Zhu Qiyu's eyes lit up slightly. He nodded and said, "The National Preceptor understands me after all. They all think I refused to use him because I minded his proposal to move south, but they do not know that when I look at him, I see a petty man. Naturally, I am unwilling to employ him."
Pan Yun asked, "Among the civil and military officials at court, how many are gentlemen, and how many are petty men? Can Your Majesty truly tell them apart?"
Zhu Qiyu parted his lips slightly but could not answer.
"A ruler should not distinguish people as gentlemen or petty men when employing them, but judge matters on their own merits. If a petty man handles a task, he may achieve twice the result with half the effort; if a gentleman handles it, he may get half the result with twice the effort. Would Your Majesty use the petty man or the gentleman?"
Zhu Qiyu seemed thoughtful. "But Grand Tutor once told me that a ruler should keep petty men at a distance and draw close to worthy gentlemen..."
Pan Yun smiled faintly. "At the time, Your Majesty was Prince Cheng, attending a public lesson. Naturally, the Grand Tutor had to say such things. That way, Prince Cheng would become a worthy prince in order to draw close to His Majesty. When he taught the late Emperor in private, he certainly did not say the same."
Zhu Qiyu's eyes widened.
Pan Yun said, "Why does Your Majesty think the late Emperor placed such importance on Wang Zhen?"
After pondering for a moment, Zhu Qiyu said, "The court officials all said that Imperial Brother had been bewitched by Wang Zhen. But Imperial Brother told me that he used Wang Zhen because Wang Zhen was loyal to him,