Zhang Yi again slandered Chen Zhen before the King of Qin, saying: "Chen Zhen shuttles between the states of Chu and Qin. Now Chu shows no friendship toward Qin, yet treats Chen Zhen well—this proves that Chen Zhen acts for his own gain, while Your Majesty is held in contempt. Moreover, Chen Zhen wishes to leave Qin for Chu. Why does Your Majesty not let him go?" The King of Qin said to Chen Zhen, "I hear that you wish to leave Qin for Chu—is this true?" Chen Zhen replied, "It is true." The King said, "Zhang Yi's words are indeed truthful." Chen Zhen said, "Not only Zhang Yi knows this—even travelers on the road know it. In former times, Wu Zixu was loyal to his lord, and all the states under heaven vied to have him as their minister; Zeng Shen was filial to his parents, and all the people of the world wished him to be their son. Thus, when one sells a servant or concubine, if a buyer appears within the same lane, that servant or concubine must be a good one; when a divorced woman remarries within her own village, she must be a good woman. If I were not loyal to Your Majesty, how could Chu have any use for me? When loyalty is cast aside, where else can I go but to Chu?" The King of Qin deemed his words right and thereafter treated him well.
💡 商战启示录
This tale reveals the wisdom of resolving crises through strategic self-vindication in commercial competition, when faced with malicious slander from rivals. Chen Zhen did not directly refute Zhang Yi's accusations; instead, he invoked the parables of Wu Zixu and Zeng Shen, linking loyalty to worth, and implying that if he were not trusted, the loss would be precisely the King of Qin's. In modern business warfare, similar situations often arise when executives or key talents are poached by competitors. For instance, a core product manager at a technology company was targeted by rivals spreading rumors that he planned to defect and leak confidential information. Rather than rushing to defend himself, he shared his own successful case studies at a meeting, emphasizing, "If I were disloyal, why would rivals seek to recruit me? If I were valueless, why would the company retain me?"—thereby shifting the focus from personal loyalty to professional competence. This move not only stabilized management's trust but also showed clients his irreplaceability. The core of this strategy lies in transforming negative accusations into a reaffirmation of one's own value, countering with facts and logic rather than descending into emotional disputes. At the same time, Chen Zhen's response reminds leaders that, amid information asymmetry, they should heed all voices and avoid misjudging talent based on one-sided accounts.