A fisherman named Bei Gongzhi obtained a rare and precious luminous pearl. All his acquaintances came to congratulate him.
The minister of the State of Song promised to take him to see the king, assuring him that wealth and rank would soon follow.
At this time, his father had just returned home. Upon hearing the news, his father, whose family had lived a simple life by fishing for generations, said with tears, "It is easy to become rich and noble by presenting the pearl to the king. But after gaining wealth and rank, it is easy to become haughty. Haughtiness leads to atrocity, atrocity leads to reckless acts, and that brings one perilously close to danger. A fatal disaster will then be imminent. At that point, it would be impossible to return to the simple, peaceful life we have today." After saying this, he smashed the luminous pearl.