| | In the past, King Li of Zhou loved monopolizing profit; Rui Liangfu advised him but was not heeded. Afterward, he composed the poem "Sang Rou" to satirize this, saying that such a great wind would inevitably bring about collapse; This is a greedy ruler, and he will surely destroy his own kind. The king still failed to understand, so in the end he was exiled and died in Zhi. Prince Yu repeatedly sought profit and thus lost his state; Gongshu Shu was punished for excessive bribery as a crime; Huantui, indulging without restraint in food and drink, was assassinated. These were all cases where wealth brought about their own downfall, and the use of riches led to their self-destruction. Doushenzi of Chu served three times as Lingyi, yet showed signs of hunger; his wife and children suffered from cold and starvation, barely making it through each day. Ji Wensi served as prime minister under four rulers; his horses were not fed with grain rations, and his concubines did not wear silk. Zihan returned the jade; Yanzi returned the house. These were all individuals who could forsake profit and restrain themselves, thus incurring no resentment from others; their virtue was esteemed by the world, Heaven bestowed upon them blessings, and their good reputation never ceased. Boyi and Shuqi starved to death at Shouyang; Baiju and Jiepui fled into the mountains and valleys; Yan, Yuan, and Gongchai suffered hunger in the countryside. They held fast to their principles with unwavering resolve, upheld their integrity without compromise; honors and emoluments could not entice them, power and authority could not sway them. Though they might have possessed the dignity of a southern-facing ruler or the position of marquis or duke, if virtue and righteousness were lacking, propriety and justice unfulfilled, if their wills were as easily bent as mugwort and their hearts as corruptible as fragrance, such positions would still be rejected by them. Therefore, even the sovereign of all under Heaven could not rival them in fame, and rulers of the various states could not match them in weight of importance; They upheld their principles within a single thatched hut, yet righteousness overflowed beyond the nine provinces; they established trust above the course of a thousand years, and their fame was transmitted across generations.
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