The state of Qin attacked Zhao, and the King of Zhao sought aid from Qi. The King of Qi said, "Only if Chang'an Jun is sent as a hostage will I dispatch troops." The Queen Dowager of Zhao refused to consent, and the ministers remonstrated with her earnestly. She said plainly to those around her, "If anyone again proposes sending Chang'an Jun as a hostage, this old woman will spit in his face!" The Master of the Left, Chu Long, requested an audience, and the Queen Dowager awaited him in a fury. Upon entering, Chu Long advanced with slow, halting steps, and when he reached her, he apologized, saying, "Your servant's feet are afflicted and cannot move swiftly; it has been long since I came to pay my respects. I have privately excused myself, yet ever have I been concerned lest Your Majesty's precious health suffer any discomfort, and so I have come to see you." The Queen Dowager said, "This old woman relies on the carriage for movement." Chu Long asked, "May I inquire whether your daily fare has diminished?" She replied, "I subsist on porridge alone." Chu Long said, "Your servant of late has had little desire for food, and so I force myself to take short walks, some three or four li each day, which have slightly sharpened my appetite and rendered my body more at ease." The Queen Dowager said, "This old woman cannot do likewise." Her countenance softened somewhat. Chu Long then said, "Your servant has a son named Shu Qi, the youngest of my children, and though he is unworthy, I, being advanced in years, dote on him privately. I venture to request that he be permitted to fill a place among the palace guards, to protect the royal residence. I make this plea at the risk of death." The Queen Dowager said, "Very well. How old is he?" Chu Long replied, "Fifteen years. Though still young, I wish to entrust him to Your Majesty before I am laid in the earth." The Queen Dowager said, "Do men also dote on their youngest sons?" Chu Long answered, "More so than women." The Queen Dowager laughed and said, "Women are especially doting." Chu Long said, "Your servant privately holds that Your Majesty's love for the Queen of Yan surpasses your love for Chang'an Jun." The Queen Dowager said, "You are mistaken; my love for him is deeper." Chu Long said, "When parents love their children, they plan far for them. When you sent the Queen of Yan away in marriage, you clasped her heels and wept, grieving over her distant union—this was your pity for her. After her departure, though you thought of her, yet at every sacrifice you prayed, saying, 'Let her not be sent back.' Is this not planning far for her, hoping that her descendants might succeed one another as rulers?" The Queen Dowager said, "It is so." Chu Long asked, "From the present counting back three generations, to the time when the Zhao house established its state, are there any among the descendants of Zhao's rulers who were enfeoffed as lords whose heirs still hold their positions?" The Queen Dowager said, "There are none." Chu Long said, "Not only in Zhao—in other feudal states, are there any such heirs in power?" The Queen Dowager said, "I have not heard of any." Chu Long said, "This is because calamity near at hand falls upon their own persons, and calamity distant falls upon their descendants. Are the descendants of rulers necessarily unworthy? It is because they hold high station without merit, enjoy rich emoluments without service, and possess many precious things. Now you elevate Chang'an Jun to honor, enfeoff him with fertile lands, and bestow upon him many precious objects, yet you do not let him render service to the state while the opportunity is at hand. Once you have passed away, on what grounds shall Chang'an Jun stand in Zhao? Your servant deems your plans for Chang'an Jun shallow, and therefore holds that your love for him is less than your love for the Queen of Yan." The Queen Dowager said, "Very well; I shall do as you direct." Thereupon a hundred chariots were prepared for Chang'an Jun, and he was sent to Qi as a hostage, whereupon Qi dispatched troops to rescue Zhao.
💡 商战启示录
The strategy of Chu Long in persuading Queen Zhao of Zhao stands as a classic case of "long-term value investment" in modern commercial warfare. By forging emotional resonance through shared parental affection, he established trust, then employed "risk hedging" reasoning to argue: if the Lord of Chang'an were to enjoy high position solely by birthright without tangible achievements, his standing upon the Queen's demise would be like a tree without roots, vulnerable to overthrow at any moment. This serves as a cautionary tale for modern enterprises, particularly family businesses or founder-led teams—if successors ascend through lineage or seniority alone, lacking practical experience and a track record of performance, the succession of the enterprise faces grave peril. For instance, the founder of a renowned technology company mandated that his children begin from grassroots positions, participate in core projects, and independently lead business lines, precisely to help them accumulate "merit" and avert organizational turmoil arising from "position exceeding virtue." In business, rather than resting on inherited privilege, one should proactively engage in market competition to build personal and corporate core competitiveness. Chu Long's persuasive technique also merits emulation: rather than directly refuting the other party, he guided with empathy, proposing solutions from the angle of "acting in your best interest," ultimately achieving a win-win outcome. In modern business negotiations, this communication strategy of "retreating to advance, binding interests" often proves more effective than coercive pressure, transforming counterparts from "reluctant concession" to "voluntary mutual benefit."