Two Brothers of Zheng
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It happened in the Zhou dynasty. When his father died, Duke Zhuang succeeded him as the ruler of Zheng. But this was not what his mother, Lady Jiang, had preferred. She loathed the duke. She had a difficult labor when giving birth to him, which had left a permanent scar on her mind. She favored her younger son, Duan.
“Could you give your brother the town of Zhi as his fief?” she asked Duke Zhuang. “He needs a place of his own to live.”
“I can’t, Mother,” said the duke. “Zhi is a strategic town. Father said it should not be anybody’s fief.”
“What about the town of Jing?”
So Jing was given Duan.
“But Jing is an important town, Your Highness,” said one of his ministers. “Duan can use it as a base to expand his influence.”
“What can I do? Lady Jiang asked for it.”
“Lady Jiang is a greedy woman,” said the minister. “If you don’t keep your brother in check, it would be difficult to control him later on.”
“Well, if he doesn’t behave, he’ll get himself into trouble.”
Duan raised a private army in his fief and took possession of two neighboring towns.
“What are you going to do?” another minister asked the duke.
“I don’t need to do anything. Duan will bring ruin upon himself.”
Soon Duan took another two towns and incorporated them into his fief.
“It’s time to punish him, Father,” Duke Zhuang’s own son urged him. “The more land he takes, the more resources he’ll have. We must stop him.”
“Don’t worry,” said the duke. “His ill-gotten gains will only lead to failure.”
A few days later, Duke Zhuang announced he was going to visit Luoyang, the royal seat of the Zhou dynasty. Eager to get rid of the duke, Lady Jiang sent a letter to Duan, urging him to launch an attack on the capital of Zheng during the duke’s absence and promising that she would cooperate from within. Elated, Duan lost no time making preparations for the coup attempt. What he did not know was that the correspondence between he and his mother was all intercepted, for their couriers were Duke Zhuang’s spies.
Duke Zhuang ordered one army to confront Duan’s troops, and another army to lie in ambush to cut off their retreat. In the ensuing battle, the duke’s troops crushed his brother’s. Duan was forced to kill himself.
Angry with his mother, Duke Zhuang sent her into exile, vowing that he would not see her again until she reached the land of Yellow Springs, which was the land of the dead in Chinese tradition.
With the passage of time, however, the duke began to miss his mother. He regretted the vow he had taken. But a vow was a vow and he could not break it. One day an official named Ying Kaoshu came to visit him. The duke treated him to dinner. Ying Kaoshu saved some meat to take home.
“What is this for?” asked the duke.
“For my mother. The meat is so delicious.”
“You have a mother, but I haven’t.”
“Is Her Ladyship all right, Your Highness?”
The duke then told Ying Kaoshu what had happened and admitted his regret.
“Don’t worry. Didn’t Your Highness say you would meet your mother in the land of Yellow Springs? Well, we can dig a tunnel until water comes out, and then build a house in the tunnel for you and your mother to meet. That way you wouldn’t be breaking your vow.”
The duke asked Ying Kaoshu to take care of the matter. Ying employed five hundred laborers to dig up a tunnel and construct a subterranean dwelling.
Duke Zhuang and his mother both cried when they met in the underground house, each asking the other for forgiveness. The duke led his mother out of the tunnel and the two rode back to the palace in his carriage.
Last Story
Kidnapping
Wise Proverbs
- It is better to rectify mistakes in time.
- 过而能改，善莫大焉。
- A man whose heart is not content is like a snake which tries to swallow an elephant.
- 人心不足蛇吞象。
- He who inflicts much injustices is doomed to destruction.
- 多行不义必自毙。
Editor Says:
In a society that honored filial piety and fraternal devotion, Duke Zhuang needed to build an overwhelming case against his mother and brother. Or else he would risk losing his moral standing. His tolerance was calculated. In the end he induced his brother to walk into a trap he had carefully laid for him. That was why Confucius despised him.