[1]: 748 In contrast to other scholars in the same period like Zhu Xi and Lu Jiuyuan, he stressed practical learning and applying Confucian doctrine to real world problems.
Ye Shi wrote numerous articles and extensive discussions on topics such as finances, government organization, and the military.
His approach towards tackling issues of the state caused puzzlement among Southern Song government officials.
[2] He also defended Wang Anshi's stance that the New Policies falls on "li cai" (the proper managing of government finances) even though he argued that the actual policies crossed the line into "yan li" (accumulating material gain).
During the reign of Emperor Ningzong, he was labeled as a "factionalist" and part of the "heretic scholar faction".