Zigong

子貢 Zǐgòng was arguably Confucius’s most successful student. Confucius sometimes seemed to worry that things came too easily to him. See Analects 1.15–16, 5.9, and 19.23. Zigong started life as a merchant and ended as a diplomat. According to Sima Qian, he was intimately involved in the drama between Wu and Yue, and, if so, may have been a moving force in the intrigue of the Warring States.

He appears in 6:06, where he attends the funeral of Master Mulberry-home. When he is appalled by the behavior of the remaining friends, Confucius explains to him that such people wander outside the rulesIn 17:03, he encounters an old man watering his fields by hand. When Zigong tells him about the well-sweep, the old man sends him away.  In 18:01, Confucius tells him he worries Yan Hui has gotten in over his head in Qi.