Chapter 35: Emperor Wu of Han Instructs His Grandson

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After they had eaten and drunk their fill, it was already afternoon. During the meal, Liu Jin had instructed a servant to leave, and before long the man returned.

In his hand was an exquisite toothbrush, which he casually passed to Emperor Wu of Han. “Here, old man. Take it and use it.”

Emperor Wu stared at the toothbrush for a while. Though he had seen and experienced much in life, he could not tell what purpose the object served.

“It’s for brushing your teeth. Just a little trinket I put together myself—nothing worth mentioning.”

“Tsk, tsk.” Emperor Wu chuckled. “Are you waiting for me to praise you? You little rascal—you’re full of schemes.”

“Still, it is rather interesting. Very well, I accept your thoughtfulness, and I’ll take the gift too.”

Liu Jin helplessly spread his hands. The old man’s mind was exceptionally clear, and his eyes were sharp enough to see through people and situations alike. Trying to put on an act in front of him without betraying anything was no easy matter.

“Master!”

Outside, a servant hurried over and said to Liu Jin, “The common laborers at Coal Mountain have started fighting.”

“Oh? Why?”

“Go and see for yourself,” Emperor Wu said.

Liu Jin nodded and once again led the old man back to Coal Mountain in the western suburbs.

It took quite some time before he understood what had happened. One porter had grown dissatisfied with another for shirking his work. Liu Jin paid all the laborers the same amount each day: some worked hard and earned ten coins, while others loafed around and received exactly the same pay.

The diligent workers could no longer stand it, and an argument had broken out between the two sides. Before long, the quarrel had escalated into blows.

Liu Jin raised his voice. “Anyone who doesn’t want to work can get lost! Damn it, did I hire a bunch of ancestors to serve? All you do is cause trouble!”

Only then did everyone quiet down.

Narrowing his eyes, Emperor Wu calmly questioned one of the uninvolved laborers nearby. “Is what they said true? Were those laborers really shirking?”

No one answered.

“Whoever can verify the truth will receive an extra day’s wages.”

The next moment, one of the laborers stepped forward to confirm that the other group’s accusations were true. Soon, more people came forward to corroborate his statement.

Emperor Wu nodded and said to Liu Jin, “Dismiss every one of those idlers and send them home.”

“And send away the people who kept silent just now as well.”

Liu Jin did as instructed. The dismissed laborers pleaded desperately, begging Liu Jin and Emperor Wu to spare them. They still had elderly parents and young children to support, and they made themselves look utterly wretched.

“Do not let pity sway you.” Emperor Wu had evidently noticed Liu Jin’s hesitation and reminded him, “If you want to manage this place properly, you cannot afford to be softhearted.”

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Liu Jin nodded slightly and ordered everyone else to return to work.

As for himself, he was led by the old man to rest in the shade beneath a large tree.

“You cannot keep people who drag the whole team down. You must deal with them, for four reasons.”

“First, they will reduce the progress of your entire workforce.”

“Second, they will undermine cooperation throughout the group.”

“Third, you will have to assign people to supervise them, which will increase your expenses.”

“Fourth, these people will spread their negativity to others. More and more workers will grow resentful of you, thinking, ‘We do so much work and exhaust ourselves, yet he pays us so little,’ and so on. In time, your authority will diminish.”

The old man explained, without haste, the principles of managing a team.

Liu Jin listened attentively and nodded in agreement. With a smile, he said, “I have learned my lesson. Thank you for enlightening me, old man.”

Emperor Wu smiled. “It was nothing.”

“You should promote some people from among them. Let a few serve as supervisors, and have another group record the amount of work completed. Do not pay everyone the same wage. Pay them according to how much they accomplish. Only then will you inspire them to work harder.”

Liu Jin nodded. The old man’s words were broadly similar to the management principles of leaders and administrators in later generations.

“Old man, you’re really something. You can infer so much from so little. It’s only a minor matter, yet you’ve come up with so many suggestions.”

Emperor Wu thought to himself, What nonsense. I have to govern an entire empire—what is a trivial matter like this to me?

“I am asking you: if you were to promote someone, how would you choose?”

Liu Jin answered without hesitation, “Naturally, I’d promote those who have been here the longest and worked the hardest.”

Emperor Wu shook his head. “Wrong.”

“Wrong?”

“Why?” Liu Jin looked at him in confusion.

Emperor Wu said calmly, “If you do that, then in the future every worker who has been here the longest and worked the hardest will assume that he is bound to be promoted. They will believe they earned the promotion through their own efforts rather than receiving it as a favor from you. They will not feel grateful to you.”

“Do not promote people according to such a predictable pattern. Give them no rule by which they can anticipate your choices. That way, whenever another promotion arises, they will rack their brains to read your intentions, flatter you, and fear you.”

“Favor must come from above. You must make them understand that thunder and rain, punishment and grace alike, are all gifts from you. They did not obtain them through their own efforts. You bestowed them through the power in your hands!”

Liu Jin froze. This time, he was genuinely stunned. So this was how one controlled subordinates? This was how one governed people?

And if the same principle were extended to governing officials and administering a state, would it work the same way? Was this how an emperor maintained his dignity, controlled power, and imperceptibly ruled those beneath him?

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At that thought, Liu Jin drew a sharp breath and exclaimed excitedly, “Old man! You truly possess profound wisdom!”

Emperor Wu looked at him suspiciously. “What do you mean by ‘profound wisdom’?”

“It means having a correct and penetrating understanding, along with brilliant insight!”

The corners of Emperor Wu’s mouth lifted slightly. Looking somewhat pleased with himself, he put on an air of casual superiority and lectured him, “Young fellow, you still have much to learn. This is only the beginning.”

“They say that a household with an elder is like a household with a treasure. That really is true!” Liu Jin sighed.

Emperor Wu smacked his lips thoughtfully, then nodded with a smile. “That saying has merit. Respecting the elderly is a virtue. So, you should understand that you must be filial to your grandfather.”

“Even if he does not see you often, you must still understand the duty of filial piety.”

Liu Jin fell into thought and looked at him doubtfully. You certainly did not say that before.

Emperor Wu’s cheek twitched. “The conversation simply led us here, and I had a few reflections. I only hope you will be a filial child.”

“Oh,” Liu Jin said. “Filial piety is a virtue, and it is also the foundation of governance in the Great Han. Naturally, I must uphold it.”

“Only sincerity makes a gentleman.”

Liu Jin replied as though it were self-evident, “I am sincere.”

Give me a break! I can see that you have ulterior motives!

“Old man, how do you know so many principles? What you just said could be applied directly to governing a country and administering its officials.”

Emperor Wu narrowed his eyes. As expected, the boy was clever. If he had failed to connect those ideas with governing the country and its officials, Emperor Wu would have been somewhat disappointed. But the boy had not let him down. His insight was sufficient.

“After experiencing enough things, anyone will gain some understanding. Don’t single me out—any old man should be much the same.”

Liu Jin said firmly, “Impossible! I feel that even my own grandfather would pale beside you.”

“What does ‘pale beside you’ mean?” Where did this boy keep inventing these strange expressions?

“It means he is inferior to you.”

“Cough, cough, cough!”

The old man had just taken a drink of water and immediately choked so badly that tears nearly sprang from his eyes.