BSI Chapter 97 Knowing People and Appointing Them Well
Chapter 97 Knowing People and Appointing Them Well
The thirty newly arrived secret guards were all top-notch experts, trusted confidants trained by Zhu Di for a long time, and were directly under the command of Zhu Gaoxi to carry out various secret missions.
Zhu Gaoxi named it the Flying Eagle Guard.
Once you join the Flying Eagle Guard, you only have a code name, not a real name.
Zhu Gaoxi used words from Zhu Yuanzhang's poem about Mount Lu to designate code names for thirty secret guards, prefixing them with the character "Fei" (飞), such as Fei Lu (飞庐), Fei Shan (飞山), and so on.
"The bamboo shadows of Mount Lu have lasted for millennia, clouds shroud the peaks while the water flows on. The Yangtze River, stretching for ten thousand miles, is like a jade ribbon, and the bright moon rolls like a golden ball. The road to the northwest is long and the world is vast, while its power overshadows millions of states in the southeast. The beauty of the scenery cannot be fully appreciated in one visit; may fate allow me to return again."
As the team expands, this method will be used to extend the line. If the number of characters in the poem is insufficient, another method will be devised.
Ji Gang also brought back two female guards, which was an unexpected surprise.
One was skilled in medicine, and the other was highly skilled in martial arts.
Zhu Gaoxi included it in the Flying Eagle Guard's management system and named it Dongmei and Xuezhu.
Dongmei stayed at the Prince's Mansion to teach six sickly children, including Douya, medicine, and asked Wu Sheng to gradually select some more intelligent children to come and learn together.
Such a valuable resource of female doctors should not be wasted.
Xuezhu was taken by Ji Gang to see Zhu Jixi, and then handed over to Li Jinglong, who arranged for her to serve in the Eastern Palace.
Zhu Gaoxi avoided seeing Xuezhu, lest he appear unnatural and arouse suspicion if he encountered her in the palace later.
Although Xuezhu was highly skilled, three fists could not defeat four hands, and a lone tiger could not defeat a pack of wolves. The Eastern Palace had many people and great power, and no one could guarantee that everything would go smoothly.
To ensure Xuezhu's safety as much as possible, Zhu Gaoxi took the initiative to curry favor with Li Jinglong and sent the genuine calligraphy of Emperor Huizong of Song, which his adoptive father had previously sent, to the Duke of Cao's mansion.
Although Emperor Huizong of Song was not a very good emperor, his calligraphy was elegant and beautiful, full of inspiration and creativity.
It is said that Li Jinglong is fond of the Slender Gold style of calligraphy, and Zhu Gaoxi caters to his tastes, hoping to alleviate some of his resentment.
Zhu Jixi took Xuezhu to see Li Jinglong. After Xuezhu passed Li Jinglong's initial test, they set off to return to their fiefdom.
Zhu Gaoxi was reluctant to part with him, tears streaming down his face, and accompanied Youdun all the way to the outside of the city, which made Zhu Jixi also feel particularly sad.
"What are you crying for, my dear brother? Don't cry. If you succeed, we'll have plenty of opportunities to meet again."
Zhu Jixi still longed for the position of heir apparent.
Zhu Gaoxi didn't take it to heart. What's the use of worrying about a crisis eight hundred years from now?
He has always been an optimist and has never been interested in the kind of melancholy that comes with worrying about the future.
Live in the present moment, and when faced with difficulties, confront them head-on and find ways to solve them.
The future is ever-changing; overthinking is useless and only adds to your worries.
After Zhu Jixi left, Zhu Yunwen felt that he had won the game completely. He was full of confidence and in high spirits, and he made more frequent appearances in the Qianqing Palace.
He couldn't stop talking about his eleventh uncle and Mr. Fang.
It was obvious to everyone that Zhu Yunwen was putting in a lot of effort to win the support of Zhu Chun, the Prince of Shu, and to keep Fang Xiaoru by his side.
Prince Zhu Chun of Shu was the eldest son of Consort Guo Hui. He was the elder brother of Prince Zhu Gui of Dai, Prince Zhu Hui of Gu, Princess Yongjia, and Princess Ruyang, all sharing the same father and mother.
Prince Zhu Gui's principal wife was Xu Zengshou's younger sister; Princess Yongjia's husband was Guo Zhen, the eldest son of Marquis Wuding Guo Ying; and Princess Ruyang's husband was Xie Da, the son of the meritorious official Xie Yan.
Zhu Chun's principal wife was the daughter of Liang Guogong Lan Yu, and his maternal grandfather was Chuyang Wang Guo Zixing.
In short, with a complex web of relationships and extensive connections, it's no wonder Zhu Yunwen went to great lengths to win him over, determined to succeed.
Historically, the Shu Prince's Palace had as many as 14,700 guards, and Zhu Chun was never affected during Emperor Jianwen's campaign to reduce the power of the princes. It is rumored that this was because Fang Xiaoru spared no effort in speaking well of him.
It is said that when the palace caught fire, Emperor Jianwen was rescued by Zhu Chun's troops.
It is said that when Emperor Jianwen fled to Sichuan and Yunnan, he asked Zhu Chun, the Prince of Shu, and Mu Sheng, the Marquis of Xiping, to raise an army against Zhu Di, but both refused.
In June of the fourth year of the Jianwen reign, Zhu Di led his troops into the capital. Three months later, Zhu Chun went to court to pay homage and was highly praised.
It is evident that Zhu Chun did not, like Fang Xiaoru, swear to remain loyal to Emperor Jianwen to the death.
Perhaps the reason he treated Fang Xiaoru with such courtesy and respect was simply because he regarded him as an outstanding scholar, not as a capable and decisive court official like Emperor Jianwen did.
Zhu Chun emphasized the education of poetry, books, rites, and music, and "used rites and education to guard the western border," greatly promoting the literary style in his fiefdom.
Recruiting virtuous scholars like Fang Xiaoru to give lectures and treating Confucian scholars with preferential treatment were just some of the measures he took to implement his strategy of moral education based on rites and music.
In addition, he established free schools, vigorously developed the book printing industry, and used his own salary to subsidize the doctoral students of the prefectural school.
Throughout the entire process, Zhu Chun maintained a clear understanding of the political situation in the court.
During the Yongle era, Zhu Hui plotted a rebellion and sent people to Chengdu many times to persuade him, but Zhu Chun remained unmoved and wrote a letter advising Zhu Hui to stop as soon as possible.
Zhu Chun's third son, Zhu Yuexun, fled to Changsha, Zhu Hui's fiefdom, after arguing with his family.
Zhu Hui falsely claimed to the public that Zhu Yuexun was the Jianwen Emperor and announced that he would support him to regain the throne.
Upon hearing the news, Zhu Chun, fearing he would be implicated, secretly sent his son-in-law Gu Zhan back to the capital to report the matter to Zhu Di.
Based on the above information, Zhu Gaoxi judged that Zhu Chun was most likely a shrewd and pragmatic person.
When associating with such people, there's no need to try to win them over or persuade them; having enough strength is sufficient.
Let Zhu Yunwen enjoy himself for a few days. Zhu Gaoxi doesn't want to do anything useless and waste time and energy.
On the day Zhu Chun and Fang Xiaoru arrived in the capital, the Crown Prince Zhu Yunwen personally went out of the city to welcome them.
He didn't even show his face when Zhu Jixi left a few days ago.
Favoring one side over the other is so blatant; aren't you afraid of alienating your subjects?
Even if you don't like Zhu Jixi, don't you care about your third uncle's feelings?
Zhu Gaoxi could not agree with Zhu Yunwen's style of doing things.
The old emperor knew perfectly well that the grandson's grand gesture of welcoming Fang Xiaoru was actually a way to show favor to Fang and demonstrate to the world his eagerness to recruit talented people.
There are many different kinds of people in the world: some are good at composing poems and essays, some like to engage in grand discussions, some are devoted to being advisors, and some focus solely on practical matters...
Attracting talent is only the first step; knowing people and making good use of them is the key to achieving real results.
The old emperor couldn't figure out in what area his grandson, who was heavily relying on Fang Xiaoru, intended to make a name for himself.
Both Fang Xiaoru and Xie Jin were Confucian scholars who enjoyed giving advice on state affairs, but they differed in some ways.
Xie Jin aspired to be an imperial tutor. He was adept at understanding and adapting to situations. Although he had not yet reached the level of worldly wisdom, he was more knowledgeable about human nature and social dynamics than Fang Xiaoru.
The old emperor met Fang Xiaoru twice and felt that he was a scholar who was immersed in books and obsessed with the ideals in them, and did not understand the turbulent and unpredictable nature of reality.
Xie Jin's greatest contribution was his ability to powerfully demonstrate the feasibility of establishing Gao Xi as the crown prince.
This not only gave Gao Xi a chance to stand out, but also proved very useful in future debates on classical texts.
Gao Xi acted with great method and order, unlike Xie Jin who was impulsive, reckless, and overly assertive. This shows that Gao Xi was merely using him and was not deeply influenced by him.
Let's see how Yunwen appoints Fang Xiaoru.
Knowing people and assigning them to suitable positions requires not only the ability to recognize talent but also the ability to select and appoint people according to their abilities, making the best use of everyone's talents.
This is a fundamental skill for a crown prince.
To the old emperor's great regret, the grandson was too hostile to Ji Xi and did not understand the subtleties of managing his ministers.
For a monarch, a minister is only useful and easy to use; whether his personality is flamboyant or not is irrelevant.
It is precisely because of its flaws that it will not truly jeopardize the position of heir apparent. How could Yunwen not even see this?