During King Huiwen's reign over the State of Zhao, he came into possession of a rare jade disc discovered by the Chu man Bian He. When King Zhaoxiang of Qin heard of this, he dispatched an envoy with a letter offering fifteen cities in exchange for the precious jade.
After deliberation, King Zhao and his ministers concluded that handing over the jade to Qin would likely result in being cheated without receiving the promised cities, while refusing might provoke a military invasion. They also struggled to find a suitable envoy to respond to Qin.
At this time, someone recommended to King Zhao, saying that Lin Xiangru could be sent as an envoy to the State of Qin. King Zhao immediately summoned Lin Xiangru and asked him whether the jade could be given to the King of Qin. Lin Xiangru replied, "The State of Qin is powerful; we cannot refuse to give it."
“If they take my jade but don’t give me the cities, what then?” asked the King of Zhao.
"Weighing these two options, it is better to agree to Qin's request, so that the blame for any wrongdoing falls on Qin."
King Zhao nodded silently and asked, "Then who can be sent as an envoy to Qin?"
Lin Xiangru replied, "I assume Your Majesty has not yet found a suitable envoy. I am willing to take the jade to Qin. I assure you: if Qin gives the cities to Zhao, I will leave the jade in Qin; if not, I will bring the jade back to Zhao intact."
Thus, the King of Zhao sent Lin Xiangru to Qin with the jade disc. The King of Qin received him not in the formal audience hall but in a casual setting. When Lin Xiangru presented the He family jade, the king was overjoyed, passing it around for his ministers and concubines to admire, showing no intention of ceding the promised fifteen cities. Spotting an opportunity, Lin Xiangru stepped forward and said, "There is a small flaw on the jade—allow me to point it out to Your Majesty."
Once Lin Xiangru had the jade in hand, he stepped back a few paces, leaned against a pillar, and declared in fury, "To present this jade, our King of Zhao bathed, fasted for five days, and personally handed me the royal decree in court before I brought it to Qin. Yet you, Your Majesty, receive me in a common hall, pass the jade around for viewing, and say nothing of the promised cities. Clearly, you have no intention of honoring the exchange, so I have reclaimed the jade. If you press me, I will dash both my head and the jade against this pillar!"
Fearing he might actually follow through, the King of Qin quickly apologized, repeatedly begged him not to do so, and immediately ordered the official in charge of territory and population to examine the map, pointing out that the fifteen cities from here to there would be ceded to the State of Zhao.
Lin Xiangru, seeing that the King of Qin was merely putting on a show and not truly intending to follow through, said, "The He family jade is a treasure recognized by all under heaven. Since our King of Zhao fasted for five days before sending it, you, Your Majesty, must also fast for five days before accepting it, and hold the grandest ceremony in the court. Only then can I present the jade."
The King of Qin, realizing that seizing the jade by force would be unseemly, agreed to the terms and arranged for Lin Xiangru to stay at the guesthouse while awaiting the exchange.
Lin Xiangru calculated that although the King of Qin had agreed to fast for five days before receiving the jade, he would surely break his promise to cede fifteen cities to Zhao. Therefore, he had his attendant disguise himself in coarse commoner's clothing, hide the He family jade in his bosom, and escape via a small path, fulfilling his vow to "return the jade intact to Zhao."
After five days of ritual purification, King Zhao of Qin held a grand ceremony in his court, expecting Lin Xiangru to present the jade disc. Instead, Lin Xiangru entered with a calm demeanor and declared, "I feared Your Majesty would deceive me and dishonor the State of Zhao, so I have already sent the disc back to Zhao by a secret path. If Your Majesty truly cedes the cities, Zhao will not withhold the jade. I have deceived you, a crime punishable by death—please, boil me alive in a cauldron!"
The King of Qin was furious, but after a moment's thought, he realized that even if he killed Lin Xiangru, he still wouldn't get the jade—doing so would only sever friendly ties with Zhao. So he formally received Lin Xiangru in court and, with forced courtesy, allowed him to return to Zhao.
Later, people summarized this story into the idiom "Returning the Jade Intact," which means returning something to its owner in perfect condition.
Source: *Records of the Grand Historian*, "Biographies of Lian Po and Lin Xiangru"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "完璧归赵" came to describe returning something to its owner in perfect condition.