Replace the Beams with Pillars

故事全文


  Ming Shih Zong was a very superstitious emperor. He had a favorite fortune teller by the name of Lan Dao Sing, who once passed a test set by the emperor and thus won his trust.
  Once, in order to test Lan Dao Sing, the emperor sent a eunuch to deliver a confidential letter to him. Upon arrival, the eunuch burned the letter before it was opened and told Lan Dao Sing, "The letter contained the questions that the emperor wanted to ask you. You are the expert in magic. Please tell me the answers to the questions so that I can report back to the emperor." Hearing this, Lan Dao Sing started to panic. He thought, "How could I know what was written in the letter without reading it first? The emperor is going to have my head for this." But suddenly he came up with an idea to save the day. So he followed the eunuch to see the emperor.
  Lan Dao Sing said to Ming Shih Zong, "I know how to call upon the supernatural powers. But the eunuch whom Your Majesty sent today was not devoted enough, so the gods refused to show me the answers. May I request Your Majesty to send your letter again using another eunuch who is more devoted as a messenger?" Because the emperor was so superstitious, he agreed to send another one. This time, Lan Dao Sing was well prepared. Before the letter was burned, Lan Dao Sing had switched the real letter with a fake one when the eunuch was distracted. Thus, Lan Dao Sing learned the content of the letter through guile and gave the emperor the correct answers. Ming Shih Zong was not aware of his trick. And so he came to have even more faith in Lan Dao Sing's magic.

Strategy 25: Replace the Beams with Pillars
   While your opponent is unaware, steal the real thing by swapping it with a fake one, thereby achieving your goal through deceit.