Describes a leader who genuinely cares for their people's suffering and takes proactive steps to address their needs, often by listening to wise counsel and experiencing the situation firsthand.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Story:
During the Spring and Autumn period, a severe drought struck the State of Qi, causing the common people to miss the planting season.
Duke Jing of Qi summoned his ministers to discuss increasing taxes to pray for rain.
Yanzi, however, vehemently opposed Duke Jing's idea of appealing to useless deities like mountain gods and river deities. He urged the Duke to personally leave the palace and join the people in their drought resistance efforts.
Duke Jing heeded Yanzi's advice, went to the barren fields to observe the people's plight, and three days later, heavy rain finally fell.