Wu Commandery.
Although it was called an Edict to Recruit Worthies, naturally not everyone could meet Luo Chu. Otherwise, he would have no time for anything else; even receiving visitors each day would keep him impossibly busy.
This was why scholars had to cultivate their reputations, and why they had to praise one another.
Without doing so, they would have no one to recommend them, and without a recommender, entering office directly through a ruler was difficult.
Zhang Zhao and Zhang Hong were both living in seclusion in Wu Commandery and had some modest renown. With a short piece of writing, Zhang Hong secured an opportunity to meet Luo Chu directly.
In his letter to Luo Chu, Zhang Hong wrote, "Since ancient times, any family, state, or dynasty that wished to prosper had to cultivate its virtue.
"Only when a lord possessed virtue would loyal ministers, righteous men, the benevolent, the trustworthy, and the wise come to assist his great undertaking.
"There are many worthy men in this world who possess loyalty, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness, but rulers who possess virtue are few and far between.
"For people always fear difficulty and favor ease, delight in opinions that agree with theirs and detest those that differ. Yet governing All Under Heaven requires precisely that one listen to differing opinions before making the correct decisions.
"This is why passing down a family's legacy is arduous, passing down a state is difficult, and dynasties ultimately decline.
"The Sage Kings of ancient times were all men who disliked remonstrance but nevertheless heeded it.
"This was why those rulers who excelled at listening to remonstrance could become Sage Kings.
"Young Master, you were born into the Luo Clan. Beginning with your founding ancestor, the Sage King, the Luo Clan has cultivated its virtue