Chapter 426: Personal Care
In Ji County, Youzhou, because Tian Ze moved the capital to Chang'an, the twelve ministries and all the officials followed closely, and the number of senior officials here suddenly decreased by half.
Although Tian Ze designated Ji County as the secondary capital, he was busy governing Sili and Liangzhou at that time, and had to plan the affairs of Hanzhong and Yizhou. He did not have much energy to focus on managing Youzhou and the Northeast Plain.
However, Youzhou and the surrounding northeastern plains remained peaceful.
The connection between various tasks was quite smooth and there was no obvious difficulty due to the withdrawal of a large number of officials.
Among them, Zhuge Liang played a vital role.
Late at night, the entire Ji County fell into silence, with only the occasional faint sound of night watchmen beating.
However, in the official residence in Ji County, the hall where Zhuge Liang usually handled government affairs was still brightly lit.
Piles of documents were handed to Zhuge Liang's desk, who simply glanced at them and quickly gave his instructions.
The many assistant officials who assisted immediately sorted out and copied the corresponding documents and passed them on to the corresponding ministries and prefectures.
The clerk in charge of security poured tea and added candle oil from time to time.
Outside the hall, a thin figure appeared. Looking at the glaring light, he couldn't help but sigh.
Slowly walking out the door, looking at the warm food beside him, Guan Ning frowned slightly and asked, "Has Kong Ming not eaten yet?"
The clerk in charge of this matter bowed slightly and explained: "Lord You'an, there is an emergency in Xingzhou, and Governor Zhuge is busy dealing with it. The food has been heated up three times."
"Didn't His Majesty ask you to ensure Kong Ming's daily life? Why didn't you remind him?" Guan Ning said in a deep voice.
"I have reminded you. But..." The clerk looked embarrassed.
Seeing this, Guan Ning sighed slightly.
Then he leaned over and slowly picked up the wooden table with food on it: "Open the hall door."
"Yes!" the clerk said hurriedly.
At this time, Zhuge Liang was sitting on a high seat in the government hall, reviewing the materials attentively and was just about to start writing.
A wooden table filled with food appeared before my eyes.
"Didn't I say it? Let's put the food aside for now..." Zhuge Liang frowned and said.
However, when he looked up, he saw that the person holding the wooden table was Guan Ning.
Zhuge Liang stopped talking immediately, stood up and bowed respectfully, "Lord You'an!"
Guan Ning smiled slightly: "Why? I personally brought you food, but you still don't want to eat it?"
"How dare I! How dare I!" Zhuge Liang quickly took the wooden table and placed it on the table.
Guan Ning looked at the officials on both sides who were also exhausted with bloodshot eyes, and waved his hand gently, saying, "You guys go down and rest first. I have something to discuss with Kong Ming."
"Yes!" the officials said in unison upon hearing this.
Although Guan Ning had no real job and only held some honorary titles from the Jixia Academy and the Ministry of Education, his status was extremely noble and his prestige spread throughout the world.
Apart from anything else, at least 30% of the middle and upper-level officials of the Great Qi had received more or less instruction from Guan Ning.
Tian Ze also clearly instructed that great Confucian scholars such as Guan Ning must be respected and treated well, and even granted them many special powers.
Apart from anything else, the power of the Great Qi Dynasty to dismiss officials below the third rank without prior approval was enough to make them dare not disrespect.
When Zhuge Liang heard this, he was a little hesitant and worried, but he did not dare to disobey in the slightest.
As if he had seen through Zhuge Liang's thoughts, Guan Ning waited until everyone left, then slowly sat down opposite Zhuge Liang and slowly placed the dishes on the table.
"Why, are you worried about the delay in Xingzhou's affairs? Are you blaming me for affecting your government affairs?"
"I dare not!" Zhuge Liang said respectfully.
He admired Guan Ning very much in terms of character, talent and ability, and he was also a mentor who had a great influence on his growth.
Moreover, one of the ancestors he most admired and admired, Guan Zhong, was Guan Ning's ancestor. Many of his current governing philosophies were taught by Guan Ning.
Zhuge Liang naturally had sincere respect for Guan Ning.
"You! You are just too serious." Guan Ning looked at Zhuge Liang, who looked mature at a young age, with pity and love in his eyes.
"I know that His Majesty has blessed you and can protect your health. But this does not mean that you can ruin it at will."
"We only have one hour's rest every day, and the documents we have to deal with have piled up into a small mountain. How can this be possible?"
Upon hearing this, Zhuge Liang lowered his head slightly, feeling full of guilt.
He knew very well that what Guan Ning said was absolutely right, but when he thought of the urgency of the situation in Xingzhou and the earnest expectations of the people and His Majesty, he could not put down his work with peace of mind.
"Mr. You'an, I understand your painstaking efforts. But the affairs of Xingzhou are of great importance. If they are not handled properly, it will affect the livelihood of the local people. I am really worried." Zhuge Liang said with a firm look.
Guan Ning sighed softly. He knew very well Zhuge Liang's sense of responsibility and mission.
This young man has great ambitions and talents, but he works too hard and doesn't know how to cherish himself.
"Kong Ming, you are wholeheartedly serving the people, which is certainly a good thing. But you also have to understand that there is no end to the work."
"If you pursue perfection too much, things may end up being worse."
"You may be able to handle the affairs of several northern states by working overtime, but if the government of the entire world is handed over to you in the future, will you still be able to do this?"
When Zhuge Liang heard Guan Ning's question, his expression dimmed slightly.
When manpower is limited.
Only when he was in a high position did he realize how difficult it was.
A random decision may very likely affect the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people, and the slightest negligence may lead to a catastrophic disaster.
Therefore, he almost did everything himself, taking care of all matters personally and not daring to slack off in the slightest.
But even so, he couldn't manage it all. He could only try his best to handle some superficial and important work and try his best to maintain it.
Although it was very hard work, he felt it was worth it every time he thought about the reduced losses of the people.
"Doing everything yourself is not a good thing." Guan Ning looked at Zhuge Liang and shook his head slightly.
"You are just one person, it is impossible to do everything. You have to learn to let go of some things, and sometimes you have to learn to delegate authority."
Zhuge Liang nodded slightly, but the sense of responsibility was still hard to erase from his heart.
Easier said than done.
There are many great truths, and too many people understand them.
But in reality, dealing with things is still a mess.
Zhuge Liang understood Guan Ning's meaning, but his personality made it difficult for him to change.
Guan Ning knew it too.
Zhuge Liang's character is both an advantage and a flaw.
Especially for the position of prime minister which he will most likely take on in the future, the disadvantages are too great.
The prosperity and survival of a country can depend on individuals, but it cannot rely entirely on individuals.
Because I am good at what I do, I try my best to do it myself. This is certainly beneficial to the development of government affairs, but it is not conducive to the growth of subordinates.
In the long run, it is not a good thing.
(End of this chapter)
