Tang Dynasty: The poisonous scholar in the Eastern Palace, please abdicate and let the wise one take

Chapter 251 You are really shameless

Concubine Yin was sent away.

Li Shimin picked up Wei Zheng's letter and unfolded it, then spread out Hegan Chengji's letter aside.

Then he picked up a pen and paper and quickly extracted the key points.

After just a cup of tea, Li Shimin put down his brush and stared deeply at what he had written.

school!

Enlightenment schools must be established!
In less than half a year, these students in Shannan Road had acquired knowledge comparable to that of the children of officials.

Once the Enlightenment School is opened in the Tang Dynasty, there will be a steady stream of students enrolled...

"After three years, they will be able to read thousands of words and have a solid academic foundation. After six years, they will be proficient in all kinds of classics. After nine years, they will become the pillars of the Tang Dynasty..."

Li Chengqian's confident words echoed in Li Shimin's ears.

Now it seems that things are developing better than Li Chengqian expected.

At this rate of progress, perhaps in nine years, rather than six, these people will become the pillars of the Tang Dynasty.

By then.

By holding the imperial examination again to select talents, the Tang Dynasty will completely get rid of the shackles of the children of aristocratic families!

What a great idea.

Li Shimin picked up the teacup and took a sip with a smile, but when he saw the 100,000 taels of silver on Wei Zheng's letter, the smile on his face became a little more helpless.

It's such a waste of money.

Li Shimin rubbed his head and said in a deep voice: "Wang De, draft the decree!"

Wang De responded and quickly picked up the paper and pen.

"Tell Gao Ming that the school must be established. If there is no money in my treasury, then..."

Wang De looked over, but Li Shimin shook his head and said, "Forget it, I won't write it anymore."

Wang De: "Your Majesty, are you talking about this decree?"

Li Shimin nodded, "My treasury is almost emptied by him, what else can I write?"

"Since he wants to run an enlightenment school, if he doesn't have the money, he has to raise it himself!"

Wang De looked down at the half sentence he had written, walked aside speechlessly and burned it.

……

Chang'an City.

The news about the ring had spread, and the surrounding counties had also heard about it.

Yes.

The next morning, the West Market Arena was already packed with students, not to mention the common people who wanted to watch the fun, who couldn't even squeeze in.

"Why are you pushing me? Do you know the Analects of Confucius or the Book of Songs?"

"Isn't it possible that I can't join in the fun?"

"The people in front are all students of enlightenment. They have restored face for our Chang'an City. Are you going to join in the fun?"

Words like these continued to be heard.

If you want to join in the fun, you can, but you have to stay on the periphery and not affect the students who are being enlightened.

For a while.

Everyone was curious and helpless.

I was curious whether these students could outperform the students from Shannan Road, but unfortunately, they couldn't squeeze in and couldn't see the real situation.

As a result, the restaurants, inns, teahouses and other places near the arena were crowded with people.

"Boss, are there any private rooms available?"

"Yes, sir, do you want to see the competition?"

"Who would come to you if they don't watch the ring?"

"Oh, three guests, I will give you thirty taels of silver."

"What, thirty taels of silver, why don't you go and rob it?"

"Forget it, forget it. Thirty taels of silver is thirty taels of silver. I won't come here again!"

……

Compared with the bustle of the West Market, the Taiji Hall is no less lively.

The Minister of Revenue, Dai Zhou, took the compiled accounts and placed them in front of Li Chengqian.

"Your Highness, after the government notice was posted, dozens of merchants, led by the merchant Su Chen, donated money to establish the Enlightenment School. Now, a total of 60,000 taels of silver have been raised."

"Adding the 100,000 taels of silver taken out from the treasury, the total amount of silver available this time is 160,000 taels."

"According to the Ministry of Works' estimate of the cost of the schools, we can build sixteen enlightenment schools this time. Please review it, Your Highness."

Sixteen thousand taels of silver is neither a lot nor a little, but it can only build sixteen schools. For Chang'an City, it is already a lot.

After a careful inspection, Li Chengqian frowned and said, "Now that the money is ready, have you chosen a location for the school?"

Minister of Works Duan Lun came out and said, "Your Highness, I have already selected nine locations for schools in Chang'an City. Please review them."

The map that Duan Lun took out clearly marked the locations where these schools were to be built.

With the north-south axis as the axis, a school was built outside the imperial city and in several towns.

Li Chengqian pondered and nodded. At least in the plan put forward by the Ministry of Works, there were schools in each district, which was relatively fair.

"Do you have any opinion on this, my Lords?"

Li Chengqian ordered people to unfold the map and asked everyone what they thought.

Everyone bowed their heads for a moment, then said in unison, "It's all up to the prince to decide."

Li Chengqian nodded, "In that case, let's start building the school according to the division of the Ministry of Works."

"As for the remaining seven schools, does the Ministry of Works have any plans?"

Duan Lun: "Replying to the prince, the remaining seven schools are wanted by the surrounding counties, but no one has been decided yet."

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "No wonder I saw some unfamiliar faces today."

"Xinfeng County Magistrate?"

"The minister is here."

"How many schools do you want?"

"I want two."

"no!"

At this time, an official came out and bowed, saying, "I, Zhao Cunzhi, the magistrate of Weinan County, pay my respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"There are a total of twenty counties outside Chang'an City. The remaining seven schools are not enough to go around. Now the Xinfeng County Magistrate wants two schools right away. This is simply too much!"

"Not bad!"

"I second the proposal."

"Xinfeng County Magistrate has asked for a huge sum of money. You want two schools. What are we going to do?"

As Zhao Cunzhi's voice fell, more than a dozen county magistrates spoke up one after another.

There are not many schools to begin with, not enough to be divided among the surrounding counties. Now he has the nerve to ask for two?

Xinfeng County Magistrate Zhou You looked around at the dozen or so county magistrates who had spoken with an arrogant look on his face, and said proudly: "I want two schools because I have the confidence to do so!"

"You have no confidence at all!"

"What, you want to make connections?"

"If that's the case, since the prince and I are both from the same Li family, can I have five?"

Ok?
Li Chengqian frowned and looked over. It turned out to be someone from the Li family.

That's fine.

"You are presumptuous!"

Zhou You rebuked him, "Your Highness, since I took office as the magistrate of Xinfeng County, I have been widely educating people. During this period, a total of 119 students from Xinfeng have entered the Imperial College for further studies, and some have been selected by Your Majesty to enter the Imperial Academy."

"How about you, Zhao Cunzhi? How many students from the Imperial College and the Imperial Academy have come out of your Weinan County?"

"And you, look at the students under your command, how many of them are good enough to show off? Do you have the nerve to compete with me?"

Faced with Zhou You's scolding, more than a dozen county magistrates looked somewhat embarrassed.

because.

What Zhou You said was true.

With solid political achievements in hand, he naturally has the confidence to build two schools!
Zhao Cunzhi shouted, "Zhou You, you are so arrogant!"

"Now, we are gathered here to discuss the location of the new school for enlightenment. What we are teaching is naturally the new school of enlightenment!"

"It is true that you have many students in Xinfeng, but that is all old news!"

"Now we are implementing the new enlightenment school, the new school has a new atmosphere. Can you guarantee that after you take over the school, the students of the new enlightenment school will be able to stand out?"

Zhao Cunzhi's words were immediately agreed upon by everyone.

Your Xinfeng has indeed produced many famous students in the past, but things are different now.

Who would still compare the old calendar with you? "At least I'm better than you guys!"

"What nonsense!"

"There are students in Zheng County who are studying the new science and have achieved good results. We should build a school there."

"Zheng County Magistrate, do you have any shame? Last night you drove a horse-drawn carriage to take away my students from Wugong County and provided them with housing and land. Do you have the nerve to say that you are the students of Zheng County?"

"Yes, Your Highness, I want to report him, Magistrate Zheng, for secretly kidnapping students from Shangyi County! The Enlightenment School should be located in Shangyi County!"

"..."

Li Chengqian rubbed his ears vigorously and looked at the county magistrates helplessly.

The ministers around him watched happily with their arms folded.

They have long been accustomed to this kind of quarreling scene, except that it has changed from the quarrels among many ministers in the past to the quarrels among county magistrates today.

Everyone wanted to build a school in their own county, so naturally there was a lot of dispute.

Li Chengqian looked at Fang Xuanling and the other two. They were all in a good mood and did not express any opinion.

"OK OK."

Li Chengqian waved his hands helplessly, "Everyone stop arguing and be quiet."

The county magistrates fell silent one after another, but they still looked at each other with hostility.

"I think what County Magistrate Zhou said is correct."

Li Chengqian took a deep breath and said, "Xinfeng County has cultivated many talented people. This is a political achievement that is obvious to all."

"I also know that the other county magistrates have also successively promoted education and attached great importance to education."

"But there are only so many schools, and how to distribute them is ultimately a problem."

“So, I think it would be better to use the number of students in each county over the years as the standard this time. The top seven counties can get a school.”

Zhou You: "The prince is wise!"

Zhao Cunzhi: "The prince is wise!"

Seeing that Zhou You and Zhao Cunzhi had expressed their opinions, the remaining county magistrates were unhappy, but there was nothing they could do.

But, if it doesn’t exist now, will it exist later?

"Your Highness, I have a matter to ask for your help."

"Please speak, Magistrate Zheng."

"The prince proposed that the national treasury fund the construction of the school. During this period, he also encouraged the merchants and gentry, hoping that they would fund the construction of the school."

County Magistrate Zheng pondered and said, "Now that the sixteen schools have been allocated, can the county towns without schools like us raise funds to build them ourselves?"

Li Chengqian was about to nod, but then he thought of something and said slowly, "I am deeply relieved that County Magistrate Zheng has this idea."

"If everyone can be like County Magistrate Zheng, our Tang Dynasty will surely be filled with talented people in the future."

County Magistrate Zheng smiled, and Li Chengqian continued, "But building a school is a good thing, and it can't become a bad thing."

"Whether it is County Magistrate Zheng or any of the other county magistrates, it is fine if you want to raise funds on your own to build a school, but the money raised must have a clear origin and be reported to the court!"

"It can only be built after being personally inspected by officials appointed by the imperial court."

"Thank you, Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

County Magistrate Zheng bowed and said, "I understand. When I raise the money, I will send the account book to Chang'an City as soon as possible, and ask the Crown Prince to make a decision!"

Li Chengqian smiled and nodded, "That's great."

"Of course, if you can't raise money for construction, don't be impatient. I will make arrangements one by one. By then, every county will have a school!"

"The prince is wise!"

"Do you have anything else, my Lords?"

Li Chengqian smiled slightly, looked around, and seeing that no one spoke, he said, "If that's the case, let's adjourn the court."

"I'm waiting to retire."

……

Outside the Jiangxia Palace.

A carriage slowly stopped.

The doorman just glanced at the driver and waved his hand with a cold face.

Miso miso miso.

A group of retired veterans from the battlefield surrounded the carriage.

As soon as Su Chen lifted the car curtain, he was stunned by the scene in front of him.

"What are you doing?"

Sun Qiang was very dissatisfied. "My son has a close relationship with your King Jiangxia, and he is also close to Master Li Jingheng..."

The concierge said, "The prince has said that if Su Chen comes, he should be driven away immediately."

Sun Qiang: “…”

Su Chen spread his hands, "Not really?"

"Maybe I will be your uncle in the future."

"Hey, wait till you propose marriage."

An old soldier grinned and said, "You don't come to propose marriage, but you still want to seduce our princess. I think you are looking for a fight."

Su Chen looked over and said, "Old man, can you please be flexible?"

The old soldier shook his head, "No."

"What are you doing?"

Li Xueyan, wearing a silk dress that showed off her graceful figure, walked out quickly and said to the veterans, "Uncle Wu, what are you doing surrounding him?"

"Princess, the prince has said that you are not allowed to meet this boy."

The old soldier said with a smile: "Unless this guy comes to propose marriage, otherwise, if he dares to come to the palace, we old brothers will beat him up."

Sun Qiang: "Are you reasonable?"

The old soldier looked over and asked, "I heard that you survived the battle in Liangzhou?"

Sun Qiang held his head high and said, "Seventy-eight beheaded!"

The old soldier nodded. "He is a manly man, qualified to serve as a lieutenant under me."

Sun Qiang was furious. This old man actually used the lowest rank, the ninth grade, to belittle him. This was intolerable!

"I was a captain of the Imperial Guards back then!"

"It's no different."

"What a big tone! What's your rank as an old soldier?"

"To Captain Guo."

"Uh……"

Sun Qiang coughed awkwardly and cupped his hands, "Excuse me, my apologies."

Su Chen was immediately amused. Sun Qiang, who had always been proud of beheading seventy-eight people in the battle of Liangzhou, was actually left speechless by a single word from someone.

Sun Qiang whispered, "He is a seventh-rank Zhiguo Captain. If he hadn't left the barracks, he would be at least a sixth-rank commander now."

"To be able to reach this level from a small pawn, one must be a ruthless person who has crawled out of mountains of swords and seas of blood time and time again."

Oh.

In front of him, you are just a novice.

Su Chen smiled knowingly and clasped his fists, saying, "Uncle Wu, I'm so sorry."

The old soldier waved his hand and said, "It is impossible for the princess to go out with you today."

Li Xueyan: "Uncle Wu!"

The old soldier cupped his hands and said, "Princess, you should go back."

Su Chen smiled and said, "Really?"

The old soldier looked Su Chen up and down, "Unless you knock down all of us brothers, but even if there are a hundred of us, he may not be able to do it. Can you?"

Sun Qiang looked constipated: "..."

Su Chen sighed, "If that's the case, don't blame me for being rude."

"and many more."

Li Xueyan hurried forward to dissuade him, "Don't do it."

Su Chen: "Don't worry, he will let them go even if you don't do anything."

Veteran: "What a joke, unless the prince speaks up..."

Su Chen took out a token with a sly smile and waved it in front of the old soldier, "Uncle Wu, are you from King Jiangxia's side, or from the Tang Dynasty?"

"..."

The old soldier clenched his fists, wanting to give Su Chen a massage on the cheek, "Your Majesty is right, you are really shameless!"

(End of this chapter)