Fang Xuanling and Zhangsun Wuji naturally agreed with this matter, so Li Shimin immediately replied to Li Xiang, saying that this was how it would be done, and all matters were handed over to Li Xiang and Xiao Yu. The court would also send people over as soon as possible. After all, the local officials were almost all arrested, and now Li Xiang's subordinates were acting as agents to perform their duties.
These people should be able to do it in a short period of time, but if it takes a long time, there will probably be many loopholes. Therefore, Li Xiang now needs to gather talents from three aspects: one is from the court, the other is those trained by himself, and the other is from the Lanling Xiao family.
The young man standing in front of Li Xiang looked a little familiar to him, but he was sure that he had never seen him before.
This person is Xiao Shougui’s cousin Xiao Shouguo.
He is a few months younger than Xiao Shougui, but because he is not the eldest grandson of the eldest son and does not have a princess mother, he has been studying in his hometown of Lanling. However, according to Xiao Yu, this person's talent is no less than Xiao Shougui, and his grandfather dares to guarantee it.
It’s a pity that this grandfather cannot decide the major affairs of the world. If he could, the person sent to the Western Regions might be Xiao Shouguo, and might not be the eldest grandson of the eldest house.
The reason why Xiao Yu pushed his eldest grandson forward was, on the one hand, because he was the eldest grandson of the eldest son and would support the family in the future; on the other hand, it was because Xiao Shougui and Li Xiang were cousins, and the bond of kinship between them made many things much more convenient.
Even if Xiao Shougui did something wrong, Li Xiang would not cut too deep because he had a princess mother. After all, she was his aunt, so he had to give the princess the benefit of the doubt.
Fortunately, Xiao Shougui was a talented person and helped Li Xiang deal with many things in the Western Regions, so Xiao Yu made the right recommendation.
"You and your cousin do look about 60 percent alike, but I'm not sure how similar your abilities are. Do you know what kind of errand I'll assign you?"
Li Xiang picked up the teacup and took a sip, then looked at the young man in front of him with interest. Although he was from a noble family, he didn't seem to have any bad habits and was much better than those young men from noble families in Chang'an City.
Although Xiao Yu was standing by, he didn't say a word at this moment. He knew that Li Xiang was testing his grandsons at this moment. The eldest grandson had passed, and now it was up to the second grandson. If they could pass, the two cousins would be able to make a name for themselves. Even if he retired in the future, there would be someone to support the family. It is always better to walk on two legs than on one. If one leg is lame, the other leg will not make you fall.
"I will do whatever Your Highness commands, but I beg Your Highness to let me start from the bottom."
Xiao Shouguo was studying at home when he received an urgent message from his grandfather, which was six hundred miles away. Although he had said during the Chinese New Year that he would find a chance to let this boy become an official, and although the imperial examination system was now in effect, the aristocratic families could still control a certain number of places, and Li Shimin could not block all routes. If all routes were blocked, the first to oppose him would not be the aristocratic families, but the meritorious families who followed him to conquer the world.
Xiao Shouguo had been preparing for this matter. He thought it would start from some government office in Chang'an City, or from the Xiao family's base in Lanling, but he didn't expect to be brought directly to Sichuan, a place he never dreamed of.
Xiao Yu was temporarily appointed to Chang'an. When Li Shimin issued the imperial edict, Xiao Yu read it several times. Why was he sent here, not to mention his grandson who was studying in his hometown?
Although he had many doubts in his mind, this was indeed his grandfather's handwritten letter. In addition, the person who came was also his grandfather's usual housekeeper, so Xiao Shouguo did not delay at all and followed the person as fast as he could. It would normally take a month to get here, but he only took half a month. He was considered a decisive person and at least he could endure hardships on the road. If it were other children of aristocratic families, they would never be able to reach Chengdu in half a month.
"Your idea is good, and I appreciate it. But I'm sure you've heard about the current situation. I've killed or exiled all the officials. We need a group of people to hold the line. Your grandfather will teach you how to govern. All you have to do is implement everything your grandfather taught you and let the people truly reap the benefits. Then your assessment will be over."
This was the first time Xiao Shouguo had heard Li Xiang speak in this way. From childhood to adulthood, everyone he met spoke in a flowery manner, including his grandfather and the teachers he hired. It took Xiao Shouguo half a day to understand them. This was the first time he had heard Li Xiang speak so clearly, so he also had a good impression of Li Xiang.
He had heard of Li Xiang's reputation before, but the pride unique to young people made him think that Li Xiang was just so-so. If he had the resources that Li Xiang could mobilize, he might be able to do better than this guy. However, after listening to Li Xiang's words, his inherent ideas began to loosen.
"I will do my best, Your Highness. I am willing to give it a try. If it doesn't work..."
"It's not as simple as admitting your mistake. You have tens of thousands of people under your command. If you can't do this, I won't keep your head just because of your last name."
When Li Xiang was talking about this guy, he patted him on the shoulder. If it were someone else, they might be scared at this time. After all, as a child of a noble family, there was no need for him to do such a dangerous job. Even if he went home and stayed for another two years, couldn't he be arranged for other safe jobs?
Xiao Yu had no expression on his face. Like other patriarchs of large families, he did not care about someone's life or death. Even if it was his favorite grandson, he would have to send him out to experience hard training. If he did not go through these things, how could he assist the head of the family in the future?
Of course, it is also possible to become the head of the family. It all depends on how you do it. However, under the current circumstances, the head of the Lanling Xiao family can only be Xiao Shougui.
Xiao Yu also told this to his grandsons. As long as Li Xiang did not cause any problems, no one could shake Xiao Shougui's position. No matter how well you did, you had to abide by the rules in the end. If you did not, you would not even have a chance to leave.
Xiao Yu saw this very clearly. Although Li Xiang constantly emphasized ability, blood ties were sometimes very important, especially with the Lanling Xiao family having such an ambiguous relationship with Li Xiang. Li Xiang still trusted Xiao Shougui more...