A man arrived at the palace of the State of Chu and presented a guard with an elixir of immortality, asking him to offer it to the king.
As the guard carried the medicine toward the inner palace with both hands, he encountered a royal archer. The archer asked, "Is what you hold edible?"
The guard replied, "Of course, it is."
Upon hearing this, the archer snatched the medicine, stuffed it into his mouth, and swallowed it.
The King of Chu was furious and ordered the archer's execution. The archer pleaded:
"It is not my fault, but the guard's, for he told me it was edible."
He continued, "This is a medicine for immortal life. If I am killed by Your Majesty after taking it, then this so-called elixir becomes a 'potion hastening death,' does it not? The man who presented it was attempting to deceive Your Majesty."
Finally, he argued, "If Your Majesty executes an innocent man today, people will say, 'The King would rather be deceived than trust his own guard.'"
Hearing this, the King of Chu found merit in the archer's words and pardoned him.