In the final years of the Southern Qi dynasty, the court grew increasingly corrupt
At the time, the chief minister Xu Xiaosi wanted to recruit the brave, resourceful, and upright Lu Sengzhen to work alongside him. But Lu had already sensed that the Xiao emperor's reign was nearing its end, so he politely declined the offer.
When Lü Sengzhen saw that Xiao Yan, the General Conquering the East stationed in Xiangyang, had a strong army and popular support to overthrow the Qi dynasty, he immediately went to join him, quickly gained favor, and was appointed as a military advisor in the central army.
Emperor Xiao Yan once ordered over ten thousand elite soldiers to cut down a vast amount of timber and bamboo, sinking them in the Tanxi River west of Xiangyang City, covering the pile with layers of thatch until it rose like a mountain. Many officers were baffled by this strange command, but the general Lü Sengzhen guessed Xiao Yan's true intention. Without revealing it to anyone else, Lü secretly instructed his own men to prepare several hundred shields for future use.
In 500 AD, Xiao Yan decided to launch a campaign against the tyrannical Marquis of Qi. He ordered timber and bamboo from Tanxi Creek to be salvaged—timber for warships, bamboo and reeds for rafts—and soon a massive fleet was built. But with more ships than oars, soldiers constantly bickered over the shortage. At this, Lu Sengzhen produced several hundred oars, instantly solving the problem.
Two years later, Xiao Yan overthrew the Qi dynasty and established the Liang dynasty, becoming known as Emperor Wu of Liang. Lv Sengzhen, through his skill and talent, rose to a high-ranking position at court.
Having served in the capital for many years, Lu Sengzhen had almost no chance to return to his hometown. So he submitted a memorial to Emperor Wu, requesting leave to visit his ancestral graves. To show favor, the emperor specially appointed him governor of Nanyanzhou (present-day Yangzhou).
Emperor Wu intended for Lu Sengzhen to use his new post as an opportunity to show off, but upon arriving, Lu remained remarkably humble with local officials and gentry, showing none of the arrogance expected from a capital minister. When receiving guests, he even made his own brothers wait in the outer hall, refusing them entry to the main parlor.
When Lü Sengzhen became a provincial governor, several of his relatives who ran small businesses came seeking official posts. Lü Sengzhen told them, "The emperor's grace is immense, allowing me to serve as governor—I can barely repay this favor, so how could I overstep my bounds? Each of you has your own trade; do not entertain such improper ambitions. Return home at once."
Lü Sengzhen's noble character of incorruptibility and impartiality won widespread admiration from the people of his time.
A retired official named Song Jiya returned to Yanzhou and deliberately chose to buy and settle in a house next to Lu Sengzhen. One day, Lu Sengzhen asked Song Jiya, "How much did you spend on this house?"
"Eleven million." Song Jiya replied. Lu Sengzhen was stunned and asked in surprise, "How could it be so expensive?" Song Jiya smiled and answered, "One million bought the house; ten million bought a good neighbor!" Later, people used the idiom "Ten Million for a Neighbor" to describe the value of a good neighbor.
During the Southern Dynasties, a man named Song Jiyao served as an imperial advisor in the same city as the famed official Lü Sengzhen. Song Jiyao, having purchased a house next to Lü Sengzhen's residence, was delighted and boasted to Lü, "I spent a million coins on this house!" Lü Sengzhen, puzzled, asked, "A million coins? That seems far too much for this property." Song Jiyao explained, "I paid one hundred thousand for the house itself, and nine hundred thousand for the neighbor!" Lü Sengzhen was deeply unimpressed by this flattery. Later, when Lü Sengzhen's son was about to marry, Song Jiyao tried to curry favor by offering to buy the neighbor's house and give it as a wedding gift. Lü Sengzhen firmly refused, saying, "I have served the emperor and received imperial gifts from the throne, but I will never use official connections to gain personal advantage. You must not do this." This story, recorded in the *History of the Southern Dynasties*, "Biography of Lü Sengzhen," illustrates the virtue of integrity and the rejection of sycophantic behavior, reminding us that true character is not swayed by flattery or material gain.
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "千万买邻" came to describe how a good neighbor is worth ten million coins.