In 283 BC, King Zhaoxiang of Qin sent an envoy with a letter to King Huiwen of Zhao, in which the Qin king stated, "I have heard that you, the King of Zhao, have come into possession of the He family jade disc, and I wish to exchange it for fifteen of my cities. I hope you will agree to this."
After reading the letter, the King of Zhao was in a dilemma: he feared that if he gave the He Shi Bi jade to the King of Qin, he would not get the cities in return, but if he refused, he would anger the King of Qin, who might attack Zhao—since Qin was the most powerful state at the time and often bullied other countries. The King of Zhao was torn and summoned his ministers to discuss a solution. At this point, a eunuch recommended his own retainer, Lin Xiangru, to the King. Some officials scoffed, saying that if they couldn't solve the problem, how could a mere retainer handle such a heavy responsibility? The King of Zhao asked the eunuch, "What abilities does this man have?" The eunuch replied, "Once, when I broke the law and wanted to flee to the State of Yan, Lin Xiangru asked me, 'How do you know Yan will take you in?' I answered that I had met the King of Yan before, and he privately said he wanted to be friends. Lin Xiangru told me, 'Zhao is strong and Yan is weak; the King of Yan wants to cozy up to Zhao, so he sought your friendship. If you flee to Yan now, the King of Yan will tie you up and hand you over to Zhao to please them. You'd be better off confessing your crime to the King of Zhao.' I followed his advice, begged for your mercy, and Your Majesty pardoned me." Hearing this, the King of Zhao immediately sent for Lin Xiangru.
The King of Zhao met with Lin Xiangru and asked him for a solution. Lin Xiangru said, "Now Qin is strong and Zhao is weak, so we cannot refuse their request!" The King of Zhao asked, "What if the King of Qin goes back on his word and does not give us the cities?" Lin Xiangru replied, "If the King of Qin wants to exchange cities for the He Shi Bi jade, and Zhao refuses, then Zhao is in the wrong. If the King of Qin gets the jade but does not give Zhao the cities, then Qin is in the wrong. Therefore, Your Majesty must send someone to deliver the He Shi Bi to Qin." The King of Zhao then asked who would be suitable to go, and Lin Xiangru said he could go as an envoy to Qin. So the King of Zhao sent Lin Xiangru to deliver the He Shi Bi.
After meeting the King of Qin, Lin Xiangru presented the He Shi Bi jade. The king was overjoyed upon receiving it, carefully examining it and passing it around to his concubines and attendants. However, the king showed no intention of exchanging cities for the jade. So Lin Xiangru stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, there is actually a flaw in this jade. Let me point it out to you." The king handed it over. Taking the jade, Lin Xiangru quickly stepped back a few paces, leaned against a pillar in the hall, and glared at the king, saying, "When I was sent to deliver this jade, the King of Zhao fasted for five days and performed a bowing ceremony at court before my departure, as a sign of respect for Your Majesty. Yet now, Your Majesty receives me in such an ordinary hall and shows the jade to your concubines and servants—this is an insult to our state of Zhao. It seems you have no intention of exchanging fifteen cities for it, so I have taken it back. If you force me, I will smash both myself and this jade against this pillar." He then glanced at the pillar as if to strike. The King of Qin, greatly alarmed, quickly stopped him and pretended to order a map brought in, saying, "From here to here, fifteen cities will be given to Zhao." Lin Xiangru, suspecting the king was still playing tricks, said, "The He Shi Bi is a treasure recognized by all under heaven. The King of Zhao, out of reverence for you, offered it. Now, Your Majesty should also fast for five days, then receive the jade in your court with grand ceremony." Seeing Lin Xiangru's resolute and uncompromising stance, the king had no choice but to agree to his terms and temporarily lodged him in the Qin palace.
After returning to his lodging, Lin Xiangru ordered someone to take the He family jade and, taking advantage of the deep night, quietly slip out of the palace. Five days later, after King Zhao of Qin had completed his purification rites and set up a grand ceremony in the court to receive Lin Xiangru, Lin Xiangru said to the king: "Since the time of Duke Mu of Qin, none of the many rulers of Qin have been trustworthy. I feared that Your Majesty would not keep his promise, so I have already sent someone to return the He family jade to Zhao. Moreover, since Qin is so powerful, if Your Majesty first cedes fifteen cities to Zhao, then Zhao would not dare to fail to present the He family jade to you!" Then Lin Xiangru added: "I know that deceiving Your Majesty is punishable by death, so now I am at Your Majesty's mercy for whatever punishment you see fit."
The King of Qin and his ministers first looked at each other in bewilderment, then shook their heads helplessly. At that moment, a minister suggested, "Kill Lin Xiangru." The King of Qin said, "Forget it! If we kill Lin Xiangru now, we still won't get the He Shi Bi jade, and instead, we'll sever the friendly relations between Qin and Zhao over a single envoy. It's better to treat him well and send him back to Zhao." A few days later, the King of Qin had his men escort Lin Xiangru back to Zhao.
After Lin Xiangru returned to his home state, the King of Zhao recognized his great talent and appointed him as a high-ranking minister, also sending him on diplomatic missions to other states. From then on, the State of Qin never again demanded the He Shi Bi jade from Zhao.