Asking about the long journey, the moon turns and the sun sets. The blue sky, the flying gulls and herons, the wind blows over the West Lake. Asking about the long journey …
"Shameless, shameless." On the hot air balloon, Li Yan gritted his teeth and spat out a few words.
"Your Highness, there's no need to lower yourself to their level. They're just petty people who get what they deserve." The people around Li Yan quickly tried to persuade him.
Li Yan had heard too many such words recently. Ever since his concubine's brother was dealt with, many people came to comfort him and ask him to bear with it, but not many were willing to help him.
Li Yan understood that if it was someone else, even if it was another brother or the son of a prince, he would not have fallen into such a situation. It was because the person who impeached him was too unusual. Nine children jointly … No, jointly came to the morning court to cause trouble. That cute appearance of theirs was too lethal. Not to mention that they really had something on them, even if they were not wrong, they would still be weaker.
Even so, he endured it and looked for an opportunity to 'repay' them generously. The people in the imperial family who grieved for the loss of the rabbit helped to talk to his father, thinking that it should be able to make the Zhang Family and Wang Family restrain themselves a little. Who knew that not only did they not care, they even made such a big scene during the recruitment ceremony. In the end, they even covered Chang 'an with a cloth for ten days.
Now that they finally found a way to prevent Zhang Xiaobao from getting the honor he deserved in this year's Autumn Imperial Examination, they did not expect that a train ride would help the two of them.
"Can they really be so arrogant? Aren't they afraid of being forced to abdicate? " Li Yan muttered as he looked at his' father's' hot air balloon. He could not help but sigh at the lack of family affection in the imperial family. His own son was not as favored as an outsider.
Sitting under the hot air balloon, Li Longji did not even think about his son Li Yan. He listened attentively to the voices below, appearing to be very satisfied.
Even Gao Lishi beside him did not have any other thoughts. For example, Zhang Family and Wang Family were too powerful and difficult to control. In his opinion, such a thing was impossible to happen. The main reason was the attitude of the Zhang Family and Wang Family children.
The eleven children were never afraid of the Emperor like the others. The respect they showed was not for the throne, but for the Emperor's age.
The one with the most obvious performance was Xiao Bei. To Xiao Bei, the solemn palace was just another place to play. His Majesty, the Emperor, was a kind elder. Xiao Bei was willing to help his elder with something and also liked to sing and dance in front of his elder to express himself.
There was also Xiao Bao and Cuckoo. There was not the slightest hint of nervousness on their faces. When they spoke with His Majesty, it was no different from a normal conversation. Although the topic was rather important, such as deciding the life and death of a country or planning the lives of the common people of the Great Tang, the ease with which they spoke was not something that could be faked. Even a king or the Crown Prince would not be able to speak so naturally.
It showed that he did not have a 'ghost' in his heart. He did not care whether His Majesty would be angry because of this, and he did not deliberately try to please His Majesty. In his magnanimity, it was exactly the same as the saying, 'There is nothing that cannot be said to others'.
With that thought in mind, Gao Lishi said softly to Li Longji, "Your Majesty, it seems that you don't have to worry about the Fall Quarter Examinations this year."
"How can you not worry about it? The two of them were able to speak when they were less than a year old, and when they were younger they studied poetry and books. Don't look at how one of them is good at war, and the other is good at governance. If one day the two of them were to switch positions, Zhen believes that Xiao Bao's ability to lead troops in battle would not be much worse than Juan Juan's, and Juan Juan's governance is also beyond the reach of ordinary people.
This Fall Quarter Examinations this year will be posted all over Chang 'an. I will gather thousands of students in the Hibiscus Garden and test Xiao Bao and Cuckoo face to face. I will let the world see that I dote on them for a reason. Lishi, are you worried that the two of them will not be able to answer the questions? "
Li Longji decided to take a gamble on Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. He was betting that the two of them were not only proficient in military and politics, but were also proficient in other subjects.
Li Longji had reason to be happy, especially when he heard that the people supported Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan to participate in the Fall Quarter Examinations and become the top scorer. He was not worried about anything else, because no matter how much the people supported the two of them to become the top scorer, it was the thoughts expressed by Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan as subjects. This showed that the people still approved of his position as the Emperor.
Gao Lishi nodded, then shook his head. "Your Majesty, I am not worried that Xiao Bao and Cuckoo will not be able to answer the questions. The two of them memorized Er Ya when they were four years old. After that, they learned the Selection of Literature, the Book of Songs, and so on. It seems that if you put them in front of them, they would be able to learn it in a short period of time.
Intelligent people do not need to study hard for ten years to get a good ranking. Xiao Bao and Cuckoo have studied for many years. In addition, they have been intelligent since they were young. I think it would be too easy for them to talk about the Imperial Examination. The purpose of the Imperial Examination is to choose the pillars of the country. They have never taken the Imperial Examination, so who would dare to say that they are not capable?
What I am worried about is that during the political discussion in the Hibiscus Garden, the two of them will reveal our dynasty's secrets. Your Majesty must not casually ask about things that are too important. Otherwise, it will be difficult for the two of them to answer. I am also worried that Xiao Bao and Cuckoo will become famous in the Autumn Imperial Examination, causing the other students to lose the confidence to participate in the Spring Imperial Examination next year. I am not afraid of not knowing the goods, but I am afraid of comparing the goods. "
When Li Longji heard Gao Lishi's words, he also hesitated. He understood that the normal Imperial Examination questions were like child's play to Xiao Bao and Cuckoo. Not to mention other things, just Xiao Bei's nine children could easily pass a county's Children's Examination. If it was only about literature, Xiao Yuan could even pass the provincial capital's High Scholar examination without a problem.
He was born with a good family. That thing called 'nutrition' was good. In addition, his education method was special. Compared to other children of the same age, he was not just a little bit better.
If the Autumn Imperial Examination questions this year were really too difficult, would the other students still take the exam? If they worked so hard to study and found that they couldn't even answer a single question, it would be very easy for them to collapse.
After considering this matter for a while, Li Longji proposed, "Why don't we give a few more spots to Reeds and Reeds Academy this year? With them as a foil, they should be stronger. After all, the requirements for Reeds and Reeds Academy are stricter. Besides the required knowledge, they also need to be proficient in government affairs. In the past few years, those who have successfully graduated as High Scholars from Reeds and Reeds Academy have all passed the Spring Imperial Examination."
"Your Majesty's words are correct. At present, many of the local officials of the Great Tang are already unable to adapt to the speed of the Great Tang's construction. The officials who originally performed well can't keep up with the development pace set by Xiao Bao and Cuckoo. We should find more officials who are proficient in government affairs and send them to the local areas, or else they'll just be a burden. We should discuss this matter with the other officials."
Gao Lishi had a rather good understanding of the current situation. In the past, the officials only needed to ensure that the people under their rule didn't cause too much trouble, repair the irrigation works, help record the output of the fields, pacify the people, and catch criminals. That would definitely give them an excellent score during the evaluation.
But that wasn't the case in the present day. The local officials now didn't just want you to focus on whether or not you had a good harvest this year. Instead, they wanted you to plan for crops other than wheat, rice, and soybeans. They also wanted you to make rational use of the land to plant other economic crops.
They wanted to teach the people what to plant and how to sell them. If the neighboring counties all grew the same thing, for example, sugarcane, the land planned by the officials wasn't suitable for planting, and the sugarcane they grew would have a lower sugar content than the surrounding counties. If there was no market for it, it would be considered a failure.
It was the same for industry. What was suitable for processing, where to obtain the raw materials, the problems that would arise, and the final profits had to be considered beforehand.
In addition, logistics, tourism, infrastructure, education, medical care, and many other things had to be considered. When calculating the county's finances, the ratio of output to input had to be calculated.
This way, those who only had a family member who was an official or those who only wrote a few good essays were unable to adapt. As the Great Tang's agriculture and industry system gradually developed, many local officials were unable to become good officials even if they wanted to.
After hearing Gao Lishi's words, Li Longji's excited expression calmed down, and he sighed, "Sigh ~! No wonder Xiao Bao likes to work in the Agriculture Office and Ministry of Works. After so many years of investment, we finally see results. But the talents can't keep up.
From this year onwards, the learning before an official takes office can't just be a formality. The evaluation must be strict, and those who can't pass are not allowed to be demoted to be a local official. Not only will they harm the people and the country, they will also be digging their own graves. It's difficult to govern such a huge country. After this year's Autumn Examinations, should we transfer Xiao Bao to the Head of the Secretariat? "
"Your Majesty, you mustn't let Xiao Bao become the Prime Minister. Even if he has the ability, the other officials will be disappointed. Furthermore, Xiao Bao doesn't seem to know how to be an official."
Gao Lishi immediately tried to dissuade Li Longji. He didn't want his godson to be roasted on the fire.
Li Longji agreed that the officials were disappointed, but he didn't believe that Zhang Xiaobao didn't know how to be an official. "It's not that Xiao Bao and Cuckoo don't know how to be an official, but they don't want to. Would a person with a submachine gun play the same game as a person with a hoe? If you don't believe me, I'll bring them here for two days to see if there's anyone who can compete with them in half a month.
After the examination, I'll have the two of them return to Bohai and settle the matters there. After that, Xiao Bao will enter the Ministry of Revenue, and Cuckoo will enter the Ministry of Military Personnel. They will be assistant ministers for a few months. "
While chatting, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan's future positions were arranged by Li Longji. He didn't think too much about it and directly arranged for them to be assistant ministers.
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