During the reign of Emperor Wen of the Western Han Dynasty, the young political commentator Jia Yi, renowned for his exceptional talent, was summoned by the emperor to serve as a court scholar and was soon promoted to Grand Palace Attendant.
However, Jia Yi's sharp brilliance stirred jealousy among powerful nobles like Zhou Bo. They whispered slander to Emperor Wen, who then demoted Jia Yi to Grand Tutor of the Prince of Changsha.
Four years later, Emperor Wen summoned Jia Yi back to court and appointed him as Grand Tutor to his youngest son, Prince Liang Huai.
During the Han Dynasty, Emperor Wen of Han, though seated on the dragon throne, found his central authority severely weakened by powerful feudal princes of the same surname who carved out their own territories and ignored imperial decrees. Worse still, these princes harbored treacherous ambitions, coveting the emperor's seat with unkind hearts. The sharp-eyed advisor Jia Yi keenly spotted this rot and submitted a memorial titled "Strategy for Peace and Order" to Emperor Wen, warning, "Your Majesty, these princes are like a cancer—if left unchecked, they will devour the realm."
In "The Policy of Security," Jia Yi listed the rebellion of Liu Xingju, Prince of Jibei, a few years earlier; the conspiracy of Liu Chang, Prince of Huainan and younger brother of Emperor Wen of Han, in recent years; and the recent fact that Liu Pi, Prince of Wu, and others violated court laws, secretly recruited outlaws, continuously expanded their power, and plotted treason. He analyzed:
"Many people today claim the world is at peace, which is actually flattering Your Majesty. The current situation is like placing fire beneath a pile of dry tinder—because the flames haven't yet risen, it appears peaceful. Once the fire erupts, the situation will become unmanageable."
Finally, Jia Yi advised Emperor Wen of Han to take timely measures to weaken the power of the feudal princes of the same surname, preventing trouble before it occurred. After reading this, Emperor Wen found Jia Yi's reasoning sound and ordered the division of the largest fiefs, Qi and Huainan, into several smaller states, initially curbing the princes' influence and strengthening central authority.
Shortly after, Prince Huai of Liang tragically fell from his horse and died
Later, the idiom "Sleeping on a Powder Keg" came to be used as a metaphor for hidden, extreme danger.
Source: *Jia Yi's Collected Works*, "Strategies for Peace and Order"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "厝火积薪" came to describe a metaphor for hidden, extreme danger.