What is the origin of Tao Zhugong’s name?
Settled in Taoqiu of the Song Dynasty (now south of Dingtao District, Heze City, Shandong Province), and named himself "Tao Zhugong".
The bird is gone and the bow is hidden
After Fan Li succeeded in helping Yue King Gou Jian, he immediately left the country of Yue. He wrote to Wen Zhong from Qi State: "The birds of Fei (same as "flying") are gone, and the good bows are hidden; the cunning rabbits are dead, and the lackeys are cooked. The King of Yue is a man with a long neck and a beak. He can be in trouble with the emperor, but not with the * **Happy. Why don't you go?" The main idea is: after the birds are shot, the good bows and arrows will be put away. Once the cunning rabbits have been hunted, the hunting dogs will be cooked. The King of Yue was a sinister and scheming man. You can go through hardships with him but you can't enjoy them together. Why don't you leave quickly? After receiving the letter, Wen Zhong claimed that he was ill and could not go to court, but in the end he still did not escape the fate of death. But Fan Li had expected this early, and I have to say that this was his specialty! Since then, "bird's end, bow and hide" has become an idiom, which refers to kicking away or destroying those who have contributed once something is done. Many famous officials in later generations took this as a warning.
Roading on the West Lake
Gou Jian destroyed the state of Wu. On the night when they celebrated the victory with wine, Fan Li, who had made great contributions, quietly took Xi Shi with him, sneaked out of Qimen, and sat on the breakfast table. Uncle Ade's small wooden boat, which was waiting there, crossed the moat, turned in a circle, and headed straight for Taihu Lake. They arrived at Wuli Lake in the north of Taihu Lake. Seeing the beautiful scenery and beautiful mountains and rivers, they built a few thatched houses and lived incognito. During this period, Wen Zhong was killed, and Fan Li moved to other places three times to save his life. However, because Xi Shi loved the scenery of the Five Lakes, the two finally settled in West Lake.