A man in the state of Chu, trying to sell his pheasant, lied to people by claiming it was a phoenix.
A passerby believed him and bought the bird for twenty pieces of gold.
The passerby intended to present it to the king of Chu. However, the pheasant died the very next day. The passerby did not regret the lost money, but only that he could not present the "phoenix" to the king. The story spread throughout the country, and everyone came to believe it was a true phoenix.
Hearing of this, the king of Chu was moved by the apparent loyalty of his subject. He summoned the man who had wanted to present the phoenix and rewarded him with gifts worth ten times the price he had paid for the pheasant.