How did Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin—a cold-blooded ruler who killed his own brothers—become one of history’s greatest rulers? Through the ‘Zhenguan Zhengyao’, we examine how his active listening and leadership influenced the management of his organization.
The Power of Active Listening: Emperor Taizong of Tang and the ‘Zhenguan Zhengyao’
What does it take to win people’s hearts? In this blog post, we will explore the importance of active listening. Through the example of Emperor Taizong of Tang (Li Shimin)—one of China’s most powerful emperors in history and widely regarded as the greatest sage-ruler—we will examine just how crucial it is to listen attentively to others’ opinions.
There is a book compiled about 1,500 years ago that has been cherished by countless leaders in East Asia. Even today, it continues to inspire leaders—such as politicians and business executives—on leadership and organizational management. It is ‘Zhenguan Zhengyao’ (貞觀政要), published during China’s Tang Dynasty. ‘Zhenguan Zhengyao’ was written by the historian Wu Geng after the death of Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin. It compiles the conversations he had with various ministers during his reign of over 20 years. A common description of this book is “the classic of Eastern imperial studies”.
How did Li Shimin become a virtuous ruler?
The art of kingship, as the name suggests, is the discipline studied by monarchs who govern a nation. While leading a country requires numerous abilities, three are indispensable: leadership that inspires ministers and the people to trust and follow the ruler; political acumen to wield power appropriately; and managerial skills necessary for the efficient operation of an organization. The study of imperial governance focuses on helping monarchs and their successors develop the abilities needed to lead the nation stably.
Among these works, the ‘Zhenguan Zhengyao’ is the book that symbolizes the study of imperial governance itself. When reading history books, one often encounters accounts of ambitious Eastern monarchs who studied this book to refine their approach to governance. For example, it is said that King Gwangjong of Goryeo spent years reading ‘Zhenguan Zhengyao’ over and over again to devise a plan before subduing the powerful aristocratic clans that wielded authority. Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun who founded the Edo Shogunate in Japan, is also said to have kept this book by his bedside and read it whenever he had free time.
What kind of man was Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, that a book compiling his everyday conversations and anecdotes with his ministers has been cherished for over 1,500 years? If we were to find a figure in Korean history most similar to Li Shimin, we could point to King Taejong of Joseon, Yi Bang-won. As is well known, Yi Bang-won made significant contributions to the founding of Joseon by assisting his father, King Taejo Yi Seong-gye, but was unable to ascend to the throne due to political opposition from those around him. Consequently, he led an army to launch the “Prince’s Rebellion,” eliminating both his younger brother—who was the Crown Prince—and all those who opposed him, thereby ascending to the throne himself.
Li Shimin’s story is similar. Li Shimin made such decisive contributions to the founding of the Tang Dynasty that he is effectively regarded as its founder. An exceptional military strategist, he personally rode into battle, engaging in bloody, fierce combat with his enemies to unify the empire. However, despite his immense achievements, Li Shimin also failed to become the successor to his father, Emperor Gaozu of Tang, Li Yuan. Emperor Gaozu had designated Li Shimin’s older brother, Li Jiancheng, as Crown Prince.
Faced with this situation, Li Shimin acted exactly as Yi Bang-won had. In fact, since Li Shimin lived some 700 years before Yi Bang-won, it would be more accurate to say that Yi Bang-won emulated Li Shimin’s actions. Li Shimin raised an army and purged his older brother, Crown Prince Li Jiancheng; his younger brother, Li Yuanji; and all those who followed them. In Chinese history, this event is known as the “Xuanwu Gate Incident,” because he ambushed and eliminated his enemies at Xuanwu Gate, which served as the entrance to the imperial palace.
Based on this account alone, Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, comes across as a fearsome tyrant. This is because he appears to be a ruthless and cruel ruler who, from a young age, roamed the land on horseback to establish a nation, and after doing so, killed even his own older and younger brothers out of ambition for power. Consequently, he seems like someone without a shred of compassion, indifferent to the suffering of his people and driven solely by his own power and ambition.
However, Li Shimin is regarded as the greatest sage-ruler and one of the most respected emperors in Chinese history. Had he governed the country solely through military force after seizing power, he would not have earned such respect. The reason Li Shimin’s name remains renowned to this day is that, while he relied strictly on force and military might to secure power, once in power, he governed with benevolence and magnanimity, practicing a gentle and compassionate form of governance. In Eastern classical texts, politics based on force is called “the Way of the Hegemon” (Pai Dao). This term is primarily used when discussing Legalist thought, as exemplified by Han Fei Zi; conversely, politics based on virtue is referred to as “the Way of the King” (Wang Dao). This term describes Confucian thought, as exemplified by Confucius and Mencius. The secret to Li Shimin’s achievements lay in his ability to appropriately apply both the Way of the Hegemon and the Way of the King depending on the situation he faced.
Let’s examine two examples from the ‘Zhenguan Zhengyao’ that reveal Li Shimin’s qualities and efforts. Although this is the story of a monarch who lived in China 1,500 years ago, its lessons remain highly relevant to today’s leaders. The first leadership quality we can learn from Li Shimin is “meritocracy”—the bold practice of appointing capable individuals, even if they were once enemies. As explained earlier, the ‘Zhenguan Zhengyao’ is a compilation of conversations he had with his ministers during his more than 20 years of ruling the empire. While numerous officials appear in the text, those whose names appear most frequently include Wei Zheng, Fang Xuanling, Du Yuhui, and Wang Gui.
Among them, Wei Zheng not only appears most frequently but is also the figure who most often offered frank criticism to the emperor. In the ‘Zhenguan Zhengyao’, Li Shimin himself mentions that Wei Zheng offered him advice as many as 300 times. This means he opposed the emperor—the supreme ruler—on virtually every issue; however, the fact that he could voice dissent at any time was only possible because Emperor Taizong trusted Wei Zheng so deeply. Yet Wei Zheng was not originally a supporter of Emperor Taizong. As explained earlier, Emperor Taizong ascended the throne after killing his older brother, Crown Prince Li Jiancheng; Wei Zheng had originally been a key advisor to Li Jiancheng. During the power struggle between Li Shimin and Li Jiancheng, Wei Zheng was the one who relentlessly proposed strategies to eliminate Li Shimin, his political rival. Given these circumstances, it was only natural that Li Shimin summoned Wei Zheng and reprimanded him after purging Li Jiancheng. Typically, in such cases, it was common practice to eliminate everyone who had sided with a rival to avoid future complications.
However, Li Shimin did not do so. When Li Shimin summoned Wei Zheng, people naturally assumed he was going to kill him. Li Shimin asked Wei Zheng, “Why did you sow discord between us brothers?” He was referring to Wei Zheng’s alleged scheming to pit him against his older brother, but Wei Zheng remained unflinching and replied, “If Crown Prince Jiancheng had heeded my advice, today’s disaster would certainly not have occurred.”
This implied that Li Shimin had been able to secure victory precisely because the Crown Prince had hesitated and failed to heed his strategy; had the Crown Prince followed the plan, the outcome for Li Shimin himself might have been uncertain. Even in the presence of the supreme ruler—who could have had him killed with the mere flick of a finger—he remained undaunted and spoke his mind with dignity. Upon hearing this, Li Shimin recognized the truth in Wei Zheng’s words; he not only granted him a high-ranking official position but also summoned him to seek advice whenever making important political decisions. This was based on his conviction that, when it came to capable talent, he would appoint them for the sake of the organization and the nation—even if they had once been his enemies.
Li Shimin respected Wei Zheng’s integrity and sound judgment, continually promoting him to higher ranks. Then, one day, a minister who had been loyal to Li Shimin from the start voiced his dissatisfaction. Simply put, his complaint was along the lines of, “Does it make sense to treat an enemy who once tried to eliminate us so well?” This is a complaint that any subordinate who had fought alongside Emperor Taizong of Tang through thick and thin would naturally have. Emperor Taizong Li Shimin’s response was as follows. These words clearly illustrate the philosophy Li Shimin held regarding the appointment of talent.
“In the past, Wei Zheng was certainly my enemy. However, he simply served the person he was loyal to with his whole heart and soul, and this, too, is worthy of praise. I have now selected and appointed him to a position of great responsibility. Wei Zheng spoke truthfully to me even when he opposed me, and he never allowed me to do anything wrong. It is for this reason that I hold him in such high regard.”
Listening with a Humble Attitude
The second secret to Li Shimin’s success as a virtuous ruler was precisely his “humble attitude of lowering himself to listen to others’ opinions.” Li Shimin was a military commander who had traversed the battlefields and unified the realm from horseback. His charisma was equally formidable. In fact, his portraits depict him as a quintessential warrior—sturdy in build with piercing eyes. When a man like him ascended to the imperial throne after eliminating even his own older and younger brothers, his ministers, overwhelmed by his aura, were all too afraid to speak up.
Fearing they might offend Li Shimin, the officials spoke only what he wanted to hear. This meant that all civil and military officials had become “yes-men” who unconditionally agreed with the emperor. Under such circumstances, no organization can function properly. One day, Li Shimin realized that his subordinates were unable to offer honest opinions because they were intimidated by his charisma. From then on, whenever he met with his ministers, he softened his expression so that they would not be intimidated and could speak their minds honestly to him.
“If an honest ruler appoints treacherous ministers, he cannot govern the country properly; nor can an honest minister serve a wicked ruler and still govern the country properly. I wish to rely on the frank words and sound discussions of my ministers to bring the realm to an era of peace and prosperity.” These were the words of Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, as he urged his ministers to offer their honest opinions.
In fact, when reading the ‘Zhenguan Zhengyao’, one comes across some truly astonishing anecdotes. Even considering that Li Shimin was a ruler who heeded his ministers’ advice, one can’t help but wonder if it was really acceptable for his ministers to speak to the emperor in such a direct manner.
As any office worker knows, openly opposing a superior’s opinion within an organization is never an easy task. If one were to inadvertently incur the emperor’s wrath, one’s life could be at risk—yet Li Shimin’s ministers never ceased to offer their frank advice, even at the risk of their lives. When Li Shimin attempted to implement a feudal system by enfeoffing all his relatives as kings to govern their respective territories, his ministers rose up in protest like a swarm of bees. Their argument was that crowning every member of the imperial family as a king would only increase the people’s suffering and benefit only the emperor’s relatives. Ultimately, Li Shimin accepted his ministers’ advice and abandoned the feudal system he had been pushing for.
To Koreans, Li Shimin is primarily remembered as the Chinese emperor who attempted to invade Goguryeo but ultimately suffered defeat and was forced to retreat. Although Li Shimin is actually regarded as one of the greatest sage kings in Chinese history, he too made several mistakes in his later years as the era of peace and prosperity continued. He became increasingly resistant to his ministers’ advice and, by recklessly attacking Goguryeo, weakened the nation’s power. Furthermore, he made the grave mistake of failing to choose a suitable successor, which ultimately led to his concubine, Empress Wu Zetian, seizing control of the Tang Dynasty.
This shows that just because someone was once a good leader does not mean they will remain one forever. It also shows that becoming a good leader requires relentless effort to constantly refine oneself. One of the most famous sayings left by Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, is, “It is harder to maintain a kingdom than to found one.” This means that governing a country well is more difficult than founding it; as his words suggest, sustaining success over time seems to be a more arduous task than achieving it in the first place.
