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Xian Gao was a native of the State of Zheng. During the reign of Duke Mu of Zheng, seeing that the state was being pressured by Qin and Jin, Xian Gao chose to live in reclusion and not serve as an official, instead becoming a merchant.
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The Old Man on the River was a man from the state of Chu.
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Pi Qiu Gong (The Man in the Fur Coat) was a native of the state of Wu. When Yanling Jizi was traveling, he saw a piece of lost gold lying in the road. He looked at the Man in the Fur Coat and said, “Pick up that gold.”
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The Farmer of Shihu was a man whose origins are unknown. He was a friend of Shun. When Shun offered to yield the world to him, the Farmer of Shihu remarked: “How tirelessly laborious the Lord is! He is indeed a man who exhausts his strength [for the sake of others].”
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Rang Fu was a man from the time of Emperor Yao. During the reign of Emperor Yao, the world was in perfect harmony, and the common people had no troubles.