Chapter 30030 Beat him for me!
Zhao Jialing ultimately didn't get to drink any wine.
She was a mature emperor who diligently studied the ways of rulership and cultivated a thunderous aura. Even if she was internally raging and throwing a tantrum a hundred times, she still had to maintain a calm and composed demeanor, unmoved even if Mount Tai collapsed before her.
She didn't want to lose face in front of Xie Lanzhao.
The Imperial Academy was located in Wubenfang, Wannian County, with its northern street leading directly to the Imperial City, occupying half of the ward. The Imperial Academy had fallen into disrepair during the reign of the previous emperor, but the number of students in the six schools was still nearly two thousand.
The Imperial Academy had dormitories, and although it was stipulated that students were not allowed to leave the dormitories except for official business, and were given leave once every ten days except for leave for farming and clothing, in reality only a portion of those who came to the capital from outside Chang'an would stay in the dormitories.
Some sons of high-ranking officials and noble families had already been granted official positions through hereditary privilege, but they didn't come to the Imperial Academy to study during their shifts. This wasn't a problem in itself. However, once the discipline of the Imperial Academy loosened, many followed suit. The sons of the Imperial Academy and the Imperial College were the most lax, going home almost every day and not even coming to the Imperial Academy. As for the "primary schools" attended by young members of the imperial family, there were no rules whatsoever.
The current dynasty's selection of scholars included both current reputation and family background. Each year, only twenty or thirty people passed the imperial examinations, and even including those who passed the classics examinations, the number was only a little over a hundred. Those who entered officialdom through the imperial examinations constituted a very small proportion. This matter, which many considered dispensable, naturally fell to the back of the list.
"The sons of noble families are naturally proud of their lineage. With the protection of their fathers and grandfathers, they can easily rise to prominence. They believe that fame and fortune are easily attainable, so they don't study very diligently. Host, don't expect too much. Most students of the Imperial Academy are 'bare in their studies and lack practical skills.'" The Wise Ruler System gave Zhao Jialing a heads-up.
Zhao Jialing was aware of this as well. She said to Xie Lanzhao, "In the past, the students of the two academies came from high-ranking families and were admitted through hereditary privilege. Their teachers were quite knowledgeable, and during the examinations, the required level of the written test was halved. They only needed a basic understanding of essays and policy discussions, without specializing in academic subjects, yet they still managed to pass. Now, the students of the two academies are all sent to the Imperial Academy. I wonder how their studies are going now."
“Your Majesty can give their studies a try,” Xie Lanzhao said.
"They can't be completely unscrupulous, can they?" Zhao Jialing said, glancing at Xie Lanzhao, then snorted, "I came out to have fun today, not to show off."
Xie Lanzhao lowered her eyelashes, her mind still preoccupied with the school's reforms. Canceling the special treatment for students in the two halls was already a significant step; what else could be done? The system wouldn't say, and if His Majesty lacked the will to act, she would have no way of knowing.
In the past, it was not easy to enter or leave the Imperial College, but now discipline has fallen into disarray, and it is common for noble families to send people to pick up their children. The gatekeepers judge entirely by appearance, and anyone they cannot afford to offend is allowed into the Imperial College without even having to register.
These were all places that needed reform, and besides, the terrible book-copying incident from before was still fresh in everyone's mind, so Zhao Jialing didn't have high expectations for the Imperial Academy. Since she didn't bring it up, Xie Lanzhao wasn't planning to either.
As the two walked a short distance, a noisy commotion reached their ears, accompanied by vile curses and earth-shattering cries.
Zhao Jialing: "?"
She glanced at Xie Lanzhao and, sure enough, saw that she looked unwell.
Zhao Jialing's heart sank, and his face also became stern.
Who on earth had to ruin her special day?!
Before seeing it with her own eyes, Zhao Jialing still held a sliver of hope, but after witnessing the chaotic scene, everything went black before her eyes.
The Imperial College is the gate of sages, yet some people dare to show off and fight; it is utterly disgraceful!
Xie Lanzhao was cold and aloof, exuding an air of authority without anger.
The attendants who had followed them were also startled, their faces paling for a moment before they silently mourned for the students. Normally, a little chaos might be considered minor, but now that it had reached His Majesty and the Prime Minister, could it be easily dismissed? How could the attendants allow this farce to continue? They hurriedly stepped forward to stop this "spectacular" scene.
"Wait, the instructor is here." A voice devoid of emotion rang out.
It was Zhao Jialing who said it.
The distance wasn't too close, so I couldn't see the students' faces clearly, but judging from their height, some were six or seven years old, and others were just over ten. The ones crying their hearts out were mostly the younger ones, while the older ones were fully unleashing their boundless energy, shouting, "Do you know who my father/grandfather is?" while throwing books and pens around carelessly.
The registrar, a seventh-rank official, was in charge of instructing students and enforcing school rules at the Imperial Academy. Standing before a group of sons of high-ranking officials, he felt utterly humiliated. He usually ignored them, but this brawl was serious enough that the registrar, the assistant registrar, and the Imperial Academy professor all rushed over.
The instructors managed to pull the unruly students away, but while their hands and feet were restricted, their mouths were not. All sorts of nasty words echoed in the air, making the instructors' faces turn ashen with anger.
"Let's see who it is," Zhao Jialing said again.
[Host, just tell me if we should reform the system. The Imperial Academy is in complete chaos. These people are arrogant and reckless; whether they pass the imperial examinations or the classics examinations is meaningless to them. I suggest that future hereditary titles should also be subject to examinations.] The Wise Ruler System is online at the right time.
"Reform? My holiday is ruined!" Zhao Jialing grumbled.
Taking a deep breath, Zhao Jialing said coldly, "No wonder you can't even copy a book properly."
Copying books is probably unrelated to primary school, but it can reveal a lot about the school's atmosphere. After a moment's consideration, she said, "I believe this malpractice should be reformed."
Zhao Jialing threw the question out: "What do you think we should do?"
Xie Lanzhao's eyes flashed: "Those who do not abide by the law will be expelled from school, and those who have failed their studies for many years will be expelled from school."
“These people won’t care. After dropping out of school, they’ll just ride horses in the streets and chase after luxury like spoiled brats. Is it that academic studies are useless, or that they are useless?” Zhao Jialing said, thinking of the “Curriculum Reform Guide” and subtly testing Xie Lanzhao with her words.
If the system hadn't existed, and if she hadn't experienced the reforms to the imperial examination system, Xie Lanzhao wouldn't have given it much thought. Zhao Jialing's words from years ago were just idle gossip or rumors that quickly dissipated. But now, the focus was on the phrase "the classics are useless." His Majesty wanted to change the subjects? But if the classics were useless, what would be truly useful? Surely not military science? In peacetime, valuing martial arts over literature, even despising those studying the classics, would cause chaos. Xie Lanzhao had to be cautious.
Xie Lanzhao paused for a moment before saying, "They form cliques, insult the elderly and disrespect the virtuous, and resort to violence at the slightest provocation. This is a sign of a corrupt academic atmosphere and even a corrupt family atmosphere."
Zhao Jialing: [Third Prince, you see, I cannot change this. Even Xie Lanzhao cannot understand me. Do you want me to be an enemy of the world, a lonely figure? What engineering, what chemistry, what reform? This is like climbing to the heavens! If I were to offer a choice between reform and the Fengshan ceremony, one hundred percent of my ministers would ask me to perform the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai.]
[I can't exactly knock down the wall of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, stuff the "Curriculum Reform Guidelines" inside, and then have it "accidentally" burst out, can I?]
Wise Ruler System: [Great idea!]
Xie Lanzhao: "..." Such things are not without precedent. In a certain dynasty, ancient texts that had not been destroyed in war were discovered in the walls of a sage's former residence, and this led to the development of a field called "Ancient Text Classics Studies," with many scholars dedicating themselves to writing commentaries on them. By this dynasty, they had become essential reading for scholars.
She couldn't help but be curious about the "Curriculum Reform Guide," but she shouldn't have known about it; His Majesty didn't mention it, and it wasn't appropriate for her to inquire.
Just as he was pondering, the person who went to inquire about the news returned. The attendant looked somewhat frightened, glanced at Zhao Jialing, and then said tremblingly, "Recently, there has been a lot of discussion at the Imperial Academy about reforming the examination system. The older students, after listening to their fathers and brothers' opinions, have also started to talk at length, and they have started arguing when they disagree."
Zhao Jialing asked, "How did it turn into a fight?"
"Young Master Liu from the Marquis of Pengcheng was gesticulating wildly, and his book bag hit someone. He has a temper... well, he's hot-blooded, and after saying a few harsh words, a fight broke out." Reaching the crucial point, the servant's face turned pale, and he dared not hide anything, recounting all the information he had gathered in one breath.
"Objects flew everywhere, and ink splashed onto Princess Yongle. Princess Changle stood up for Yongle, but Liu Langjun didn't apologize. At this point, Princess Anyang stepped in and ordered her men to beat Liu Langjun, beating him from inside to outside..."
Princess Changle was twelve and Princess Yongle was eight, both daughters of the Prince of Hengshan. Princess Anyang was even younger, only seven, the only daughter of Princess Zhongshan. The Prince of Hengshan and Princess Zhongshan were constantly at odds, and their families rarely interacted. But no matter how bad their relationship was, Princess Anyang would not tolerate anyone bullying her two elder sisters.
Although Zhao Jialing restored their status as members of the imperial clan, the two princely residences were in a rather awkward position. Especially the Crown Prince's residence; those who had followed the Prince of Hengshan in the past were either dead or demoted, and the rest had either gone into hiding or sought higher positions elsewhere. Why would they care about the Prince's residence, which had little hope of success?
As for Princess Zhongshan—her former associates, especially those from the Censorate, all fell into Xie Lanzao's hands. Some of them were already closely related to Xie Lanzao's mother, practically family. On the other hand, Princess Zhongshan used this as leverage, demanding that Xie Lanzao take care of her young daughter. With Xie Lanzao's protection, Princess Anyang's situation wasn't too bad.
Zhao Jialing took a deep breath, wanting to lash out.
But she held back in the end.
Zhao Jialing took a step forward: "Have they all been taken back to the school? Let's go take a look."
Liu Yuan, son of the Marquis of Pengcheng, lacked the courage to strike a county princess, but he could stubbornly refuse to apologize even after accidentally injuring her. He wasn't of noble birth; the Liu family only rose to prominence during his father's time. However, this wasn't due to his father's achievements or merits, but rather because he served as a favored minister to the late emperor and risked his life to save him at a crucial moment, thus earning the title of marquis. The Marquis of Pengcheng, having no official duties, hoped his son would be successful and thus placed him in the Imperial Academy. With the Marquis of Pengcheng's merits, as long as he didn't rebel, he could live a peaceful life until old age.
"Royal family members and nobles don't need to participate in the imperial examinations anyway, so they're naturally indifferent to any talk of reforming the examination system," Liu Yuan continued sarcastically. With his abilities, he knew he couldn't possibly pass on his own. Anonymous registration wouldn't benefit him. He could simply skip the imperial examinations, but the Imperial Academy's monthly and ten-day exams were also becoming shoddy, even cracking down on those who took the exams for others. Naturally, he was dissatisfied.
"The method of anonymizing names is to eliminate the abuse of favoritism. You wouldn't happen to be that 'favoritism,' would you?" Although the Princess of Anyang was young, her mind was very quick. The reform of the imperial examination system was none of her concern, but she still tried her best to stand on tiptoe and look up at Liu Yuan, making him uncomfortable.
The school official, with a stern face, said to the county magistrate of Anyang, "This is not something for young children to discuss."
Before Zhao Jialing could speak, the Wise Ruler System called out.
[Host, this instructor is biased!]
"Let the matter of the fight be dropped today. If it happens again, it will be recorded as a major demerit."
Not only is he biased, but he's also trying to smooth things over.
Princess Anyang, however, was not about to give up. She said sternly, "Won't Liu Yuan apologize to Yongle?"
Zhao Jialing muttered to himself, "An Yang is so young, yet she looks so much like my elder sister."
Liu Yuan, having been stabbed repeatedly, was dizzy. His gaze fell on the sobbing Princess Yongle to the side, and he sneered, "Just a piece of ink? Does the Prince of Hengshan's mansion not have enough clothes to change?"
The county magistrate of Anyang was furious, as if she were about to breathe fire.
She was extremely agile, and she picked up the inkstone and threw it at Liu Yuan.
Not to mention Liu Yuan, even the school officials were caught in the crossfire.
Liu Yuan was panting heavily, his teeth grinding together. Rage had ignited his mind, completely destroying what little reason he already had. He called to a few familiar children, saying, "Hit them!"
"Beat them! Give them a good beating!" Zhao Jialing, who was listening outside, also said, wishing he could roll up his sleeves and go himself.
"Your Majesty," Xie Lanzhao said helplessly, looking at Zhao Jialing.
If you don't stop it, fine, but why get involved?
What about the ruler's prudence?
Zhao Jialing turned to look at Xie Lanzhao: "Are you saying you can't hit people without a reason?" She pondered for a moment, picked up a loose scroll from the table, hung it on her wrist, and shouted righteously, "There's an assassin! This is outrageous!"
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