PARALLEL CASES
Han Fei Tzi, Section 17, “Precautions within the palace.”
Whether one is ruler of a state of ten thousand chariots or of one thousand only, it is quite likely tha this consort, his concubines, or the son he has designated as heir to his throne will wish for his early death.
How do I know this is so? A wife is not bound to her husband by any ties of blood,If she loves her, she remains close to him; if not, she becomes estranged. The saying goes: « If the mother is favored, the son will be embraced. » But if this is then the opposite must be, must run like this: « If the mother is despised, the son will be cast away.« A man at fifty has not yet lost interest in sex, and yet at thirty a women’s beauty has already faded. If a woman whose beauty has already faded waits upon a man still occupied by thoughts of sex, then she will be spurned and disfavored, and her son will stand little chance of suceeding to the throne. This is why consorts and concubines long for the early death of the ruler.
| Beloved mother (by her husband) |
(then) | Beloved son (by his father) |
| Mother abandoned (by her husband) |
(then) | Son abandoned (by his father) |
Han Fei Tzi, Section 17, “Precautions within the palace”, in Basic Wrirings. Translated by Burton Watson. New York & London, Columbia University Press, 1964