Chapter 269: Prime Minister's Father Welcomes Prime Minister's Son in the Snow
"Thank you both for supporting the implementation of the Changping New Law. I will sort out the Changping New Law and the Changping New Army Regulations as soon as possible and hand them over to the Secretariat."

After Li Longji left, Li Xuan spoke to Li Linfu and Pei Kuan.

"Now that Prime Minister Li is one of our generation, the Ministry of Personnel can only fully support Prime Minister Li in implementing the new law. Curbing land annexation and ensuring that the people have enough food and clothing is the wish of the prime minister!"

Pei Kuan replied to Li Xuan.

There is a fundamental difference between him and Li Linfu. He does not agree with the new law and is considering the country.

Li Linfu did not agree with the new law because he was fighting for power.

At this point, Pei Kuan could only do his best to support Li Xuan.

He is not someone who is so pedantic as to believe that "the laws of our ancestors cannot be changed."

"Li Xiang's talent is amazing, I look forward to seeing him show his talents."

Li Linfu said with a wry smile.

If Li Xuan played power games, he would not have the slightest confidence to resist.

But Li Xuan insisted on reforming.

This gave him a chance!

"The sun rises in the sea, the spring in the river enters the old year!"

"Thousands of households always exchange old talismans for new peaches."

Li Xuan smiled and looked at the two lines of poetry hanging in the main hall of Zhongshu Menxia.

One of them is "Under the Beigu Mountain" by Wang Wan, which is full of positive and inspiring energy.

One of them is "New Year's Day" written by Li Xuan after plagiarizing Wang Anshi's reform, which represents the end of the old and the beginning of the new.

At the Yuanzheng Banquet that year, because the reign was changed to Zai, Li Xuan presented this poem, which was ordered by Li Longji to be hung in the lower hall of the Zhongshu Gate.

There are such places in both Chang'an and Huaqing Palace.

Soon, people will think that Li Xuan had the idea of ​​reforming the country and strengthening the country several years ago, when he had not yet made great military achievements.

"What does Minister Lee think?"

Li Linfu could sometimes understand Li Xuan, but sometimes he felt he couldn't.

"I feel a great sense of responsibility! Once you enter this place, you must be consistent and not become a sinner for all eternity."

Li Xuan looked at Li Linfu and said.

"It's extremely..."

Li Linfu felt frightened by being looked at and could only smile awkwardly.

"Prime Minister Li, I will take you to visit the various rooms..."

Seeing that the atmosphere was awkward, Pei Kuan took the initiative to offer to take Li Xuan to see other places in the lower hall of Zhongshumen.

The Zhongshu Menxia Hall had five rooms: Li, Shuji, Bing, Hu, and Xingli, which undermined the power of the six ministers.

But at this time, the six ministers were all in charge of the Secretariat.

For example, Li Xuan, after becoming the Minister of Personnel, was in charge of the Personnel Office, which made Li Xuan in charge of the Ministry of Personnel.

Including Li Pengnian, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, who also served as the head of the Lifang Department.

It was drafted by the Secretariat and reviewed by the Ministry of Personnel.

This made Li Xuan's power apparently inferior to that of Li Linfu and Pei Kuan.

However, the emperor trusted him and entrusted him with more duties and government affairs, and would also ask for Li Xuan's opinion in the Secretariat.

If you always adopt Li Xuan's opinions and ignore Li Linfu's words.

Over time, Li Linfu's status as chief prime minister will become a mere name.

And Li Xuan has exactly this tendency.

After being appointed as the ambassador of the Changping New Law, it meant that such an important national policy would be presided over by Li Xuan.

This was a huge failure for the Chief Prime Minister.

Although Li Xuan was only in charge of the Clerk's Office, he was the prime minister and had the right to inquire about the affairs of other offices.

The mission is heading in the wrong direction.

The envoys were appointed by the emperor through imperial decree and were responsible for a specific job, which was a kind of dispatch. This made the emperor's power even greater.

This is good for the imperial power.

The Ministry of War has no military tents, the Ministry of Revenue has no territory, the Ministry of Yu and Shui do not manage the mountains and rivers, and the Ministry of Gold and Warehouse do not manage money and grain.

The official office is just a figment of the imagination, and the salary requested is in vain. I just eat a meal and go home, with nothing to do all day.

If the job is allowed to develop further and reaches this point, the administration of officials will become even more cumbersome and will cause great harm to the country.

Li Xuan is unable to change this situation now.

"Left Prime Minister, I heard yesterday that this time, no talent was left out. The twelve people admitted are all serving officials of the imperial court. Alas! How can no talent be left out?"

Just after Pei Kuan and Li Xuan finished introducing the various families, Li Xuan suddenly told Pei Kuan about this matter.

"I am afraid that scholars in the government and the public will be disappointed. The country will lose a lot of talents."

Pei Kuan replied to Li Xuan.

He was also very dissatisfied with the fact that "there were no talented people left in the wild". In order to please Li Longji, Li Linfu treated the efforts of countless scholars as a joke.

As the left prime minister, he felt ashamed.

"The purpose of opening the imperial examination was to give opportunities to the common people. It has only been a few years since the 'Yibai' incident in the second year of Tianbao, and the 'No Talent Left in the Wilderness' incident has occurred again. Talented people are probably living in seclusion in the mountains and will not participate in the imperial examinations again. As prime ministers, we must prevent such incidents from happening again, so that scholars can have confidence in the imperial examinations again and believe that they are fair."

Li Xuan said to Pei Kuan with a serious expression.

"What do you think, Prime Minister Li?"

Pei Kuan asked immediately.

He knew that although Li Xuan was young, what was in his head was absolutely genuine.

Although the new Changping law is still subject to discussion, its intention is very clear.

"After the examinee gets the test paper and signs his name, he must immediately cover it up. When the examiner is marking the paper, he must not tear the name off. Violators will be severely punished. For every imperial examination, all the prime ministers must unveil the names together and announce the results."

Li Xuan said to Pei Kuan.

He believed that now was the right time to implement the anonymous examination system.

Li Xuan would create a sense of seriousness in the consequences of "no talented people left in the wild" for Li Longji.

Li Longji would definitely not admit the mistakes he made.

The anonymous examination system gave Li Longji a way out.

Covering names violates the interests of the gentry and the powerful, but in this case, if the gentry and the powerful oppose covering names, they will be immediately criticized.

The system of covering names was obviously designed based on Li Linfu's belief that "there are no talented people left in the wild", and it would cause a certain blow to Li Linfu.

“It may be difficult to implement this.”

Pei Kuan frowned. He was from the Pei family of Wenxi, so of course knowing their surname was a plus.

Under the system of covering names, the five surnames and seven families, Pei, Yang, Wei, and Du, and the nobles in Guanzhong were covered.

Even if there is an incident where no one is left alive, these big families will be very unwilling.

"The time has come. Now we should take advantage of the fact that some of the sons of the noble families are resentful of the fact that Ye Wu Yixian has no talents left, and hide our name as soon as possible, otherwise it will be difficult to find opportunities."

"When Zuo Xiang was the Sima of Runzhou, he was honest and upright. At that time, an official gave you venison, but knowing that you would not accept it, he quietly put the meat down and left. You had no place to return the gift, so you buried the venison in the backyard. The famous minister Yang Xu of the Han Dynasty hung a fish in front of his courtyard, but he was no better than this!"

"The world has always praised the Left Prime Minister, so I discussed major national events with him. Please think carefully about it. I hope to work with the Left Prime Minister to handle this matter and leave a good reputation for generations to come."

Li Xuan did not ask Pei Kuan to reply immediately, giving Pei Kuan some time to think about it.

Under the system of group prime ministers, if two prime ministers work together to promote something, they can suppress the other prime minister.

He wanted to win over Pei Kuan and form a united front on certain issues.

"Don't think about it! Now that the rules are in place, I will support Prime Minister Li's decisions, whether it's the Secretariat or the Imperial Court."

Pei Kuan agreed decisively to remain anonymous in the imperial examination.

Just as Li Xuan praised him, he had never engaged in corruption or bribery in his life, so he was able to reach this position.

A truly talented person doesn't need a last name to add extra points to his or her image.

"With the support of the Left Prime Minister, the future of the Tang Dynasty will be even brighter."

Li Xuan was already thinking about how to implement it.

After bidding farewell to Pei Kuan, Li Xuan came to the Ministry of Personnel's office near Huaqing Palace.

The head of the Six Ministries of the Secretariat, it is in charge of the appointment and removal, selection, honors, examinations, promotions, demotions, and transfers of civil officials across the country.

Before the 24th year of Kaiyuan, the Ministry of Personnel still presided over the imperial examinations, but later the power to preside over the examinations was handed over to the Ministry of Rites.

The Ministry of Personnel is divided into the Department of Personnel, the Department of Enfeoffment, the Department of Honors, and the Department of Examinations, each with different responsibilities.

The chief officer of each department is called Langzhong, and the deputy chief officer is called Yuanwailang. For example, the Langzhong of the Ministry of Personnel is the most powerful person in the Ministry of Personnel besides the Shangshu and Shilang.

The Ministry of Personnel had four directors, thirty clerks, sixty clerks, fourteen clerks, eleven clerks of the Jiaku, eight pavilion chiefs, and twelve guards; the Ministry of Seals had two directors, four clerks, nine clerks, and four guards; the Ministry of Honors had four directors, thirty-three clerks, sixty-seven clerks, and four guards; the Ministry of Examination had three directors, fifteen clerks, thirty clerks, and four guards.

From these, we can see how huge the Ministry of Personnel is. These are all officials appointed by the imperial court, in addition to some clerks, officials outside the imperial court, and various other positions such as doctors. Even the number of people in the Secretariat and the Ministry of Personnel is not as large as that in the Ministry of Personnel.

"Meet Prime Minister Lee!"

After Li Xuan arrived at the Ministry of Personnel in the snow, the Vice Minister of Personnel Li Pengnian led all the officials of the Ministry of Personnel out of the yamen to welcome Li Xuan.

There are two vice ministers of the Ministry of Personnel, but now there is only one, Li Pengnian.

Li Pengnian is good at analysis and has the talent to manage officials.

"It's office hours, so please don't be polite. Let's go back to the government office and do our business!"

Li Xuan exempted Li Pengnian, Pei Zunqing and other officials of the Ministry of Personnel from the formalities.

He is new here and has many things to learn.

Generally, a prime minister who also serves as a minister would entrust the affairs of his ministry to a vice minister.

Although Li Xuan did not serve as the Secretary of the Central Secretariat or the Ministry of Personnel, he needed to implement new laws and must have been busier than the Left and Right Prime Ministers.

And Li Xuan didn't believe Li Pengnian.

Because Li Pengnian had a very good relationship with Li Linfu, he was one of the people who were close to Li Linfu. After all, Li Linfu was the Minister of Personnel and was Li Pengnian's immediate superior.

After the former assistant ministers of the Ministry of Personnel, Song Yao and Miao Jinqing, were banished from Chang'an because of the "Yibai" incident, Li Linfu handed over the affairs of the Ministry of Personnel to Li Pengnian.

Li Xuan could not dismiss Li Pengnian from his post without reason, so he had to temporarily take charge of the Ministry of Personnel.

If it doesn't work, recommend another assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel to gradually sideline Li Pengnian.

With the support of many officials, Li Xuan entered the Ministry of Personnel.

Li Xuan listened carefully to what Li Pengnian introduced to him about the affairs of the Ministry of Personnel.

Although Li Pengnian had a very good relationship with Li Linfu and opposed Li Xuan's new laws in his heart, he appeared respectful and polite.

Li Xuan even dared to confront Li Linfu in the court, let alone a minister.

"The new law will be implemented soon, and the new law will also be taken into account in the assessment of the Ministry of Personnel in the future."

After listening to the report, Li Xuan said to Li Pengnian.

"As ordered by my husband!"

Li Pengnian nodded very tactfully.

As long as Li Xuan was in the Ministry of Personnel, he would do whatever he was told.

But in the court, he would follow Li Linfu.

Although this would be very uncomfortable, as long as Li Xuan didn't catch him, Li Xuan wouldn't be able to do anything to him.

Li Xuan also knew it well.

He wanted to see how Li Pengnian would perform in the court in the future. If he continued to be disloyal, Li Xuan would definitely find an opportunity to deal with him.

"Mr. Pei, last time you felt that my policy was ineffective, what do you think of the new Changping Law this time?"

After the officials of the Ministry of Personnel returned to their offices, Li Xuan called Pei Zunqing, the Deputy Director of the Ministry of Personnel, and asked him.

"I cannot comment!"

Pei Zunqing lowered his head and did not answer.

In fact, his words had already given Li Xuan the answer.

"To govern a country, one must first govern the officials, so the Ministry of Personnel has a great responsibility. However, the administration and atmosphere of local officials across the country are lax and corrupt, which is not a good phenomenon. Mr. Pei has been thinking of a way to rectify the local officials during this period."

Li Xuan did not investigate further but gave Pei Zunqing an order.

"I will do my best."

Pei Zunqing had no choice but to nod and say that he felt Li Xuan was making things difficult for him.

But he had to respond, as this was the Shangshu's order.

How could it be so easy to promulgate a decree to rectify the administration of officials?
However, Pei Zunqing noticed that Li Xuan was already using the new Changping system to crack down on the powerful.

Now they still want to improve the administration of officials, as if they want to become a big fat man in one bite.

"I look forward to Mr. Pei's strategy!"

Li Xuan comforted Pei Zunqing and prepared to leave.

"Please forgive me for being blunt. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. A river is formed by the accumulation of small streams. Prime Minister Li wants to clear up the world, but he has to do it step by step. You are so young, but you are so radical. Why is that?"

When Li Xuan was leaving, Pei Zunqing couldn't help but call him.

"Life is like a fleeting moment. The world is unpredictable and ever-changing. How can I not seize the time? The new Changping Law is the responsibility of the prime minister, and the formulation of civil service is the responsibility of the Ministry of Personnel. What is the conflict? Do your best!"

No one can guess what Li Xuan is thinking, and Li Xuan will not tell anyone.

Pei Zunqing couldn't say anything more. He felt that Li Xuan was like a person in the fog.

It is impossible to guess Li Xuan's style of doing things.

In the main hall, Li Xuan began to write the draft of the Changping New Law and the Changping New Army.

Next, Li Xuan also has to consider personnel issues.

He wanted to transfer some of his staff back to Chang'an and assign them important positions.

At the same time, promote some officials who are considered reliable.

Such as Wang Changling and Du Fu.

Gao Shi, Liu Yan, Yang Wan, as well as some chief secretaries and deputy governors, were all newly appointed officials and could not be transferred.

The three counties of Qinghai, Jishi and Baihai need them to maintain stability and spread Li Xuan's influence.

Other officials such as Cen Shen, Liu Shan, Lu Zhen, Li Xiyan, etc. can be transferred back to Chang'an to take up their posts.

As for the new judge and military commander, let Wang Nandi and Geshu Han promote them!

Thinking of this, Li Xuan wrote letters to Geshu Han, Wang Nandi and others, asking them to release these subordinates back to Chang'an.

At the same time, he ordered Li Xuan's steward Shen Ji in Huangshui City to take the servants and escort Changli back to Chang'an.

If the king is willing, he will send troops to escort him.

After finishing the letter, it was time to get off work.

The snow outside was already a finger thick. Under the escort of Li Pengnian, Li Xuan left the Ministry of Personnel.

It was getting dark when Li Xuan's carriage arrived at the Duke of Song's Mansion.

The snow is white, making the road clear.

"My dear, Alang has been waiting for you on the front porch all afternoon..."

In front of the door, steward Zhao Zong welcomed Li Xuan out of the carriage and said to Li Xuan.

As an old servant of the Li family, Zhao Zong felt deeply moved.

Four years ago, he wanted to call Li Xuan "Qilang" and Li Shizhi "Xianggong".

Nowadays, Li Xuan is called "Xianggong" and Li Shizhi is called "Alang".

Everything seems like a dream. Qilang, who was once brave and fierce, has become a hero today.

"Okay, I'll be there right away."

Li Xuan replied.

After he became the Minister of Personnel, of course he had to stay in the Zhongshumenxiatang and the Ministry of Personnel.

In addition, Li Xuan has not been to Jixian Hall and the department that compiles national history!

In addition, all the envoys under his command had to form new staff and set up offices, and these were all things he had to consider.

He could understand Li Shizhi's feelings.

He was just sad that it was snowing heavily and Li Shizhi was still waiting for him on the front porch.

The vermilion gate slowly opened, and Li Xuan entered the gate, and after entering the ceremonial gate, he arrived at the front porch.

Li Xuan was still wearing purple court robes and a jade pendant with a flying bird holding a flower hung around his waist.

Although he hadn't even started growing a beard, he had a sense of majesty behind him. Every step he took was like being down to earth.

After four years, he became a prime minister due to his military merits and finally ascended to a high position.

On the front porch inside the ceremonial gate, several trees were covered with snow.

Li Shizhi had been waiting here since he learned that Li Xuan had been appointed prime minister. He originally wanted to go out.

But he was pulled back by Li Qian and Li Jiqing.

It's not nice to be seen.

Although Li Xuan was appointed prime minister.

But Li Shizhi is his father, and Zeng was also a prime minister.

If the news got out, someone would criticize Li Xuan. So Li Shizhi could only watch the falling snow in the front porch inside the ceremonial gate accompanied by Li Xuan and Li Jiqing.

After Li Xuan entered the ceremonial gate, Li Shizhi's body straightened up. He looked at the heroic Li Xuan, his eyes full of satisfaction and pride.

The eyes of the father and son met, and at that moment, time seemed to freeze.

Li Xuan saw that Li Shizhi's face was red, so he quickly stepped forward, knelt down in the snow in front of Li Shizhi respectfully, and kowtowed, saying: "Father, I am an unfilial child and have kept you waiting for a long time."

Li Shizhi's eyes were filled with tears. With shaking hands, he helped Li Xuan up. His voice was slightly choked with sobs: "My son's achievements today are insignificant compared to those of ancient generals and ministers. I am very pleased. I believe that my ancestors would rest in peace if they knew about this."

"Now that I am the new prime minister, I will work harder to bring more glory to my father."

After Li Xuan stood up, he made a promise to Li Shizhi.

He knew that his grandfather Li Xiang might rest in peace in the underworld, but his great-grandfather Li Chengqian would certainly not rest in peace.

"Good Qilang! I believe that Qilang will become the chief prime minister sooner or later!"

Li Shizhi thought that Li Xuan was fighting for Li Linfu's position. Before Li Xuan joined the army, he said that his wish in this life was to govern the country.

"Big brother, fourth brother!"

Li Xuan bowed again to Li Qian and Li Jiqing.

They should stay here with Li Shiyi for the afternoon.

"We are really ashamed. For several years, my father and my brother were both husbands-in-law."

Li Qian shook his head and smiled.

They didn't think too much about it, as people like Qilang only appear once every thousand years.

They are lucky to have such a brother.

"Father, let's go back to the house."

Li Xuan felt the coldness of Li Shizhi's hand and pulled Li Shizhi back to the house to talk further.

The wine is already warm, and when Li Xuan comes back, he can drink it directly to warm his body.

Less than a quarter of an hour after Li Xuan returned to Duke Song's Mansion, eunuchs appeared from Huaqing Palace, carrying royal delicacies and delivering them to the mansion.

In such weather, the imperial meal was delivered, which showed Li Longji's deep love for Li Xuan.

The news of Li Xuan's appointment as prime minister spread to the houses around Huaqing Palace soon after the court session.

That afternoon, a fast horse brought the news that Li Xuan was appointed Minister of Personnel, Co-Prime Minister of the Secretariat, Supervisor of National History, and Grand Secretary of the Jixian Hall to Chang'an...

(End of this chapter)