Huang Gong of the state of Qi had a peculiar flaw: excessive modesty that led him to belittle himself and his family, regardless of the truth.
Though his two daughters were beautiful, he would modestly claim they were ugly. Raised in seclusion and unable to appear in public, the girls became widely known for their supposed ugliness. Consequently, no one in the state proposed marriage to them.
An elderly bachelor from the state of Wei, who had remained unmarried, mustered his courage and married Huang Gong's elder daughter. Upon discovering she was a peerless beauty, he told others, "My father-in-law is merely being modest. His younger daughter must be beautiful too!"
After these words spread, many men vied to marry the younger daughter. The man who succeeded returned home to find her equally stunning.