When Shoigu went abroad, his closest confidant was arrested on charges of corruption. Such matters can be treated as either minor or major — because their entire system operates in a decidedly pre-modern way. In other words, keeping everyone fed and well-compensated is not a crime but a skill. So while this was technically an offense, it was not the real reason for his removal.
There is a famous line from the classic Chinese film Let the Bullets Fly: “The boss is often just an empty shell.” From all the signs, the Plywood General looks more like a politician than a soldier — despite serving as the chief steward of Russia’s armed forces for so long. In fact, he backed the right horse twice in critical moments, which is how he soared to the top: someone who had never served a single day in the military became its supreme head.
On a Sunday evening, at the invitation of a high-end jewelry brand, I was asked to speak to their core clientele about Chinese learning and traditional culture.
Honestly, in this day and age, talking about broad, sweeping Chinese cultural topics is entirely pointless. Anyone with even modest education can casually quote Taoist texts or Buddhist sutras.
And in circles where people have built real wealth, nobody wants to hear vague abstractions. What everyone values comes down to four simple words: real and practical.
As Chinese people, we have always been reserved and understated in matters of the heart. There are things we simply cannot bring ourselves to say out loud — just like her.
She is always slightly furrowed at the brow, disapproving of this or that about you, always trying to steer your life — yet she never once said plainly: I truly love you. I care about you so deeply. I cannot bear to see you suffer, which is why I rush so anxiously to make your decisions for you.
Why, in this one life you have, should you escape a low-level environment as quickly as possible? My answer may sound a little dark, but it is completely true.
You should know that I, Master Chi, was once poor myself. Due to a reversal of family fortune, I lived for a time at the very bottom of society.
And that is precisely why I came to understand this truth so deeply in my bones: whenever you get the chance, do not — under any circumstances — stay at the bottom for too long. Because a prolonged life at the low end of society will genuinely corrupt and distort a person’s character and values.
1 - This world has never had any such thing as “the truth” — only different perspectives shaped by competing interests. All affairs of the world are affairs of interest. Such is reality.
2 - Why does your kindness so rarely lead to great achievement? Because evil understands you far better than you have ever bothered to understand evil.
3 - The vast majority of your enemies in life were slowly nurtured by your own weakness and retreat.
Sometimes, I genuinely feel that you are exhausted — you’ve placed far too much pressure on yourself.
Do you know what? Life’s margin for error is actually quite high.
Especially after you’ve been through a few things, you’ll gradually discover that many of the situations people make such a big deal about are, at their core, really not that important.
Take a difficult family upbringing — it’s really not that critical. If you slowly learn to understand your parents’ limitations and shortsightedness with clear eyes, you’ll develop the insight to see through their flaws and ultimately surpass them.
Let me share a personal philosophy of mine: a truly intelligent person will have remarkable clarity when it comes to marriage.
Because if someone cannot see clearly or navigate something as basic as marriage, it means their values, worldview, and life philosophy all contain enormous blind spots.
That’s why they end up tormented and overwhelmed by the endless troubles that come with it.
I’ve always said: if you can’t get past the emotional hurdle, talking about wealth and success is pointless. This is exactly why.
One afternoon over tea, a well-known figure in Shanghai’s elite social circles posed me a question: “Master, why do you have such remarkable insight when it comes to analyzing life patterns and mapping out people’s lives? Why do so many heirs — young and old alike — and women in their prime come specifically seeking you out, even asking me to book an appointment on their behalf?”
Her question caught me off guard for a moment. I reached for my teacup, buying myself a few seconds to mask the pause and gather my thoughts for a dignified response.
These past couple of days, something happened that’s genuinely worth talking about.
The story itself is simple: Zhou Hongyi, the boss of 360, wanted to auction off his Maybach and replace it with a high-quality domestically-produced electric vehicle. During the auction, a used car dealer going by the name “Chairman Zhu” placed a sky-high bid of 9.9 million yuan — then couldn’t actually pay for it.
And that wasn’t the end of the farce. Chairman Zhu also arranged a dinner gathering, deliberately inviting Zhou Hongyi and a crowd of people dripping with “street boss” energy to dine together.
Over the years, I’ve arrived at one profound realization: the reason people struggle is almost always because they’ve made their lives too complicated.
If you don’t believe me, take a close look at the people around you who are stuck in poverty, chaos, and constant drama.
Their lives are invariably packed with people and situations that consume enormous amounts of their energy — while producing absolutely nothing useful in return.