Chapter 376: Lord Wei, the Capable Take on Many Tasks

When Chen Yan suddenly spoke up, everyone except Yan Shigu, including Li Shimin, was surprised.

Because Chen Yan had experienced such scenes many times and was quite familiar with them, but previously he hardly spoke unless someone asked him.

Most of the time, Chen Yan basically listened silently from the side.

Today, he unusually took the initiative to speak.

"Zi An, do you have a suitable candidate in mind?"

Li Shimin asked directly.

"Yes!" Chen Yan said frankly: "Just as Lord Du said, the newspaper is of great importance, and its content will be even more critical from now on. The person in charge of the newspaper must first have a hard character, a bone that cannot be cracked or bent!"

"Otherwise, if selfish motives are present, the newspaper's content will be biased, and the consequences are unpredictable."

Everyone nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

Li Shimin gave him an encouraging look, signaling him to continue.

Chen Yan cleared his throat, stood up, "First, this person must be upright and uncompromising, not corrupted by wealth, not yielding to power."

"Second, this person must dare to speak frankly, not only obeying superiors but adhering to truth, able to write newspaper content from a just perspective."

"Third, this person must possess sufficient knowledge and insight, able to clearly and concisely explain and analyze His Majesty's policies..."

Chen Yan kept talking nonstop, and the ministers initially nodded vigorously, all thinking Chen Yan's words were reasonable.

However, the further they listened, the more everyone felt the person Chen Yan described seemed familiar.

Inside the hall, not only the ministers but even Li Shimin occasionally glanced at the upright‑seated Wei Zheng.

Wei Zheng's temples throbbed, and even he felt Chen Yan seemed to be talking about him.

Facing the occasional glances from everyone, his expression almost cracked.

"I believe the one who meets the above requirements is Wei Zheng, Lord Wei!" In the end, Chen Yan gave the answer everyone had guessed.

Li Shimin, Yan Shigu, Du Ruhui... fell silent, all pondering Chen Yan's words and whether Wei Zheng was suitable.

The hall fell quiet at once.

Fang Xuanling thought for a moment, shook his head, "His Majesty, I think this is improper. Lord Wei is the Secretariat Director, overseeing an entire province; if we transfer Lord Wei to be in charge of the newspaper, what will become of the Secretariat?"

Li Shimin slightly frowned upon hearing this, feeling a bit uneasy.

Reassigning official posts is no small matter, especially for a third‑rank official like Wei Zheng; such moves must be handled with utmost caution.

There are too many factors to consider; it cannot be decided in a short time.

But he also thought Chen Yan was right; Wei Zheng, that fearless Country Squire, is indeed a very suitable candidate.

"Lord Wei, what do you think?"

After a while with no good solution, Li Shimin simply threw the question to the principal.

Wei Zheng remained silent for two breaths, then clasped his hands and said, "I will follow His Majesty's arrangement; whether as Secretariat Director or in charge of the newspaper, I have no objections."

When he said that, not only Li Shimin but almost everyone was speechless.

What difference does saying it make compared to not saying it?

Wei Zheng naturally noticed everyone's expressions, but that was exactly his thought: whether he remains Secretariat Director or manages the newspaper, either way he loses nothing.

So he only needs to follow Li Shimin's arrangement.

Fang Xuanling gave Du Ruhui a look and spoke again, "His Majesty, I have a proposal, may I present it?"

Li Shimin extended his hand, "Lord Fang, speak plainly."

While Du Ruhui was a bit puzzled by his old friend's meaning, Fang Xuanling began to speak at length, "What Marquis of Weinan said earlier is indeed reasonable; I am not opposed to the Marquis's proposal. On the contrary, I also think Lord Wei is an extremely suitable candidate."

"However, Lord Wei holds a key post, making it hard to move him; once this gets tangled, we might get no result for ten days or half a month."

"With that much time, the newspaper will probably still be published."

"Therefore, I thought of the Marquis of Weinan again; I heard he built a library in Weinan County, called the Weinan Book Sea, attracting countless scholars daily..."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yan instantly had a bad premonition.

But Li Shimin and Du Ruhui's eyes lit up, almost guessing Fang Xuanling's meaning.

The Secretariat Director is mainly responsible for overseeing the nation's books, historical records, archives, and compiling the national history!

Since that's the case, why not let Chen Yan, the one who opened a library, replace Wei Zheng?

Wouldn't that be perfectly suitable?

If they could guess, what couldn't Chen Yan guess?

He could no longer sit still, cleared his throat, "Weinan County concerns many of our future plans; many policies must be piloted in Weinan County..."

That single sentence instantly enlightened Li Shimin and the others, their faces showing a hint of disappointment.

Fang Xuanling pressed on, "Then does the Marquis of Weinan have any other good solutions?"

"Yes!" Chen Yan nodded heavily.

At a time like this, even if there is none, one must have one; otherwise one would become a beast of burden.

"Lord Wei is erudite and talented; who among the civil and military officials does not praise him?"

Chen Yan said righteously: "Zhuangzi once said: the capable bear many labors, and a pillar of the state like Lord Wei, being tasked only with a Secretariat, would be a case of great talent underused."

"As the saying goes, the greater the ability, the greater the responsibility, and Lord Wei's capability clearly exceeds that of a Secretariat; his duties are handled meticulously."

"And what about controlling the newspaper's content as well?"

"Moreover, I think placing the newspaper within the Secretariat is very appropriate; the two are fundamentally aligned, sharing the same source and flow, bloodline connected."

Wei Zheng's forehead already showed a few dark lines, but as Chen Yan praised himself, he said little more.

Chen Yan's small mouth kept chattering, "We, as court officials, must step forward when His Majesty or the people need us."

"At present, Lord Wei is the most suitable candidate; I believe all of you think the same. Therefore, I also trust that, given Lord Wei's character, he will certainly not refuse this matter!"

"I believe you m."

Wei Zheng cursed inwardly, "This kid is putting a high hat on himself."

You've already said it to this damn extent, how could I possibly refuse?

Li Shimin couldn't help but grin and said, "Wei Zheng, what do you think?"

Wei Zheng's forehead showed two blue veins, he took a deep breath, and said word for word, "I, your servant, will follow His Majesty's arrangement!"

"Alright, then it's decided happily like this!" Li Shimin immediately gave his final approval.

"Next, let's talk about this year's Imperial Examination..."

Below, Fang Xuanling felt rather regretful, having thought he could bring Chen Yan back into the Court.

Did not expect this kid to be so eloquent.

Du Ruhui, however, had a different view from Fang Xuanling.

At present, Weinan County is indeed too important; the several policies set this year must be piloted in Weinan County, and it would be impossible without someone in control.

And who could be more suitable than Chen Yan, who proposed these policies?

Moreover, Chen Yan won't stay in Weinan County for many years, so there's no need to rush.

"......"