuan of Qi asked, "What do you want?"

Doctor Gao said, "Your Majesty, please allow me to speak frankly with you without taking offense."

King Xuan of Qi granted his request.

King Xuan of Qi made all the officials look at him, then raised his eyes, grinned, and repeatedly raised his hand, lightly tapping his wrist, saying to the crowd, "Dangerous, isn't it? Dangerous, isn't it?" After finishing the actions, King Xuan asked the crowd, "These actions of mine were a coded message. Does anyone know the meaning of this coded message?"

The doctors didn't know how to answer.

"What? Is there not a single smart person in the court?" King Xuan of Qi looked at the crowd.

Everyone remained silent.

King Xuan of Qi said directly to Minister Gao, "Minister Gao, aren't you eager for my reward? Why don't you speak up?"

Doctor Gao thought for a moment and said, "Although I wish to receive Your Majesty's reward, I am unsure whether I have correctly understood the riddle."

"It's okay if you're wrong, just say it."

"Raising one's eyes means seeing far; showing one's teeth means speaking loudly; repeatedly raising one's hand means having immense strength; lightly patting one's wrist means being able to do things for others; shouting 'danger' means being cautious in doing things."

After the court session, King Xuan of Qi told Zhongli Chun the explanation given by Minister Gao.

"That interpretation is incorrect." Zhong Lichun shook his head and continued, "Raising one's eyes means to observe the changes in the beacon fires on behalf of the king, indicating that the country will be in turmoil; showing one's teeth means to open the mouths of the ministers on behalf of the king, allowing them to dare to speak frankly and honestly; raising one's hands means to repel treacherous officials and recommend more virtuous people as ministers; slapping one's wrist means to dismantle the stage for entertainment and banquets on behalf of the king, in order to promote a spirit of frugality."

King Xuan of Qi seemed to be deep in thought, then asked, "Then... what does asking about 'danger' mean?"

Zhongli Chun said solemnly, "The country is about to face war, yet we turn a blind eye. Is this not dangerous? The ministers only care about protecting themselves and dare not speak frankly. Is this not dangerous? The treacherous officials are in power, and virtuous ministers are not promoted. Is this not dangerous? We indulge in pleasure and feasting, and do not advocate frugality. Is this not dangerous? Your Majesty, it is dangerous!"

King Xuan of Qi suddenly sensed that this ugly woman was no ordinary person, and stared at her, asking, "Who...who are you?"

Zhong Lichun quickly lowered his head and replied in a low voice, "Ugly woman."

King Xuan returned to court and, in front of his ministers, repeated Zhongli Chun's explanation of the cryptic language. The ministers praised it highly, saying that the explanation was simply a brilliant strategy for governing the country! Minister Gao bowed deeply to King Xuan and said, "Your Majesty, to be honest, the other day I saw that Your Majesty was neglecting state affairs and spending day and night with the two queens..." He realized his slip of the tongue and immediately kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I deserve to die; I shouldn't have mentioned the queens."

King Xuan of Qi felt he had just triumphed in front of his ministers and was pleased, so he didn't hold it against him and let him continue.

Doctor Gao, his face beaming with excitement, continued, "At the time, I thought Your Majesty lacked wisdom and had no grand strategy... In this world, the feudal lords are vying for supremacy, and those who do not strive for progress will surely be destroyed by the strong. I was deeply worried about the State of Qi... But after hearing Your Majesty's words today, my mind is suddenly enlightened. It turns out that Your Majesty is such a wise man. As long as Your Majesty puts this wisdom into action, how can the State of Qi not become a hegemon!"

King Xuan of Qi was moved by Gao Dafu's words and frankly said, "Gao Dafu's words have made me very ashamed..." After a pause, he continued, "Do you know who interpreted this riddle?"

Everyone looked at King Xuan of Qi with great confusion.

"Isn't it you, Your Majesty?" Doctor Gao asked.

"No..." King Xuan of Qi shook his head, "It was a woman, a very... ordinary woman..."

"Is what Your Majesty says true?" Doctor Gao asked, finding it hard to believe.

King Xuan of Qi said earnestly, "As the ruler of a country, how could I lie?"

Where is this woman?

"It's right here in my palace."

"Is she a princess?"

King Xuan of Qi did not answer.

Doctor Gao said, "If she is a princess, then His Majesty should bestow upon her the title of Queen. Hasn't His Majesty already appointed a Queen yet?"

King Xuan of Qi shook his head and said, "She is not a queen, but a servant who does menial work..."

Another doctor said, "Your Majesty, how can such an intelligent woman be made a servant? She should be made a queen, no, a queen!"

Doctor Gao nodded and said, "Your Majesty, with such a queen to assist you, the State of Qi will surely dominate the other states!"

"But..." King Xuan of Qi hesitated for a moment, then said with difficulty, "But this woman is... rather ugly..."

Doctor Gao said, "The Queen must manage the affairs of the palace and be aware of the safety of the country. She must be an intelligent person. Appearance is secondary."

The physician beside him added, "In the royal palace, there are many beautiful queens and maids, and there are many who vie for the king's favor. If there is no intelligent woman to manage the harem, the king will not have peace."

King Xuan of Qi remained hesitant. He asked Zou Ji, who had remained silent, "Prime Minister Zou, what do you say?"

Zou Ji also did not want the beautiful woman that Gongsun Yue had given to the king to do as he pleased, so he replied, "What Doctor Gao and the others said makes a lot of sense. The queen should be an intelligent person; her appearance is secondary."

King Xuan of Qi finally made up his mind and made Zhong Lichun his queen.

King Xuan of Qi's decision left Sun Bin and Zhong Lichun dumbfounded! They were panicked and didn't know what to do. Was all the affection they had shared over the years going to be for naught? Zhong Lichun was extremely unwilling and paced anxiously. "Mr. Sun, please think of a solution quickly..." she said to Sun Bin. "If there is really no other way, I will have to leave the palace."

Sun Bin paced back and forth a few times, then shook his head and said, "No, if you leave the palace, all our previous efforts will be in vain."

"How about we tell the king the truth?"

"Even worse, if we deceive the king, not only will we be implicated, but General Tian's entire family will also be affected."

Zhong Lichun said impatiently, "This won't do, that won't do, does it mean that only marrying the King will work?"

Sun Bin didn't know how to answer.

"Sir, please say something!" Zhong Lichun urged.

Sun Bin was caught in a dilemma. After a long while, he finally managed to say with difficulty, "Perhaps this is fate... Fate is hard to defy. I have no choice but to marry the King... Once you become Queen, you can take Gongsun Yue's beauties..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhong Lichun slapped Sun Bin across the face, angrily shouting, "Sun Bin, did you intend this all along, deliberately trying to lure me into your trap? I saw it coming a long time ago; you didn't want me, you wanted to get rid of me!"

Sun Bin wished he could tear his heart out and show it to Zhong Lichun. He said to Zhong Lichun, "Zhong Lichun, I would rather die than do this! We've been through thick and thin together all these years, and I love you from the bottom of my heart..."

Tears welled in Zhong Lichun's eyes as she angrily asked, "Then why haven't you married me yet? If you had married me sooner, I wouldn't have become some damn queen!"

"Zhongli Chun, do you think I don't want to marry you?" Sun Bin said from the bottom of his heart. "It was Pang Juan who caused us to wander aimlessly, without even a moment of peace. I had no chance to marry you... I had planned to hold the wedding as soon as I returned to Qi and settled down, but I never expected to encounter such a thing..."

Tears streamed down Zhong Lichun's face as she embraced Sun Bin tightly, sobbing, "Sir, I can't live without you, I can't..."

Sun Bin's cheeks were also streaked with tears. He gently stroked Zhong Lichun's shoulder and murmured, "I can't live without you either... But seeing our homeland ruined by Gongsun Yue and those two damned vixens, I really can't think of any other way... For both of us, this ending is the last thing we wanted to see... But for Qi, for General Tian, ​​and for the people who hope for a strong Qi, this ending... should be said... the best possible outcome... A wise queen is enough to subdue a licentious vixen, free the king from the entanglements of evil, distance him from sycophantic ministers, and draw near to virtuous and talented people, thus revitalizing Qi... Zhong Lichun, I won't force you, nor do I want to force you. You decide... If you believe our marriage is more important than Qi, more important than the people of Qi, more important than General Tian and Mr. Qin, my loyal friends, then I will go with you to a place where no one lives, and we will live our own lives..."

Outside the window is a tranquil night sky, with a bright, full moon hanging high in the sky.

Zhong Lichun remained silent for a long time.

On the day of the coronation of the queen, King Qi Xuan and his consorts gathered in the harem, awaiting Zhong Lichun's arrival to change. Meiyu, with a disdainful expression, whispered to the beautiful maiden, "An ugly woman becoming queen—a truly extraordinary event."

The beautiful woman whispered in agreement, "She'll have her day to cry later."

Although King Xuan of Qi doted on Meiyu and Jianu, he did not want them to gossip about the newly appointed queen in public, especially not about her ugliness! Appointing an ugly queen was already a thorn in King Xuan's side, so he turned his head and used his eyes to stop Meiyu and Jianu from gossiping.

"Your Majesty." A soft, somewhat familiar voice rang out. King Xuan of Qi turned to look ahead, and suddenly froze. Zhong Lichun, dressed in her queenly attire, entered the main hall of the palace accompanied by two palace maids. For the first time, she revealed her radiant and dignified beauty. King Xuan was stunned! Meiyu and Jia Nu were also stunned! All the queens and palace maids present were stunned!

Zhongli Chun slowly approached King Xuan of Qi, bowed, and said softly, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

King Xuan of Qi gazed at Zhongli Chun for a long time, then sighed, "Your Majesty, I never imagined you were so beautiful..." He then exclaimed loudly, "This is truly my queen, the queen of Qi!"

King Xuan of Qi grasped Zhong Lichun's hand, walked to the assembled queens, and loudly proclaimed to the assembled concubines and palace maids: "From this day forward, everyone in the harem must obey the Queen's commands. Anyone who disobeys will be dealt with at the Queen's discretion!"

Note: "Turning the Guest into the Host" is the thirtieth of the Thirty-Six Stratagems. It means to shift from being the guest to the host, striving to take the initiative. To break the "beauty trap," Sun Bin sent Zhong Lichun to the palace to persuade the King of Qi using coded language. The King, impressed by Zhong Lichun's intelligence, wanted to make her his queen. Sun Bin, for the sake of the country, abandoned his personal feelings and persuaded Zhong Lichun to turn the tables, becoming the master of the palace and shifting the initiative. To find out how Zhong Lichun dealt with the beautiful woman causing trouble in the palace, please see the next chapter: "Pointing at the Mulberry Tree While Cursing the Locust Tree."