范蠡 / Fan Li
范蠡 / Fan Li appears in 《资治通鉴·周纪》57丨古代发毒誓还有这作用？ after 越王勾践 destroys 吴国. The episode says Fan Li recognizes the changed danger: the ruler who endured humiliation before revenge may not want powerful ministers nearby after victory.
Fan Li’s role is diagnostic. By leaving 越国 and warning 文种, he turns a triumph story into a political-exit lesson: usefulness in adversity does not guarantee safety once the ruler has recovered status and no longer needs witnesses to the earlier humiliation.