422 t h e a n n a l s o f k i n g t’a e j o
civil or military officials who rendered service to the state should be pro-
moted regardless of their order and rank for the sake of boosting their
morale, and those who expect to be promoted without rendering any service
should be driven out and punished as a warning to others.
“1.The Classic of Documents says, ‘Shun liked examining trivial words.’
It also says, ‘Yu did homage to excellent words.’^25 Shun and Yu were the
greatest sages of all time, and their wisdom, so illuminating, extended to all
things, and yet they did not take their wisdom for granted; they never ceased
to make efforts to expand their wisdom. Emperor Dezong^26 of the Tang
dynasty visited a house of a commoner named Zhao Guangqi, and after
listening to his daring words, he finally realized, for the first time, the extent
of the people’s suffering. It happened because the emperor had no honest
officials around him, and therefore the real situation of the people was
unable to reach his ears. Your Majesty now asks us about the ways to govern
the state, and that indicates that you have the heart of Shun and Yu, who
cared about their people. We would like to urge you to extend your benevo-
lent heart all the way down to the common people until they freely speak
their minds. You will accept their words if they are right, and even if what
they are saying is against reason, we want you to forgive them.
“1. Looking back at history, how long the newly founded dynasty will last
and how well it will be governed indeed depends on the thought of the
founder king. Figuratively speaking, it is like the builder of a house laying
a good foundation and one who plants a tree making its roots well estab-
lished. Unless the dynastic founder is careful about ruling the state at the
beginning, how is he different from the builder of a house or the planter of
a tree who neglects laying a good foundation or having the roots well estab-
lished? We sincerely urge you to keep this in mind, having men of integrity
near you and listening to their good advice. Please make sure that your rule
shows benevolence toward the people and provides help to the needy first.
Avoid enjoying luxury items and respect a life of simplicity. Your conduct
should be based on trust, and frugality should be the foundation of your life.
If benevolence and righteousness take root in your administration, the foun-
dation of the state will be strengthened and your descendants will prosper
for many generations to come.- “The Counsels of the Great Yü.” (The Shu King, p. 52)
- Dezong (779–805): the 9th Tang emperor.