In the Basic Flavors chapter of The Springs and Autumns of Mr.

Li, Tang asks his new advisor Yi Yin whether or not he is ready to take political action. Yi Yin replies in the negative: Your Lord's land is too small to afford it; being the Son of Heaven, then you'll be able to afford it (Basic Flavors). Tang is not yet the Emperor, or Son of Heaven, in spirit. That is, he does not yet fully adhere to the Way, the set of principles that enable the Emperor, through perfection of character and person, to interpret the divine and thus guide the kingdom. Yi Yin then informs Tang of the steps he needs to take in order to become more harmonious with the Way: self-cultivation (SCT 237). Yi Yin uses a food-metaphor, saying that the quality and quantity of food consumed, the basis for ones physical condition, affects ones intellectual and spiritual self as well. The kingly way, he explains, is a holistic one, with everything in ones life building on what has come before it or allowed it to exist. Hence, If one delves into the basics, after only a ten-day week one will certainly succeed; if one delves into the branches, one works hard but to no achievement (Basic Flavors). Take care of the foundation, posits Yi Yin, and the rest follows. This does not mean that one should ignore those things that do not make up the foundation, as any similar holistic system necessitates care in all things, but simply that one must take great care that each of ones actions exhibit and be in accordance with the Way. After delineating exactly which ingredients most benefit one who would assume the mantle of the Son of Heaven, Yi Yin tells Tang that "The means by which to gather all these are the horse of blue dragon and the ride of spare wind. Unless one becomes the Son of Heaven first, one will not be able to obtain and possess them. The Son of Heaven can't be assumed forcibly; one must first know the Way. The Way leading to there lies in the self; the self being established, then the Son of Heaven can be established; the Son of Heaven being established, so the perfect flavors can be possessed. Therefore, to examine the close is the means to know the distant; to establish the self is the means to establish the others (Basic Flavors). To break this quotation down, the blue dragon and the ride of the spare wind can only be had if one is the King/Emperor/Son of Heaven. If so, they must be resources that only the leader of China has access to, such as control of the army, trade, and the law, and could be used to gather the best food ingredients for the ruler in order to help his efforts to embody the Way and interpret the divine. That a dragon is an Imperial symbol supports this notion. The Heavens will not accept a king with military might alone says Yi Yin; the Son of Heaven cant be assumed forcibly. Rather, he reiterates, the Heavens seek a king who has mastered himself and who, once he has attained the rule, continues to fortify his person with the perfect flavors. Yi Yin ends his advice in this way so as to forestall any questions Tang might have about [proceeding] to act out (Basic Flavors). The Shao Announcement document concerns itself with the Mandate of Heaven and how a ruler should understand that idea. The text explains the Mandate of Heaven as a doctrine of political legitimization and an assertion of concomitant responsibility on the part of the ruler to listen to wise counsel and to benefit the people (SCT 35). In the document, the Duke (of Zhou) also explains that the ruler must constantly take care of his personal character so that his reign does not lose the Mandate of Heaven. It is only when the Mandate disappears due to lack of personal responsibility on the part of the ruler, and to a lesser extent his officials that a rule falls. Furthermore, the king must listen to the

sage advice of his elders and advisors in matters of state and matters of personal conduct, for with age comes wisdom and neglecting such wisdom would surely lead one from the path of harmony with the Way. If the king can live each day with right and just behavior and attitude, his Mandate of Heaven (his legitimate rule) will endure.