During the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC), a man from Qi State called Meng Changjun boasted 3,000 men in his home, classified into three grades. The men of the senior grade could have meat and enjoy the luxury of a carriage when going out; those of the medium grade could have meat but were not provided with a carriage; and those of the lower grade were given only vegetables.
One day, a man called Feng Xuan came to the home of Meng. But Meng didn’t pay much attention to Feng, treating him as a lower guest. Feng was extremely unhappy and made complaints everyday. After hearing this, Meng upgraded Feng to the position of senior guest and sent his mother food and daily commodities. Then, Feng Xuan stopped grouching.
At one time, Meng Changjun sent Feng Xuan to a place called Xue to collect the rent. But Feng Xuan not only did not collect the rent; he also said to the local people, “Meng Changjun knows you have had a poor harvest this year and is afraid that you will face great difficulties as a result, so he exempts all the ground rents.” And then he burned all of the contracts in front of the local people. The people of Xue were therefore very grateful to Meng and Feng provided him with the reputation of “loving the people”. Subsequently, when Meng was dismissed from his post of prime minister and went back to Xue, the local people waited for him at the roadside and welcomed him back warmly.
Meng Changjun was deeply moved, and appreciated Feng Xuan very much. Shortly afterwards, Feng Xuan said to Meng Changjun, “A rabbit should have three bolt holes in which to hide itself so that it won’t be caught by the hunter. Now, the place of Xue is one of your ‘caves’, but it is not safe enough! You can’t have a secure rest here. I would like to find another two ‘caves’ for you so that you have three safe places to hide!”
Then, Feng Xuan went to Liang State and told the King of Liang State what a talented and virtuous person Meng Changjun was. After hearing this, the King of Liang State sent people with 500 kg of gold and 100 carriages ask Meng Changjun to act as his prime minister.
The news spread to Qi State. The King of Qi State was in a pucker at once and invited Meng Changjun back to act as prime minster with grand formality. Meanwhile, Feng Xuan helped Meng Changjun build an ancestral temple in Xue to guarantee its security.
After the ancestral temple was completed, Feng Xuan said to Meng, “Now three caves have been made. From today, you can have a good rest without fear of any disturbances!”
This story is from Strategiesofthe Warring States. The idiom is used to indicate that everything has been thoroughly prepared and there is nothing to be worried about.
