克己奉公 — “To be selfless and devoted to public duty”

Jì Zūn, whose courtesy name was Dìsūn, was from Yǐngyáng during the early Eastern Han Dynasty. From a young age, Jì Zūn loved reading and was sensible and reasonable. Despite his noble family background, he lived a very frugal life.

In 24 AD, when Liu Xiu attacked the Yǐngyáng area, Jì Zūn went to join him and was taken in as a subordinate official. He later followed the army to Hebei, serving as a military law enforcement officer, responsible for the camp's regulations. During his tenure, he enforced laws strictly and without personal favoritism, earning him widespread praise.

Once, a young attendant by Liu Xiu's side committed a crime. After Jì Zūn investigated and confirmed the facts, he sentenced the attendant to death according to the law. Upon learning this, Liu Xiu was furious, thinking Jì Zūn dared to punish someone close to him, and intended to punish Jì Zūn. However, someone immediately advised Liu Xiu, saying, "Strict military discipline is precisely what Your Majesty demands. Now Jì Zūn upholds the laws, which is perfectly right for all ranks. Only with such consistency between words and deeds can your orders command prestige among the three armies."

Liu Xiu found this reasonable. Later, not only did he not punish Jì Zūn, but he also conferred upon him the titles of General who Conquers Barbarians and Marquis of Yǐngyáng.

Jì Zūn was incorruptible, an upright official, cautious in his dealings, and selflessly devoted to public service. He often received rewards from Liu Xiu, but he always distributed these rewards among his subordinates. His life was extremely simple, and he had little personal wealth. Even when arranging his funeral, he instructed his subordinates not to be extravagant, only to transport his body and coffin by ox-cart to Luoyang for a simple burial.

Many years after Jì Zūn's death, Emperor Guangwu of Han, Liu Xiu, still fondly remembered his spirit of selfless devotion to public service.