When Lord Mengchang served as prime minister of the state of Qi, one of his retainers, a man named Wei Zi, was sent to collect taxes from his fief. Three times he went, and three times he returned without bringing back a single coin. Lord Mengchang asked him why. Wei Zi replied, "I encountered a man of virtue and secretly lent the tax revenue to him—that is why I brought nothing back." Lord Mengchang, greatly angered, dismissed Wei Zi from his service.
Several years later, someone slandered Lord Mengchang before King Min of Qi, saying, "Lord Mengchang is plotting rebellion." When the incident of Tian Jia's seizure of King Min occurred, the king grew suspicious of Lord Mengchang, who was forced to flee. The virtuous man whom Wei Zi had once aided heard of this and submitted a memorial to the throne, declaring that Lord Mengchang would never rebel and offering his own life as a guarantee. He then cut his throat before the palace gate to prove Lord Mengchang's innocence.
King Min of Qi was profoundly shaken. He sent men to investigate and verify the matter, and finding that Lord Mengchang indeed harbored no intention of revolt, he summoned him back to court. Lord Mengchang took this opportunity to plead illness and request retirement, returning to his fief of Xue to spend his remaining years—a request the king granted.
Later, after King Min conquered the state of Song, he grew ever more arrogant and sought to eliminate Lord Mengchang. Filled with dread, Lord Mengchang fled to the state of Wei. King Zhao of Wei appointed him prime minister, and he forged alliances with Qin and Zhao in the west, joining with Yan to launch a campaign against Qi. King Min fled to the city of Ju, where he ultimately met his end.
💡 商战启示录
The story of Lord Mengchang and Wei Zi reveals the wisdom of "trust investment" and "long-termism" in modern business. When Wei Zi bestowed the rent collection upon a worthy scholar, he appeared to defy short-term performance metrics, yet in truth, this was a form of "hidden investment." In contemporary enterprises, this resembles allocating funds to support startups or nurturing employees with potential—initially, it may drag down financial reports, but in the long run, it builds ecosystem moats or cultivates loyal teams. For instance, Tencent's early investments in JD.com and Pinduoduo were not driven by a pursuit of immediate returns, but rather by strategic synergy, ultimately consolidating its own commercial empire. Lord Mengchang's dismissal of Wei Zi out of short-term displeasure reflects the "myopia" commonly afflicting managers—fixating solely on KPIs while overlooking intangible assets. Yet, when crisis struck, it was precisely that aided scholar who repaid the favor with his life, proving that the return on such investment far exceeds what any ledger can capture. In contrast, many companies today, in their excessive pursuit of quarterly profits, cut R&D and lay off core talent, leading to withering innovation or brain drain—a repetition of Lord Mengchang's early mistake. Furthermore, Mengchang's later exile to Wei and his alliance with other states to counterattack Qi serves as a cautionary tale for business leaders: if relationships with key partners—be they employees, customers, or allies—are severed, the backlash may consume them. True masters of commercial warfare, like Wei Zi, understand the art of "offering roses to others" at pivotal moments and patiently awaiting the reward of "lingering fragrance on the hand," rather than rushing for quick gains.