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

That night, the palace chambers were brightly lit with candlelight. King Xuan of Qi gazed at Zhong Lichun repeatedly in the candlelight, finding her increasingly beautiful. Curious, he asked her, "Your Majesty, with such beauty, why did you disguise yourself as an ugly woman to enter the palace?"

Zhong Lichun, of course, could not reveal her true thoughts, so she said, "Your Majesty's palace is filled with beauties. If I don't disguise myself as an ugly woman, how can I attract Your Majesty's attention?"

"Because she was dressed as an ugly woman, the queen almost couldn't enter the palace. It was thanks to the beautiful jade that the queen was allowed to stay."

"Your Majesty, I will never forget the kindness of the beautiful Princess Consort," Zhong Lichun said with a faint smile.

"I also greatly admire beautiful jade and lovely women," King Xuan of Qi said, glancing at Zhongli Chun, and tentatively asked, "I hope the Queen will treat them like sisters, is that alright?"

"Okay," Zhong Lichun replied dismissively.

King Xuan of Qi told Zhongli Chun to undress and rest. Zhongli Chun said she had a request. She said to King Xuan, "Your Majesty, I hope you will prioritize governing the country and selecting virtuous and capable officials, and no longer indulge in comfort and pleasure, nor be intoxicated by the beauties of the inner palace..."

King Xuan of Qi casually agreed, then urged her to rest again. Zhong Lichun said she hadn't finished speaking, and King Xuan asked if she had anything else to say. Zhong Lichun replied, "Before Your Majesty revitalizes the state of Qi, you cannot yet enjoy my company..."

"Why is that?" King Xuan of Qi asked. "Is the Queen worried that I, infatuated with your beauty, will once again neglect state affairs?"

Zhong Lichun shook his head, then asked, "Has Your Majesty heard the story of King Goujian of Yue enduring hardship and humiliation to eventually destroy Wu and restore his kingdom?"

"I have heard that King Goujian of Yue slept on firewood at night and tasted bitter gall every day in order to destroy Wu and restore his kingdom. If I were in Goujian's situation, I could also do the same."

"What is most admirable about King Yue is not his perseverance and endurance. Yue had a stunning beauty, Xi Shi, whom King Yue could have kept by his side, but he did not. He gave the beautiful Xi Shi to the King of Wu... King Yue restrained his desires so much and devoted all his energy to the affairs of the state. How could Yue not rise again?"

King Xuan of Qi seemed to be deep in thought.

Zhongli Chun continued, "The reason I implore Your Majesty to temporarily refrain from using my body is to demonstrate my determination to revitalize the State of Qi. This is not only for Your Majesty, but also for myself..." She looked at King Xuan of Qi, "Your Majesty, when the State of Qi is revitalized, shall we then fully enjoy the pleasures of husband and wife?"

King Xuan of Qi said with satisfaction, "Queen, it is rare for you to go to such lengths for my country. I grant your request."

Zhongli Chun breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Also, Your Majesty has accumulated too many memorials these past few days. Until these memorials are dealt with, Your Majesty should not spend the night at the concubines' residences, okay?"

King Xuan of Qi laughed and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured. If Your Majesty is so demanding of yourself in order to revitalize my country, why can't I, as the ruler of a nation, do the same?"

King Xuan of Qi heeded Zhongli Chun's advice, prioritizing state affairs and diligently attending to state matters. He said to his court officials, "Those who dare to speak against me and point out my mistakes will be richly rewarded; those with talent will be employed according to their abilities; and those who recommend virtuous people will be treated as honored guests."

Sun Bin entered the palace to see King Xuan of Qi. King Xuan was overjoyed and immediately appointed Sun Bin as his military advisor. He also followed Sun Bin's advice and ordered Tian Ji to withdraw his troops and wait for the right time to recapture the border city.

Gongsun Yue, who had accompanied the army on the expedition, was unaware of the changes in the royal palace and did not believe that King Xuan had agreed to withdraw the troops. Tian Ji produced a letter written in King Xuan's own handwriting, but Gongsun Yue suspected it was a forgery and insisted on riding back to Linzi that very night to ascertain the truth. Tian Ji told him, "If Mr. Gongsun leaves the camp without authorization, I, the general, can punish you severely according to military law!"

Gongsun Yue sneered, "I am the military supervisor sent by the King. My every move represents the King. You have no right to punish me."

Tian Ji responded with a cold laugh: "Back then, Sima Rangju punished the late king's military supervisor for being late in arriving."

Gongsun Yue knew that Tian Ji was not joking. He was outnumbered in the army camp and feared that Tian Ji would take the opportunity to get rid of him. So he mocked Tian Ji, saying, "General Tian may not be good at fighting, but I didn't expect you to be so good at playing power games... Fine, I'll let you be smug for a few days."

Afterwards, Tian Guo said to Tian Ji, "General, why don't we take this opportunity to kill him?"

Tian Ji said, "We cannot be too hasty. The strategist has instructed us to stall him for now, and then we will devise a plan to eliminate him when we return."

King Xuan of Qi was busy reviewing memorials at night and neglected Meiyu. That night, Meiyu came to see King Xuan and said resentfully, "Your Majesty has a queen now and has forgotten about me."

King Xuan of Qi smiled and embraced the beautiful jade. He pointed to the pile of bamboo slips in front of him and said, "So many memorials have accumulated over the past few days, which I need to deal with, but I don't have the time."

Meiyu picked up a scroll and flipped through it, then casually asked, "Does the Queen...does she satisfy the King?"

King Xuan of Qi nodded and said, "Of course I am satisfied. The Queen manages the harem in an orderly manner. She constantly urges me on to revitalize the State of Qi. I am completely content to have such a Queen."

Meiyu looked embarrassed and said, "Your Majesty, I meant that the Queen serves Your Majesty at night..."

King Xuan of Qi pondered for a moment, then remained silent.

"The Queen is so beautiful; she will surely please Your Majesty more than I do when she serves you..."

"Her mind isn't on that..." King Xuan of Qi sighed softly, "Her mind is entirely focused on assisting me in revitalizing the State of Qi..."

Meiyu deliberately provoked, saying, "Such a wise queen is truly rare... However, on the other hand, Your Majesty is a man, and a man will never be happy without a woman's... companionship... Your Majesty, I will go to the queen and explain this to her."

King Xuan of Qi forbade her from going to see the Queen, but ordered her to stay and keep him company for the night. Meiyu sighed and said, "Your Majesty, I dare not. I fear the Queen will see me and resent me… However, if Your Majesty comes to my quarters, the Queen will be out of sight and unsettled…" She glanced at King Xuan and deliberately added, "Never mind, just pretend I didn't say anything. I cannot bear the responsibility of delaying Your Majesty's affairs…"

After Meiyu finished speaking, she walked away with a graceful sway.

King Xuan of Qi gazed at the beautiful figure, unable to contain himself, and muttered to himself, "This is the last time." With that, he stood up and followed her out.

King Xuan of Qi relived his tender dream on Meiyu's bed. Meiyu hugged King Xuan tightly and said coquettishly, "Your Majesty, can you sleep beside me every day?"

King Xuan of Qi said, "I have many state affairs to attend to, and it is impossible for me to enjoy myself with my beloved concubine every night."

Meiyu persisted in clinging to King Xuan of Qi, saying, "As long as Your Majesty doesn't attend to state affairs at night, please come to my place, okay?"

King Xuan of Qi nodded in agreement, then held the beautiful jade tightly in his arms.

Afterwards, Meiyu said disdainfully to Jianu, "I thought that ugly woman would have some high skills, but I didn't expect that she doesn't know how to please men at all. No matter how beautiful a woman is, if she can't please men, men won't stay with her."

When Zhongli Chun learned that King Xuan of Qi had spent the night at Meiyu's place, he questioned the king, saying, "Your Majesty, have you forgotten your vow to revitalize the state of Qi?"

King Xuan of Qi coughed lightly and said, "No."

"Then why did Your Majesty go to spend the night at the Queen's residence before finishing with the memorials?"

"The Queen is unwell, so I have gone to visit her."

Zhongli Chun, understanding and reasonable, said, "Your Majesty, love between men and women is human nature. I only dare to be demanding of myself, not of Your Majesty. However, we have a prior agreement that state affairs come first, and pleasure second. If we break our promise, how can the State of Qi prosper?"

"Your Majesty, please don't let this happen again, okay?"

"Your Majesty is the ruler of the country, and your word is law."

"In matters of the harem, the Queen has the final say."

"Since Your Majesty has said so, I will establish three rules for the concubines in the palace."

The next morning, Zhongli Chun summoned the concubines in the palace and said to them, "Now, the State of Qi faces powerful enemies from the outside and rebellions from within. In order to allow Your Majesty to concentrate on handling state affairs, I, the Queen, hereby establish three rules for the concubines: First, if Your Majesty has memorials to review at night, you must not disturb him; second, if Your Majesty is tired, you must not keep him overnight; third, if you keep Your Majesty overnight, you must not delay His Majesty's morning court session. Anyone who violates these rules will be punished severely according to palace law. Do you understand?"

"If Your Majesty insists on spending the night in my room before you have finished reviewing the memorials, what shall I do?" a concubine asked knowingly.

"I advise Your Majesty to return," Zhong Lichun said calmly.

"What if Your Majesty refuses to listen?"

"Send someone to tell me that I have advised Your Majesty to return."

"What if the king also ignores the queen?"

"Your Majesty is a wise ruler. Explain the principles of national prosperity and appeal to the desire for a strong nation. Your Majesty will not refuse to listen."

Another concubine, intending to make things difficult for Zhong Lichun, asked, "If Your Majesty forces me to break the Queen's agreement, who should the Queen punish?"

Zhongli Chun said, "Your Majesty is a man of your word. Your Majesty has already agreed to the three rules of the agreement, and Your Majesty will not break your promise."

The concubine's words were loaded with meaning: "Your Majesty is a man, and men cannot live without women. If the women around Your Majesty do not know how to serve you, Your Majesty will be unable to control yourself and will violate the Queen's agreement... If that happens, how will the Queen deal with it?"

Zhong Lichun's face darkened, and he said, "You don't need to worry about it, I have my own way."

Meiyu completely disregarded Zhonglichun's agreement. She said to Jia Nu, "Tonight I'm going to see the Queen and see what she dares to do to me!"

The beautiful woman advised, "Sister, it's best not to confront the Queen directly. After all, she is the head of the harem. If things get too tense, even the King won't be able to speak up for you."

Meiyu gave a cold laugh and said, "I won't confront her directly... I'll have the King come to me, and see what she dares to do to me then!"

That evening, Jia Nu, entrusted by Mei Yu, came to see King Xuan of Qi. King Xuan was reviewing memorials when Jia Nu said, "Mei Yu originally wanted to come to see Your Majesty with me, but..." She swallowed the rest of her words.

King Xuan of Qi put down his pen and asked, "Is she also afraid of the three rules?"

The beautiful woman shook her head and said, "No, she's sick."

King Xuan of Qi's heart skipped a beat, and he asked with concern, "Has the imperial physician been summoned to examine him?"

"There's no need to call the imperial physician. She misses the king. She can't eat or sleep well if she doesn't see him for a day... How can a woman not eat or sleep well not get sick?" Jia Nu secretly glanced at King Qi Xuan and continued, "If the king can stay with her tonight, her illness will naturally get better."

"I still have so many memorials to review, how can I leave..." King Xuan of Qi was in a dilemma.

"Your Majesty, please don't be troubled. I'll go back and tell Meiyu to wait two more days..." Jia Nu sighed. "Meiyu is really something. She's too infatuated with Your Majesty. Infatuation is a disease..."

Upon hearing what the beautiful woman said, King Xuan of Qi could no longer sit still. He put down his memorial and went to visit the beautiful woman.

As soon as Meiyu saw King Xuan arrive, she rushed into his arms.

King Xuan of Qi asked with concern, "Meiyu, how is your illness?"

"Your Majesty, my illness was caused by missing you. As soon as you came, my illness was cured." Meiyu said, taking King Qi Xuan's hand and leading him to sit down in front of the bed. "Your Majesty, tonight I will make sure you are extremely satisfied."

King Xuan of Qi said, "Meiyu, I cannot sleep here with you tonight. I will stay with you for a while and then return. There are still many memorials waiting for my review."

Meiyu hugged King Xuan tightly and said, "There's still tomorrow. Your Majesty can review it tomorrow."

"What needs to be done today must be done today; otherwise, how can the nation prosper?"

Meiyu released King Xuan of Qi, deliberately feigning anger, and said, "Your Majesty, I know that Your Majesty is afraid of the Queen. If that is truly the case, I will not make things difficult for Your Majesty. I will allow Your Majesty to return."

King Xuan of Qi was displeased and said, "I am the ruler of a country, how could I be afraid of her?"

"The Queen has laid down three rules: Your Majesty clearly loves me, yet you dare not stay overnight with me. What else could it be but fear?"

"I am not afraid, but I am upholding the dignity of the Queen."

Meiyu pouted unhappily, "Your Majesty only cares about the Queen's dignity, but not about my feelings. Without Your Majesty's love, I have no taste for food, no sleep, and no joy in life... Never mind, it's no use saying this to Your Majesty. You have countless concubines and such a beautiful Queen, so it doesn't matter whether you have Meiyu or not... Your Majesty, you may leave..."

King Xuan of Qi gazed at the beautiful jade in silence.

Meiyu looked at King Xuan and said, "Your Majesty, let's go. The Queen doesn't allow Your Majesty to spend the night with the concubines because she wants to keep Your Majesty by her side... The Queen also needs Your Majesty..."

Upon hearing this, King Xuan of Qi's eyes gleamed with lust: "No, she doesn't need it, she doesn't need it..."

As he spoke, he picked up Meiyu and laid her down on the couch...

The morning sun was already high, but King Xuan of Qi and Meiyu were still lying arm in arm, fast asleep. A palace maid woke Meiyu, telling her it was time for the king to attend court. Meiyu looked at King Xuan lying beside her and muttered to herself, "I'm not going to wake the king. Let's see what he dares to do to me!"

King Xuan was late in attending court, which inevitably caused much discussion among the officials. The high official said, "His Majesty has only been diligent in state affairs for a few days, yet he seems to be growing lazy again. I wonder why?"

The royal physician said, "Perhaps His Majesty is indeed unwell today."

Doctor Yan said, "Yesterday I presented a memorial to Your Majesty, and Your Majesty was perfectly fine. How could you suddenly feel unwell? It must be because you indulged in too much pleasure last night."

The royal physician said, "I heard from the eunuchs that the Queen has made three rules for her concubines: anyone who allows the King to stay overnight and delays the morning court session will be severely punished."

Doctor Gao said, "The one who can make the king so happy that he forgets about politics must be one of the king's favorite concubines. Although the queen is intelligent, she is still a woman, and a newly appointed queen. The three rules she has agreed to are just empty words."

The royal physician sighed, "So, even the Queen is powerless against beauty..."

The doctors discussed the matter for a long time before King Xuan of Qi finally went to court.

As soon as King Xuan of Qi left the inner palace, Zhongli Chun immediately ordered the eunuchs to summon the concubines. Her face filled with murderous intent, she addressed them: "Just two days ago, I announced three rules of the covenant, and last night someone blatantly violated them. Not only did they disturb Your Majesty's review of memorials, but they also lured Your Majesty to stay overnight, delaying your court sessions. If I allow this to continue, all the concubines will follow suit. If Your Majesty becomes obsessed with beauty, how can you concentrate on governing the country? When will the State of Qi be able to prosper?" She glanced at Meiyu, "Therefore, I must punish those who violate the rules according to palace law!"

Meiyu, completely unconcerned, said to Zhonglichun, "Your Majesty, what happened last night was not something I went to the King for, but something the King came to me for. If Your Majesty wants to punish someone, you should punish the King, not me."

Zhong Lichun asked, "Princess Consort Mei, if you don't allow Princess Jia to lie to the King about being ill, will the King be able to go?"

Meiyu replied, "I can go. The King said that I know how to serve the King... but some people do not..." As she spoke, she glanced at Zhonglichun.

Zhong Lichun hesitated, then asked, "So, what happened today that caused the delay in His Majesty's morning court session?"

Meiyu thought that Zhonglichun's momentum had been suppressed by her words, and said triumphantly, "Your Majesty stayed up too late last night because you liked me... It's no wonder. Your Majesty has not received any woman's tenderness for many days, so seeing me naturally makes you feel very happy. Therefore, I couldn't bear to wake Your Majesty."

Zhongli Chun then asked, "So, it's because you didn't wake the King that he was delayed in attending court?"

Meiyu smiled and replied, "Of course!"

The beautiful woman beside her tugged at Meiyu and whispered, "Don't admit it..."

At this moment, Meiyu didn't take Zhonglichun seriously at all. She pretended not to hear and continued casually, "Your Majesty works so hard for the country. What's the big deal about sleeping a little longer? It's just the morning court session. Let the doctors wait a little longer..."

Zhong Lichun interrupted her, saying, "Alright, stop talking, I understand." She then said to the eunuchs standing beside her, "Drag the Princess Consort out and beat her to death with sticks."

Everyone was taken aback.

Two eunuchs stepped forward and restrained Meiyu. Only then did Meiyu realize what was happening and asked in a panic, "Your Majesty, what are you trying to do?"

"I have already said it," Zhongli Chun said, enunciating each word clearly, "drag him out and beat him to death with a thud!"

Meiyu was both shocked and angry, struggling to shout, "You...you cannot be so disrespectful to me without the King's permission!"

"Matters of the harem need not be reported to the King." Zhong Lichun snorted coldly and ordered the eunuchs to drag Meiyu out.

Meiyu cried out, "Ugly woman, you're just jealous! Jealous that the King likes me... Ugly woman, you're just jealous..."

The beautiful maiden knelt before Zhong Lichun, pleading for Meiyu's life. The concubines also knelt before Zhong Lichun, begging for Meiyu's forgiveness. Zhong Lichun glanced at them and asked sharply, "What do you mean? Are you suggesting that my three rules are rendered meaningless, so that you too can break the rules and go unpunished, just like Princess Meiyu?"

The beautiful woman said, "Your Majesty, the King dotes on the beautiful Queen. If Your Majesty executes the beautiful Queen without the King's permission, the King will not stand idly by."

Zhong Lichun changed her tone and said, "Are you threatening me with the King?"

The beautiful woman hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, I dare not threaten you. I am merely reminding you that it would be more appropriate to deal with the beautiful princess after His Majesty returns."

Zhongli Chun said, "Very well, next time you break the agreement, I will wait for the King to return and deal with you. This time, I have already spoken, and I will never take it back."

When the court officials heard that the Queen had beaten the jade to death for delaying the King's morning court session, they praised her endlessly. The high-ranking official exclaimed, "This Queen is truly remarkable! From now on, those concubines will never dare to use their beauty to entangle the King again… Remarkable! Truly remarkable…"

As Sun Bin walked past him, Doctor Gao grabbed him and asked, "Mr. Sun, what do you say?"

Sun Bin exclaimed from the bottom of his heart, "Of course she's remarkable! Such a queen is worth a thousand armies!"

King Xuan of Qi was furious at Meiyu's death. He questioned Zhongli Chun, "Queen, you beat my beloved concubine to death without my permission. Do you have any respect for me?!"

Zhongli Chun replied calmly, "His Majesty has already granted permission."

"Nonsense! I know nothing about this matter, and when did I grant permission?"

"When I drafted the three rules of the covenant, I received Your Majesty's permission: anyone who violates the rules will be dealt with according to the palace law and severely punished without exception."

King Xuan of Qi was speechless for a moment, then said, "That applies to ordinary concubines. Meiyu is my beloved concubine, and she cannot be compared to them."

Zhongli Chun said, "His Majesty never said that my beloved concubine could violate the covenant, nor did he say that my beloved concubine would not be punished according to palace law for violating the covenant."

King Xuan of Qi stammered, "I didn't say that... but as the queen, you should know the place that jade holds in my heart."

Zhongli Chun said calmly, "Of course I know that if Your Majesty has the beautiful Princess by your side, you can forget everything, including matters of state and the revitalization of Qi. That's why the beautiful Princess doesn't take the law seriously and tramples on it at will. If I don't deal with the beautiful Princess, the concubines in the palace will follow suit and pester Your Majesty. How can Your Majesty handle state affairs and revitalize Qi?"

King Xuan of Qi was speechless.

Zhongli Chun continued, "If Your Majesty does not wish to revitalize the State of Qi, I may apologize to Your Majesty and offer my life in exchange for the life of the Queen Consort Mei."

King Xuan of Qi immediately compromised, saying, "I had no such intention. What I meant was... you should wait until after I have left court before dealing with the beautiful queen."

"Your Majesty, I am impatient and cannot tolerate those who violate the law going unpunished. If Your Majesty believes that my personality is not suitable to be Queen, you may banish me from the palace."

King Xuan of Qi needed Zhongli Chun for the sake of his throne and his country, so he had no choice but to acquiesce to Zhongli Chun's actions.

From then on, none of the concubines dared to disobey Zhongli Chun's agreement.

Note: "Pointing at the mulberry tree while cursing the locust tree" is the twenty-sixth of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, commonly known as "killing the chicken to scare the monkey" or "striking the mountain to frighten the tiger." Throughout history, military commanders have often used this stratagem to establish authority and enforce discipline; large states have frequently used it to intimidate smaller states into submission. Zhongli Chun used "pointing at the mulberry tree while cursing the locust tree" to kill Meiyu, thus establishing his authority in the harem and making the concubines dare not disobey him. To find out what happens next, please read the next chapter: "The Chain Stratagem."