After Emperor Hui of Han died, his mother, Empress Dowager Lü, the wife of Han Gaozu Liu Bang, assumed the powers of the emperor.
To secure her grip on power, Empress Dowager Lu wanted to make her brothers and nephews kings, but fearing opposition from her ministers, she hypocritically asked for their advice.
“What do you think about this?” she first asked Right Chancellor Wang Ling.
Wang Ling had long sensed that Empress Lü was devious. After Liu Bang's death, she cruelly persecuted his beloved consort Lady Qi and poisoned her son, the Prince of Zhao, whom Liu Bang had wanted to make crown prince. Disgusted by Empress Lü's actions, Wang Ling replied to her question:
“Back when Emperor Gaozu was alive, he swore an oath with us old ministers: anyone not of the Liu family who dares to claim the throne shall be attacked by the whole realm. Now you want to make a member of the Lü family king—that won’t do.” Empress Dowager Lü cursed inwardly, “You stubborn old fool, you have no idea what’s good for you!” But keeping her composure, she turned to Left Chancellor Chen Ping and Grand Commandant Zhou Bo and asked, “What are your views?”
Chen Ping and Zhou Bo said, "When Emperor Gaozu pacified the realm, it was only natural for him to enfeoff his Liu clan members as kings. Now you are acting as regent, wielding imperial authority, so there is nothing wrong with enfeoffing members of the Lü clan as kings."
Empress Lü beamed with joy and said, "Since you all agree, it's settled." After the court session, Wang Ling criticized Chen Ping and Zhou Bo, "Didn't you swear an oath before Liu Bang?" "We did." "Then why did you break your oath and agree to make a Lü a king?"
Chen Ping and Zhou Bo chuckled, "When it comes to confronting the emperor in court, we're no match for you. But in stabilizing the state and ensuring Liu Bang's descendants remain emperors forever, you're no match for us. The days ahead are long—a small impatience can ruin a great plan."
Wang Ling finally understood that the two of them had taken their positions for the sake of the court's safety, so he said nothing more.
Empress Dowager Lü held a grudge against Wang Ling for opposing her plan to make members of the Lü clan kings. Soon after, she dismissed him from his post as Chancellor and appointed him Grand Tutor—a title with no real power.
After Empress Dowager Lü's death, Chen Ping and Zhou Bo devised a plan to eliminate Lü Chan and Lü Lu, who were attempting to seize power from the Han dynasty.
Later, the idiom "Remonstrating Face to Face in Court" came to mean directly pointing out someone's faults, boldly admonishing, and arguing on principle.
Source: *Book of Han*, "Biography of Wang Ling"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "面折廷争" came to describe directly pointing out someone's faults, boldly admonishing, and arguing on principle.