Chapter 897
Chapter 897
Chapter 897
Zhu Qiyu's eyes brightened slightly, and he nodded, saying, "The Imperial Preceptor understands me best. They all think that I don't use him because I mind his suggestion to move south, but they don't know that I see him as a villain, so naturally I don't want to use him."
Pan Yun asked, "Among the officials in the court, how many are virtuous men and how many are scoundrels? Can Your Majesty distinguish between them?"
Zhu Qiyu's mouth opened slightly, but he couldn't answer.
"A ruler should not distinguish between virtuous and petty people when employing people, but should consider the matter at hand. If a petty person does a task, he can achieve twice the result with half the effort; if a virtuous person does it, he can achieve half the result with twice the effort. Should Your Majesty employ a petty person or a virtuous person?"
Zhu Qiyu seemed to be deep in thought: "But the Grand Tutor once told me that a ruler should keep away from petty people and be close to virtuous rulers..."
Pan Jun smiled slightly: "Back then, His Majesty was the Prince of Cheng, and it was a public lesson. Naturally, the Grand Tutor would say it that way. In order to get closer to His Majesty, the Prince of Cheng would act as a wise prince. He certainly wouldn't say it that way when he privately taught the late Emperor."
Zhu Qiyu's eyes widened.
Pan Yun asked, "Your Majesty, why did the late Emperor appoint Wang Zhen to such a high position?"
After a moment of contemplation, Zhu Qiyu said, "The court officials all say that Your Majesty is being misled by Wang Zhen; but Your Majesty told me that he uses Wang Zhen because Wang Zhen is loyal to him, and he wants to use Wang Zhen to check and balance the court officials."
Pan Yun: "But Wang Zhen is a villain. Why did the late emperor, who was deeply influenced by the teachings of the three Grand Secretaries Yang, still favor him and distance himself from the virtuous ministers in the court?"
Zhu Qiyu's heart pounded.
Pan Yun leaned forward, staring into Zhu Qiyu's eyes, and said, "Your Majesty, you must remember that if you feel you cannot control the situation, then befriend virtuous ministers and keep away from petty people! If you can control the situation, then petty people are not necessarily unusable."
Zhu Qiyu's eyes flickered slightly, and he said thoughtfully, "I have just ascended the throne and have neither prestige nor merit."
Pan Yun raised a slight smirk: "But Xu Cheng is just a minor Hanlin scholar. If Your Majesty doesn't know how to use sycophants, why not use him as a practice subject?"
Pan Yun said slowly, "No matter what you do, practice is the most important thing, and the same goes for being an emperor."
Zhu Qiyu's heart pounded. He had a gut feeling that what Pan Yun taught him was completely different from what the Grand Tutor and the ministers had taught him, but what she taught was exactly what the emperor needed.
Zhu Qiyu swallowed hard and nodded under Pan Yun's gaze.
Pan Jun's lips curled up slightly, and he said, "But Your Majesty cannot be known for favoring sycophants. You are a wise ruler, and a wise ruler cannot change his mind so easily."
Zhu Qiyu: "Then what should we do?"
Pan Yun told Zhu Qiyu to go back and wait: "You just need to wait. It's not us who are anxious right now, but Xu Cheng."
As expected, Xu Cheng remained silent for a long time. He went to Pan Hong, who also said he was powerless to help: "I have already mentioned it to the National Preceptor, but she is now a nun, not just my daughter."
Xu Cheng gritted his teeth and asked, "What did the Imperial Preceptor like when he was in his boudoir?"
Pan Hong frowned slightly, clearly displeased.
But Xu Cheng kept asking, and Pan Hong couldn't resist his enthusiasm, so he could only say, "She likes medicinal herbs."
Xu Cheng suddenly realized, "That's right, what Taoists seek is longevity, and how can longevity be separated from precious spiritual medicines?"
Xu Cheng immediately endured the pain and bought a Ganoderma lucidum.
Xu Cheng was not wealthy; he was just a minor scholar who also worked part-time as a charlatan to earn money. In addition, he was very shrewd and manipulative. Except for upright people like Yu Qian and Pan Hong, whom he did not need to give gifts to, he would bring gifts when he visited others. These gifts were either unique or expensive.
Chen Xun was considered honest and upright; every time he went to see Chen Xun, he would bring two pieces of cured meat.
One piece of cured pork costs eighty coins, two pieces cost one hundred and sixty coins, plus a bag of fruit, so a single visit will cost at least two hundred coins.
This is the cost of a regular visit. If you really need something from them, you'll have to bring an even more substantial gift.
Since the new emperor returned victorious from his campaign, Xu Cheng has been working tirelessly to advance his career. He has pulled strings at the Ministry of Personnel, the Grand Secretariat, the Ministry of Revenue, the Hanlin Academy, and even the Embroidered Uniform Guard of the Northern Garrison Command, nearly emptying his savings.
To buy this Ganoderma lucidum, Xu Cheng gritted his teeth, sold several of his calligraphy and paintings, and even went to the back courtyards of several high-ranking officials to have their fortunes told, finally raising enough money. Despite being disliked by the new emperor, Xu Cheng had successfully predicted the disaster of the emperor's personal expedition, and people still trusted his physiognomy skills.
They believed it even more than they believed in the Imperial Observatory.
Many court officials privately felt that Xu Cheng should not be in the Hanlin Academy, but in the Imperial Observatory.
However, it was clear that Xu Cheng had no interest whatsoever in becoming an official of the Imperial Observatory.
Many officials outwardly refused to associate with Xu Cheng, but privately enjoyed consulting him for fortune telling.
Xu Cheng carried this Ganoderma lucidum with him and went to the Imperial Observatory to request an audience with Pan Yun.
He thought he would have to make two more trips, but to his surprise, Pan Yun agreed to see him as soon as he asked.
Upon seeing him, Pan Yun said, "Lord Xu has more perseverance than I thought."
Xu Cheng bowed and humbly presented the box: "I am sorry to trouble Lord Pan for my trouble. I heard from Lord Pan that the Imperial Preceptor has loved medicinal herbs since childhood. I obtained this Ganoderma lucidum by chance. I am just an ordinary person and it is useless to me. It is only by offering it to the Imperial Preceptor that it is put to good use."
Pan Yun glanced down and smiled gently, "I know what you want, but unfortunately, Lord Xu can calculate everything, yet he can't calculate his own fate."
Xu Cheng nervously swallowed. He really couldn't predict his own fate; most cultivators in the world couldn't predict their own fate either.
This is similar to the idea that a doctor cannot heal himself.
So, Pan Yun had foreseen this?
He looked at Pan Yun with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation.
After a moment of silence, Pan Yun said, "Lord Xu's hurdle lies within himself. If you are honest and upright, you will be halfway to success. If you can reduce your ambition by five parts, you will be truly successful."
If anyone else had said this, Xu Cheng would have thought they were mocking him, but this was Pan Yun.
And Pan Yun is very serious.
Xu Cheng glanced quickly at Pan Yun, then lowered his eyes in deep thought.
His heart pounded faster and faster. He swallowed hard and said, "But His Majesty dislikes me. Even if I am willing to change, what can I do if His Majesty refuses to use me?"
Pan Yun smiled gently and said, "Let me tell Lord Xu a fortune, otherwise, I will not accept this reward without having done anything."
Xu Cheng's eyes brightened slightly, and he nodded repeatedly.
Pan Yun took out a tortoise shell, tossed it three times, arranged it in a row, and said, "Lord Xu, the feng shui of your name is not suitable for you. You should change your name."
Xu Cheng: "Huh?"
Pan Yun calmly said, "Just change the name."
Xu Cheng walked out of the Imperial Observatory in a daze. Only after returning home did he open the note, which read "You Zhen".
As Pan Yun wrote these two characters, he glanced at Xu Cheng and said, "I hope that Lord Xu will live up to his name."
Xu Cheng looked puzzled. "Just changing the name is enough?"
Although Xu Cheng was skeptical, he still went ahead with the plan and changed his name to Xu Youzhen.
After making the changes, Xu Cheng thought for a moment and tentatively submitted a memorial to the emperor suggesting the repair of water conservancy projects in various places. He even submitted a separate memorial on dredging the Yellow River.
Zhu Qiyu was astonished by the two memorials and immediately summoned the cabinet ministers to discuss them, saying, "This is indeed a capable person. How come I have never heard of him before?"
(End of this chapter)