Volume 3·On Selection of Officials

In the first year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong said to Fang Xuanling and others: "The foundation of governance lies in trial. Appoint officials according to their talents, and serve as provincial officials." Therefore, "The Book" says: "Only talents are needed to appoint officials." It also says: "Officials are not necessary, only the people." If you get the good ones, even if they are few, they will be ridiculed. The ancients also said. It is better to use an official to make cakes than to eat them. "Poetry" said: "There are many people who can't use them." And Confucius said: "If you don't take care of official affairs, how can you be frugal?" "The skin of a thousand sheep is not as good as the armpit of a fox." This is all stated in the classics, and there is no way to explain it. Officials should be replaced and assigned to their respective duties. You should think carefully about this principle and make a decision. "Common official position." Xuan Ling and others were appointed to the civil and military general office of 640 people. Taizong followed this and said to Xuan Ling: "From now on, if there are any musicians or miscellaneous craftsmen whose skills exceed those of their peers, they can only be given money and silk to reward their abilities. They must not be given an official title to be on par with the virtuous gentlemen of the husband's dynasty." They stood up, sat down together and ate, and wore all their clothes and hats as if they were tired of shame."

In the second year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong said to Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui: "You are a servant, and you should help me to worry about my work, and broaden my ears and eyes. I have been asking for help from the ministers, and I have been waiting for the resignation of several hundred people every day. I have no time to read the talismans, how can you help me to seek for the sages?" Because the edict was sent to the minister, all the trivial matters were paid to the left and right ministers, but the injustice was delayed for major matters. Hear the players together, about Pu She.

In the second year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong said to his ministers: "I think about the affairs of the people every night, and may not sleep until midnight. I am afraid that the governor and governor will not be able to support the people. Therefore, I record their names on the screen. I sit and lie down constantly to see if there are any good deeds in the official position, they will also be listed under my name. "

In the second year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong said to his right servant She Feng Deyi: "The only way to achieve peace is to win people. I have never recommended you to the world. It's appropriate to share my worries and labors, but you won't say anything. I will send you safely?" He said to me, "I am so stupid, how dare I not do my best, but I have never seen any extraordinary talents." Taizong said, "In the past, the Ming Dynasty kings treated people like weapons. Recruit talents from the time, and don't borrow talents from another generation. How can you wait for Meng Fu to say, meet Lu Shang, and then become a politician? How can there be no talented people in this generation, but they have inherited the talent and don't know their ears!" Deyi retreated in shame.

In the third year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong said to Du Ruhui, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, "I have seen that the Ministry of Personnel selects people based on their words, swords and pens, without paying attention to their scenery and deeds. A few years later, bad deeds began to become apparent. How can we get good people after being punished and killed, and the people have already suffered the consequences?" Ruhui replied: "In the two Han Dynasties, people were taken from the countryside, and the prefectures and counties paid tribute to them, so they were called Duoshi at that time. The anthology was presented to thousands of people with superficial pretexts and unintelligible words. The officers were only selected according to their rank and rank, but the principles of quanjian were not refined, so they could not recruit talents. "Taizong decided to establish the state in accordance with the laws of the Han Dynasty. After summoning and meeting the heroes and other generals, they stopped.

In the sixth year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong said to Wei Zheng: "The ancients said that a king must choose people for officials, and he cannot make mistakes and use them immediately. If I do something now, it will be seen by the world; if I say something, it will be seen by the world. The world has heard that if you use a righteous person, you will be encouraged to do good; if you misuse an evil person, you will be rewarded for your hard work, and those who have done nothing will be punished. Therefore, you should not be afraid of rewards and punishments. People must be chosen carefully." Zheng Dui said: "It has been difficult to know people's affairs since ancient times, so it is necessary to evaluate their performance and observe their good and evil. If you want to recruit people, you must examine their behavior and then use them. This person cannot help, but his talents are not enough, and he does not do great harm. He misuses evil people and uses force to do a lot of harm. But in troubled times, he only seeks his talents and ignores his actions. In the eleventh year of Zhenguan, the imperial censor Ma Zhoushu said: "Those who govern the world should put people first and want to make the people happy, but the governor and county magistrates cannot do it." All are virtuous. If each state has a good governor, it will be harmonious and the governors of the world will be praised as holy. Then your majesty can stand on the rock corridor and the people will not worry about it. Since ancient times, county governors and county magistrates have all chosen virtuous people. If you want to be promoted to a general or prime minister, you must first try to recruit someone, or be a prime minister, a situ, or a lieutenant from two thousand stones. The court must not only focus on internal ministers, but ignore the selection of external governors and county magistrates. The reason for the lack of peace is probably because of this. "Taizong said to his ministers: "I will choose the governor myself; the county magistrate has ordered that the top five officials in the capital should be selected."

In the eleventh year of Zhenguan's rule, Liu Jie, the Censor of the Censor, thought that the left and right prime ministers should be streamlined. He wrote: "I heard that the secrets of the ministers are actually the basis of politics. It is difficult to find this choice and appoint them sincerely. Therefore, the eight seats are compared with Wenchang, and the two prime ministers are When I was in charge, I came to Cao Lang and was appointed to the post. I was not qualified for my position and was ridiculed. I saw that the recent edict of Shangshu was suspended. The writing was stagnant and the officials were mediocre. Please explain the origin of Zhenguan. At the beginning, there were no orders or servants, and the affairs were complicated and complicated, which was much more complicated than it is now. However, the left prime minister, Dai Zhou, and the right prime minister, Wei Zheng, together with Xiaoda officials, were upright and straightforward, and they did not avoid anything. If you are kind, you will naturally be restrained. The reason for this is that Du Zhenglun was appointed as the right prime minister, and he was very strict. If you are in the official residence and do not follow justice, you will be afraid of being slandered first, so you can only consult with the doctor. , There is no limit to the time of departure, and there is no delay in coming. Once the action is taken, it will be done for a long time, or it will be done to avoid suspicion and to suppress the matter. Being secluded is a matter of serving the public, no matter whether it is appropriate or not, the only thing is to tolerate each other and close the gaps.

Moreover, when selecting people to bestow talents, it is not appropriate to select people who are not talented. How can we rashly add them to the generation of heavenly workers? As for Yi Qi Yuanxun, it is better to give priority to his etiquette and rank. If he is old or old, or he is ill and mentally weak, it will not be beneficial to the time. Leave it to leisure. It is extremely unacceptable to hinder the path of virtue for a long time. To save this shortcoming, it is advisable to streamline the ministers' left and right ministers and left and right doctors. If you get someone together, you will naturally be prepared for the system, and you should correct the competition, but it will only stop the stagnation!" After sparse memorials, Jie was found to be the minister Zuocheng.

In the thirteenth year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong He said to the courtier: "I heard that after peace there will be great chaos, and after great chaos there will be peace. After the chaos, there is peace. The only way to bring peace to the world is to use talented people. The public does not know the wise, and I cannot know them all. Day after day, I have no reason to win over others. Now if you want to ask people to help themselves, what will happen?" Wei Zheng replied: "He who knows others is wise, and he who knows himself is wise. It is difficult to know others, but it is also difficult to know oneself sincerely. Moreover, stupid and dark people are all cautious and can defeat good people. They are afraid of the wind of competition, so they should not be allowed to lift themselves up. "

In the 14th year of Zhenguan, he went to Wei Zheng and said:

I heard that knowing an minister is like a king, and knowing a son is like a father. If a father cannot know his son, he cannot harmonize the family; the king If you can't know your ministers, you can't unite all the countries. If one person is happy in Xianning, he must be loyal and good. According to the previous article, Xian knew people and became wise, many scholars prospered in the dynasty, Yuan and Kaiyi made great achievements, and Zhou and Zhaoguang were so beautiful. However, the four mountains, the nine officials, the five ministers, and the ten chaos were not just born in the past dynasty. , but it is unique to today? It depends on whether to seek or not to seek, whether it is good or not! How to say it? A beautiful jade pearl, a green rhinoceros, a horse from Dayuan, a mastiff traveling to the west, maybe they are not enough, or maybe they are not enough. What's the point of being ruthless, born in the wilderness, traveling thousands of miles away, paying tribute again and again, and the road is endless? It's because of the good things about China that those who serve as officials cherish the glory of the emperor and eat the emperor's salary. , lead them with righteousness, where will they go? I think that if they are filial, they can be like Zeng Shen and Ziqian; if they are loyal, they can be like Long Pang and Bi Qian; if they are loyal, they can be like Long Pang and Bi Qian. If it is trustworthy, it can be compared to Wei Sheng and Zhan Qi; if it is honest, it can be compared to Boyi and Shuqi.

However, today's ministers are rarely able to be pure and outstanding. , This is because they are not eager to pursue and are not diligent in their efforts. If they are loyal to the public and have great ambitions, everyone has their own duties and can follow their own path. If you are noble, look at what you do, and if you are rich, look at what you have raised. If you live well, look at what you like, if you are accustomed, look at what you say, if you are poor, look at what you don't like, and if you are humble, look at what you don't do; take it based on its talent, judge its ability and assign it, use its strengths, cover up The shortcoming is: to advance with the six righteousnesses and to warn against the six evils, it is not strict but self-motivating, and it is self-encouraging without admonishment. Therefore, "Shuo Yuan" says: "There are six righteousnesses and six evils in the behavior of people and ministers. If you practice the six righteousnesses, you will be honored; if you commit the six evils, you will be disgraced. What are the Six Righteousnesses? One is that the bud has not yet moved, the signs have not been seen, the opportunity of survival and failure, the key to gain and loss are clearly seen, and the key to gain and loss is forewarned before it happens, so that the Lord can transcend and stand in the place of glory. Such a person is also a holy minister. The second is to be humble and dedicated, to advance on the good path day by day, to encourage the master to use propriety and justice, to tell the master to use long-term strategies, to comply with the good, and to save the bad. Such a person is a good minister. The third is to work hard and sleep late at night, to work tirelessly to improve talents, to refer to the actions of the past, and to make strong decisions. Those who are like this are loyal ministers. The fourth is to clearly observe the success or failure, prevent and save it early, block it, cut off its source, turn disaster into blessing, so that the king will be worry-free in the end. Such a person is also a wise minister. The fifth is to abide by the law and obey the law, hold official positions, accept no gifts or legacies, give up salary in favor of gifts, and be frugal in food and drink. Such a person is a loyal minister. Sixth: The family and the country are in chaos, and their behavior is not flattering. They dare to offend the master's stern appearance and accuse the master of his faults. Such a person is a straight minister. This is called six righteousness. What are the six evils? The first one is that officials are greedy for salary, do not do official business, drift in the world, and look around. Such people are just ministers. The second one is that everything the master says is good, everything the master does is acceptable, and you hide and seek the master's favor. If you go in as you please, in order to please the master's ears and eyes, secretly get along with the master, and enjoy yourself with the master, regardless of the subsequent harm, this is also flattering the minister. The third is that the inner reality is dangerous, the appearance is small and careful, the words are clever, the person is jealous of the good, and if he wants to advance, he will reveal his beauty and hide his evil. No, such a person is a treacherous minister. Fourthly, wisdom is enough to cover up wrongdoing, and argumentation is enough to make a good argument. Internally, one is separated from the kinship of flesh and blood, and externally, it creates chaos in the court. Such a person is also a slanderer. Fifth, those who are monopolistic and preoccupied with power, who put the light before the important, who form private factions to enrich their families, who are good at manipulating the master's orders, who are self-exalted and show off, are also traitors to ministers. Sixth: To flatter the lord with evil deeds, trap the lord in unrighteousness, and use cliques to hide the lord's knowledge, making white and black indistinguishable, right from wrong, causing the lord's evil to spread throughout the territory and spread to all the neighbors. Such people are also the ministers of the subjugation of the country. . It is called six evils. A virtuous minister follows the Six Right Ways and does not practice the Six Evil Techniques, so he maintains peace at the top and governs at the bottom. When you are alive, you will see happiness, and when you are dead, you will see thoughts. This is the art of being a minister. "The Book of Rites" says: "Weigh the truth and do not deceive the importance." Shengmo is sincere and can't be deceived. The rules are true and should not be bullied. When a gentleman examines etiquette, he must not falsely accuse him of treachery. "However, it is not difficult to know that the minister's feelings are false. We also set up etiquette to treat him, and enforce the law to control him. Those who do good are rewarded, and those who do evil are punished. How dare you not reach it? How dare you not try your best?

The country wants to be loyal and honest, but has retreated unkindly. For more than ten years, it has only heard his words but not seen his people. Why? What he says is right, but what he says is wrong is contrary to justice. If you do wrong, you will be involved in evil ways. Right and wrong are in conflict, and likes and dislikes are at odds with each other. Even if the person you love is guilty, you will not be punished. Although the person you do evil is innocent, you will not be exempted from punishment. This is what is called love and desire for death. . Or you may neglect your great deeds due to small evils, or you may forget your great deeds because of your small faults. This is why the king's rewards should not be sought without merit, and the king's punishments should not be used to encourage good deeds, and punishments should not be used to punish evil. Is it possible to achieve evil and righteousness without leaving any confusion? If rewards do not leave out alienation, punishments do not respect relatives and nobles, justice is the rule, benevolence and righteousness are the criterion, examination of things is to correct their names, and names are followed to seek truth, then evil and righteousness will not be hidden. Good and evil separate themselves.

Then take the truth, don't emphasize its beauty, focus on its thickness, don't focus on its thinness, then it will be transformed without words, and you can know it after a period of time. If one only loves beauty and brocade but does not choose officials for the people, he talks about being impartial but does not realize it, he loves but does not know the evil, he hates and then forgets the good, he pursues personal interests and approaches evil and sycophants, and betrays justice and distances himself from the loyal and good. Then even if you work hard and think hard all day and night, you will still be able to find the right truth, but you will not be able to get it.

The book memorial is very appreciated.

In the 21st year of Zhenguan, Taizong conferred the title of Minister of the Household Department to Si Nongqing Li Wei in Cuiwei Palace. Fang Xuanling stayed in the capital at that time. There were people coming from the capital, and Taizong asked: "Xuanling heard that Li Wei paid homage to the minister, what do you think?" He replied: "But it is said that Li Wei has a great mustache, and he has no other words." Therefore, he was awarded the title of governor of Luozhou. . Translation

In the first year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty said to Fang Xuanling and others: "The foundation of governing the country is prudence. To award official positions according to a person's ability, the number of officials must be reduced. Therefore, "Shang Shu" It says: "Only virtuous and talented people are selected as officials." At the same time, "Shangshu" also says: "It's not about having too many officials, it's about using them properly." If good officials are appointed, the world can be governed even if the number is small. What's the use of having more people if you don't have good officials? The ancients said that choosing officials without talent is like drawing cakes on the ground but not enough to satisfy hunger. Confucius said: "If officials don't handle government affairs, how can officials be streamlined?" Confucius also said: "The skin of a thousand sheep is not as good as the hair of a fox." These wise sayings have been recorded in history. , countless. Now you should review the officials so that they can all play their respective roles. Then the country can be ruled by inaction. You should carefully consider this issue and determine the number of officials." Fang Xuanling and others then drew up the list of civil and military officials. There were six hundred and forty people. Tang Taizong accepted this amount and said to Fang Xuanling: "From now on, if anyone has skills in music, acrobatics, etc. that exceed the average person, they can only be rewarded with money, silk and silk." , we must not reward them excessively and grant them official positions so that they can stand side by side and eat at the same table as the leading talents of the court, making the gentlemen and officials feel ashamed."

In the second year of Zhenguan, Tang Dynasty. Taizong said to Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui: "As servants, you should help me solve my problems, open your eyes and ears, and seek out talented people. I heard that you have to deal with hundreds of lawsuits every day, so it is too late to read official documents all day long. How can you help me find talented people?" So Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty ordered Shangshu Sheng to hand over trivial matters to the left and right ministers. Only major matters such as unjust cases that were delayed and should be reported to the emperor were handed over to Pu She.

In the second year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty said to the ministers accompanying him: "I always think about civil affairs every night. Sometimes I can't sleep until midnight because I worry about whether the governor and the governor can appease the people. So in Write down their names on the screen, and you can read it when you are sitting or lying down. If they have done good things during their tenure, they will also be recorded in their names. I live in a deep palace and cannot see or hear far away. They rely on governors and governors. These local governors are really related to the peace and turmoil of the country, and it is especially necessary to choose capable people."

In the second year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty granted the title of De to his right servant. Yi said: "The foundation of peace in the world lies in the acquisition of suitable talents. Recently I have asked you to recommend talents to me, but I have not seen you take any action. Things in the world are so heavy. You should share my worries with me. You do not recommend talents to me." Talent, then who can I ask?" Feng Deyi replied: "Although I am not talented, how dare I not try my best? But now I have not found any outstanding talents." Tang Taizong said: "In the past, the sages were wise. The monarch is very good at using talents. He selects outstanding talents from many talents and reuses them. He does not blindly rely on the old and young of the previous dynasty. How is it like the king of the Shang Dynasty, Wu Ding, who saw his future prime minister in a dream and said that King Wen of Zhou had a divination. How can he find Jiang Taigong who will assist him and then start to govern the country? Besides, which dynasty does not have talented people, I am afraid they have been missed and not discovered." After hearing this, Feng Deyi retreated in shame.

In the third year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty said to Du Ruhui, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel: "I found that when the Ministry of Personnel selects officials, they only look at their outstanding literary talents, not their moral character. A few years later, these people's Their bad deeds were gradually exposed, and although they were punished, they had already caused harm to the people. So, how can we select excellent officials?" Du Ruhui said: "The officials selected in the Western Han and Eastern Han Dynasties were famous for their virtues in the countryside and became famous in the countryside. They are role models for everyone, and then they are recommended by the states and counties before being appointed. Therefore, the two Han Dynasties are famous for selecting outstanding talents. Nowadays, thousands of talents are selected every year. It is possible to understand them comprehensively. The Ministry of Civil Affairs can only grant them grades and positions. The rules and regulations for selecting and replacing officials are not perfect, so they cannot obtain real talents." Taizong then planned to change the officials according to the laws of the Han Dynasty. The various states and counties recommended talents, but this was stopped because the meritorious officials and others would implement the hereditary ennoblement system.

In the sixth year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty said to Wei Zheng: "The ancients said that the monarch must choose the right person according to the official position and cannot appoint him rashly. If I do something now, everyone in the world will see it; If you say a word, it will be heard by everyone in the world. If you appoint an upright person, those who do good things will be encouraged; if you use a bad person wrongly, those who do not do good things will rush to seek profit.

If the reward is proportional to the merit, those without merit will automatically retreat; if the punishment is proportional to the crime, the bad guys will be wary. It can be seen from this that rewards and punishments must not be used lightly, and employees need to be chosen carefully. Wei Zheng replied: "It has been difficult to know people well and assign them well since ancient times. Therefore, when evaluating performance and deciding whether to demote or promote, one must observe his good and evil qualities." Nowadays, if you want to find talents, you must carefully examine his character. If you know it is really good, then you can appoint it. If this person doesn't know how to do things and is just not talented enough, there is no big harm. If a bad person is misused, if he is capable and able to do things, the harm will be too much. But in troubled times, just be talented and don't care about your character. In times of peace, only talents and good conduct can be used. "

In the eleventh year of Zhenguan, the imperial censor Ma Zhou Shangshu said: "Talent is the foundation for good governance of the world. If the people want to live and work in peace and contentment, the key is to choose the governor and county magistrate well. There are so many county magistrates, and they cannot all be talented. If every state can have a good governor, then the entire state can be stable and prosperous. If all the governors in the state are in line with the emperor's wishes, then your majesty can sit back and relax, and the people will not have to worry about being unable to live and work in peace and contentment. Since ancient times, county governors and county magistrates have carefully selected people with both ability and political integrity. Those who intend to be promoted to generals or prime ministers must first serve as local officials for a period of time for inspection. Some are promoted from county and state officials to prime ministers, Situ or Taiwei. The court must not only pay attention to the selection of ministers around the emperor, but ignore the selection of major officials at the state and county levels. The people's inability to live and work in peace and contentment may be related to this. So Taizong said to his ministers: "I will personally select the governor, and the county magistrate will be recommended by officials of the fifth rank or above in Beijing." ”

In the eleventh year of Zhenguan, Liu Jie, the censor of the government, believed that the candidates for Shangshu Zuo and Youcheng should be carefully selected. Shangshu said: “I know that Shangshu is responsible for everything and is the center of governance. Here The selection and appointment of personnel is indeed not simple. Therefore, the left and right pushe and the six ministers are like the stars in the Wenchang Palace in the sky. The left and right ministers are like the locks and chariots. These officials, down to Cao Lang, also correspond to the stars in the sky. If they are not competent, they will be Losing the position will cause ridicule. I have seen recently that the Ministry of Secretariat received edicts but failed to implement them quickly, and documents and files were piled up and not dealt with in a timely manner. Although I am incompetent, please let me explain the origin of this phenomenon. In the early years of Zhenguan, there were no ministers or left-and-right servants appointed. At that time, the official affairs of the Ministry of Finance were many times more complicated than today. Dai Zhou, the left prime minister, and Wei Zheng, the right prime minister, were both skillful, fair and upright, and they would blame them if there was any problem. , never avoid it. Your Majesty trusts and cares for them, so he can naturally clean up the rules and regulations. The reason why various departments dare not slack off is because they appoint people appropriately. When Du Zhenglun succeeded You Cheng, he was able to impose strict requirements on his subordinates. The recent lack of discipline is due to the fact that old relatives of Xun have occupied positions. They are not qualified for the job, and they rely on their merits and influence to compete with each other. Other bureaucrats cannot do things impartially. Even if they want to cheer up, they will first shrink from the fear of quarrels and slander. Therefore, general affairs are decided by the doctor, and when encountering difficulties, they always seek instructions from the superiors; the minister is also ambiguous and unable to make decisions. Some cases of picketing and impeachment should be reported, but they are also deliberately delayed. Although the matter has been made clear, he still cross-examines his subordinates. There is no time limit for sending out official documents, and there is no criticism when a reply comes late. Once a matter is assigned, it drags on for months and years. Some only cater to the will of the superiors without considering whether it is consistent with the actual situation, and some do not care whether it is reasonable or not in order to avoid suspicion. The departments handling the case only want to get things done and don't investigate right and wrong; the minister regards flattery and flattery as being law-abiding, tolerates each other regardless of right or wrong, and tries to cover up any problems. Moreover, officials should select talented people from among the people and grant them to them. Without talent, they should not be recommended. Officials work on behalf of God, so how can they just ask anyone to do it? As for relatives and heroes, they can only be given generous courtesy. Some of them are in their senior years. The elderly, some of whom have lost their minds due to long-term illness, cannot make any contribution at present, so they should be allowed to rest and spend their remaining years in peace. It is extremely inappropriate to allow them to remain in office for a long time and hinder the use of talented people. In order to correct this kind of shortcomings, we should first carefully select the left and right ministers and the left and right doctors. If they are all qualified, the discipline will be established naturally and the unhealthy trend of rushing for official positions can be corrected. This will not only solve the problem of doing things. Procrastinate!" The memorial was sent up, and soon Liu Ji was appointed as the minister Zuocheng.

In the thirteenth year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty said to his courtiers: "I heard that after peace, the world will inevitably be in chaos. , peace will inevitably return. After the chaos comes peace. If we want to make the country peaceful and the people peaceful, we can only appoint talented people. Since you don't know talented people, I can't examine them one by one. If you continue like this, you will never get talented people. Now I have ordered talents to recommend themselves, what do you think?" Wei Zheng replied: "Those who understand others are smart, and those who understand themselves are wise. It is not easy to understand others, but it is even more difficult to understand yourself. And ignorant people think they are great and often attack those who are more talented than themselves. This may encourage the unhealthy tendency of comparison and competition in the world. I don’t think Your Majesty should do this. "

In the fourteenth year of Zhenguan, Te went to Wei Zheng and wrote:

I heard that no one knows his ministers better than the monarch, and no one knows his children better than his father. If a father does not understand his children, he cannot understand them. To make the family harmonious; if the monarch does not understand his ministers, he cannot govern the country. If he wants to make the world peaceful and the emperor worry-free, he must have loyal ministers to assist him, so that he can govern without doing anything. .

Therefore, Yao, Shun, King Wen, and King Wu can be remembered throughout the ages. They all had the wisdom to know people and gathered talented people in the court. Shun sent Bakai to manage farming, formulate the calendar, and let Bayuan spread enlightenment, make the country submissive both internally and externally, and established great achievements. The Duke of Zhou and Duke Zhao assisted King Cheng of Zhou to achieve an imperial career and spread his reputation. Could it be that virtuous ministers like the 'Four Mountains', 'Nine Officials', 'Five Ministers', and 'Shi Luan' could only live in the previous dynasties, but not today? This just depends on what the king wants or not, what he likes and what he wants. Just don't like it. Why do you say this? Like those beautiful jade pearls, peacock jade, rhinoceros and elephants, Dawan's BMW, and Xiyi's mastiff. They either have no limbs or are heartless. They are produced in wild places, thousands of miles away from here. , but people still keep bringing these things in. Why? It’s because the people here like them. Moreover, officials all admire His Majesty’s virtues and enjoy the salary granted by the monarch. If the monarch guides them with morality, how can they not fulfill their duties? I think if they are guided by filial piety, then they can be like the filial sons Zeng Shen and Zeng Shen. If they are taught to be loyal, they can be promoted as ministers like Long Feng and Bigan; if they are taught to be trustworthy, they can be treated like tail-born and show-off birds; if they are led to be honest, they can be promoted as ministers like Long Feng and Bigan. You can make them like Boyi and Shuqi.

However, among today's ministers, there are very few who are clean and have outstanding talents. I am afraid it is because the court is not eager to seek talents and does not encourage and advise them. If you demand them with fairness and loyalty, motivate them with achievements, let them perform their duties and settle down in their respective positions. When you are in a high position, you look at the people you recommend; when you are rich, you look at the people you raise; when you are at home, you look at your hobbies; when you are studying, you look at your words; when you are poor, you look at your integrity; when you are humble, you look at your virtue. Recruit people according to their talents, give full play to their strengths, overcome their weaknesses, encourage them with the "six righteousness" and warn them with the "six evils". Then, even if you don't treat them harshly, they will cheer up on their own, and they will work hard on their own without having to persuade them earnestly.

Therefore, Liu Xiang of the Han Dynasty wrote in "Shuo Yuan": "The behavior of ministers is manifested as six righteousness and six evils. If you practice the six righteousness, the minister will be glorious, and if you commit the six evil crimes, the minister will be disgraced. What are the six What's right? First, a minister has foresight. He can foresee the pros and cons of life and death before things happen, so that the monarch can avoid disasters and keep the country stable. Second, he is a holy minister who humbly advises and advises the monarch. A minister who practices etiquette and justice, helps the monarch achieve good deeds, and avoids the monarch from making mistakes is a good minister. Third, he is a minister who works diligently, forgets sleep and food, constantly recommends talents to the court, and constantly uses the examples of ancient sages to encourage the monarch and strives to govern. , is a loyal minister. The fourth is a minister who is aware of everything, takes precautions, cuts off the root causes of disasters, and makes the monarch feel at ease. The fifth is a minister who abides by the law, does not accept bribes, and is modest and restrained. Six. The country is in chaos and dares to point out the monarch's faults face to face. The above are the so-called "six righteousnesses". So what are the six evils? One is greed, not doing the right thing, and living an idle life. , has no position, such a minister is a mere minister, and the second is that a minister who thinks that everything the monarch says is good and the monarch's actions are right will only follow the crowd and encourage the monarch's pleasure, regardless of the serious consequences. Such a minister is flattery. The third is that he is insidious in his heart, reserved in appearance, smart in all aspects, and jealous of talents. If he wants to promote someone, he will only say good things and conceal his faults. If he wants to exclude someone, he will exaggerate his shortcomings and cover up his advantages, so that the king's rewards and punishments will not be clear. The minister whose orders are not carried out is a treacherous minister. The fourth is that he uses his dexterity and eloquence to cover up his faults, alienates his family members at home, and creates chaos in the court externally. The fifth is that he is a slanderer. A minister who is authoritative and arrogant, makes friends with others, amasses wealth, forges the emperor's edicts, and pretends to be a noble official. Sixth, he uses evil ways to confuse the monarch and traps the monarch in an unkind and unjust situation. A minister who deceives the monarch into not knowing right from wrong is a minister who will destroy the country. This is the so-called "six evils". The country will also be at peace. To benefit the people while alive and be remembered and remembered after death is the way to be a minister. "In addition, the "Book of Rites" says: "The weight of an object is revealed when the scale is lifted; the weight of the object is revealed when the rope is pulled. , the merits will be revealed; the rules will be compared, and the rules will be clear. Virtuous people know the truth, and they cannot be said to be treacherous." It can be seen that it is not difficult to distinguish whether the ministers are loyal or not, if the court can treat them with courtesy. Treated, bound by law, those who do good can be praised, and those who do evil can be punished, how could they not try their best?

The imperial court has wanted to promote loyal and kind ministers and reprimand unworthy ministers for ten years. It's been several years, but why hasn't it been implemented? It's because it's all talk but no action. Appearing to be fair, but actually behaving badly. In this way, right and wrong contradict each other, and good and evil attack each other. Even if the person you like is guilty, he will not be punished, and the person you don't like will always be charged even if he is innocent. This means that liking him will keep him alive, hating him will kill him. Or forgetting great achievements because of small mistakes, or neglecting good conduct because of small shortcomings. Therefore, the monarch cannot reward people who have no merit, and the monarch cannot omit guilty people in punishment. Rewards cannot encourage everyone to do good, and punishment cannot prevent some people from doing evil.

In this case, if we hope to achieve a clear distinction between evil and right, how can we achieve it? If we do not forget the alienated officials when we reward, do not protect those close to us when we punish, and we must be fair, benevolent, and seek truth from facts, then evil will have nowhere to hide, and good will have nowhere to hide. Evil is naturally distinct. Advocate substance instead of vanity, observe whether officials are benevolent, and it will become clear in less than a month. Those dishonest officials whose selflessness is only expressed in words but not in actions will not consider the people. If you like ministers, you will turn a blind eye to their shortcomings; if you hate them, you will think that they are worthless. Driven by selfish desires, you will get close to treacherous ministers, deviate from justice, and alienate loyal ministers and good generals. Once this happens, even if you work day and night on government affairs, it will not be helpful in governing the country.

After reading the memorial, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty readily accepted it.

In the 21st year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty conferred the title of Secretary of the Ministry of Households to Li Wei, the Minister of Agriculture, in Cuiwei Palace. Fang Xuanling stayed behind to serve in the capital. An official came from the capital, and Emperor Taizong asked him: "What does Fang Xuanling think after hearing that Li Wei became minister?" The official replied: "I only heard Fang Xuanling say that Li Wei likes to grow a beard, but not anymore. Other comments. "After hearing this, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty appointed Li Wei as the governor of Luozhou.