Mei Cheng, courtesy name Shu, was a renowned Han Dynasty writer from Huaiyin (modern-day Jiangsu).
During the reign of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty, the scholar Mei Cheng served as an advisor in the court of Liu Pi, the King of Wu. At that time, Wu was a powerful vassal state, and Liu Pi harbored deep political ambitions, nursing resentment toward the central government and dreaming of one day seizing the throne for himself.
Emperor Jing of Han, aware of the threat posed by powerful vassal states, appointed the talented politician Chao Cuo as Imperial Censor to reduce their territories, strengthen central authority, and unify the nation.
Liu Pi, watching as other feudal lords had their territories stripped away one by one, knew the Kingdom of Wu would not escape the same fate, so he secretly contacted the kings of Chu, Zhao, Jiaoxi, and Jiaodong, plotting rebellion in the shadows.
Mei Cheng, clearly foreseeing the disaster that Liu Bi's rebellion would bring and predicting its certain failure, wrote a letter of remonstrance to the King of Wu, offering direct counsel. In the letter, he wrote:
"If Your Majesty would heed the words of loyal ministers, all calamities could be avoided. But if you insist on following your own will, it is more dangerous than stacking eggs and more difficult than reaching heaven. However, if you quickly change your mind, it would be easier than turning over your palm, and your position would be as secure as Mount Tai."
Liu Pi, however, read the remonstrance without taking it to heart, pressing forward with his secret schemes. Mei Cheng, sensing that staying at the Prince of Wu's court would bring disaster upon himself, left the state and became a guest at the court of Liu Wu, the Prince of Liang.
In 154 BCE, Liu Bi allied with the kings of Chu, Zhao, Jiaodong, and Jiaoxi, launching a rebellion under the pretext of eliminating Chao Cuo and purging petty men surrounding the emperor. This is known in history as the "Rebellion of the Seven States."
Emperor Jing of Han, swayed by slanderous accusations, executed his advisor Chao Cuo and sent apologies to the feudal princes. At this time, the strategist Mei Cheng wrote "A Second Memorial to Admonish the King of Wu," urging Liu Bi to withdraw his troops.
But Liu Pi, blinded by greed, refused to lay down arms. Emperor Jing of Han finally realized Liu Pi's true ambition and sent General Zhou Yafu to crush the rebellion. Zhou's forces swiftly defeated the Wu-Chu rebel army. King Wu Liu Pi fled to Dongyue after his defeat, where he was killed by pursuing troops; King Chu Liu Wu committed suicide, and the other rebel kings met similarly grim fates. The entire rebellion lasted only three months before it was quelled.
After the Rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms was quelled, Mei Cheng gained widespread fame for his foresight and wisdom, having written two memorials—"A Memorial to Admonish the King of Wu" and "A Second Memorial to Admonish the King of Wu"—which demonstrated his keen insight into the unfolding crisis.
Later, when Emperor Wu of Han ascended the throne, he sent for the scholar to come to the capital for an official post, but tragically, the man fell ill and died on the journey before ever reaching the city.
Later, the idiom "As Steady as Mount Tai" came to be used as a metaphor for something as stable and unshakable as Mount Tai.
Source: Mei Cheng (Western Han Dynasty), *Memorial to the Prince of Wu*
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "安如泰山" came to describe how something as stable and unshakable as Mount Tai.