Han Wangxi

TODAY, let’s hear a story — “Lord Ye loves dragons.”

During the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 B.C.), the State of Lu’s ruler, Duke Ai of Lu, often told others about how much he desired talents and how he appreciated people with knowledge and skills. There was a man named Zizhang who heard about the duke’s eagerness to welcome capable individuals, so he traveled a long way to arrive at the State of Lu and requested an audience with Duke Ai. Originally named Zhuan Sunshi, Zizhang was a famous student of Confucius. With a cheerful personality and a broad-minded character, Zizhuang was diligent in his studies and had achieved remarkable academic accomplishments.

Zizhang stayed in Lu for seven days, but never caught a glimpse of the duke. He later discovered that Duke Ai’s appreciation for knowledgeable individuals was merely an empty talk. He had taken Zizhang’s request for granted and had forgotten about it. Zizhang was so disappointed that quietly left the State of Lu.

One day, after wining and dining, Duke Ai suddenly remembered Zizhang’s request to meet him and asked his cart driver to bring Zizhang to him. The driver told him that Zizhang had left a long time ago. Duke Ai was confused and asked him, “Didn’t Zizhang come to seek help from me? Why did he leave?” The cart driver replied, “He came with sincerity but you ignored him.”

Liu Xiang, of the Western Han Dynasty (202 B.C.-A.D. 8), told a story as follows. Lord Ye had a great fondness for dragons. He painted dragons on his clothing hooks, carved dragons on his utensils, and adorned his rooms with dragon motifs. Upon hearing this, a real dragon descended and peered through the window, wagging its tail in the hall. When Ye saw this, he was so frightened that he lost his composure and fled. It turned out that Ye did not truly love dragons; he only expressed his affection through words.

Certainly there are people who really cherish talents. We previously told a story about the Duke of Zhou. One day, the duke was about to send his son Qin to the State of Lu to take up a title. Before Qin left, the duke admonished him, saying, “I am a son of King Wen, the younger brother of King Wu, and the uncle of King Cheng. I have been appointed to assist in the government, and can be considered one of the most important figures in the world. However, when washing my hair, if guests arrive, I often stop in the middle to welcome guests, and sometimes stop eating during meals to greet visitors. Why am I in such a rush to greet people? It is because I don’t want to miss talented visitors, for talents are the foundation of governing a country.”

(The author is a cultural scholar.)

(Translated by Cao Zhen)