东汉时，羊续任庐江太守。羊续的下属府丞焦俭见羊续生活太清苦，便给他送了一条活鲤鱼。等焦俭一走，他就让下人把鱼挂在庭檐下。没过几天，鱼成了一条枯鱼干，羊续也不让人取掉。一天，焦俭又拎着一条更大的鲤鱼来拜访羊续，羊续笑着指了指悬挂着的那条鱼，轻轻地摇了摇头。焦俭看着这条枯鱼干，领悟到了太守的一片苦心，红着脸返了出去，从此再也不敢给羊续送东西了。

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Yang Xu served as the governor of Lujiang County. Noticing Yang lived a simple and thrifty life, his subordinate Jiao Jian gave him a live carp. Hardly had Jiao Jian left when Yang ordered his servants to hang the fish under the eave. A few days later, the fish dried out, yet Yang didn’t put it indoor. When Jiao came to visit Yang again with a larger carp, Yang pointed to the fish hung under the eave with a smile and shook his head gently. Seeing the dried fish, Jiao understood the governor’s implied meaning. He felt so embarrassed that he left with a blushed face, never daring to give anything to Yang from then on.