In the Warring States Period, Lian Po and Lin Xiangru were both senior generals of the State of Zhao. They both did great job to their country. One day, Lin Xiangru took a lot of trouble to get a valuable jade back for the king. Then he got a promotion above Lian Po. Out of envy, Lian Po said: “I’ll make Lin feel ashamed and foolish the next time I meet him.” Lin Xiangru heard of this from others. In order not to cause conflict, he tried his best to avoided meeting Lian. Because Lin put benefit of the country first, he thought that any conflict between he and Lian would be used by the enemy of their country. Therefore, he brought doubts and blame from others on himself. Later when Lian Po realized his mistake, he was so ashamed. So he went to Lin’s home carrying brambles on his naked back and asked for punishment.
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