In the ancient times, the ruler of the State of Qi, King Xuan, was very fond of the yu, a wind instrument. He had a band of more than 300 musicians who could play the yu.

King Xuan of Qi was most satisfied with the band and the harmonies they performed, so every time he wanted to listen to the yu, he would call all the musicians together to play for him.

There was one person called Mister Nan Guo who knew nothing about the yu. But he heard of King Xuan's fondness of the yu; and seeing an opportunity to make some money, he went to the king's place and somehow managed to pass himself off as an expert yu player.

King Xuan did not investigate the newcomer's claims; he happily accepted this person, giving him a place among the orchestra of 300-plus musicians.

From that moment on, every time there was a performance, Mister Nan Guo would just carry his yu and sit among the others, pretending to play the instrument; and he continued to depend on deception to pass through the daily routine; he would not really do any work while receiving an undeserved salary.

But the good times would not last, after some years passed, King Xuan of Qi died and his son King Min of Qi succeeded him. King Min of Qi also liked to listen to the yu, but he preferred solos to full orchestral performances; and he would therefore summon the musicians to perform individually.

Mister Nan Guo at this point became as distressed as an ant in a frying pan; he felt that he could not continue the charade any longer; and as a result he gathered his luggage during the night and ran away.

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