The Return Of
The Priceless Jade
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The King of Qin, which was
the most powerful state during the Warring States period,
learned that the King of the state of Zhao had acquired
a priceless piece of carved jade. The King of Qin coveted
the jade and in 283 BC sent an emissary to Zhao offering
to trade 15 cities for it. The King of Zhao was reluctant.
He knew that if he accepted the offer Qin would not
really give up the cities. But if he refused, the powerful
Qin armies would probably attack Zhao. Someone advised
him to consult with Lin Xiangru on this dilemma. |
| Lin Xiangru, who came from
a poor family, was a steward of one of the court eunuchs.
Though not an important person, he was known to be
brave and resourceful and a man of his word. He had
also shown considerable ability as an envoy. |
| "If we refuse Qin out
of hand," Lin Xiangru told his king, "it
will make us look in the wrong. But if we give Qin
the jade and its king does not hand over the cities,
it will be they who are in the wrong and this will
be to our advantage. Let me handle the matter." |
| When Lin Xiangru reached
Qin, he ceremoniously presented the jade to the king,
who was delighted with it. He looked at it this way
and that and passed it about for his retainers and
the court ladies for them to admire. Everyone congratulated
him for having acquired such a good thing. However,
in the joy and excitement, Lin Xiangru was ignored
and nothing was said about the 15 cities. Finally Lin
said to the king: "This is indeed a very good
piece of jade, but it has a flaw. You will not be able
to detect it unless you look at it carefully. Let me
show it to you." |
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| The king believed him and
gave back the jade. As soon as he had it in his hands,
Lin withdrew a few steps and took a stance beside a
pillar. "I brought this jade because I thought
your majesty would keep your promise," he said
with a great show of anger, "but you have taken
it without even a mention of the 15 cities. What kind
of trick is this? Now I have the jade. If you try to
seize it, I will smash my head against this pillar
and the jade with it." |
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| Qin King immediately apologized
and called for a map to point out the location of the
15 cities. |
| Lin Xiangru knew that the
ruler still had no intention of relinquishing the cities,
but he had another plan up his sleeve. Since early
times jade had been revered for its power to impart
virtue, and was used for ceremonial purposes. Lin Xiangru
said, "Before I bought this jade here, the King
of Zhao fasted for five days and held a solemn ceremony.
I therefore hope that your majesty will do likewise
before I present it to you." The Qin King promised
to do so. |
| But that night Lin Xiangru
had one of his men, disguised in rags, secretly take
the jade back to Zhao. Not knowing this, after five
days, the King of Qin held a grand ceremony for the
formal reception of the jade. |
| At it, Lin Xiangru said to
him sternly, "The State of Qin has had some 20
rulers and none of them were known for keeping their
word. They all relied on power and oppressed the people.
Considering that and my recent experience, I am afraid
of being tricked again so I have had the jade taken
back to Zhao. If you turn over the 15 cities first,
the King of Zhao will certainly not refuse to give
you the jade. As for myself, I am prepared to suffer
the severest punishment." |
| The Qin king was furious,
but he decided it would be unwise to kill Lin Xiangru,
for if he did he might never acquire the jade and relations
between the two states would be affected. Reluctantly
he allowed Lin Xiangru to return to Zhao. |
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The King of Zhao was very
please with Lin's feat and soon made him prime minister.
Lin's promotion, however, was a source of great irritation
to another minister, the renowned general Lian Po. |
| Now Lian Po was really a
very upright man who had rendered outstanding service
to his state, but he had one big shortcoming - he was
vain and arrogant. He could not tolerate the fact that
Lin Xiangru, from a poor family, should now hold a
higher position than himself. He bad-mouthed Lin at
every opportunity. |
| Lin tried to stay out of
Lian Po's way. At state meetings he deliberately avoided
sitting on the same side as Lian Po so that it would
not be too obvious that he took precedence in seating.
One day when he was out in his chariot he saw Lian
Po's chariot coming toward him along the narrow road.
According to rank, Lian Po was supposed to pull over
to let Lin pass. But Lin ordered his driver to pull
into a small side lane so that Lian Po could go first. |
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Lin Xiangru's subordinates
could not understand his attitude toward Lian Po. "Do
you think I'm afraid of him?" Lin said. "Was
I afraid of the fierce King of Qin? I want to get along
with Lian Po because we are both officials of Zhao. If
we work together, Qin will not dare to bully us, but if
we're at odds, it will be easier for Qin to invade us". |
These words reached
Lian Po's ears. He was deeply moved and regretted the way
he had acted. To express his apology, he took off his shirt
and went to see Lin Xiangru. On his bare back were many
prickly branches of the 'chastisement tree' used for whipping
people. Kneeling before Lin, Lian Po said that he should
not have let a matter like personal fame and fortune turn
him against Lin Xiangru. "I did not recognize your
magnanimity and am heartily sorry for what I have done.
You have every right to scold me and beat me." |
Lin, too, went down
on his knees. "You are very hard on yourself, general.
Let us share the burdens of state together". They
embraced and after that worked side-by-side to build up
and defend their state, so for a long time Qin did not
dare to invade Zhao. |
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