After the plan to "dismantle the three cities" failed, the conflict between Confucius and the Three Huan (the three powerful noble families of Lu) came to light. The Three Huan realized that Confucius's purpose in dismantling the cities was to "strengthen the ducal house and weaken the three ministers," and they began to harbor hostility toward him. Ji Huanzi (head of the Ji family) no longer followed Confucius's advice unconditionally, nor did he continue to cooperate with him. At this time, Gongbo Liao (a disciple of Confucius) flattered Ji Huanzi, speaking ill of Confucius and Zi Lu (a prominent disciple). Zifu Jingbo (a disciple) informed Confucius and offered to kill Gongbo Liao. Confucius sighed and said: "If my ideal of benevolent governance can be realized, it is due to the Mandate of Heaven (Tianming); if it cannot be realized, that too is determined by Heaven. What can Gongbo Liao do to Heaven's decree?" Some believed this showed Confucius overestimating his own abilities. The Analects, Book of Xianwen, records the following: One day, Zi Lu spent the night at the Stone Gate (a place name, the outer gate of Lu's capital). The next morning, when entering the city, the gatekeeper asked Zi Lu: "Where do you come from?" Zi Lu replied: "From Confucius." The gatekeeper then said: "Is that the Kong Qiu (Confucius) who knows something cannot be done yet insists on doing it?"
Since Confucius took office, the State of Lu grew increasingly powerful and its momentum surged. The State of Qi feared that a strong neighbor would harm its own interests, even remarking, "If Confucius governs for long, Lu will inevitably become a hegemon." Duke Jing of Qi thus proposed the Jiagu Alliance, aiming to reduce Lu to a vassal state, but Confucius saw through the plot, causing Qi to lose. Learning about Lu's court, they discovered that Duke Ding of Lu and Ji Huanzi (a high-ranking official) loved pleasure. So Qi selected eighty of its most beautiful women, trained them in song and dance, and sent them, along with 120 fine horses, to Lu. Ji Huanzi accepted them as expected, became infatuated with the entertainment, and failed to attend court for three days. Deeply disappointed, Confucius soon saw that after Lu's suburban sacrifice, the customary distribution of sacrificial meat to officials did not include him, indicating Ji no longer wanted his service. His past ambitions turned to nothing, leading Confucius to lament, "The phoenix does not arrive; the River sends forth no chart—it is all over with me!" The phoenix, a mythical bird, was said to appear only in times of peace. According to legend, during the era of the ancient sage-king Fuxi, a dragon-horse emerged from the Yellow River carrying the Eight Trigrams diagram, known as the "River Chart," a symbol of auspiciousness. Thus Confucius sighed, "The phoenix no longer comes; the River will no longer produce the Eight Trigrams diagram. My life is thus finished."
Confucius realized that his policy of Ren (Benevolence) could not be fully implemented, so he settled for the next best option, placing his hopes for realizing his political ideals in other states. He said, "My principle is 'to restrain oneself and restore Li (Propriety),' so that all people under heaven can return to Ren and practice the rites of the Zhou dynasty. Wherever I am needed, I will go." Thus, under duress, he left the State of Lu to seek a way out abroad, embarking on a journey to travel through various states. That year, Confucius was fifty-five years old.