Chapter 178: Winning Shen Tingyun's Heart

"In principle, you've done well, and I have nothing more to say—we'll proceed as you've proposed. However, there is one matter I wish to raise: this arrangement seems somewhat muddled." Zhu Youxiao set down the booklet in his hands and looked toward Shen Tingyun as he spoke.

"Please enlighten us, Your Majesty." Shen Tingyun was taken aback, seemingly not having expected any flaw in his own design, and hastily asked with deference.

Zhu Youxiao waved his hand and said with a gentle smile, "I'm only offering some opinions—discuss them among yourselves. If you find them workable, then pass them; if not, we can deliberate further. After all, you all have far more experience than I do—I've never even left the palace."

This attitude was not deliberately put on by Zhu Youxiao; it was genuinely how he felt.

Moreover, this attitude of Zhu Youxiao's could also put Shen Tingyun and the others at ease, since some of the things he had done previously had indeed not been entirely aboveboard.

Zhu Youxiao might be able to harden his heart toward those ministers, but toward the people who worked for him, he had to be sincere.

Because only then would these people genuinely work for you—this was what was called winning people's hearts.

In Luo Guanzhong's novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, he portrayed Cao Cao as a crafty hero, but there was one thing he could never erase no matter how hard he tried—and that was Cao Cao's ability to win people's hearts.

Although Luo Guanzhong attributed Cao Cao's winning of hearts to mere scheming, even if it was scheming, it was highly skillful scheming.

Though winning hearts is a tactic, if the treatment you give them is genuine, then what difference does it make whether it's a tactic for winning hearts or sincere goodwill?

Just as there's a saying in later generations: if a person spends their entire life playing the good man, then they are a good man.

What Zhu Youxiao wanted Xu Guangqi and the others to see was this side of him—not the ruthless, power-manipulating emperor.

If Zhu Youxiao were a ruthless, power-manipulating emperor, then even if Xu Guangqi and the others were truly devoted to the state, they would not devote themselves to Zhu Youxiao as emperor.

This was not the situation Zhu Youxiao wanted to see, so at least when dealing with his own people, he had to show a completely different side.

This kind of operation was called "building a persona" in later generations—just like many celebrities, in the eyes of their fans, they are perfect, and no matter how much outsiders criticize or try to dissuade them, it's useless.

Zhu Youxiao wanted Xu Guangqi and the others to know that he was an emperor who had ascended the throne young, harbored ambitions to strengthen the state, was full of enthusiasm, willing to trust them, willing to give them power, willing to let them do their work, and knew how to delegate to the right people.

Although there were many areas he didn't understand, he was willing to listen to others' opinions.

Such a young Son of Heaven was exactly what the ministers earnestly hoped for. Even if he had some minor flaws, they would not be magnified without limit in their eyes.

The ministers would instead find excuses to exonerate this young Son of Heaven—not because they truly believed what he did was right, but because they needed such an emperor.

Some things everyone understood tacitly, but on the surface no one would expose them.

They needed an emperor like Zhu Youxiao to realize the aspirations in their hearts, and Zhu Youxiao needed these ministers to enrich the state, strengthen the military, and revive the Great Ming.

Everyone's goals and purposes were aligned, so both sides would maintain this situation.

Sure enough, after hearing Zhu Youxiao's words, a smile appeared on Shen Tingyun's face, and he quickly said, "We are unworthy of such praise from Your Majesty—we have merely been doing our duties with sincerity."

"Your loyalty, my dear minister, I naturally know well; your abilities, I also know well. That is why I feel at ease entrusting matters to you—go ahead and act freely. If anything comes up, you may come to me, and I will stand by you." Zhu Youxiao said with a look of utter sincerity.

At this moment, Zhu Youxiao needed to appropriately demonstrate his sense of responsibility.

Although if something truly went wrong, Xu Guangqi and the others would not let him take the fall—they would bear the blame internally among themselves.

But he still had to show this attitude; after they took the blame, he also had to tell them that he cherished them, that he knew what they had done, and that their willingness to take the blame would not deduct points in his eyes—rather, it would add points.

Because only with such an emperor would people genuinely be willing to lay down their lives for him.

In fact, whether they were wise rulers in history or fatuous rulers, everyone had their own thoughts—and ministers were the same.

The so-called harmony between ruler and minister was merely something both emperor and ministers hoped to achieve.

The emperor won fame, while the ministers accomplished what they wanted to accomplish and left their names in the annals of history.

A rather famous pair was Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, and Wei Zheng.

Originally, Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, wanted to form a pair of ruler and minister rarely seen in history with Wei Zheng—establishing himself as an emperor adept at accepting ministerial advice, with Wei Zheng as a remonstrating minister.

Originally all of this was going well, until Wei Zheng pulled that stunt after his death, which was why Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, was so angry.

"Your servant thanks Your Majesty." After hearing Zhu Youxiao's words, Shen Tingyun quickly rose to his feet, lifted his robes, and respectfully kowtowed to Zhu Youxiao.

At that moment, Shen Tingyun truly felt in his heart that he was very willing to serve the emperor before him.

Because no matter what the Emperor's intentions were, once he said something, he would definitely follow through.

He didn't have to worry about being sold out by His Majesty—that was the thing ministers wanted most—and at the same time he was given a stage to display his talents and fulfill his aspirations. For Shen Tingyun, this made him a wise ruler.

"My dear minister, please rise quickly. Chen Hong, help Minister Shen up at once." Zhu Youxiao said with immediate solicitude: "You have been busy and worried over this matter these past days—I am deeply concerned for you, so please don't stand on ceremony."

"Chen Hong, prepare some tonics later, and personally deliver them to Minister Shen's residence with your men. Instruct the people in his household to take good care of Minister Shen, and tell them these are my orders." Zhu Youxiao then turned to Chen Hong beside him and said.

Chen Hong hastily replied with deference, "Yes, Your Majesty."

Zhu Youxiao's approach here served two purposes: on one hand, it showed concern for Shen Tingyun; on the other, it was backing him up—equivalent to announcing to the outside world, "I am very satisfied with this Shen Tingyun, so if you intend to do anything to him, you had better think carefully."

"Your servant thanks Your Majesty." Shen Tingyun bowed once more.

At this moment, Shen Tingyun's mood was truly excellent—all the toil and bustle of these days had finally found some consolation, and everything he had done was worthwhile.

Zhu Youxiao smiled and nodded.

This kind of thing was actually very common in later generations—when you've been working overtime day and night, and you report the results of your overtime work to your boss, and your boss is very satisfied with your results and gives you a reward, how do you feel?

You would feel that your efforts were worthwhile.

But if your boss—not that he's dissatisfied, just that he doesn't seem to care much—then you would feel very uncomfortable inside, because this was the fruit of your labor through entire days and nights.

Seeing that Shen Tingyun was about in the right state, Zhu Youxiao spoke up: "Minister Shen, I feel that placing all the students together for instruction seems somewhat inappropriate. In their first year of enrollment, they can be taught according to your method, but after they finish the foundational material in the second year, they should be allowed to choose subjects that interest them."

Thereupon Zhu Youxiao explained to Shen Tingyun how to divide instruction by discipline.

Any student who passed their examinations in the first academic year could choose the specialty they wished to pursue—for example, focusing on mathematics and calculation, focusing on engineering, focusing on law, or focusing on military affairs.

In plain terms, Zhu Youxiao was cultivating professionals—that is, technical bureaucrats.

Seeing Shen Tingyun lost in thought without speaking, Zhu Youxiao continued: "The Great Ming is divided into six ministries—Personnel, Revenue, Rites, War, Justice, and Works—and local offices likewise follow the central system and are divided into the Six Offices of Scrutiny. Each department requires different kinds of talent."

"My idea is that after they have studied the way of the sages and learned the principles of loyalty to the sovereign and love for the state, they can then study some specialized skills accordingly, which will facilitate their future entry into officialdom. What do you think, my dear minister?"

In truth, Zhu Youxiao had also buried a trap within this—namely, the so-called military affairs.

Once military affairs were separated out as its own discipline, a batch of professional military officers would be cultivated—this would be the precursor to a military academy. In time, a group of officers graduating from military academies would appear in the armed forces.

There would also be officials who came out of the academy, and once they entered officialdom, they would naturally band together and oppose officials who did not come from the academy.

Zhu Youxiao very much looked forward to seeing that day.

Additionally, Zhu Youxiao had another idea—namely, that once this academy was established, it would inevitably need to be split apart in the future, dividing it into many separate schools.

Just like how universities were split apart, it would then be possible to establish a great many specialized institutions.

As Shen Tingyun listened to Zhu Youxiao's words, his eyes grew brighter and brighter. He had done many things in the localities, and had once served as an official, so he knew very well what local officials were really like.

Many officials understood nothing at all. Aside from quoting the classics and showing off their book learning, they could do nothing — everything was handed off to their subordinates.

Those in charge of criminal matters had their criminal-law secretaries; those in charge of finances had their fiscal secretaries. Everything was left entirely to the secretaries, entirely to the underlings.

Such officials were, in truth, nothing but mediocre and incompetent fools.

If things could truly be done as Your Majesty said, that would be wonderful indeed. When that time came, the officials who emerged from the Academy would all be highly professional.

In that way, the Six Ministries and the Grand Secretariat would handle their affairs with ease, and need not fear being deceived by those beneath them. This was a good thing.

At this thought, Shen Tingyun hurriedly rose to his feet and said: "Your Majesty is wise and brilliant. This idea is truly excellent. With this in mind, your servant must also revise what comes afterward. Your servant will return at once and produce a complete proposal as soon as possible."

Watching the excited Shen Tingyun, Zhu Youxiao's face sank, and he said in a stern tone: "Shen Aiqing, are you taking My words as wind passing by your ears?"

Shen Tingyun was taken aback, not understanding why His Majesty would speak to him in such a manner.

"I told you to go back and rest properly. Once you return, do nothing at all — focus on recuperating your health. The matter is important, but Aiqing's health is just as important. In My eyes, Aiqing matters more than the matter itself." Zhu Youxiao continued, his expression grave.

Hearing Zhu Youxiao's words, Shen Tingyun was deeply moved and quickly said: "Your Majesty, your servant..."

Before Shen Tingyun could finish, Zhu Youxiao cut him off, his expression softening considerably as he said: "Shen Aiqing, this realm is vast and there are countless affairs to handle. There will be many places where I rely on Aiqing. I will not let Aiqing's health break down over a single matter. There is no room for discussion on this."

"This matter may be important, but if I lose Aiqing, who would I have to carry it out?"

Hearing Zhu Youxiao's words, Shen Tingyun's eyes reddened slightly. He hurriedly knelt to the ground and said: "Your Majesty treats your servant thus — your servant could die ten thousand deaths and still not repay it!"

This time, Zhu Youxiao walked down from the dragon throne himself, came before Shen Tingyun, reached out and helped him to his feet, then said: "Aiqing, though I am young, I know that while this realm is My realm, I cannot possibly handle everything personally. I alone cannot govern this realm well. Reviving the Great Ming depends on upright ministers like Aiqing."

"If I wish to accomplish a great enterprise, I cannot do it without you all."

"I look forward to the day when there is no more warfare in Liaodong."

"When the barbarians of the northern steppe dare not raid our borders."

"When the southern and southwestern savages are all pacified."

"When the people of the realm live in peace and prosperity, when there is no factional strife at court, and the Great Ming enjoys a resplendent golden age!"

"I hope Aiqing will join Me in this endeavor, and I also hope that when the day of success arrives, Aiqing will still be standing in the court. At that time, both Aiqing and I will leave our names in history!"

After finishing his show of concern, Zhu Youxiao painted another grand picture.

Actually, it wasn't quite painting a grand picture — it was simply telling his subordinate ministers how he would act, how they should act, and that once the matter succeeded, he would not treat them poorly.

Listening to Zhu Youxiao's words, Shen Tingyun said with some excitement: "Rest assured, Your Majesty. Your servant will devote himself utterly!"

"Though Aiqing says so, I am still not at ease." At this point, Zhu Youxiao laughed himself, then beckoned to Chen Hong and said: "Pick two sensible ones from the palace to accompany Shen Aiqing back to his home, and have them attend to Shen Aiqing properly. If anything happens to Aiqing's health, I will hold them accountable."

"Be careful in your selection — don't send anyone who will throw their weight around at Shen Aiqing's residence. Tell them they are going there to serve. If I learn that they have been causing trouble, I will make their lives a living hell."

Chen Hong hurriedly replied: "Yes, Your Majesty."

Shen Tingyun, meanwhile, was incredulous and quickly waved his hands, saying: "Your Majesty, this... it's not appropriate, this..."

"Aiqing, don't refuse. As long as Aiqing stays healthy and handles the affairs I've assigned, I'm the one coming out ahead. Go back and rest for a few days, then get the matter done. I await Aiqing's good news." Zhu Youxiao said with a smile.

Since he could not decline, Shen Tingyun had no choice but to accept. He bowed and said: "Your servant thanks Your Majesty."

"Alright, go back and rest in peace. I await the day Aiqing returns." Zhu Youxiao said in a relaxed tone, then turned and walked back, waving his hand to signal Shen Tingyun to withdraw.

"Then your servant takes his leave." After saying this, Shen Tingyun stood quietly.

Seeing His Majesty wave his hand, Shen Tingyun turned and walked out, his steps noticeably lighter.

Clearly, he himself had never expected this visit to the palace to turn out this way.