| | In the second year after Duke Huan took the throne, he summoned Guan Zhong. When Guan Zhong arrived, the duke asked, "Can the state be stabilized?" Guan Zhong replied, "If you become a hegemon, the state will be stable. If you do not become a hegemon, the state cannot be stabilized." The duke said, "I dare not aim as high as becoming a hegemon; I only wish to stabilize the state." Guan Zhong made another request. The duke said, "I cannot." Guan Zhong addressed the duke and said, "You have spared my life; this is already a great fortune for me; yet I did not die for Jiu because I wished to stabilize the state. If the state remains unstable, and yet I accept office in Qi without dying for Jiu, I dare not do so." He then left and reached the gate when the duke summoned Guan Zhong again. Guan Zhong returned. The duke, perspiring, said, "Do not stop. Then please strive to become a hegemon?" Guan Zhong bowed twice and kowtowed, then said, "Today the lord will become a hegemon. I humbly accept your command and shall promptly assume the position of prime minister to oversee the Five Officials in their duties." On another day, the duke told Guan Zhong, "I wish for there to be no conflicts among the feudal lords and will only slightly maintain our military equipment." Guan Zhong said, "No. The people are suffering. Your Majesty should first care for the people and conceal your military strength. It is better to be generous toward the people than toward arms. Since the state of Qi has not yet been stabilized, you have not begun with the people but with arms. This will make you distant from both the feudal lords outside and the people within." The duke said, "You are right. The administration has not yet begun to function properly."
|
