boyutpedia Chapter 174
Chapter 174
"Thank you, Your Majesty. Please forgive me for my nonsense!" Ma Zhou apologized in advance after thanking him.
"It's okay. Whether what you said is reasonable or not, I will not pursue it."
Li Shimin said generously. He wanted to see what Ma Zhou, who was looked at differently by Su Chen, thought about the government.
Ma Zhou bowed to Li Shimin, thought for a moment, and said slowly:
"The rule of the world is based on people.
If you want the people to be happy, you can only rely on the governors and county magistrates.
There are many county magistrates, and they cannot all be virtuous. If each state has a good governor, the whole state will be revived.
If all the governors in the world agree with the emperor's will, then Your Majesty can stand on the rock corridor, and the people will not worry about being uneasy!"
When Ma Zhou said this, Li Shimin and others were shocked.
Ma Zhou continued:
"The court must not only value the internal officials, but also neglect the selection of the governors and county magistrates. The people are not at ease, probably because of this."
After Ma Zhou finished speaking, he bowed again and stood quietly aside.
After listening, Li Shimin agreed with what Ma Zhou said, and at the same time thought about how to deal with it.
"Xuancheng, what do you think of Ma Zhou's opinion?" Wei Zheng has always been tough and says what he means.
Wei Zheng stood up and bowed, saying: "In my opinion, Ma Zhou is knowledgeable about official affairs. Your Majesty, please transfer him to the Censorate to serve."
Wei Zheng did not say much, he just felt that Ma Zhou had unique insights into the appointment of officials.
And such talents are just suitable for serving as supervisory censors in the future.
"Your Majesty, I think Ma Zhou has the potential to be a prime minister. Please transfer Ma Zhou to the Shangshu Province." Fang Xuanling followed.
In fact, they did not think so highly of Ma Zhou because of what he said.
Ma Zhou's views on the selection of officials are indeed unique, mainly because of Su Chen's abnormal behavior.
"I object! Ma Zhou was recruited by us, and he has an important task." Su Chen raised his hand to object without waiting for Li Shimin to speak.
Seeing them snatching people under his nose, is this okay?
"Who cares about your prime minister or censor? That's a matter for the future. Now I'm in urgent need of talents like Ma Zhou."
"Asshole, what do you mean you recruited him? Do you understand what Ma Zhou just said?" Li Shimin asked angrily.
"I can understand what Ma Zhou said. The general idea is: if an emperor wants to govern the world well, talents are the foundation. If you want the people to live and work in peace and contentment, choosing the right governors and county magistrates is the key.
There are many county magistrates, and it is impossible for every county magistrate to be both virtuous and talented. A good governor can make a state prosperous.
If every state has a good governor who meets your majesty's wishes, then your majesty can rest assured, and the people don't have to worry about living and working in peace and contentment."
"Test me on this? I can recite the whole text."
Su Chen looked at Li Shimin and asked, "Your Majesty, do you need me to continue?"
Li Shimin nodded with satisfaction.
"Go on, tell me the last part of Ma Zhou's words."
"What Ma Zhou said later means: Your Majesty must not only focus on the selection of ministers around you, but despise the appointment of officials at the county and prefecture levels. The people's poor life should be related to this."
After Su Chen finished speaking, he looked at Ma Zhou and asked: "Ma Zhou, am I right in translating it?"
"Translation? What the Marquis said is the same as what I said." Ma Zhou replied with a bow.
Su Chen was relieved. This must be Ma Zhou, who was known as the "famous minister of the world" in later generations. It is impossible that he has the same name.
The two most admired political commentators of the founding great men were Jia Yi and Ma Zhou.
Su Chen looked at Li Shimin proudly, "If I recite the entire text of 'Chen Shizheng Shu' written by Ma Zhou, I will scare you to death!"
Li Shimin was not upset, and asked with a smile: "Boy, do you think what Ma Zhou just said makes sense?"
"Of course it makes sense, Your Majesty, think about it, do ordinary people have the opportunity to see Your Majesty? Can they see Uncle Fang and Uncle Changsun, these high officials?
Definitely not, for the people, the county magistrate is the sky.
Whether the court's decrees can be popularized to the people depends entirely on whether the county magistrate is virtuous.
Your Majesty, do you think this is the truth?"
The candidates were terrified when they heard it. Dare to talk to Your Majesty like this?
This marquis is really extraordinary.
Li Shimin smiled slightly and asked, "Boy, how do you think I should appoint officials at the prefecture and county levels in the future?"
Su Chen waved his hand and said, "Your Majesty, you don't need to ask me. You have already thought of a solution."
"Oh? Tell me, what solution do I have!" Li Shimin asked curiously.
"Hehe, I guess your Majesty is thinking that the governors will be appointed by your Majesty and the county magistrates will be recommended by officials above the fifth rank in Beijing.
However, I suggest that all officials and their performance should be evaluated in the future. One small test every year and one big test every three years." Su Chen said in a mean and sloppy way.
Li Shimin was shocked. What he was thinking was guessed by Su Chen.
"Assessment?"
"For assessment, as the saying goes, the emperor is far away, who can tell me?Do you know what those county magistrates do every year? "
Li Shimin nodded thoughtfully, looking at Changsun Wuji with a somewhat complaining look.
"You are the Minister of Personnel, in charge of the promotion of officials and historians. Go and have a good talk with this kid about how to assess them."
Changsun Wuji understood instantly, and looked at Su Chen with a smile on his face, "Su kid, let's have a good chat when we have time."
"Chat? Oh, okay." Su Chen didn't know what Changsun Wuji wanted to talk to him about.
"Ma Zhou, I have decided to arrange an important position for you in the court. What do you think?"
Li Shimin looked at Ma Zhou and asked suddenly.
Ma Zhou immediately bowed and saluted when he heard the words, "Thank you for your appreciation, but I am still young and I am afraid that I will violate the will of the emperor and am not qualified for the position."
Ma Zhou meant that he wanted to stay in the manor and not become an official first.
Li Shimin nodded, with some approval in his eyes.
If Ma Zhou really agreed to serve as an official in the court, there would probably be no Ma Zhou, a famous minister in the future.
Li Shimin actually had the intention of testing him just now. Talented people are rare.
But only those who are both virtuous and talented can go further.
For now, a hundred Ma Zhous are not as important as Su Chen in Li Shimin's heart.
Su Chen appreciates Ma Zhou. If Ma Zhou chooses to serve as an official in the court for this reason, Li Shimin will definitely look down on Ma Zhou.
The result for Ma Zhou's future career can be imagined.
…
Su Chen saw that Ma Zhou declined Li Shimin's invitation to serve as an official in the court without hesitation.
A faint smile appeared on his face, "This buddy is not bad, he has good vision! He is the editor-in-chief of the newspaper."
Perhaps many people know something about Ma Zhou.
But there is one thing about Ma Zhou that many people don't know.
The road is on the right, which was first initiated by Ma Zhou. At first, Ma Zhou just wanted to rectify the order in Chang'an and stipulated that the city gates should be left for exit and right for entry.
Later, the roads were extended to the right, and gradually some foreign countries imitated them.
This is not a legend, both the New and Old Tang Books have records.
Therefore, Su Chen's previous proposal to drive on the right was a theft of Ma Zhou's achievements.
Going back further, the Qin Dynasty once stipulated that men should walk on the right, women on the left, and cars should walk in the middle.
"Qingque, you continue!"
"Yes, father!"
Li Tai replied respectfully, and then continued to call out names.