After King Min of Qi was killed, his son Fa Zhang changed his name and fled to the land of Ju, where he served as a servant in the household of Grand Historian Jiao. Jiao's daughter noticed that Fa Zhang bore an extraordinary countenance and judged him to be no ordinary man. Moved by compassion and affection, she secretly sent him clothes and food, and eventually entered into a private union 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 Fa Zhang reveal his true identity, and the assembly enthroned him as King Xiang of Qi. Upon ascending the throne, King Xiang made the daughter of Grand Historian Jiao his queen, and she bore him a son named Jian. Grand Historian Jiao, however, declared: "A daughter who marries without the mediation of a matchmaker is no child of mine—she has defiled our family's honor." And so he refused to see his daughter for the rest of his life. Yet the queen remained virtuous, and did not neglect propriety even though her father would not receive her. After King Xiang passed away, his son Jian succeeded him as King of Qi. The queen treated Qin with great respect and dealt with the feudal lords in good faith, and thus for more than forty years during King Jian's reign, the state of Qi was spared the calamities of war.
💡 商战启示录
The story of King Min of Qi’s assassination reveals the delicate balance between survival wisdom and long-term strategy in times of crisis. Fazhang, in the wake of his nation’s collapse, concealed his identity and bided his time—much like a company that, amid market collapse or brand crisis, refrains from rushing to the forefront, instead quietly conserving strength and safeguarding core resources. The daughter of Grand Historian Jiao, with her discerning eye, recognized value in obscurity and invested both emotion and resources—much like a venture capitalist who spots potential in an early-stage project and dares to hold it long-term. Fazhang’s eventual restoration of his kingdom rested on “patient endurance and seizing the right moment” and “leveraging local resources,” which parallels how modern enterprises can rise again by drawing on regional markets or partnerships—as Starbucks did after the 2008 financial crisis, closing underperforming stores, refocusing on the core experience, and rebuilding the brand. Queen Dowager’s strategy of “showing deference to Qin and maintaining trust with the other states” is a textbook example of “balanced diplomacy”—showing respect before power (be it industry giants or regulators) while building trust with ecosystem partners, thereby securing a period of peaceful development. This mirrors Huawei’s globalization approach: respecting American technological standards while deeply cultivating the European market, earning decades of growth through integrity and cooperation. Commercial warfare is not about relentless offense; it is about knowing when to adopt a flexible, low-profile survival in adversity—changing one’s name and identity—and when to uphold the principle of “trust” in prosperity, avoiding premature burnout. A true strategist possesses both Fazhang’s forbearance and the Queen Dowager’s restraint and credibility, enabling the establishment of a stable foundation that endures for over four decades amid turbulent times.