Duke Jing of Qi once held a grand feast at Mount Tai. Deep in his cups, he gazed upon his vast lands, tears streaming down his face. "Must I one day leave this kingdom and die?" he lamented. Three attendants wept with him. But Yanzi alone clapped his thighs and laughed heartily: "What a joyous feast this is!"
The duke, enraged, demanded an explanation. Yanzi replied, "I see a timid ruler and three flattering ministers—hence my laughter."
"All must die," Yanzi continued. "Death lets the virtuous rest and the unworthy fade. If ancient kings never died, how could you inherit this land? To weep over mortality is cowardice; to echo such tears is flattery."
The duke, embarrassed, changed his excuse: "I weep not for death, but for the comet portending doom to my kingdom."
Yanzi answered sternly: "Your deeds are unjust—excessive taxes, ruthless punishments, endless building. Comets come and go. True misfortune lies in misrule."
Terrified, the duke returned, filled the ponds, halted construction, reduced taxes, and eased punishments. Thirty-seven days later, the comet vanished.
Life is fleeting. Instead of fearing the end, cultivate virtue and follow nature's way. True wisdom lies not in lamenting what must pass, but in living rightly while we can.