Chapter 263 Meritocracy
Cen Wenben was a man of honest character and his forte was writing, but he was used to quoting from classics, which sometimes seemed out of touch with reality and he was unable to govern the country and bring peace to the people.

Liu Li was the most steadfast person, and he valued benefiting others, but he valued keeping his promises and keeping his word, had a private affection for his friends, and was not very clear about the distinction between public and private affairs. Ma Zhou..."

The emperor commented on his ministers word by word, and all of them tried their best to maintain their expressions. They acted humble when their strengths were commented on, and acted fearful when their weaknesses were talked about.

Although the emperor had seen through his intentions, he still subconsciously tried to make the emperor happier. This was the instinctive reaction of a subject.

In fact, no one wants others to see through him, let alone the emperor who can control his life and death.

"My emperor is a wise man, and his wisdom shines thousands of miles away."

Li Jian stood tall and said: "There are no outsiders here. I tell you all this to let you know that no one is perfect. You are all talented and good ministers, and you are my arms in governing the country, but you also have strengths and weaknesses.

As a king and father, I will not abandon you because of your shortcomings. I will abandon your shortcomings and adopt your strengths so that you can make the best use of your talents and resources.

It is like a skilled craftsman working with wood: the straight pieces are made into shafts, the curved pieces are made into wheels, the long pieces are made into beams, and the short pieces are made into brackets.

Take the strategy of the wise, take the strength of the foolish, take the power of the brave, take the caution of the timid, there is no wisdom, foolishness, bravery, or cowardice, all of them can be used together.

Therefore, a good craftsman will never discard materials, and a wise ruler will never discard his men.

Do not forget the good because of one bad thing, and do not cover up the great achievements because of a small flaw. People today have different strengths and weaknesses in intelligence, and different abilities. When a ruler rules his subordinates and governs the country, how can he succeed if he does not rely on the efforts of others to manage the nine regions with his small mind?
We must clearly identify the positions and examine the talents, and distribute the salaries among the talented!"

This was the first time that the emperor clearly expressed his way of employing people. There was not a single sentence mentioning their background or region, from which we can also see the key point.

There were very few people present who came from humble backgrounds. Since the implementation of the Nine-Rank System during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, it had become a common practice that there were no commoners in the upper ranks and no gentry in the lower ranks.

Even when the previous dynasty had established the imperial examination, one had to be recommended by a high-ranking official to participate, and it had nothing to do with children from poor families or common people.

Now, the emperor's intention is obviously to only look at talent, regardless of background, and to promote people based on their talents.

I asked you to recommend talented people from Jiangnan. I have said before that moral character will be of primary importance regardless of one's background, but you still have not given me a satisfactory answer.

Then continue, we will soon reach Jiangdu. I want you to personally travel to the counties for me and visit talented people. Sons of noble families are preferred, but illegitimate sons of poor families are even better. I will reward them all.

But if you still can't find any talent, and you tell me some stupid things like there are no talented people left, don't blame me for punishing you for deceiving the emperor!"

"I will obey your orders and do my best."

After the ministers left, Li Jiancheng sat cross-legged on the imperial couch in silence. Soon everyone would know about today's conversation, and it would depend on how they would react.

...............

Outside Qianquan City, Princess Gaomi Li Anning was admiring the scenery beside a spring. This place was exactly as her royal brother had described, with snow-capped mountains on three sides and flat land, fertile soil and lush trees, and a variety of flowers blooming in the late spring moon.

Suddenly, a bell rang, and the flowers and plants he had just picked in his hand felt being pulled again. Li Anning looked back and saw a greedy young deer coming over to beg for food.

Here they are seen wearing bells and rings, which are proof that they are the Khan's subordinates. Anyone who dares to kill the deer will be executed. Therefore, the deer here are very brave and are not afraid of people.

What a great place! After feeding the fawn, Li Anning touched his belly, which had become slightly larger. If his children and grandchildren could safely enjoy this precious land, why would they envy the Central Plains?
But she knew better that even though the Central Plains had orderly etiquette, the dynasty still collapsed and the princes and grandchildren were slaughtered, not to mention the Turks. If Tong Yehu made a mistake, she might be able to rely on her natal family and endure the humiliation to survive, but the child she gave birth to with Tong Yehu would definitely die.

However, Tong Yehu was not a trustworthy person, although he still loved her very much and gave her the honorable power of Turkic Khaganaten. The countries in the Western Regions and the Turkic tribes all presented treasures to her.

In the entire Khanate, whatever she wanted, she would get it.

But this was not what she needed. Before the founding of the Tang Dynasty, she was the daughter of a duke, and after the founding of the country, she became a princess. The thing she had the most was gorgeous clothes. At her age, she was not interested in gold, silver, or treasures.

What she wants is safety, to be able to give birth to children safely, to be able to watch them grow up and get married safely.

After Tong Yehu returned to Qianquan and regained power under the protection of Shimin, he began a large-scale purge. He dragged his own uncle He Moduo to death with a horse and then abandoned his body in the wild to be pecked by eagles and wolves.

Dozens of tribal leaders were killed or exiled, and several rulers of the Western Regions were summoned, scolded and reprimanded like slaves, and even whipped.

This might be able to establish his prestige temporarily, but the resentment among the various tribes and countries was also quietly growing, and Tong Yehu was not the kind of person who could rule the country for the entire world and plan everything for his children and grandchildren.

Naturally, she had advised him, but Tong Yehu did not listen. The words of her royal brother rang in her ears again.

Dangxiang, Gaochang, Li Anning muttered silently. As a pregnant woman, and with the support of the Tang Dynasty which had just defeated two Turkic tribes, she still had a lot of say at this time.

...............

On the Queen's Xiangchi boat, Duke of Song Xiao Yu and Prince of Liang Xiao Xuan were talking to the Queen.

After all, they were her uncle and brother, so the queen dismissed most of the palace maids and eunuchs and only kept some trusted confidants.

"Your Majesty still has no intention of making Zong'er the crown prince."

Xiao Yu consoled her, "Your Highness, after all, His Highness is still young, and the fact that he is the heir apparent is indisputable. Why are you so anxious to force His Majesty to appoint a crown prince?"

Xiao Chanyan sighed, "Your Majesty is a cold-hearted person, and he treats me and Zong'er indifferently. I am also worried that there will be twists and turns in the future, so I am anxious to decide the position of crown prince, and then select some wise ministers and famous people to enter the East Palace as the foundation of the crown prince."

Xiao Xuan lowered his head and said, "Uncle, the Queen's concerns are reasonable. I know outside the palace that His Majesty is very fond of Concubine Zheng. The Concubine also has a son who is not much different in age from the little prince."

Uncle, my father is in poor health, and among the elders of the family, you are the only one who can still speak in front of His Majesty."

Xiao Yu sighed, "I have a disagreement with your majesty over Buddhism, and now I am no longer considered a close minister."

Speaking of this, Xiao Xuan was full of anger: "It's all thanks to my uncle's support, but those bald donkeys are still ungrateful and often slander you. Sooner or later, I will burn down their dilapidated temples."

Xiao Yu immediately scolded him: "You must not slander Buddhism. Moreover, how can you be so presumptuous in front of the Empress? Where are your usual rules and manners?"

Xiao Xuan bowed to his sister who was sitting at the top of the table and said, "I lost my temper. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

………………

(End of this chapter)