Toss Out a Brick to Attract Jade
故事全文
Tang Tai Zong was very fond of calligraphy and had always wanted to acquire the most famous calligraphy painting - The Lanting Preface. The painting was in the possession of Bian Cai, a monk at Yong Sin Temple. However, Bian Cai claimed that he did not own the authentic copy. So Siao Yi was given the task of visiting Bian Cai to steal the real Lanting Preface. Siao Yi went incognito and brought with him two authentic works by the famous calligrapher Er Wang as bait.
Siao Yi disguised himself as a poor scholar taking a ferry to Yong Sin Temple to study the murals in the temple. Seeing how impoverished Siao Yi is, Bian Cai invited Siao Yi to dinner and to stay at the temple for a while. In the following days, they chatted about art and literature. One day, Siao Yi casually mentioned that he had with him some authentic works by the famous calligrapher Er Wang. Bian Cai asked Siao Yi if he could see them and found that they were indeed authentic.
At this moment, Bian Cai mentioned that he, too, had a very special collection. Siao Yi seized this opportunity and asked him about it. Bian Cai told him, "I have the Lanting Preface'' Siao Yi replied deliberately, "That's impossible. I heard that the Lanting Preface was destroyed during the war."Bian Cai replied, "The Lanting Preface had been handed down through seven generations. It was given to me by my late master. I will show it to you tomorrow if you don't believe me."The next day, Bian Cai brought out the Lanting Preface, and while Siao Yi was examining the work, he deliberately pointed out a flaw and said that it could not have been the authentic copy. Bian Cai expressed the wish to see other authentic copies from Siao Yi so that he could compare them with his own. Thinking that he would need to compare it with other copies soon, he did not store it away as he should, but had it lying around on the table.
Later, Bian Cai went out to do something. And Siao Yi told the disciples who guarded the temple that Bian Cai forgot something in his room. Thinking that he is an acquaintance of their master, the disciples let him into their master's room. Siao Yi took the Lanting Preface along with the works of Er Wang that he brought with him and left.
Strategy 17: Toss Out a Brick to Attract Jade
Use something similar as bait to entrap the enemy. Confuse him with lies and illusions until he is trapped. This is the strategy of using a small bait to catch something big.
