Zhenguan Xiaoxian Wang Li Shen Li Shimin

Li Shen held his teacup, took a few sips, and his gaze kept drifting towards Changsun Wuji. Among everyone present, Changsun Wuji was the only one with whom he had some grudge.

This is also the one that Li Shen fears the most, mainly because this old man is too insidious, and you never know where he might frame you.

In the TV series, this old man framed and caused the deaths of many people.

Li Shen didn't take the others seriously. Xu Jingzong and Gao Jifu were just officials with higher ranks, but they had no powerful backers.

Li Shen had heard that Gao Jifu had some connection with the Changsun family.

"My dear ministers, I think that although Prince Ji is not in the court, he often travels among the people and observes their conditions."

He had visited Lingnan a few years ago and this time he went to Xizhou, so he is quite familiar with the area.

Moreover, Prince Ji holds an official position and should rightfully participate in government affairs.

Just then, Li Chengqian broke the silence. He finally understood why his father would turn to Li Shen whenever he encountered trouble during his time in power.

It worked perfectly; a few words left these high-ranking officials of the Tang Dynasty speechless.

Sometimes, when used correctly, it can indeed have amazing effects.

Li Chengqian knew, of course, why these people dared not refute him: they all had ties to their respective groups and interests.

Every interest group has local officials who fear Li Shen's retaliation.

Just like the officials of Xizhou Prefecture, those aristocratic families all had to swallow their anger and suffer in silence after being extorted by Li Shen. They were afraid that Li Shen would kill all their officials.

"Hehe, Your Highness is right. This old minister has just realized that His Highness Prince Ji is indeed knowledgeable about the region."

The first to speak was Changsun Wuji. He would agree with whatever Li Chengqian said.

"What do you think?"

Li Shen looked at the others provocatively.

"We will heed His Highness the Crown Prince's advice." The group bowed.

"Very well, Tenth Brother, these memorials are summaries reported from various regions, but some of them are just full of praise and flattery, without any substantial content..."

Li Chengqian recounted what had just happened to Li Shen, and finally asked:

That's how it is, so do you have any insights?

Li Shen frowned upon hearing this, somewhat confused. What does this have to do with me? What insights do I have?

How officials in the imperial court should conduct themselves is the imperial court's business; I am not the emperor.

"This... Your Highness is overestimating me. I know nothing about politics."

Li Shen, who had just been arguing that he knew the area, suddenly changed his tune and became timid.

“Your Highness, I just said that Your Highness is ignorant of political affairs, but that is not what Your Highness said.”

Xu Jingzong seized the opportunity to speak.

“I just said I understand local affairs, not politics,” Li Shen said, looking at Xu Jingzong with disdain.

“Your Highness, since Your Highness knows about local affairs, you should also know about the actions of local officials.”

Why don't you tell us about it, so we can understand the current situation in this area?

Changsun Wuji said with a smile.

"Yes, Tenth Brother, this annual summary still comes from your Prince Ji's Mansion. Your mansion's businesses are spread throughout the prefectures and counties of the Tang Dynasty."

Don't we have this annual summary every year?

Why don't you tell me how this year-end summary should actually be written?

Li Chengqian also spoke up at this moment, saying that two years had passed and these officials were still not as good as a merchant, unable to even write something so simple.

They are both scholars, so why is there such a big difference between them?

Seeing that Li Chengqian had spoken, Li Shen could only stand up, walk up to Changsun Wuji, and casually take a memorial from his hand to read.

After a moment, Li Shen closed the memorial and said:

"Your Highness, and everyone else, actually, the annual summary of my Ji Prince's Mansion is different from yours."

"Oh? Tell me quickly, what's different?" Li Chengqian immediately became interested.

"The annual summary of my Prince Ji's mansion only concerns business, which is completely different from what court officials do."

They only need to write down what their plan was at the beginning of the year, how much they accomplished by the end of the year, or why they didn't complete it.

Finally, they also need to write down next year's plan, outlining the methods they will use to achieve the goals and the cooperation required from the Prince's Palace.

The budget also needs to be clearly stated. Anyway, these are all things related to merchants.

Li Shen gave a brief overview of his palace's annual summary, which was essentially what branch managers in later generations would do.

Although he spoke simply, Li Chengqian's eyes lit up the more he listened. This was exactly what he wanted, not the boastful things.

Some of the others understood, but others were still somewhat confused. Just as Li Shen said, there is a big difference between being an official and being a manager.

"Sigh~~~" Changsun Wuji suddenly sighed, and everyone looked over.

Changsun Wuji bowed to Li Shen.

"His Highness Prince Ji is indeed a man of great talent; no wonder he can manage the vast Prince Ji's mansion so well."

Changsun Wuji was no ordinary man. After careful consideration, he was filled with admiration for Li Shen, as evidenced by what Prince Ji had said.

The Prince Ji's mansion manages its shops with great rigor, yet it never suppresses the talents of its shopkeepers.

They are allowed to act freely, and the Ji Prince's Mansion can even be asked for support, with only one goal: to achieve their planned objectives.

No wonder the Ji Prince's Mansion is so profitable in the business world; besides the characteristics of its products, it's also due to the management of the Ji Prince's Mansion.

"Haha, Duke Zhao, you flatter me. I have no such ability. It's all thanks to the hard work of my subordinates. I haven't done anything myself."

Li Shen burst into laughter, somewhat carried away by his own triumph.

However, he wasn't lying; Li Shen had hardly read any of the summaries and plans submitted by the managers from various regions.

It was all handled by Wang Hongfu and his team.

Only those who are truly outstanding will be allowed to be reviewed by Li Shen and included in the assessment list. If they perform exceptionally well, they will be transferred back to Chang'an City or sent elsewhere to serve as a head manager.

Just like promotions in the imperial court, those in county towns and those in prefectures are definitely not at the same level.

“Tenth brother, how about you come to the Ministry of Personnel? Or become a Chamberlain to assist your elder brother. With you here, I can handle things more easily.”

Li Chengqian suddenly said something to Li Shen.

"What?" Li Shen was stunned, and everyone else was stunned as well. The Crown Prince's move shocked everyone.

If Prince Ji were to enter the court and participate in politics, wouldn't the court be thrown into chaos? Moreover, Prince Ji is deeply trusted by the Crown Prince, which is not a good thing for them.

However, these people had no way to refute it, because they had no reason to refute it.

The brothers have a deep bond, trust Prince Ji, and want Prince Ji to assist them, which is understandable. Moreover, no matter what, Prince Ji does have some talent.

Everyone looked at Li Shen, waiting for his answer.

Li Shen turned around, his smile widening, and immediately nodded in agreement:

"Haha, that's wonderful! With such a generous offer from you, elder brother, how could I refuse? I'll reluctantly accept the position of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat."

(It's a bit late, too much to do. I flared up my hemorrhoids from drinking yesterday, damn it.)