In 266 BCE, King Huiwen of Zhao passed away, and his son, King Xiaocheng, ascended the throne as the ruler of the Zhao state. Amid the political transition and instability in Zhao, the Qin state seized the opportunity to launch a large-scale invasion, capturing three of Zhao's cities in succession. Since King Xiaocheng was still young, his mother, Queen Dowager Wei of Zhao, took charge of state affairs. Although capable ministers like Lian Po, Lin Xiangru, and Lord Pingyuan assisted in governance, Queen Dowager Wei was just beginning to handle political matters, and with the government in turmoil, Zhao found itself in a critical and dangerous situation.
The State of Zhao, relying on its own strength, could hardly withstand an attack from the Qin army. Queen Dowager Zhao, having no other choice, had to seek aid from the powerful State of Qi. Although Qi agreed to send troops to assist, according to custom, Zhao was required to send a member of the royal family to Qi as a hostage. King Qi stipulated that Queen Dowager Zhao must send her youngest son, the Lord of Chang'an, to Qi before they would feel secure enough to dispatch their forces.
On one side lay the peril of her country, on the other her own flesh and blood, leaving Queen Dowager Zhao in a painful dilemma. She could not bear to send her youngest and most beloved son to the State of Qi and stubbornly refused to comply with Qi's demand. Yet, with the nation in crisis, the ministers' incessant petitions angered her. Ignoring the imminent danger facing the Zhao state, she was determined to protect her young son, even declaring, "If anyone dares to suggest sending the Lord of Chang'an to Qi as a hostage, I will spit in their face!" Though the ministers were deeply anxious, seeing the queen dowager's fierce resistance, they had no choice but to cease their remonstrations.
Queen Zhao Wei and her ministers were locked in a fierce debate, with neither side able to convince the other. As Qin troops pressed on the border, the state of Zhao faced the crisis of destruction, so the Grand Master Chu decided to go to the Zhao palace to seek an audience with the Queen Dowager. As soon as Queen Zhao Wei heard that Chu was coming to the palace, she immediately understood that he was there to discuss sending her son, Lord Chang'an, to the state of Qi. Thus, she prepared herself, adopting a formidable stance, waiting for him with fierce anger, ready to unleash a torrent of abuse and spit in his face.
Queen Dowager Zhao was in a towering rage, but Chu, to avoid a direct confrontation, pretended to be old and frail, shuffling and hobbling in as he hurried but could not run. Upon seeing the Queen Dowager, he first apologized, saying, "I am old and my legs are not nimble; even walking a bit faster is difficult, which is why I have not been able to visit you in the palace for so long. I excused myself privately on the grounds of my own health, but I feared that Your Majesty might be unwell, so I felt I should come and see you." The Queen Dowager remained stone-faced and said, "I can only move about when riding in a carriage." Chu leaned forward with concern and asked, "Is your daily food intake sufficient?" The Queen Dowager still wore a cold expression and replied, "I only drink some thin porridge." Without minding her demeanor, Chu continued, "I too have no appetite and cannot eat, but I force myself to walk three or four li each day. With more activity, I can eat better, and my health improves." The Queen Dowager's expression softened, and she said, "I cannot do that."
Seeing that the Queen Dowager's expression had softened and she had relaxed her guard, he took the opportunity to say, "My youngest son, Shuqi, is not very accomplished, but since I am old and dote on him the most, I wish to have him fill a vacancy among the black-clad guards and serve as a palace attendant to protect the royal palace in the future. I have risked death to come and make this humble request; I hope Your Majesty will grant it." Queen Dowager Zhao said, "No problem, how old is he?" Chu said, "Fifteen. Although he is still young, I would be relieved to entrust him to Your Majesty before I enter my grave." The Queen Dowager asked curiously, "Do you men also dote most on your youngest sons?" Chu said, "Even more than women do." The Queen Dowager laughed, let down her guard, and said, "I think women dote more."
Chu realized that Queen Dowager Zhao had taken the bait, so he immediately shifted the topic and said, "In my opinion, compared to how much you love Chang'an Jun, you love Yanzhou's daughter even more." The Queen Dowager said, "You are mistaken. My love for Yanzhou's daughter is far less than my love for Chang'an Jun." Chu said, "When it comes to parents loving their children, they must make long-term plans for them. Back when Yanzhou's daughter was married off, you held her by the heel, reluctant to let her go, and followed behind her, crying as you saw her off. You were heartbroken because she was married so far away, and you missed her—this scene still tugs at the heartstrings even now. But after she was married, no matter how much you missed her, during sacrifices you still prayed for her, saying, 'May she never be sent back.' Isn't this because you were considering her long-term future, hoping that her descendants would become kings of Yan one generation after another?" The Queen Dowager said, "Well said."
Chu continued, "Going back from the current King of Zhao to three generations before, or even to when Zhao was first established, among those who were enfeoffed as lords, do their descendants who were also enfeoffed as marquises still hold their titles today?" Queen Dowager Zhao replied, "Probably not." Chu then asked, "And outside of Zhao, among the descendants of enfeoffed lords from other states, are there any who still inherit their titles?" Queen Dowager Zhao shook her head and said, "I haven't heard of any either." Chu said, "That's the point. For these people, if disaster came early, it struck them directly; if it came late, it affected their descendants. Was it because the lords' descendants themselves were bad? No. It was because they held high positions and enjoyed generous treatment without any merit of their own, and they hoarded so many treasures that it invited calamity. Now, the Lord of Chang'an holds such a high status, you have granted him vast fertile lands and bestowed upon him countless precious treasures, yet you haven't let him seize the opportunity to render service to the state. When you are no longer here, what will the Lord of Chang'an rely on to secure his standing in Zhao? That's why I say your love for the Lord of Chang'an is not as deep as your love for the Queen of Yan—you have planned too shortsightedly for his future."
Queen Zhao had nothing to say in response and could only reply, "Fine, send him wherever you wish." She then prepared over a hundred carriages for the Lord of Chang'an and sent him to the state of Qi. Only after receiving this hostage did Qi dispatch its rescue troops.
When Ziyi later heard about this, he sighed and said, "Even the ruler's own flesh and blood cannot receive rewards without merit, let alone us who are his subjects."