Note: The scene on the vase depicts Emperor Yao, the first of the sage-kings of China's 'Golden Age' (the mythical period pre-Xia dynasty), going to ask Xu You, the reclusive sage and cowherd to take over running the government.  Xu You was so shocked to hear the king's proposal that he had to go wash out his ears. Yao was an excellent head of state and Xu argued that such a competent and benevolent ruler did not need his help running the country.   He is seen kneeling before the king.  The story is more a Daoist tale than a Confucian one; it indicates that one good ruler is sufficient and that holding office may actually be unfavorable to the very being of an individual, giving preference to a life of seclusion. By contrast, the Confucian principle would be that one is obligated to serve if the ruler were not corrupt or totally incompetent.