During a rest stop, the horse pulling Confucius's chariot wandered into a farmer's field and ate some crops. The angry farmer seized and kept the horse.
Zi Gong, known for his eloquence, went to reason with the farmer. To his surprise, the farmer refused to listen and would not return the horse.
Then, a new student from the countryside who had just begun studying under Confucius approached the farmer. He said, "You don't farm by the East Sea, and I don't farm by the West Sea. Since our lands are so close, it's hard to prevent my horse from occasionally eating your crops."
Hearing this, the farmer was pleased. He said to the student, "What you say makes perfect sense, much more than what the previous fellow said!" He then returned the horse immediately.