魏公子列传 — Shiji

Lord Xinling of Wei was the youngest son of King Zhao of Wei and the half-brother of King Anli of Wei. When King Zhao died, King Anli ascended the throne and enfeoffed his brother as Lord Xinling. At that time, Fan Sui had fled Wei to serve Qin, and because of his grudge against Wei Qi, the Qin army besieged Daliang and defeated the Wei forces at Huayang, driving away Mang Mao. Both the king and Lord Xinling were deeply troubled.

One day, while Lord Xinling was playing the game of liubo with the King of Wei, a report came from the northern border that signal fires had been lit—a Zhao raiding party had arrived and was about to cross the frontier. The King of Wei abandoned the game and prepared to summon his ministers for consultation. Lord Xinling stopped him, saying: "The King of Zhao is merely hunting; this is no raid." They resumed their game as before, but the king was too worried to concentrate on the board. Soon, another messenger arrived from the north: "The King of Zhao was only hunting, not raiding." The king was greatly alarmed and asked: "How did you know?" Lord Xinling replied: "One of my guests has access to the secret affairs of the King of Zhao. Whatever Zhao's king does, this guest reports to me. That is how I know."

From that time on, the King of Wei, fearing Lord Xinling's outstanding abilities, dared not entrust him with affairs of state.

Lord Xinling then prepared a great banquet. When the guests were seated, he personally took the carriage and horses, leaving the left seat empty—that being the position of honor—to invite Hou Ying of the Yimen Gate. Hou Ying straightened his worn clothing and hat, boarded the carriage, and took the seat of honor without yielding, intending to observe Lord Xinling's reaction. Lord Xinling held the reins even more respectfully.

Hou Ying then said: "I have a friend in the market slaughterhouse. I would be honored if you would detour with your carriage to meet him." Lord Xinling drove the carriage into the market, where Hou Ying descended to speak with his friend Zhu Fei. Hou Ying lingered deliberately, conversing with the man while covertly watching Lord Xinling. Lord Xinling's expression grew only more serene.

At that time, the generals, ministers, nobles, and guests of Wei filled the hall, waiting for Lord Xinling to begin the toast. Everyone in the market watched Lord Xinling holding the reins. His retainers muttered curses against Hou Ying. Hou Ying observed that Lord Xinling's composure never wavered, then took his leave of his friend and boarded the carriage.

Upon arriving at Lord Xinling's residence, Lord Xinling seated Hou Ying in the place of highest honor and introduced him to every guest. All the assembled guests were astonished. As the drinking grew lively, Lord Xinling rose and offered a toast to Hou Ying. Hou Ying then addressed him: "Today, Ying has been sufficiently honored by Lord Xinling. I am merely the gatekeeper of the Yimen, yet Lord Xinling personally detoured with his carriage to receive me before such a great gathering. You should not have gone so far out of your way, yet you deliberately did so. I wanted to establish Lord Xinling's reputation for humility, so I made you wait with your carriage in the market while I spoke with a passing traveler, watching to see if you would grow impatient. The more I delayed, the more respectful you became. The people in the market took me for a petty man, but they saw Lord Xinling as a noble person who truly respects scholars."

The banquet concluded, and Hou Ying became Lord Xinling's most honored guest.

Hou Ying said to Lord Xinling: "The butcher I visited, Zhu Fei, is a man of exceptional talent, but the world does not recognize him, so he remains hidden among the slaughterhouses. Lord Xinling should visit him several times." Lord Xinling did so, but Zhu Fei deliberately never offered thanks or acknowledgment. Lord Xinling found this strange.

In the twentieth year of King Anli of Wei, King Zhaoxiang of Qin had already defeated the Zhao forces at Changping and was advancing to besiege Handan. Lord Xinling's sister was the wife of the King of Zhao's brother, the Lord of Pingyuan. She sent repeated letters to the King of Wei and to Lord Xinling, pleading for rescue.

In the thirtieth year of King Anxi of Wei, the Prince dispatched envoys to notify all the feudal lords. When the lords heard that the Prince was in command, each sent generals with troops to rescue Wei. The Prince led the combined armies of five states to smash the Qin forces north of the Yellow River, putting Meng Ao to flight. Then, pressing his advantage, he pursued the Qin army as far as Hangu Pass, hemming them in so tightly that the Qin troops dared not sally forth. At this moment the Prince’s awe-inspiring reputation shook the world. The retainers of the feudal lords presented military treatises, and the Prince gave each a title; hence the common folk called them the Wei Prince’s Art of War.

The envoy from the Lord of Pingyuan arrived in unbroken succession, his carriage laden with official seals. He upbraided Lord Xinling: "The reason I attached myself to your family through marriage was because of Lord Xinling's noble character—your willingness to rescue others from distress. Now Zhao is about to surrender to Qin at any moment, yet Wei's relief force has not arrived. Where is your commitment to others' troubles? Even if you hold your own life cheap, if you abandon us to surrender to Qin, have you no compassion for your own sister?"

Lord Xinling realized he could never persuade the king, and decided he could not survive alone while Zhao perished. He summoned his retainers, gathered over a hundred carriages and horses, and prepared to lead them as volunteers against the Qin army, intending to die with Zhao.

Passing through the Yimen Gate, he told Hou Ying the full story of his plan to attack the Qin forces. After bidding farewell, he set out. Hou Ying said: "Lord Xinling, do your best. This old servant cannot accompany you."