薛公 / Xue Gong
薛公 / Xue Gong enters the wiki through 《资治通鉴·周纪》97-2丨揭秘信陵君凭什么是四公子之首 as a Zhao worthy whom 信陵君 seeks after the Handan rescue. The episode describes him as doing small trade by selling wine slurry, placing him outside the normal noble setting of carriage, guest hall, and formal invitation.
The point of Xue Gong’s scene is the same as 毛公’s: Xinlingjun’s reputation depends on crossing status boundaries without treating low status as disgrace. By entering Xue Gong’s working environment on foot, Xinlingjun makes 礼贤下士 concrete rather than ceremonial.
《资治通鉴·秦纪》103-1｜司马迁看中的信陵君算是小人吗？ adds the return-to-Wei consequence of that relationship. Xue Gong and 毛公 tell 信陵君 that the lords honor him because he remains tied to 魏国, so letting Qin destroy 大梁 would leave him without the political ground that made his reputation possible.