To Chen Zi’s question, Mencius lays out three tiers for scholars to take or quit office, prioritizing rulers’ respect and willingness to implement their Way. Relief to escape starvation is acceptable only as a last resort.
Lu’s minister Ji Huanzi accepted female entertainers from Qi and skipped court for three days. Disappointed by this neglect of state affairs and broken rituals, Confucius resigned immediately, refusing to stay in a corrupted court where his moral ideals could not be realized.
Duke Jing of Qi planned to offer Confucius a middle-tier official rank but later declined to employ him, claiming old age. Confucius left Qi at once, refusing a powerless post and upholding his dignity to seek a ruler willing to fully implement his moral ideals.
Mencius distinguishes royal kinsmen ministers from unrelated ones. Kinsmen may replace a repeatedly unrepentant ruler after remonstrance, while outsider ministers resign if their earnest advice fails, stressing different political duties tied to blood bonds.