The Most Venerable Book (Shang Shu)

by Confucius

  ‘To this the king has added that you, Feng the Younger, should indeed know that being a ruler is like suffering from an illness. So be cautious. Fear of Heaven instils respect. While the machinations of the powerful are often only too visible, those of the ordinary people are less so.

  ‘Move ahead, but also reflect.

  If you do not desire ease and comfort,

  then you will be able to rule the people.

  There is the old saying that I have heard:

  Dissatisfaction is not caused by great issues;

  Nor it is primarily caused by minor concerns.

  It is essentially caused

  by how a ruler manages things,

  Wisely or otherwise,

  And by what degree he commits himself –

  Or fails so to do.

  ‘Your role, little one, is to support and increase the Royal power and to protect the people of Yin. Then they will support the king and by obeying the Mandate of Heaven, they will be able to become a new people.

  ‘Moreover, Feng, be enlightened in your use of punishments. If someone commits a minor crime but does so deliberately and persistently, never mind how minor, execute him.

  ‘If someone commits a major crime, but does not do so deliberately but by accident or mistake, and confesses to this, then do not execute him.

  ‘Listen, Feng. The people will work together in unison if you always do the right thing because this will enlighten them. The people will cast away wrongdoing as if it were sickness, and as a result, there will be peace and unity. It’s as if they are just children. Remember, Feng, it is not your role alone to punish or execute. Nor must you act alone in deciding upon punishments such as mutilation of the nose or ear.

  ‘When dealing with external affairs, follow the rules of Yin. They are appropriate for such cases. Before making a decision, reflect for five or six days, maybe even longer – say, ten days, and then after a while, perhaps even as long as three months, make your decision.

  ‘Follow the calendar of the Yin in terms of when to have legal proceedings. Never decree death according to your own views or whims, but according to what is right. Follow this and you can justly claim you did what was right. I cannot stress enough that you must only do what is right and proper.

  ‘Prepare yourself. Even though you are young, you have a good heart. Follow my example which you can see set before you.

  ‘Remember, everyone hates those who rob, steal, are rebels, murderers, looters and those who laugh at death.

  ‘Feng. While everyone loathes such people, the worst of all are those who are unfilial and unfriendly.

  ‘If a son offends his father and wounds him to the heart, the father will no longer be able to love his son and this in turn will hurt the son.

  ‘A younger brother who does not honour Heaven and as a result fails to respect his older brother will cause his older brother to forget all that tradition has taught him and he will despise his younger brother.

  ‘If we who are in charge fail to act against those who break the rules, then the patterns established by Heaven will be ignored or even worse will disappear.

  ‘I recommend that as in the days of King Wen, you punish swiftly, sternly and without mercy.

  ‘Those who act so badly must be punished severely. And if this is the general case, how much more so should officials in charge of teaching and order be punished if they promote dissent and peddle falsehoods just so they can be popular.

  ‘Even worse are those who do nothing to ensure that the life of the ruler runs smoothly.

  ‘It is these kinds of people who are the wickedest because they spread evil. I loathe them and you are to deal swiftly with them and execute them.

  ‘If any of you assembled here, you princes and ministers, are unable to control your own households, your minor officials or your external affairs, without terrifying or abusing them, then by such actions you greatly undermine the authority of the Royal Mandate. This is against the true virtue of authority. You, above all, must follow the law and ensure the people are happy and prosperous. King Wen was such an example of respect and care that the people were at ease and felt able to do anything. Follow this and I, simple man that I am, will be content.

  ‘Feng, you can help the people to prosperity and unity, but you need to reflect upon this. For example, I like to think about the virtue of the Kings of Yin and how this led to the well-being of the people. As the people now expect leadership, if we fail to lead they are not capable of taking charge themselves.

  ‘Feng, let me tell you what I have learned from the Ancient Ones.

  ‘Use virtue when deciding what is the appropriate punishment.

  ‘Today the people are troubled;

  they are disturbed in their hearts and minds;

  this despite our best attempts to lead them properly.

  Frankly this is not working.

  ‘When I reflect upon the reprimand that Heaven has sent upon me, I have no grounds for complaint because Heaven hears the report of offences committed, whether they are big or small is of no consequence.

  ‘Listen, Feng.

  Listen to me.

  Always show reverence;

  never cause gossip;

  do not listen to bad advice nor behave badly.

  Take time to consider what is true and significant; be guided by virtue.

  Remain calm;

  study virtue;

  plan ahead.

  ‘By these moderate steps you will be able to guide the people. They will then be content and therefore will not blame you or try to overthrow you.

  ‘Indeed, you are young, Feng, and so you must understand that the Mandate can change. Ponder on this because I don’t want to have to remove it from you.

  ‘So, be wise;

  do as I have told you;

  follow my advice,

  then you will govern your people well.

  ‘Finally the king has said, “Go to it, Feng. Do not ignore the ritual responsibilities and pay attention to what I have said. Then the people of Yin will be loyal to your Household for generations to come.” ’

  38

  The Pronouncement on Drinking

  This continues the pronouncements to Feng, the ninth son of King Wen. It is not only historically interesting, but comments on a problem which afflicts China to this day.

  ‘Make it clear,’ the king said to Feng. ‘Make this major pronouncement clear to the people of the former capital of Yin. When your revered father King Wen founded the kingdom in the Western Lands, he made a pronouncement to all the officials and their assistants in all the states. It was a warning to those hard-working people. Remember, he warned, that the ritual wine has been set aside as Heaven has directed. But now Heaven punishes us because the people have become confused and lost their virtue all because they are now sunk in drunkenness. Whether on a grand scale or a lesser scale, the evils of drunkenness can destroy a state. This is why King Wen instructed the young, the officials and their officers not to indulge in regular drinking bouts. Wine should only be served for use in the proper rituals when, guided by virtue, there could be no excuse for drunkenness.

  “My people, teach the young to be content to enjoy what the earth produces itself. As a result, their hearts and minds will be at peace. Let them listen carefully to the instructions of their elders so that the young will see that whether an action of virtue is great or small, they are all in essence the same.

  “You who live here, gather in the harvest, work hard and in this way honour and serve your forebears and leaders. With the means you have at hand, oxen and carts, start trading abroad. In this way you will be able to serve your elders and when you are able to care properly for your parents, making them happy, then and only then celebrate with wine.

  “Now listen all of you, officials, officers, nobles, listen to my instructions. You may drink wine and celebrate with good food but only when you have done all that is necessary for the well-being of your elders and your ruler. Let
it first be said of you that you pay attention to your own behaviour, choosing the middle path of virtue and undertaking all the proper rituals. Then you can go ahead and party. If you conduct yourselves like this, then you really will be ministers worthy of the king and Heaven will reward you because of your virtue. Nor will you ever be forgotten within the Royal Household.”

  ‘Feng, when the ministers, princes and young people of our Western Lands followed the teachings of King Wen, they did not get drunk. This is why I have now been given the Mandate to rule Yin.

  ‘Feng, I have heard it said that the wise kings of Yin taught the people to revere Heaven. Because of this, the ordinary people themselves reflected this virtue and wisdom. From the time of Tang, right down to the time of the Emperor Yi, all the kings followed this example, as did their ministers. They would never dare to indulge themselves, let alone go drinking. This applied as much to those out on the wilder frontiers as well as those close to the Court – high or low, they would never dream of going drinking. Not only was this never in their minds, but frankly, they never had the time either for such frivolities. They were too busy helping the king show forth and increase his virtue. Which was why they were all revered.

  ‘Sadly, I also heard it said recently that the last of these kings was a drunkard, with the result that the people did not know what he wanted them to do. Even when his actions stirred up resentment, he nevertheless pursued his debauched lifestyle. Watching him sink deeper and deeper into indulgence and alcoholism, the people lost all respect and were greatly troubled in their hearts and minds. He so abandoned himself to alcohol, never ever trying to recover or stop, that he became lost. So much so that he did not fear even death itself. His behaviour infected the capital of the Shang itself so that even when the kingdom of the Yin was invaded, he didn’t care. He never even tried to act virtuously, not even to perform the correct rituals so that Heaven might hear him. The leaders became drunkards and the people hated him and Heaven noted all this. Which is why Heaven punished without mercy the Yin because of this disgraceful behaviour. Heaven itself did not initiate this but it responded to the distress of the people.

  ‘Feng, I really don’t want to go on about this other than to quote the old saying:

  ‘ “Do not look on water to truly see yourself, but look instead at what others reflect back to you of yourself.”

  ‘So, now Yin has lost the Mandate – and you will understand why I draw this analogy, in order to try and help restore peace and unity. All I would add is that you should strictly enforce a ban on drunkenness on all the officials of Yin – all of them – whoever they are, whether nobles, ministers, officers, those with responsibility for all aspects of the life of the State, of the military, of the law. Furthermore, I instruct you that if you hear of people getting together to drink, then you trap them and send them here to me in Zhou. And I will execute them. If, however, a minister has been led into drunkenness, then it may not be necessary to execute him. Instead we should try and educate and reform them instead. This cannot be put more clearly. I will execute anyone who disobeys. I, this man alone, will show no pity nor be swayed by any plea. I will just put them to death.

  ‘Feng,’ the king ended up by saying. ‘Pay constant attention to my warning. If you fail to maintain order amongst your ministers, the people will sink into debauchery.’

  39

  The Right Stuff

  The final pronouncement to Feng but fused with general ministerial advice. The ‘right stuff’ refers to the wood to be used when making good furniture.

  The king said to Feng:

  ‘It takes a really good statesman to understand not just the people themselves, but also the ministers and the great families, and to be able to bring them into unity of intention.

  ‘When you issue your instructions, you need to make sure that there is no misunderstanding. You should say, “I have many who assist me, ministers, for example, of war, civil affairs, education and many others. Be assured that I will never execute anyone without due cause.”

  ‘To encourage respect, show respect.

  ‘So, for example, with some traitors and criminals, murderers and rebels – you should pardon them because then the people will see that this is how a prince behaves. Similarly, pardon some of those who have attacked and harmed others. When a king appoints the investigators in order to deal with these sorts of problems, this is so as to reassure the people that they are properly governed. He commands that the people should never be harmed or oppressed, and that the weak and destitute should be respected. Never waver in your concern for the well-being of the people. When a king gives his orders to his princes and their followers, what should his command be? It must always be for the well-being of the people. This was how the kings of old behaved and their investigators followed suit.

  ‘Imagine you are managing a farm,’ he added. ‘The ground has been dug, so now it is time to build the boundaries and the ditches.

  ‘Or you could compare it to building a house. The walls are up and now you need to plaster them and put a roof on.

  ‘Or maybe it is more like making furniture – you need the right stuff to start with and then you add whatever paint you need – such as red, for example.

  ‘The Ancestor Kings took care about how they spread the light of their virtue. They took care to nurture and develop their relationships with their officials and as a result all the states sent them tribute. These signs of friendship came from across the land. Because they respected his virtuous rule, they were content to honour him by bringing their tributes. Imperial Heaven gave this kingdom and its people to the Ancestor King. This is why Your Majesty will be able to pacify and restore both this land and its rebellious people – because of your virtue. This will be a cause of rejoicing for our Ancestors who were first awarded the Mandate of Heaven.

  ‘So, study this and reflect upon it. If you are successful, your descendants will rule for Ten Thousand years as the true protectors of the people.’

  40

  The Pronouncement of Shao

  Grand Protector Shao is thought to be one of King Wen’s sons and was given prime responsibility with Zhou to find a site for the new capital city. Creating a new capital especially for a new dynasty was the custom and involved extensive divination to ensure it was an auspicious site.

  On the Yi Wei day in the second month, which fell six days after the full moon, the king left Zhou early in the morning and travelled to Feng.

  On the third day of the third month, after the rise of the new moon, the Grand Protector Shao had gone to inspect the site at Luo, before the arrival of the Duke of Zhou.

  On the Wu Shen day, three days later, the oracle was consulted about where the new city should be built. The augury was good, so the plans were laid out for this site.

  It was three days after that, that the Grand Protector Shao led the people of Yin in preparing the site which lay at the junction of the Lo and Yellow Rivers.

  By the fifth day this was finished.

  On the following day, the Duke of Zhou came in the morning to Luo to inspect the plans for the new capital in detail.

  Three days later, he performed the ritual sacrifices of two bulls, and the following day he performed the proper ritual sacrifices to the Earth God, offering a bull, a goat and a pig.

  Seven days later, in the morning, the Duke of Zhou issued his written commands to all the people and their leaders, who upon receiving them rose up together to undertake this labour.

  The Great Protector went to where the princes of the chief Houses were gathered and, accepting their tributes, he brought them to the Duke of Zhou, saying:

  ‘I kowtow to you and I present them to you, my Duke, as if to the king himself. Through your pronouncements, order will be established amongst the Yin.

  ‘Indeed, the Emperor of Heaven,

  the Ruler on High,

  has decided to alter the fate of this great Kingdom of Yin, in favour of the eldest son.

  This Mandate,<
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  which our King has received,

  is a mixed blessing.

  It can be the cause

  of great happiness;

  it can be the cause

  of great anxiety;

  he has no option.

  He has to reverently obey.

  ‘While Heaven has terminated the Mandate to Yin, nevertheless there are still of course their sage Ancestor Kings who dwell in Heaven. Sadly, it was their successors and their people who, having the Mandate, nevertheless began to behave badly, banishing the wise and instead bringing in oppressors.

  ‘The downtrodden people, desperate to protect their women and children, raised their cry to Heaven itself. When they tried to flee, they were captured. However, Heaven had heard their cry and had compassion on the people throughout the land. As a result, the Mandate was given to our forebears, which is why the king must be the very model of virtue itself.

  ‘Going back in time, we can see how the founder of the Xia was guided by Heaven and as a result we can see how the authority to rule passed down to his descendants because they were obedient to the Will of Heaven. Now time has passed, and over time the right to the Mandate was lost.

  ‘The same thing happened with the Founder of the Yin. In the beginning Heaven guided the Yin and their descendants were blessed because they lived in accord with the Mandate of Heaven. But their descendants later squandered everything.

  ‘Now our young king has ascended to the Throne. He must not neglect the elders and those people who have true experience, otherwise how will he come to understand the virtue of the ancient ones who themselves were guided by Heaven? Indeed, the king may be just a youth, but he is the chosen son who is expected to unite the ordinary people. He must be always alert to the dangers that confront the people; he must not fail to do this.