When Lord Mengchang toured the various states and arrived in the kingdom of Chu, the King of Chu presented him with an ivory bed. It fell to the registrar of Ying, by rotation, to escort the bed, yet he was loath to undertake the task. He sought out Gongsun Shu, a retainer of Lord Mengchang, and said: "I am the registrar of Ying, and it is my turn to escort the ivory bed. This bed is worth a thousand pieces of gold—should it suffer the slightest scratch or damage, even selling my wife and children could not cover the loss. If you can secure my release from this duty, I shall present you with my ancestral sword." Gongsun Shu agreed.
Gongsun Shu then went in to see Lord Mengchang and said: "My lord, do you intend to accept the ivory bed of Chu?" Lord Mengchang replied: "I do." Gongsun Shu said: "The reason the small states have all entrusted their seals of office to you is that they have heard that in Qi you relieve the poor and destitute, and uphold the great principle of preserving perished states and continuing severed lineages. The heroes and worthies of every kingdom have placed their affairs in your hands out of admiration for your righteousness and reverence for your incorruptibility. Now, if upon arriving in Chu you accept an ivory bed, this is something you ought not to do. What makes you esteemed by all under heaven is precisely these virtues—how then could you accept it?" Lord Mengchang said: "Well spoken."
Gongsun Shu hurried away, but before he had passed through the inner gate, Lord Mengchang called him back and said: "Your counsel against accepting the ivory bed is excellent. But why do you lift your steps so high and wear such a triumphant air?" Gongsun Shu replied: "I have three great joys. First, my lord gains a reputation for wisdom; second, I have had the chance to offer counsel; and third, I stand to receive a sword." Lord Mengchang asked: "How so?" Gongsun Shu answered: "By accepting my remonstrance, my lord gains renown for virtue; by my speaking, I gain the opportunity to exercise my abilities; and upon returning, I shall receive the registrar's sword—hence my three joys." Lord Mengchang said: "Excellent." He then had written upon his gate-board: "Let any who can proclaim my name and check my faults—even if he has privately obtained treasures from without—come quickly and offer his counsel."
💡 商战启示录
Lord Mengchang accepted the ivory bed, which at first glance seemed a matter of personal preference, yet in truth it risked undermining his carefully cultivated image of "integrity and love for worthy men," thereby shaking the trust that the various states had placed in him. Gongsun Shu's remonstrance was, at its core, a reminder: every public act of a leader is brand equity, and once it comes into conflict with core values, a crisis of trust will ensue. In modern commerce, similar cases abound. For instance, when the CEO of a renowned technology company was seen using a competitor's phone in public, investors and users began to question the company's positioning of "independent innovation," and the stock price fluctuated in the short term. In another case, the founder of a chain restaurant was discovered to have used gutter oil; although it was not his personal act, the public inextricably linked the individual's image with the enterprise, and the brand's reputation suffered a severe blow. Conversely, Ren Zhengfei of Huawei has steadfastly upheld the values of "customer-centricity and dedication-based reward," resisting the temptations of short-term windfall profits, and has thereby earned the long-term trust of clients worldwide. Lord Mengchang ultimately inscribed a notice on his gate encouraging remonstrance, which was tantamount to establishing an internal "anti-temptation" mechanism. Modern enterprises may draw from this by instituting "value audits" or "ethics committees" to assess the long-term impact of major decisions on brand value. Gongsun Shu's "three joys" also reveal a profound truth: good counsel should yield mutual benefit for all parties, not a zero-sum game. Business decisions must balance short-term gains against long-term credibility, and a leader's practice of "vigilance in solitude" combined with an open ear to counsel is the very moat that protects the brand.