Zhenguan Xiaoxian Wang Li Shen Li Shimin

"I see." Li Shen suddenly realized.

No wonder so many people came back; it turns out they passed the big exam and were rated as excellent.

The system of evaluating officials existed as early as the Qin Dynasty, and it was further improved in the Tang Dynasty, where it was called "kaoke".

Wang Xuance had told him the specifics, but he had forgotten some of them. It seemed that there were four virtues and twenty-seven sins.

But Li Shen didn't know the specifics.

Li Shen only knew that all officials had to undergo comprehensive evaluation, which was overseen by the Ministry of Personnel. There were also special official positions: the Director of Personnel Evaluation was responsible for evaluating officials in the capital, and the Assistant Director of Personnel Evaluation was responsible for evaluating officials in local areas.

Moreover, it wasn't just ordinary officials who were assessed; even the heads of the Three Departments and Six Ministries of the third rank and above were subject to assessment, albeit under the supervision of the emperor.

Those who fail to meet the standards will be demoted; Li Shen once lamented that even officials in ancient times were so inflexible.

"Since we're all here, let's begin. Serve the meal first." Having figured everything out, Li Shen instructed Wang Hongfu.

"Yes," Wang Hongfu replied and left.

The noise outside began to subside, and soon maids began carrying dishes into the private room.

The dishes were extremely abundant, with excellent color, aroma, and taste, making them very appetizing.

After Wang Hongfu came in again to report that everything was ready, Li Shen stood up and bowed to Li Shimin:

"Father, should we go and say a few words to them?"

Li Shen's intention was to have Li Shimin make an appearance and say a few words, since the emperor was there and Li Shen could not overstep his bounds.

"Never mind, I am here today representing the court, so I will just sit here." Li Shimin shook his head.

This time, the dividends were distributed from the betting odds, which are essentially gambling. As the emperor, I cannot encourage such a thing.

"Oh, in that case, Father will listen from here." Li Shen didn't mind, as he hadn't prepared any special program for the emperor.

This is an emergency.

After saying this, Li Shen strode out of the room. Li Shimin did not throw him out or close the door, but left it open so that people outside could also see Li Shimin.

Now everyone believed that His Majesty had truly arrived.

Li Shen walked onto the prepared podium. Behind him hung a large red banner with several large characters written on it.

Football betting profit-sharing conference.

The walls on both sides were decorated with lanterns and banners that read, "Warmly celebrate the successful football betting!", "Today's madness creates tomorrow's glory.", and "Wealth is every man's confidence."

"Ahem!!" Li Shen coughed twice to quiet the crowd below, then said loudly:

"Dear shareholders and family members, hello everyone!"

"Good! Good! Good!"

The spoiled brats below shouted three times in unison, startling the crowd who had never attended a shareholders' meeting before.

"This..." Tang Jian was extremely surprised. Prince Ji had actually trained these spoiled brats to be so obedient.

Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Jingde were also extremely shocked to see their sons standing solemnly in the crowd, shouting loudly, completely unlike their usual spoiled selves.

Li Chengqian secretly glanced at his father and found that his father did not show any surprise. He thought to himself, "My father is calm and composed."

Little did he know that Li Shimin had been fully aware of every single shareholder meeting Li Shen had held over the past ten years.

Everyone reported to Li Shen in detail what happened at the conference and what he said.

Therefore, Li Shimin was very familiar with this kind of opening ceremony.

Ignoring the surprise of others, Li Shen continued speaking to the people below with a beaming smile:

"Today is a joyous day. Our hard work has finally paid off, and a very generous one at that."

As the wall says, yesterday's madness is today's glory; yesterday's efforts are tomorrow's confidence.

Every word Li Shen spoke was impactful and inspiring. When Li Shen mentioned the generous rewards, the纨绔 (sons of wealthy families) below beamed with joy.

Of course, this excludes the Cheng family and the Yuchi family brothers.

They started planning their betting scheme two years ago, including building a football stadium and selecting teams from various places.

All of this is finally going to pay off today.

"Isn't everyone happy?"

"Yes!"

"Isn't everyone excited?"

"Yes!"

“Very good, I am also very happy and excited.”

I have said before that as long as you are willing to work hard, you will reap the rewards. Today, I reiterate that as long as you work hard with me, I guarantee you will definitely reap the rewards.

"We swear to follow His Highness Prince Ji to the death!"

"We swear to follow His Highness Prince Ji to the death!"

As soon as Li Shen finished speaking, someone shouted, and then everyone else followed suit.

Holy crap! This sentence scared Li Shen half to death, he almost peed his pants. Who the hell shouted that? Did they have a death wish?

Li Shen searched for a long time but couldn't find out who was the first to shout that sentence.

He glanced furtively into the private room, but couldn't see anyone inside. Li Shen's mind raced, and he suddenly shouted:

"Gentlemen, as Confucius said, 'When you drink water, don't forget the well-digger.' We are able to enjoy our good life today, and first and foremost, we should be grateful to the imperial court."

As the saying goes, "Only with a country can there be a home." It is the imperial court that keeps us away from the flames of war, prevents us from being bullied by other countries, and allows us to live and work in peace and contentment.

Secondly, we should be grateful to His Majesty. It is because of His Majesty's tireless efforts, working day and night, that our country is peaceful, prosperous, and strong.

Here we express our gratitude for His Majesty's grace, wishing the Tang Dynasty prosperity and His Majesty good health and longevity.

Long live Your Majesty!

Li Shen raised his hands high, looking very devout.

"Long live your Majesty!"

"Long live your Majesty!"

"Long live your Majesty!"

The spoiled brats below followed suit, raising their hands and shouting "Long live the Emperor!" three times.

Seeing this, Li Shen finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had finally made up for it. Why did these idiots follow me?

We have a mutually beneficial relationship, can't they see that?

How can I bear to cut you all in the future after you've treated me like this?

"Hehe, His Highness Prince Ji is quite righteous." Tang Jian chuckled twice, sensing the awkward atmosphere.

"Yes, yes, His Highness Prince Ji has not forgotten the Emperor's grace; he is indeed filial." Even Cheng Yaojin nodded in agreement.

There was no way around it; when they were shouting that they would follow Prince Ji to the death, their child was the loudest and the most enthusiastic.

"Father, please calm down. Tenth Brother didn't mean it that way. These disciples were just making things up."

Li Chengqian also spoke up to explain. He had been dumbfounded when he saw seventy or eighty纨绔 (sons of wealthy and powerful families) frantically shouting that they would follow Prince Ji to the death.

He hadn't expected this part to be included. While admiring Li Shen, he also wondered if Li Shen had lost his mind, as he was letting these people shout like that.

Only after hearing Li Shen's next words did they guess that this was probably not arranged by Li Shen.

After a moment, Li Shimin smiled calmly:

"Hehe, our Prince Ji is truly quite capable."

(Why do I sometimes laugh at the novels I write myself? My threshold for laughter is so low.)