Chapter 845 A Dream of Youth 377
Xie Wangzhi was not demoted, but rather sent out to gain experience. Since taking office, he had rarely been transferred to other places and had mostly served as an official in the capital. Although his political achievements were outstanding, he lacked seniority.
Therefore, after Xie Ning wrote to Yan Xi asking her to send a capable and people-loving person to serve as an official in Luzhou, Yan Xi thought of Xie Wangzhi.
She wanted Xie Wangzhi to go to Luzhou for experience, then return to take charge of the Ministry of Personnel, and be promoted when he had enough seniority.
After the power was returned to the central government, if we were to rank the power among the Six Ministries, the Minister of Personnel would naturally hold the highest position.
Xie Ning said quietly, "If I had known His Majesty would send my father to Luzhou, I wouldn't have sent Li Yu to Yizhou." Compared to the prefect of Yizhou, Xie Wangzhi was naturally better at dealing with Li Yu.
"You really know how to cause trouble for your father." Xie Wangzhi knew a little about Li Yu's temperament. Now that the two of them didn't have to meet, it was much more comfortable. Why make trouble for himself?
However, it wouldn't be easy for Li Yu to establish his headquarters in Yizhou and take charge of military affairs along the way. Thinking of the current state of Luzhou as described by Xie Ning, Xie Wangzhi had a headache and needed to find a reason to get Li Yu to ask for less.
Speaking of military affairs, Xie Ning thought of Chen Xin, who had rebelled and then surrendered. "...He was kind and honest, and quite sentimental. He had an excellent reputation in the army. When he rebelled, he quickly raised an army of 100,000 men, which shows that he was quite capable. His Majesty was afraid that he would continue to cause trouble in Luzhou, so after he surrendered, he thought of bringing him to the capital to serve as an official."
After all, even if most of the Yi people's forces were disbanded, as long as Chen Xin was there, he might rebel, and some people would follow him.
Once someone has rebelled, no one dares to trust him again.
"However, I offered her another suggestion: Chen Xin not only holds prestige within the Great Zhou Dynasty, but also among the barbarians. If used properly, he could be a powerful tool..."
Chen Xin could be used to control the armies of both sides, and Xie Wangzhi also preferred to keep Chen Xin, but this matter was still under discussion.
After discussing military matters, Xie Ning recommended some people to Xie Wangzhi, all of whom she had met and investigated when she was in Luzhou. However, if Xie Wangzhi wanted to use these people, he would still have to examine them carefully.
Among those recommended were scholars of Yi.
"This man is not well-known in the Great Zhou, but he has a very high reputation among the Yi people. I once 'invited' him to be an envoy, and I didn't expect that he would actually persuade several large tribes to agree. I heard that he served as a teacher in these tribes, teaching some knowledge to the children in the fortified villages... It's just a pity that he doesn't seem to have any intention of taking up an official post."
"Surname Zhu?"
"Exactly."
Xie Wangzhi recalled for a while before saying, "I do remember a family surnamed Zhu who was exiled to Lingnan not long after the late emperor ascended the throne. This person was a good friend of Mr. He, but at that time Mr. He was too busy to help, so the two lost contact afterward."
He remembered this person because this person was highly accomplished and had a very distinctive style in landscape painting, which was characterized by dry brushstrokes and light ink, creating a sparse and elegant effect.
Mr. He has a painting of this person in his study. However, judging from his age, if Zhu Xueyi is indeed a member of the Zhu family, he is probably a descendant of that old Mr. Zhu.
“If he is indeed a member of the Zhu family, then I really should ask him to take up an official post. You think he is unwilling to take up an official post because you haven’t yet grasped his point of view.”
You previously mentioned that Zhu Xueyi was a teacher among the Yi people's tribe?
"Yes, but he mainly teaches the Doushan tribe. He only goes to other tribes occasionally, or they send people to the Doushan tribe's stronghold to learn."
Xie Ning had also visited their primary school, which was very simple, but the children there cherished it and kept it clean. On the teacher's desk at the head of the room was a narrow-mouthed ceramic jar, and the fresh flowers on it were updated every day.
These are all wildflowers from the roadside, prepared by the children because they heard that Zhu Xueyi liked flowers.
"He is unwilling to serve as an official... What if we let him become an educational official?" Xie Wangzhi continued with a smile, "Luzhou has a prefectural school, which can set up one or two classes to accept the children of Yi tribes."
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