Datang: What's wrong with my fief being a billion points larger?

Chapter 244: Three generations, three prime ministers, so terrifying

Li Yuanji listened to Cen Wenben's words and nodded.

"What Jingren said is exactly what I have in mind. I have already thought about this. I will set up a newspaper bureau to distribute newspapers. The distribution of newspapers and the selection of content will all be handled by the newspaper bureau.

The other ministries, departments and bureaus can have the right to propose, but the final selection lies with the Newspaper and Publication Bureau itself. The final newspaper will only be published after my approval.

Even if it finally reaches the local area, it will be sold by the local newspaper and periodical bureau branch staff, and will not pass through the government offices at all levels. "

Li Yuanji has already made a plan for the Newspaper and Publication Bureau. Now it is just a preliminary discussion. Even if it begins to be implemented, it is only a preliminary implementation. There are more things that the Newspaper and Publication Bureau needs to do than just this. These are only part of it.

For the subsequent additions, Li Yuanji also has to see whether the newspaper will not be able to adapt to the local environment. After all, with the development of the times, newspapers will inevitably come into being, but nowadays, the situation is completely different.

Li Yuanji is very clear that what is suitable for the future may not be suitable now. Policies and departments need to be decided based on their own environment.

Cen Wenben thought for a moment again, but couldn't think of anything else, so he spoke immediately.

"Your Majesty, I think we can start working on this newspaper and publication bureau. The sooner this new government office is established, the sooner we can get things done.

The recruitment of personnel, the arrangement of local branches, and the publication of newspapers all need to be started gradually. Although I am still not clear about this newspaper, I know that it will also take a lot of time to fully implement it.

The earlier the operation starts, any problems that arise in the process can be discovered and solved as soon as possible.

I am now looking forward to this newspaper, and I wonder what it will be like in the end."

Cen Wenben was indeed very curious. The newspaper that Li Yuanji mentioned was a completely new thing. Cen Wenben could not find any reference in his mind. Even the court gazette could not serve as a reference for the newspaper.

The new gadgets that Li Yuanji has made have been fully proven to be good. At this moment, Cen Wenben completely adheres to the attitude of believing first and then questioning.

Cen Wenben felt a sense of emotion. It was not easy to work for Li Yuanji. Not only was there a lot of work, but sometimes he felt that he had no problems. Li Yuanji could always come up with some new things or gadgets, which were often things he had never heard of or seen before.

Sometimes when Li Yuanji asked him, he also had a headache and wanted to ask others. For example, regarding this newspaper, he really racked his brains and could only go into details based on the general idea that Li Yuanji had said.

Cen Wenben himself didn’t know what this newspaper was like, whether it would work, whether the effects just mentioned could be achieved, and whether there were any flaws.

But there was no way out. Li Yuanji had asked him, and now in his position, he could not escape. Whenever Li Yuanji asked about something, he would definitely be the first one.

Cen Wenben sometimes thought that the happiest time for him was probably when he was the governor of Jingzhou. How great it was then, everything was under his control, he was not so tired, and he did not have to face so many unknowns, and he did not have to worry at all.

Now that he has great power, even if he goes to the Tang Dynasty, the imperial court will have to be polite to him, not to mention other neighboring countries. He can be said to be extremely powerful, and it is real power, but Cen Wenben is not happy at all.

Just like this newspaper, if it succeeds, it's fine. If it fails or something goes wrong, he can't escape.

If it was successful, he could drink the soup, and Li Yuanji would eat the meat, so he had a small contribution to make.

If he failed and aroused public anger, he would be the perfect scapegoat, because Li Yuanji could not be wrong, and other people would not look for trouble with Li Yuanji, but only him.

Cen Wenben no longer thought about it. At least working under Li Yuanji, as long as he did his job well, he wouldn't have to worry about being abandoned or being dumped after his job was done. This was very good.

Li Yuanji pondered for a while and looked at Cen Wenben solemnly.

"Now that the newspaper bureau has been confirmed, and we need to start working on it sooner rather than later, who will be in charge of it? Do you have any candidates?"

Cen Wenben frowned in thought. The person in charge of the newspaper and publication bureau must be Li Yuanji's confidant. This is the first priority, and ability is second. The most important thing for this position is loyalty to Li Yuanji.

However, Cen Wenben was having a headache finding someone who was both loyal and capable. If he was lacking any of these qualities, he could still nominate a few people, but now, the only people he could choose from were those few.

Wang Xuance, Ning Chun, or Yang Cheng, Pei Xuanyan and others, all of these people now hold important positions, and some of them are not here yet. How to choose?
As for people like Wei Ting, Wang Gui, Wei Zheng, and Kong Yingda, he did not consider them at all. These people were capable of doing a good job, and their original positions were not a problem, but the problem was the first point, their loyalty to Li Yuanji.

Li Yuanji looked at Cen Wenben and thought for a long time, but couldn't recommend anyone, so he laughed.

"Jingren, I have someone to recommend, see what you think."

Seeing that Cen Wenben stopped thinking and looked at him with a frown and confusion, Li Yuanji spoke immediately.

"How is Cen Changqian?"

Upon hearing this, Cen Wenben's pupils shrank immediately, and then he immediately said in a hurry: "Your Majesty, you are so kind. Chang Qian is still young and may not be able to take on the task. Please revoke your order."

Cen Changqian is the son of Cen Wenshu, the elder brother of Cen Benwen. Because Cen Changqian's parents died early, he was raised by Cen Benwen. Now Cen Changqian is sixteen years old. Judging from his age and the age of the officials in the court today, Cen Changqian is indeed too young.

In the court of the early Tang Dynasty, if you were under 40 years old, don't even think about making a decent name for yourself, because there were too many bigwigs and talented people in the early Tang Dynasty. Even those who could be prime ministers could be found in large numbers. So if newcomers wanted to get to the top, they had to outlast the older generation.

As for relying on ability to get ahead?
Excuse me, which of these people in the early Tang Dynasty had poor abilities? Anyone with poor abilities could not sit in a high position, let alone a position like the prime minister.

At Cen Changqian’s current age, if he were in the Tang Dynasty, I’m sorry, being able to successfully enter the rank would be considered a success, and he should not dream of anything else for the time being.

Li Yuanji was also willing to believe in Cen Changqian's ability. After all, he had served as prime minister in history. How could such a person be incompetent?
To be able to become prime minister during the reign of Wu Zetian, one must have either ability or skills. In an era when talented people are rampant, one cannot go far relying solely on ability.

The Cen family has also produced several prime ministers, including Cen Wenben's grandson Cen Xi, who is the son of Cen Wenben's eldest son Cen Manqian. He is also his current Minister of Rites and has served as prime minister.

If Cen Wenben is included, the Cen family can be said to have three consecutive generations of three prime ministers, and they were all consecutive with no separation in between. This is quite scary and terrifying.

Except for Cen Wenzhao, all other members of Cen Wenben's family who were of the right age had entered officialdom, and he still held important positions.

As for Cen Wenzhao, he is a hopeless case and there is nothing that can be done about it.

Seeing Cen Wenben's objection, Li Yuanji laughed even more.

"Jingren, your idea is wrong. This is an emergency. When necessary, we cannot act as usual.

I have met Changqian twice. He is very good in all aspects. He has almost finished learning now. It is time to let him come out and try. Besides, I will be in charge of the review, so what are you afraid of?

As for age, it's better to be younger. Young people are more hardworking. I am very optimistic about Chang Qian.

This is settled. When you go back, talk to Chang Qian about it and ask him to come to the palace to see me tomorrow. I want to talk to him about this matter."

Cen Wenben was both happy and bitter. He was undoubtedly happy and touched by Li Yuanji's trust in him, but it was also bitter and fearful because he had too much power in Li Yuanji's hands. His eldest son Cen Manqian was now the Minister of Rites, his second son Cen Jingqian was the Minister of Agriculture, and now Cen Changqian was in charge of the newspaper and publication bureau. It was not a good thing that Cen had too much power in the palace.

Cen Wenben was very clear about one thing, that is, after reaching the peak of prosperity, everyone in the family suddenly holds an important position. This situation is the most dangerous. If you are not careful, you will die and the family will be destroyed.

He was very clear that Li Yuanji was short of people now, and what Li Yuanji did was a sign of trust and grace to Cen. However, one should always be prepared for danger in times of peace. This danger did not come from Li Yuanji, but from himself and others.

Too much power will make one swell up and become arrogant. Under the king's great grace, I wonder how many people in the family will develop a mentality of being superior to others.

The danger for others is that everyone is watching them, and once they make a mistake, if they get a chance, these people will pounce on them like hungry wolves and bite them to death.

But now that Li Yuanji has said this, Cen Wenben cannot refuse. He not only hopes that Cen Changqian and Cen Manqian can keep their original intentions, but he has also made up his mind that he must talk more about reason with these two people in the future.

Cen Wenben looked at Li Yuanji and finally agreed reluctantly.

"Your Majesty's grace, I will never forget it. On behalf of Chang Qian, I would like to thank Your Majesty.

After I return, I will tell my nephew about this and explain it to him, so as not to disappoint the king."

Li Yuanji looked at Cen Wenben's solemn appearance, smiled and helped Cen Wenben up.

"I know your intentions, and I am confident about you.

Okay, that’s it. After you go down, adjust the indicators and raise the focus on the post roads and water transportation.

As for the selection and establishment of the college site, you should sort it out as soon as possible and start construction as soon as possible."

After Cen Wenben agreed, he stood up and walked out.

After this matter was completed, Li Yuanji breathed a sigh of relief and then began to sort out matters related to the newspaper.

He was the person who knew the newspaper best, so he had to draw up some rules and regulations. If he didn't, when Cen Changqian took office, he probably wouldn't know how to carry out his work.

Li Yuanji worked overtime until late at night. Yang Qingwan came in with her maid, carrying a stewed tonic soup.

"Husband, take a rest. We haven't had any food this afternoon. How can we rest on an empty stomach?"

Li Yuanji did not respond, nor did he look up. He only put down his pen and ink and looked at Yang Qingwan after he finished writing the last paragraph.

"Thank you for your hard work, ma'am. It would be better if you didn't say this. Now that you've said this, I'm so hungry."

Yang Qingwan immediately asked someone to start setting the food, and she came behind Li Yuanji and gave him a massage.

Yang Qingwan's technique was becoming more and more sophisticated, and Li Yuanji looked very much enjoying it.

While Li Yuanji was enjoying himself, Cen Benwen was busy until dark before returning home. After hurriedly eating, he asked someone to call Cen Changqian.

Cen Wenben sat in the main seat, still thinking about the matters at hand. Every time after returning home, Cen Wenben would sort out all the matters again to prevent himself from missing anything or not arranging them in time.

There were so many things to do that Cen Wenben had no choice but to do this.

Everyone in the Cen Mansion knew that Cen Wenben was very busy. Every time Cen Wenben returned to the mansion, no one in the mansion was allowed to make any noise, let alone make a racket, so as not to disturb Cen Wenben.

The entire Cen Mansion was managed extremely well by Cen Wenben's wife. In order to manage the Cen Mansion, Cen Wenben's wife even went to the palace to learn from Yang Qingwan.

After a while, a young man in blue walked in.

"My nephew has met his uncle."

This young man was Cen Changqian.

Cen Changqian has followed Cen Wenben for several years and is extremely respectful to Cen Wenben. Although he is his uncle, he treats him like his father.

Cen Wenben treats Cen Changqian very well, and it can be said that he treats her even better than his own son.

Cen Wenben listened to the voice, slowly came back to his senses and looked at Cen Changqian.

"Here you go, sit down."

"I've asked you to come here this time because I have something to tell you. The king values ​​you very much, and he plans to let you take over the newspaper office."

Cen Changqian was stunned for a moment, then came to his senses and was as calm as before, not at all disturbed by this incident.

"Uncle, what is this newspaper bureau? I have never heard of it before. Please help me."

Seeing that Cen Changqian was neither humble nor arrogant, he felt very pleased. Among Cen Changqian's generation, his two sons could not be compared with Cen Changqian. As for Cen Wenzhao's two, Cen Wenben had no intention of comparing them.

Afterwards, Cen Wenben slowly told Cen Changqian about the affairs of the newspaper bureau. The more Cen Changqian listened, the more frightened she became.

After Cen Wenben finished speaking, he saw that Cen Changqian was still in shock, so he stopped talking. After Cen Changqian gradually calmed down, Cen Wenben spoke again.

"Now that you know, what do you think? Are you willing to go?"

Although Cen Changqian looked calm at the moment, the expression on his face showed excitement. After all, he was still too young to remain calm.

"Uncle, I am willing to go. This is because the king values ​​me. I cannot refuse, and I do not want to refuse.

Although my nephew is young, the king has appointed me. I am confident that I can do a good job and will never let the king and my uncle down."

Cen Wenben nodded, a smile appearing on his face.

"Good, you are not timid, that's good, since you want to do it, then do it well.

After you go there, don't think about anything else. You need to have one idea: no matter when or where, the king should be the most important thing, and everything else is secondary. "

(End of this chapter)