In 1991, one year after my stepmother Niang’s death, I received permission from my brother James to fly to Hong Kong and inspect her empty flat. As executor of Niang’s will, James promised me that the contents of the flat were now mine, since other members of the family had already taken what they wanted.
At that time I was still practicing medicine full-time in California, but at the back of my mind I harbored vague thoughts of writing the book that I had always meant to write, ever since I was a child. The day after my arrival in Hong Kong, I visited a bookshop in the hope of finding some Chinese proverbs to use as possible chapter headings. I actually bought a volume but was not satisfied with its contents.
Later that afternoon, I secured the keys from my brother and went up to the familiar building. In Niang’s empty apartment, smelling of mildew, mothballs, stale cigarette smoke, and neglect, haunted by ghosts of the past, I came across two dusty books lying in the corner of a closet amid a few discarded old photographs. The first book I picked up was in English and titled Selected Chinese Sayings by a writer named T. C. Lai. The second was a paperback copy of Shiji in Chinese.
I flipped open the cover of Selected Chinese Sayings and, with a pang, saw my father’s familiar signature at the top of the page. On the next page was printed the author’s dedication, which read, “In memory of my Father.”
Quickly, I perused the contents and saw that Selected Chinese Sayings consisted of a collection of the author’s favorite Chinese proverbs. I read that the book was first published in 1960 but reprinted in 1973, three years before Alzheimer’s disease took hold of my father’s mind. As I perused the proverbs, I could not help wondering whether this was a message from my father to give up medicine and begin my writing career. For once, Niang was not there to interrupt our communication.
Next, I took Father’s copy of Shiji and randomly turned the pages. This was where I first came across the letter written by Sima Qian to his friend. In one passage, I read,
All these ancient writers had pain in their hearts, for they were not able to achieve in life what they had set out to accomplish…. And so they felt compelled to write about their past, in order to pass on their thoughts to posterity….
I, too, have dared to venture forth and commit myself to writing. I have collected all the ancient customs that were dispersed or discarded. I have investigated the affairs of the past and probed the reasons for their buoyancy or decay. I would like to discern the patterns leading from the past to the present, proffering my views as one method of interpretation.
When I read these words, it seemed as if Sima Qian himself had stepped out of the pages of his book and was speaking to me personally, urging me to be resolute and not falter in my resolve to become a full-time writer. Although we were separated by a time span of 2100 years, at that moment I understood him completely. He was telling me that there were many who had suffered unjustly in the past. A few, like him, were able to transcend their hurt through literature. Was I prepared to follow his footsteps and do the same?
As I turned eagerly to another page, I came across these lines:
The reason I have borne this anguish and refused to die, living in shame without protest, is because I cannot bear the thought of leaving my work unfinished. I am still burdened with things in my heart that I have not had a chance to express….
I placed my father’s two books with the old photographs in the large bag I brought and prepared to leave. There appeared to be no other items worth taking. Niang’s flat was scheduled to be remodeled, and everything was to be thrown away. Looking through her closets for the very last time, I suddenly saw another item abandoned by my siblings. Quickly, I retrieved it from a pile of yellowed newspaper cuttings. It was a large, framed photo of our Grandfather Ye Ye taken a few months before his death at the age of seventy-four.
CHAPTER 2
Precious Treasure Worth Cherishing
Qi Huo Ke Ju
Although my grandfather used to be a businessman before his retirement, he was always more interested in books than in money. When the Communists were taking over China in 1949, my family fled from Shanghai to Hong Kong, and I was sent to boarding school. On the rare occasions when I was allowed to go home during the holidays, Niang told me to sleep on a cot in Ye Ye’s room.
Ye Ye and I never discussed it, but I knew in my heart that we were both happy about this arrangement. Although I was young and he was old, we shared a special rapport and I loved being with him. He would ask me to read the Chinese newspapers aloud to teach me new characters, or he would show me the proper way of writing calligraphy with a brush. Sometimes we played Chinese chess, but what I liked best of all were the stories he told about legendary figures from Chinese history.
Once I asked him what sort of businesses my father was involved with.
“Your father is very talented,” Ye Ye answered. “He has import-export, manufacturing, and real estate businesses.”
“What is the most profitable business, Ye Ye?”
“It all depends on your definition of profit,” he answered. “If your chief consideration is money, then the best investment is probably real estate. Houses and apartments in good locations will always go up in value if they are well managed. Keep that in mind.”
“Is there any other consideration more important than money?”
“Of course!” Ye Ye answered. “Relationships, morality, and education are all much more important than money. Many people make the mistake of thinking that cash, material goods, and real estate are the only precious things in life. They forget about education and knowledge. To me, a sharp, ethical, and cultivated mind is a much worthier asset than anything else and is truly a qi huo ke ju, ‘precious treasure worth cherishing.’ Let the proverbs I’ve taught you and the stories behind these proverbs be your most precious treasure. Cherish them, and carry them with you wherever you go.”
Because of their influence on history, Confucius, the First Emperor of China, and Mao Tse-tung are regarded by many Chinese as the three most influential figures who ever lived. Confucius molded Chinese thinking, and his teaching still affects Chinese life on every level. The First Emperor unified China, abolished feudalism, and established a form of government that has remained virtually unchanged until the twentieth century. Mao Tse-tung ended the civil war, unleashed the Cultural Revolution, and radically altered China’s political system and ideology. Whereas the lives of Confucius and Mao Tse-tung have been well documented, that of the First Emperor remains relatively unknown to Western readers.
In Shiji, Sima Qian wrote extensively about that period of history when a divided China was united by the First Emperor, as well as the tumultuous years immediately following his death. Many of the phrases written by the Grand Historian to describe the intrigues and conflicts of that time have come down to us as proverbs. They have survived for over 2000 years and are still frequently quoted in everyday conversation.
During that restless era of brutal strife and constant warfare 2200 years ago, the population of China already numbered over 40 million. However, battlefield casualties were enormous. According to Shiji, 1,500,000 soldiers were slaughtered in fifteen major military campaigns waged by the state of Qin between 363 and 234 B.C.E. The average peasant led a life of misery and uncertainty. Armed soldiers would arbitrarily march across the fields, appropriate the crops, draft all the sons, or rape the women while the seven states fought for supremacy. Between wars, there were diplomatic maneuvers, accords, intrigues, and treaties. Women had no rights and were used as pawns to secure strategic marriage alliances and sexual favors. The life of an average woman was at the complete mercy of her husband or father.
But it was not only peasants who suffered. Royal princes too were sometimes used as pawns. At the conclusion of a peace treaty between two states, it was customary to exchange hostages as guarantees of good faith. These hostages were usually princes of royal birth. One of these was Prince Zi Chu of Qin. He was sent to Zhao as a hostage after Qin lost a
major battle against Zhao in 270 B.C.E., and there he remained for the next thirteen years.
In 265 B.C.E. a merchant named Lu Buwei traveled to Handan, the capital city of Zhao, in search of fresh business opportunities. Annexation of the weaker states by the stronger ones resulted in only seven states remaining at that time. Of these seven, the state of Zhao was the most cultured and sophisticated, Chu had the largest land area, and Qin possessed the greatest military power.
There were two main reasons for Qin’s military might. First and foremost was the hardiness of the people. Living in the far west corner of ancient China, the people of Qin had been responsible for centuries for defending their western frontier against the fierce nomadic Huns who roamed the adjacent desert wastelands. In time they adopted many of the savage fighting methods of their enemy and developed military practices more ruthless than those of any other state. Their children were taught to ride from a young age, given bows and arrows, and taught to shoot birds and animals from the saddle. When a war was declared, they conscripted every citizen. They seldom used chariots but would swoop down upon their enemies on fast horses, moving like swarms of locusts across the plains and destroying all in their paths with their spears, halberds, dagger axes, crossbows, and arrows. Flight or surrender was considered cowardly, and desertion was punishable by death. Qin soldiers were promoted according to the number of heads of enemy troops they brought back to their officers. All military personnel were expected to fight to the death.
According to Shiji, there was a second reason for Qin’s military prowess. Sima Qian wrote,
The country of Qin was so situated that its geographical position almost guaranteed its military might. Access was irksome because the state was surrounded by a girdle consisting of the Yellow River and the mountains. Suspended one thousand feet above the neighboring states, its lofty location was so advantageous that a million attackers could be held off by fewer than twenty thousand men. When a Qin general sent his troops to descend on the enemy, it was like a giant emptying a pail of water from the pinnacle of a tall building.
Merchant Lu Buwei was born in the state of Wei but lived and prospered in the state of Haan for a few years before moving to Zhao. Like many traders, he traveled frequently from state to state while buying cheap and selling dear. By the year 265 B.C.E. he had already made a fortune and was known to be a very wealthy man.
At that time Qin was governed by King Zao, whose reign would last for fifty-five years. Between 275 and 270 B.C.E. Qin defeated the armies of Wei and Chu so convincingly that both states were forced to deed over large tracts of land during the peace negotiations. Flushed with victory, King Zao turned his attention north and attacked Zhao in 270 B.C.E. This time the Qin troops were defeated by the well-disciplined Zhao army. Qin sued for peace, and as was the custom, the two states exchanged royal princes to act as hostages in each other’s countries to guarantee the peace treaty.
Instead of sending his oldest son, the crown prince, as a hostage, King Zao dispatched Prince Zi Chu, who was one of his grandsons and the son of Prince An Guo, his second son. Like many princes of royal blood, Prince An Guo had a favorite wife and many concubines. His favorite wife was barren, but he had more than twenty sons by his other wives. When Prince An Guo was commanded by his father to send one of his sons to the state of Zhao, it was easy for him to dispatch Prince Zi Chu because Zi Chu’s mother was one of his least favorite concubines.
Life as a hostage in an alien state was a precarious affair much dreaded by the princes. Should hostilities resume between the two states, the hostage prince would be an easy and convenient target on whom the people could vent their anger. There was even the likelihood of being murdered or executed.
After arriving in Zhao, Prince Zi Chu was forgotten by his royal family back home. He was provided with a very modest residence in the Guest House district of Handan, capital city of Zhao. The other aristocrats in the city held him in contempt, noting that he lived shabbily under straitened circumstances, without even a decent carriage.
As time went by, the relationship between the two states (Qin and Zhao) gradually worsened. Skirmishes were frequent, with aggressive posturing on both sides. After each dispute, Zi Chu’s privileges were further curtailed. He had no choice but to endure in silence the mounting insults, deplorable living conditions, diminished rations, reduced allowance, and other forms of abuse. Ignored by his own family and ostracized by the people of Zhao, Prince Zi Chu was destitute. But then Merchant Lu Buwei came into his life.
After migrating from the state of Haan to Zhao, Merchant Lu had prospered even further. Now immensely wealthy, he decided to settle down in Handan, which at that time enjoyed the reputation of being the most cultured and sophisticated capital city of the seven states. The city was so renowned it even had its own proverb. Taken from the book of Zhuang Zi (written ?300 B.C.E.), Handan xue bu translates like this: “Handan’s women are so beautiful and its music so superb that youths everywhere try to simulate the elegance of the natives, even imitating the way they walk.” It refers to those who lose their original self by slavishly imitating the ways of others.
By sheer chance, Merchant Lu heard that Prince Zi Chu was being held hostage in the same city and was in straitened circumstances. More important, he learned that Zi Chu’s father, Prince An Guo, had just been proclaimed (the year before, in 266 B.C.E.) as crown prince of Qin following the death of his older brother. It dawned on the merchant that Prince Zi Chu himself now stood a chance of becoming heir to the throne of the most powerful state under Heaven.
Merchant Lu asked his own father, “What is the rate of return if one invests in farming?”
“The return can be as high as ten times your investment.”
“How about the buying and selling of jewelry and pearls?”
“Much more profitable. A hundred times your capital.”
“How about helping to place a king on the throne?”
“Oh!” his father exclaimed. “That can lead to the sort of wealth that is incalculable.”
Merchant Lu laughed. “In that case, Prince Zi Chu should be regarded as qi huo ke ju, ‘a precious treasure worth cherishing’! If we invest in him, we might reap enormous riches one day. Father, you have made up my mind for me. I am going to contact him.”
After this conversation, Merchant Lu set about making a business plan. First he paid a visit to Prince Zi Chu and was shocked at his modest surroundings and poverty-stricken appearance. Moved to pity, he said to the prince, “I know how to open the gate of your house wider for you.”
Prince Zi Chu laughed and said, “Why don’t you open your own gate wider before worrying about mine?”
Lu replied, “You don’t understand. The width of my opening depends on the width of yours.”
Xin zhi suo wei, “grasping the essence of what he was alluding to,” the prince led the merchant to a mat in an inner room. They sat opposite each other and were soon deep in conversation.
Lu said, “Your grandfather, King Zao, is getting on in years. Although your father is now crown prince and is next in line to the throne, he has not yet designated his own successor. Your chances of being your father’s heir are not great because not only are you a middle son, you also have more than twenty brothers. What do you say if the two of us put our heads together and come up with a plan to seat you on the throne one day?”
Prince Zi Chu could hardly believe his ears. “My mother and I have never been favored by my father. Besides, I have been a hostage and away from home for a long time. At present, I have no chance of competing with my brothers who are there in person waiting upon my father day and night. If you can accomplish this miracle, I will make you my guardian and share everything with you. In addition, I’ll remain grateful to you for the rest of my life. But the real question is, how do we achieve this?”
“I have made some inquiries and thought it out very carefully,” the wily merchant replied. “You are poor and living in a foreign state. You have no money to bu
y gifts for members of your family or to cultivate people here in Handan. I too am poor, but I’m willing to take out a thousand pieces of gold and use them on your behalf. As everyone knows, your father is very much in love with his favorite wife, Princess Hua Yang, who happens to be barren and has no son of her own. I think that is the reason your father has not yet named his successor. Princess Hua Yang’s influence on your father is enormous, and it will help greatly if she should adopt you as her son.
“I hear that Princess Hua Yang is fond of jewelry. Tomorrow let us go and purchase for her the rarest gems and brightest jade. I shall travel to Xianyang, the capital of Qin, next month and give them to her as a special gift from you. Hopefully, she will be persuaded to put in a good word to your father on your behalf.”
“But you don’t even know Princess Hua Yang. How will you make her acquaintance?”
Lu laughed, “That is no problem at all! I have contacts who know Princess Hua Yang’s older sister and brother. I hear that the princess and her siblings are very close and see each other regularly. In any case, leave all that to me and don’t worry. First let me present you with five hundred pieces of gold for living expenses and for entertaining the noble lords here at Handan. Make some good contacts. I’ll be back soon, and everything will be arranged for you.”
Prince Zi Chu knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Lu. Then he said, “Should you succeed in making me King of Qin, I shall rule my kingdom together with you.”