Chinese Æsop:

Once upon Ming Dynasty, there were four friends named Máo Péng, Tián Lún, Gù Dú, and Liú Tí. They all passed Imperial Civil Service Examinations, and received the "Metropolitan Graduate" degree. This was the highest degree of the time, as the candidates were interviewed by the Emperor himself, so the degree also called "Received Scholar" or "Promoted Scholars" (进士, Jìn Shì). All of them were apointed important magisterial posts. Graduate Máo Péng was appointed as Inspector of Eight Prefectures, Tián Lún  the Inspector of Jiāngxī Province (same as Provincial Governor), Gù Dǔ the Governor of Xìnyáng City, Liú Tí the magistrate of County Upper-Chài, which was at the next lower bureaucratic level than Xìnyáng, also in Hénán Province. Before the four graduates went to their office, they bid fareware to their Supervisor (who was also their examiner, according to the tradition), and went to Twin-Pagoda Temple after the celebration feasts. The fo...