I studied in modern times

Chapter 1023 Good riddance!

Night slowly fell.

The lights on the Zhou Bridge began to illuminate the Bian River.

In the Kaifeng Prefecture government office on the south bank of the Bian River, Censor-in-Chief Lü Dafang watched as one arrested scholar after another was escorted by soldiers onto carriages bearing the insignia of the Imperial Academy.

This is the decree that has just been issued: "All scholars shall be sent to the Imperial Academy, where the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy shall give them a night of instruction and instruction, and they shall also copy down the classics and their meanings, so as to enlighten their minds, calm their spirits, and cultivate their character!"

Lü Dafang let out a slight sigh of relief.

"This matter is..." He shook his head and looked at his younger brother, Lü Dalin, who was the Imperial Academy Doctor who had been ordered to receive the scholars.

"I'm sorry to trouble you with this matter, Uncle..." Lü Dafang said softly.

"Brother, there's no need to worry!" Lü Dalin chuckled. "Neither Judge Lu nor Chancellor Zheng will make things difficult for these scholars!"

“Yes! I know!” Lü Dafang nodded.

Both Lu Dian and Zheng Mu were upright and honest Confucian scholars who cherished their reputation.

Of course not, we shouldn't mistreat these scholars.

His worries couldn't possibly be about those two people.

Lu Dafang looked towards the imperial city, his expression inscrutable.

He was a confidant of the emperor and also served as an official in the Imperial Academy.

Lü Dafang began serving that young monarch in the eighth year of the Yuanfeng era.

He knew all too well the Emperor's magnanimity!

The popular opinion is absolutely correct—the current emperor has the style of a wise ruler from the Han and Tang dynasties.

that's the truth!
The current emperor has combined the vengefulness of the Liu family with the ruthlessness of the Li family!
Anyone who offends him will be put on a blacklist.

The Wang Shen family and the Wu Anchi family have been subjected to difficulties and suppression in the process of investigation and verification.

What kind of difficulties or suppression are they going to make things difficult for you?

It's very simple—follow business as it comes!
Things that can be overlooked with one eye but not with another.

The Ministry of Personnel and the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs must have kept a close eye on these two families, handling the matter strictly according to procedures, in a reasonable, legal, and compliant manner.

Moreover, the officials in charge were all exceptionally honest and incorruptible.

Even without any suppression, these two families are already living a life worse than death.

The reason is simple—they were all Celestial Dragons in the past.

The connections and networks are countless!

Now, however, they have been brought down to earth and have to compete with those from humble backgrounds, even wallowing in the mud.

For the Celestial Dragons, this was practically torture!
This is precisely why everyone in the court fears His Majesty—this emperor is nothing like the Zhao Emperor.

The officials in Zhao's court may be greedy and lustful, or they may be autocratic and domineering.

But they're really good to their own people!
As long as the imperial relatives do not rebel, they can tolerate most things.

Most of the time, it's just a matter of drinking three cups of wine as a punishment, and that's the last time.

Not to mention the treatment of high-ranking civil officials and scholars!
It's practically about sharing the world with them!
But the current emperor is different; although on most issues, he is no different from other emperors.

However, as long as someone dares to provoke him.

Whether you're a relative of the emperor, a member of the imperial family, or a descendant of a high-ranking official, the outcome is the same!

Even relatives of the emperor, members of the imperial family, and descendants of high-ranking officials met tragic ends.

So... what will become of these scholars?
Lu Dafang didn't know, but when he was in the Kaifeng Prefecture government office just now, he clearly saw Luo Kuo and Jia Zhongmin leading people to copy something.

Seeing his brother's expression, Lü Dalin was puzzled and couldn't understand why his brother was staring blankly in the direction of the imperial city.

However, he was always easygoing and didn't take it to heart.

At this moment, Lü Dalin also realized—he was the emperor's confidant.

Even in front of one's brothers, one must not show any sign of doubt towards the emperor.

Otherwise, it would raise suspicion of disloyalty.

Once the news gets out, he will only have one fate—being demoted from the position of heir!
He chuckled and then asked Lü Dalin, "Uncle, are you still busy with the [Jinshi Society] at the Imperial Academy?"

Upon hearing his brother mention the Jinshi Society, Lü Dalin immediately became interested and nodded, saying, "Indeed!"

"Brother, do you know how many members the Imperial Academy's [Jinshi Society] has now?"

Before Lü Dafang could ask, Lü Dalin said smugly, "A full one hundred and thirty people!"

"Among them were more than ten people, including assistant instructors and academic directors of the Imperial Academy!"

The assistant instructors of the Imperial Academy were actually lecturers at the Imperial Academy, and most of them were renowned teachers of classical studies in the country!
Under the current system of the Imperial Academy, the assistant professors of the Imperial Academy were the assistants of the professors of the Imperial Academy.

The number of Imperial Academy Doctors was limited to twelve.

Moreover, they all had dedicated examiners—the Imperial Academy Doctors.

He instructed the teachers and students of the Imperial Academy in virtue, morality, and art.

At the same time, the Imperial Academy Doctors were all great Confucian scholars who specialized in one classic text.

For example, Lü Dalin was a Doctor of the Book of Changes at the Imperial Academy.

He was in charge of almost everything related to the I Ching.

Thus, under these circumstances, the Imperial Academy Doctor became the head of a department within the Imperial Academy.

The assistant professors at the Imperial Academy, who served as his assistants, became the de facto professors.

Most of the teaching work is done by the teaching assistants.

As for the Imperial Academy Instructor?
According to regulations, they were selected from the students of the Imperial Academy, without official rank, and were responsible for assisting the Imperial Academy Doctors and Assistant Instructors, managing the students, and observing their daily conduct.

what is this?
counselor!
In the future, the study of natural phenomena will be incorporated into the Imperial Academy.

Then, majors are set up according to each subject, and courses are taught according to those majors.

Modern universities would appear directly in the Middle Ages!

Of course, Lü Dalin was unaware of all this. He was immersed in his own joy, talking incessantly to Lü Dafang about his progress at the Imperial Academy.

At the same time, he also blatantly praised the current emperor's virtues to Lü Dafang.

They elevated that emperor to the status of a sage king of the present day.

Lu Dafang listened with a smile the whole time, occasionally adding a few words of agreement.

He knew very well the weight the current emperor held in his younger brother's heart—he was truly a reincarnation of three sage kings, like Yao, Shun, and Yu.

The reason is simple: for the past three years, His Majesty has almost given Lü Dalin free rein in his work on epigraphy.

Not only were dozens of bronze artifacts from the Forbidden City entrusted to Lü Dalin for research.

They also allocated funds to Lü Dalin so that he could organize the 'Jinshi Society' in the Imperial Academy, and gave the green light to the development of the Jinshi Society, providing all the conveniences they could!

Thus, Lü Dalin's archaeological career began to take off.

In just three years, he compiled and translated hundreds of new inscriptions on metal and stone.

Naturally, in Lü Dalin's eyes, the current emperor can only be a perfect and sage king!
Seeing his younger brother regain his former glory and rise again after his career was respected and valued, Lü Dafang sighed inwardly, "The Emperor's grace is profound; how can I ever repay it?"

Yes, in Lü Dafang's view, the Emperor treated his younger brother so well, even giving him the treasures stored in the Forbidden City to study.

It can only be out of love and care for him!

What else could it be?
Could it be that he values ​​Lü Dalin's epigraphy?

So what could he do?

The only way to repay this kindness is to be like Zhuge Liang, devoting oneself wholeheartedly until death!
While the two brothers were talking, the soldiers of Kaifeng Prefecture had already stuffed hundreds of arrested scholars into carriages.

Upon seeing this, Lü Dalin bid farewell to his brother and then led the dozens of carriages filled with scholars to the Imperial Academy.

Lu Dafang watched his younger brother and the convoy disappear into the night.

After a while, Lü Tao and Peng Ruli, who had been ordered to come to Kaifeng Prefecture along with Lü Dafang to jointly review the cases of scholars, came before Lü Dafang, cupped their hands and bowed, saying, "Reporting to the Central Commissioner, we have completed the compilation of the scholars' files. Please give us your instructions!"

Lu Dafang waved his hand and said, "Understood!"

"Once the relevant files are organized, send them to the palace early tomorrow morning for filing at the Chongwen Hall!"

After thinking for a moment, he then instructed, "You need not concern yourselves with the rest!"

"I will personally enter the palace and report to the Emperor!"

"Yes!" Both Lü Tao and Peng Ruli breathed a sigh of relief.

When it comes to scholars, they dare not be careless at all, otherwise, if they are not careful, their reputations among scholars will be ruined just like those of the people who tried the Wutai Poetry Case during the Yuanfeng era.

However, the attitude of the palace left them in a very difficult position.

They are imperial censors, the emperor's henchmen, whose profession is to bite people on behalf of the imperial power—regardless of whether the other party is a relative of the empress or a high-ranking official!

If they encounter scholars, they won't dare to attack. What will the palace think then?

It's truly a dilemma between loyalty to the country and filial piety!

Now that Zhongsi has agreed to take it over, they are naturally overjoyed.

Lu Dafang looked at the two men and said softly, "Go and rest! Go and rest!"

"only!"

Watching Lü Tao and Peng Ruli's retreating figures, Lü Dafang narrowed his eyes and sighed inwardly, "Is there any room for me to escape this matter?"

After this incident, the palace immediately handed over command to him, ordering him, the Censor-in-Chief, to jointly investigate the case with the Kaifeng Prefecture.

Lü Dafang naturally knew that the palace had summoned him, the Imperial Censor, to endorse the document.

He could have simply sent someone over, like other high-ranking officials, so that if anything went wrong, he could have shifted the blame.

But he came anyway.

It was partly because he couldn't bear to do it—Qian Xie wasn't afraid, but he was afraid that Jia Zhongmin would act recklessly to curry favor.

It was also because they had no choice but to come—this year's imperial examination saw a surge in the number of successful candidates from the Northwest.

Although, it still can't compare to the Sixth Road of Southeast.

However, this year's imperial examination was the first time that all the border regions had held a single imperial examination, with more than thirty people passing the provincial examination.

He was from Shaanxi, and moreover, he was the highest-ranking official from Shaanxi in the imperial court.

Therefore, in any case, he had to give his full support to the government's reform of the imperial examination system and had to be at the forefront of it.

Otherwise, we would be failing the emperor's trust and disappointing our fellow villagers!

Disloyal and unfilial!

……

In a daze, Zhao Xu felt as if he had returned to his home in modern times.

The television screen was playing.

Is this news?
There was a noise coming from the kitchen, as if someone was doing housework.

"Brother Zhao, what would you like to eat today?" A familiar, gentle voice came from the kitchen.

"Let's just have stir-fried green beans with pork..." Zhao Xu answered subconsciously.

Then he came to his senses—I'm in a modern home, where would a woman come from?

Immediately afterwards, a familiar, pretty face peeked out from the kitchen: "Your Majesty, I obey!"

If it's not Di Qiang, then who is it?

She was even wearing a jacket in the style of the Song Dynasty, and a hair ornament with dangling hairpins.

The next moment, Zhao Xu felt a movement beneath him.

He looked down and saw a face that was breathtakingly beautiful and full of charm.

Her watery eyes were full of allure.

Beneath her delicate, pretty face were two soft, full mounds, gently rubbing against each other.

Zhao Xu sighed and reached out to pinch the woman's chin.

"Yingying...is that you?"

With a charming smile, her voluptuous body was about to entangle Zhao Xu.

But Zhao Xu already knew at that moment that he was dreaming.

Because this woman could not possibly appear before him at this time.

Liu Yingying!
He was the empress he installed after deposing Meng Qingqing in his previous life!

She was also a pitiful woman who gave birth to a son and a daughter, but both of them unfortunately died young.

At the same time, he was also someone with top-notch skills in palace intrigue during the Song Dynasty!

When Zhao Xu realized this, he also woke up.

As soon as I opened my eyes, the scent of incense from the Funing Hall filled my nostrils.

Zhao Xu sat up. Coincidentally, it was Di Qiang who was on night watch.

Moreover, Di Qiang was wearing the same outfit he had seen in his dream.

Even the place where the hairpin was inserted was exactly the same as in my dream.

"Your Majesty... how did you wake up?" Di Qiang, who is now fifteen years old, has fully grown up.

Her full body resembled a peony laden with honey and pollen.

With a gentle sniff, I could smell the fragrance on the other person.

Like the fragrance of flowers, with a subtle and penetrating aroma.

Zhao Xu looked up and saw Di Qiang's concerned gaze. He chuckled softly, subtly pressed down on the restless thing, and then said, "It's nothing!"

"I dreamt about things from the past and people I've met..."

Di Qiang, puzzled, gave a graceful bow. At fifteen years old, she was already fully mature for this era.

Especially her full breasts, which stirred the young emperor's heart.

Countless decadent days and nights in modern times, and countless memories from my past lives in this inner palace, flashed before my eyes.

Zhao Xu shook his head, trying to banish these thoughts from his mind.

His eyes swept over Di Qiang.

"It's normal for me to dream about Di Qiang..."

He has now entered puberty, and hormones will gradually take over his physiology.

Meanwhile, Di Qiang, Wen Xunniang, and Meng Qingqing were by his side day and night.

Di Qiang has grown up and begun to mature.

In addition, she was the woman he had longed for but could not have in his previous life.

What you think about during the day, you dream about at night; it's perfectly normal to dream about Di Qiang.

But Liu Yingying...

Zhao Xu's expression began to turn strange.

Because that woman was the most alluring and enchanting woman he had ever encountered in his three lifetimes.

At such a young age, she has already mastered the skills of palace intrigue.

Her voluptuous figure almost drove him mad.

Thus, once chosen to be by the emperor's side, her smile was captivating, and all the beauties of the six palaces paled in comparison.

The problem is that in modern times, he has already met all sorts of women from all over the world.

Logically speaking, Liu Yingying should have been forgotten long ago.

Indeed, that was the case—by the third year after he arrived in the modern world, he had already forgotten what Liu Yingying looked like.

However, Liu Yingying's image reappeared in my dream just now.

It's still the same taste I remember, and the same woman I still remember...

and so……

"I haven't forgotten?"

"Should we find her?"

After thinking it over, Zhao Xu found it difficult to make a decision.

The main problem is that Liu Yingying, while beautiful, is too scheming and adept at palace intrigue.

Just as they were weighing their options, a sound came from outside the hall.

Zhao Xu looked in the direction of the sound and saw Tong Guan's figure.

"What is it?" he asked softly.

"Reporting to Your Majesty... an urgent report from Qingzhou..."

"Um?!"

"Kong Wenzhong, a senior official and prefect of Qingzhou, passed away yesterday at the Qingzhou government office!"

Zhao Xu suddenly stood up, no longer caring about Liu Yingying.

Because Kong Wenzhong... deserved to die!
(End of this chapter)