Short answers, pulled from the story.
Confucius was a Chinese philosopher of the Spring and Autumn period, born Kong Qiu around 551 BCE in Zou and dying around 479 BCE. He is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages, and much of the shared cultural heritage of the Sinosphere originates in his teachings.
The Silver Rule is Confucius's negative form of the Golden Rule, advising, "Do not do unto others what you do not want done to yourself." When his disciple Zi Gong asked for one word to guide a life, Confucius offered reciprocity, telling him never to impose on others what he would not choose for himself.
Confucius was appointed governor of a town and later rose to become Minister of Crime in Lu. He tried to return authority to the duke by dismantling the city fortifications of the Ji, Meng, and Shu families, relying solely on diplomacy because he held no military authority.
Confucius left Lu after the duke neglected to send him his customary portion of sacrificial meat, which he seized upon as a pretext to depart. He went into self-exile and could not return as long as Viscount Ji Huan was alive, traveling states including Wey, Song, Zheng, Cao, Chu, Qi, Chen, and Cai.
Confucius's ethics center on li, the ritual order, yi, or righteousness, and ren, often translated as benevolence or humaneness. Ren consists of five basic virtues: seriousness, generosity, sincerity, diligence, and kindness, and translator Arthur Waley called it "Goodness" with a capital G.
The Confucius Genealogy Compilation Committee counts two million known and registered descendants, with an estimated three million in all. The Kong family holds the longest recorded extant pedigree in the world, now in its 83rd generation, recorded since the death of Confucius.