But when this perfect model of rule was placed in a real world made up purely of mortals, it had flaws that could not be remedied.
In the mortal world, the Sage King model depended on rule by man to function. A nation's rise and fall were entirely bound to the ruler's personal ability, temperament, and character, completely divorced from the restraints of rules and institutions.
In the mortal world, the Sage King model had four fatal problems that could not be solved.
The first was that policies flourished with the person and died with the person. Mortals had a fixed limit to their lifespan, and a wise ruler could not live forever. Truly capable sages were rare to begin with, and the succession of dynasties could not guarantee that every generation of rulers would possess the same temperament and ability. The entire nation's governance system had no long-term stability.
The second was that there was no unified, objective standard for selecting the virtuous and capable. The room for human judgment was enormous, and the court was extremely prone to corruption involving power and money, as well as cliques formed for private gain.
The third was that supreme power had no means of checks and balances. After holding absolute authority for a long time, even a sage with a pure heart would slowly have his original intentions eroded by absolute power, eventually giving rise to ambition and selfish desire.
The fourth was that individual physical and mental strength had limits. As civilization continued to develop, social structures became increasingly complex. Territory, people's livelihoods, the military, scientific research, and all kinds of affairs multiplied. A single mortal ruler's energy was ultimately limited; he could not attend to all things, and gaps in governance would only grow more numerous.
Situ Xuan lightly