Chapter 409 The planned plot

"Minister Fang, please work harder and have someone draft an order to support education in Lingnan, and discuss its implementation at the annual court meeting." The emperor thought for a moment and said.

Then he said to Prime Minister Du, "Mr. Du, it's getting late. You should go back and rest!"

"Your Majesty, this matter should be dealt with quickly rather than slowly. This decree may face greater resistance than the Lingnan Grain Special Agency's order, so we should make a quick decision." Prime Minister Du shook his head.

For the aristocratic families, this decree would be like cutting off their power, snatching it from their hands and cutting off the prosperity and wealth of their descendants. They absolutely cannot agree to it.

The discussion at the court meeting turned it into a complete mess.

Instead of being a teaching aid, it became a feast for the wealthy and powerful families to share, and another shortcut for the children of wealthy families to enter the officialdom.

I will not go to Lingnan to work, but lead it from afar.

They occupied all the fertile lands in Lingnan, collected salaries without doing any work, and increased the tax burden on Lingnan out of thin air.

A good thing turned into a bad thing! As a result, all the positions in the frontier and cold lands were divided up.

The emperor was silent for a moment after hearing this. "Forget it, I'll just stay up all night. I'll announce it at the imperial court tomorrow!"

Seeing this outside the hall, Xu Zhi quietly instructed his apprentice to ask the small kitchen to make some midnight snacks.

It was snowing heavily outside, and inside the palace the emperor and his ministers were having heated discussions, debating, and making revisions.

"Your Majesty! It's time for supper!" Xu Zhi said outside.

"Send it in!" The king and his ministers looked up at the hourglass. It was one quarter past midnight. In two hours, it would be one quarter past 3 a.m., and the palace would open.

The food box was brought in and fluttered in the wind, with a sour and spicy smell, which made several people feel hungry.

Open the lunch box, there is a serving of sauerkraut vermicelli and mutton soup, a serving of braised bean shoots, and a serving of scrambled eggs with leeks.

There is a clay pot at the bottom of the food box, which is kept warm by burning charcoal.

These ingredients, cooking methods, and ways of eating were all introduced from Lingnan. In Chang'an, vermicelli, bean shoots, brown sugar, and tea oil were valuable gifts.

"Hey, why are there leeks in this weather?" The king and his ministers looked at them curiously.

It is not easy to eat leeks in such cold weather. The most common vegetables are radish, carrot, cabbage, sunflower and spinach.

"Your Majesty, it was the Minister of the Imperial Household, Fu Zhong, who taught us that we can grow off-season vegetables in the greenhouse in winter," Xu Zhi replied.

"These are the first crops that the servants are trying to plant in the greenhouse."

"Fu Zhong? When will he learn to grow vegetables?" The emperor was puzzled. Isn't it a family of Quanzhou maritime merchants?

"Well, I asked, and it was said that it was Manager Su from Lingnan who said that." Xu Zhi couldn't believe at the time that vegetables could grow out of season.

These were just some of the things Fu Zhong mentioned to him before he left.

They were all smart people. Xu Zhi didn't say anything, but quietly asked his apprentices to try planting in the greenhouse. Unexpectedly, it worked.

"That girl again!" The emperor laughed. "Come, try it. How about it?"

The fresh fragrance of leeks mixed with the fresh aroma of eggs is especially delicious with rice.

"Well! Not bad!" The king and his ministers nodded continuously.

"Are there any leeks left?" asked the emperor.

"Your Majesty, there are still some!" Xu Zhi replied, feeling happy.

"Send it to Lizheng Palace tomorrow so that the Queen can have a taste." When it comes to these rare vegetables, he naturally can't forget his wife.

The king and his two ministers devoured the food like whirlwind. Prime Minister Du ate a bowl of food, which was rare. The remaining food was taken away by Prime Minister Fang without any hesitation.

"This pickled cabbage vermicelli is really delicious!" The emperor sighed, leaning back in his chair.

I never thought that such a simple food could be so delicious and I never get tired of it.

After further consideration and discussion, the Lingnan Support Teaching Order was finalized.

At one quarter past three in the morning, the palace opened its doors and all the ministers entered the court. This was the last grand court meeting before the New Year, and all officials above the fourth rank attended.

The ministers were very surprised to see Prime Minister Du standing in the front row. So early?

Everyone was relaxed, with happy faces. After going through the formalities, they dismissed the court, returned to the yamen to report for duty, and sealed the yamen and left.

The family will reunite tomorrow, New Year’s Eve, and the court will not open until the 16th day of the first lunar month.

After a busy year, I can finally relax for a few days.

The emperor was in high spirits as he looked at the ministers in the court. Just as he was about to speak, someone stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to report!"

The ministers looked over and saw the Inspector General Yu Wencheng.

What are you doing? It's Chinese New Year, what are you doing? Can't you wait until after the New Year?

"What's the matter?" The emperor frowned slightly, displeased at being interrupted.

"Your Majesty, the results of the six schools were announced yesterday. I heard that someone was secretly manipulating the situation and excluding common students, causing many top students to fail the exam! How audacious!" Yu Wencheng shouted.

The ministers were stunned. This was a shocking revelation! To dare to manipulate the Six Schools, you must be tired of living!

The emperor was also shocked, and his eyes naturally looked at the Imperial College Doctor Lu Deming, but he saw the stunned expression of Lu Deming, whose hair and beard were all white.

Everyone was confused, and no one knew that Yu Wencheng had actually taken the initiative!

"Yu Qing, how did you know this? And who did it?" The emperor suppressed his anger and asked,

"Your Majesty! Yesterday, when the results of the six schools were announced, the students discovered that half of the students on the mathematics list were from Lingnan, and many students with excellent academic performance failed to make the list.

As we all know, Lingnan is a wild and culturally backward country. I would like to ask, what abilities do these children have to be able to compete with the outstanding students from various schools in Chang'an City?

"When things are out of the ordinary, there must be something fishy going on! I believe someone is secretly colluding and manipulating this, forming a clique for personal gain. I implore Your Majesty to order a thorough investigation!"

After Yu Wencheng finished speaking, he did not forget to look suggestively at Su Bucheng who was not far away.

Su Bucheng felt the gaze and glanced over with an indifferent expression. When he heard that they were children studying in Lingnan, he knew that they were targeting him.

"Oh, Yu Qing, do you mean that children from Lingnan are not worthy of such talent?" The emperor asked playfully.

Who is Lingnan blocking? Why is there always someone jumping out and making trouble?

“Your Majesty, I dare not. It is just that Lingnan is a remote place and has never produced any talented people. I have also never heard of any famous scholars.

It was shocking if only one or two children from a group of village schools passed the exam, but this time half of the admitted children were from Lingnan!

People are talking about it, and everyone thinks someone is manipulating it!" Yu Wencheng emphasized again.

"Dr. Lu, what do you think?" The emperor looked at Lu Deming.

"Your Majesty, since some have questioned the impartiality of the Imperial College's judgment, I suggest that all the mathematics exam papers be retrieved for public review."

Lu Deming was so angry that he was shaking all over. He was a great scholar of two dynasties and one of the only eighteen scholars since the opening of the imperial examination in the Sui Dynasty.

He was both virtuous and talented, and was chosen by the emperor as one of the eighteen scholars of the Hongwen Academy, but he was slandered for no reason.

He is in his twilight years and is being splashed with dirty water on New Year's Day!

The ministers whispered to each other, wondering if Yu Wencheng was going to drag the Su family into this trouble, or attack Lu Daru?

"Yes!" The emperor also wanted to see why the children from Lingnan could dominate the list?

He had seen abacus before, and knew the abilities of those little guys, they were smart and knowledgeable, but he had never seen their schoolwork.

Someone immediately ran to the Imperial College to adjust the test papers of the candidates.

Taking pity on Prime Minister Du’s frailty and Lu Daru’s old age and frailty, he ordered people to give them seats.

Yu Wencheng didn't expect that the emperor didn't question Su Bucheng, but asked the Imperial College Doctor Lu Daru. He felt that something was wrong. Why didn't the plot develop according to the predetermined plan?

He silently glanced at Minister Lu and several members of the Wang family. They looked straight ahead with their eyes lowered, like a few Bodhisattvas.