Xiang Yu and Liu Bang both returned home at the height of worldly success. Xiang Yu seemed determined to prove himself, while Liu Bang’s return carried more of a sense of honoring an old bond. The homecoming of another famous figure, however, exposed one of the colder sides of human nature.
Su Qin and the fickleness of human affection
Su Qin lived during China’s Warring States period. Before achieving success, he knew poverty and failure all too well.
He traveled from state to state trying to persuade rulers to adopt his political strategies, but his efforts initially came to nothing. When he finally returned home defeated and penniless, even his own family treated him with contempt.
His wife remained seated at her loom and did not rise to greet him. His sister-in-law refused to cook for him. His parents would not even speak to him.
Deeply wounded by their treatment, Su Qin shut himself away and devoted himself to study. According to the traditional account, whenever exhaustion overcame him and he began to fall asleep, he would prick his thigh with an awl to force himself awake.
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