Eagle-eyed and wolf-watching

Chapter 1784: The Final Chapter - We Have No Other Choice!

The last snow of the second year of the Daqian Yuansheng era fell as dusk settled.

Light snow tapped on the glazed tiles of Haotian Palace, falling along the copper bells under the eaves and forming icicles. Nineteen red silk palace lanterns diffused warm light in the snow curtain, like cinnabar moles floating in a sea of ​​clouds.

The interior of the hall, however, presented a completely different world.

Thirty-six copper charcoal braziers lined the palace walls, their silver-boned charcoal burning silently, emitting only the faint scent of pine. Dozens of kerosene lamps flickered on candlesticks between the beams, illuminating the dome painted with the "Landscape of Mountains and Rivers." Civil and military officials of the Great Qian Dynasty, along with imperial relatives and nobles, stood on either side.

As soon as the announcement "His Majesty has arrived!" was made, the high-ranking officials who had been sitting upright in the hall immediately stood up and bowed.
"We pay our respects to Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Amidst the crowd's worship, Ye Mingsheng, dressed in a dragon robe, sat on the dragon throne, a symbol of supreme imperial power, and then waved his hand, saying:
"Everyone is safe!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

With Cui Shao, Gu Sansi, Yuan Song, and others taking their seats, Ye Mingsheng officially began the banquet.

Amidst the chanting of ceremonial rites, the music troupe began to play a new piece. The guqin was deep and resonant, the pipa clear and melodious, and interspersed among them was the desolate sound of the morin khuur from the grasslands. The old ministers frowned and listened intently, while the young officials nodded slightly: This was "Peace and Prosperity Throughout the Land," a new piece composed by the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, which had already been sung in teahouses in Jiangnan last year.

As the music faded, Ye Mingsheng's gaze slowly swept over every face in the hall, finally settling on Cui Shao, who sat first on the left. Then, he picked up the warm jade cup and said in a deep voice in the silent hall:

"My beloved ministers, tonight is the eve of the Lunar New Year. The auspicious snow promises a bountiful year, a sign from Heaven for our Great Qian in the coming year. However, the stability of our nation depends on the hearts of the people, on the wise and capable, and on the peace and tranquility of all directions."

At this point, Ye Mingsheng paused for a moment, his gaze falling squarely on Cui Shao.

Minister Cui

Upon hearing this, Cui Shao rose from his seat and bowed, his snow-white beard and hair fluttering like silver threads under the lamplight.

"You and I have weathered decades of storms together. Your talent is as vast as the world; your virtue benefits all scholars. Now that the world is at peace and everything is in need of rebuilding, only a wise and experienced statesman can hold the reins."

Ye Mingsheng's voice suddenly rose, carrying an undeniable determination: "Effective immediately, Cui Shao is hereby appointed as the Grand Secretary, in charge of all government affairs!"

"Your subject, Cui Shao, kowtows in gratitude for Your Majesty's grace! Even if I were to devote myself entirely to the cause, I could not possibly repay Your Majesty's kindness!"

Cui Shao bowed deeply, his voice trembling slightly. A few days ago, Ye Mingsheng's sudden visit led to a crucial and direct conversation between the two. Although neither of them mentioned the Grand Secretary during that conversation, everything was understood without words.

Although he knew His Majesty would grant his wish and not let him leave with regrets, Cui Shao's usually calm heart was now churning with emotions as he stood this far. He felt a mixture of joy and感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex emotion encompassing both relief and reflection), but also a sense of resentment at his advanced age and frail health…
A chorus of low but heartfelt congratulations filled the hall. The veteran officials, including Gu Sansi and Yuan Song, all had flickering eyes. They were all convinced of Cui Shao's promotion to Grand Secretary, but the question remained: why had Cui Shao been promoted at this time?
With Cui Shao's abilities and achievements, he could have easily been promoted to Grand Secretary when the Great Qian Dynasty was founded!
In fact, the reason why Cui Shao did not become the chief minister before was because of His Majesty's suppression. So why did His Majesty agree to let Cui Shao become the chief minister now?

Upon thinking of this question, these high-ranking officials couldn't help but recall His Majesty's surprise visit to the Cui residence a few days ago, wondering if His Majesty had reached some kind of agreement with Cui Shao.
Just as everyone was lost in thought, Ye Mingsheng raised his hand to gesture for Cui Shao to return to his seat, then changed the subject and said:
"I have more good news to share. Just two days ago, I reviewed the thirty-five-article treaty with the Golden Horde. There were no problems with the treaty, and I have officially signed it. The Golden Horde's special envoy has returned to the Golden Horde. The alliance between the two countries has been renewed. The northern border trade has reopened, and the troops of both the Luobei and the Golden Horde on the northern grasslands have withdrawn a hundred miles. Xun Ke has also officially withdrawn his troops and returned home. The fighting in the northern frontier can be stopped for at least another ten years."

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

This time, whether it was a steady military general like Yuan Song or a shrewd official from the Ministry of Revenue, they all bowed deeply from the bottom of their hearts. War is a money-devouring beast, while peace is the soil for life. Peace in the north means that the nation's strength can be fully channeled southward, and the national treasury can nourish the people's livelihood.

Seeing everyone's delighted expressions, Ye Mingsheng continued calmly:

"Talented people emerge in every generation. The way to select officials is the foundation of the nation. Next year, the provincial examinations and the national examinations will be held..."

His gaze swept over the suddenly tense young faces. "In addition to the classics and policy essays, ten new questions will be added to the exam. The questions will cover physics, chemistry, mathematics, and other subjects. What I need are not bookworms who can only spout pedantry, but practical talents who can see the world clearly and take action to solve problems!"

These words caused a stir in the hall. The wise and experienced stroked their beards in deep thought, while the radicals beat their chests in frustration.

"Ye Cheng, distribute the books!"

"Yes!" Under Ye Mingsheng's command, Ye Cheng immediately organized the maids to distribute the booklets to the important officials in the palace and began to introduce them:

"My lords, this is a new examination outline jointly compiled by the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of Works. The specific questions for these ten examinations have been clearly written in the outline!"

"For example, the first question is a short answer question, which requires candidates to describe what is mainly grown in their hometown, what the yield is like, and what precautions should be taken during the farming process. There is no fixed answer to this question, but as long as the candidate answers accurately, they can get full marks!"

"As for the knowledge points for the remaining nine questions, they are all clearly written in this new syllabus. As long as the candidates study this new syllabus carefully, they can achieve a good score!"

Listening to Ye Cheng's words, everyone present had different expressions. They were all important officials of the Great Qian Dynasty, and each of them was extremely well-informed. Ye Mingsheng intended to innovate and reform the content of the imperial examination, and to include knowledge of physics, chemistry, mathematics and other subjects in the examination and incorporate it into the total score. This was no secret to them. They had heard about this half a year ago.

At the time, this matter caused a huge uproar and aroused fierce opposition from scholars all over the country. Later, the matter gradually faded away, and everyone thought that His Majesty had given up on this plan. Unexpectedly, half a year later, His Majesty made an official announcement.

Looking at the silent court officials, Ye Mingsheng said calmly:

"You all know that the Ministry of Works developed a steam-powered textile machine a month ago, right? Gu Sansi, Liu Ning, I heard that you and a few others went to see it? What do you think of this steam-powered textile machine?"

When Gu Sansi was called out, Liu Ning stepped forward and answered:
"Your Majesty, we are truly amazed! This steam-powered spinning machine can produce nearly twenty catties of cotton yarn a day. This is unheard of! The fact that the Ministry of Works can create such a machine is truly a blessing for our Great Qian Kingdom!"

"What Lord Gu said is very true. With such a powerful weapon, I believe that everyone in our Great Qian will have cotton-padded clothes to wear in the future!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Mingsheng stood up and said with satisfaction:

"I know that in the eyes of you scholars, this machine has always been considered a mere whimsical ingenuity, but I want to tell you that it is precisely these whimsical ingenuity that will change our lives, our modes of production, and the entire world order in the future!"

"Let me tell you, we have fallen behind. Those Western countries not only have steam-powered spinning machines, they have already begun to develop trains and ships. Do you know what trains and ships are?"

"That's a mode of transportation that can carry hundreds or even thousands of people at a time and travel hundreds of miles a day!"

"Confucius and Mencius were sages, but did such things exist in their time?"

"We should learn from the thoughts of Confucius and Mencius and their morality, but we cannot be complacent. Times are progressing and history is developing. Thousands of years have passed, and we cannot treat the words of people from thousands of years ago as inviolable golden rules!"

"My dear subjects, falling behind means being vulnerable to attack. We are about to usher in a brand new era. The wheels of history are rolling in, and we have only two choices before us: one is to be crushed by the wheels of history, and the other is to stand on the chariot and crush others!"

"We have no choice! Remember my words! We have no choice!"

"Science and technology are the primary productive forces! By mastering science and technology, we can create more impossible miracles."

Ye Mingsheng's words were resolute and forceful, yet the entire Haotian Palace remained silent after he finished speaking. Just as Ye Mingsheng was feeling somewhat disappointed, Cui Shao stepped forward and said:
"Your Majesty's vision and foresight are far beyond our reach! The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works will immediately print these new outlines and distribute them to the scholars participating in the imperial examinations so that everyone can study the knowledge contained therein!"

Upon hearing Cui Shao's words, the Cui faction members in the court all echoed his sentiments. With others taking the lead, Gu Sansi and Liu Ning also belatedly joined in the support.

"it is good!"

Seeing that the matter he cared about most was finally about to be resolved, Ye Mingsheng laughed heartily, breaking the solemn atmosphere, "The important matter is concluded. My ministers, let us drink to the fullest! May our Great Qian Dynasty enjoy peace and prosperity throughout the land, and may our nation prosper forever!"

The courtiers cheered loudly, their shouts almost lifting the snow off the palace roof.

The clinking of glasses and the rising of music grew even more jubilant. Ye Mingsheng leaned back on his dragon throne, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw the whispers of the newly appointed Grand Secretary Cui Shao and Gu Sansi, the flushed cheeks of the young officials, and the relieved smiles of the military generals.

Outside the palace, the wind and snow were fierce, but the nineteen palace lanterns stood steadily against the snow curtain, casting a warm red glow.

Above the dome, the vast landscape painted by the artist seemed to come alive, slowly and vividly, amidst the lights, voices, and the falling snow. A new era had already sown its firm and vibrant seeds in the first snow of the third year of the Great Qian Yuan Sheng era…
(End of article! PS: There's an epilogue!)