boyutpedia Chapter 168 The Prince’s Strange Idea
Chapter 168 The Prince’s Strange Idea
"Song Zhongshu, I went to Hongnong a few days ago and heard that you have a relative in Hongnong!"
"Your Highness, I was born in Hongnong, and I do have many relatives there!"
Of course, Song Xian could not and had no need to hide it.
I'm just worried that it might be some dandy kid who's doing evil under his own banner.
"This person's name is Shangguan Mi, you know him well, right?"
"Your Highness, I know that Shangguan Mi is my cousin. When I was young, my family was poor and I relied entirely on my uncle for support!"
Song Xian was not vague at all.
"I heard he became the magistrate of Hongnong County. Was it you who arranged it?"
Liu Zhao deliberately raised his voice.
"Your Highness, it was Yu Chun, the governor of Henan, who presented a petition to me, alleging that the magistrate of Hongnong County, Wang Fang, was incompetent and wanted to appoint Shangguan Mi as his successor. I merely approved the petition and showed no favoritism!"
Song Xian spoke lightly, without any sign of uneasiness.
"Your Highness, Shangguan Mi is the only son of Shangguan Kai of the previous dynasty. He has always been talented but has no interest in a career in government. His appointment as the magistrate of Hongnong County is a critical situation!"
He Zhi added something more.
"This man has a good reputation in Hongnong. When I went there, I saw him roll out many effective measures to ensure disaster relief in Hongnong was carried out in an orderly manner. It's really your fault that such a talent is not used by the court!"
Liu Zhao's tone was a little impolite.
Of course, Song Xian could tell that this was a good thing.
"Your Highness, I haven't seen him for many years. If I have the chance, I would like to go to Hongnong and persuade him to serve the court!"
"It's not impossible, but have you ever thought about it? It's easy to deal with people like Shangguan Mi who don't want to enter the government, but what about those who are talented but not appreciated? Are you going to persuade them one by one? What about those you don't even know?"
Liu Zhao asked three questions in succession.
"Your Highness, please explain!"
Song Xian's heart skipped a beat.
"I think the key is the problem with the way we select and employ people!"
Liu Zhao did not explicitly say which method was reasonable, but the current recommendation system was definitely unreasonable.
Even the imperial examination system was much more scientific than this.
"Does Your Highness have any idea?"
He Zhi asked.
Only He Zhi could ask this question, Song Xian was not qualified.
"I have an idea. Go down and think about it!"
Since it has been said, Liu Zhao did not hide it and told them the general idea and let them think about it.
"Your Highness, please speak!"
He Zhi was shocked. Where did he learn this?
"The current system of selecting and employing people is based on recommendation, right?"
"Yes!"
"I won't talk about the existing problems. I believe you know more than me!"
Liu Zhao did not have time to list the drawbacks of recommendation.
"Yes, Your Highness!"
He Zhi and Song Xian both knew it very well, but there was no better way now.
"Why don't we let all the scholars in the world take the exam? What do you think?"
"Exam? Going to the capital?"
He Zhi asked.
"Let's select them from the prefectures and counties one by one! Otherwise, there will be too many people!"
"Your Highness, I am a little confused!" He Zhi was really confused and couldn't figure it out.
"It means setting up many examination subjects, such as poetry, prose writing, martial arts, farming, arithmetic, and inventions!"
When Liu Zhao finished speaking, He Zhi's eyes widened.
Song Xian was even more stunned.
This is simply too unbelievable.
"Your Highness, are these all tested?"
He Zhi asked after a moment of silence.
"Of course, there are things I haven't thought of. Any questions?"
"I'm a bit confused! Just like arithmetic, ordinary people only need to know how to buy and sell goods, but it's not very useful!"
He Zhi said it very bluntly.
"Is there still agriculture and mulberry cultivation? All you have to do is dig the ground and plant the seeds?"
Liu Zhao smiled.
"I am confused, that's exactly what I meant!"
He Zhi didn't hide anything at all.
"Taibao, have you ever seen a stone arch bridge?"
"I have seen it!"
"Why do some stone arch bridges stand for thousands of years, while others collapse in just a few years? Do you know why?"
Liu Zhao wanted to illustrate the importance of mathematics through a simple thing.
"That's because the craftsman isn't skilled enough!"
"You have a point, but if you were proficient in arithmetic, you could conduct experiments in advance to see how much weight the bridge could bear! How should the structure be built? How can we save costs on the required materials? We could even think of how to polish the stones more finely so that each ring would interlock!"
Liu Zhao said whatever he thought, and I guess He Zhi didn’t think that much!
He Zhi really didn’t think that much about it. Isn’t it just building a bridge?
Just find a skilled craftsman!
Most skilled craftsmen are passed down from master to apprentice, from generation to generation.
What kind of experiment is needed?
"I really didn't think that much!"
"Take agriculture, for example. Why do some families get high yields while others get low yields on the same piece of land? Why do some crops in a field become sick and die, while others thrive?"
"Your Highness's thoughts are truly beyond the reach of our humble servants! Lord Song and I will definitely conduct the examinations according to Your Highness's wishes!"
He Zhi was extremely shocked.
Did the prince’s ideas just fall from the sky?
"That's good, but for now I have a more important task for you!"
Liu Zhao really says whatever he thinks!
"Your Highness, please speak!"
Song Xian's attention was highly focused.
"Go down and set up a department according to my instructions. You can choose the name! This department will be responsible for finding the most talented and extraordinary people in the world!"
"Yes, Your Highness. May I ask, Your Highness, who are the extraordinary people?"
"As I just said, arithmetic, alchemy, farming, invention, etc., as long as you have a skill, bring them all to Luojing, and I will be responsible for the examination! Don't just find a few people to fool me!"
"Yes, I obey your order!"
Song Xian did not dare to be vague.
Looking at the prince’s current thinking, I don’t know whether others dare to fool you or not!
But Song Xian certainly wouldn’t dare!
"Especially, I read in ancient books that there were craftsmen who made flying wooden birds that could fly for three days and three nights. Have you ever heard of that?"
"I have heard that a thousand years ago there was a famous craftsman in Lu who made flying birds, but this craft has long been lost!"
He Zhi nodded and said.
"Lu Ban?"
Is there also Lu Ban?
OK!
He wouldn't have traveled through time like me, would he?
The names are all the same!
"Then let's look for it! Maybe there's someone else who knows how to do it!"
Liu Zhao smiled.
This incident has a strong legendary nature, but what I want is to use this legend to encourage them to find skilled craftsmen.
If we could create a bird that could fly for three days and three nights without landing, wouldn’t that be more powerful than the drones of later generations?
It’s definitely not possible at the moment!
"Your Highness, we will take our leave!"
He Zhi's mind was full of questions, and he and Song Xian said goodbye!
After walking a few steps outside the door, Song Xian could no longer hold back what he was saying!
"Mr. He, my mind is in a mess right now. Can you please move to my humble abode and give me some advice?"
"Song Xian! My head is the same now!"
He Zhi’s mind was also completely confused!
Where did the prince get those strange ideas!
"Mr. He! This Buddha's magical power is truly immense!"
Nothing can be explained except by using Buddha!
"Alas! It's fate, and then the Buddha possesses me. I hope it will be a blessing for the Great Jing Dynasty! Let's go! Let's talk in detail at your home!"
He Zhi said no more.
Regarding the matters arranged by the prince, he must meet with Song Xian and some officials in the court, and come up with a specific plan today!
Otherwise, I will definitely not be able to submit the report tomorrow!
So many questions on the first day of the Crown Prince acting as Emperor!
The role of the regent is really challenging!