bookrandom Chapter 220 Gao Shilian's Recommendation
Chapter 220 Gao Shilian's Recommendation
Yuan Tiangang was wearing a Taoist robe, his sleeves fluttering gently in the wind. He walked slowly on the palace road leading to the Taiji Hall, with a thousand thoughts in his mind.
If we try to guide Your Majesty to understand the meaning of the hexagram now, it is difficult to predict whether the result will be a blessing for the Tang Dynasty or a source of disaster.
Although the hexagram has become a fixed number, how can the universe and all things in the world be absolutely unchanging and irreversible?
There must be some subtleties that can be mediated and change the direction.
If I were to rashly inform Your Majesty of the divination that the Tang Dynasty might be destroyed, causing Your Majesty to become worried and thus deviate from the policy decisions, it would trigger a series of uncontrollable chain reactions.
If this eventually leads to the irreversible destruction of the Tang Dynasty, then I will definitely become the eternal sinner of the Tang Dynasty and be despised and scolded by future generations.
But if he chooses to remain silent at this moment and keep this important hexagram concerning the rise and fall of the Tang Dynasty a secret, how can he feel at peace?
Li Chunfeng has been following Yuan Tiangang closely. He seems to have truly felt Yuan Tiangang's inner struggle due to the tacit understanding between the two over the years and his own keen insight.
He moved slightly closer to Yuan Tiangang, gently stretched out his hand, and patted Yuan Tiangang's back slowly a few times.
"Don't be too anxious or worried. Everything is predestined by God. Just relax."
In the Taiji Hall, Li Chengqian was extremely busy with government affairs recently and was under great time pressure, so he had no time to wear the complicated dragon robe.
He just hurriedly drank a bowl of hot porridge and then put on his casual clothes.
This casual attire exudes a sense of simple elegance.
To keep out the cold, he put on a bright red robe on the outside.
Now, in the whole Chang'an City, whether it is high-ranking officials or ordinary people, everyone knows that His Majesty loves the color red very much.
Because of this, the price of this red cloth has skyrocketed in the market and has become the most expensive of all cloths. It is even out of stock, attracting many cloth merchants.
Li Chengqian sat upright on the magnificent dragon throne, straightening his body slightly.
His eyes slowly swept over the civil and military officials standing in neat rows with different expressions, and then he slightly stretched his numb and stiff calves.
He asked, "My dear ministers, it's going to snow soon. How are the preparations for the supply of anthracite coal progressing?"
Upon hearing this, Wei Zheng's expression was respectful and solemn. He took a step forward, clasped his hands in a salute, and replied loudly, "Your Majesty! Anthracite coal has been successfully supplied to all parts of the Tang Dynasty. If any people are unable to purchase it due to their poverty, the court will, out of love for the people like their own children, provide it free of charge to help them safely through this cold winter."
"However, the cost of the coal furnace is quite high, and the court has adopted the policy of giving it away for free. As a result, to this day, the Ministry of Revenue is still in a loss-making state on the issue of anthracite."
"However, we believe that as long as we can keep the people warm through the winter, a small loss is worth it."
Li Chengqian nodded slightly, a look of relief on his face, and said, "I understand. It's okay, as long as we can survive this cold winter."
"Has the team that went to Johor returned now?"
Upon hearing His Majesty's inquiry, Mr. Qi hurried forward and replied with a slightly excited look, "Your Majesty, the team that went to Johor has returned, and they arrived two months earlier than expected."
"After hearing the news, I dared not slack off in the slightest. I quickly dispatched a fast horse to meet you. I estimate that the three-leaf tree will be delivered to Xianyang within ten days."
"it is good!"
When Li Chengqian heard the news, joy immediately appeared on his face.
With this three-leaf tree, industry can be vigorously promoted in the coming year. This is undoubtedly a major opportunity of epoch-making significance for the development of the Tang Dynasty.
"When the team returns, I will definitely reward them handsomely."
"Minister Pei, how is the construction of the Lulong Ancient Road going?"
Pei Xingjian stood tall and straight, his face respectful, and with his hands clasped together, he said respectfully, "Your Majesty, in two years, the Lulong Ancient Road will be fully repaired, and it will then lead directly to Goguryeo."
"And according to the current progress of the project, the renovation work around Chang'an will be completely completed by the middle of next year. From then on, both military deployments and trade exchanges will be more convenient and efficient."
As soon as Pei Xingjian finished speaking, Gao Shilian stepped forward impatiently and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to report."
Li Chengqian's eyes fell on Gao Shilian and he said calmly, "Play."
Gao Shilian cleared his throat and said slowly, "Your Majesty, last year you instructed me to keep an eye on local officials with outstanding achievements and uphold the principle of promoting the capable and demoting the incompetent, so as to select the virtuous and capable for the benefit of the people."
"This year, I carefully reviewed the year-end reports of each county and found that two counties had the most outstanding performance."
"One is Shouzhang County, which was controlled by Wu Meiniang. Back then, Shouzhang County was impoverished and nearly desolate. However, under Wu Meiniang's meticulous governance, it developed from nothing into a prosperous county in the region, where the people now live and work in peace and contentment. This is truly remarkable."
"The other is Taiyuan County. The county magistrate of Taiyuan County was Li Youren, who was elected from the people at the time."
"This man is an honest and upright official who is dedicated to serving the people and is deeply loved by them."
"However, the person I want to recommend today is not Li Youren, but a child who is only twelve years old."
"Although this boy is young, he is extremely intelligent and gifted. It is with his extraordinary talent that he has helped Li Youren develop Taiyuan County to great success."
"This child was born in the fourth year of the Zhenguan reign. He is now only twelve years old. He is self-taught and has a photographic memory. Whether it is the classics, history, or the strategies of governing a country, he can understand them all by heart. He is known as a child prodigy far and wide."
"I implore Your Majesty to make an exception and employ this person."
Hearing Gao Shilian's confident recommendation, Li Chengqian couldn't help but feel a surge of curiosity. He leaned forward slightly, his eyes filled with inquiry as he asked, "This child is only twelve years old. What's his name?"
Gao Shilian quickly replied, "Your Majesty, this boy's name is Di Renjie, and his courtesy name is Huaiying."