During the Spring and Autumn period, Guan Zhong and Bao Shuya of Qi were close friends who shared a strong bond since youth.
Guan Zhong lost his father at a young age and had to support his aging mother, shouldering the responsibility of providing for his family early on and living in poverty. His close friend Bao Shuya, knowing his difficult circumstances, invited him to go into business together. However, since Guan Zhong's family was very poor and he couldn't contribute any capital, almost all of the investment came from Bao Shuya. Later, when their business turned a profit and they divided the earnings, Guan Zhong took a larger share than Bao Shuya. Bao Shuya didn't mind at all, but his employees were indignant on his behalf, whispering behind Guan Zhong's back that he was unscrupulous—having put in little capital yet taking the most profit. When Bao Shuya learned of this, he said, "That's not the case! Guan Zhong is poor and has to support his mother, bearing a heavy burden. I willingly gave him a larger share."
Guan Zhong, grateful for his friend's care, often came up with ideas to help Bao Shuya, but his good intentions frequently backfired, causing more trouble for Bao Shuya instead. Yet Bao Shuya never blamed him and even comforted him, saying, "Don't be upset. It's not that your ideas are useless; we just didn't seize the right moment." Soon after, the two joined the army together, but whenever battle came, Guan Zhong would hang back or even flee. People mocked him as a coward afraid of death. At this, Bao Shuya immediately defended him, explaining, "You misunderstand—Guan Zhong isn't afraid to die; he's worried about his elderly mother. If he dies, who would take care of her?"
Later, Guan Zhong and Bao Shuya both became officials in the State of Qi. At that time, the ruler of Qi was Duke Xigong, who had three sons: the heir apparent Zhu'er, Prince Jiu, and Prince Xiaobai. Guan Zhong and Bao Shuya served as tutors to Prince Jiu and Prince Xiaobai respectively, guiding them. However, Bao Shuya was very dissatisfied with this arrangement, believing that Duke Xigong had assigned him to tutor Xiaobai because he knew Xiaobai lacked talent and would never become ruler. But Guan Zhong disagreed, advising Bao Shuya that although Prince Xiaobai was not as clever as Prince Jiu, he was far-sighted; and even if Prince Jiu later deposed his elder brother to become ruler, he would not achieve great deeds, and when the time came to stabilize the state, it would depend on Bao Shuya. After hearing Guan Zhong's words, Bao Shuya decided to accept the appointment and devoted himself wholeheartedly to guiding Xiaobai.
In 698 BCE, Duke Xi of Qi passed away, and his eldest son Zhu'er succeeded him, becoming Duke Xiang of Qi. However, Duke Xiang was morally depraved, committing incest with his sister Wen Jiang and even getting her husband, Duke Huan of Lu, drunk and killing him. At that time, Qi's court was in disarray, with governance in chaos, forcing Duke Xiang to resort to indiscriminate killings to maintain order, causing panic both inside and outside the court. Foreseeing that Qi would soon face great turmoil, Guan Zhong advised Bao Shuya to take Xiaobai abroad to avoid disaster. Bao Shuya protected Xiaobai and fled to the state of Ju, while Prince Jiu's mother was the daughter of the Lu ruler, so Guan Zhong and another tutor of Prince Jiu, Zhao Hu, protected Prince Jiu and fled to the state of Lu.
Duke Xiang of Qi became estranged from his people and ultimately isolated, which gave his cousin Gongsun Wuzhi, the nephew of Duke Xi of Qi, an opportunity. When Duke Xi was still alive, he treated his nephew Gongsun Wuzhi no differently from his own sons, which greatly displeased Zhu'er, the future Duke Xiang. After Zhu'er ascended the throne, he deliberately reduced Gongsun Wuzhi's privileges, causing Gongsun Wuzhi to harbor resentment. Meanwhile, the officials Lian Cheng and Guan Zhifu held a grudge against Duke Xiang over trivial matters. With Duke Xiang having lost all popular support, the three conspired together to assassinate him and install Wuzhi as the ruler of Qi. Later, taking advantage of an injury Duke Xiang sustained while hunting, Gongsun Wuzhi sent someone to kill him. Lian Cheng and Guan Zhifu then proclaimed Wuzhi as the new ruler, an act that sparked unanimous opposition both within and outside the court.
Gongsun Wuzhi had been on the throne for just over a year when he was killed by nobles such as the grandee Yong Lin. A series of internal conflicts left the state of Qi without a ruler, plunging it into chaos. After Gongsun Wuzhi's death, the ministers of Qi discussed who should be the new ruler. According to ritual law, Prince Jiu was the elder and should succeed to the throne. Thus, Qi contacted the state of Lu, indicating their intention to welcome Prince Jiu back as the new ruler, and Lu decided to send troops to escort him home. However, the high minister Gao Xi, who had been close friends with Prince Xiaobai since childhood, quickly sent a secret letter to Prince Xiaobai, who was in exile in the state of Ju, urging him to return and compete for the throne.
After receiving the letter, Prince Xiaobai analyzed the domestic situation with Bao Shuya and decided to return to the state of Qi immediately. He borrowed war chariots from the state of Ju and rushed back to Qi without stopping. When Prince Jiu learned that Xiaobai was also hurrying back to Qi, he sent Guan Zhong to lead troops to intercept Xiaobai on the road from Ju to Qi. Guan Zhong's troops passed through Jimo and soon caught up with Xiaobai's chariot. Guan Zhong drew his bow, aimed at Xiaobai, and shot an arrow. Prince Xiaobai fell to the ground with a cry.
Guan Zhong, believing that Xiaobai was surely dead, led his men back to report their success. However, in reality, Guan Zhong's arrow had only struck the hook of Xiaobai's belt, and Xiaobai was not killed. He had simply acted quickly, pretending to be dead by falling to the ground. Although this incident was a close call, Prince Xiaobai and Bao Shuya became more vigilant and hurried back to the State of Qi with even greater speed. When they arrived at the city of Linzi, Bao Shuya entered first to lobby the officials, and the chief minister Gao Xi, along with other ministers, expressed their willingness to support Xiaobai as their ruler. Thus, Prince Xiaobai smoothly entered the city and ascended the throne, becoming the renowned Duke Huan of Qi in history.
Guan Zhong and Prince Jiu, who were on their way back to the State of Qi, believed that Prince Xiaobai was already dead and that the throne was secure, so they saw no need to rush and only arrived in Qi six days later. Upon reaching Qi, they discovered that a new ruler had already ascended the throne—and it was none other than Prince Xiaobai.
Young master Xiaobai seized the throne first, forcing young master Jiu and Guan Zhong to flee back to the state of Lu in search of refuge. Duke Zhuang of Lu, upon learning that Qi had installed a new ruler, harbored deep hostility toward Qi and decided to use military force to reclaim the throne for young master Jiu. Leading a large army, Duke Zhuang personally marched with young master Jiu to the borders of Qi. Duke Huan of Qi, unwilling to back down, resolved to "repel them with force." Both sides deployed 300 chariots in battle. The Qi army decisively crushed the Lu forces, surrounding Duke Zhuang's main army. Duke Zhuang abandoned his own war chariot, switched to a light carriage, and only after changing his appearance managed to break through the encirclement and escape back to Lu. Young master Jiu and Guan Zhong retreated along with Duke Zhuang. The Lu army suffered a devastating defeat, and the Qi forces pressed their advantage, pursuing the enemy and invading Lu territory.
Duke Huan of Qi wanted the state of Lu to kill Guan Zhong to avenge an arrow wound, but Bao Shuya advised him, saying: "If you only wish to govern Qi well, Shuya and Gao Xi are sufficient, but if you aspire to dominate the feudal lords under heaven, you must not miss Guan Zhong." Duke Huan of Qi could not forget his old grievance and said: "Back then, I nearly died from his arrow; he is my enemy—how could he possibly come to assist me?" Bao Shuya reasoned with him: "He did that out of loyalty to his own master! Guan Zhong is a rare talent under heaven; whichever state employs him will surely achieve great things. I have heard that a wise ruler does not hold grudges. If you can set aside past grievances, pardon his crime, and entrust him with important responsibilities, he will surely serve you with unwavering devotion. To accomplish the great enterprise of hegemony, Guan Zhong is indispensable."
After Bao Shuya's earnest persuasion, Duke Huan of Qi finally set aside his old grievances and decided to appoint Guan Zhong. However, Guan Zhong was still in the State of Lu at the time, and they feared Lu would refuse to release him. So, Bao Shuya wrote a letter to the Marquis of Lu, demanding that he execute Prince Jiu and send Zhao Hu and Guan Zhong to Qi, claiming that the Qi ruler wanted to personally kill them to avenge past wrongs, and threatening to invade the Lu capital if this was not done. The Lu minister Shi Bo believed that Qi actually intended to employ Guan Zhong, and that with his guidance, Qi would become even stronger and threaten Lu's security, so he proposed killing Guan Zhong and returning only his corpse to Qi. But Duke Zhuang of Lu, having just suffered a major defeat and now facing the pressure of Qi's army at his borders, was terrified. He ultimately executed Prince Jiu, imprisoned Zhao Hu and Guan Zhong, and sent them back to Qi.
Shao Hu died to make his loyalty clear, showing his devotion to Prince Jiu, while Guan Zhong was escorted under guard to the state of Qi. Bao Shuya waited at Qi's border to welcome him. When the prison cart carrying Guan Zhong arrived, Bao Shuya greeted his old friend warmly and immediately ordered the cart opened, releasing Guan Zhong. After letting him rest, Bao Shuya said that Duke Huan of Qi wished to employ him to govern the state. Guan Zhong replied, "I assisted Prince Jiu but failed to help him ascend the throne, nor did I die for him in loyalty like Shao Hu. Now, to serve my enemy—wouldn't I be ridiculed by the world?" Bao Shuya advised him, saying, "Those who accomplish great deeds do not dwell on trivial details; those who achieve great merit need not seek others' understanding! In governance, you possess unmatched talent. The ruler has lofty ambitions and seeks to establish hegemony. If you can help him realize his grand vision, your virtue and achievements will be celebrated throughout the world."
After successfully persuading Guan Zhong, Bao Shuya brought him to the capital city of Linzi to meet Duke Huan of Qi. When the Duke discussed with Guan Zhong how to establish hegemony, he discovered that Guan Zhong indeed possessed the talent to govern a state, so he appointed him as Prime Minister. Through Bao Shuya's recommendation, Guan Zhong was entrusted with great responsibilities, while Bao Shuya willingly served as his subordinate. Guan Zhong fully utilized his exceptional administrative abilities and ultimately helped the state of Qi become the dominant power during the Spring and Autumn period, but this success was inseparable from Bao Shuya's recognition of talent and willingness to recommend. Later generations admired Guan Zhong's abilities, but they equally praised Bao Shuya's insight in recognizing talent, his willingness to offer advice, and his magnanimity in yielding his position to a worthy person. After Bao Shuya's death, Guan Zhong wept bitterly at his grave and once said with deep emotion: "My parents gave me life, but it is Bao Shuya who truly understands me!"
The friendship between Guan and Bao has become a widely told tale.