During the Warring States period, seven powerful states coexisted and frequently waged war against one another. The turbulent times provided opportunities for eloquent and knowledgeable individuals to showcase their talents. These people traveled between states, advocating their political ideas and strategies for governance, becoming highly active on the political stage and forming the "shi" (scholar-official) class. The various feudal lords deeply recognized the importance of talent to a state's rise or fall, so they treated the wise with respect, widely recruited talent, and fostered a prevailing culture of patronizing scholars. Among the most famous were the Four Lords of the Warring States, with Lord Mengchang of the State of Qi being one of them.
Lord Mengchang, originally named Tian Wen, was the son of Tian Ying, who was the younger brother of King Xuan of Qi and served as the prime minister of the Qi state. Tian Ying had many sons, and Lord Mengchang, born to a concubine, initially held a low status. However, he displayed exceptional talent from a young age, quickly standing out among Tian Ying's numerous sons. As he grew older, he gradually took charge of household affairs and became renowned throughout the land for his hospitality in nurturing scholars and his generosity in giving to others, eventually hosting over three thousand retainers at his estate.
At that time, there was a man named Feng Xuan in the state of Qi, who was destitute and unable to support himself, so he asked someone to request Lord Mengchang to take him in as a retainer. Lord Mengchang asked, "What special skills does Feng Xuan have?" The person replied, "He has no special skills." Lord Mengchang then asked, "What talents does he possess?" The person replied, "He has no talents either." In the end, Lord Mengchang smiled and still accepted Feng Xuan.
Lord Mengchang classified his retainers into three ranks based on their abilities: the highest rank received meals with fish and a carriage for outings; the middle rank had fish in their meals but no carriage; the lowest rank ate simple fare and had to arrange their own transportation.
The servant, seeing that Lord Mengchang did not value Feng Xuan, arranged for him to be treated as a lower-class retainer. After eating coarse meals for a few days, Feng Xuan became dissatisfied with this treatment. Leaning against a pillar, he tapped his sword and sang, "Long sword, let us go back, for here we cannot even eat fish!" Those around him reported this to Lord Mengchang, who ordered, "Treat him as a middle-class retainer and give him fish to eat." Not long after, Feng Xuan again leaned against the pillar, tapped his sword, and sang, "Long sword, we cannot even ride in a carriage when we go out!" Those around him laughed at him and told Lord Mengchang, who said, "Treat him as an upper-class retainer and provide him with a carriage." Riding in the carriage and carrying his sword, Feng Xuan visited his friends, boasting, "Lord Mengchang holds me in high regard." Soon after, Feng Xuan grew dissatisfied again, tapping his sword and singing, "Long sword, let us return, for staying here cannot support my family." People found him too greedy and despised him. When Lord Mengchang heard this, he asked about Feng Xuan's family and was told that Feng Xuan still had an elderly mother. So Lord Mengchang sent gifts to Feng Xuan's mother, ensuring she had food and clothing without worry. Upon learning this, Feng Xuan was deeply moved and never complained again.
At this time, Lord Mengchang was the prime minister of the state of Qi, enjoying a fief of ten thousand households in Xue, but he had many retainers and was very generous to them. Soon his salary could no longer support these retainers, so to increase his income, he sent people to Xue to lend money and collect interest. However, a year later, much of the interest remained uncollected, and Lord Mengchang was unable to continue supporting his retainers. So he decided to pick a retainer who was good with accounts to go to Xue to collect the debts. Someone recommended Feng Xuan to Lord Mengchang, saying that Feng Xuan seemed articulate and had no other skills, so he might as well be sent to collect the interest. When Feng Xuan heard he was to collect the interest, he readily agreed. He organized the contracts and, before leaving, asked Lord Mengchang if he should buy anything to bring back after collecting the interest. Lord Mengchang said, "Sir, see what the household lacks and buy whatever that is."
Feng Xuan drove his carriage to Xue, summoned the local officials and the people who owed debts, verified the contracts, and collected the interest payments. After receiving one hundred thousand in interest, there was still a large amount of unpaid interest. Feng Xuan then checked each household that had not paid—those who could afford to pay were given a deadline, but for those truly unable to pay, he pretended to act on Lord Mengchang's orders and burned the debt contracts on the spot, declaring they no longer owed anything. The grateful people cheered, shouting "Long live!"
After completing his task, Feng Xuan drove his carriage and rushed back to the Qi capital without stopping. When Lord Mengchang heard that he had burned all the loan agreements, he was very angry and asked him why he had done so. Feng Xuan said, "Before I left, you told me to buy whatever the household lacked. I saw that your mansion lacked nothing—gold, silver, treasures, fine horses, luxurious carriages, or beautiful women—the only thing missing was 'benevolence and righteousness,' so I used those agreements to buy 'benevolence and righteousness.'" Lord Mengchang asked in confusion, "What does this mean?"
Feng Xuan explained, "All you possess now is this small piece of Xue land, and the people there are your subjects. Instead of cherishing them, you have lent them money at interest like a merchant, which I thought was improper. So, acting on your behalf, I burned the loan agreements and forgave the debts as a gift to the people. They are deeply grateful to you and cheered 'Long live!'—this is the 'benevolence and righteousness' I bought for you." Lord Mengchang was displeased upon hearing this, but since it was already done, he had no choice but to let Feng Xuan go back to rest.
One year later, King Min of Qi, having listened to slanderous rumors, wanted to depose Lord Mengchang from his position as prime minister, so he said to Lord Mengchang, "You were a minister of the former king, and I dare not employ you." Lord Mengchang had no choice but to return to his fief, the land of Xue. When he was still over a hundred li away from Xue, the local people, young and old, were already waiting by the roadside to welcome him. Seeing this, Lord Mengchang finally understood the intent behind Feng Xuan's burning of the debt contracts to buy him goodwill, and turning to Feng Xuan, he said, "Now I truly see the 'goodwill' you bought for me."
Feng Xuan felt that Lord Mengchang's political position in the state of Qi was not secure enough, which was why he was constantly blamed for minor offenses, so he said to Lord Mengchang: "A cunning rabbit has three burrows to avoid being caught. Right now, you only have one burrow, which cannot guarantee your safety. Let me build two more burrows for you!"
Lord Mengchang agreed, granting him fifty chariots and five hundred gold pieces for his use. Feng Xuan arrived at Daliang, the capital of Wei, and said to King Hui of Wei: "The strength of Qi entirely depends on the wisdom of Lord Mengchang. Now the King of Qi, deceived by treacherous officials, has dismissed Lord Mengchang from his post as prime minister, and Lord Mengchang is certainly deeply resentful. Everyone knows he is a man of governance; if you could invite him to assist you in governing Wei, it would surely make Wei powerful." King Hui had long heard of Lord Mengchang's talent, and upon hearing Feng Xuan's words, he was naturally delighted. He immediately sent envoys with a thousand gold pieces and a hundred chariots to invite Lord Mengchang to become the prime minister of Wei. Feng Xuan hurried back, arriving in Xue before the Wei envoys, and said to Lord Mengchang: "A thousand gold pieces is a heavy gift, and a hundred chariots create a grand spectacle; the rulers and ministers of Qi will surely hear of this soon."
The envoys of the State of Wei came three times in succession to invite Mengchang Jun, but he refused each time. As expected, the news quickly reached the State of Qi, causing great worry and fear for the King of Qi and all his court officials. The King of Qi immediately sent envoys with two hundred ornate carriages, carrying a thousand pieces of gold and a sword, along with a letter apologizing to Mengchang Jun, saying: "It was all my fault for listening to slander and stripping you of your position as prime minister. I know I am not worthy of your forgiveness, but please, for the sake of the former kings of Qi, return and help me govern the state." Feng Xuan advised Mengchang Jun that he could go back and continue serving as prime minister of Qi, but he should demand from the King of Qi the sacrificial vessels of the former kings and establish an ancestral temple in Xue—this was the third refuge. The King of Qi agreed to Mengchang Jun's request, and Mengchang Jun returned to Qi, where he served as prime minister for several decades without worry.