負荊請罪，bring a birch on
one's back and ask for punishment. During the time of War States, there were
many kingdoms in China. Among them, 秦Qin
was the superpower. (The first emperor 秦始皇Qin
Shi Huang was from this kingdom). One day the king of Qin heard that the king
of Zhao got a famous jade 和氏璧. So the Qin king sent a message to the Zhao
king that he wanted to exchange that jade with fifteen towns. It left the Zhao
king a big problem. For if he refused Qin’s offer, Qin might have an excuse to
start a war with him and if he accepted this offer, he knew the Qin might only
take the jade but didn’t pay the fifteen towns.
One
of the Zhao’s officer said, “I have a staff named 蔺相如,
who can deal with the problem for us.”
The
king said, “How you know that?”
The
officer said, “I know it, for once I have done a big mistake to you. I am so
scared and I was trying to escape to the kingdom of Yan 燕. 蔺相如
told
me, ‘how you know that the Yan king will accept you?’ I said ‘Once I have
followed our king to see Yan king, he hold my hand and told me that he want to
be my friend.’ 蔺相如 said ‘At that time,
you are the favourite officer of our king, so he said this. Once you escaped to
there, he dared not to keep you but tie you and send you back. I advise you
don’t escape but tell the truth to our king and he will forgive you.’ I did
what he said and you forgave me.”
Listen
to this, the Zhao king accepted 蔺相如
as his envoy to bring the jade to Qin. When the Qin king got the jade, he was
so happy and talked to his men and women about how beauty it was and left蔺相如 alone, never talking
one word about the fifteen towns. 蔺相如
said, “Your majesty, there is a flaw on the jade, let me point out for you. ”
So the Qin king returned the jade to蔺相如.
When he got it back, 蔺相如
said, “Your majesty, I am only a normal person yet I have trust you and come
here. As a king why don’t you keep your words? Don’t you afraid that people may
say you are a coward? If you break your words about the fifteen towns, I will
break this jade and died in front of you.”
The Qin king had no choice but returned him back
with the jade.
Later
Qin did start a war with Zhao, and killed twenty thousand soldiers of Zhao. The
next year Qin king told Zhao king that he wanted to be friend with Zhao king.
But the two king had to meet at the border of their kingdoms.
At
the meeting the Qin king asked Zhao king to play a music instrument called 瑟se for him and then he
ordered his history officer wrote that date Zhao king had played 瑟 for the Qin king. It
was an insult for the Zhao king, then蔺相如
stood up and asked Qin king to play another music instrument called 缶fou for the Zhao king at
the point of the sword and ordered the history officer wrote that date Qin king
had played 缶for Zhao king.
When
they returned home, the Zhao king assigned 蔺相如
the highest rank of officer. It enraged an old general廉颇, he said “I have fought for the country
so many years and I didn’t get the position, he didn’t fight in any war, does
he deserve it? I will insult this蔺相如
as he dared accept a position in my front.” Hearing this, 蔺相如 always avoided to see廉颇. Someone asked 蔺相如,
“Are you afraid of 廉颇? Why you always avoid him?”
蔺相如 said, “Do you think
Qin king and廉颇, who is the more dangerous one? I am not afraid of the Qin
king, why am I afraid of 廉颇?”
“If
you aren’t afraid of him, why you always avoid him?”
蔺相如 said, “The Qin king
dare not invade us because he know we are a united kingdom, once he know we
have an infighting, he will defeat us.”
Hearing
this the old general廉颇 felt sorry and he bearing birch on back to seeking
forgiveness of蔺相如.
Pic
from: http://www.hwjyw.com/jxyd/yjyl/cy/200909/W020090914323692341666.jpg
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