Zhang Tingwei, or Shi Zhi, was from Duyang, with the courtesy name Ji. He had a brother named Zhong; they were brothers who lived together. Tingwei became an Imperial Cavalry Officer and worked under Emperor Xiaowen for ten years without any promotion or recognition. Tingwei said, "After being an official for so long, I have less wealth than my brother, and my future looks bleak." He wanted to resign and return home. General Yuan Ang thought he was exceptional and didn't want him to leave, so he requested that Tingwei be transferred to the position of attendant.
After court, Tingwei took the opportunity to talk to the Emperor about some suggestions. Emperor Wen said, "Keep it simple, don't talk about those profound theories, just focus on what can be implemented now." So Tingwei discussed the events between the Qin and Han dynasties, analyzed the reasons for the fall of the Qin dynasty and the rise of the Han dynasty, and spoke for quite a while. Emperor Wen appreciated it and promoted Tingwei to the position of attendant.
Once, Tingwei accompanied the Emperor on an inspection tour to the tiger enclosure. The Emperor asked the Superintendent of the Imperial Parks about the numbers of various birds and beasts, posing more than ten questions, but the Superintendent couldn't answer any of them. At that moment, the keeper in the tiger enclosure helped the Superintendent answer the Emperor's questions about the number of birds and beasts in great detail, wanting to show off his eloquence. Emperor Wen remarked, "Officials shouldn't be like this, right? This Superintendent is too unreliable!" and promptly made the eloquent fellow the new Superintendent of the Imperial Parks.
Shi Zhi had already made up his mind and said, "Your Majesty, what do you think of Marquis Zhou Bo of the Jiang state?" The Emperor replied, "He is a highly respected figure." He then asked, "And what about Prime Minister Zhang Xiang of Dongyang?" The Emperor again said, "He is also a highly respected figure." Shi Zhi said, "Marquis Zhou and Prime Minister Zhang are both known as highly respected figures. These two individuals do not brag in their work. How can they be compared to this smooth-talking low-ranking official? Furthermore, the Qin Dynasty heavily relied on officials who were all about the paperwork. These officials vied with each other in severity and harshness. However, they were all show and no substance. They could not see their own mistakes, which eventually led to the downfall during the reign of the Second Emperor. Now, Your Majesty is promoting this eloquent miser. I am worried that everyone will start chasing empty words instead of real skills. Moreover, bad examples from below will soon rub off on those above. Promoting talent must be done carefully!" Emperor Wen agreed and decided not to promote the miser.
The Emperor got on the carriage and asked Shi Zhi about the reasons for the fall of the Qin Dynasty. Shi Zhi explained in detail and truthfully. Upon arriving at the palace, the Emperor appointed Shi Zhi as the Imperial Inspector.
Later, the Crown Prince and Prince Liang rode into the palace together for court, but they did not even get off at the Sima Gate and wanted to enter the palace directly. Shi Zhi hurried to stop them and accused them of disrespecting the court by not getting off at the Sima Gate. He reported this to the Emperor. Empress Dowager Bo heard about this and Emperor Wen quickly apologized to her, saying, "I failed to raise my sons properly!" Empress Dowager Bo then pardoned the Crown Prince and Prince Liang, allowing them to enter the palace. Emperor Wen greatly appreciated Shi Zhi for this incident and promoted him to be a Minister of the Great Court.
Not long after, Shi Zhi was promoted again and became a Zhonglangjiang. Once, the emperor went on a tour to Baling, and Shi Zhi stayed in the north, near the latrines. At that time, Consort Shen also went along, and the emperor pointed to Xinfeng Road for her to see, saying, "This road leads to Handan." Then he asked her to play the zither, and he himself sang along, filling the air with a mournful song. The emperor turned to the ministers and said, "Ah! Even if a coffin is made of stones from Beishan, stuffed with silk and cotton and painted, can it still remain undisturbed for long?" The officials nearby all agreed, saying, "Quite so, Your Majesty!" Shi Zhi stepped forward and said, "If the coffin contains something desirable, even if it is sealed on Nanshan, there will still be cracks; if the coffin does not contain anything desirable, even if it is not made of stone, what is there to worry about?" Emperor Wen was really impressed after hearing this. Later, he promoted Shi Zhi to be the Grand Justice.
Some time later, the emperor passed by Wei Bridge during his journey, and suddenly a person bolted out from under the bridge, startling the emperor's carriage horses. So the emperor sent someone to seize this person and hand him over to the judge for handling. When questioned by Shi Zhi, the person said, "I'm from a nearby county. I heard news of the emperor's journey, so I hid under the bridge. After a while, thinking that the emperor had already passed, I came out. But then I saw the emperor's carriage horses and quickly ran away." According to the law, the judge determined that this person had committed the crime of disturbing the imperial procession and should be fined. Emperor Wen exploded, "This person actually frightened my horse. Fortunately, my horse has a gentle temperament. If it were another horse, I might have been injured. Just a fine? That's all?" Shi Zhi replied, "The law applies to everyone, emperor and commoner alike. The current law stipulates this, but if you want to hand down a harsher sentence, the people will lose faith in the law. Moreover, if the emperor had ordered his immediate execution at the time, it would have been over. Now that it has been handed over to the judge, the judge represents justice in this land. If the judge's judgments are arbitrary, how will the people obey the law? I hope Your Majesty will consider this carefully." After a long time, the emperor said, "The judge is right."
Later, there was another incident where someone stole the jade ring in front of the seat of the Gao Temple Emperor and was caught. Emperor Wen was furious and handed the case over to the judge Zhang Shi Zhi for handling. According to the law, the crime of stealing sacrificial items from the ancestral temple should be punished by death—public execution.
Emperor Wen was even more furious when he heard this, saying, "This young man shows a shocking disregard for the law, daring to steal things from the late emperor's temple! I wanted the Imperial Censorate to handle this case so that his whole family would die, but you are following the law, which isn't the result I wanted! This is not the attitude we should have towards ancestral temples!" Zhang Shizhi quickly took off his hat, kowtowed, and apologized, saying, "That's the law! And while the crime is the same, the circumstances are different. To exterminate an entire family for stealing from the ancestral temple is extremely rare. If an ordinary commoner took a handful of soil from Changling (the emperor's tomb), how would Your Majesty punish them?" After listening for a long time, Emperor Wen later told the Empress Dowager about this matter and finally agreed to the judgment of the Imperial Censorate. At that time, the Commander of the Imperial Guard, Zhou Yafu, and the Marquis of Liang, Wang Tian, both thought that Zhang Shizhi handled this matter fairly and became good friends with him. Because of this, Zhang Shizhi's reputation spread throughout the world. Later, Emperor Wen died and Emperor Jing ascended the throne. Zhang Shizhi was afraid and wanted to resign due to illness. He was worried that he would be subject to a large-scale purge and wanted to explain to Emperor Jing in person, but he didn't know how to broach the subject. At this time, he sought advice from Wang Sheng. Wang Sheng was a recluse who excelled in the teachings of Huang-Lao (a school of thought emphasizing inaction and natural order). He had once been summoned to the palace, where the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers all stood waiting for him. Wang Sheng, who was old, said, "My socks are loose," and then pointed at Zhang Shizhi, saying, "Help me tie my socks!" Zhang Shizhi knelt down to tie his socks. Afterwards, someone said to Wang Sheng, "Why did you humiliate Zhang Shizhi by making him kneel down to tie your socks?" Wang Sheng replied, "I am old and of low status; I know I can't help Zhang Shizhi in any way. Zhang Shizhi is a famous minister in the world today. By having you, a great minister, perform this humble task, I elevate you further in the eyes of all." After hearing this, everyone admired Wang Sheng and respected Zhang Shizhi even more.
Zhang Tingwei worked under Emperor Jing for more than a year and was later appointed as the King of Huainan's chancellor, still maintaining his previous style of conduct. After a long time, Zhang Shizhi passed away. His son Zhang Zhi, styled as Changgong, became a high-ranking official but later resigned. He couldn't schmooze with the right people, so that was the end of his official career.
Feng Tang, whose grandfather was from the state of Zhao, had a father who moved to Daijun. After the establishment of the Han Dynasty, he moved to Anling. Feng Tang was known for his filial piety and became the head of the imperial secretariat, working alongside Emperor Wen.
One day, Emperor Wen passed by in a carriage and asked Feng Tang, "How did your father become an official? Where is your family from?" Feng Tang then detailed everything to the Emperor.
Emperor Wen said, "When I lived in Daijun, my imperial chef, Gao Bi, often mentioned how amazing General Li Qi from Zhao was, especially his outstanding performance in the Battle of Julu. Now, every time I eat, I think of the Battle of Julu. Does your father know about this?"
Feng Tang replied, "General Li Qi's ability is not as good as the two generals, Lian Po and Li Mu."
Emperor Wen asked, "Why do you say that?"
Feng Tang said, "My grandfather was familiar with General Li Mu when he served as an official in Zhao. My father used to be the Prime Minister of Daijun and was also acquainted with General Li Qi from Zhao, knowing his character."
After hearing about the characters of Lian Po and Li Mu, Emperor Wen felt that Feng Tang was right on the money and slapped his knee, saying, "Man! I wish Lian Po and Li Mu were still around to be my generals. Then, would I still need to worry about the Xiongnu?"
Feng Tang said, "Sir, even if you had Lian Po and Li Mu, you might not necessarily be able to use them well."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Wen became furious, got up, and walked into the palace. After a while, he called Feng Tang back and reprimanded him, saying, "Why did you make me look bad in front of everyone? Couldn't you have been more tactful?"
Feng Tang quickly apologized, saying, "I'm not exactly known for my tact."
So, back then, the Xiongnu invaded in large numbers again, killing the Northern Command's governor, Ang. The emperor was anxious and asked Feng Tang again, "Why do you say I can't use Lian Po and Li Mu?" Feng Tang replied, "I heard that in ancient times, wise kings sent generals to war, and they'd literally prostrate themselves to appoint a general, saying, 'I manage the matters within the military camp, and you, General, manage the matters outside the military camp.' The military achievements and rewards were all decided by the general himself and reported back to the court upon return. That wasn't just hot air. My grandfather said that when Li Mu was stationed as a general in the state of Zhao, he used the profits from military trade to reward the soldiers, and the rewards were decided by him without interference from the court. This shows full trust in him, demanding him to achieve military merits. That's why Li Mu was able to fully display his talents. He smashed the Xiongnu in the north. He beat the Donghu. He wiped out the Danlin. He kept the powerful Qin in check to the west. And he supported Han and Wei to the south. At that time, the state of Zhao almost dominated. Later, the Zhao king succeeded to the throne, and his mother was a nobody. After the Zhao king took the throne, he believed the slander of Guo Kai and eventually killed Li Mu, replacing him with Yan Ju. The army crumbled, the soldiers scattered, and Zhao fell to Qin.
Now I heard that when Wei Shang served as the governor of Yunzhong Commandery, he used all the taxes levied on military provisions to reward the soldiers, even supplementing them from his own pocket. He'd throw a beef feast every five days to treat guests, military officers, and staff, so the Xiongnu kept their distance, too scared to come near Yunzhong. When the Xiongnu invaded once, Wei Shang led the cavalry to attack them and killed many Xiongnu people. These were just farm boys, yanked from their fields; they didn't know beans about military rank or discipline. They fought their guts out, killing and capturing enemy soldiers, sending reports of their victories to the court, but the court just ignored them, and the bureaucrats started throwing regulations at them. No rewards, but plenty of rules and regulations. I believe, Your Majesty, the law is too strict, the rewards are too light, and the punishments are too heavy. Furthermore, when the governor of Yunzhong, Wei Shang, underreported his military achievements and the number of captives by six ranks, Your Majesty threw him to the wolves, stripped him of his rank, and made him do hard labor. So, even if you had generals like Lian Po and Li Mu, Your Majesty, you'd still screw them over! I'm a fool, I know I've overstepped, I deserve to die, I deserve to die!"
Emperor Wen was tickled pink after hearing this. That day, he ordered Feng Tang to take the symbol of amnesty and pardon Wei Shang, reappointing him as the governor of Yunzhong and making Feng Tang Commander of the Cavalry, overseeing all the county troops.
Seven years earlier, Emperor Jing had made Feng Tang prime minister of Chu, then canned him. Later, when Emperor Wu started hunting for talent, he finally got around to promoting Feng Tang, but the old boy was already over ninety and couldn't serve. So they made his son, Feng Sui (also known as Wang Sun)—a sharp cookie and a good friend of mine—a low-level official.
Sima Qian said: Zhang Shizhi always spoke with such gravitas, was honest, and never played favorites; Feng Tang's evaluation of generals was incredibly insightful! As the saying goes, "A man is known by the company he keeps." These two were praised by the emperor, and their names are destined to go down in history. The book says, "Without bias, the path to success can prosper; without bias, the path to success can be smooth." That's exactly what Zhang Shizhi and Feng Tang did.
