| | Ran You asked Confucius, "The sage kings of old established laws and decrees that punishments would not be imposed upon the dafu (high officials), and rites would not extend to the shuren (common people). If this is so, then when a dafu commits a crime, can he not be punished? And if a common person acts in accordance with propriety, can they still be governed by rites?" Confucius said, "Not so. In general, the way to govern gentlemen is through propriety and righteousness to regulate their minds; this is done in order to inspire them with a sense of integrity and shame." Therefore, in ancient times, when a dafu was dismissed or exiled for being corrupt and unclean, it would be said that "his fu gui were not properly arranged." Those who were dismissed for engaging in licentious behavior and failing to distinguish between men and women would be said to have "improperly maintained their curtains and screens." Those who were guilty of deceiving superiors and showing disloyalty would be described as having "not yet demonstrated the virtue of a loyal subject." And those who were removed due to weakness and inability to perform their duties would be called "ineffective in their official responsibilities," Those who violated national regulations would be said to have "acted without seeking permission," These five categories are sufficient for a dafu to determine that he has already been assigned a specific charge of guilt. And yet, they still could not bear to openly and directly name them as such. Therefore, they would instead use euphemisms to refer to the offense, so as to bring about a sense of shame. Thus, when a dafu's crime fell within the scope of the five punishments, upon being censured and summoned, he would appear wearing a white hat with a long tassel, carrying a basin of water and placing a sword on it, and proceed to the palace gate to personally request punishment; the ruler would not have officials seize him by force or drag him into custody. If the dafu committed a grave offense, upon receiving the order he would bow twice facing north and then kneel to commit suicide; the ruler would not send others to seize him and execute him by force. It was said, "This is something you, Master Dafu, have brought upon yourself; I have treated you with propriety." Therefore, punishments do not descend upon the dafu, yet the dafu does not escape his guilt; this is due to the influence of moral instruction. The reason why rites do not extend downward to the shuren is that common people are preoccupied with their daily affairs and unable to fully engage in ritual practices; therefore, they are not held responsible for complete observance of rites.
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