A White Horse Is Not a Horse
Throughout his life, Zou Yan had wandered from state to state like a cow walking backwards. Born in Qi, he had passed through Wei, served as an official in Yan, and now lived as a guest retainer in Zhao. That was Zou Yan.
Even when Gongsun Long pointedly asked whether he could truly claim any single one of those identities as his own, Zou Yan remained composed. But it was not because he felt no anger. Quite the opposite. His fury had risen to such an extreme that it had transcended flames and been refined into something as cold and sharp as ice.
After the death of King Yan Zhao, his son King Hui ascended the throne of Yan. Swayed by the slander of treacherous ministers, King Hui had Zou Yan thrown into prison. There, the story went, Zou Yan lamented to the heavens and wept so bitterly that frost fell in the fifth month. The imprisonment itself was fact, but everything that followed was mere rumor spread among the common people. Still, such tales arose not only because Zou Yan belonged to the Yin-Yang School, but because they perfectly reflected the man’s usual demeanor.
“Watch your words. Though I remember the grace I received from King Yan Zhao, I am not so shameless as to place old affections before the lord I now serve.”
“Hm? I didn’t mean it that way. But the fact that you felt the need to say so suggests it does weigh on you somewhat, doesn’t it?”
Zou Yan had been ready to let the matter drop, but Gongsun Long kept pressing. At last Zou Yan refused to stay silent any longer. He took short, measured steps exactly as Gongsun Long had done and began his rebuttal.
“A man is not without yin, nor a woman without yang. How could it be impossible to possess both natures at once? Every one of the ten thousand things carries both yin and yang within it; how could any possess only one?”
Zou Yan looked Gongsun Long squarely in the eye and raised his voice. “I am Zou Yan of Qi. I am also Zou Yan the Yin-Yang scholar of Wei. I am Zou Yan the Grand Astrologer of Yan, and I am Zou Yan the guest retainer of Zhao. A white horse is not a horse? Then what is it? An ox? A sheep? A pig? Of course not! Just as a white horse, a black horse, and a yellow horse are all horses, so too is Zou Yan of any state still Zou Yan!”
The White Horse Paradox was far more than shallow logic that merely quibbled over the properties of a white horse, yet among the many retainers present, only a handful truly grasped its depth. Rather than dissect the argument in detail, Zou Yan chose to seize the audience with powerful paradox. He had learned from experience that trying to win a verbal duel against a sophist from the School of Names was nearly impossible.
Once the momentum had completely shifted in Zou Yan’s favor, Gongsun Long opened his mouth to counter. But before any words could emerge, the sound of applause rang out.
“I have heard both your arguments clearly. However, this discussion seems to have strayed rather far from the matter at hand.”
“Forgive us, Lord Pingyuan.”
To Gongsun Long, ending the exchange now felt like an admission of defeat, and he was plainly dissatisfied. Yet the mediation came from Lord Pingyuan himself; there was no room to object. Since matters had reached this point, Gongsun Long decided to conclude the debate and push through the hardline stance he had advocated from the beginning, securing a larger strategic victory.
Both men delivered their final statements, then returned to their seats. Each side had presented solid grounds and valid points, so Lord Pingyuan found it difficult to choose one proposal over the other.
“Lord Pingyuan, may I offer a word?”
“Ah, Feng Ji. Of course. I have been waiting for your insight.”
Feng Ji understood King Zhao perhaps better than anyone except Lord Pingyuan himself. Having once persuaded the king face to face, every sentence he spoke carried the weight of gold and jade.
“Having listened carefully to both sides, I believe Zou Yan’s view is more correct.”
“Now see here, Master Feng!”
“As expected, Master Feng understands what truly matters.”
Despite the completely opposing reactions, Feng Ji continued undeterred.
“As Lord Gongsun says, there is both motive and some evidence at present, so Lord Jianxin would naturally be suspected of ordering the enemy general’s assassination. Yet there are more than a few suspicious aspects.”
The very existence of evidence was strange. If Lord Jianxin truly were the one who had commissioned the killing, he would never have handled it so clumsily. Should his involvement be exposed, the issue would go far beyond merely losing his position at court; it would become a matter of survival. The trio of retainers Feng Ji knew were far too capable to have left such obvious traces.
“If, at such an ambiguous time, you agree too readily and attack Lord Jianxin, the suspicion might instead turn toward you, my lord.”
“Master Feng has explained it well.”
This time the voice agreeing with Feng Ji did not belong to Zou Yan. It was Mao Sui, the last of the Five Retainers, who had remained silent until now.
“Lord Pingyuan, in my view as well, this matter is highly suspicious.”
Assassinating an enemy general was already an act steeped in malice, but Mao Sui’s keen instincts told him something thicker and darker lay behind it. To him, the incident felt deliberately staged to frame Lord Jianxin so that any attack on him would cast suspicion on Lord Pingyuan as well.
“First we must determine whether the true culprit really is Lord Jianxin. Leave it to me. Give me some time and I will uncover the truth.”
When every one of the Five Retainers except himself voiced opposition, Gongsun Long trembled with humiliation and rage. He had already suffered a clear defeat on the White Horse Paradox at Zou Yan’s hands. If the final decision also followed Zou Yan’s argument, his reputation would be utterly ruined.
Even though Gongsun Long gazed at him with desperate eyes, Lord Pingyuan’s verdict was merciless.
“I will issue orders. Mao Sui, confirm whether this was Lord Jianxin’s doing. Feng Ji, keep a close watch on His Majesty and the court. Zou Yan, consider how we might identify the real culprit if Lord Jianxin is innocent.”
At Lord Pingyuan’s iron command, everyone bowed. Everyone except Gongsun Long. He remained standing, glaring at the back of Zou Yan’s head with eyes full of fury, before finally bending at the waist with obvious reluctance.
“So Gongsun Long has left?”
“Yes. He has resigned from his position as a retainer entirely.”
I shook my head after hearing what had happened at Lord Pingyuan’s residence. With so many guest scholars, coordinating their opinions was never easy. Since they were not subordinates, there was no way to stop one from leaving in resentment.
“Still, it is a shame to lose such talent. Whatever his other faults, Gongsun Long was unmatched in lawsuits or debates, as one would expect from the School of Names.”
“I heard Master Zou won this time.”
“He didn’t refute the argument head-on. He simply seized the mood and steamrolled it. One day I will set aside proper time to teach him the true meaning of the White Horse Paradox.”
“Ah, no. There’s really no need for that.”
Honestly, even learning to read and write was already taxing enough. Although I did not run the trading company myself, I still poured a great deal of time into its affairs. Deciding its future direction, how to expand the business, and how to improve my image were matters I could entrust to no one else.
“This won’t splash any sparks on us, will it?”
“Of course not. On the contrary, our movements will be far freer than before. At least until this matter is settled.”
Preparing to oppose Qin alongside Wei while also investigating the assassination of an enemy general? Zhao’s administrative capacity would be stretched to the limit.
“Even so, be careful not to cause any problems. From what I hear, the King of Zhao cherished that general. If he finds someone to blame, he may crush them as an example.”
“I will keep it in mind.”
That was what I said, but I doubted the blame would reach us. They would probably just seize some minor official who had made a careless remark and punish him.
“Is Master Zou searching for the real culprit, then?”
“Since he asked me to inform him if I noticed anyone suspicious, it seems so.”
Everything that had occurred at Lord Pingyuan’s residence was supposed to remain confidential, aside from Gongsun Long’s departure. The reason I learned of it from Han Jing was thanks to Zou Yan. He had shared the details of that conversation with those he trusted to help locate the true culprit.
“Shouldn’t we also try to assist Master Zou?”
“How?”
“If we order the household servants to gather information…”
“For amateurs like us, the best way to help is to stay out of the way. If we happen to notice something strange, we can report it. Master Zou wasn’t asking us to investigate directly. He was simply warning us because the situation is serious and we should be cautious.”
Han Jing possessed considerable knowledge and decent administrative skill, yet he remained somewhat naïve when it came to schemes. If his scholarly ability was high, his practical ability average, then his cunning was low. From a superior’s perspective he was easy to manage because he followed orders without concealment, but he fell slightly short of the qualities needed for a strategist.
Of course, if he had been an expert in intrigue, he would never have been assigned to me in the first place.
Even after I explained all this, Han Jing’s enthusiasm refused to cool.
“If it bothers you that much, tell the servants to observe their surroundings more carefully whenever they go out.”
“Understood. I will pass on the instruction.”
The moment Han Jing left, I let out a long sigh. Did he think I felt no frustration with the situation? In truth I was probably more disappointed than he was. By now the long-arm chess craze should have been sweeping the land. I should have been swimming in money and enjoying abundance. The thought that all of it had vanished made anger surge inside me toward the still-unknown true culprit behind the assassination.
“I hope this matter ends as quickly as possible…”
“There is someone I suspect.”