THE SMILE THAT COST A COUNTRY
The last emperor of the Chou Dynasty, who ruled about two thousand years ago in China, had a beautiful concubine named Baosi. The emperor loved her very much, but he just could not make her happy. He finally offered a big prize for anyone who could make her smile. One of his ministers suggested that the emperor might light up the alarm signal tower. According to the tradition, the signal tower was used to summon all the generals who supported the emperor to come to the capital in case of an attack. The suggestion was that when the generals came and found out that they were all tricked, the frustration might win Baosi a smile. The last emperor did accordingly. Baosi saw the armies leave in frustration, and she was amused. It was the first time she had ever laughed. The enemies of the country heard about this incident, and they took advantage of the false signal, assuming…
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