 Decisions on matters of promotion and demotion should never be based on the ruler’s heart; not only because he can be misled and manipulated by unscrupulous aides, but also because any decision—even if correct one—which is not based on impersonal standards will cause dissatisfaction among his underlings (see more in Harris 2016: 31–34). An alternative will be a set of clear impersonal rules that will regulate recruitment and promotion of officials. For Shang Yang, recruitment will be based on the ranks of merit. Han Fei remains doubtful about these: after all, why should valiant soldiers who gained ranks of merit become good officials? Han Fei himself does not solve the problem of initial recruitment but develops ways to monitor subsequent promotion of an official: