Forest of anecdotes 6 - Wu Zixu and the pearl

子 胥 出 走 ， 邊 候 得 之 ， 子 胥 曰 ： 『 上 索 我 者 ， 以 我 有 美 珠 也 。 今 我 已 亡 之 矣 ， 我 且 曰 子 取 吞 之 。 』 候 因 釋 之 。

When Wu Zixu was fleeing, he was captured by a border guard. Zixu said : “the king wants me arrested because I have a beautiful pearl. I now have lost it, but I will say that you took it and swallowed it.” The guard released him.

Note : Wu Zixu (end of the 6th century BC, beginning of the 5th) was fleeing Chu . The king of Chu had put a reward on his head.