Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 581 Severe Punishment
Emperor Chenghui was furious when he saw the memorial. He thought that these old pedants in the Imperial College were simply unrepentant.

The collapse of the national finances did not stop them from clinging to the past.

Don’t you even take a look at what the Imperial College has taught over the years?

You know, after graduating from the Imperial Academy, students are eligible to take the imperial examination. In the past ten years, Emperor Chenghui could only remember two or three students who passed the imperial examination.

Emperor Chenghui certainly did not admit it. The students in the Imperial College were of mixed quality, and a small half of them were admitted through imperial nepotism.

If the person in charge of education fails to do a good job of education, then that is a human problem.

The students were not good at studying, but they were proud of their status and liked to cause trouble.

The old stubborn people fail to manage strictly, slack off in class, but still get paid every penny.

Well, Emperor Chenghui was still unreasonable. The management of the Imperial College could not be strict, because most of the people studying there were adults. Even if they were teenagers of fourteen or fifteen years old, think about it, can the family conditions of those who can go to school at this age be bad? Like Baoyu, there were eight maids around him. This is not a place to study, at least it has gradually become like this after the emperor ascended the throne. After Emperor Chenghui came to power, he never had the energy to manage the affairs of the Imperial College. Even in the years when he was most short of money, more than a thousand students were sold at the price of two thousand taels per student.

Of course, you can’t sell it, you have to donate it! The donated students are not eligible to participate in the imperial examinations, but they are eligible to become officials, but they can only be seventh-rank officials, and you also need connections.

This thing is not as good as 4+4! Those who donate money to become imperial students are all wealthy businessmen. With this status, local officials will be more polite, and ordinary petty officials dare not show their teeth.

The biggest role of this identity is as a pass. In ancient times, ordinary people could not leave the county, and they needed a pass to leave. If you have a reputation, you don't need a pass, and you can go anywhere in the world. If you are a scholar, and you go out to study, and you have spent all your money, you can also hand in a visiting card to the local immortal. People don't even need to see you. As a scholar from another place, they know you are here to beg for money. As a county magistrate, you can't be stingy. You can not see people, but you must offer a gift, at least ten taels, at most twenty taels. This money must be given, otherwise your reputation will be ruined.

Of course, scholars cannot use this to get rich, otherwise, not only will they not be able to get rich, but they will definitely have a bad reputation.

Pulling away, get back to business.

Emperor Chenghui summoned Li Qing and asked him, "Mr. Li, do the things that I have approved with my seal from the cabinet count?"

Li Qing's face suddenly became solemn after hearing this: "Your Majesty, the rebellion of the students under the supervision has its reasons. I, your humble servant..."

Emperor Chenghui handed him the memorial and said, "Don't explain. Just do what you want."

Li Qing, who was in charge of the Ministry of Rites, was really being roasted on the rack.

Those old scholars certainly couldn't be expelled directly, at least not by him. Li Qing didn't have that right either, he could only persuade them to quit, whether they accepted it or not was another matter.

Throwing the matter to him means that the emperor is unwilling to pay attention to them. If Li Qing cannot persuade them to withdraw, then he will be dishonorable. Someone will help them to do so later.

At the same time, it also expressed a meaning that Emperor Chenghui was fed up with these old guys and his patience was running out.

To be honest, these old fellows who study literature and history are indeed knowledgeable, but how can we put it? Can we expect a group of old fellows who study literature and history to govern the country well or solve the country's financial problems?

It's unrealistic! These people are all Jinshi, and their abilities have long been revealed. Not only do they not have the ability to do things, but they also feel that their talents are not appreciated.

Emperor Chenghui is not the kind of incompetent ruler who cannot judge people. He is able to employ people and dares to employ people. As long as you can solve the problem, you dare to stand up and solve it.

As for the reputation of scholars, Emperor Chenghui knew where it came from.

Li Qing returned to his residence helplessly, called a close confidant, whispered some instructions to him, and asked him to set off for Beijing immediately.

Jia Lian was not worried about the Imperial College, for a simple reason: he had not suffered any loss. Moreover, he did not believe that Shuntian Prefecture would not dare to give an explanation.

So he saw the statement given by Shuntian Prefecture, a document written by the chief academic officer of the Imperial College.

As for the content, it passionately criticizes the engineering college run by Jia Lian, saying that it is a cancer that corrupts the country and a heresy under the banner of a saint. Jia's practical learning is also a fallacy and a poisonous weed.

This made Jia Lian laugh. This old gentleman's output was just opinions and emotions, ignoring the facts without any evidence.

Facing the Shuntian Prefecture official who came, Jia Lian thought of some past events and couldn't help but sigh: "It's not easy for you either, so I won't make it difficult for you."

The chief was a smart man. Hearing that something was not right, he quickly said, "No, Lord Jia, you can at least scold me or give me a beating. This is my responsibility."

Jia Lian rolled his eyes at him and said, "What are you thinking of? Here is my Boting stick. I have to have it too. Go back. You have nothing to do with me now."

Every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt has its creditor. It is most appropriate to hold Li Heng responsible for this matter. As the prince in charge of Shuntian Prefecture, how could you not stand up for your subordinates? Where is your responsibility?

There was no need for Jia Lian to settle the score with him. After Emperor Chenghui learned about the handling process of Shuntian Prefecture, he directly called someone over and gave him a scolding.

"You are a prince, why are you using the national law to do favors? If a student breaks the law, why don't you arrest him? Go back and arrest the main culprits of the riot and have them repair the gate of the Engineering College."

Li Heng, who had just come from the capital to be in front of the emperor, was kicked back to the capital by just one sentence.

After Emperor Chenghui angrily rebuked Li Heng, he turned to Li Yuan, who had been watching, and asked, "Second Brother, if this happened to you, how would you handle it?"

Li Yuan thought for a moment and said, "I might be more radical. First, I would arrest the person and lock him up. Then, I would impeach the Imperial College's chief priest. Finally, I would demand the expulsion of the principal offender."

Emperor Chenghui asked with a smile: "What if the officials of the Imperial College do not obey?"

Li Yuan thought without hesitation: "Then invite the officials from the Imperial College to the government office. When the main offender is expelled, they can leave. To avoid gossip, I will eat and live with them."

After hearing this, Emperor Chenghui smiled even more and nodded repeatedly: "Not bad, you are polite and well-mannered. By the way, I heard that you have been reading at home recently. What books have you read?"

Li Yuan did not get carried away by the compliment. Instead, he bowed slightly and said respectfully: "I am reading the Zizhi Tongjian."

"Oh?" Emperor Chenghui became interested, sat up straight and leaned against the chair, looked at him sideways and asked, "What do you think?"

Li Yuan paused for a moment, thought for a long time before answering affirmatively: "Zizhi Tongjian is not an official history, and cannot be read as a history book. I think it can be read as a work that peeks into people's minds. Sima Guang spent most of his time and effort on how to depict people's minds. When something happens, what is the motivation, how to respond, and what the parties involved are like are not important. What is important is to create according to his needs."

Emperor Chenghui looked thoughtful after hearing this. After a while, he asked, "Do you think this is a good or bad way to write?"

Li Yuan shook his head: "I don't know!"

Emperor Chenghui did not expect such a straightforward answer. He subconsciously judged that Li Yuan answered in this way because he instinctively did not want to lie.

"Well, go back and think about this question carefully. I would like to remind you that Sima Guang did not write this book against Wang Anshi."

"Yes, thank you for your guidance, father. I will remember it." Li Yuan was still respectful.

It is said that Li Heng returned to the capital in a hurry. He came back on horseback and went straight to Shuntian Prefecture.

He found the person in charge and asked him how the matter was handled. After the person in charge told him about the meeting with Jia Lian, Li Heng rolled his eyes and stamped his feet, saying, "Never mind, gather the troops and go to the Imperial College to arrest him."

This person in charge was not just there for nothing. He had conducted an investigation and made preparations beforehand. When Li Heng said he wanted to arrest the main culprit, he immediately produced a list of names: "These people were involved in organizing the action."

Li Heng breathed a sigh of relief: "Go, capture all the people and lock them up first. I'll go back and take a shower and change clothes. I'm sweating all over and exhausted."

The chief officer led the team out to arrest people. These people were all students of the Imperial Academy. They would not run away, nor did they dare to run away. They followed the map and arrested them one by one.

At the same time, Li Qing's confidant also found the Imperial College's chief priest, and when they met, he said to him very straightforwardly: "Li Xiangrang asked me to tell the chief priest to beg for his remains, so that he could leave a decent appearance."

The chief priest remained silent, expressionless, and sat down slowly with empty eyes. His confidant stood opposite him patiently, waiting for his answer.

"I have a condition!" After a long while, the chief priest slowly spoke. The dear minister said, "Please speak!"

"I have a younger generation, ..."

The next day, the news came out that the Imperial College's chief priest had submitted a petition to ask for his ashes to be buried, saying that he was too old to manage affairs and had failed the trust of His Majesty. You see, this is very decent. The emperor was very satisfied after reading the petition, and not only was he very satisfied, he also gave Li Qing a word.

"The Imperial College must pay close attention to future education. With a huge amount of investment every year, but only a few Jinshi graduates, how can it have the nerve to call itself the country's highest educational institution?"

Li Qing looked embarrassed after hearing this. He was in charge of the Ministry of Rites. Regardless of whether the current situation of the Imperial College was caused by him, he must be held responsible.

To put it bluntly, you have been in office for a while, why haven't you taken it seriously? Do you have to wait until something goes wrong for you to pay attention?

In fact, let alone in ancient times, even in modern society, only when something goes wrong will it attract attention. And it has to be a big thing, and small things will only get a phone call to remind you.

There is a game between the upper class, and there is also a game between the lower class and the upper class. There is only so much meat, if you eat more, others will eat less. As for getting new meat, that is not my business. I just eat what is ready.

After Li Qing took his leave, he summoned a few aides and talked about the Imperial College.

How to get started?

One of the staff members sighed and said, "It's not difficult to do. The Imperial College has its own rules. We just need to strictly enforce them."

Li Qing felt even more uncomfortable after hearing this, and sighed: "Yes, as long as strict implementation can solve most of the problems. The problem now is that new problems have emerged, how to solve them?"

What is the new problem? Of course, it is the fierce game between the reformists and the conservatives in recent years.

As the Prime Minister, Zhang Ting'en naturally tends to choose reformist officials. The conservatives are unwilling to change the status quo no matter how the world changes.

But the reality is cruel. As the court's domestic and foreign policies change, the conservatives will naturally be marginalized.

Whether Li Qing is willing to be the representative of the conservatives or not, he will passively become the leader of the conservatives. The reason is that there is no other candidate. Unless Li Qing gives up his political ambitions.

Li Qing felt like he was a piece of wood in the sea, pushed by the waves and drifting with the flow. He also had political ideals, but in order to realize his ideals, he needed someone to listen to his orders.

He had lost the initiative in the game with Zhang Tingen and had been falling behind since then. Now he was behind Lin Ruhai, and the more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt.

Considering that Lin Ruhai was less than 50 years old, Li Qing was even more helpless. He was ten years older than Lin Ruhai, so stupid.

"Let's start with discipline. Then send a few people to the Imperial College to investigate. From the instructors to the students, no one should be spared. Anyone who is unwilling to accept discipline will be expelled immediately."

Li Qing made a decisive decision. Some things cannot be done because that would be self-destructive. So he should do what he can first.

The big move of the Imperial College naturally attracted a lot of attention, but more importantly, it attracted the attention of officials.

For ordinary people, it is more interesting to go outside the Engineering College to see the scenery.

What kind of scene was this? Of course, a group of students took the initiative to replace the gate of the Engineering College.

That's right, after the main culprits were arrested, they all behaved themselves. Shuntian Prefecture said they would not make things difficult for them, as long as they repaired the door.

Yes, literally! It doesn't matter if you can't do it, you can always help move the wood. Doing some hard work is better than going to jail, right?
How can these people work? Accidents often happen when moving materials, and several people's feet are broken. But Shuntian Prefecture still doesn't let them go. Even if they are in wheelchairs, they have to go to the site to help the craftsmen. If they can't do the work, it's okay, just hand them hammers and nails, they can still do it. Even if you follow the sun, don't expect to spend money to avoid disasters.

Money doesn’t work for the first time.

It's not that there are no places to spend money. There are many farmers selling watermelons nearby. If you spend a little more money, you can eat watermelons that have been cooling in the well for the whole morning.

This incident became a laughing stock in the capital for a while.

The gate was repaired, but the matter was not over yet. When the group returned to the Imperial College, they found out that they had been expelled.

They didn't dare to make trouble. The several discipline officials from the Ministry of Rites were very determined. If any trouble occurred, they must be dealt with severely, otherwise the rules and regulations would be useless.

At that time, there were several strong men standing by, watching with eager eyes. If anyone dared to make trouble, they would be arrested immediately and sent to Shuntian Prefecture.

This group of people were no longer willing to go back and had to accept the outcome with a wry smile.

Then the examinations began, and all students in the Imperial College had to take them. If they failed any subject, they would be warned once, and if they failed three times, they would be expelled.

It was obvious that the Ministry of Rites was serious this time. Li Qing was dragged down so badly.

After three months, the Imperial College had shrunk by half. Many people took the initiative to ask for a completion certificate and leave.

A certificate of completion can only prove that you have learned something, not that you have learned it well.

Take this thing to the Ministry of Personnel and they won’t even look at it.

Li Qing's actions are not over yet. The next step is to directly rectify educational institutions at all levels across the country.

Staff were sent to provinces across the country and a series of indicators were proposed.

Li Qing's focus on work won him a lot of points in front of Emperor Chenghui, and he was singled out for praise several times.

Fang Song expressed deep regret for this. Those bastards in the Imperial College knelt too smoothly. They didn't give me a chance. My wolf hair was thirsty and they all knelt before I could make a move.

Well, the people Fang Song wants to target the most are actually the cabinet ministers. Lin Ruhai cannot be touched, but he has no psychological burden in biting other people.

Emperor Chenghui stayed there until the Mid-Autumn Festival, ending his summer vacation.

If it weren't for Jia Lian's memorial, Emperor Chenghui would not have wanted to return to Beijing. Although Zijing City looks magnificent, it is really uncomfortable to live in.

What did Jia Lian's memorial say? It was simple. After nearly two years of construction, the railway from the capital to Tianjin was completed. The emperor was asked whether he wanted to attend the official opening ceremony.

When the railway from Tianjin to Kailuan Coal Mine was first built, Emperor Chenghui did not participate, not because the road was too far, but because the first generation of steam locomotives were not good enough. At that time, the purpose was to transport coal.

This time it was different. This railway was built with the emperor’s strong support, so we had to report and ask for instructions in advance.

"After many tests, the second generation steam locomotive has reached a uniform speed of 80 miles per hour (20 kilometers per hour). With this railway, the pressure of fuel transportation for the winter in the capital can be greatly relieved. As for some privately-run coal mines in the suburbs of Beijing, I suggest that the court force them to close, as this will destroy the feng shui. The most important thing is that there are too many accidents."

Jia Lian changed the subject again. Emperor Chenghui listened carefully and realized something was wrong.

"Too many accidents? How come I don't know?" Emperor Chenghui really didn't know, and no one told him. Besides, which of those private coal mines is a good one?

Jia Lian did this on purpose, and sighed, "Your Majesty, you don't know that many coal mines are now unable to recruit workers, and they have to buy miners from outside the Great Wall to work. Even so, they can't be allowed to continue digging. A few days ago, there was a land subsidence caused by coal mining. The feng shui of the suburbs of Beijing is related to the dragon vein, and it must be observed."

If others say so, Emperor Chenghui must be suspicious, are you trying to raise the price of coal from Kailuan Coal Mine?
Jia Lian said so, so it must not be due to any selfish motive. If he really had selfish motives, he would not have thought about the coal mine, and it would not be easy to tamper with the project funds directly. It would not be difficult to directly allocate funds from the R&D Department's account.

"Yes, I understand." Emperor Chenghui nodded but did not express his opinion immediately.

"What about the cutting of the opening ceremony?" Jia Lian did not dwell on it and returned to the main topic.

"The day after tomorrow is a good day. I've asked the people from the Imperial Observatory to check it. Let's do it the morning of the day after tomorrow." Emperor Chenghui agreed. He also wanted to see with his own eyes what a steam locomotive looked like.

In fact, Jia Lian had tampered with the data of the steam locomotive. The real data showed that after the new locomotive was improved, its power was greatly improved. It was not difficult to pull ten carriages and run at a speed of 30 kilometers per hour. If he reported less, there would be room for improvement.

Regarding steam locomotives, Jia Lian has always emphasized that they should produce and research and develop one generation at a time, and should not be satisfied with the existing technological progress but should constantly pursue better ones.

(End of this chapter)