"Yes, it may be so. I hope Your Majesty will forgive my wrongdoings and allow me to finish what I have to say."

Long, long ago, King Wei of the State of Chu trusted Song Yu very much, but he often heard others say bad things against Song Yu.

One day, King Wei of Chu asked Song Yu:

"Have you ever done anything unfitting to your position? Otherwise, why do officials and people say bad things against you?"

Then he continued:

"I hear that there is a singer who often sings in the capital. In the beginning, he always sings the "Song of the Rustic Poor", and several thousand people sing with him. When he sings the song "Picking Vetches at Yangling", several hundred people sing with him; when he sings the song "Spring Snow", only over ten people sing with him. Finally, when he sings an even more refined song, only very few people in the whole state can sing with him. Therefore, the more refined the song he sings, the fewer people can join him."

Song Yu quickly kowtowed and said: