Hanging a Sword on a Tomb

​Duyên Lăng Qui Tử, was an ambassador during the晋 Jìn Dynasty. One day, he visited a neighboring country’s king while wearing his priceless jeweled sword.
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The king admired the sword tremendously and wanted to ask for it but did not express his wishes.

​However, Duyên Lăng Qui Tử had to represent his country to yet another powerhouse nation and therefore decided that he would offer up the sword when he doubled back after his mission was accomplished.

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Unfortunately, during his return, the king had passed away. Therefore Duyên Lăng Qui Tử wanted to give his sword to the late king’s attendant.

The ambassador’s aides advised him not to give the sword because it was a national treasure.

The ambassador said: “It is not that I want to gift it away. When I was last here, even though the late king appeared to really want it, he did not utter a word. It was because I needed to wear it on my upcoming official visit that I could not give it to him even though I wanted to. Now that the king has passed away, if I don’t follow through, I’d be lying to myself: To be untrue to oneself is unbecoming of an ambassador of our country!”

The late king’s attendant refused to accept the jeweled sword, saying that his boss never gave him instructions to accept such a gift.

The great ambassador hung the jeweled sword on the late king’s tomb and left.

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In the old times, the worthy valued honor, honesty and remorse.

Nowadays, most people would grasp it while they still can.