My father is Jiajing

Chapter 416: The Great Talent Xu Wei

"Master, there is a man named Xu Wei who recommends himself."

Just when Hu Zongxian was racking his brains to think about the blank secret letter, Hu Zongxian's housekeeper came to Hu Zongxian's room and reported to Hu Zongxian about his self-recommendation outside the Governor-General's Office.

When Hu Zongxian heard the housekeeper say that someone recommended himself, he suddenly sat up. Before going to Zhejiang, Hu Zongxian had been thinking about Zhejiang's affairs.

Therefore, in order to ensure that there would be no mistakes in his first battle after taking office in Zhejiang, Hu Zongxian did not meet any local officials.

During this period, Hu Zongxian was either studying the official documents and war reports left by the former governor Zhang Jing, or thinking about the blank secret letter.

And based on the research during this period, Hu Zongxian also knew the name of Xu Wei.

Xu Wei was a native of Zhejiang and had a certain reputation for talent in the local area. Unfortunately, he was not lucky in his official career. He took the examination eight times but never passed.

But this certainly did not hinder Xu Wei's talent and fame in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions.

Because people like Xu Wei who failed the imperial examination but had real abilities were not uncommon in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions where culture flourished.

Moreover, according to the battle reports obtained by Hu Zongxian, in the 33rd year of Jiajing, Xu Wei had participated in battles in Keting, Gaobu, Kanshan and other places, and made outstanding contributions to the local fight against the invasion of Japanese pirates.

Therefore, it can be seen from this that Xu Wei did have some talent in military strategy.

Now that people have come to recommend themselves, Hu Zongxian certainly can't continue to be arrogant and refuse to see people.

After all, there is an essential difference between local officials and local people.

Most of the local officials are temporary officials appointed by the imperial court, and most of them are not locals. Even if they are treated with a little coldness, they have to endure it.

But if Hu Zongxian did not know the difference and offended the local representatives, then even if he had great power, he would not be able to unite the local gentry and landlords to help him in his cause of suppressing the Japanese invaders.

After all, the fight against the Japanese invaders ultimately comes down to human relationships and worldly wisdom.

You should know that one of the reasons for the death of former Governor Zhang Jing was that the local people never said anything good about Zhang Jing. Like the officials in the court, they all accused Zhang Jing of harboring the pirates and not doing a good job in eliminating the Japanese pirates.

From this information, it can be seen that Zhang Jing got along very poorly with the locals, otherwise why would people say that about him?

So, when Hu Zongxian heard the housekeeper say that Xu Wei recommended himself.

At this time, regardless of whether Xu Wei had real talent or not, Hu Zongxian had to show his enthusiasm for respecting the wise and let the local people in Jiangsu and Zhejiang see his respect for the talents in Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

Hu Zongxian said, "Please come in and invite him directly to my study."

Hu Zongxian got up, changed into a formal coat, and went to the study to wait for Xu Wei to arrive.

Led by the housekeeper, Xu Wei also came to Hu Zongxian's study.

Xu Wei bowed and said, "Student Xu Wei greets the Minister."

Just as Xu Wei was about to bow, Hu Zongxian stood up and came over. "Brother Wen, please stand up quickly. I have heard of your great name when I was in the capital. It is a great honor to meet you today!"

Xu Wei did not expect that Hu Zongxian would give him such a great face, which made Xu Wei feel a little flattered for a moment.

Xu Wei was touched and said, "The Prime Minister's words are very important. I am a humble person and I am not worthy of such kindness from the Prime Minister."

Hu Zongxian said: "Wen Chang should not belittle himself. With Wen Chang's talent, it is a loss for the court that he cannot serve in the court. Moreover, I have heard about Wen Chang's deeds in fighting against Japanese pirates in Ke Ting, Gao Bu, Kan Shan and other places. When I saw him today, I found that he was indeed handsome and powerful, and he had the noble spirit of a scholar!"

After hearing these words, Xu Wei became even more excited.

Xu Wei had always been sensitive and self-abased because of his unsuccessful experience in the imperial examinations. Although scholars in Jiangsu and Zhejiang were also convinced of his talent, in today's era, no matter how talented one is, if one cannot pass the imperial examinations, one's ambitions will be in vain, and one will not be able to achieve the ideal of "cultivating oneself, governing the country and pacifying the world" that scholars have always pursued.

So when Xu Wei heard that the new governor had taken office, he thought that since there was no hope for him to pass the imperial examination, he might try other paths, and perhaps he could achieve something.

Moreover, Jiangsu and Zhejiang were his hometowns, and now they were being ravaged by Japanese pirates. Xu Wei saw it and felt pain in his heart, and he really wanted to do his part.

Therefore, Xu Wei thought about recommending himself to the Governor-General's Office to see if he could meet a wise governor who could recognize his talent and give him a chance to realize his ambitions.

Xu Wei said: "Your Excellency, I am honored to have such a great honor from you. I am willing to serve you like an ox or a horse and do my best to help you quell the Japanese rebellion in the southeast."

Hu Zongxian laughed out loud, "It is my blessing that Wenchang has such a heart!"

Although Hu Zongxian spoke so beautifully, he was actually thinking about how to test Xu Wei.

After all, if Hu Zongxian really recruited Xu Wei into his court, he would really want Xu Wei to contribute, and would not just look at his identity as a native of Jiangsu and Zhejiang and a great talent in Jiangsu and Zhejiang and think of using him to unite the local forces in Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

Otherwise, wouldn't his governor's office become a gathering place for a bunch of good-for-nothings?
If this gets out, will Hu Zongxian still have face?

Hu Zongxian said, "Mr. Wen, I have recently encountered a problem. Before I took office in Zhejiang, a very important friend of mine gave me a letter and asked me to open it after I arrived in Zhejiang. As a result, after I opened it, there was not a single word in the letter. I wonder if Mr. Wen can help me with some research?"

When Xu Wei heard Hu Zongxian's question, he knew that it was an interview question Hu Zongxian had asked him.

Xu Wei bowed to Hu Zongxian and said, "I would like to ask you to take a look at this blank letter you mentioned, Zhongcheng."

Hu Zongxian hesitated for a moment, and finally took out the secret letter from the secret compartment in the study.

Xu Wei noticed all his actions and hesitations, and he was constantly trying to figure out Hu Zongxian's true intentions in his mind.

When Hu Zongxian carefully brought the secret letter to Xu Wei, Xu Wei took a serious look at it and said, "Zhongcheng, may I touch this secret letter?"

Hu Zongxian hesitated again, but still gave it to Xu Wei.

Xu Wei gently touched the secret letter, feeling it very carefully.

Finally, Xu Wei determined through his own judgment of the paper texture that the paper used for this wordless secret letter should be a relatively expensive tribute paper.

After making this judgment, Xu Wei couldn't help but feel a little surprised.

Seeing Xu Wei's change, Hu Zongxian took back the secret letter and asked, "Can you see my friend's deep meaning?"

Xu Wei calmed down and bowed, saying, "Replying to Zhongcheng, if my guess is correct, Zhongcheng's friend gave Zhongcheng this blank secret letter to Zhongcheng, in fact, he wanted to tell Zhongcheng that although Jiangsu and Zhejiang are in chaos, they are also a blank sheet of paper."

"So I dare to guess that Zhongcheng's friend wants Zhongcheng to let go of the burden of the death of former Governor Zhang Jing and go all out to do something big!"

When Xu Wei said this, it seemed to hit the nail on the head, and made Hu Zongxian think deeply.

This was increasingly true for Hu Zongxian, because when he met Prince Yu, Prince Yu merely asked about his determination and then decided to recommend him.

Now thinking about the details, this blank secret letter may mean this.

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Asking for monthly ticket

(End of this chapter)