Thoughtful Admonition Versus Blunt Advice

(Minghui.org) There have been many well-known imperial censors throughout history. Some of them had an amicable relationship with the monarch with solid mutual understanding. These censors were cherished and duly rewarded by the monarch, such as Wei Zheng in the Tang Dynasty. Some censors were disliked by the monarch and were punished or dismissed from office, such as Yuan Keli in the Ming Dynasty.

Later generations had only praise for both Wei Zheng and Yuan Keli, so why were their fates so different? I would like to share my personal understanding. 

Sympathetic Admonition

The most famous admonisher in history would be Wei Zheng. Emperor Taizong of Tang praised him, saying, “Wei Zheng admonished me as he went about things, and in most cases I was in the wrong. He’s like a mirror that reflects both good and bad in the imperial court.” 

Wei Zheng’s thoughtful admonitions of the emperor were always based on good reasons and were delivered with kindness and understanding as well as his loyalty to the emperor. Therefore, the emperor appreciated his advice and changed his ways. 

According to Zi Zhi Tong Jian (Comprehensive Mirror to Aid in Government), Empress Wende (Empress Zhangsun) passed away in the 10^th year of Zhenguan. Emperor Taizong and his empress were married as teenagers and the two had been through a lot together during the war times and in family disputes. They shared similar aspirations and felt deeply for each other. 

After her death, the emperor missed her very much, so he built a tower in the palace so that he could climb up there and see as far as her tomb, which was in Zhaoling. 

One day, Emperor Taizong asked Wei Zheng to accompany him up to the tower. Pointing in the direction of Zhaoling, he asked Wei Zheng if he could see Zhaoling.

“My vision is failing me due to old age, and I cannot see it, your Majesty,” Wei Zheng replied.

The emperor pointed in the direction of Zhaoling and asked Wei Zheng to take another look. 

“Oh! I thought Your Majesty was looking at Xianling (the tomb of Emperor Taizong’s father Gaozu). If you meant Zhaoling, of course I can see it,” Wei Zheng replied courteously. 

Upon hearing his words, the emperor realized that Wei Zheng was reminding him that he should not forgot his deceased father and only miss his deceased wife, and that, according to the etiquette at the time, “a husband does not commemorate his wife.” Later, with tears in his eyes, Emperor Taizong tore the tower down.

From this story, we can see that Wei Zheng did not just bluntly say to the emperor, “You should not think only of your deceased wife and forget your father. This is not in line with filial piety and etiquette—people will criticize you for it.” Instead, he found a wise and courteous way to remind Emperor Taizong of the social etiquette of the time, which showed both his understanding of the emperor’s feelings for his beloved empress and his compassion for the emperor so that the emperor would not be criticized.

There is another story about Wei Zheng in Zi Zhi Tong Jian. In the first year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong sent his men to recruit soldiers. The Head of the Secretariat Feng Deyi sent a memo, saying that although some men were under 18, if they were strong, they could also be recruited. Emperor Taizong agreed. But after his order was issued, Wei Zheng refused to enforce it, and the document was passed back and forth four times. 

Emperor Taizong was furious. He summoned Wei Zheng and reprimanded him, saying, “Those men with strong bodies are those who lied about their age to avoid hard labor. What’s wrong with recruiting them? Why are you so against it!”

Wei Zheng replied, “The most important thing for an army is that it is under proper command, not because it has many soldiers. As long as your Majesty recruits strong and healthy men and manages them well, they will be invincible. Why bother to recruit more younger ones just to inflate the numbers! Moreover, your Majesty often says that you must govern with integrity, so that the majority of people will conduct themselves properly. However, your Majesty hasn’t been on the throne for long, and yet you have already broken a number of promises.” 

Emperor Taizong was shocked to hear this and asked, “How did I break my promises?”

Wei Zheng replied, “Right after your Majesty inherited the throne, you issued an edict, saying that the Guanzhong area would be exempted from paying taxes for two years, and the areas outside Guanzhong would be exempted from hard labor for one year. But later, your Majesty issued another edict, saying that those who had already paid their taxes and served hard labor would be exempt starting the next year. That meant what was given to the people was taken back again. How could you expect the people not to complain?

“Moreover, as of now, people are both being taxed and called for hard labor, which is at odds with your Majesty’s edict. Besides, your Majesty has always governed through trusted local officials, who deal with the day-to-day administrative affairs. However, for the recruitment of soldiers, your Majesty suspects there might be fraud in the process. Such suspicion goes against your principle of governing with honesty and trust.” 

Emperor Taizong replied, “You always hit the nail on the head when it comes to state affairs. If the court does not abide by the orders it issues, the people will be at loss. Then how can one run the country properly? I’ve made a big mistake!”

The emperor then sent out an order not to recruit anyone under 18 to serve in the army—and rewarded Wei Zheng with a gold urn. 

In this incident, Wei Zheng first affirmed Emperor Taizong’s benevolent governance and then carefully pointed out the contradictions in the orders with facts and sound reasoning. At the same time, he himself observed the etiquette expected between a monarch and his ministers and did not make emotional accusations. His criticism was based on thoughtful kindness.

Blunt Advice

There were also censors in history who were known for their blunt advice. Even though they might have meant well and been honest, the outcomes were far less than desirable. Let’s take how Yuan Keli advised Emperor Shenzong in the Ming Dynasty for example. 

Yuan Keli (courtesy name Liqing) was a straightforward and honest official in the Ming dynasty. He was known for judging cases impartially and had no fear of influential power. However, he was once removed from office and deprived of his salary by Emperor Shenzong due to his less-than-tactful admonitions. 

According to Dong Qichang’s Jiehuan Yuangong Xingzhuang and Suizhou Chronicles by Cheng Zhengxing, during the reign of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty, Yuan Keli presented a memo to the emperor in which he said, “In recent years, there have been a lot of heated arguments in the court, which angered your Majesty, and as a result, more than a 100 officials were dismissed. However, these people have made great contributions to the development of the country and in carrying out your decrees, and from whom your Majesty often sought advice. But now you regard them as people who try to show off and win praise and fame through improper means. The fact is that when these people were dismissed, those who were truly dishonest were promoted; those whom your Majesty thought were just trying to win fame improperly were rebuked, whereas those whose reputations were already in tatters due to their dishonest conduct were assigned important positions. Then, who will tell your Majesty the truth about the well-being of the people, about which officials are honest or corrupt? The governance of the country would go from bad to worse. How terrible it would be!”

Even though Yuan Keli spoke his conscience in the memo, the emperor found it offensive and deprived Yuan Keli of one year’s salary. 

Later, when Jingde Hall in the palace was struck by lightning, Yuan Keli wrote another memo, saying, “If your Majesty fails to preside over the sacrifice ritual in person and the morning lectures and history readings are neglected, and when the memos are not reviewed in time and rewards and punishments are inconsistent, and people are complaining as they are milked dry by taxes, and when there is confusion between right and wrong and good and bad, which leads to grievances among loyal and virtuous people, is this following the way of heaven?” 

Yuan’s memorial made Emperor Shenzong very angry, so he removed Yuan Keli from office and reduced him to a commoner. 

From this we can see that, although Yuan Keli had the courage to criticize the emperor, he clearly accused the monarch of being stupid and violating the way of heaven (Emperor Shenzong did mismanage the country in his later years), and such harsh words did little to help the emperor do better. Yuan’s approach might be considered straightforward criticism, but it lacked empathy and kindness. 

Epilogue

Whether in ancient officialdom or a modern workplace, people who speak the truth directly are not always welcomed. As the saying goes, “Honest words tend to offend the ear.” 

However, when pertinent bad news fails to reach those in charge, an organization is not able to examine itself and improve, and it could easily lead to its decline.

Speaking the truth is a virtue, so why do many people in power often tend to turn a deaf ear to honest advice? Apart from the problems of those in power, how a piece of advice is presented also plays a role. 

Sometimes, those who speak the truth think that the truth is on their side, so when they speak, they tend to have an air of being in the right and argue their view unapologetically. They may judge things based on their own perspective without appreciating the situation of the listener or even hold contempt for others since they believe they are in the right. They may also try to coerce others to admit their mistakes out of a competitive mentality. This attitude could cause the other party to develop negative feelings and, at the same time, negatively affect the speaker’s own credibility. 

Therefore, it is always better to maintain a kind and sympathetic frame of mind and consider if what you say will be bearable to the other party or will your advice cause the other party harm. That way, the listener will be more receptive to what one has to say and better serve the purpose of assisting good governance.