Li Shimin was furious at Li Jue's feigned ignorance, and immediately slammed his hand on the table and shouted at him.
"I've heard you intend to replace the officials recommended by the Ministry of Personnel?"
"yes!"
Seeing Li Jue admit it so readily, Li Shimin immediately asked with some doubt.
"Why?"
"Your Majesty, don't you think there's a problem with the officials they recommended?"
"What's the problem?"
"They all recommended scions of prominent families; not a single one came from a poor background!"
"From a poor family?"
Just as Li Shimin was wondering, Li Jue once again uttered a startling statement.
"May I ask Your Majesty, does the world now belong to the powerful clans or the Li family?"
"this……"
Li Shimin was completely dumbfounded by the question, and then he said angrily.
"Is that even a question? Of course, it belongs to our Li family!"
Li Jue snorted coldly upon hearing this.
"Then why are there three members of the Dou family among the thirty-odd people promoted this time?"
"The other official positions are all held by prominent families; there isn't a single person from a poor family among them?"
"this……"
Li Shimin was naturally aware of these problems, but he also had his own difficulties.
"Grandson, you don't understand. It's not that I'm unwilling to use officials from humble backgrounds, but rather that there aren't many capable officials from such backgrounds..."
Li Shimin had long wanted to break free from the constraints of aristocratic families, but unfortunately, these families had controlled the officialdom for hundreds of years, and their outstanding sons were numerous and far superior in both character and knowledge compared to those from humble backgrounds.
Moreover, many people from poor families commit crimes of embezzlement and corruption. Many who have been afraid of poverty will embezzle and extort bribes once they have power, and even create all kinds of exorbitant taxes to make things difficult for the people.
This has happened more than once, and it's giving him a real headache.
Li Shimin recounted the troubles he had faced in governing over the years to Li Jue, but even Li Jue was at a loss.
"Grandpa, children from poor families aren't that bad, are they?"
"well!"
"You're still young. You'll understand when you grow up!"
"People are like that. If they're just ordinary people, that's fine. But once they have a little power, they can squeeze oil out of even the smallest thing!"
"The officials recommended by the Ministry of Personnel this time have all been observed by me for many years. They are all top-notch in terms of character and ability. You should not dismiss them arbitrarily because of their background!"
"As for promoting people from poor families to official positions, this matter needs to be planned slowly and not rushed!"
Upon hearing this, Li Jue firmly shook his head.
"Grandpa, I disagree!"
"oh?"
Li Shimin looked at Li Jue with considerable surprise.
What are your thoughts?
"My grandson believes that no matter how many people from poor families are corrupt or lawless, we should not be prejudiced against them."
"Please imagine, sir, if you were from a poor family and served as an official in a court full of scions of powerful families, could you withstand their slander and probing?"
"For example, if I were from a prominent family, the first time I would give you money, the second time I would give you women, the third time I would give you fame, and the fourth time I would give you medicine to cure your parents' illnesses..."
"How many rounds do you think you can survive?"
"If powerful officials are prejudiced against those from poor families, and then they test, win over, and corrupt them at every turn, how many of them can withstand it?"
"Therefore, I believe that it is not that poor people do not want to be good officials, but that the current environment of the Tang Dynasty simply does not give them the opportunity to be good officials!"
"Furthermore... Your Majesty should consider why people from humble backgrounds would engage in corruption and bribery?"
"Are they inherently greedy, or are they influenced by their environment?"
"If the Tang Dynasty valued frugality from top to bottom, then even if they were greedy, they wouldn't be able to spend the money. If the Tang Dynasty valued extravagance, then the children of poor families would inevitably feel resentful seeing the lavish lifestyles of the children of noble families..."
"Therefore, the character of officials from humble backgrounds does not lie with them, but with His Majesty and the overall atmosphere of the court!"
"this……"
Li Shimin looked at Li Jue with a face full of surprise, and then shouted loudly to the corner to the side.
Write it down!
"These words will all be recorded in my daily records!"
"promise!"
"Sizi, Gaoyang, you two have seen this, haven't you? This is the eldest grandson of our Great Tang Dynasty, hahaha!"
Li Shimin excitedly kissed and hugged Li Jue.
"Good grandson!"
"I never imagined that you could come up with so much after just one day of reviewing files at the Ministry of Personnel!"
"Come, come, quickly bring up the bear paws that I prepared for my grandson!"
When Li Jue heard about "bear paws," both of his eyes lit up.
This is a wonderful thing! He had only heard about it in later generations and had never tasted it.
Before long, Zhang Anan came over with a steaming hot bear paw and placed it directly in front of Li Jue.
However, just as Li Jue was about to start, he happened to see the rope hanging on the roof beam.
"Grandpa, what's the rope for?"
Upon hearing this, Li Shimin angrily slammed his fist on the table.
"Who told you to hang the rope here? Take it down right now!"
"promise!"
While the eunuchs were frantically pulling the rope, Li Shimin rested his chin on his hand, watching Li Jue devour his food with a simple, honest smile.
At this moment, Li Shimin was overjoyed. He felt as if his ancestors had blessed him and that Heaven had opened its eyes to give him an exceptionally intelligent and politically astute grandson.
Relatively speaking, Li Jue replacing a few officials was hardly a big deal.
What Li Shimin cared about most was Li Jue's thoughts on Tang Dynasty officials, especially his words on behalf of those from humble backgrounds.
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