During the Spring and Autumn Period, Fan Li amassed a fortune through trade and became immensely wealthy, earning the title Lord Zhu of Tao.
Fan Li, known as Lord Zhu of Tao, faced a family crisis when his second son was imprisoned in Chu for murder. He planned to send his youngest son with gold to bribe officials for his release. The eldest son, feeling slighted, protested, "If I, as the eldest, am not trusted with this task, it shows I am worthless," and threatened suicide. Forced to relent, Lord Zhu sent the eldest son instead, warning him, "Do not meddle in the affair—just deliver the gold to my old friend Zhuang Sheng." The son agreed but secretly kept some gold. Zhuang Sheng, a respected recluse, used the gift to persuade the King of Chu to pardon the murderer, citing a celestial omen. When the eldest son heard of the pardon, he thought Zhuang Sheng had failed and retrieved the gold. Insulted, Zhuang Sheng told the king, "Rumors say you pardoned the criminal only because of bribes from Lord Zhu." Enraged, the king executed the second son first, then issued the pardon. The eldest son returned home with his brother's corpse. Grieving, Lord Zhu explained, "I knew you would fail. You grew up in hardship, so you cling to wealth. Your younger brother, born into luxury, would have spent freely without regret. That is why I sent him." Source: *Records of the Grand Historian*, "Biography of Fan Li"
The eldest son, besides the thousand yi of gold his father had entrusted to him, secretly brought several hundred yi more. Upon arriving in the state of Chu, he found his father's old friend, Zhuang Sheng, and entrusted him with rescuing his brother, presenting him with the thousand yi of gold. Zhuang Sheng instructed him, "Leave this place at once! If your brother is released, do not ask why." The eldest son left Zhuang Sheng's home but secretly remained in Chu, using the several hundred yi of gold he had brought to bribe powerful officials there, asking them to save his brother.
Zhuang Sheng found an opportunity to visit the King of Chu, using the excuse that "doing virtuous deeds can avert misfortune" to persuade the king to grant a general amnesty. The officials were astonished and reported this news to Tao Zhugong's eldest son. Believing that his younger brother would be released under the amnesty, the eldest son went back to Zhuang's house and retrieved the thousand yi of gold.
Zhuang Sheng, humiliated and furious, went to see the King of Chu again and said, "Everyone on the street is saying that the rich man Tao Zhugong's son killed someone and bribed your Majesty's attendants with gold, so you pardoned the prisoner—not out of pity for the people of Chu, but for Tao Zhugong's son." The king flew into a rage, had Tao Zhugong's son executed on the spot, and only announced the general amnesty the next day.
In the end, Fan Li's eldest son returned home carrying his younger brother's coffin. The family was overwhelmed with grief, but Fan Li simply smiled and said, "I knew all along he would be the death of his brother. When he was young, he endured hardship with me building our fortune, so he values every coin. But his brother was born into wealth, riding fine carriages and chasing swift hares, never knowing the weight of money. That is why he could part with it so easily, while the eldest could not—and it cost his brother his life. Such is the way of things; there is no need for sorrow."
The idiom "Riding in Strength, Driving in Finery" refers to riding in sturdy carriages and plump horses, describing a life of luxury.
Source: *Records of the Grand Historian*, "Biography of King Goujian of Yue"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "乘坚驱良" came to describe Riding in sturdy carriages and plump horses, describing a life of luxury.