In his later years, Emperor Wu of Han grew frail and paranoid, falling under the spell of the treacherous minister Jiang Chong. Seizing on the emperor's fear of assassination, Jiang Chong claimed that the emperor's illness was caused by officials and commoners burying wooden dolls underground to curse him. The emperor ordered Jiang Chong to investigate, and the ruthless minister used the chance to frame his enemies, executing tens of thousands of people.
At the time, Crown Prince Liu Ju and Jiang Chong were bitter rivals. So Jiang Chong, while Emperor Wu of Han was recuperating at the Ganquan Palace, falsely accused the prince of burying a large number of wooden dolls in his own palace, aiming to frame him for treason and have him killed. Unable to tolerate this any longer, the prince raised his troops and executed Jiang Chong.
Jiang Chong's allies rushed to report to Emperor Wu of Han, falsely claiming that the Crown Prince had raised an army in rebellion. Believing the lie, the emperor ordered Chancellor Liu Quli to lead troops against the prince. Forced to defend himself, the Crown Prince Ju resisted, and after days of fierce fighting, he was defeated, fled, and was later killed in Hu County.
When Crown Prince Liu Ju raised troops against the Chancellor's forces, he claimed the Emperor was gravely ill and treacherous ministers were causing chaos, using the pretext of purging corrupt officials. He personally visited the camp of Ren An, the imperial guard commander responsible for defending the capital, handed him the military tally, and ordered him to deploy troops in support. Ren An accepted the tally but refused to mobilize, keeping his camp sealed and his soldiers inside. Uncertain which side was right or wrong in the conflict, he chose to stay neutral.
Later, Emperor Wu of Han returned to the capital while ill. Upon learning of the situation, he initially believed that Ren An had merely pretended to accept the military tally without actually siding with the Crown Prince, so he decided not to pursue the matter.
A minor official in Ren An's army, who had once been flogged by Ren An and held a grudge, reported to Emperor Wu, "Ren An promised the Crown Prince troops and obeyed his orders, making him a supporter of the Crown Prince."
After reading the letter of accusation, Emperor Wu said, "Ren An is a veteran minister of long standing! He is a crafty old fox who, seeing war break out, keeps a foot in both camps, sitting back to watch who wins before deciding which side to join. A man with such divided loyalties cannot be kept!"
Emperor Wu then ordered Ren An arrested and executed.
Later, the idiom "Sitting by and Watching Success or Failure" came to describe observing others' triumphs and defeats from the sidelines.
Source: *Book of Han*, "Annals of Emperor Wu"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "坐观成败" came to describe observing others' triumphs and defeats from the sidelines.