Regarding Sun Qian and Guoyuan's request, Liu Bei was a little surprised at first, but after thinking about it carefully, he felt that there was nothing surprising.
It was just Zheng Xuan who had figured something out.
But Liu Bei was still a little curious about these two people.
"You don't follow Mr. Zheng and devote yourself to academics, but you come to my place of work. Wouldn't you feel a little condescending?"
Sun Qian shook his head and said with a smile: "The teacher told us about the Ministry of General Affairs. Only then did we realize that the person who turned the tide this time was the prince. The teacher also said that we have learned almost everything we can learn from the teacher. But what you can learn from following Junhou is not that simple."
Guoyuan nodded.
"It's true."
Learn something from me?
Liu Bei thought about Zheng Xuan's performance yesterday, nodded, and without thinking any more, he accepted the two of them and agreed to let them work in the Ministry of General Affairs.
However, when it comes to doing business, the Ministry of General Affairs is actually still in the running-in stage at this moment. Many things and rules and regulations have just been finalized and are in the adaptation period.
The real things he was doing, apart from grinding, were studying "Zuo's Spring and Autumn Annals", Han laws and controlling the public opinion of the scholars in Luoyang City and updating them at all times.
The public opinion environment in Luoyang City has actually been controlled by the ancient literature school. No matter what the modern literature school does next, as long as Liu Bei wants to, black can be said to be white, and dead can be said to be alive.
There are still many people who are willing to believe it.
So the advantage of public opinion is really important.
"Are these hundreds of people the king relies on to turn the situation around?"
Sun Qian followed Liu Bei and walked around the Ministry of General Affairs. He listened to Liu Bei telling them about some of the facilities and functions of the Ministry of General Affairs. Then he looked at the people coming and going in the Ministry of General Affairs. He saw that they were in good spirits and dressed in uniform. Colorful clothing, quite a bit of appearance.
"That's natural. The Ministry of General Affairs is still in its infancy and there isn't much that can be done. Despite this, the first attempt has achieved good results."
Liu Bei smiled and said: "The reason why I want to set up the Ministry of General Affairs is because of the difficulties encountered this time. Fortunately, what they did did not exceed my ability to cope. As long as they are willing to come up with more things, , I can’t even handle it.”
"The king's clever plan, Jinwen school spent a lot of effort, but got nothing."
Sun Qian smiled and said: "Teacher often told us that kings and princes are indispensable to the ancient literature school. At that time, we were still confused, but now we have no doubts."
"Mr. Zheng is so complimentary."
Liu Bei smiled and said, "You two should have some understanding of the Ministry of General Affairs. Do you want to serve somewhere in the Ministry of General Affairs?"
"Can I choose?"
Sun Qian laughed and said: "The Lord just said that entering the Ministry of General Affairs must be assessed and selected and then distributed uniformly. Is it inappropriate for the two of us to make our own selections as soon as we arrive?"
"The two of you are disciples of Duke Zheng. I say this because I believe in Duke Zheng."
Liu Bei shook his head and said: "But if you two have the desire to participate in the assessment, of course there is no problem."
"Your Majesty, it's better to follow the rules. If you don't follow the rules, you can't make a circle."
Guoyuan, who had been silent on the side, suddenly said: "The purpose of setting rules is to abide by them. If you don't abide by them, there is no need to spend time setting rules. One of these things can lead to two, so I think there can't be one."
Liu Bei immediately took a high look at the taciturn Guoyuan.
"Zini, you are worthy of being the disciple of Duke Zheng. Well, Gongyou, Zini, I will arrange this matter and prepare for the selection test for you. When you pass the test, I will celebrate for you."
Sun Qian and Guoyuan thanked Liu Bei for the arrangement and agreed to come for the assessment tomorrow.
Then the three of them discussed some details of life, including Sun Qian and Guoyuan's accommodation and life in the Ministry of General Affairs.
They followed Liu Bei to visit the four-person member dormitory that had been finely decorated by Cao's family, and were greatly amazed.
Both of them said that although they were Zheng Xuan's disciples in Luoyang, the housing prices in Luoyang were so high that they couldn't afford to buy it and could only rent a house to live in.
The house they rented was short and cramped, with poor ventilation and lighting. It was far less comfortable than the "dormitory" of the Ministry of General Affairs, so they were willing to live in the dormitory of the Ministry of General Affairs and live in a collective life.
Later, Liu Bei chatted with them about other aspects of food, clothing, housing and transportation, and told them the specific treatment of the Ministry of General Affairs, asking them to just bring their bags and move in. They didn't need to worry about the rest at all and organized the contract.
The two were even more surprised.
"Your Majesty, your basic necessities, food, clothing, housing and transportation are all included. Calculated in this way, the Ministry of General Affairs has spent a lot of money, but you haven't seen any income. How can you manage it? Wouldn't it be long before you are left empty-handed? Or does your Majesty have other income?"
Sun Qian asked Liu Bei in surprise.
Liu Bei smiled.
"I have a good friend, Cao Mengde, and a subordinate, Zhen Yan. They are both from wealthy families and have considerable wealth. When they learned that I wanted to establish the Ministry of General Affairs, they took the initiative to support me. With their support, the cost of the Ministry of General Affairs is only a drop in the bucket.
Moreover, if you want to make a horse gallop, you must use the best fodder for the horse, and you must eat concentrated feed before the battle, so that you can run fast and far. You don't want the horse to be full, but you still have to rely on the horse's running behavior. I won't do it.
If we can keep you well fed, clothed, comfortably housed, and have carriages and horses for traveling, you will have no worries. Only those who have no worries will do their best. Otherwise, if you are not secure in food, clothing, housing, and transportation, you will consider using power for personal gain. Isn't this putting the cart before the horse? "
Sun Qian was greatly impressed, and Guo Yuan nodded repeatedly, praising Liu Bei's awakening.
The details had been sorted out, and the two decided to go back and make preparations. Liu Bei called for a carriage to take them back, saving them the trouble of continuing to walk back.
On the carriage returning to their residence, Sun Qian and Guoyuan exchanged their opinions and felt that Zheng Xuan was right. It would be very promising to stay in the Ministry of General Affairs and follow Liu Bei.
"The teacher is right. When it comes to doing practical things, Liu Xuande ranks second. Only his teacher Lu Gong can say that he ranks first. Master and apprentice are of the same origin. They are both practical talents. In just a few months, they have created such a facade. , it seems, even a bit like a government official, there is monthly money, food and accommodation, the food and accommodation are quite good, there is a carriage for travel, and there are also clothes and bedding to arrange."
Sun Qian sighed: "People say that Liu Xuande is unparalleled in debating scriptures. I think he is not only unparalleled in debating scriptures. He can consider all these trivial matters clearly and be blameless. He is definitely a person who can do great things."
"Yeah, I didn't expect hundreds of people in the General Affairs Department to be so organized."
Guoyuan whispered: "And did you notice just now? Those people treat Liu Xuande with great respect, their orders are clear and orderly, the rules are also very perfect, and the division of labor between each other is also very clear. I think the future can be expected ."
"The teacher is indifferent to fame and wealth, and only wants to concentrate on academics. I admire this sentiment very much."
Sun Qian smiled and said slowly: "But my moral cultivation is far from enough. In the face of fame and fortune, I really can't stay away. Zini, what about you?"
"I'm here with you, do you need to say more?"
Guoyuan's expressionless face now had a hint of smile.
Sun Qian laughed loudly.
"Hahahahaha, I knew it! You seem to be a solemn person, but you don't know how much you are thinking in your heart!"
Faced with Sun Qian's teasing, Guoyuan didn't take it seriously at all.
"Saints also need to eat, let alone a layman like me? It's just that I didn't have a clear goal before, but now I have this goal."
"It's extreme, it's extreme."
Sun Qian smiled and said: "But I don't know what else Liu Xuande can accomplish, or whether he will be given any other official positions in the future..."
(End of chapter)
