Tang Dynasty Little Godfather

Chapter 223 A small test of one’s skills
As a Taoist emperor, Li Longji did indeed have a certain fondness for Taoism. The key point is that this guy was also a gifted individual, and he was able to comprehend Wang Xi's theories, especially the theory that Confucianism and Legalism are based on Taoism, which he found very reasonable.

Since it makes sense, we should learn it and put it into practice.

His exceptional talent meant he didn't need to rack his brains to plan; he quickly came up with a solution.

The next day.

Zichen Palace.

"His Majesty."

While discussing military and political reforms, Zhang Shuo suddenly looked at Li Longji and, seeing that he seemed distracted, called out.

Li Longji was taken aback. "What is it?"

Zhang asked directly, "Is Your Majesty listening?"

His tone was slightly displeased. In the Tang Dynasty, the relationship between the emperor and his ministers was not so unequal, and mutual respect was the basic norm. It was absolutely unacceptable for the emperor to be absent-minded while the Grand Secretary was speaking.

"Of course I'm listening, but..."

Li Longji said, "But I suddenly thought of something else."

Zhang asked, "What is the matter?"

Li Longji asked, "Have you ever heard the story of pulling up seedlings to help them grow?"

Zhang Shuo paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Of course I've heard of it."

Li Longji then asked, "Do all the officials in the world understand the principle that you can't force seedlings to grow by pulling them up?"

Zhang was completely dumbfounded.

This is something that even ordinary people understand, let alone officials!

Still need to ask?

Yuan Qianyao smiled and said, "Of course I understand."

Li Longji continued, "Do the officials of the realm understand why pulling up seedlings cannot help them grow, and when exactly should millet and wheat be sown and harvested?"

Yuan Qianyao thought for a moment and said, "It depends on how you put it. The South and the North are different. As for the approximate time, I believe all officials in the country should know it. But as for the specific day, perhaps some officials do not know it."

Li Longji said, “That is the problem. If officials do not understand agriculture, they may make mistakes when formulating policies. For example, the issue of military service that Minister Zhang just mentioned, will it conflict with agriculture and cause trouble for the people? But this can be completely avoided. As long as officials know when to sow and when to harvest, and are familiar with the geography, they can avoid unreasonable arrangements. For example, sending the people of Chang'an to serve in the Western Regions will take a long time, which will inevitably affect the people’s livelihood and agricultural production.”

Yuan Qianyao nodded and said, "What Your Majesty says makes sense. There have been similar problems with military service before."

Zhang asked curiously, "Why did Your Majesty suddenly bring this up?"

Li Longji said, "I am thinking of adding subjects such as agriculture, fishing and hunting, weather and geography to the imperial examination. If officials understand these subjects, they may be more effective and less prone to making mistakes when formulating policies."

Zhang stroked his beard. "What Your Majesty says makes sense, but I think it's inappropriate."

Li Longji asked, "Why does my husband feel this is inappropriate?"

Zhang said, "The imperial examination reform was just completed last year, which added poetry and prose to the examination. If these other subjects are added now, the candidates will not know which subjects the court is emphasizing. This will make people feel that the court's policies are constantly changing."

While Your Majesty's suggestion is reasonable, I believe we should prioritize the stability of government policies. Even if they are to be implemented, we should wait several years.

Li Longji stroked his goatee and remained silent.

Seeing that the emperor seemed dissatisfied, Zhang Yue quickly changed his mind and said, "Actually, the knowledge Your Majesty mentioned is very important, but it is not something that every official must know. If an official does not know it, he can ask. This will not affect the specific policies of the court."

Of course, it would be even better to have some knowledge; the more knowledge one has, the better. Therefore, I suggest that an assessment be established in the Ministry of Personnel as a secondary factor in determining promotion or demotion.

Li Longji nodded and said, "Your Excellency is right. Let's do it that way. Also, the memorials sent by local officials always say that agriculture is delayed, or that the roads are muddy during the rainy season, thus affecting the transportation of grain. But what exactly is meant by the agricultural season, and what exactly is meant by the rainy season? These vary greatly from place to place, and I have no idea. Therefore, in the future, if the memorials involve knowledge of farming, fishing, hunting, weather, or geography, all cause and effect relationships must be clearly stated, and they cannot be glossed over. This will be more convincing, and I will be able to understand them and make a better decision."

Zhang nodded and said, "I will urge those local officials to write their memorials as detailed as possible."

Li Longji said, "It must be detailed, but also accurate; otherwise, it proves they are incompetent."

Zhang said, "Your subject obeys."

After the meeting, Zhang Shuo and Yuan Qianyao came out of the main hall and looked at each other in bewilderment.

It sounds like there's no problem, and the emperor's request seems perfectly reasonable, but something just doesn't feel right.

Yuan Qianyao glanced around, then whispered, "Why did His Majesty suddenly bring this up? Could it be...?"

Zhang asked, "You mean '100,000 Whys'?"

Yuan Qianyao nodded.

Zhang Shuo pondered for a while and said, "His Majesty has always highly admired Taoist thought, so it is possible that he has been influenced by it."

Yuan Qianyao asked, "What do you think, sir?"

Zhang said, "Although I don't think this is Taoist thought, it's not a big deal. Because no matter what, if officials know more, they will definitely be more adept at management. However, the priorities should not change. Officials should focus more on management and coordination."

Yuan Qianyao nodded and said, "In that case, why not have the Imperial Academy add this kind of scholarship? It would be a signal to everyone."

Zhang nodded, "Then I'll trouble you to make a trip to the Ministry of Rites."

Little did they know that their thinking played right into Li Longji's hands; this was exactly the effect he wanted.

Since the Han Dynasty, Confucianism and Legalism have dominated the imperial court, leaving little room for Daoism to survive. At most, a particular emperor might favor Daoism and adopt policies based on Daoist thought, such as recuperation and restoration.

However, this will not affect the status of Confucianism and Legalism.

Li Longji had always wanted to promote Daoist thought, but how to coexist with Confucianism and Legalism was a problem.

He also couldn't find a better solution. Wang Xi's view that Confucianism and Legalism are based on Daoism gave him great inspiration. He decided to continue using Confucianism and Legalism to formulate policies, but these policies must be based on Daoist thought.

One of the key points is that Wang Xi reinterpreted Wuwei (non-action).

What is non-action (wuwei)?

Simplify complexity, follow the laws of nature, and let things take their natural course through non-action.

Based on this, you need to fully understand the laws of nature.

This time, Li Longji was just testing the waters. His key was to gauge the attitudes of Zhang Shuo and Yuan Qianyao. Sure enough, they were both accepting and did not strongly oppose it.

However, if Li Longji wanted to replace Confucianism with Taoism, Zhang Shuo and Yuan Qianyao would not have supported it.

Zhang Shuo and Yuan Qianyao are unaware that, if things continue this way, future memorials will be very difficult to write because they will have to explain cause and effect.

Meanwhile, the popularity of face masks has remained consistently high.

Jing Si also completed the task assigned to her by Wang Xi very well. She expanded the beauty treatments from once every seven days to three times every ten days.

At the same time, they kept their promise and said that the first batch of customers would experience the face mask again in seven days, and that the number of people would be increased from 150 to 200.

Next are the families that have partnered with Wuming Academy. These will be prioritized in the second batch. There aren't many people in this batch. The second batch mainly consists of clients who have donated a lot.

As for the relatives of the students of the Nameless Academy, they will receive special arrangements, namely, a special performance for them.

In short, the key point is to strictly adhere to the standards of closeness and distance.

Because Qingyun Temple is backed by Wuming Academy, its true owner is actually Li Longji. Therefore, they don't need to flatter anyone, regardless of who you are.

Of course, on the other hand, Zhang Shuo's daughter should definitely be given priority, after all, the face of the Grand Secretary must be given.

However, there was only one Grand Secretary.

Although there were some complaints about this arrangement, they were few and reasonable, at least Qingyun Temple extended the beauty retreat to three days.

After much anticipation, this second beauty treatment has finally arrived.

The noblewomen arrived at Qingyun Temple at sunrise. Although they all brought their children, once inside the temple, they would leave the children to the Tai Chi ball and then go to the beauty and health center.

Lady Zixia also came here.

This time, however, Wang Xi personally greeted her and said that she would personally help her aunt apply a face mask.

"What merit do I, Aunt, have to trouble Sparrow to help me personally?" Madam Zixia feigned surprise and delight.

Wang Xi chuckled and said, "Auntie, please don't say that. Actually, it's because my Empress Aunt and many concubines will be coming here for beauty treatments in a couple of days. So, Que'er plans to practice and personally help the Empress Aunt with her beauty treatments."

"???"

Madam Zixia said somewhat dejectedly, "That's true, but couldn't Que'er just keep quiet?"

"cannot!"

Wang Xi shook his head and said, "My mother taught me from a young age that one must be honest."

"All right!"

Lady Zixia gave a wry smile, then suddenly realized something, "The Empress and the other concubines also come here for beauty treatments?"

"You've finally realized the problem." Wang Xi nodded and said, "Yes!"

This must be what the boy wanted to tell me. Lady Zixia then asked curiously, "Why doesn't the Empress let you go to the palace to help?"

Wang Xi said, "Auntie, have you ever seen anyone bring a Buddha statue home to burn incense? That's not sincere at all, and it's useless to worship it. My aunt, the Empress, came here mainly to burn incense and also to improve her complexion."

Lady Zixia said, "But as far as I know, many of the concubines in this palace are Buddhists."

Wang Xi asked, "Is there a conflict?"

Lady Zixia remained silent, knowing full well that if the Empress and concubines came here to apply face masks, Qingyun Temple would truly rise to prominence overnight, its status as secure as Mount Tai.

But it was beyond her control.

Guided by Wang Xi, they arrived at a private room, where they found another strange device, which was simply a stove connected to a bamboo tube.

"What is this?" Lady Zixia asked.

Wang Xi hurriedly said, "This is a steam oven."

"Steam oven?"

"Ah."

Wang Xidao explained, "It involves boiling water and then spraying the steam onto your face through a bamboo tube. This enlarges the pores, allowing you to apply a face mask afterwards for better results."

Lady Zixia asked, "Who came up with this idea?"

"Taoist thought".

Wang Xidao.

You won't know until you try it, and once you do, it's incredibly comfortable.

Lady Zixia looked slightly frustrated. "You come up with a new device every day. I can't possibly copy it all."

But this also solidified her strategic plan: the only way to achieve victory was to take control of the entire Nameless Academy.

(End of this chapter)