Ch'i

— There lived a young political genius, not more than thirty years of age, by the name of Ch’ui P’ing (he is better known to the Chinese as Ch’ui Yuan). Young Ch’ui hailed from a rich and influential family of nobles and before long he won the confidence of the then Ch’u emperor, Hwai Wang, and was appointed to a high administrative position. He made recommendations in lengthy memorials and advocated giving the citizens of Ch’u a new deal and a square one at that. The emperor had taken him in as his right hand man allowing him a free hand in the politico-military situation with a high-sounding title which would translates no less than Supreme Crown Adviser and Expert Consultant, and entrusted to him the important duties, on account of his diplomatic acumen, of an ambassador-at-large on a politically inspired tour of the various minor states, notably the Kingdom of Ch’i (the present Shantung province) in an attempt to negotiate some alliance of joint action in defending themselves against the expansionists schemes of the Kingdom of Ch’in, whose domain then was roughly the present Shensi province. He almost succeeded in his mission.