指鹿为马

zhi lu wei ma: Zhao Gao, the most powerful eunuch in the Qin dynasty court, was contemplating treason but needed to see whether the most important officials would side with him in the uprising. As a test, he brought a deer to present to the Second Emperor. Upon introducing the animal, Zhao Gao asked for comment on his lovely horse. "My dear Zhao Gao," the emperor laughed, "I believe you are mistaken, this animal is surely a deer, not a horse!" The emperor asked the attending officials their thoughts, and one by one, each sought to either curry favor with Zhao Gao--"What a lovely horse!"--or else remained defiant, echoing the emperor's observation. In the coming days, each defiant offical was summoned to Zhao Gao and executed on the spot.