The last King of the Shang dynasty was a dictator. Jiang Shang, one of his ministers, decided to leave the kingdom. He went away and settled in a quiet place near the Wei River in the kingdom of Duke Jichang. The Duke was always on the lookout to hire talented people. Jiang Shang used to stretch his pole, let his ‘hook’ at a distance from the surface of the water, and sing, “Those that are tired of living on those that are seeking their death, come up.”
The Duke heard about his surprising way of fishing. He sent his soldiers to bring Jiang. But Jiang turned his back on them and said, “What a bad luck, little shrimps jumping instead of a fish!” The soldiers told this to the Duke who in turn sent his official to bring Jiang. But Jiang overlooked him and said, “What a pity, only a small fish appears!” Finally, the Duke came, and Jiang Shang agreed to join him.
