Lord Mengchang asked his retainers, "Who among you is versed in accounting and can go to Xue to collect the debts for me?" Feng Xuan signed his name and said, "I can." Surprised, Lord Mengchang asked, "Who is this?" His attendants replied, "It is the one who sang 'Long sword, return!'" Lord Mengchang laughed and said, "This retainer indeed has talent; I have treated him poorly and have not yet met him." He then invited Feng Xuan to see him and apologized, saying, "I have been wearied by state affairs, troubled by anxieties, and being naturally weak and foolish, I have been immersed in national matters, thus offending you, sir. You do not take this as a shame, and are still willing to go to Xue to collect debts for me?" Feng Xuan said, "I am willing." Thereupon, carriages and horses were prepared, luggage was arranged, and the debt contracts were loaded. As he took his leave, he asked, "After the debts are collected, what shall I buy on my return?" Lord Mengchang said, "See what my household lacks." Feng Xuan drove swiftly to Xue, dispatched officials to summon the people who owed debts, and had all the contracts verified. When all were checked, Feng Xuan rose and, falsely claiming Lord Mengchang's command, bestowed the debt payments upon the people, then burned the contracts, and the people shouted, "Long live!" Feng Xuan sped back to Qi and sought an audience with Lord Mengchang at dawn. Lord Mengchang, astonished at his swift return, donned his robes and cap to receive him, saying, "Have the debts been fully collected? Why have you returned so quickly!" Feng Xuan said, "They are collected." "What did you buy?" Feng Xuan replied, "You said, 'See what my household lacks.' I privately considered that your palace is piled with treasures, your stables are filled with horses and hounds, and your halls are lined with beauties. What your household truly lacks is only 'righteousness'! So I privately bought righteousness for you." Lord Mengchang asked, "What does buying righteousness mean?" Feng Xuan said, "Now you hold the small fief of Xue, yet you do not cherish the people but profit from them like a merchant. I privately assumed your command, bestowed the debts upon the people, and burned the contracts. The people shouted, 'Long live!' This is the righteousness I bought for you." Lord Mengchang was displeased and said, "Enough, sir, let it be!" A year later, the King of Qi said to Lord Mengchang, "I dare not regard the minister of my late father as my own." Lord Mengchang had no choice but to return to his fief in Xue. Before he had traveled a hundred li, the people, carrying the young and supporting the old, came to welcome him on the road. Lord Mengchang turned to Feng Xuan and said, "The righteousness you bought for me, sir, I have witnessed today."
💡 商战启示录
Feng Xuan's act of burning the debt contracts to win the people's hearts stands as an ancient paradigm of "long-term value investment" in modern commerce. By forgoing short-term debt recovery, he invested instead in popular sentiment and brand reputation, ultimately reaping substantial returns when Lord Mengchang fell from power. This offers a profound lesson for contemporary enterprises: an excessive pursuit of short-term profits may erode customer relationships and brand loyalty, whereas strategic concessions and customer care—"purchasing goodwill"—can build an intangible yet invaluable asset of trust. For instance, Haidilao invests heavily in service to deliver experiences that exceed expectations; though this appears to increase costs in the short run, it earns customer word-of-mouth and repeat patronage, forging a durable competitive edge. Similarly, Amazon in its early years operated at a loss, subsidizing users while prioritizing customer experience, and ultimately built an e-commerce empire. Feng Xuan's wisdom lay in discerning what was truly scarce—what Lord Mengchang lacked was not wealth, but moral support. Modern enterprises, too, should examine their own "scarcities": is it technological innovation, employee belonging, or social responsibility? By relinquishing immediate gains in exchange for the long-term health of the ecosystem, they can secure, in times of crisis, the kind of user loyalty and stakeholder support that greeted Lord Mengchang's return. This strategy underscores that true business acumen requires balancing financial metrics with intangible assets, charting the future with far-sighted vision.