Law and Filial Duty

English translation

Tao Ying asked, “If Shun were Son of Heaven, Gao Yao the judge, and Shun’s father Gusou committed murder, what should happen?” Mencius answered, “He should simply be arrested.” “Then would Shun not stop it?” “How could Shun stop him? Gao Yao had received the law and authority he was bound to uphold.” “What would Shun do, then?” Mencius said, “Shun would regard abandoning the empire as no more than throwing away a worn-out sandal. He would secretly carry his father away, settle by the seashore, and remain content for the rest of his life, happy and forgetful of the empire.”