Analects Book 16 Characters: Ji Kangzi hatches a nefarious plot
Book 16 of the Analects has a small but vibrant supporting cast of contemporary and historical characters that spans the vice and virtue spectrum — from the venal Ji Kangzi and decadent Duke Jing of Qi to the poster boys of extreme filial devotion Boyi and Shuqi. The only exception is an obscure historian called Zhou Ren, who Confucius quotes approvingly in 16.1.
Book 16 of the Analects has a small but vibrant supporting cast of contemporary and historical characters that spans the vice and virtue spectrum — from the venal Ji Kangzi and decadent Duke Jing of Qi to the poster boys of extreme filial devotion Boyi and Shuqi. The only exception is an obscure historian called Zhou Ren, who Confucius quotes approvingly in 16.1.
Ji Kangzi was the chief minister and power behind the throne of Confucius’s home state of Lu. In the first chapter of the book, Ran Qiu and Zilu, who were working for Ji at the time, tell Confucius about the nefarious plot their boss is hatching to take over a small vassal territory within Lu called Zhuanyu that lies near to his family’s stronghold. No doubt to their great discomfort, this news sends the sage into an epic rant at his two followers for their inability to dissuade their boss from going ahead with his nefarious plan. “As his retainers, Ran Qiu and Zilu, you have failed to help your master to win over distant peoples and to prevent the state from falling apart because of divisions and unrest,” Confucius concludes. “Instead, you are plotting to wage war within the borders of the state itself! I am afraid that for the Ji Family, the real threat does not come from Zhuanyu, but lies within the walls of their own palace!”
At first sight it may appear unfair of Confucius to criticize Ran Qiu and Zilu so harshly for their failure to stop their powerful boss from carrying out his plan rather than Ji Kangzi himself. However, Confucius is simply reminding his followers of an ancient (even in his day) ethical principle known as remonstrance. Under this principle, it was the moral duty of all officials to stand up to the ruler or minister they were serving when they believed he was making a bad decision — even if their protests led to them losing their job or, in the most extreme cases, their head. Although Confucius must have understood how difficult it would be for Ran Qiu and Zilu to oppose Ji Kangzi, their lack of courage in facing up to him must have pained him deeply given how many years he had been teaching them.
The ambiguity of his own relationship with Ji Kangzi cannot have helped lighten Confucius’s mood either. Although Ji had invited Confucius to return to Lu after fourteen years of exile at the instigation of Ran Qiu, he limited the sage’s influence by refusing to allow him to take an official position in the government and largely ignored any advice he gave him. In this instance, however, it is possible that Ji got wind of Confucius’s objections to his plans to annex Zhuanyu and decided to shelve them. Of course, he may have taken this decision for entirely unrelated reasons, but it is not entirely fanciful to think that, on this occasion at least Ji Kangzi, paid heed to what Confucius had to say.
Ji Kangzi makes quite a number of appearances in the Analects, including the following chapters: 2.20, 6.8, 10.16, 11.7, 12.17, 12.18, 12.19, 14.19, and 16.1.
