Chapter 40: "King Chu Fond Slender Waists"

After ascending the throne, King Ling of Chu did not moderate his previously arrogant and arbitrary demeanor, nor his self-willed approach to handling affairs. Instead, he intensified them, acting with increasing recklessness in both his personal lifestyle and the management of domestic and foreign affairs, thus leading the state of Chu step by step toward a bottomless abyss.

In historical accounts regarding King Ling's personal preferences, there is a very typical summary: "The King of Chu loves slender waists." This is exemplified through a dialogue recorded in the Strategies of the Warring States. The conversation takes place between King Wei of Chu and his minister Mo'ao Zihua. Troubled by the difficulty of finding capable individuals, King Wei asks Mo'ao Zihua how one might find talents comparable to the famous ministers of Chu's past, given the current shortage of capable men.

Mo'ao Zihua answers with an allusion, explaining that King Ling of Chu was extremely fond of slender waists. To cater to his preference, princes and high ministers successively adopted fasting diets to mold themselves into a "slender waist" shape. Consuming only one meal a day, they became so dizzy with hunger that they could not stand by themselves, having to lean against walls for support; when alighting from chariots, they always had to rely on the carriage rail for leverage. Everyone loves fine food, yet in order to have a slender waist to please the sovereign, they persisted in eating sparingly, willing to die of starvation without regret. As the saying goes, "Whatever those above prefer, those below will surely follow." Therefore, if a ruler loves wise ministers, his subjects will strive to become such men, and it would not be difficult for Chu to produce wise men comparable to the renowned ministers of former eras.

Through this story, it can be seen that King Ling's fondness for "slender waists" was passed down through generations. In other classical texts, the phrase "the King of Chu loves slender waists" is often paired with "the King of Yue loves bravery," illustrating the principle that a ruler's personal preferences frequently determine the destiny of the state and its people, thereby mocking past foolish rulers who ruined their nations and warning sovereigns to constantly exercise self-restraint and introspection to avoid repeating the mistakes of their predecessors.

However, in the course of historical evolution, with the changing social and cultural context, the connotation of "the King of Chu loves slender waists" gradually shifted. Initially, it was merely used to describe the impact of King Ling's personal preferences on his ministers, existing as a satirical allusion. Yet, the two characters for "slender waist" shifted from referring to ministers to referring to palace women, and the meaning of "the King of Chu loves slender waists" transformed into a commentary highlighting his fondness for female beauty and his debauchery within the palace.

One thing can be confirmed: King Ling's tyranny, lawlessness, arrogance, and profligacy were known to all. The "Three-Rest Pavilion," which he vigorously championed building, is the best testimony to this. The "Three-Rest Pavilion" is an alternative name for the Zhanghua Terrace, a detached palace built by King Ling in the ancient Huayong County in 535 BC. It consumed the strength of the entire state, took several years to complete, and rose dozens of zhang in height. It was called the "Three-Rest Pavilion" because as people climbed the steps, they needed to rest three times along the way before reaching the summit, which shows the immense scale of this terrace.

Aside from the "Three-Rest Pavilion," the Zhanghua Terrace was also known as the "Slender Waist Palace," because King Ling's personal fetish became the aesthetic trend throughout the entire state of Chu. The palace maids, unwilling to be left behind, dieted and sculpted their figures to satisfy the King's eyes. For a time, beauties with slender waists filled the palace amidst songs and dances, and thus the Zhanghua Terrace earned the moniker "Slender Waist Palace."

Ironically, "The King of Chu loves slender waists, and the whole country starves to death" became history's best appraisal of King Ling, possessing a double meaning. While King Ling immersed himself in the figures and dances of slender beauties—and historical records suggest there may have been "handsome men" as well, given that King Ling's personal inclinations remain somewhat controversial—the ministers at court wrung their minds trying to satisfy the King's desires in pursuit of glory, wealth, and smooth official careers. The ones paying the price for all this were undoubtedly the common people across the land. Therefore, "the whole country starves to death" was not entirely due to dieting and slimming down.

After the completion of the Zhanghua Terrace, King Ling naturally desired to show it off, so he widely invited various feudal lords, hoping they would attend the inauguration ceremony. To his dismay, he was met with a cold reception; almost no one responded, because the various lords held King Ling's foolishness and debauchery in deep contempt and were unwilling to associate with him. With no other choice, the state of Chu resorted to bullying tactics, threatening military aggression to force the ruler of Lu to attend the assembly. The Duke of Lu arrived at the Zhanghua Terrace to add to King Ling's merriment, and the King proved somewhat "chivalrous" by not treating the Duke of Lu shabbily, presenting him with the Daqu precious bow, a national heirloom of Chu. Ridiculously, however, King Ling's action was a momentary impulse, and once he calmed up, he felt deep regret, actually ordering his ministers to demand the bow back from the Duke of Lu. His character was thus laid bare, and the national dignity of Chu was swept away.

In fact, the Zhanghua Terrace was not limited to just one location. King Ling fancied the beautiful scenery of the Qianxi region, so he once again wasted public resources and wearied the people by "copying" the Zhanghua Terrace identically in that area to satisfy his personal amusement.

King Ling's fondness for city walls and pavilions was no less than his "slender waist fetish." Unsatisfied after building two Zhanghua Terraces, he sought locations across the realm. In 538 BC, he dispatched his younger brother Qiji to build the city of Xu; in the same year, he built the city walls of Zhongli and Chaozhou; in 531 BC, he continued large-scale construction projects, building the cities of Chen and Cai. These projects constantly exhausted the people's strength, giving rise to public grievances and the loss of popular support, not to mention causing a severe loss of productivity and creating a situation of living off past reserves, thereby planting endless hidden dangers. Grand Master Shen Wuyu made a prophecy that came true: "The origin of Chu's disaster will lie right here."

Emperor Taizong of Tang used "water" and "boat" to metaphorically describe the relationship between the ruler and the people, pointing out that "water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it." As a ruler, King Ling did not seek blessings for the people and the state; instead, he abused state power to satisfy his personal indulgences. The ones who suffered and endured hardships because of this were the millions of living souls under his rule. The tranquil pool of the state of Chu was repeatedly stirred up by him until fierce waves arose, eventually capsizing the seemingly formidable yet ultimately fragile boat that was King Ling.

King Ling's self-important domineering arrogance was most evident in his decision-making regarding foreign affairs. The King of Chu was very fond of summoning the feudal lords to conventions in his own country to demonstrate Chu's status as a major power, matching the King's own impatient, impetuous mindset and consistently high-profile style of action.

In the third year of King Ling of Chu (538 BC), Chu sent envoys to Jin, stating that Chu wished to hold a covenant assembly and inviting Jin and its allied states to attend. Jin was initially unenthusiastic about this, because both were major powers—one in the Central Plains and one in the south—and a fierce rivalry was inevitable. Consequently, Jin did not want to boost the rival's prestige while crushing its own morale.

Grand Master Sima Hou remonstrated with Duke Ping of Jin, saying, "You should still attend the assembly. King Ling's arrogance is at its peak right now, and he acts recklessly without regard for consequences. The reason Heaven allows him to revel in success for a time is perhaps precisely to let him draw upon himself widespread resentment. With such virtue, the common people naturally will not be of one mind with him, so even if he wishes to contend with us for hegemony, he will lack the power to do so despite his desires."

Duke Ping disagreed, saying that Chu was currently bogged down in internal friction, and furthermore, Jin itself possessed a strategic terrain and abundant products. With such a favorable situation, how could they sit idly by and watch Chu claim hegemony?

Sima Hou replied that one must not achieve hegemony by taking advantage of another state's distress to rise oneself; doing so would place the state in an unrighteous and highly dangerous position. King Zhou of Shang was profligate and lawless, while King Wen of Zhou was magnanimous and benevolent; the former was eventually replaced by the latter, which shows that virtue is extremely important for anyone wishing to rule the world.

The Duke of Jin adopted Sima Hou's advice and had someone reply to the Chu envoy that the ruler had pressing matters and could not attend the assembly. As for Jin's allied states, they had already submitted to Chu of their own accord, so Chu could freely invite those nations without notifying Jin. The Duke of Jin also agreed to King Ling's request for a marital alliance.

King Ling was also unsure about his own proposal for the covenant assembly, so he consulted Zichan of Zheng, asking him about the feudal states' reactions to the assembly. Zichan said that Jin would certainly allow its allied states to attend, because the ruler of Jin was foolish and incompetent, and his ministers were all filling their own pockets and acting as worms gnawing at the state, meaning Jin lacked lofty ambitions. Moreover, there was already an agreement established at the disarmament conference of Song years ago, and Jin could not risk losing its credibility by violating it. As for Jin's allied states, on one hand they feared Chu's formidable military might, and on the other hand they hoped to cultivate friendly relations with Chu; thus, they would all come to the assembly. However, four states might be absent: Cao, Lu, Wei, and Zhu.

The assembly was held on schedule. Just as Zichan had predicted, Cao and Zhu claimed domestic disasters had occurred, Lu feigned ancestral sacrifices, and the Marquis of Wei stated he was unwell, so none of them arrived. Grand Master Jiao Ju privately told King Ling that this assembly concerned Chu's hegemony and he must not act rashly. He listed the banquet at Juntai by Xia Qi, the mandate at Jingbo by Tang of Shang, the assembly at Mengjin by Wu of Zhou, the assembly at Zhaoling by Huan of Qi, and the covenant at Jiantu by Wen of Jin for King Ling to choose from. The King decided to emulate the assembly of Zhaoling by Huan of Qi.

Subsequently, King Ling consulted the Left Master and Zichan, both of whom offered six sets of rituals for King Ling's reference. Throughout the entire assembly, King Ling kept Grand Master Jiao Ju closely by his side, hoping Jiao Ju could point out any breaches of ritual on his part. Yet from beginning to end, Jiao Ju uttered not a single word. When King Ling asked him the reason, Jiao Ju could only reply that he himself did not understand the rituals that ought to be followed during Huan of Qi's assembly. The mediocrity of Chu's ruler and ministers was thus plainly evident.

In his treatment of the envoys from the various states attending the assembly, King Ling behaved extremely inappropriately. Addicted to hunting, King Ling ignored Crown Prince Zuo of Song, who had failed to arrive on time, and finally sent an envoy to tell Crown Prince Zuo that he was performing ancestral sacrifices and would present Song's tribute then. His arrogant attitude was laid completely bare. Compared to the ruler of Xu, however, Crown Prince Zuo's fate was even fortunate. Because the ruler of Xu was a descendant of Wu, King Ling deduced on this basis that he harbored disloyal intentions and actually had him arrested.

King Ling's tyrannical actions caused him to lose the hearts of the people. Grand Master Jiao Ju remonstrated with him, hoping King Ling could win people over with virtue. Citing historical precedents—how Xia Jie held a assembly and Youmin rebelled, Shang Zhou held a assembly and the Eastern Yi rebelled, and Zhou You held a assembly and the Rong and Di rebelled—he warned King Ling, but King Ling turned a deaf ear. Zichan met with the Left Master and expressed utter contempt for King Ling's behavior, remarking that King Ling had revealed his true nature, was arrogant and unstable, and would certainly not live a long life. The Left Master judged that King Ling would soon lose all popular support and eventually be abandoned.

Having gathered the feudal lords to flex his military might, King Ling still felt unsatisfied, so he launched a massive invasion of Wu. After capturing the Wu city of Zhufang, he seized Qing Feng, who had fled there from Qi to escape disaster, and slaughtered his entire clan. Jiao Ju once again remonstrated with the King, advising him not to kill Qing Feng rashly, stating that only a person of flawless virtue possessed the qualification to execute others. Qing Feng had acted wildly and lawlessly in his own state; how could he possibly submit and bare his neck for execution here? If he were to spread rumors detrimental to His Majesty, it would become troublesome. King Ling refused to listen.

King Ling ordered Qing Feng to be paraded through the streets, making him shout out his own crimes as he walked. Unexpectedly, Qing Feng shouted out the violent acts of King Ling's usurpation of the throne from years past and strongly urged the feudal lords not to form alliances with Chu. Terrified, King Ling had Qing Feng executed on the spot.

King Ling continued his arbitrary and willful actions, leading the feudal lords to conquer the state of Lai. The ruler of Lai came to the Chu military camp to confess his guilt, binding his own hands, holding a jade bi in his mouth, baring his left shoulder, and carrying a coffin. This time, King Ling finally heeded Jiao Ju's advice: he untied the ruler's bonds, accepted the jade bi, burned the coffin, and treated him with ritual courtesy. Afterward, he relocated the people of Xu into Lai territory, left Dou Weigui and Prince Qiji to build the city walls, and returned to the capital himself.

Unexpectedly, in July of the same year, the Wu army invaded Chu's borders, forcing Chu to divert manpower and material resources to strengthen its defenses, plunging Chu into a very passive position. The state of Chu naturally would not let the matter rest. In the fourth and fifth years of King Ling's reign, large-scale military campaigns were launched against Wu twice, both ending in defeat because Wu was well-prepared. Although these defeats did not deliver a fatal blow to the national foundation that broke its bones and muscles, they added an extra burden to a nation already living beyond its means.

Having failed in his campaigns against Wu, King Ling turned his spearhead elsewhere. Taking advantage of internal strife within the ruling house of Chen, he interfered in Chen's internal affairs, dispatching Prince Qiji to lead an army eastward and conquer the state of Chen. Subsequently, he carried out large-scale forced relocations of populations in the newly conquered lands, forcing the people of several regions to abandon lives they had carefully built and move their entire households. King Ling, of course, felt nothing of the visceral pain inflicted upon the physical lives and spiritual minds of the common people by these measures.

In the tenth year of King Ling of Chu (531 BC), the state of Chu set its sights on Cai. Under the pretext of holding a covenant assembly, King Ling lured the ruler of Cai to Shen and ambushed and killed him. Subsequently, the grand army of Chu surrounded Cai airtight. Jin gathered multiple states to seek the rescue of Cai, but none of the states dispatched troops. Lacking the confidence to confront Chu alone, Jin could only send envoys into Chu, which naturally yielded no success. After conquering the states of Chen and Cai, Chu's momentum grew increasingly grand. King Ling looked down upon all directions with disdain, seemingly harboring the ambition to claim hegemony over the entire world.

With King Ling calling the wind and summoning the rain and no one daring to defy him—holding an assembly whenever he wished, waging war whenever he desired, and building cities whenever he pleased—if this continued unchecked without restraint, he would inevitably provoke the wrath of both men and gods, and his days would be numbered.