Lü Buwei, a native of Puyang, was trading in Handan when he saw Ziying, the Qin prince held hostage in Zhao. Returning home, he asked his father, "What profit does tilling the fields yield?" His father replied, "Tenfold." "What profit does trading in pearls and jade yield?" "A hundredfold." "What profit does establishing a ruler over a state yield?" "Countless." Lü Buwei said, "Now, if one toils in the fields, one cannot gain warm clothes or surplus food; but if one founds a state and sets up a ruler, the blessings can be passed down to later generations. I wish to undertake this." The Qin prince Ziying was a hostage in Zhao, residing in Liaocheng. Lü Buwei went to persuade him, saying, "Zi Xi has the inheritance of the state and a mother in the palace. Now you have no mother in the palace and are entrusted abroad in an unpredictable land; should the covenant be broken, you would die like dust and dung. Now, if you follow my plan, I shall request your return, and you may possess Qin. I will go to Qin on your behalf, and surely they will come to summon you." Thereupon, he persuaded Yangquan Jun, the younger brother of the Queen, saying, "Your offense has reached the point of death—do you know it? None of your retainers are not in high and honored positions, while none of the Crown Prince's retainers are distinguished. Your storehouses hold pearls and jade, your stables are filled with fine horses, and your harem is crowded with beauties. The King of Qin is advanced in years; should he pass away, you will face peril, as calculated before. Your danger is like the morning dew—can you still hope for long life? Now, if you earnestly urge the Queen to have the Crown Prince return, then when the Crown Prince holds power, would your authority not be diminished? Better to persuade the Queen to establish Prince Ziying; then, though he has no state, being made king would be the Queen's merit. Would it not also be easy for you to become Chancellor of Qin?" Yangquan Jun said, "Well said." He entered and persuaded the Queen, who then requested that Zhao return Ziying. Zhao did not send him back, so Lü Buwei persuaded Zhao, saying, "Prince Ziying is a favored son of Qin, without a mother in the palace, and the Queen wishes to adopt him. If Qin intends to slaughter Zhao, it will not spare a single son to remain in Zhao as a stratagem—this is holding an empty hostage. If Prince Ziying is returned and established as king, and Zhao sends him off generously, he will not dare to defy kindness or betray favor; this is to establish goodwill and peace. The King of Qin is aged; should he die, even with Prince Ziying, it would not suffice to forge ties with Qin." Zhao then sent Ziying back. When Ziying arrived in Qin, Lü Buwei had him wear Chu-style garments for the audience. The Queen was pleased with his appearance and deemed him highly wise, saying, "I am a woman of Chu." She took him as her own son and thus renamed him "Chu." The King of Qin had him recite the Odes and Documents, but he said, "I was cast out abroad from youth, without a tutor's instruction, and am unversed in recitation." The King ceased and let him stay. Later, seizing an opportunity, he said, "Your Majesty once rode in a carriage in Zhao, and many of Zhao's heroes knew your reputation. Now that the King has returned, they all gaze westward. The King has sent no envoy to console them, and I fear they all harbor resentment. I hope the borders may open late and close early." The King deemed his words right and found his plan extraordinary. Later, Lü Buwei became Chancellor of Qin and was enfeoffed as Marquis Wenxin.
💡 商战启示录
Lü Buwei's strategic acumen in commerce lay in his masterful execution of the equity-investment logic encapsulated by the adage "a rare commodity to be hoarded." He keenly identified the Prince Yiren as a "potential stock" of immense value and dared to stake his entire fortune on this "angel investment." In modern business, this parallels early-stage venture capital, much like Masayoshi Son's investment in Jack Ma, which prioritized long-term returns over short-term profits. Lü Buwei did not merely invest in the "target asset"; he actively engaged in "post-investment management," orchestrating the prince's return to Qin and succession through lobbying of Lord Yangquan and the Queen, demonstrating formidable capabilities in resource integration and crisis public relations. He precisely calibrated the interests of all parties, persuading key figures with "win-win" rhetoric, akin to the allocation of benefits and strategic alliances in contemporary business negotiations. Furthermore, his decision to have Yiren don Chu attire when paying respects to the Queen was a subtle deployment of brand positioning and emotional marketing, aimed at forging a differentiated image and securing the support of pivotal stakeholders. Lü Buwei's success also hinged on his grasp of "exit mechanisms," ultimately ascending to the role of Qin's Chancellor—a leap from merchant to statesman, comparable to modern entrepreneurs who leverage capital operations to penetrate the core echelons of industry. His story imparts a lesson to enterprises: the most sagacious investment transcends mere financial input to become strategic engagement, requiring deep involvement in the growth trajectory of the investee and adept utilization of political or policy dividends to achieve exponential value amplification.