During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty, two ministers served at court: Ji An, known for his unwavering integrity, and Gongsun Hong, a master of flattery. One day, Ji An confronted Gongsun Hong directly, saying, "You are nothing but a sycophant who bends the truth to please the emperor." Gongsun Hong, unfazed, replied with a calm smile, "I merely speak what pleases His Majesty, while you insist on speaking what displeases him. Which of us truly serves the empire?" Ji An retorted, "A loyal minister speaks the truth, not sweet words that lead the ruler astray." Their clash became a classic example of the tension between blunt honesty and cunning diplomacy at the imperial court. Source: *Records of the Grand Historian*, "Biography of Ji An and Gongsun Hong"
During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, the young emperor often found himself embarrassed by the blunt criticisms of his advisor Ji An, who would directly point out flaws in the emperor's governance. In contrast, Gongsun Hong, another minister, constantly praised the emperor's virtues and decisions, earning him great trust from Emperor Wu.
Ji An, a blunt and outspoken official, could not stomach the cunning and deceitful ways of his colleague Gongsun Hong. He often exposed Gongsun Hong's hypocrisy right to his face, leaving him red-faced and utterly humiliated. Fuming with resentment, Gongsun Hong bided his time, waiting for the perfect moment to exact his revenge.
Later, when Gongsun Hong became prime minister, he said to Emperor Wu, "Most of the officials in the Right Interior Office are Your Majesty's relatives, which is not ideal. It would be better to appoint a prestigious minister to this post."
“Then who should be sent?” Emperor Wu of Han asked.
Gongsun Hong knew that the position of Right Governor was likely to offend the powerful nobles in the capital, and that whoever held this office could no longer participate in court affairs, so he said, "I believe Ji An is well suited for this post."
Emperor Wu of Han, weary of Ji An's blunt criticisms, agreed with Gongsun Hong's suggestion and issued an imperial decree transferring Ji An to the position of Right Governor of the Capital.
Gongsun Hong had originally planned to use the influence of the emperor's relatives to deal with Ji An. However, after Ji An served as the Right Inner Secretary for several years, those royal relatives, knowing Ji An was upright and selfless, restrained their behavior considerably, refrained from breaking the law, and got along well with him. Gongsun Hong found himself powerless against Ji An.
Soon after, the King of Huainan, Liu An, plotted rebellion. He held no fear of Chancellor Gongsun Hong, but was wary of Ji An, warning his men to be careful not to reveal their plans. Liu An said of Ji An, "He gives direct counsel, holds to his principles, and would die for righteousness—it's hard to mislead him with wrongdoing. As for Chancellor Gongsun, dealing with him is like lifting a veil or shaking off a withered leaf."
The following year, the Prince of Huainan committed suicide after his conspiracy was exposed, yet his assessments of Ji An and Gongsun Hong proved remarkably accurate.
Later, the idiom "lifting the veil and shaking down withered leaves" came to describe something extremely easy to do.
Source: *Records of the Grand Historian*, "Biography of Ji An"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "发蒙振落" came to describe how something extremely easy to do.