Qi attacked Lu and demanded the Chan Ding tripod as tribute. Lu sent a counterfeit imitation instead. The Qi men said: “This is a fake.” Lu insisted: “It is genuine.”
Qi stated: “Send Yuezheng Zichun over, and we will abide by his testimony.” The Lu lord summoned Yuezheng Zichun. Zichun asked: “Why not deliver the real tripod?” The ruler replied: “I treasure the authentic treasure.”
Zichun answered: “I likewise treasure my personal credibility.”
Note
Material treasure can never replace integrity; sacrificing credibility to keep valuables is short-sighted.
Late Warring States Legalist philosopher, cites the story to emphasize the value of integrity for rulers.
Ruler of Lu
Prioritized the precious tripod over national credibility.
Yuezheng Zichun
A virtuous Lu scholar-official who valued personal good faith above monarch’s material gains.
State of Qi’s envoys
Insisted on authentic treasure and used a trusted person to verify truth.
Ancient bronze tripod (Ding)
Bronze ding was sacred ritual vessel and national treasure in pre-Qin era, often used as war reparations between vassal states.
Integrity ethics
Pre-Qin Confucian and Legalist doctrines both regarded credibility as fundamental personal and state morality.
War indemnity custom
After military defeat, weak states were forced to hand over precious ritual artifacts to the winning side.
齐伐鲁，索谗鼎，鲁以其雁往。齐人曰：“雁也。”鲁人曰：“真也。”齐曰：“使乐正子春来，吾将听子。”鲁君请乐正子春，乐正子春曰：“胡不以其真往也？“君曰：“我爱之。”答曰：“臣亦爱臣之信。”
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