千万买邻 — “It is extremely important to have good neighbors”

Emperor Wu of Liang greatly admired Lü Sengzhen's talent. One day, Lü Sengzhen requested permission from Emperor Wu to return to his hometown to sweep his ancestors' graves. Emperor Wu not only agreed but also appointed him as the governor of Guannan Cizhou, allowing him to bring glory to his family.

After taking office, Lü Sengzhen was impartial and handled affairs justly. When he met guests for official business, even his brothers were only allowed in the outer hall, not the reception room. Some close relatives, thinking they had Lü Sengzhen as a patron, came to the prefecture hoping to secure an official position, believing they no longer needed to engage in trade. Lü Sengzhen patiently persuaded them to return home and continue their small businesses.

In front of Lü Sengzhen's residence, there was an official building belonging to one of his subordinates, which saw many people coming and going. Someone suggested that he ask the subordinate to move his office elsewhere and keep the building for his private use. Lü Sengzhen sternly refused, stating that an official building could never be used as a private residence.

Lü Sengzhen's noble character of integrity and dedication to public service was widely praised. An official named Song Jiya, after retiring and returning to Pujiang County, specifically bought a house next to Lü Sengzhen's private residence. One day, Lü Sengzhen asked him how much he paid for the house. Song Jiya replied, "It cost a total of eleven million." Lü Sengzhen was greatly surprised and asked, "Eleven million? How could it be so expensive?" Song Jiya smiled and replied, "One million was for the house, and ten million was for the neighbor." Lü Sengzhen paused for a moment, then understood, and began to laugh.