516 BC

When Confucius was about thirty-five years old, there was a civil strife between the three Barons and the Duke (or the king) of Lu. The Duke lost the battle and fled to Ch’i. Soon after that, the country of Lu was in chaos, so Confucius went to Ch’i with his students. Confucius served as the secretary to Baron Chao Kao, and the Duke of Ch’i liked Confucius a lot. The Duke of Ch’i wanted Confucius to work for him, but the minister of Ch’i, Yen Ying, and noble of Ch’i were plotting against Confucius. Plus the Duke of Ch’i said to Confucius, "I’m sorry that I’m too old to be able use your ideas in my country." So Confucius left and returned to Lu.

Yang Ho, who works for one of the Baron of Lu, took over the political power by controlling the Duke of Lu. He wanted Confucius who had a good reputation, to work for him, so no one would dare to rebel against Yang Ho. Confucius decided not to work for Yang Ho but retired to study poetry, history, ritual, and music. The number of Confucius’ students grew rapidly. When Confucius turned fifty, he became the magistrate of Chungtu. By this time, Yang Ho was already defeated by the other Barons. Confucius was doing a good job, so he was promoted to the office of the Secretary of Public Works. People said that market prices became fairer after Confucius began running the place. Soon after that, he became the Grand Secretary of Justice.