Staff, although they have no official position, can participate in political affairs. Although they can enter and exit the government, they are just civilians. It is a gray area between the government and the public. Their responsibilities include the three major professions of secretary, adjutant and staff, and there is naturally a lot of knowledge in them.
Now, when Su Xiqing heard Xiao Wenxuan ask him about the secret, although Su Xiqing had no hidden intentions, he still couldn't explain it for a while.
After pondering for a long time, Su Xiqing finally spoke up and taught: "Master Xiao, you are a scholar and have a lot of knowledge. You are naturally smart. However, the knowledge of being a staff is too much and too detailed. It cannot be learned in a day or two.
. I originally wanted to teach you bit by bit when you and I work together in the future, but I am going to Yangzhou for work next, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to come back in a short time. The next time we meet,
I’m afraid we have to wait until you accompany Mr. Zhao on his southern tour, so I can only tell you some of the most basic and important tips first.”
The news that Su Xiqing was going to Yangzhou for business next was mentioned by Zhao Junchen before in the study, so Xiao Wenxuan was not surprised and understood Su Xiqing's difficulties.
As for what Su Xiqing was going to do in Yangzhou, since neither Zhao Junchen nor Su Xiqing said it clearly, Xiao Wenxuan would not ask any more questions.
Therefore, Xiao Wenxuan looked even more humble and said: "Mr. Su can teach me some of the most basic and crucial tips first. Wenxuan is extremely grateful. After all, Mr. Su has to go out for business next, and Wenxuan naturally does not dare to force it.
The rest can be taught slowly in the future. I just hope that Mr. Su will not dislike Wenxuan for being troublesome and stupid."
"No, no, Mr. Xiao and I are working together in the Zhao Mansion. We are our own people, so there is no need for any trouble." After a few polite words, Su Xiqing coughed lightly, with a cautious look on his face, and slowly explained.
: "As a staff member, you need to protect yourself first, then do things, and finally seek profit. These are the three essentials of a staff member, and these three points are all based on understanding the character of your employer and trying to figure out your employer's thoughts. It's a lackluster thing to say.
, even old-fashioned, but it’s not easy to do.”
Seeing Xiao Wenxuan nodding and looking like he was listening attentively, Su Xiqing nodded with satisfaction. Being able to teach a scholar gave him a sense of accomplishment.
"... Let's talk about self-protection first. As a staff member, you are neither an official nor a civilian, and you are both an official and a civilian. Your identity is the most embarrassing and sensitive. So you must learn to protect yourself, so that you can make a difference next. If you don't know how to protect yourself,
Those below are resented by the people, and those above are suspected by their employers. The final outcome may be embarrassing. However, how to protect yourself ultimately depends on gaining the trust of your employer, and if you want to gain the trust of your employer, you must first understand your employer. In our case Zhao
As an adult, can you be generous? Can you be conceited? Can you be stubborn? Depending on the personality of your employer, our staffing methods also need to be different..."
The topic changed, and Su Xiqing began to describe his views on Zhao Junchen: "Our Lord Zhao is not a simple person. If you only look at the officialdom, who is not a cunning person? But our Lord Zhao is becoming increasingly powerful.
First, he defeated the former elder Wen Guanliang. Now he suppressed the current elder Huang Yourong. This is not something that can be done by ordinary means. However, it is precisely because our Mr. Zhao is so capable that he is too determined in his heart.
Once the goal is set, it is difficult to change it, so when we work for Mr. Zhao, we should mainly focus on checking for omissions and filling the vacancies. We should make suggestions as a supplement. Even if we have different plans in mind, such plans need to be in line with Mr. Zhao’s goals.
In agreement, you must not think that your own plan is better. But you change the goals and tasks assigned by Mr. Zhao without authorization. This will only do bad things..."
"...However, our Lord Zhao has one good thing, that is, he is not stubborn or conceited. Therefore, as long as the goals of Lord Zhao are not changed, whether it is making suggestions or checking for omissions, he can put forward any suggestions, even if they are not adopted.
, Mr. Zhao will not blame you. But if you meet some overly conceited and stubborn employers, you need some means to give them advice. You must first cater to the affirmative, and then slightly mention aspects that he has not thought of. Only in this way can you
Let him change his mind... Of course, this is off topic, but although our Lord Zhao does not need these methods, he will never suffer any loss if he uses such methods..."
"...but our Mr. Zhao also has some disadvantages, that is, many times he only explains the tasks but does not explain them in detail. As for how the tasks should be completed? When will they be completed? What are the special requirements? For these, Mr. Zhao
The more I trust you, the less I will talk to you, but I will consider you. At this time, you have to think of yourself as Mr. Zhao, put yourself in Mr. Zhao’s shoes, and think about what his goals are and what needs to be done.
What kind of results can we achieve to cater to Mr. Zhao's wishes? In short, in the future, although we are just a staff, we often need to have the heart of an employer. Looking at things from the perspective of an employer can always get twice the result with half the effort..."
"...Besides, when it comes to doing things, you not only need to figure out what Mr. Zhao is thinking, but you also need to figure out the thinking of yourself and the people around Mr. Zhao, otherwise it is most likely to mess up things. Take our Zhao Mansion as an example, if Mr. Zhao sends someone
Xu Qingyan and Butler Xu are here to explain the matter. We must first understand that Butler Xu has an unpredictable temper and is not very reliable in many cases. Therefore, you must confirm with Butler Xu again and again what Mr. Zhao’s order is to prevent Butler Xu from misunderstanding.
Or maybe there is something missing, otherwise if something goes wrong, Mr. Zhao may not blame Xu Qingyan, who is close to him, but he will make you take the blame..."
"...And if Mr. Zhao sends Mrs. Fang Ru to tell us something - of course this is rare - we need to be more careful in dealing with it, because Mrs. Fang Ru is very independent and may change Mr. Zhao's order without authorization, so
We need to find Mr. Zhao in person and confirm it again, otherwise we will be displeased in the end..."
"...In the end, it's all about profit. Regarding this, Mr. Xiao, you must first understand that we are employed by Mr. Zhao, so we must not only act from Mr. Zhao's standpoint, but also what is our credit?
How big it is, only Mr. Zhao needs to know. Mr. Zhao will naturally keep it in mind and must not show it to others. Showing off to others will not only cause Mr. Zhao to lose face, but we ourselves will get nothing.
, it is something that harms others without benefiting oneself. You know, we are now called staff, but we were originally called 'guests behind the scenes'. What do you mean by the word 'behind the scenes'? With your talent and learning, Mr. Xiao, you naturally understand
of……"
"... Of course, although our staff spends a lot of time and effort, if we follow the right person, there are still many benefits. If we can please the Lord, not only will there be no shortage of monetary rewards, but we can also ask Lord Zhao to recommend clan members or even ourselves to enter
As an official in the imperial court, generally speaking, Mr. Zhao has his own considerations about these matters, so we don’t need to take the initiative to mention them. But if Mr. Zhao neglects it, we must also use some means when we mention it to Mr. Zhao. Methods and skills are secondary, and in the end
The important thing is the occasion. You must not ask Master Zhao for rewards in front of many people. Otherwise, if others follow suit, it will only make things difficult for Master Zhao..."
…………
As Zhao Junchen said, Xiao Wenxuan was just an ordinary and simple scholar in the past. He not only lacked the knowledge, means and experience required by a staff, but also lacked the mentality required by a staff!
A gray mentality that is neither black nor white.
Therefore, although Xiao Wenxuan memorized all the tricks Su Xiqing mentioned with a humble expression and did not refute them in person, many concepts made it difficult for him to accept and agree with them.
This requires a step and time.
…………
But just when Xiao Wenxuan was being taught by Su Xiqing, Zhao Junchen got a very important news.
Prince Zhu Heyu has finally completed the various fraud cases in preparation for the Southern Tour and is about to return to Beijing.
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PS: Many of the contents of this chapter are some tips that a senior taught Chongzi when he was just starting to work. I wrote this chapter to share with you. You may not need it, but it is also interesting to know about it.
Of course, there are some that are not suitable for the content and background of this book, and there are also some that Chongzi does not agree with, such as hiding clumsiness and patting a horse. The number of words would be too low to write, so I won't write it down.