After King Min of Qi was killed, his son Fazhang went into hiding under an assumed name and served as a servant in the household of Taishi Jiao in the city of Ju. Taishi Jiao's daughter, perceiving that Fazhang bore an extraordinary countenance and was no ordinary man, took pity on him and secretly gave him clothing and food, and came to share intimacy with him. Later, the people of Ju and the fugitive ministers of Qi gathered together, seeking the son of King Min to establish him as ruler. Only then did Fazhang reveal his true identity, and all jointly enthroned him as King Xiang. After King Xiang ascended the throne, he made the daughter of Taishi Jiao his queen, and she bore him a son named Jian. Taishi Jiao said, "A daughter who marries without a matchmaker is no child of mine; she has defiled our family's honor." And he refused to see her for the rest of his life. The queen, being virtuous, did not neglect her filial duties toward her father despite his rejection. After King Xiang passed away, his son Jian was established as King of Qi, and the queen served Qin with prudence and maintained good faith with the other feudal lords. Thus, King Jian of Qi reigned for over forty years without suffering the calamities of war.
💡 商战启示录
Fa Zhang endured obscurity and bided his time in times of peril, much like an entrepreneur who, after suffering a major setback, first preserves himself and accumulates strength rather than striking rashly. The daughter of Tai Shi Jiao recognized Fa Zhang's potential and lent him support, akin to a venture capitalist who identifies and invests in a promising startup team at an early stage—such discernment of talent in its nascent moments is the key to commercial success. When Queen Dowager assisted King Jian of Qi, she was virtuous at home and prudent abroad, maintaining cautious relations with Qin and honoring trust with the other feudal lords, thereby forging a stable external environment that spared Qi from the flames of war for forty years. This mirrors modern enterprises in that strategically, one should not court too many enemies, cooperate rather than confront the powerful (such as industry giants), and simultaneously uphold credibility to build long-term mutual trust with partners, thereby winning room for survival and growth in a fiercely competitive market. For instance, Huawei early on adopted a "rural areas encircling cities" strategy in the telecommunications market, avoiding head-on clashes with giants while steadily building its strength; similarly, some companies forge credit alliances with upstream and downstream partners through supply chain finance, achieving win-win outcomes. Fa Zhang's eventual restoration of his state also demonstrates that maintaining patience in adversity, awaiting the opportune moment, and acting decisively once it arrives is the resilience an entrepreneur ought to possess.