Wen Tao: Elevating the Worthy

King Wen asked Tai Gong:
"As a ruler, whom should I honor, whom should I suppress, whom should I employ, and whom should I eliminate? What must I strictly prohibit, and what must I restrain?"

Tai Gong replied:
"A ruler should honor those of virtue and talent, suppress the unvirtuous and incompetent, employ the loyal and trustworthy, and eliminate the deceitful and hypocritical. Prohibit acts of violence and chaos, and restrain extravagance. Thus, a ruler must guard against the Six Pernicious Influences and the Seven Detrimental Forces."

King Wen said:

"I wish to hear of these principles."

Tai Gong answered:

The Six Pernicious Influences are:

• Ministers who build lavish palaces, towers, and gardens for leisure and spectacle—this corrupts the ruler’s virtue.

• Commoners who abandon farming and sericulture, indulge in lawlessness, defy authority, and reject governance—this undermines the ruler’s teachings.

• Ministers who form cliques, exclude the wise, and obscure the ruler’s judgment—this erodes the ruler’s authority.

• Scholars who act arrogantly, flaunt false integrity, collude with foreign powers, and disrespect the ruler—this diminishes the ruler’s dignity.

• Ministers who scorn rank, defy superiors, and refuse to risk themselves for the state—this demoralizes the meritorious.

• Powerful clans that plunder the weak and oppress the poor—this destroys the livelihoods of the people.

The Seven Detrimental Forces are:

• Those without strategy or wisdom who seek high rank through brute force and reckless warfare—never appoint such men as generals.

• Those with empty reputations, duplicitous speech, and a knack for slander—never consult such men on grave matters.

• Those who feign humility and asceticism while secretly chasing fame and profit—never keep such hypocrites close.

• Those who dress ostentatiously, boast empty rhetoric, and slander traditions from obscurity—never trust such cunning manipulators.

• Those who flatter for office, act rashly for profit, and prioritize self-interest—never employ such opportunists.

• Craftsmen who prioritize luxury arts (e.g., carving, ornate decor) over agriculture—ban such practices outright.

• Sorcerers and charlatans who deceive the people with occult tricks and false prophecies—suppress such deceptions without mercy.

Thus:

• If the people do not devote themselves to farming, they are not good subjects.

• If scholars lack loyalty and integrity, they are not good scholars.

• If ministers dare not advise frankly, they are not good ministers.

• If officials are unjust, corrupt, or neglect the people, they are not good officials.

• If the prime minister fails to enrich the state, strengthen the military, resolve conflicts, stabilize the ruler’s position, enforce laws, verify merits, and ensure the people’s welfare—he is not a good prime minister.

A ruler must act as the head of a dragon:

• See far and observe deeply.

• Listen attentively while maintaining solemnity.

• Conceal intentions like an unfathomable abyss; appear lofty as the boundless sky.

Therefore:

• If a ruler fails to act on justified anger, treacherous ministers will stir chaos.

• If he hesitates to execute the guilty, great turmoil will follow.

• If he delays punitive campaigns, rival states will grow powerful."

King Wen exclaimed: "Well spoken!"