張孟談謂襄子曰:「晉陽之中,赫無大功,今與之上賞,何也?
This angered the five officers.
」襄子曰:「吾在拘厄之中,不失臣主之禮,唯赫也。
Zhang Mengtan said to Xiangzi, “He was without great merit in the Jinyang seige, but you are now giving him the greatest reward—why?” “When I was in difficult straits,” replied Xiangzi, “the only man who was never remiss in the observance of the rites proper to rulers and officers was Gao He.
子雖有功,皆驕寡人。
Though you won merit, you were all arrogant in your comportment toward me.
與赫上賞,不亦可乎?
Isn’t it permissible, then, to give the greatest reward to He?” When Zhongni heard of this, he said, “Zhao Xiangzi may be pronounced skillful in the rewarding of officers.
」仲尼聞之曰:「趙襄子可謂善賞士乎?
賞一人而天下之人臣,莫敢失君臣之禮矣。」
He rewarded a single man, and no officer of the realm dared henceforth to neglect the rites proper to rulers and officers.