There is such a story recorded in the "Ancient Texts Collection": When Pei Ju, a famous minister in the early Tang Dynasty, was an official in the Sui Dynasty, he used to be sycophant, slapping horses, and trying to meet the requirements of Emperor Yang of Sui; But in the Tang Dynasty, he reversed his old attitude and dared to argue with Tang Taizong in person, and became a loyal and honest minister. Sima Guang commented on this: "Pei Ju was criticized in the Sui and Tang Dynasty, and his nature has changed. When the king hears of his mistakes, he will turn into a slander; When you hear about it, you will turn it into a slander." This story tells us that people dare to tell the truth, are willing to tell the truth, and are willing to tell the truth only in the presence of those who are willing to hear the truth and can hear the truth. Our leading cadres must follow the principle of "those who speak are not guilty, and those who hear are fully admonished" and welcome and encourage others to tell the truth.

-- "Adhering to the Ideological Line of Seeking Truth from Facts: Speech at the Opening Ceremony of the Second Batch of Admitted Students in the Spring Semester of 2012 of the Central Party School" (May 16, 2012)

Further reading:

The ancients said that faith is not beautiful, and good words are not believed. Sharp criticism, contrary words, the more valuable the words, the more difficult it may be to be accepted, it takes mind to listen to it, and it takes courage to speak out. But both history and reality tell us that the "baton" of telling the truth is in the hands of those who listen to the truth.

Pei Ju, a famous minister in the early Tang Dynasty, was formerly a Sui minister. Pei Ju is good at figuring out Emperor Yang of Sui's mind and doing what he likes. Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty once praised Pei Ju: "Great knowledge of me, everything that is presented, is a success, I have not yet heard, and I have heard it." Since it is not the intention of the country, who can be? Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty was so happy that Pei Ju suggested that a large-scale Lantern Festival celebration be held in Luoyang, the eastern capital. Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty longed for "four Yi guest suits, and all states came to the court", and Pei Ju supported launching foreign wars. The Sui Dynasty fell, and Pei Ju led his troops to the Tang Dynasty. Tang Taizong admonished the court, and Pei Juxiang became another person, speaking bluntly and daring to correct Tang Taizong's mistakes. Tang Taizong praised him: "Pei Ju strives to be an official, not to be subordinate." If everything is the case, there is no cure. ”

Sima Guang said in "Zizhi Tongjian": "The ancients had a saying: the king is wise and the minister is straight. Pei Ju was in the Sui and criticized in the Tang Dynasty, not because of the change in his nature. When the king hears of his mistakes, he will turn into a slander; When Jun Le heard about it, he turned it into a slander. It is the appearance of the ruler, the view of the minister, and the scene of the movement. In other words, Pei Ju was a traitor in the Sui Dynasty but upright in the Tang Dynasty, not because of a change in temperament. If the monarch is unwilling to listen to his own faults, then the upright will become treacherous; If the monarch is willing to listen to the truth, then the traitorous can also become upright. The minister is like the shadow of the king, and the shadow will move as his body moves.

Xi Jinping cited Pei Ju's example to emphasize that the "baton" of truth-telling is in the hands of leaders. Only when leaders dare to listen to the truth, encourage them to tell the truth, have the grace and mind to accept criticism, and have the sincere attitude of "changing what they have, and encouraging them if they don't", can they make the truth and slander become a common practice.

In this speech, Xi Jinping pointed out that leading cadres should insist on seeking truth and pragmatism, and they should not only work "seeking truth", but also make a fuss about "pragmatism", especially to tell the truth, make practical moves, do practical things, and seek practical results. To tell the truth is to tell things as they are, to tell the truth and the truth. Telling the truth is an important embodiment of a leading cadre's truth, justice, and righteousness. He stressed that the premise of telling the truth is to listen to the truth. In addition to telling the story of Pei Ju, he also quoted the English philosopher Bacon to explain that listening to the truth is a kind of wisdom: "It is a blessing and a blessing to be able to hear others tell you the truth, so that you can take fewer or no detours, and make fewer mistakes or no big mistakes." ”