Chapter 128 Talent and Virtue
At first, Xu Shu was confused about the emperor's speaking style, but as the conversations gradually increased, Xu Shu felt that the emperor was an easy person to get along with.
In fact, the essence of the communication between the emperor and his subjects is not much different from that between ordinary scholars. If the conversation is interesting, they will naturally say something that can be said or not. If the conversation is not pleasant, then it will be official business, and I will answer whatever you ask.
Xu Shu tried to hint at it, saying, "Your Majesty, you used the word 'flashy' very cleverly."
Cao Rui smiled and looked at Xu Shu: "For example, Xu Qing, you are not a flashy person."
Xu Shu nodded and said, "I also think I am not a vain person, but what kind of people do you think are vain?"
Cao Rui said: "Since Xu Qing asked, I will explain it to you in detail."
"In terms of talent and virtue, the more ostentatious, the more virtuous. In terms of loneliness and party, the more ostentatious, the more party."
Xu Shu was riding on his horse, and after hearing the emperor's remarks, he remained silent for a moment. After a while, he asked, "Your Majesty, it is not easy to restrain vanity."
Cao Rui replied: "Of course it is not easy. If it were easy, why would I have to come and tell you in person?"
"Xu Qing succeeded Bao Xun as the Chief Censor. What do you think of Bao Xun?"
Bao Xun was a minister of the Wei Kingdom during the Jian'an and Huangchu periods. He once made enemies with Cao Pi, then the crown prince of Wei, over official business, and was executed in the seventh year of Huangchu for offending Cao Pi.
In fact, it was a headache to be repeatedly asked for opinions by the emperor. Xu Shu was quite helpless, but he could only continue to say: "I think Bao Xun deserves his crime."
Cao Rui glanced at Xu Shu and said, "I just said that Xu Qing didn't fool me, why are you fooling me again now?"
Xu Shu said with a look of fear: "Your Majesty, I don't know what you mean."
Cao Rui didn't seem to care: "When the previous emperor killed Bao Xun, he invited Gao Rou, the court judge, to the palace to avoid the court judge and kill Bao Xun. According to the law, Bao Xun's crime really does not deserve the death penalty."
"But I think Bao Xun has his own way to die. Unlike the late emperor, I think Bao Xun has repeatedly come to the audience with the late emperor's private affairs and made offensive remarks."
"I have been reading the classics in the palace, and the things that Bao Xun advised the late emperor on were basically limited to the late emperor's personal affairs and personal morality, as if the late emperor would lose the country just by hunting or listening to music, but he rarely mentioned the real national affairs."
Cao Rui looked into Xu Shu's eyes and said, "Xu Qing, do you think Bao Xun is a fraud?"
"This..." Xu Shu thought for a moment and then said, "This trend should not be allowed to continue. It is really just a way to gain fame and reputation."
Cao Rui sighed softly, "Yes, this is just seeking fame and reputation. Whether it's Emperor Wu or the previous emperor, when faced with such a thing, the most correct response is to maintain authority. People who don't make suggestions on the real major issues of the country, but instead hold on to the monarch personally, are the ones who will really ruin the country's affairs."
"This is the first point I mentioned. Between talent and virtue, I choose talent."
Xu Shu nodded and said, "Your Majesty, do you mean that those who are good at talking and embellishing are not as good as those who are loyal, far-sighted and have real substance?"
Cao Rui smiled and asked, "I remember this. It was said by Guo Fengxiao and Emperor Wu when they were discussing ten wins and ten losses before Guandu, right?"
Xu Shu nodded slightly: "Guo Jia's words are too famous. I have heard them several times and I can almost recite them by heart."
Cao Rui said: "Guo Jia is good at making big claims. According to his theory, the Emperor Wu would not have won ten and lost ten compared to Yuan Shao. He could have won fifty and lost fifty. But I think his words are quite appropriate."
"It's just like when Kong Rong advised the famous scholar Bing Yuan in public. Kong Rong once advised Bing Yuan to take benevolence as his responsibility and serve the world instead of just cultivating his own character and maintaining his chastity. Studying the classics can't save the world, only doing things can."
Xu Shu thought for a moment and said, "I have also heard that when Liu Bei was in Xuzhou and interacted with Chen Deng, Xu Si and others, Liu Bei once rebuked Xu Si for asking for land and houses instead of worrying about the country and forgetting his family and the intention of saving the world."
Cao Rui was stunned: "Asking for land and housing? Did Liu Bei say this to Xu Si?"
Xu Shu responded: "That's right."
Cao Rui looked up at the sky, and after a long while he finally said, "I'm afraid I'll be ashamed to see Liu Lang's talent if I ask for land or a house."
Now it was Xu Shu's turn to be stunned: "Your Majesty, this sentence is really brilliant."
Cao Rui shook his hand and said, "I heard this as well. Let's not talk about Bing Yuan and Xu Si. Let's talk about Emperor Wu's order to seek talents."
"Emperor Wu issued three edicts to seek talents. The Jian'an period has passed, and the Huangchu period has also passed. I didn't have much feeling when I was in the East Palace before. It was not until last year when I came to power myself and reviewed the words of Emperor Wu and Emperor Wen that I read some new feelings."
"Is there no one in the world who is wearing a coarse cloth and holding a jade while fishing on the banks of the Wei River? Or is there no one who steals his sister-in-law and receives gold without being met with ignorance? Have you ever heard this, Xu Qing?"
Xu Shu replied: "I have heard of it. This should be the first decree to seek talents in the 15th year of Jian'an."
Cao Rui sighed, "Yes, it is the article written in the 15th year of Jian'an. Emperor Wu said that only talents should be selected. Was it just to select those who are unkind and unfilial?" "It's just that during the Jian'an period, the art of governing the country and using the army was more important than self-cultivation. If you only care about yourself, it will not benefit the people or the success of the great cause. It is just to gain fame and reputation."
Xu Shu said, "Your Majesty, I understand what you mean. If you must choose between talent and virtue, talent is more important than virtue. It's not that virtue is unimportant, but talent is more in line with current needs."
Cao Rui agreed: "That's true. Guan Zhong betrayed his lord and served his enemy. He was extravagant and disrespectful. But Guan Zhong assisted Duke Huan of Qi in uniting the nine states. Confucius once said: 'Without Guan Zhong, I would have worn my hair loose and my clothes on the left.'"
Xu Shu asked: "Your Majesty has made it very clear about the theory of talent and virtue, what about me and my party?"
Cao Rui glanced at Xu Shu and said, "Don't you know this yourself, Xu Qing? Do you need me to tell you?"
Xu Shu also laughed at this time: "I understand. In the end, Your Majesty still needs to correct the evils of the Han Dynasty."
Cao Rui said, "That's exactly the truth. Since the end of the Han Dynasty, there have been three emperors, eight talented people, eight Gu, eight Ji, eight chefs, and eight dragons. Scholars have evaluated each other and used this as a basis for seeking official positions. Where does this put the court?"
"Pang Degong and Sima Decao called Zhuge Liang 'Wolong' and Pang Tong 'Phoenix Cub'. If this trend continues, since both the dragon and the phoenix have appeared, do you believe that there will be 'unicorn', 'tiger' and the like in the future?"
Xu Shu was a little confused by the emperor's jumping thoughts, and then said: "This... maybe, maybe it is possible."
Cao Rui turned his head on his horse and looked behind him. Sima Yi, Jiang Ji, several attendants, Xiahou Xuan, and Jiang Wei were riding horses several feet away from the emperor. They took a look and then turned back.
Cao Rui said: "Such comments among scholars are actually partisan discussions."
"Since the end of the Han Dynasty, scholars often do not put filial piety and brotherly virtue first, but rather seek personal gain. They form cliques and make comments on others. If someone is in their own clique, they praise him to the sky. If someone is not in their own clique, they criticize him even more as a punishment."
"The so-called partisans are partisans, and this is what they are. This is not only about forming a clique, but also destroying the country's system of electing officials."
"Since the end of the Jian'an period, the imperial court has used the Nine-Rank System to determine the rank of scholars. This is digging out the root of the mutual evaluation among scholars. Although in my opinion, the Nine-Rank System also has many shortcomings, it is at least ten thousand times better than this kind of evaluation of scholars."
Xu Shu agreed, "Your Majesty is right. If one still needs to be evaluated by party members to become an official, how can a person like me from a poor family in Yingchuan serve the country? I am afraid that I am still just a county official now."
Cao Rui smiled and said, "Xu Qing is different. You came back from Liu Bei, so the Wei Dynasty will naturally appoint you as an official."
Xu Shu also smiled and nodded.
In fact, Cao Rui admired Xu Shu. He was frank and direct in his words. He had served in prefectures and counties and also as the Chief Censor. This meant that he had both local experience and court experience.
And from Xu Shu's conversation, it can be seen that Xu Shu was not forced to leave Liu Bei to serve Cao Wei as rumored. Instead, it seemed like a normal job-hopping, just like Chen Qun, Yuan Huan, Tian Yu and other people who had served under Liu Bei.
Thinking of this, Cao Rui prepared to ask Xu Shu one last question: "Mr. Xu, you have also served as the Chief Censor for nearly a year. In your opinion, what is the biggest problem of officials in the Wei court?"
Xu Shu did not hesitate and said directly: "Your Majesty, I think the authority and responsibility are unclear."
Cao Rui slightly widened his eyes and then asked: "Where is the authority and responsibility unclear?"
Xu Shu said: "In my opinion, the officials in the court often lack assessment. Although the court assigns duties, there is no definite basis for judging how much work they have done or how much they have completed."
"When I was the Chief Censor, I was also responsible for managing the provincial governors. But although I nominally had this responsibility, in reality, I had basically no way to manage or evaluate what the provincial governors did."
"From this it can be seen that many positions of court officials lack assessment criteria. If this continues for a long time, officials will surely become lazy."
Cao Rui nodded: "Agree on responsibilities and evaluate officials. I understand what you mean."
"Yesterday, I was discussing with the general and the minister of works. There are many ranks and titles in the army. For example, the position of the commander is only in the prefectures and counties, and the position of the lieutenant is only in the army. Another example is that the title of the lieutenant general is not a permanent position, and it should be changed to the title of general."
"Xu Qing's title of Right General of the Imperial Guards will be changed to General after I arrive in Shouchun."
Xu Shu said with a bit of fear: "How can I be given the title of general when I have not done anything?"
Cao Rui said, "Xu Qing is being modest again. From now on, there will no longer be a general of the imperial guards. Does Xu Qing want to be a lieutenant in the army?"
What could Xu Shu say? He could only answer with silence.
Cao Rui looked at Xu Shu and said, "The affairs of the army and the court are extremely complicated. After this battle, we should sort them out. Xu Qing, you will come back to the capital with me and help me sort out these systems, responsibilities, and evaluations."
Xu Shu bowed while sitting on his horse and said, "Your Majesty trusts me so much that I shall be loyal to you."
(End of this chapter)
