"Besides, this civil and military dispute, the territory of the Tang Dynasty was obtained by the generals immediately. But to govern the country, it is necessary to use civil servants. Therefore, many generals will feel that the country we have worked hard to fight is all cheapened by these rotten Confucians, and their hearts are very unbalanced. And there are also imbalances in Wenchen's hearts, such as rewards, after the military generals have made meritorious contributions, His Majesty will have rewards, property, slaves and maids, fields, everything. Relatively speaking, Wenchen has very few opportunities to be rewarded. The two sides don't like each other and often quarrel. ”

"Since His Majesty ascended the throne, the situation in the DPRK and China has become more complicated. Many ministers in the court were originally the emperor's henchmen or the deposed prince. After His Majesty ascended the throne, most of these people could and could not be used. But you can't change it all at once, there is no reason, and you can't block the world's mouths, so when you interact with courtiers, you must keep your eyes open and don't get too close to some people. ”

Li Mu had a headache when he heard this, he thought that the interpersonal skills he had exercised in the company in the later generations would be more than enough to deal with the situation in the Tang Dynasty. But when he heard Li Ji say this, he felt like he had just graduated from college for an interview, he was completely a chick and didn't understand anything. Li Mu thought for a long time, and finally spoke: "Father-in-law, I don't know which faction I should be in and who I should associate with, which is the most suitable?" ”

"You don't want to touch any faction, it's best to stay neutral." Li Ji said seriously: "The faction in this court is complicated, and the division is not so clear. Let's take our neighbor to say, Cheng Biting Jin, the founder of the country, with countless contributions, is a standard upstart. But his wife, who was born in the Qinghe Cui clan, is one of the five clans and seven surnames. From this, it seems that he is the gate valve again. How is this calculated? As a prince of the country, he has merit and can be at ease, but you can't, do you understand this truth? ”

Li Mu nodded, and Li Ji said again: "The officials of the six departments are all selected from these factions. The official position is limited, and there are many people. At every location, there are countless people staring, but why is it calm on the surface? That's because whether it is between the gate lord and the nouveau riche, or between the Hanmen and the scholars, or between the civil servants and the generals, the forces have reached a balance. A person in any position has the power to protect him, and as long as he does not make mistakes, he can be an official safely. And if you step on these people's heads all at once, you will be attacked by everyone, and who can protect you? ”

"Several generations of princes of the Tang family, Tang Jian's father, Tang Jian, was good friends with the Emperor. The matter of the Emperor Taishang's army was also listened to Tang Jian's advice. Later, the princes competed for the throne, and Tang Jian stood on His Majesty's side again. It can be said that he is a hero of two generations of Conglong, and it is even more rare that Tang Jian has never formed a party with others and has always remained neutral. If it comes to the ministers of the DPRK and China, who is the person that His Majesty really trusts, Tang Jian must be among the top three. Your mother married him, and you are his stepson. Among the generals, I will protect you, and among the ministers, he will protect you. With the two of us protecting you together, you can be regarded as having a little foundation and being able to gain a foothold in Chang'an. ”

Li Mu felt a chill down his spine when he heard this, he didn't expect that this official in the court would be so dangerous, and the vigilance in his heart couldn't help but increase by three points. Thinking that he would go to the Ministry of Industry to report tomorrow, Li Mu hurriedly asked: "Father-in-law, I don't know what kind of official position this Ministry of Industry is considered to be, how should I act when I arrive at the Ministry of Industry?" ”

Li Ji sighed and said, "Speaking of this official position, it is indeed a little unsatisfactory. The six departments of officials, people, rites, soldiers, criminals, and workers, the system of selecting the rank and rank of the officials, the method of deposing the class, the canon of the award, and the law of the final system of the title are controlled by the nouveau riche. The Ministry of Rites is in charge of ceremonial affairs, schools, and imperial examinations, and is controlled by the scholars. Outsiders in the military department can't intervene, but the generals control it. The Ministry of Civil Affairs is in charge of the territory, land, household registration, taxation, salaries and all financial affairs of the country, which is a central and important position, so Your Majesty uses the neutral Tang Jian to control it, in fact, it is in the hands of Your Majesty himself. The Criminal Department is in charge of the judiciary and involves the localities, so it is controlled by the gatekeeper. Only the Ministry of Engineering is in charge of the system of civil construction, the use of utensils, the method of ditch and weir dredging, and the ceremony of providing 100 million yuan for the mausoleum, almost all of them are craftsmen, and there are few officials, so all forces are reluctant to interfere. Your Majesty's placement of you in the Ministry of Works is a good arrangement, but it is indeed unfavorable for the future. However, it will not be difficult for me to transfer you to the army again if I find an opportunity. ”

Li Mu understood when he heard it, the other five of the six departments have their own real power, everyone is a gold-collar and white-collar worker, and only the Ministry of Industry is a worker, a blue-collar worker. But no, this is the engineering department, let alone an official in the future, even if it is a contractor, if the relationship is opened, you can make a lot of money, which dynasty doesn't love money, how can no one want to go to the Ministry of Industry?

Li Mu tactfully asked his doubts, and Li Ji also explained that most of the craftsmen in the Ministry of Industry came to serve as conscripts, and they did not give money, or gave very little money. If the imperial court has a major project to build, it needs to be funded by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and it is calculated by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and the money is not in the hands of the Ministry of Industry, so there is no profit to be made. In terms of money, the fattest errand should be the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Li Mu was completely dumbfounded, after co-authoring the marquis, he gave him a hard job, he knew this, he was not so grateful when he was grateful, and he felt a little tricked inexplicably!

Li Ji didn't know what Li Mu was thinking, and continued to talk about the main figures in the Ministry of Industry: "Now the secretary of the Ministry of Industry is called Duan Lun, Duan Lun is rarely a chivalrous person, bold and righteous, and he is a childhood friend of the abolished prince. The abolished prince valued this person very much, so he made the decision to marry Princess Langya to him. After the Emperor raised his army, he gathered 10,000 people to join the army. In the battle of Chang'an, he led his cronies to take the lead and made the first contribution. After the founding of the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Taishang appointed him as the governor of Yizhou, pacified Bashu, and made meritorious contributions to the Duke of Jiguo. If it comes to meritorious service, it is not under any general. However, because he had a close relationship with the deposed prince, after His Majesty ascended the throne, he was worried about being implicated, so he closed the door. His Majesty has a broad mind and can't bear to see the loneliness of talents, so he was appointed as the secretary of the Ministry of Industry last year. But he basically didn't care, and before March, he traveled to the famous mountains and rivers to pray for rain. Now the person in charge of the Ministry of Works is Li Daliang, the waiter of the Ministry of Works. ”

Although Li Ji said it tactfully, Li Mu understood. This Duan Lun is the eldest grandson Wuji beside Li Jiancheng. is also a friend of cloth clothes, and the same brother-in-law. It's just that this boss of Duan Lun and his son didn't do the emperor's life, and was killed by the boss of the eldest grandson Wuji. He is Li Jiancheng's sworn friend, and Li Shimin became the emperor, so naturally he can't tolerate him. Let him be the secretary of the Ministry of Industry, just to block the mouths of the people of the world, Duan Lun also understood in his heart that he was very smart and found an excuse to leave Chang'an, otherwise under Li Shimin's nose, his life would be in danger at any time. This person is naturally the person Li Ji said 'don't get too close'.

Li Mu remembered in his heart, and asked again: "Then I don't know what kind of person Li Daliang, the waiter of the Ministry of Works, is?" ”