Girl, let me check it out.

Fang Weihan finally chose a protruding shelf on Fang Tang's desk.

The Ragdoll Cat jumped up nimbly, and with its size it could just sit on the shelf without falling off.

A shelf full of cats!

Fang Tang's breathing suddenly became faster, and the little hands in her sleeves clenched unconsciously.

So cute! I want to touch it!

"There are three things I want to teach you. Let's take them one by one."

Ragdoll Cat said seriously.

"Today I want to discuss with you the policy of governing the country. I think this should be what you care about most."

He has no systematic teaching experience, and his ability in scheming and plotting is probably about the same as Fang Tang's. In some aspects, he may even be worse than her.

But there is a modern person in his body who has received systematic education and has some deep understanding of the operating mode of ancient dynasties.

"I believe that you have a certain understanding of the current situation of the Great Zhou."

Fang Weihan stared into the girl's eyes.

"So from your personal perspective, where do you think the root of the problems in the Great Zhou Dynasty come from?"

"source……"

Fang Tang touched the side of his face and pondered for a moment.

"The conflict between the noble families and the emperor."

"Well, that's it."

Fang Weihan actually knew that the fundamental contradiction was not this, but the contradiction between the natural economy and feudal land ownership. However, due to the existence of the cultivation system, the contradiction between landlords and peasants was deeply buried. The emergence of more violent state institutions such as Xuan Zhongwei greatly weakened the class antagonism.

Normally, to monitor the people of a county, thousands or even tens of thousands of troops would be needed, along with complex and mutually reinforcing institutions at all levels. However, under the system of the Great Zhou, only a few monks who were loyal to the emperor or the aristocratic family were often needed.

As the saying goes, a mine hidden deep is no longer a mine.

As long as the destiny is still recovering and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth has not yet been exhausted, this bomb will not explode even if they do not resolve this contradiction in the short term.

Therefore, what really surfaced and urgently needed to be resolved was the contradiction that Fang Tang mentioned.

Divisions within the ruling class.

This is much more serious than the two-party struggle. At least there is an emperor above them who takes the overall situation into consideration. No matter what level the struggle develops to, at least the country can still exist and will not split.

But if it were the Great Zhou Dynasty... the emperor himself would become one of the two parties, so who would restrain him?

A force that can simultaneously check and balance the imperial Fang family, who are nominally the rulers of the world, and the Uehara Wang family, who are dividing the land and occupying the mountains.

Obviously, such a force does not exist in today's world.

The most powerful super sects, Linyuan Pavilion and Xiaoyao Sect, are not allowed. Although their individual combat power is very strong, their number is too small.

Moreover, the Great Zhou court has no shortage of means to fight against the seventh-level strongmen.

Relying on the lower-class people to overthrow the upper class? This is even more impossible. Without a unified organization to form a cluster to fight, in front of the Xuanzhong Guards and the aristocratic family spies who monitor the whole world, the first bird to stand out will definitely not survive the day.

This is probably what the Zoroastrians are trying to do, but they still have a long way to go to achieve their goal.

Who else can we rely on? A foreign race?

This is even more nonsense. The panic and bloodshed of the Taikang Rebellion are still fresh in our memory.

If the internal strife between the aristocratic families and the imperial power cannot be resolved, the destruction of this country is only a matter of time.

"Actually... I have thought a lot about the conflict between the noble families and the emperor."

Fang Tang looked straight into the ragdoll cat's eyes without giving in.

"There is no way that power can be divided between two parties without causing trouble. This can only happen if the power of both parties is completely equal."

"But obviously... absolute equality does not exist."

The girl laughed helplessly.

"My ancestors...were in a weak position when the country was first established."

"I really want to surrender and solve the problem once and for all. But to do so would mean handing over the kingdom my ancestors built and my life to others. I can't do that."

Fang Tang loosened his fists weakly, his eyes full of disappointment.

Fang Weihan thought, let alone you, I can’t do it either.

One is for personal safety.

Another thing is that there are also big problems within the family. The only reason that can unite them is to fight against the royal family. If the imperial power suddenly disappears, Fang Weihan dare not even think about the scene.

The ragdoll cat stretched out its paw and scratched its chin.

"In fact... the balance can be maintained even when the two are not equal, but a supervisory authority is needed."

“Who can give this authority?”

"Perhaps all the people in the empire can do so in the future, but... not now."

There was some sadness in Ragdoll Cat's tone.

"Teacher, are you talking about the people..."

Fang Tang seemed to be thinking about something.

"That does make sense. After all, public opinion is a very important factor. If I could find a way to share some of the power in my hands with the people..."

The girl really began to think seriously about this possibility.

"If you really do this, then other than the fact that you will have less power, nothing else will change."

Fang Weihan said in a deep voice.

"The power you gave away is simply not enough to fight against the noble families. It will only become their bait."

This is a very obvious thing.

In the case of insufficient productivity, any attempt to change production relations will ultimately fail, it is just a matter of time.

And in this change, it is often the reformers who die, and the conservatives who survive.

A huge fire started, but it was eventually put out, leaving only ashes and a bright flame that spanned countless years.

"If you want to break the power blockade of the aristocratic families, then you can only firmly grasp all the power in your own hands and never share the power."

Fang Weihan stretched out his claws and knocked on the wooden board.

"But...you have to find a way to cultivate your own strength."

"But the whole court is full of people from aristocratic families. Where should I go to find my supporters? From my own clan relatives?"

Whenever Fang Tang mentioned this matter, he felt a kind of powerless anger.

Every emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty fought against all the noble families in the world alone.

No matter how capable, far-sighted, or clever the emperor is, he is still just a human being, and there will be times when he will be unable to do something.

There was no one available around him.

"This is exactly why I mentioned the people of Da Zhou just now."

Ragdoll cat Youyou said.

"Have you ever paid attention to the origins of the officials in the current court?"

"I noticed that."

Fang Tang counted on his fingers, listing them all.

"For civil officials, there are two types: those who are granted patronage and those who are admitted to the academy. In addition, there is also the purchase of an official position, which is not considered because of its low rank. For military officials, there are two types: inheritance and promotion. The former depends on one's family background, and the latter depends on military merit."

"Ah."

The ragdoll cat licked its paw, and a faint light flashed in its blue vertical pupils.

"Inheritance and favor are the privileges of aristocratic families, and we can't change them in a short period of time. Promotion depends on military merit, which is a rare opportunity. The only option we can change is to enter the officialdom through the academy."

"The current academy only accepts children from aristocratic families, but..."

She didn't say anything else, but it was obvious that Fang Tang understood.

The girl seemed to suddenly realize something, but then she frowned.

She really hadn't thought about this angle.

If it is really possible to allow Qinghuo Academy to recruit children from poor families and common people, it will really be a great help to her.

But can it really be implemented?

Fang Weihan looked at her like this and knew what she was thinking.

Of course it can be carried out, after all, there are always more solutions than problems. After all, there are poor students in the Qinghuo Academy five hundred years later, but the number is very small.

"It can be carried out, but it requires some small tricks."

The ragdoll cat seemed to smile and stood up gracefully.

“If you want someone to give up a piece of cake, you must give him an equal piece of cake in exchange. Otherwise, only a fool would do so.”

"You ask the noble families to give up their monopoly on the appointment and dismissal of some civil servants. What will you offer in exchange?"

The cat leaned forward and patted Fang Tang's shoulder with its paw, wagging its big tail.

Chapter 240 She Could Have Been Reborn from the Ashes

"Teacher, I don't understand."

Fang Tang frowned his picturesque eyebrows and shook his head.

"Qinghuo Academy is almost entirely run by the Eight Clans. Unless something unexpected happens, I can't think of how we can get them to release the quota."

The Ragdoll Cat smiled meaningfully.

"Your planning skills are not inferior to mine. In terms of quick thinking, I am far inferior to you. But there is always a thorn in your thinking that you cannot get around. It is like it is holding your vital point, making it impossible for you to think of some unexpected means to win."

"That spike... is called: The Aristocratic Family Must Die."

The orange light shone on the girl's cheeks, and Fang Weihan could clearly see the slight trembling of her long eyelashes.

"The aristocratic family must die, but this is not a problem you should consider. You are too eager for success, but you ignore the fact that the power of a generation has its limits. Have you heard of Yugong moving the mountain? The aristocratic family is that mountain."

The ragdoll cat stroked his whiskers and shook his head.

"In order to achieve certain goals, we can take the initiative to give up some of the bargaining chips we have. Why don't you... think more about the noble families and ask them what they want most?"

"What the noble families want most is..."

Fang Tang murmured to himself.

"It's nothing but power and profit. Only with power can one gain profit. They need to gain power first, otherwise the handle of profit will be firmly in the hands of others. This is something the Eight Surnames cannot tolerate."

Ragdoll Cat said calmly.

"Part of the power of the Great Zhou is in the hands of the emperor, and part is in the hands of the eight clans. But apart from these, where is the power vacuum?"

A ray of light seemed to suddenly light up in Fang Tang's eyes, and the gloomy atmosphere that had just surrounded his entire body disappeared.

When the princess of the empire discusses the strategies for governing the country, she is often able to forget many unpleasant things.

"Teacher, you mean... those noble families other than the eight surnames?"

"Well, you finally understood."

Fang Weihan couldn't help laughing.

The ragdoll cat chased its tail twice, as if trying to bite its own tail.

"These other noble families are often local tycoons, and they hardly have a say in the central government. Although they are vulnerable when alone, if they work together, they can also be a very powerful force."

"The Uehara Wang family will not take action against them. They want to be the leaders of the family, not tyrants. The other seven of the eight families will not let them become too powerful, and will definitely stop them secretly. But they won't, but that doesn't mean they don't want to."

"It would be much easier to do something in the name of the emperor than in the name of the Minister of the Central Secretariat. Am I right?"

On the point of centralization, the imperial family and the eight surnames have a common appeal. The emperor does not want the aristocratic families to exist, and the eight surnames do not want the other aristocratic families to exist.

If the eight surnames could negotiate a reasonable distribution plan, they would have been able to distribute all the power among the world's aristocratic families long ago.

But obviously, due to various complicated historical legacies and conflicts of interest, they have not been able to come up with a distribution plan that is acceptable to everyone.