(no subject)

Here's another story about a king's wives. This one has lots of exaggeration in it-- Zhangzi isn't a general, nor does he have an entourage (he's poor), but the Queen says those things because she's being very polite. Likewise the world isn't actually closed-off, it's just difficult to travel in because of all those wars.

This story has:
-Zhang Yi, aka Zhangzi, a wandering and unemployed persuader. He has one attendant, who is presumably a family servant.
-Chu, a power warring state to the south. Chu is big and powerful, but is kind of out of the cosmopolitan cultural sphere of the other states.
-the southern Queen, the primary wife of the king of Chu.
-Zheng Xiu, a concubine of the king of Chu.
-Jin, a major state north of Chu. Early on in the warring states period, it broke into Wei, Han, and Zhao.

Zhang Yi went to Chu poor. His attendant was angry and wanted to return. Zhang Yi said, "You must want to return because of the raggedness of your clothes and cap. Wait, I will go see the king of Chu on your behalf." At that time, the southern Queen and Zheng Xiu were valued in the court of Chu. Zhangzi met the king of Chu, but the king of Chu was not pleased with him. Zhangzi said, "If your majesty has no use for me, please let me go north to see the lord of Jin." The king of Chu said, "I agree." Zhangzi said, "Does the king have nothing he seeks from the state of Jin?" The king said, "Gold, round and irregular pearls, rhinoceros horn and elephant ivory all come out of Chu. I have nothing to seek from the state of Jin." Zhangzi said, "Does your majesty mean to say he does not like sensual pleasure?" The king said, "What?" Zhangzi said, "Those women of Zheng and Zhou, their powder is white and their kohl is black. They stand in the thoroughfare and the village gates. If you did not already know when you saw them, you would take them to be spirits." The Chu king said, "Chu is a distant and secluded state. I have not experienced seeing the women of the central states, if their beauty is like that. How could I alone not like sensual pleasure?" Then he funded Zhang Yi with pearls and jade. When the Queen and Zheng Xiu heard about this, they were greatly afraid. They sent someone to Zhangzi saying, "I have heard that the General is going to the state of Jin. I happen to have one thousand catties of gold for you to advance to your entourage and use to provide hay and grain." Zheng Xiu for her part offered five hundred catties. When Zhangzi bid farewell to the king of Chu he said, "The world is closed and shut off. One cannot pass through. I do not know the day we will meet again. I wish the king would bestow on me a toast." The king said, "I agree," then toasted him. In the middle of drinking, Zhangzi again bowed and beseeched the king, "There are no others in here. I wish the king would summon those he find comfortable and familiar and toast them." The king said, "I agree," then summoned the Queen and Zheng Xiu and toasted them. Zhangzi again bowed and beseeched the king, "I have a deadly crime against the great king." The king said, "What?" Zhangzi said, "I have gone everywhere in the world, but I have never experienced seeing people as beautiful as these. And yet I have said I would get beautiful girls. This was deceiving the king." The king said, "You can let it go. I assuredly take this to mean there are none in the world like these two."