Nangong Kuo asked Confucius, “Yi was skilled in archery, and Ao could overturn boats with his strength – yet neither died a natural death. Yu and Ji personally tilled the fields, yet they gained the empire.”
A man named Xu Xing, who claimed to follow the teachings of Shen Nong (the mythical Divine Farmer), came from Chu to Teng and went directly to Duke Wen, saying: “As a man from afar, I’ve heard you practice benevolent governance. I’d like to receive a house and become your commoner.”