Uphold Integrity
71. A great general would rather sacrifice his life for the country than to lead a cowardly life. A martyr will not forsake his integrity in return for his safety.
Scroll 25: Wei Zhi, Vol. 1
72. Zihan said: “I take pride in being not greedy. You take pride in owning emeralds. If you give the emeralds to me, we will both lose what is precious to us. Would it not be better for each of us to keep the item that we treasure the most?”
Scroll 5: Chun Qiu Zuo Shi Zhuan, Vol. 2
73. Some old friends and family elders advised Yang Zhen to bequeath some private properties to his sons and grandchildren. Yang Zhen said to them: “If in the future my sons and grandchildren are known for being the ‘descendants of an official with a clean record,’ is this not a rich inheritance indeed?”
Scroll 23: Hou Han Shu, Vol. 3
74. In a memorial presented to Emperor Liu Shan, Prime Minister Zhuge Liang said: “I own 800 mulberry trees and fifteen hectares of paddy fields at Cheng Du, which are more than adequate for my children. During my tenure as a government minister, I have never misappropriated any funds, including the taxes collected, and the government would always provide food and clothing for me. One day when I pass away, I will not have any surplus brocade for my family to keep, or own any surplus money and properties outside my family—this is a sign of honoring your trust in me.” When Zhuge Liang passed away, everything was done exactly the way he had promised.
Scroll 27: Shu Zhi
75. In the north of Guangzhou Province there is a fountain known as the “Covetous Fountain.” Legend has it that even a righteous official would be transformed into a corrupted person after drinking a mouthful of water from this fountain. When a man named Wu Yinzhi arrived at Guangzhou, the first thing he did was to locate this fountain and fetch some water to drink, after which he wrote this poetic prose: “The ancients say that a mouthful of this fountain water will turn a man into a scoundrel. But I doubt honorable men like Bo Yi and Shu Qi will change their noble character even if they had drunk this water!”
Scroll 30: Jin Shu, Vol. 2