Chapter 1111
Methods of Using People
Once the crowd dispersed and the two had almost mastered the local dialect, Pan Yun waved her hand, and the Imperial Guards went up to the roof and dragged Luo Yu down.
Seeing that his master didn't move, Zhu Jianji sat obediently as well. He even found himself homework to do: "Teacher, this person is unusable."
Pan Yun raised an eyebrow: "Oh?"
Zhu Jianji: "His forehead is narrow and sunken with blemishes, which shows that he is narrow-minded, suspicious and stubborn. His words and deeds also reveal this. He is a petty person."
Pan Yun asked, "Is there anything else?"
Zhu Jianji hesitated for a moment and said, "I think his official career is different from Lord Xue's. They are two extremes. You once said that although Lord Xue has no ambition, he has a compassionate heart and is good at open schemes. Therefore, as long as he meets a wise ruler, his future will be limitless. Luo Yu's official career is the opposite of Lord Xue's. Does that mean that he is ambitious but has no compassion and is good at scheming?"
Pan Yun raised an eyebrow, looking amazed, and said, "If you don't become the crown prince, you can become a Taoist priest and make a living by reading faces."
Zhu Jianji's eyes lit up: "Teacher, did I get it right?"
"That's right, but the conclusion is wrong."
"Hmm?" Zhu Jianji's eyes were clear, and he looked puzzled.
Pan Yun: "Who says petty people can't be used? You're supposed to be rulers and ministers, not friends."
"But the 'Memorial on Dispatching the Troops' admonishes rulers to be close to virtuous ministers and keep away from petty men. The Grand Tutors often admonished me in the same way. Didn't you also tell Father Emperor before you left home to be close to the Grand Secretaries and stay away from the sycophants in the court and palace who are always busy with their own interests?"
“That’s your father, the Emperor. There’s a way to tether a monkey,” Pan Yun said smoothly, seeing Zhu Jianji’s shocked look. “I mean, everyone can have their own way of doing things.”
Zhu Jianji was very intelligent, but at this moment his eyes were also filled with confusion.
Pan Yun paused for a moment and then said, "There are many paths to becoming a wise ruler, and there are many ways to reach each of them. Because different emperors have different methods, the methods used are also different."
"Your father is humble, compassionate, and soft-hearted, but this also makes him indecisive and easily swayed. Therefore, there should be no treacherous officials around him, because he cannot control them. Do you know Xu Youzhen, the Imperial Inspector of the River?"
Zhu Jianji immediately replied, "I know. Last year, the Yellow River basin suffered severe flooding, the heaviest rain in thirty years. However, the river embankment was not destroyed. Grand Secretary Yu and Minister Hu jointly submitted a memorial praising Xu Youzhen and praising his achievements."
Pan Jun nodded: "That's right. Last year, the Yellow River was able to stand firm because of Xu Youzhen's meritorious work in river management. Yu Qian was his friend and cherished his talent, so he pleaded with His Majesty twice to transfer him back to the capital. His Majesty refused both times. Do you know why?"
Zhu Jianji shook his head.
Pan Yun said, "Because he is a villain."
"Huh?" Zhu Jianji's eyes widened.
Pan Yun nodded towards Luo Yu's departing figure in the distance and said, "The two of them have similar personalities. The difference is that Xu Youzhen is beautiful and has a righteous air about her, which is not obvious to most people."
Zhu Jianji's eyes lit up: "Even Grand Secretary Yu didn't notice?"
"Chen Xun was cunning and shrewd. He didn't realize that Xu Youzhen had wanted to follow Chen Xun's path to advance further, and the two had a good relationship."
"How did Father Emperor recognize the true nature of such a scheming person? Was he perhaps a teacher...?"
Pan Yun shook his head: "No, I was the one who recommended him to your father, the Emperor."
"Ah?" Pan Jun couldn't help but laugh and said, "The emperor... he's soft-hearted, but also stubborn and superstitious."
Zhu Jianji: "...Superstition?"
Teacher, do you want to hear what you're saying? You're just a superstitious Taoist priest.
Pan Yun glanced at him and said, "When the late emperor was captured, Xu Youzhen foresaw the impending disaster for the Ming Dynasty and sent his family to the south in advance. When your father was acting as regent, he opposed holding the defense line and proposed moving the capital to Nanjing, which is why he was disliked by your father."
"Firstly, your father felt that his proposal to move south lacked backbone. Although he could observe the stars and the weather, he lacked vigor and a sense of the big picture. Secondly, your father felt that he was unlucky and not skilled enough. He could observe the stars and the weather, but he could not even predict his own future. How could he dare to talk about the future of the Ming Dynasty? Thirdly, it was because he lacked the loyalty and righteousness of a subject."
Zhu Jianji nodded and said, "It is only natural that Father Emperor would not use such a despicable person. Why would you, teacher, advise Father Emperor to use him?"
“Because he is very talented in water management,” Pan Yun said. “He has flaws in his character and is ambitious, but if he is used well, the benefits he creates for the people will far exceed those of ordinary honest and righteous officials.”
"It's just that he's not suited to stay in the capital. First, he'll grow to dislike your father. If he's not given important positions, he'll harbor resentment. In that case, not only your father, but everyone above him will suffer his hatred and revenge."
Zhu Jianji's eyes widened: "Such a despicable person..."
"But look, this is the kind of person who stopped the Yellow River from flooding, a flood that was rare in thirty years, and saved millions of people along the Yellow River. After the flood, he was the one who took the lead in disaster relief and resettling the people. Regardless of his character, his achievements alone are worthy of a duke or marquis."
Zhu Jianji's mouth dropped open; this was completely different from the little man he had imagined.
Pan Yun waited for him to recover before slowly saying, "So you must remember, as a ruler, it's not that you can't use petty people, but that you should teach them according to their aptitude, just like teaching students. The way you use people should also vary from person to person. There are ways to use a gentleman, and there are ways to use a petty person. You should make the best of a bad situation and make up for their shortcomings."
Zhu Jianji drew inferences from this example: "Grand Secretary Yu is a gentleman, but he is not suitable for flood control."
Pan Yun scoffed and said, "With Yu Qian's personality, even if he had the ability to control the floods, let alone not having it, he still couldn't control them."
Pan Yun said seriously, "Yu Qian's personality is only suitable for being in a high position and controlling the overall situation. If he were in a lower position, either he would die, or those who were above him would die. In the end, if he was busy reforming the bureaucracy, how much energy and manpower would be left to manage the floods?"
Zhu Jianji: "Therefore, Father Emperor uses Grand Secretaries to govern the army and officials, but does not send them to local areas..."
Yu Qian was re-elected as Grand Secretary and has served as the chief minister for ten years. Even if he did not seize power, the court officials would automatically gravitate towards him. It can be said that his power is growing stronger and stronger.
Logically, at this stage, the emperor should have been wary of him, but perhaps because of her presence, even though Yu Qian was praised so much, he didn't dare to make decisions over the emperor, and the relationship between the emperor and his subject remained quite good.
The biggest incident between the two was a conflict he had with Shi Heng some time ago, which escalated to a point where he lost his temper and ran to the emperor one after the other to resign from his official post. The emperor was so frightened that he almost cried and had to call her out to mediate.
Pan Yun then asked the emperor to give the two of them a way out, and then turned around and asked the emperor to punish Shi Heng's salary, which made Yu Qian very resentful, and Shi Heng was so angry that he broke off relations with Yu Qian from then on.
Pan Yun said to Zhu Jianji, “Look, Yu Qian recommended Shi Heng’s son because he admired talent. This is an example of recommending the virtuous without avoiding relatives. But Shi Heng, being a petty person, felt that he should reciprocate. So he recommended Yu Qian’s sixteen-year-old son without Yu Qian’s consent. If Yu Qian hadn’t been so upright and had accepted this reciprocation, their alliance would have been formed. But now…”
Pan Yun proudly spread his hands: "Yu Qian remains a loyal subject and has become Shi Heng's enemy. This is how a gentleman should act."
Zhu Jianji opened his mouth wide.
"So it was you who did this," a voice rang out from below. Xue Shao was looking up at the two of them, seemingly having been standing there for quite some time. "No wonder Grand Secretary Yu wrote to me, warning me to be careful around you." (End of Chapter)