In the Qin Dynasty, there lived a scholar addicted to antiques. He was so fond of collecting them that he would buy them no matter how costly they were.
One day, a man came to his door to peddle a worn-out straw mat. He claimed, "Duke Ai of Lu once gave Confucius a seat to discuss state affairs. This is the very mat Confucius sat upon."
Overjoyed, the scholar believed the story and exchanged the land near his manor for the mat.
A few days later, another man came to sell a walking stick. He declared, "This staff was used by Gu Gong Dan Fu, ancestor of King Wen of Zhou, when he led his people away from Bin to elude the Di invaders. It is centuries older than Confucius's mat. What will you offer me, sir?"
Thrilled as if finding a treasure, the scholar gave the man all the money in his house.
Soon after, a third man arrived with a broken bowl, boasting, "Sir, neither the mat nor the staff is genuine. This bowl, however, was made during the reign of King Jie of the Xia Dynasty, far more ancient than the Zhou."
Convinced the bowl was the oldest artifact, the scholar traded his house and courtyard for it.
Thus, the scholar possessed the straw mat, the walking stick, and the broken bowl, but he had lost his entire fortune. Though left with neither food nor proper clothing, his passion for antiques remained undimmed, and he could not bear to part with his three "treasures."
From then on, the Qin scholar was seen begging in the streets: draped in Duke Ai's straw mat, leaning on Gu Gong Dan Fu's staff, and holding King Jie's broken bowl. He continually cried out, "Kind elders and neighbors, if anyone has an ancient coin from Jiang Tai Gong's Nine Government Offices, please spare me one!"