English Original
A man arrived at the palace of the State of Chu and presented a guard with an elixir of immortality, asking him to offer it to the king.
As the guard carried the medicine toward the inner palace with both hands, he encountered a royal archer. The archer asked, "Is what you hold edible?"
The guard replied, "Of course, it is."
Upon hearing this, the archer snatched the medicine, stuffed it into his mouth, and swallowed it.
The King of Chu was furious and ordered the archer's execution. The archer pleaded:
"It is not my fault, but the guard's, for he told me it was edible."
He continued, "This is a medicine for immortal life. If I am killed by Your Majesty after taking it, then this so-called elixir becomes a 'potion hastening death,' does it not? The man who presented it was attempting to deceive Your Majesty."
Finally, he argued, "If Your Majesty executes an innocent man today, people will say, 'The King would rather be deceived than trust his own guard.'"
Hearing this, the King of Chu found merit in the archer's words and pardoned him.
中文翻译
有一个人来到楚国王宫，将一种长生不死之药交给守卫，请他敬献给国王。
守卫双手捧着药朝内宫走去，迎面遇见一位宫廷弓箭手。弓箭手问他：“你手里捧的东西，人可以吃吗？”
守卫回答：“当然可以。”
弓箭手一听，夺过药便塞进嘴里吞了下去。
楚王勃然大怒，下令处死弓箭手。弓箭手申辩道：
“这不是我的过错，而是守卫的过错，因为他告诉我这药可以吃。”
他接着说：“这是不死之药。如今我吃了它，却要被大王处死；那么，这不死之药岂不成了‘催死之药’？这分明是献药之人在欺骗大王。”
最后，他说道：“如果大王今日杀了无罪的我，众人便会说：‘大王宁愿受人欺骗，也不愿相信自己的卫士。’”
楚王听后，觉得弓箭手的话颇有道理，便将他释放了。