The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 416: Ministry of Industry
"Shiji."

In the Secretariat, Zhong Hui sat next to Cao Mao with a smile on his face.

There were all kinds of documents in front of him. It was obvious that Zhong Hui was quite busy during this period.

Under He Zeng's butcher knife, the efficiency of the temple increased many times.

Take the library issue for example. If it weren’t for He Zeng’s efforts, I’m afraid there would be no progress until now.

Only now did Cao Mao understand why emperors liked to use cruel officials.

A person like Emperor Wu of Han would actually use some cruel officials who framed others and had no lower limits to help him.

This is obviously to achieve the current effect.

Although He Zeng was not a good person, after he came to power, the rectification effects in all aspects were much more effective than before.

Zhong Hui accomplished this task and is now very proud of himself.

Zhong Hui has made so many contributions in recent days.

Fortunately, Cao Mao was still able to continue writing poetry.

At this moment, Cao Mao sat next to Zhong Hui and spoke slowly.

"I just went to the church and saw many scholars waiting at the door. They were very happy. The success of this matter is all due to your contribution."

"Now, scholars all praise your character and think you are a true celebrity who cares about the world!"

Zhong Hui liked to hear this and became much more excited.

"Your Majesty, this is not the credit of this minister alone."

Cao Mao praised him for a few more sentences, then suddenly changed his tone and said, "Shi Ji, although you handled this matter well, if you continue like this, I'm afraid your reputation will be affected in the future, and many people will come out to insult you."

Zhong Hui was stunned and asked in disbelief, "Your Majesty, I have been diligent in my work and have never made any mistakes. Why would someone insult me?"

Cao Mao then said, "Today, I went to a religious institution and found that the officials let the children of the rich families in first. Then, a servant stood at the door and refused to let anyone else in, saying that they had to wait until the children of the rich families had finished their study before they could enter."

"Think about it. Those scholars from humble backgrounds stood outside, unable to enter. Seeing the children of the wealthy families go in and copy the documents, they would surely think that Zhong Shiji's memorial was not for the sake of the empire, but to curry favor with the wealthy families."

"Wouldn't your reputation be ruined if this happened?"

Zhong Hui finally understood why the emperor wanted to see him. He flew into a rage, "How dare these bastards do this?!"

"Your Majesty, I will go there now."

Cao Mao shook his head and said, "Shi Ji, no need. I will go and take care of this matter first."

"I have seen many problems through this incident."

"The children of the rich families have become so rampant! This is just in Luoyang. If it were in the lower reaches of the country, I dare not even imagine what the scene would be like. Would they directly take all the books back to their own clans to copy them? Would they just leave an empty mansion for the children of the poor families?"

“Many policies, when implemented at the local level, may not be what we envisioned.”

"Even if we want to clean up the mess, we only have a few of us. How can we keep an eye on the whole world?"

Zhong Hui sat aside and fell into deep thought.

Cao Mao continued, "Shi Ji, you must pay more attention to these things when implementing them. You can't just blindly promote them without paying attention to their effectiveness. Taking out the collection of books and handing them over to the rich families, building a school and letting the servants of the rich families occupy it, this is not acceptable."

Zhong Hui gradually calmed down and nodded.

"Please don't worry, Your Majesty. I will take care of these things."

Cao Mao had other things to do today and could not stay with Zhong Hui for too long. He gave a few more instructions and then left in a carriage.

His destination was Du Yu's mansion.

Du Yu was currently serving as the Minister of Works and was at the height of his power.

When Cao Mao arrived at his mansion, there was a group of people at his door. When they saw the carriage, they disappeared without a trace.

Cao Mao had clearly come out in an ordinary carriage, but when he saw this scene, he narrowed his eyes again.

It seems that for the ministers, their whereabouts are no longer a secret.

Cao Mao then entered the mansion, where Du Yu and Ma Jun were talking in the courtyard.

When he heard the footsteps, Du Yu subconsciously showed an irritated expression, but when he saw it was Cao Mao, he hurriedly bowed to greet him.

The same is true for Ma Jun.

Facing the two people, Cao Mao's attitude became much gentler.

"What are you busy with?" "Your Majesty, this is the repeating crossbow that Ma Gong has improved again. I am discussing ways to reduce the cost."

After hearing Du Yu's explanation, Cao Mao finally saw what they were fiddling with: several powerful crossbows.

Cao Mao smiled and said, "This is a good thing. We will need it to govern Liangzhou and Youzhou in the future."

Du Yu frowned and said seriously, "Your Majesty, to govern the world, you need to govern with benevolence and generosity. This thing can protect you, but if you want to become strong through it, you will surely decline because of it."

Cao Mao did not argue about this issue. Now that he had appointed He Zeng as an official, most of his confidants were somewhat unhappy.

Cao Mao asked, "Just now I saw quite a few people outside your residence."

Du Yu then explained, "Your Majesty, you may not be aware that the Ministry of Works involves many interests. Recently, ministers from the imperial court and even the local governments have come to discuss important matters with me. They haven't dared to offer bribes, but instead have used political achievements and the rule of the country as justifications. However, after careful observation, I feel something is amiss."

"So, I didn't see them again. I just hid in the mansion on the pretext of feeling unwell."

"No wonder those people are standing outside the door."

Cao Mao narrowed his eyes. The Ministry of Works was not just responsible for inventions and creations. These were not even considered its normal work. The Ministry of Works' main business was construction.

Things like water conservancy projects, military farming, road maintenance, and city construction are all things that the Ministry of Works has to worry about.

This is also why Du Yu was able to become a new upstart in Luoyang. The interests involved were too great.

Architectural matters in temples have always been the core interests of the big families, who use their positions to seek benefits from them.

If it weren't for He Zeng, the gate of Du Yu's mansion would have been piled with all kinds of gifts by now, although Du Yu might not necessarily ask for these things.

Du Yu was also helpless about this. "Your Majesty, the collusion between the ministers is extremely deep. I didn't realize it before, but now I truly understand. They keep saying they are working for the country, but none of their plans are truly useful. Their prices are inflated, all for personal gain."

"If this continues, how can the Wei Dynasty be revived?"

Cao Mao smiled and said, "Lord Du, you can try to change them by being kind and generous."

Du Yu was speechless and shook his head again.

"Your Majesty, I'm not dissatisfied with He Zeng's actions, nor do I want to blame Your Majesty. I simply feel that if the problem isn't resolved according to the rules, it will have a very negative impact. Especially since He Zeng used all means possible and arrested many innocent people."

"Former Minister of Works Zheng Chong, although he has no talent or courage, he is often coerced by others and has never committed any crime. Such a person was arrested."

Cao Mao said seriously, "It's not that he's not guilty of aiding and abetting the tyrant. But compared to those other beasts, his crime is relatively minor."

"Of course, during Sima Shi's time, even I didn't dare to refute him, let alone Zheng Chong?"

"You don't have to worry. He Zeng wanted to arrest him for his own reasons. Zheng Chong is not suffering. He is living well. I just went to see him a few days ago. In a few days, I will issue an imperial edict to reprimand the Censorate for implicating innocent people. He Zeng will then release Zheng Chong."

"Originally, these words should not be said openly, but Mr. Du is not an outsider, so I will not hide it. Moreover, I have already informed Zheng Chong of this matter, and he agreed."

Only then did Du Yu react.

"I see."

But Ma Jun was still confused. He didn't understand what His Majesty meant at all.

Catch and release?

Wouldn't this encourage the soldiers to rebel?
Or does Your Majesty simply wish for more people to rebel?
Ma Jun had been an official for many years, but he was not good at being an official.

He is more suited to doing hands-on work.

Cao Mao looked at him and said with a smile: "Ma Gong, don't worry about these things. These things have nothing to do with you. Your printing technique this time has become a big deal!"

"It's all because of you that education is available in all places!"

"Now everyone in the world is talking about you, the famous Qiao."

When Ma Jun heard the emperor's praise, he said he dared not.

Cao Mao then took Du Yu's hand and said seriously, "Mr. Du is also a world-renowned craftsman. You two must work together. Mr. Du, these things are not just about making them. The most important thing is to promote them. The original new plow is only being promoted in places like Huainan. This is not enough."

"Now that the Ministry of Works has been established, it must be put to good use. You must quickly promote these new things everywhere. Not just these inventions, but also the techniques for farming and land management. Without the right tools, how can anything be accomplished?"

Hearing Cao Mao's words, Du Yu hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, I am already taking care of this matter."

"A few days ago, I sent new plows and waterwheels to various provinces, ordering the provincial governors to promote them there. I have also informed the prince of this matter, and he is personally in charge of it."

Cao Mao's mood immediately improved a lot.

He liked such capable ministers who knew what to do before he gave any orders.

It’s a pity that there are very few officials like Du Yu in the world, but there are countless people like Wang Rong.

Cao Mao then looked at Ma Jun's repeating crossbow. Ma Jun's repeating crossbow was considered the most powerful weapon at present. If it could be replaced throughout the army, the strength of the Wei army would be raised to a higher level. As long as the world was not unified, he would never have peace of mind!
(End of this chapter)