ion this change?" (Birch 35).
That right came about as the Chinese people demanded that rulers not be hereditary but competent:
At an early stage in their history, the Chinese also abandoned the traditions of an aristocracy based on birth and invented the great principle that those who manage government should do so because of merit and individual attainment in competitive examinations (Pye 31).
This would occur some time after the date of this story, but we can see in the story the early development of this view as decisions of the ruler are questioned as to whether they are right and are not accepted simply because the ruler has given orders.
...