The revitalization of the Tang Dynasty began with the Ganlu Incident.

A series of questions, like thunderclaps, exploded in Li Deyu's ears.

But at this moment, his eyes grew brighter and brighter, and a surge of excitement rose in his heart.

After so many years, His Majesty has finally begun to deeply understand the way of governing the country!

Although it is inappropriate for a subject to say such a thing, the fact is that in Li Deyu's eyes, the former emperor really did not have the demeanor of a ruler.

Indeed, since ascending the throne, this emperor has been working diligently to govern the country, taking Emperor Taizong as his role model, hoping to restore the strength of the Tang Dynasty.

But we've taken the wrong path!

Think carefully about what he did.

Wang Shoucheng abuses his power, fine, then we'll find a way to take it away from him.

With Wang Shoucheng gone, another Qiu Shiliang emerged, so the power grab continued, with ambushes and assassinations planned.

If there is factional strife in the court, then promote your confidants and dismiss all your cronies.

These things all seem reasonable, but in reality, they are just treating the symptoms rather than the root cause, lacking any strategic vision or public-spiritedness.

What is an emperor?

He is the master of all people, the monarch of the state, bearing the weight of the world and carrying the hopes of the people.

As an emperor, one's primary duty is to govern the country and ensure the well-being of the people, not to engage in power struggles.

But what about the current emperor?

He has been on the throne for nearly ten years, yet he remains trapped in the quagmire of power struggles, and his contributions to truly important national affairs are few and far between.

In fact, Li Deyu believed that taking the elimination of eunuchs or factions as the fundamental goal was already a mistake.

Whether it is eunuchs or factions, the elimination or suppression should be based on the premise that they have affected the implementation of national policies.

From this perspective, what the emperor should do is maintain a balance.

Suppress when necessary, allow when necessary, eliminate when necessary; everything should be based on the fundamental principle of benefiting the implementation of national policies.

Unfortunately, the sage never understood this point. He held onto power for ten years, but it never really had any effect on the country or the nation.

This was also the reason why he had hesitated for so long about whether or not to return to the capital.

But the fact that a sage can ask these three questions now at least shows that he has seriously considered how to govern the country.

Li Deyu's long-dormant heart suddenly burned with passion. He straightened his posture, clasped his hands, and bowed again, saying...

"Your Majesty's three questions, I still only have two words to answer."

"system!"

"The ruler resides deep within the palace, making it difficult to oversee all officials. Therefore, there is a need for the civil service examination to select talent, the Ministry of Personnel to assess performance, the Censorate to investigate, and the prime minister to promote officials based on their abilities."

"Your Majesty asked what constitutes a virtuous person and what constitutes a non-virtuous person. My answer is that a local official who can govern the people is virtuous, a military general who can enforce strict military discipline and protect the borders and people is virtuous, and a prime minister who can assist the monarch and bring peace to the common people is virtuous."

"Human hearts are unpredictable. A wise person judges not only by intentions but also by actions. The so-called virtuous one at one time and not virtuous one at another is nothing but a vain question. If one can do what I just mentioned, one is virtuous; if one cannot, one is not virtuous. If one can do it, one will be promoted; if one cannot, one will be demoted. If one can do it this year, one will be promoted this year; if one cannot do it next year, one will be demoted next year."

"In this way, the country will be peaceful and prosperous, the world will be well-governed, and the people in all four border regions will be safe and sound, and all will praise Your Majesty's wisdom."

"system?"

Li Ang said softly, a thoughtful look appearing on his face.

"Is this why you oppose Li Xun becoming prime minister?"

The tone was not one of doubt, but rather one of relief.

This simple sentence further invigorated Li Deyu.

Although he had already sensed that the sage was very different from before, Li Deyu was still somewhat surprised that the other party could understand his meaning so quickly.

"Indeed, Your Majesty has seen the talent and virtue of Li Xun and others, and so have we. They may be useful in suppressing eunuchs, but they have no real achievements in governing the country."

"The court has a long-standing system for promotions. According to past practice, regardless of one's social status, one must have at least twenty years of experience and experience since entering officialdom, and only after one's political achievements, reputation, and abilities have been proven can one be appointed to a high position and become prime minister."

"However, Li Xun entered the capital in March of the eighth year of the Taihe era and was personally appointed by His Majesty as an assistant instructor of the Four Gates, a position of the upper eighth rank. Just a few months ago, he was appointed prime minister as the vice minister of the Ministry of Rites, a position of the lower fourth rank. The period between these appointments was only a year."

"Such an extraordinary promotion, how can it win the hearts of the people? In just one year, without any achievements to back it up, how can Your Majesty discern whether this person is virtuous or not, how can you be sure that he can lead the officials and shoulder the weight of the nation?"

As he spoke, Li Deyu became somewhat agitated again.

It's clear he's been keeping these thoughts to himself for a while now.

Indeed, putting aside everything else, Li Deyu himself, starting from entering officialdom in the eleventh year of the Yuanhe era, took seventeen or eighteen years to enter the Council of State Affairs and become prime minister.

This was only possible because he came from a high-ranking family; his father, Li Jifu, was a prime minister, who left him with a deep network of connections.

Even with so many years of experience, he was dismissed from the capital after serving in the Council of State for less than a year.

Although the impeachment by Li Xun and others, along with the Niu faction, was the main factor, his relatively short tenure also played a role to some extent.

If he was like this, how could the court officials be convinced that Li Xun, who was promoted directly from an assistant instructor in the four gates to prime minister in just one year, would be convinced?

Li Ang was silent for a moment, then said, "So, you mean that the ruler should not treat official titles and ranks as the private property of one family or clan, and should not appoint them based on personal preference, especially when selecting prime ministers. Not only should the ruler's approval be required, but the expectations of all officials should also be met. Is that correct?"

This statement conveys a similar meaning to what Li Deyu just said, but it is more pointed and more direct.

In short, the emperor needs to actively confine his power within a cage called the system, and cannot exercise it according to his own whims.

That's the logic.

However, the fact that Emperor Li Ang said these words himself, and in the form of a question, even though he did not express any emotion, still made people feel that there was a hint of accusation in them.

Seeing this, Zheng Tan quickly said, "Your Majesty is wise. Wen Rao means that the position of prime minister is too important to be lightly granted. Please choose wise and capable people carefully. People like Li Xun, who are sycophants and opportunists, are incompetent and immoral. If they occupy the position of prime minister, they will surely tarnish Your Majesty's reputation."

Although these words were meant to smooth things over, they also revealed some of the speaker's true feelings.

From this point alone, one can see how much resentment there was in the court after Li Xun, Zheng Zhu, and others came to power.

Li Ang shook his head inwardly but did not answer, instead continuing to look at Li Deyu.

Seeing this, the latter remained silent for a moment, ignoring the look Zheng Qin gave him, and resolutely spoke.

"Your Majesty is wise. Throughout history, wise rulers have been able to reflect on themselves and accept advice. Even with Emperor Taizong's martial prowess and wisdom, he still needed advisors like Wei Zheng to fill in the gaps and make up for his shortcomings in order to achieve the prosperous Zhenguan era. If Your Majesty can accept my advice, then even if I die, I will have no regrets in this life."

After saying this, he stood up, performed a grand salute, knelt deeply, and his face was solemn.

Li Ang remained silent, causing the atmosphere in the room to become somewhat stagnant.

The snow outside the window was falling heavier and heavier, weighing down the branches. With a soft crack, a branch broke off and fell gently into the snow, only to be quickly buried by the next snowfall.

A moment later, Li Ang's voice rang out, calm and unwavering: "I have already said that we will not observe the formalities between ruler and subject today. Why bother? Rise."