After slipping through Zhaoguan Pass amid the chaos of Huangfu Ne’s arrest, Wu Zixu fled eastward with Gongzi Sheng, the young son of the slain Crown Prince Jian. Exhausted and pursued, they reached a wide river with no bridge in sight. Dust clouds rose behind them – cavalry in hot pursuit.
Fisherman Elder vs Man of the Reeds
Desperate, Wu Zixu hid in the reeds – until an old fisherman rowed near.
“Boatman! Please ferry us across!” he cried.
The fisherman replied calmly:
“Come aboard, man of the reeds.”
In less than half an hour, they reached the far bank. Only then did the fisherman reveal he knew Wu Zixu’s identity from the wanted posters. Moved by his plight, he refused any reward – even Wu Zixu’s ancestral jeweled sword, worth over 100 jin of gold.
The old man smiled and said,
“The King of Chu has offered a heavy reward for your capture. If I cared not for the reward of fifty thousand dan of grain, nor for the rank of senior official, why would I covet your sword? Besides, this sword holds little use for me, but it is essential for you.”
When Wu Zixu asked his name to repay him someday, the fisherman rebuked him:
“I saved you out of righteousness – not for future gain! If we meet again, call me ‘Fisherman Elder,’ and I’ll call you ‘Man of the Reeds.’ That’s enough.”
With tears of gratitude, Wu Zixu bowed and continued his journey.
Meeting with Prince Guang
Wu Zixu entered Wu territory, traveled 300 li, and reached the capital. To avoid attention, he disguised himself as a beggar – tattered clothes, disheveled hair, playing a flute in the streets, singing cryptic songs of exile and vengeance.
His unusual bearing drew notice. Prince Guang, elder cousin of King Liao and heir-apparent in his own eyes, summoned him. They spoke of statecraft and destiny – and quickly formed a bond. Wu Zixu became Prince Guang’s trusted advisor, though he remained hidden outside the city.
The rightful heir and the broken succession
One day, Prince Guang confided his grievance:
“King Liao stole my throne.”
He recounted Wu’s royal succession crisis:
Back in 585 BCE, King Shoumeng of Wu had four sons. Believing his youngest, Ji Zha, most virtuous, he decreed:
“Pass the throne brother to brother – so Ji Zha may rule.”
But Ji Zha refused repeatedly. The eldest brother, hoping to hasten Ji Zha’s turn, died in battle on purpose. The second did the same. The third finally ruled – but when he died in 527 BCE, Ji Zha fled into hiding rather than accept the crown.
Instead, the third son’s son – Liao – seized power.
“The throne should have returned to my line – the eldest branch,” Prince Guang insisted. “Liao is a usurper.”
Recruiting the Assassin
Wu Zixu introduced Prince Guang to Zhuan Zhu, a fearless warrior from nearby.
One day, Prince Guang himself went to visit Zhuan Zhu. Feeling deeply uneasy, Zhuan Zhu said,
“I am but a rough man. Having received Your Highness’s kindness, how can I ever repay it? I suspect you must have some difficult task you need me to undertake.”
Prince Guang replied,
“I have suffered a great injustice. I wish to ask you to avenge me by assassinating King Liao of Wu.”
Zhuan Zhu exclaimed,
“How could you say such a thing! King Liao of Wu is the son of the late king and has rightfully inherited the throne. For you, my lord, to ask me to harm him – is this not rebellion?”
Prince Guang said,
“The late king’s throne, by rights, should have been inherited by me. Let me explain, and you will understand.”
Prince Guang then recounted the succession of kings in the State of Wu.
Zhuan Zhu agreed to help after understanding the cause was just.
Learning that King Liao loved fish above all, Zhuan Zhu spent three months mastering culinary arts at a lakeside inn on Taihu Lake. He became so skilled that Prince Guang hired him as a personal chef.
The feast and the hidden blade
Prince Guang invited King Liao to a private banquet:
“My new cook prepares fish like no other.”
Suspicious, Liao came armored beneath his robes, escorted by 100 elite guards. Every dish was searched before serving.
When Zhuan Zhu presented a glistening sweet-and-sour carp, Liao leaned forward, delighted:
“Ah! This smells divine!”
Guards frisked Zhuan Zhu – finding nothing. As he placed the platter down, he ripped open the fish’s belly and pulled out a short, razor-sharp dagger, famed for its ability to pierce armor.
In one thrust, he stabbed through Liao’s chest, the blade emerging from his spine. Liao collapsed dead.
Guards hacked Zhuan Zhu to pieces – but in the chaos, Prince Guang and Wu Zixu unleashed hidden troops, slaughtered the royal guard, seized the palace, and declared the coup complete.
The rise of King Helü
Before the court, Wu Zixu proclaimed:
“Liao defied King Shoumeng’s decree and usurped the throne. His death restores justice.”
Prince Guang ascended as King Helü (r. 515–496 BCE), vowing:
“I hold the throne only until Uncle Ji Zha returns. Then I shall yield it to him.”
(Though Ji Zha, true to form, would later refuse once more.)
Thus, in 515 BCE, a sword hidden in a fish changed the fate of Wu – and set the stage for its rise as a major power, with Wu Zixu as chief strategist and architect of its future wars against Chu.
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