I open a history tutorial class in Daming

Chapter 134 The Changsun family is indeed a close brother and sister
In fact, this idea was not thought up by Zhu Biao himself.

Although he knew the method of driving a tiger to devour a wolf, Zhu Biao still lacked the experience to apply it reasonably in practice.

The method was thought up by Zhu Yuanzhang, but he was too lazy to talk to Li Shimin at the time, and there was no channel to remind him, so he didn't want to say more.

And now, from Zhu Biao's mouth, it can be said that Li Er owed his son a favor, even if his original intention was to tie up interests with Li Shimin, so as to prevent Li Er and others from seeing Song Shen exposed to others after the Ming Dynasty...

But it is not important.

A person like Zhu Yuanzhang would not do something just to achieve one goal. Just as he wanted to keep the twin baby boy in the Eastern Palace for a while longer, it would be best to catch the person red-handed and then find out more about the corrupt officials in the court.

Tang Dynasty, the ninth year of Zhenguan.

After learning more about what woodblock printing was like, the call was cut off. Afterwards, Li Shimin's admiration for Zhu Biao disappeared and turned into a solemn expression.

"Old Cheng, you have done a great job this time."

He looked at Cheng Yaojin, who was rarely a little uneasy, and smiled:

"If you hadn't discovered this, with my personality, I would have already found someone to distribute the movable type printing matters before the next class."

Even with Cheng Yaojin's temper, he couldn't even say he dared.

However, Li Shimin ignored it and turned to look at Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji.

"Xuanling, Wuji, you have heard everything."

"What Zhu Biao said must have been discussed with Zhu Yuanzhang. Although Zhu Yuanzhang's words were harsh, I have heard of his rise to wealth before. A beggar whose parents had both passed away was able to rise from scratch and become an emperor. His brains, scheming, and cunning are obviously no worse than any founding emperor."

"To be fair, if I were born in his family, I might not be able to get to where I am today."

"Not to mention, there is a huge gap of years here. What he said just now is right. The vision that is hundreds of years ahead is indeed extremely valuable. The Tang Dynasty should have a national destiny of two to three hundred years, followed by the Song Dynasty, then the short-lived Yuan Dynasty, and then the Ming Dynasty."

"Woodblock printing was invented in the Tang Dynasty, while movable type printing was first used in the Song Dynasty. After all these years, he must know which one is more suitable for us."

"I think we should spread the woodblock printing first. We also have movable type printing as a backup. Even if someone wants to do something, we have a backup plan. What do you think?"

Yes, this is not a decision-making error. Everyone has taken into account everything that can be considered. It’s just that due to the lack of a lot of historical knowledge, a relatively not-so-good choice was made.

Now that there is a better way, Li Shimin is not the kind of person who would be too embarrassed to hide his illness and avoid medical treatment.

Fang Xuanling immediately raised his hands and said:

"What your Majesty said is true!"

After a moment's silence, Chang Sun Wuji said slowly:
"I do have another idea, but I don't know whether I should say it or not."

Li Shimin frowned:
"Now is the time to discuss national policy. Is there anything you should or shouldn't say? If you think it's a good idea, just say it directly. We can discuss it after you've said it!"

Emperor Li II has never had a good temper, but he usually wants to maintain his image as a wise ruler, so even if the censors point fingers at him and scold him, he has to hold back his anger, and only when he returns to his wife, he closes the door and scolds those idiots.

The situation is even more urgent now, and the people around me are all old friends, so why should I pretend?

Chang Sun Wuji was obviously used to it, and didn't react much. He just stroked his beard and said:
"I think we can tell some people about the movable type printing technology we have."

"For example, if Xuanling's wife is really hard to convince, or if she becomes more reasonable after talking to the queen, we can tell the Wang family's side branches that His Majesty has better technology. As long as they are obedient now, we can give them priority when they have figured it out."

"The same goes for the others. If they are sensible and obedient, we can give them some hints. If they are unwilling, we can lure them with benefits. Of course, we have to settle those sensible families first. The more people we have here, the more bargaining chips we have, and it will be easier to coerce or lure them."

Li Shimin and Fang Xuanling both looked at him without saying anything.

Especially the latter.

Fang Xuanling now wanted to rush over and beat someone up on the spot.

You old man, you are plotting against my wife loudly in front of me, right? You don't even care about your dignity?!

He really wanted to, but considering his status and the current circumstances, he had no reason to argue with Changsun Wuji.

So Fang Xuanling could only secretly keep this old guy in mind and wait for an opportunity to settle the score with him later.

Li Shimin was silent for a long time before he spoke:
"...Wuji, your calculations reveal that you and Guanyin Bi are really siblings."

The brains and hearts of brothers and sisters from the same mother are really thicker than blood.

First, Guanyinbi proposed to let the side branches of the aristocratic families and the new nobles use printing technology as a conspiracy to cut off the financial support of the aristocratic families.

Later, Zhangsun Wuji proposed to select a few of the most decent families and use promises of benefits, coercion and inducement to them.

The brother and sister are both more cunning than each other, and all their moves are laid out in the open, allowing the participants to clearly know what they mean.

Chang Sun Wuji smiled:

"It's just the human heart that counts."

Li Shimin was silent again.

After a long while, he sighed slightly and said:
"Yes, that's how people feel."

"Then do it."

…………

Lizheng Hall.

Empress Changsun, who was chatting with Lady Xuanling in the same room, suddenly received a letter before she got to the point.

Because all the palace servants had been dismissed from the palace, leaving only Wu Ruyi, so the letter was brought in from outside the palace by Wu Ruyi.

After receiving the letter, Empress Zhang Sun raised her eyebrows in surprise:
"Where did you get it from?"

Wu Ruyi said respectfully:

"Your Highness, it's Ganlu Palace."

That was sent by my husband.

Empress Changsun felt more and more puzzled—there was almost nothing that her husband could not tell her. Even when it came to state affairs, the saying that the imperial harem could not interfere in politics did not apply to the relationship between them, because she had risen to power with Li Shimin. When so many people in the Prince of Qin's Mansion were planning such a big event as the Xuanwu Gate Incident, she, who was still called the Prince of Qin's Consort, could listen to everything, not to mention what was happening in the court today.

So, is there anything that requires a secret letter to be sent over now?
Full of doubts, Empress Changsun opened the envelope.

After quickly scanning the book, her doubts were finally resolved.

It turned out that she had to change her plan temporarily. She hoped that she could try it directly while talking to Madam Wang...

No wonder she was so anxious. If she had already made a start and even convinced Mrs. Wang, it would be difficult to change the plan.

After thinking for a moment, Empress Chang Sun put the letter into her sleeve and smiled at Wu Ruyi:

"I understand. You just stay here. There are some things you should listen to."

Wu Ruyi's heart moved slightly.

She had just heard Empress Changsun talk about the new technology, and the Queen Mother also said that not only the Wu family but many other families would be involved, and this Lady Wang was probably one of them.

I don't know what His Majesty said in that letter, but it was obviously related to this new technology.

Is it possible...

She collected her thoughts, responded respectfully, and then stood obediently by his side, not asking any unnecessary questions.

Empress Changsun kindly pulled Lady Wang to sit next to her.

This time, she no longer said any polite words, but came straight to the point and said:
"Yayun, has Duke Wei mentioned this to you before?"

"Your Majesty has now learned a new method. Once it is officially implemented, it can produce a large number of books. However, if this matter depends solely on the court, it will never be accomplished."

"Let's not talk about how many rare books each of the Five Surnames and Seven Famous families has in their collections. Even if we only count the Four Books and Five Classics, there are still many obstacles."

"There are a few paper mills in Chang'an, but their output is not high. Sometimes they are not able to supply Chang'an alone. And the world is so big that there is more than just Chang'an. Paper in many places is expensive for ordinary people, let alone a complete book. If we want to let ordinary people in the world read books and get books, it will be very difficult without the help of various noble families in various places."

"You are from the Wang family of Taiyuan. I asked Xuanling to ask you before, but you were reluctant. So I will ask you in person, do you want your family to move forward? I am talking about your family, not the Wang family of Taiyuan!"

At this time, Empress Changsun no longer called herself "this palace" and was no longer so polite as to call the other party "Madam Wang".

They were old acquaintances, having known each other since the Qin Palace. Madam Wang's maiden name was Wang Yayun, and Empress Changsun's maiden name was Changsun Wugou.

Wang Yayun was silent for a while before whispering:
"Of course I understand that this method is good for my family, but it is a method of cutting off the firewood from under the cauldron for the Wang family of Taiyuan, and even the Five Surnames and Seven Families."

"In this life, I have such a background, I can read and write as a girl, and I can marry Xuanling. It's all because I was born into a noble family. Such an act is not good for the Wang family. It's hard for me to agree."

Empress Changsun did not force her, but just looked at her steadily and asked:
"Since you know that only in aristocratic families can girls learn to read and write, and only by being born into a good family can girls suffer less, then why don't you think about it, if more people in the world can read and write and become officials, will more girls be able to get such a good life?"

"A lifetime is but a few decades. No matter how glorious this life may be, if you are not born into a good family in the next life, you will suffer in the human world."

"Only when the world becomes better can I leave a way for myself to survive in my next life."

Wang Yayun opened her mouth, but didn't say anything in rebuttal.

When she came, she was actually prepared to be coerced and bribed. The current emperor and queen were not simple characters. There was almost nothing they couldn't accomplish, so no matter how reluctant they were, the final result was probably unchangeable.

The reason she pretended was just to gain more benefits for her family and husband.

But now, the queen, who was only in her early thirties, did not use threats or bribes, but simply gave her another explanation.

Women have had a hard life since ancient times. Although they don’t have to suffer from the hardships of food, clothing, housing and transportation due to their high birth, they still have to scheme and consider many things for their parents’ and husband’s families. When necessary, they also have to defile themselves like she is now. She has no complaints, because she knows that there are many people in the world who are more miserable than her. Ninety-nine percent of men may not live as well as she does, let alone women.

only……

Finally, she sighed deeply and said:
"Wuque, tell me what you want me to do."

Empress Changsun smiled:
"Among the five surnames and seven families, the Wang family cannot compare to the two Cui families in terms of popularity. You should know this clearly."

"It's not just the Wang family of Taiyuan, there's also the Zheng family of Xingyang and the Lu family of Fanyang. Their combined influence is probably comparable to that of the Cui family."

"So I won't ask the Qinghe Cui family and the Boling Cui family. Those two families, even the side branches, are all very proud of their families. It is naturally impossible for them to give up their families and choose the imperial court just for a better career."

"Yayun, you and I have a good relationship, so I will tell you straight. In addition to your family, you should also find a way to contact the branches of the Zheng and Lu families, preferably those who have in-laws in Chang'an, and have them write to their families to ask if they have this idea."

"With that new method, as long as sufficient preparation is made in advance, illiterate craftsmen can also produce dozens or even hundreds of books in a day."

"With this method, you can select talented children from poor families and open private schools to teach them. In a few years, His Majesty will open up the imperial examination. By then, it will depend on your ability to teach as many students as possible. That will be a bright future for you."

"It's possible to carve a monument and leave a name in history."

Wang Yayun's heart started pounding when she heard this.

What shocked her most in these words was not the bright future planned by Empress Changsun.

Rather, an illiterate craftsman can produce dozens or hundreds of books in a day!

If someone else said this, she would just pick up the broom and beat the liar out!
But the person who told her this was Empress Changsun, the mother of a country, and she had been friends with her for many years.

Before leaving, her husband had told her that no matter how outrageous what the Queen said today was, she had to believe it. He could not leak the secret, but he could guarantee that what the Queen said was true, because this technology itself was so outrageous that it could drive scholars crazy.

Now that I hear it, it is indeed true.

Wang Yayun covered her chest, trying to calm herself down, took several deep breaths, and then said:

“I see…I understand.”

"After I return home today, I will write a letter to Taiyuan to inform my parents and brothers. If they disagree, I will go back to my parents' home in person."

"Don't worry, Queen, this will definitely work!"

She would admit it even if it was an open conspiracy.

How great was the glory of the Wang family of Taiyuan? Did it have anything to do with her family? Yes, but not much.

If they can’t enjoy the resources that the direct descendants have, then they have to earn them on their own!
One hundred years later, everyone will decide the fate of the world based on their own abilities!

(End of this chapter)