Li Ke
Wei Si asked his chancellor Li Ke , the general of Zhongshan ( Dingzhou , Hebei Province ) , " You once said: 'The family is poor and thinks of a good wife, and the country is chaotic and thinks of a good wife (prime minister).' Now I want to choose one of the two people to be the prime minister, either Wei Cheng or Zhai Huang, which one do you think is more appropriate? Li Ke said: "People of low status do not participate in deciding noble things, and people who are estranged do not participate in discussions of close people." I am far outside the palace gates and dare not give you an opinion. Weiss said, "Don't slip your head, make sure you say it." Li Ke said: "Which one is suitable for the prime minister, the conditions are so obvious that the Lord did not notice it for a while." On a normal day, who do you observe who he is close to? After having money, observe where he uses the money? As a high-ranking official, observe what meritocracy he recommends? When you are poor, do you observe that he has done something wrong? When he is poor, observe whether he accepts ill-gotten gains or not? From these five points, we can draw conclusions, and still use me to talk more? Weiss said happily, "Well, please go back to the house and rest, I have decided who to appoint as prime minister." ”
Zhai Huang
When Li Ke left the palace and met Zhai Huang, Zhai Huang asked, "I heard that the Lord summoned you into the palace and asked you for the opinion of the prime minister, who did you recommend?" Li Ke said, "Wei Cheng." Zhai Huang's face changed drastically and he said, "The Lord is worried about the West River (on the west bank of the Yellow River [eastern Shaanxi Province]), and it is I who recommended Wu Qi. The Lord worries about Yecheng (邺城, Linzhang County, Hebei Province), and it is I who recommend Ximen Leopard. The Lord wants to attack the Kingdom of Zhongshan, and I recommend Le Yang. After occupying Zhongshan, I can't find a defender, and I recommend you. The Son of the Lord has no teachers, and I recommended Qu Hou. Just these few points, what do I have that is inferior to Wei Cheng? Li Ke said, "When you first recommended me to guard Zhongshan, did you treat me as a henchman and include me in the organization to cultivate gangs in order to seek greater officials?" I think of course not. The Lord asked me who was fit to be prime minister, and I answered according to the actual situation. Therefore, it is speculated that the Lord must have appointed Wei Cheng, because Wei Chengqian Zhong (one bell, six Axes and Four Buckets) Feng Lu, but used nine hundred bells to make friends with the sage Haojie, leaving only one hundred bells for his family, so he excavated Bu Zixia, Tian Zifang, and Duan Ganmu, and introduced them to the Lord, who was honored as a master. And the five you recommended are all used as subordinates by the Lord, how can you compare with Wei Cheng? Zhai Huang was greatly ashamed and said, "I am really a thick line, I should not ask you this question, I am willing to follow you to learn and be your disciple." ”