 In theory, wuwei aims at preserving the order of ziran so that the myriad things and affairs can flourish and attain their proper end. In practice, the politics of wuwei may be contrasted with Legalist policies that emphasize thorough political control through reward and especially punishment. The role of the ruler, like that of the father, entails great responsibility. While wuwei naturally has no room for, say, heavy taxation or excessive conscript labor for war or palace construction, it should not exclude appropriate public works like irrigation or services like caring for the sick. Such action would be deemed in alignment with the perceived order of nature. Obviously, they are not carried out to enhance the ruler’s reputation or interests. The ruler who governs with wuwei may appear to be doing nothing, but in guiding the people to return to their original nature he establishes a firm foundation for great peace. The state would prosper of its own accord, as it were, if only the ruler could remain steadfast in following the way of “emptiness and quiescence.” The logic of nothingness, perhaps unexpectedly, reaches an idealistic end. In sum, as Wang Bi concludes in his shorter essay on the Laozi, the key to the Daoist vision lies in “honoring the root and calming the branches,” which ensures that the people are not alienated from their true nature and thus able to find fulfillment (also see commentary to Laozi 38, 57 and 58).