From the introduction: You have committed your life to the study of the Confucian classics; your mastery of them was proven by your stellar performance over many years in the competitive written exams. You are among a dozen at the top of a pyramid of 22,000 civil servants. You are a Hanlin academician and a member of the Grand Secretariat. You wish to ensure that Confucian principles are expressed and propounded at the very highest level. You meet regularly with the emperor. It is your job to obey the emperor, but it is also your responsibility, as a specialist in Confucian teachings, to advise him on the meaning and purposes of Confucianism.