In 220 AD, Cao Cao passed away, and his son Cao Pi succeeded him as Chancellor and King of Wei. That winter, Cao Pi declared himself Emperor Wen of Wei. The following year, Liu Bei proclaimed himself emperor in Sichuan.
Sun Quan of Eastern Wu aspired to become emperor but feared opposition from Wei and Shu, so he allied with Cao Pi. Cao Pi granted Sun Quan the title King of Wu and proposed making his son Sun Deng the crown prince. Sun Quan declined, citing Sun Deng's youth.
That year, Emperor Wen of Wei demanded rare treasures like spikenard, giant shells, pearls, ivory, and rhinoceros horn from Sun Quan, King of Wu. His ministers unanimously opposed it, arguing this violated the tribute rules for vassal states. Sun Quan, unfazed, explained, "Everyone knows Emperor Wen made my son Sun Deng crown prince only as a pretext. His real goal is to lure Sun Deng to Xuchang, imprison him, and use him to control me. These treasures he asks for are precious to him, but to me, compared to my son's life, they're mere tiles and stones. Trading them for my son's safety—why wouldn't I? Besides, it earns me a reputation for respecting the emperor."
Sun Quan then sent his Western Bureau aide Shen Heng to Xuchang bearing precious pearls and treasures to meet Emperor Wen of Wei.
Emperor Wen of Wei, delighted, asked Shen Heng, "Is the King of Wu dissatisfied with me, saying I am insatiably greedy?" "No," Shen Heng replied. "Why?"
"Your Majesty keeps your promises and has reconciled with Eastern Wu, so the King of Wu will certainly harbor no resentment; but if Your Majesty breaks the former alliance and becomes an enemy of Eastern Wu, then Eastern Wu might perhaps harbor different intentions."
Emperor Wen of Wei nodded and asked, "Have you heard that I intend to appoint Sun Deng, the Prince of Wu's son, as the crown prince? The crown prince should come to court to thank me for the appointment—I wonder if his daily life is peaceful?"
Shen Heng replied, "When I was in Eastern Wu, I never attended court in the morning or participated in banquets. I have never heard of this matter."
Emperor Wen of Wei found Shen Heng exceptionally quick-witted and eloquent, so he spent an entire day in conversation with him, completed the formalities of appointing Sun Deng as crown prince, and granted Sun Deng permission to skip the pilgrimage to Xuchang.
Shen Heng maintained his dignity before Emperor Wen of Wei without being servile or arrogant, successfully fulfilling his diplomatic mission. Upon returning to Eastern Wu, he was enfeoffed as Marquis of Anxiang and appointed to the position of Shaofu, the imperial treasurer.
Later, the idiom "making up and being friends again" came to describe two parties reconciling and restoring their good relationship.
Source: *Records of the Three Kingdoms*, "Biography of Sun Quan" in *Book of Wu*, Pei Songzhi's annotation citing *Book of Wu*
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "言归于好" came to describe how two parties reconcile and restore their good relationship.