“You do not distinguish between the wise and the foolish; which is to have foul vision; you have never read the Odes or the Histories, which is to have foul speech; you are deaf to honest words, which is to have foul ears; you are unable to reconcile antiquity with to-day, which is to be foul without; you cannot tolerate the nobles, which is to be foul within; you harbour thoughts of rebellion, which is to have a foul heart. I am the most famous scholar in the world and you make me a drummer boy, that is as Yang Huo belittling Chung-ni (Confucius) or Tsang Tsʻang vilifying Mêng, the Philosopher (Mencius). You desire to be chief and arbitrator of the great nobles, yet you treat me thus!” Now Kʻung Jung who had recommended Mi Hêng for employment was among the guests and he feared for the life of his friend. Wherefore he tried to calm the storm. “Mi Hêng is only guilty of a misdemeanour like Hsü Mi’s,” cried he. “He is not a man likely to disturb your dreams, illustrious Prince.” Pointing to Mi Hêng the Minister said, “I will send you to Chingchou as my messenger and if Liu Piao surrender to me I will give you a post at Court.” But Hêng was unwilling to go. So Tsʻao Tsʻao bade two of his men prepare three horses and they set Hêng on the middle one and dragged him along the road between them. It is also related that a great number of officers of all ranks assembled at the east gate to see the messenger start. Hsün Yü said, “When Mi Hêng comes we will not rise to salute him.” So when Hêng came, dismounted and entered the waiting room, they all sat stiff and silent. Mi Hêng uttered a loud cry. “What is that for?” said Hsün Yü. “Should not one cry out when one enters a coffin?” said Mi Hêng. “We may be corpses,” cried they altogether, “but you are a wandering ghost.” “I am a Minister of Han and not a partizan of Tsʻao’s,” cried he. “You cannot say I have no head.” They were angry enough to kill him, but Hsün Yü checked them. “He is a paltry fellow, it is not worth soiling your blades with his blood.” “I am paltry, am I? Yet I have the soul of a man and you are mere worms,” said Mi Hêng. They went their ways all very angry. Mi Hêng went on his journey and presently reached Chingchou, where he saw Liu Piao. After that, under pretence of extolling his virtue, he lampooned Piao, who was annoyed and sent him to Chianghsia to see Huang Tsu. “Why did you not put the fellow to death for lampooning you?” said one to Liu Piao. “You see he shamed Tsʻao Tsʻao, but Tsʻao did not kill him as he feared to lose popular favour. So he sent him to me, thinking to borrow my hand to slay him and so suffer the loss of my good name. I have sent him on to Huang Tsu to let Tsʻao see that I understood.”