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Story 56: Sinking Fish

Sinking Fish

Author: Anonymous

“Shen Yu” tells the story of Xi Shi. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Wu and Yue were fighting each other. Wu had strong soldiers and horses, and quickly defeated Yue, and took Yue King Gou Jian and Prime Minister Fan Li as hostages. In order to avenge the destruction of his country, the King of Yue temporarily lived under the knee of the King of Wu, pretending to be very honest and loyal.

Once King Wu had a stomachache, and the doctor he called in found nothing wrong with him. After King Gou Jian of Yue learned about it, he tasted his feces in front of King Wu Fu Cha and said, “Your Majesty is not ill. He just caught a cold and drank some hot wine to warm him up.” King Wu followed Gou Jian’s advice and drank I drank some hot wine and it was indeed better. Seeing Gou Jian’s loyalty, King Wu sent him back to Yue.

After Gou Jian returned to China, he accepted Fan Lixian’s three plans for restoring the country; the first was to station troops and intensify martial arts training, the second was to station fields and develop agriculture, and the third was to select beautiful women to give to the King of Wu as insiders. At that time, there was a woman named Xi Shi. She was a beautiful woman with regular facial features, pink face and peach blossoms, and an extraordinary appearance.

When she was washing her gauze by the river, the clear river water reflected her handsome figure, making him look even more beautiful. At this time, the fish saw her reflection, forgot about swimming, and gradually sank to the bottom of the river.

From then on, Xishi, the nickname of “Sinking Fish”, became popular in the neighborhood. After Xi Shi was selected and sent to the Kingdom of Wu, the King of Wu saw how beautiful Xi Shi was and was obedient to Xi Shi. He indulged in entertainment all day long and ignored state affairs, which depleted the country’s strength.

King Gou Jian of Yue took advantage of the situation and sent troops to attack the state of Wu, achieving the goal of reviving the country and taking revenge. Xi Shi made great contributions here.