In the face of King Zhao's inquiry, Wei Yuan said: "Looking through the history books, what the people desire is actually just to survive. If they can eat their fill and stay warm, they consider it a rare prosperous era. Some kings, even if they only ensure their people don't die of hunger in droves and can barely subsist on bran and porridge, dare to call it a prosperous era.
For the common people, only when they truly can't survive will they rise in revolt. So alleviating the plight of the poorest is to eliminate the source of turmoil. This is the first point."
King Zhao, who was well-read in history, said, "I agree with this point. But Zhao Country has been stable for twenty years now, and before you showed up, there was no military disaster on our lands. In a peaceful time, among these poor people, there are often those idle, lazy, and unruly. Should they all be relieved too?"
