Trey Smith
Yen Yuan questioned Confucius about this story, saying, "King Wen didn't amount to very much after all, did he! And why did he have to resort to that business about the dream?"I find this ending to the previous story to be troubling. It suggests that subterfuge -- not transparency and honesty -- is the way to go.
"Quiet!" said Confucius. "No more talk from you! King Wen was perfection itself - how can there be any room for carping and criticism! The dream - that was just a way of getting out of a moment's difficulty."
~ Burton Watson translation ~
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