The Duke Ai of Lu often told others how much he yearned for talented people and how fond he was of those with knowledge and ability. A man named Zi Zhang, upon hearing that Duke Ai welcomed virtuous people so much, traveled from afar, braving wind and dust, to the State of Lu to request an audience with Duke Ai. Zi Zhang stayed in Lu for seven days, but he never saw Duke Ai. It turned out that Duke Ai's claim of liking knowledgeable people was just a trend, merely something he said like other rulers. He completely disregarded Zi Zhang's request for an audience, having already forgotten about it.

Zi Zhang was very disappointed and also quite angry. He told Duke Ai's charioteer a story and asked the charioteer to relay it to Duke Ai. Then, Zi Zhang quietly departed.

Finally, one day, Duke Ai remembered Zi Zhang's request for an audience and prepared to ask his charioteer to invite Zi Zhang. The charioteer told Duke Ai, "He has already left." Duke Ai was quite perplexed. He asked the charioteer, "Didn't he come to join me? Why did he leave?" So, the charioteer relayed the story Zi Zhang had left for Duke Ai.

The story went like this: There was a man named Ye Zigao (Lord Ye) who constantly boasted to others about how much he loved dragons. He drew dragons on his belt buckle, carved dragons on his wine vessels, and everywhere in his house and bedroom where there were carvings, they all depicted dragons. The true Dragon in heaven, knowing Ye Zigao's immense love for dragons, was deeply moved. One day, a real dragon descended to Ye Zigao's house. It stretched its head into the window to peek and let its tail trail across the hall. When Ye Zigao saw this, his face changed color, he was terrified, and he turned and fled. The true Dragon was bewildered and very disappointed. In reality, Lord Ye did not truly love dragons; he merely liked them in a superficial, verbal way.