In the next few days, Zhang Chao was also busy with the establishment of the Royal Service Group. And he once again ordered that the director sent by the eunuch should no longer be a person who can interfere in anything, but should try his best to cooperate well with those hired by him, and if something goes wrong, both parties will take responsibility together. If something goes wrong, then not only can they not be exempted from responsibility with the help of eunuch status, but they will have to be punished together, so they will inevitably let them tie together, so that those eunuch directors will not dare to mess around easily. Once the chaos comes, they will bear greater responsibility, so this will inevitably make them very scruples, and they dare not meddle in things that they are not good at. This is also the kind of scheme of separation of ownership and management rights that Zhang Chao tried in later generations, and those eunuch directors only supervised on behalf of the emperor, and could not interfere in daily operations, but could only decide important matters.

This is enough for them to operate stably for a long time, which is also the trend of enterprise development that Zhang Chao learned from later generations. The trend of enterprise development is also the separation of ownership and management rights, and then the implementation of the professional manager system. This royal service group has placed a lot of thought on Zhang Chao, not only to test the military supervision system, but also to open the state-owned enterprise system, and even to try commercial progress. Therefore, this royal service group has begun to explore in many aspects, and if it can succeed, it will be very great for the progress of the ancient feudal period, and it can even change the course of human history. So, he's here to keep an eye on these things and then avoid surprises.

And at the beginning of April of the seventh year of Wude, Du Yulu suddenly came with a news.

"Chao, uncle wants to see you!" Du Yulu said.

And when Zhang Chao heard Du Yulu say this, Zhang Chao immediately frowned. The uncle Du Yulu said, who else is there besides Du Ruhui. Now the battle between Li Shimin, the king of Qin, and Li Jiancheng for the heir has entered a white heat, and it may break out at any time. And Zhang Chao adheres to the "three noes" principle of non-interference, non-participation, and non-comment, and has always done nothing to happen. Anyway, if you have small arms and legs, what do you care about them? Even if he participated in the seizure of the heir, it would not benefit him, but would be dangerous. As a politician in later generations, Zhang Chao mainly focuses on stability, he only needs to wait until the two sides decide the winner, and then follow the new emperor by himself. And his official rank is still relatively low, so he is not afraid that he will not be able to arrange it when the time comes.

"Okay, I'll go to Tiance Mansion to pay a respect." Zhang Chao said.

Since Du Ruhui conveyed the news through Du Yulu, it shows that Du Ruhui still attaches great importance to himself. And Zhang Chao also wanted to meet Du Ruhui, one of the famous Fang Mou Du Duan in history, and Du Ruhui did not live long in history, and Zhenguan died after four years. However, he was called the first hero after Zhenguan by Li Shimin, and he ranked third in Lingyan Pavilion, and he was ranked third only by virtue of his four years of exploits, which is enough to show how much Li Shimin attaches importance to him. And if I don't give them face this time, then I'm afraid I won't have a good face in the future. After all, Li Shimin was the emperor in the original history, who knows if this Du Ruhui will still be the prime minister at that time. Zhang Chao still thinks that history is the same bias as before, and Zhang Chao still favors Li Shimin in the balance of history in his heart, so he thinks that Li Shimin has a greater probability of becoming emperor, so he has to give Li Shimin face. And Du Ruhui is one of the top ministers under Li Shimin, so naturally he has to give some face.

"Knock knock!" Zhang Chao knocked on the outer door of King Qin's Tiance Mansion.

"Director Zhang, King Qin and Du Ruhui Zhonglang have been waiting for a long time."

Du Ruhui's current official position is called "engaged in Zhonglang", which can be called "Zhonglang". And when Zhang Chao heard this King of Qin, he immediately realized that this time it was not only Du Ruhui who wanted to see him, but I am afraid that Li Shimin wanted to see him, but he just borrowed Du Ruhui's name. And at this time, it's too late to leave, since they all came to the door, if they still want to leave, it is tantamount to insulting Li Shimin. At that time, I am afraid that Li Si will be ashamed after becoming the emperor, so Zhang Chao has to go in too.

"I've seen King Qin!" Zhang Chao said.

And Li Shimin took the initiative to smile and said: "The lonely king has been waiting for Director Zhang for a long time, if it weren't for the name of Keming, I'm afraid the lonely king would not be able to invite Director Zhang!" Although Director Zhang has only been in my Datang officialdom for more than a year, he has done several major things for my Datang officialdom. From the use of the examination method, and killed a large number of corrupt officials and corrupt officials, it has inspired the people of my Tang Dynasty, and then I am also responsible for the formation of this royal group, and I will definitely be able to bring great wealth to my Tang Dynasty in the future, isn't this a good thing? In the future, I don't need to ask the treasury for money, but can still feed back to the treasury, which is unprecedented. So, isn't Director Zhang a hero? If it weren't for the fact that Director Zhang was still young and had just entered my Datang for a year, then the Lone King might have to be reused. ”

Zhang Chao replied flatly: "His Royal Highness the King of Qin, since I am the head of the Ministry of Officials and am responsible for inspecting whether the officials are competent, then this is also my duty." As an official of the Ministry of Officials, the minister naturally has to select and employ people for my Datang Dynasty, so as not to let those crooked melons and cracked dates come in. Therefore, cleaning up corrupt officials and corrupt officials is just my own job, and the implementation of the examination method is not enough to establish a suitable official promotion standard for my Datang. As for the final establishment of Datang Royal Group, it is just for me Datang to save human resources. Therefore, I am just doing my own job, and I don't need to be praised by King Qin. ”

Zhang Chao looked very bland, because he knew that Li Shimin invited him over this time to definitely try to win him over, but Zhang Chao was ready and would definitely not take refuge this time. Because it is too dangerous to participate in the battle for the heir, Zhang Chao will definitely not take refuge in any party. Anyway, if even if he takes refuge in Li Shimin's side, even if Li Shimin becomes the emperor, he will not be able to gain much benefit. Because Zhang Chao's level is too low, it is impossible to climb to the position of prime minister in one performance. So even if he participated in the Gong from the Dragon, it would only be to obtain a position of five or six grades, but is it necessary to take such a risk for this position? Zhang Chao didn't participate in this kind of opportunity back then, and he was also mixed with a deputy department-level cadre, so there was no need to take risks.

"Director Zhang, please!" Li Shimin said.

"King Qin, please!" Zhang Chao said.

And when he got inside, Li Shimin took the initiative to sit down, and there was Du Ruhui just now, that is, Du Yulu's uncle. And there is also a middle-aged man who looks to be in his forties, which should be the legendary Fang Xuanling. And this time, in order to be able to come to him, Li Shimin seems to have taken great pains, and even invited his two generals out.

"Please, please come into the inner room!" Li Shimin said.

When Zhang Chao walked into the inner room, Zhang Chao found that there was a pair of words in front of him, and this character seemed to be the poem "Bamboo and Stone" that he wrote to Yu Shinan at the beginning, and now it was actually framed by Li Shimin in his inner room, and it seems to be carefully framed. Next to it are some famous calligraphy and paintings, all of which are calligraphy and paintings of famous calligraphers in ancient times.

"Sure enough, it's Li Shimin, there are some means!" Zhang Chao thought in his heart.

Zhang Chao knew that Li Shimin was absolutely deliberate, and Li Shimin definitely deliberately framed this calligraphy, and then sent it to this inner room for a visit. And Li Shimin deliberately framed his worthless calligraphy and visited it with the calligraphy and paintings of other famous calligraphers, which was actually a deliberate way to make people feel that the other party valued him. And Li Shimin didn't say anything, and deliberately took himself to the inner room, and Zhang Chao knew that Li Shimin's angle was very good, as long as he came in, there was an 80% chance that he would be able to see this character.

And if you are an ordinary person who sees this self-written handwriting framed with the calligraphy and paintings of famous artists, it can definitely inspire a sense of glory. In this way, you can indirectly feel the importance of the other party to yourself, and you will feel a little moved in your heart. And Zhang Chao saw this character, of course he knew that this was actually Li Shimin's method, and he used this method to make people feel close. This kind of subconscious belief is more useful than the other party saying a thousand or ten thousand sentences.

Because if ordinary people see their calligraphy and paintings being regarded as famous calligraphy and paintings by others, but they are not famous artists, then they will feel that the other party is their bosom friend. This method is actually directly in the subconscious, and it is more useful than how the other party expresses his position.

Zhang Chao looked at the painting and kept silent, obviously as if he didn't see it. And Li Shimin saw Zhang Chao as if he didn't see it, and he couldn't help but feel a little anxious in his heart. Because in his plan, Zhang Chao should take the initiative to ask why this calligraphy and painting is here, and then Li Shimin will show that he attaches importance to it, and then he will follow one by one. But Zhang Chao didn't follow his script, as if he really didn't see it, which simply made the next script impossible to perform.

Li Shimin was secretly anxious, Zhang Chao didn't follow the script he speculated, and he could only give Fang Xuanling a look and let Fang Xuanling break the game.

And Fang Xuanling immediately understood, and immediately said: "King Qin, this painting is really strange. The square font seems to be very solemn, and it really looks like a masterpiece! ”

"King Qin, which famous artist's work is this? Such a new font is definitely a masterpiece! But why haven't I heard of this master? Du Ruhui also pretended to be stupid and said.

And Li Shimin immediately said: "Xuan Ling, Keming, this person is far away in the sky, close in front of you!" ”

"Oh? It turned out to be Director Zhang, and Director Zhang is really young and promising! Du Ruhui said immediately.

"Yes! I didn't expect that Mr. Zhang would still have such a set of calligraphy skills, it seems that my niece really didn't follow the wrong person, and she was really a knowledgeable young and promising person! ”

"I won't need this set when I'm twenty-five years old!" Zhang Chao scolded in his heart.

This Li Shimin and Fang Xuanling Du Ruhui still regard themselves as young people, and he subconsciously still regards himself as a young man, so the methods used are all those methods used to deal with young people. This method is very useful for young people who are not deeply involved in the world and are proud of their talents. If those young people are not careful, they are likely to fall into this kind of hype and end up being taken advantage of. But how could Zhang Chao, an old official in later generations, be pitted by such relatively unpopular means.

Zhang Chao immediately replied; "Calligraphy is a trail, calligraphy and painting are just some trails used to cultivate sentiment, and they can't be elegant. Therefore, calligraphy, calligraphy and painting, I never used to show off, and I didn't expect King Qin to collect my clumsy works, which really surprised me. However, needless to say, this kind of trail is not beneficial to governing the country, and it is not good for the people's livelihood. It's just some disease-free things, if you think too much about this, it's better to think more about some statecraft and improve the people's livelihood. ”

"......" Li Shimin, Fang Xuanling, and Du Ruhui were collectively speechless.

Li Shimin and Fang Xuanling Du Ruhui analyzed before, they thought that Zhang Chao, as a young man, should be very arrogant and proud, and he would be very proud if he had a special ability in his hand. And this calligraphy was very sought after by ancient people, especially ancient literati. They think that as long as they raise the topic at the beginning, it is equivalent to scratching Zhang Chao's itch and making Zhang Chao very comfortable. Because touting what others are best at, it must be regarded as a sycophant, or a comfortable shot.

But Zhang Chao didn't eat this set, not only did he not take his calligraphy seriously, but also "belittled" calligraphy, saying that calligraphy is not beneficial to governing the country, and it is not good for improving people's livelihood. And Zhang Chao's words deliberately blocked the next Li Shimin and Fang Xuanling Du Ruhui borrowed calligraphy as the theme, and then continued to pave the way.

"Damn, what's the matter with this Zhang Chao, don't follow the previous deduction!" Fang Xuanling was also extremely embarrassed.

Because this plan was proposed by Fang Xuanling, although he was not familiar with Zhang Chao, he still subconsciously thought that Zhang Chao was a young man and was very easy to deal with! But now Zhang Chao has not followed the script twice, which makes Fang Xuanling very unconfident in his reasoning ability. And Fang Xuanling didn't know that Zhang Chao, a seventeen-year-old person, already had a person who was almost forty years old and had been in officialdom for a long time, so naturally he would not follow their routine so easily. What's more, this kind of routine, let alone dealing with later generations of officials like him, even the TV series of later generations have been played stinky, and ordinary people can't be fooled. Therefore, Fang Xuanling thinks that this method is useful, but compared with the era of information explosion in later generations, these methods are simply a little out of the flow.

However, Li Shimin quickly thought of a way to crack it, that is, he continued: "Director Zhang, as the saying goes, words are like people, and Director Zhang's words look square, which is enough to show your upright attitude." And Director Zhang, do you think it is upright to be a person and an official? As far as the Lone King knows, you have always advocated the establishment of rules, and then used various rules to govern the country. From your exam results, to the various statutes in the Royal Service Group, these are all very orderly and orderly. And this is actually the backbone of the Legalists back then, could it be that Director Zhang recognized the Legalists? ”

"Legalist?" Zhang Chao suddenly muttered in his heart.

Of course, Zhang Chao knew what Legalism was, because Legalism was actually a tenacious school that had been around since ancient times. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Legalists were the spokesmen of the ordinary civilian class and paid attention to the legal system. And they pay attention to everything, and they must use the law as the standard for governing the country, and everything is to use the law to govern the country, and they do not agree with the Confucian teachings. However, Zhang Chao knew that after Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty respected Confucianism, all the sons and hundreds of schools had begun to die, but the Legalists had been tenaciously continued.

Although it seems that Confucianism dominates the world, in fact, while many people study Confucianism, there are still many politicians who are accustomed to ruling with Legalist ideas. The more famous ones are Zhuge Liang, Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty, Wang Anshi, etc., and these people all grew up within the scope of Confucianism, but their concept of governing the country is biased towards Legalism. In ancient times, kings who really evaluated well, for example, even Tang Taizong Li Shimin used both Confucianism and Legalism to govern the country, so as to achieve good results.

And Zhang Chao soon said: "I am a Legalist, but I am not a Legalist!" ”

"Oh? How do you say that? Li Shimin asked.

Zhang Chao replied: "I agree that it is the rule of law, not the rule of law. ”

Then, Zhang Chao wrote the words "rule of law" and "legal system" on the paper, and then Li Shimin, Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui also felt very strange and didn't know how to understand it. Both words have the same pronunciation, but what is the difference?

"Oh? Is there a difference? Li Shimin asked.

Zhang Chao went on to say: "The legal system is about formal laws and directives. And my rule of law is to pay attention to the rule of law. However, in my thinking about the rule of law, no one can be higher than the law, not even a king! And my law of the rule of law comes from everyone's deliberations, not the king himself with a mouth of heaven. ”

"Huh? Why? Li Shimin asked.

Zhang Chao knew that Li Shimin was also biased towards Legalism in his heart, and he was still able to agree with Legalism's thoughts in his heart, so he was very curious when he heard about this new Legalist thought.

"Because as I said before, absolute power leads to absolute corruption. If there is no limit to power, it will inevitably bring great consequences. And if the king has absolute power, it means that there is an imbalance of power. Therefore, only by passing legislation and then establishing the scope of everyone's rights can we let everyone perform their own responsibilities and avoid too many power collisions and imbalances. And in the future, imperial power is no longer granted by heaven, but comes from the law. In this way, the emperor's excessive power can be avoided from eventually hurting others and himself, and the appearance of powerful ministers can be avoided to a large extent, because everyone's power is limited. In the end, as long as everyone can perform their responsibilities according to the division of power and the law, in the end, there will be less conflict between the imperial power and the relative power, and there will be less conflict between the emperor and the courtiers and the people of the world. At that time, there were fewer conflicts, and the royal family was able to continue for a longer time, even as long as it could always abide by the law, it could continue forever. ”

Zhang Chao's topic returned to the question of whether the emperor wanted power or the continuation of the imperial family, if he wanted power, then the continuation of the imperial family would not be too long. However, if you want the royal family to continue, you must limit your rights, which is a contradiction.

"What you mean is that as long as there is a suitable law, everyone can enforce it according to the law, and everyone has recognized the scope of their own rights, and they cannot exceed it without permission, then the emperor will be completely safe. And even those powerful ministers can't usurp the throne, because they can't usurp the throne at all, he can't go beyond the emperor's power, right? Once he wants to break through the scope of power, countless people will stand up against him, which is the reason why power is controlled by law. And the law is decided by everyone, so no one can decide to change it on their own. Li Shimin asked.

Li Shimin understood that Zhang Chao meant to set a rule of the game, and then even the prime minister in the future could only exercise power within the scope of his own power, and could not go beyond the emperor. In this way, the scope of power was established through legislation, and any power was the source and the law, so that even the emperor could not have too much power beyond the law. And this is safer, so that the emperor's position can continue for a long time, so that there will not be too much turmoil, and the safety of the imperial family is ensured.

"If you can ensure that the royal family will inherit forever, then giving up some of your power can also be considered!" Li Shimin thought.

If it can be continued with the royal family, then these powers are nothing. In Li Shimin's eyes, it is worth giving up some power compared to the eternal inheritance of the royal family, because he is more concerned about the eternal inheritance of the imperial family, rather than thinking about what completely grasps the power that will never be used up. Because he knows that there is infinite power, and in the end it brings no power. Because infinity seems to be infinite, but the fact can also be infinitely small. However, using the law to stipulate the power of the emperor can be said to be another way of thinking. As long as everyone agrees to this law on the division of power, the emperor's power can be constant forever without change, and it can also be passed on to the imperial family for a long time. Therefore, in Li Shimin's eyes, it is still worth giving up a part of the unlimited power, and then exchanging a family for eternity to have a part of the power.