After the Cheng-Kang Golden Age, the realm enjoyed peace and tranquility, with no use of punishments for over forty years. However, starting from King Zhao, the son of King Kang, the slave-owning nobility continuously intensified exploitation, and social conflicts began to escalate.
During the Western Zhou Dynasty, there were two ways to obtain tribute and taxes: commoners farming public fields as labor service, and vassal states offering tributes. By the time of King Yi of Zhou, the Western Zhou's national power had weakened, and some vassals no longer paid tribute. Additionally, commoners increasingly developed private fields, public fields were abandoned, and the well-field system collapsed. Moreover, more and more people turned to fishing and hunting in forests and lakes for profit, causing a sharp decline in the Western Zhou court's economic revenue. Despite this, nobles still indulged in music, women, and excessive pleasures, so the court's income could not meet the needs of the nobility and the royal family.
The Well-Field System was the basic land system of the Western Zhou Dynasty, where land was divided into nine plots in the shape of the Chinese character for "well," with the central plot being public land cultivated collectively and its harvest going to the state, while the surrounding eight plots were private land with harvests belonging to individual households; all land belonged to the Son of Heaven, who had the authority to demand tribute from the commoners or nobles farming the land and to reclaim the land from those who cultivated it.
After King Yiwang of Zhou passed away, his son Ji Hu ascended the throne, becoming King Liwang of Zhou. King Liwang was greedy for wealth and profit; to amass riches for his own enjoyment, he appointed Rong Yigong and enacted a "monopoly" policy, which declared that mountains, forests, lakes, and marshes belonged exclusively to the Son of Heaven, and that commoners had to pay taxes to use these natural resources for their livelihood. This monopoly policy monopolized social wealth and resources, increasing the burden on the working people and infringing upon the rights of some lower- and middle-ranking nobles, thus sparking widespread discontent from top to bottom as soon as it was implemented.
Grand Master Rui Liangfu admonished King Li, saying: "The mountains, forests, lakes, and marshes are naturally endowed by heaven and earth—everyone has the right to use them. How can one person monopolize them? Monopolizing them will breed resentment in many hearts and plant the seeds of disaster. As a ruler, even if you benefit the entire realm, you must still be wary of incurring people's grievances. Yet now you allow Rong Yigong to tempt you with material gain—calamity may be near. If you insist on this course, you will surely lose the people's support before long."
King Li refused to listen at all and stubbornly appointed Rong Yigong as a high-ranking minister to enforce monopolistic policies. He also sent officials across the land to inspect, arresting and heavily punishing anyone caught hunting or fishing without permission. Soon, grievances filled the air, and the common people buzzed with complaints, cursing the court and condemning King Li. The minister, Duke Zhao of Mu, admonished him, saying, "The people can no longer endure your decrees; their resentment is boiling over."
King Li of Zhou flew into a rage, so he summoned a shaman from the state of Wei and ordered him to use fortune-telling and divination as a pretext to spy on the common people, gathering their opinions and reporting anyone who showed disrespect. Relying on the king's authority, the shaman from Wei acted tyrannically—if anyone displeased him in the slightest, he would falsely accuse them of slandering King Li and have them arrested and punished. Those seized were subjected to severe penalties: their noses were cut off, their feet were chopped off, or even their heads were severed. Overwhelmed by the terror of King Li and the shaman, the people no longer dared to speak out. When they met acquaintances on the road, they wouldn't even greet each other; they merely exchanged glances and hurried away.
After King Li of Zhou heard about this, he said smugly to Duke Mu of Shao, "I have silenced people's criticism of me; they no longer dare to say anything."
Duke Mu of Shao shook his head and said, "This only silences the people's mouths. Silencing the people's mouths is more terrifying than damming a river. When water is blocked to a certain point, it will burst the dam, causing even greater destruction. Therefore, managing water requires dredging—opening channels so the water can flow freely. Governing the people follows the same principle: let them speak freely and express their opinions without restraint. Thus, when the Son of Heaven governs the state, he orders the dukes, ministers, and even the lower officials to present poems that criticize the successes and failures of governance; the music masters offer songs that reflect the people's sentiments; the historians present books that provide historical lessons; the chief musician offers admonitions; all officials can directly remonstrate and convey the people's will; close ministers give their best advice; royal relatives examine and correct faults; the Grand Tutor and Grand Historian provide instruction; and elder statesmen and senior ministers constantly offer warnings, for the king to consider and act upon. Only by handling state affairs in this way can policies avoid violating reason and be implemented smoothly. The people have mouths, just as the earth has mountains and rivers—these are the sources of wealth. The people have mouths, just as the earth has fertile soil—producing the food and clothing needed for life. When the people express their opinions, the court can know what is good and what is bad. Good policies are implemented, and bad ones are guarded against—this principle is the same as the earth producing wealth and necessities. What the people say comes from what they think in their hearts—how can it be silenced? Even if it is silenced, how long can such a state last?"
King Li of Zhou was initially quite pleased with himself, but after being sternly admonished by the Duke of Shao, he felt deeply resentful and refused to heed the Duke's advice any longer. The Duke of Shao could only shake his head helplessly and withdraw.