Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 972 Wang Yun Conspiracy
In the huge court, rows of soldiers holding weapons stood in battle formation, staring at the dozens of ministers with sharp eyes and murderous intent, making the ministers silent. In the entire court, the only sound was the screams of the three people who were beaten.

This punishment was actually carried out very quickly, but in the minds of these ministers, it seemed as if a long time had passed. Especially when the officers helped the three people who had fainted from the pain back up, looking at the scars on their bodies, all the ministers trembled slightly.

In contrast to them, the farmers who came to file complaints and were kneeling in the court were all extremely happy, feeling that they finally saw hope of redressing their grievances.

The ministers looked at Man Chong with eyes full of anger and fear, but Man Chong turned a blind eye. He looked at the farmers kneeling below and began to ask questions.

"What grievances do you have? Come and tell me directly."

Without waiting for the farmers to speak, one of the ministers plucked up his courage and stood up and said, "Loyang Magistrate, we are your fellow ministers. Although I don't know why you summoned us here today, even if you want to try the case, you should sit down and watch us."

With this person speaking out, other ministers followed suit.

"Not bad, not bad, you should see the seat."

"This is the law of the court, the Luoyang magistrate, you can't abolish it lightly."

Man Chong glanced at them and sneered, "You are the defendants. According to the court regulations, in the court, the plaintiff and the defendant, no matter what their status, have to kneel. Even if you have meritorious service, you can be exempted from kneeling. Even if the royal family is here, there is only a place for me, Man, and no seats for you."

"You..." The man was about to argue, but was pulled back by the others around him.

"A wise man does not suffer a loss in front of him. This Man Chong relied on your majesty's trust and did whatever he wanted. We don't need to fight him. Let's see how the case goes. It won't be too late to settle accounts with him later."

These people soon quieted down.

Seeing this "big official" with such a powerful aura, all the farmers became excited and started talking one after another, finally telling the whole story.

On the palace road, the Chief Justice Zhong Yao was jogging with a nervous look on his face. With the scorching sun overhead, he was soon sweating profusely, but Zhong Yao seemed not to notice at all.

He came all the way to the door of the imperial study. Gong Saner was about to stop him, but he met Xun Yu walking out the door.

Xun Yu saw Zhong Yao in a hurry and was surprised: "Yuan Chang, why are you so panicked?"

Zhong Yao didn't bother to wipe the sweat off his forehead, and said anxiously: "Something happened, something serious..."

"Snapped……"

Cao Cao slammed the table with a look of surprise on his face.

"Great, great Man Chong, you've given me a great opportunity."

Cheng Yu on the side was slightly angry: "This Man Chong is really audacious. He is just a Luoyang magistrate, but he dared to arrest dozens of officials in the Luoyang court just because of the accusations of a few unruly people. He even tortured them in court. These people are all well-known people in my noble families. His tyrannical behavior will not arouse the wrath of heaven and people."

Guo Jia laughed and said, "Liu He has such a cruel official under his command. Isn't this exactly what our army wants?"

"Feng Xiao said it well." Cao Cao said happily, "According to the report, Man Chong has convicted all of these dozens of people, saying that they oppressed the people, killed people, evaded taxes and resisted the law. Their crimes should be confiscated. He has executed them first and reported to the court later. He has put all these people in prison and reported to the court in Luoyang, preparing to execute them."

Xi Zhong frowned and said, "I'm afraid Liu He may not approve it."

Cao Cao shook his head and said, "Zhicai, you really don't know Liu He well enough."

He stood up and walked to the center of the hall. "Liu He has always been at odds with the nobles. Especially with his tax reform this time, he has offended all the wealthy families. If he hadn't founded the Imperial College and published those woodblock-printed paper books, which attracted scholars all over the world to seek help, I'm afraid that all the nobles and wealthy families in his jurisdiction would have fled to our sphere of influence."

"This time, these dozens of families pretended to obey the tax reform but secretly disobeyed it. I predict that this is not a rare case, but only these dozens of families were caught. Given Liu He's character, he will definitely punish them severely to achieve the purpose of killing the chicken to scare the monkeys. Although Man Chong's move is harsh, unrighteous, and suspected of exceeding his authority, Liu He will not only not punish him, but I'm afraid he will greatly praise him."

As soon as he finished speaking, a soldier ran in from outside.

"Report... Lord, the secret agents in Luoyang sent back news that Shangshu Ling Xun Yu and Tingwei Zhong Yao hurriedly reported the case of Man Chong to Liu He, who claimed to be in seclusion praying to heaven and earth for good weather. Afterwards, the people involved in the case, a total of 31 officials and 17 heads of other large families, were all executed, and all 48 families were confiscated and exiled. Because of his merits, Man Chong was promoted to Tingwei Zheng and assisted Zhong Yao in handling the affairs of the Tingwei government office. He was also rewarded with 500 bolts of silk."

"Hahaha, just as expected, Liu He is really courting his own death. In this way, how can he not lose the support of the people?"

Cao Cao was overjoyed.

Guo Jia stepped forward and said, "My Lord, this matter is not only beneficial to us."

"Oh? What do you think, Fengxiao?"

Guo Jia smiled and said, "Although Sun Jian and Liu Bei secretly agreed to form an alliance with our army, they were unwilling to openly oppose Liu He. This was because they wanted to sit on the fence. First, they wanted to prepare a retreat in case the coalition was defeated. Second, they had always been subservient to Luoyang. Now they are openly rebelling without any legitimate reason."

Cao Cao's eyes lit up: "Feng Xiao means... this matter is their banner against Liu He?"

"That's right. My lord, don't you know that there is a phrase called 'clearing the court'?"

In Luoyang, Wang Yun, who had just visited Diao Chan in the palace, walked out of the palace and was about to get on the carriage to return home. He heard someone calling him from behind and looked back.

"Oh? Commander Yang, you are rarely seen. How come you have time to enter the palace today?"

The visitor was none other than Taiwei Yang Biao. He had been in semi-retirement in the court over the years. Whenever he attended court, he seldom made reports and he would ask for sick leave from time to time. However, the Hongnong Yang family to which he belonged had not weakened at all. The clan members, as well as many of his students and former officials, had been recommended to serve as officials in the court one after another, and many of them had already held important positions.

Even though many people outside felt that the power of the Hongnong Yang family had greatly decreased and the Taiyuan Wang family was on the rise, Wang Yun was very clear that although his family's reputation had soared under his efforts over the years, the Hongnong Yang family and the Runan Yuan family had been the leaders of the aristocratic families for decades. As the saying goes, "a lean camel is bigger than a horse", the more low-key Yang Biao acted, the more Wang Yun dared not to be careless.

Yang Biao got off the carriage, bowed to him and had a warm smile on his face.

"Haha, Situ Wang is rarely seen. It's just that my body is too weak. If it weren't for your majesty's grace to order Hua Tuo, the genius doctor, and Zhang Ji, the genius doctor who just came to Luoyang, to take care of me, I'm afraid I would have died by now. Unlike Situ Wang, who is over sixty years old but is in good health, I really envy him."

He started off with a bunch of compliments, and Wang Yun sneered in his heart, but since the other party was so polite, he naturally had to treat him with courtesy.

"General Yang, you are too modest. I see that you are calm and composed, with a rosy complexion. You look like someone who will live a long life."

"Thank you for Situ Ji's words. I would like to thank you here."

Yang Biao thanked him, then looked at the palace gate and said, "Did Situ go into the palace to visit Concubine Shu?"

"Yes, my grandson and granddaughter are about to have their birthdays, so I came to the palace to discuss with the queen what kind of gifts to prepare this year."

"Oh? Really?" Yang Biao smiled meaningfully. Wang Yun did not wait for him to ask, and asked back: "The Grand Commandant has rarely left the palace in recent years. Now your Majesty is in the pagoda praying to heaven and earth, not in the palace. I wonder why you suddenly came to the palace?"

Yang Biao seemed to have expected him to ask this. He stroked his beard and said, "Ah, it's nothing serious. It's just that before entering the pagoda, Your Majesty once mentioned the matter of the Imperial College to this old minister. He said that although four more official schools were established in Chang'an, Jinyang, Yecheng, and Zhuo County this year, the total number of students they can accommodate is no more than 60,000 to 70,000, which is already the limit. At present, the court governs various places with a population of 25 to 6 million, and there are no less than millions of students of school age. After all, the Imperial College and official schools are just a drop in the bucket."

Wang Yun was moved when he heard this, and asked hurriedly, "What is your Majesty's opinion?"

"Your Majesty intends to open official schools in all prefectures and even counties, but if this is to be accomplished, it will cost an untold amount of money, and will require no less than 10,000 good teachers. It is almost impossible to accomplish it within a few years. I have thought about it and have come up with some ideas. I have come to the palace to discuss this with the Minister of the Chancellery and the Inspector of the Capital."

"Oh?" Wang Yun's body involuntarily moved a little closer to Yang Biao.

"I wonder if the Grand Commandant has any good ideas to help Your Majesty accomplish such a great feat?"

Yang Biao glanced at him, and raised his lips slightly: "You and I are members of the noble family, so we should naturally consider the noble family. The establishment of the Imperial College and the official school will be very convenient for the children of our family to study and serve as officials. The exquisite paper books are even more irresistible. However, in this way, ordinary people, even the sons of peddlers and hawkers, can study and serve as officials with the children of our noble family. It is really a bit improper. But this is vigorously promoted by Your Majesty, and it is the general trend. We, the ministers, can only follow the trend. But..."

He suddenly stopped talking here. Wang Yun was a little anxious: "But what? Commander Yang, stop keeping us in suspense and tell us quickly."

Yang Biao then continued, "However, since the imperial court is unable to recruit students from all over the world, it means that more than 90% of the students of school age in the world still have to seek other places to study. Although many ordinary people have not yet realized that they should send their children to school, it is a matter of time after all. Moreover, even now, there are more than 100,000 students who have failed to apply for admission to the Imperial College and the four official schools. How can these people achieve academic success and how can they enter the official career? Wang Situ is a smart man, do I need to say more?"

Wang Yun's eyes lit up when he heard this: "What the commander wants to do is to recruit these people under his command and train them carefully, so that they can become disciples of our family in the future, thereby consolidating the family's position in the court?"

"Haha, since Lord Situ knows it clearly, why bother asking more questions? My family has stood firm in the Han Dynasty for a hundred years, relying on nothing more than two things. One is the reputation in the literati and literary circles, and the other is the large number of disciples in the family, all over the court and outside, and a hundred people respond to a call. This great opportunity now can help the court solve the problem, and it will be more beneficial to the family. Why not do it?"

Wang Yun clapped his hands repeatedly: "Excellent, really wonderful, the Grand Commandant is worthy of being the leader of the nobles, his reputation is well-deserved, I admire you, I admire you."

"Well, I still have to go to the palace to see the Minister of the Chancellery and the Inspector General of the Imperial Guards, so I won't bother you any more. Please do as you please, Situ."

After Yang Biao finished speaking, he bowed and said goodbye, then turned and walked into the palace gate.

Wang Yun looked at his back, his eyes gleaming, "Old man, you are showing off your great achievements in front of me. Humph, although I can't get any credit for this, but when it comes to establishing an academy and winning the hearts of scholars all over the world, my Taiyuan Wang family may not lag behind your Hongnong Yang family..."

That night, all the ministers gathered in Wang Yun’s study, and many of them were filled with indignation.

"Situ, that Man Chong is really hateful. How dare a lowly official like him be so bold and presumptuous? No matter what, you must avenge those wronged officials."

"Yes, even if those people made some mistakes, they were not guilty of death. Man Chong was determined to sentence them to death. He deliberately took advantage of Your Majesty's prayer in the pagoda to confuse the public and exaggerate the facts. He killed more than 40 families and thousands of people. Our Han Dynasty has always ruled the world with loyalty, filial piety, benevolence and righteousness. How can we allow such evil officials to run rampant?"

"We are willing to write a joint letter to impeach Man Chong, and we ask Situ to make the decision."

"Please let Situ decide."

Wang Yun looked at these people and sneered: "You ignorant people, if you want to follow their footsteps, just go ahead and report it, but don't drag me into it."

"This..." The ministers looked at each other in bewilderment: "Situ, what does this mean?"

Wang Yun said sarcastically, "You are all well-educated people, but don't you see that Man Chong's actions were clearly instructed by His Majesty? His Majesty's praise for him afterwards is enough to show the emperor's attitude. The land tax reform is also a foregone conclusion - it's obvious, but some people just want to run into the gun, and do it so blatantly, without any hesitation. It's so stupid, and they deserve to die."

His words seemed to express resentment towards them for not living up to expectations, and all the ministers looked ashamed after hearing them.

"What Situ is teaching is that it was our subordinates who failed to supervise us."

"That being said, it's just that... it's just that Man Chong is so rampant, and your majesty clearly intends to promote him to succeed the Minister of Justice. Once he takes office, how can we survive? We must come up with a countermeasure."

"Countermeasures? What countermeasures do you want? Your Majesty favors this man. Are we going to become your enemy?"

Wang Yun glanced at them.

Some ministers disagreed: "We dare not be enemies with Your Majesty, but Your Majesty may not be right in everything. We..."

"Shut up!" Wang Yun shouted, interrupting him.

"As a subject, how can you say such disrespectful words to your father and your king?"

"I know I was wrong, I know I was wrong..." The minister apologized hastily.

Wang Yun's expression softened slightly. "It's not that I don't want to make decisions for those forty-odd families. Many of them have had marriage relations with my Taiyuan Wang family. It's just that things are different now. In the past, we could join forces to disobey Your Majesty's will, but now we can't."

The ministers were puzzled and asked, “Why not?”

Wang Yun glared at them and said, "Stupid! Don't you want to do the paper book business anymore?"

Everyone suddenly realized: "Not bad, not bad, we almost forgot about this."

"The last time I impeached General Cheng Liang for killing surrendered soldiers, His Majesty was already somewhat displeased. Fortunately, Situ winked at us and ordered us to stop talking in time, so we did not incur His Majesty's wrath. If we offend His Majesty for these families this time, I'm afraid we won't be able to get this book."

For more than a year, they have been monopolizing the paper book business. Apart from them, there is no other merchant in the market that can do this kind of business. How could they bear to let Liu He take back this lucrative business?

Wang Yun said, "Those people were incompetent and were caught by others. It is not a pity to die. What we have to do is a hundred times more important than this."

When everyone heard this, they all became interested and stretched their necks to ask, "What is it that makes Situ so concerned?"

Wang Yun did not answer directly, but asked them: "Since the founding of the Imperial College, has your own reputation and status changed, or that of your family?"

When he asked this question, everyone looked a little ashamed.

"Is this..."

Wang Yun knew the answer as soon as he saw their expressions. He sneered, "Now there is a great opportunity to revive the reputation of our family and restore the situation in the past when we had students and officials all over the country. Don't you think this is a hundred times more important than the matter of those forty or so families?"

"What? Are you serious?" everyone asked hurriedly.

"Hehe, how could I deceive you?" Wang Yun glanced at them.

(End of this chapter)