How to Choose Partners? The Way of Conducting Oneself Yan Shu of the Northern Song Dynasty Enlightened from the Second Yang Line (Nine-Two) of the Qian Hexagram

During the Jingde reign of the Northern Song Dynasty, Yan Shu had just entered the Imperial Library as a child prodigy and had already won the favor of Emperor Zhenzong at a young age. Everyone around him said the young man had a bright future, yet he himself was fretting over a scroll of the *I Ching* in his study.

What troubled him was nothing else but the name cards that had piled up like a small hill on his desk. There were noble young masters inviting him to poetry gatherings, senior officials wanting to take him as a protégé, and wealthy merchants sending messages to propose a partnership in compiling reference books for a handsome sum of money. Yan Shu held a brush in his hand, circling and crossing out names on the cards one by one—how to choose a partner? This was far more difficult than changing the exam questions during the palace examination back then.

Just as he was lost in thought, Fan Zhongyan, his fellow scholar, walked in with two plates of pastries. Seeing his troubled look, Fan Zhongyan smiled and pointed to the open book in front of him: "You've been staring at the Qian hexagram for ages. Are you planning to learn the art of slaying dragons?" Yan Shu sighed and pushed the name cards over to him: "I wouldn't dare slay a dragon. Right now, I can't even be sure who should stand by my side. You see, the line says 'Seeing the dragon in the field, it is favorable to meet a great man.' I've just emerged from the state of a 'hidden dragon'—does that count as being 'in the field'? But where on earth is this 'great man'? Surely it can't be just anyone in official robes I pull off the street, right?"

Fan Zhongyan picked up a piece of osmanthus cake and said unhurriedly: "You, you're just too eager to find an answer. How to make the right decision? Don't rush to choose first—take a look at what kind of person you are first." Yan Shu was about to retort when Fan Zhongyan continued: "The line says 'Seeing the dragon in the field'—it means the dragon itself has first climbed out of the abyss, and its virtue spreads far and wide. You must first have your own principles and true character, then people who are on the same wavelength as you will come to you. Look at you now, weighing each name card one by one like picking vegetables at the market—you're putting the cart before the horse."

Yan Shu was stunned for a moment, then looked down at the hexagram line again and suddenly smiled. He had always been thinking about how to improve his judgment and pick the most useful person from a crowd, but he had forgotten that the premise of "it is favorable to meet a great man" is that one must first be the dragon that is climbing upward.

After that, he declined most of the poetry gatherings and banquets. Every day, he continued to collate books in the Imperial Library, consulted respected senior academicians when he encountered difficulties, and gathered with like-minded young colleagues to discuss Confucian classics. Some said he was foolish for not taking advantage of the ready-made connections, but he did not defend himself.

Six months later, Emperor Zhenzong was to select officials for the Eastern Palace. The entire court recommended many people, but in the end, the emperor chose Yan Shu. Everyone was surprised, but only Yan Shu himself knew that in the past six months, he had diligently collated half a shelf of books, and his conversations with the senior academician during his consultations had long reached the emperor's ears.

Later, when he talked about this with Fan Zhongyan again, Fan Zhongyan poked his forehead and said: "Did you think 'it is favorable to meet a great man' means clinging to powerful people? It means when you stand straight and walk steadily, those who can help you will naturally spot you in the crowd." Yan Shu nodded with a smile. Outside the window, magnolia flowers were in full bloom. A gust of wind blew, and petals fell on the pages of the *I Ching*, right covering the four characters "Seeing the dragon in the field".

Later, he often told his protégés that when one is in a low position, don't be in a hurry to curry favor with others. First take root firmly, and the people you are meant to meet will be waiting for you on the road sooner or later.