English Original
During the Warring States Period, a man offered to teach the King of Yan the secret to attaining immortality.
The king was overjoyed and immediately sent an envoy to learn from this master. However, before the envoy could begin his lessons, the so-called immortal master died. The envoy had no choice but to return in disappointment.
Enraged, the King of Yan rebuked the envoy for being too slow and arriving too late, and ordered his execution.
The king never realized that the man who boasted of being immortal had deceived him. Instead, he blamed his own envoy for the failure.
中文翻译
战国时期，有一个人声称愿意教给燕王长生不老的方法。
燕王得知后非常高兴，连忙派人前去拜师学习。然而，派去的人还没来得及学习，那个自称掌握长生术的人就死了。使者只好垂头丧气地返回。
燕王见状勃然大怒，竟责怪使者走路太慢、去得太晚，并下令立即处死他。
燕王始终没有醒悟到那个自称长生不老的人是在欺骗他，反而将过错归咎于被派去的使者行动迟缓。