Chapter 283 Chen Kingdom Infernal Affairs
The imperial examination system of the Xia Kingdom had previously attracted the attention of the other three kingdoms.
But after studying this, the top officials of the Three Kingdoms disagreed. They looked down on the peasants. To be more precise, they did not believe that the peasants without any background could surpass the children of aristocratic families in the examinations. Therefore, this reform did not make much sense.
When the emperor of Danxia announced the construction of an official school and the enrollment of commoners and women, the leaders of other countries could no longer sit still.
At the Chen State morning meeting.
After the Emperor of Chen had read the intelligence from Xia, he allowed his ministers to tour the place and waited for them to finish reading.
The Emperor of Chen State was somewhat interested and said, "My dear ministers, what do you think of Xia State's promotion of the imperial examination and the establishment of official schools for civilians and women? Is it worth considering?"
The officials of the State of Chen looked at each other in bewilderment, and most of them stepped forward and bowed, saying:
"Your Majesty, I think it's just a waste of money. It's not worth considering."
"Your Majesty, peasants have no idea how to govern a country. They can't even manage one acre of land properly."
"Commoners, and even women. I think the Great Xia Emperor has gone crazy. The Xia Emperor underestimates the power of the noble families. How could those people possibly win the exam against the children of the noble families?!"
…
The Emperor of Chen was very unhappy. As an emperor, he could probably understand what the Emperor of Daxia wanted to do. He could see the benefits of increasing the number of civilian students to the imperial power, but he could also see why his own court officials opposed it. All of this made him unhappy.
The Emperor of Chen said in a deep voice: "So you all think that Xia's imperial examination system is nothing to be afraid of? There is no need to stop it or interfere?"
The courtiers of the Chen State looked at each other in bewilderment. They could see the emperor's mood and dared not show their heads.
At this time, a young official spoke up: "Your Majesty, I think the move by the Emperor of Xia is very useful. Our Chen Kingdom will naturally intervene in this matter, but we will not stop it, but fan the flames. For example, we can send some silver to the delegation, let them support the noble families, encourage Daxia to recruit more civilian students, and increase the number of civilian students participating in the imperial examination system..."
When these words were spoken, the Minister of Finance in charge of the national treasury of Chen State became furious and protested loudly.
"I object! I object! Your Majesty, I object to giving more money to the delegation. Every time a letter comes, you have to give money! So much money has been given out, but there is no effect!"
Another military official echoed, "Your Majesty, since the delegation left for Daxia, the situation on our border has been getting worse. Originally, Xia only occupied two towns, but what about now?! The fourth town was almost taken by the hateful Shi family thieves, but the delegation kept asking for money and asked our Chen Kingdom to be patient. What kind of thing is this! The most hateful thing is that the spies I sent to those three towns said that those three towns have been forced to learn Xia's writing."
"What! The Shi family thieves have taken over another town? How dare they do it again and again! How hateful!"
"What on earth is the mission doing? It's completely useless."
…
The Emperor of Chen was overwhelmed by what he heard and waved his hand: "Let's not argue about other things for now. The border issue is the next topic, let's talk about the imperial examination first."
Then he frowned and looked at the man: "Encouraging Xia to recruit civilian students and giving them money? Aren't you helping the Emperor of Xia to consolidate his power?!"
The man bowed and said, "Your Majesty, you have misunderstood! Your Majesty! I just want to stir up conflicts among the officials of the Xia Kingdom as quickly as possible. Everyone can see the benefits of commoner students entering the court for the royal family. Therefore, if commoner students flood into the officialdom in a short period of time, those officials from aristocratic families will definitely become more and more restless. In this way, the upper echelons of the Great Xia Kingdom may be in chaos! Your Majesty, the aristocratic families and your Majesty are not of the same mind."
The Emperor of Chen State was moved. Yes!
It would be fine if commoner students came in slowly, but if they poured in on a large scale, it would definitely cause a backlash from the aristocratic families.
At this time, the court officials from the Chen State's aristocratic families glared at each other and could not help but say:
"You bold lunatic! How can we not be of one mind with Your Majesty?"
"Without our support, you can still live in peace, so stop fanning the flames!"
"You are a spy from another country, right? You want to tear Chen apart, right? You want to divide us here, right?!"
…
The young official was not afraid and continued, "Your Majesty, I am loyal to you. I just want to make a new class appear in Xia Kingdom as soon as possible and let them fall into civil strife. Isn't it better? Your Majesty, I am willing to die today to show my loyalty. I have no selfish motives."
After saying that, the man ran directly into the pillar.
The courtiers of the Chen State who were just complaining were stunned: !!!
Colleague, are you going too far?
We didn't say anything! Why did you hit your head against the pillar and almost die?
The Emperor of Chen State was still somewhat skeptical at first, but when he saw the other party directly hit the pillar, his suspicions immediately disappeared for the most part.
He stood up and said, "Quick! Go and call the imperial physician over! Save him! Go and save him!"
When the imperial physician rushed over and tried to save the patient for a while, then shook his head regretfully, all the doubts that Emperor Chen had about the young official disappeared.
The Emperor of Chen angrily scolded his courtiers and shed tears at the same time: the loyal ministers are not here.
Then, the Emperor of Chen said to the Ministry of Revenue: "You should send a sum of money to Xia to incite the noble families to cause chaos. The deadline is the beginning of spring. If there is no result by the beginning of spring, let the delegation return."
The official from the Ministry of Revenue looked at the young official who had been sentenced to death by the imperial physician, hesitated for a moment, then bowed and said, "Yes, Your Majesty."
Afterwards, the Emperor of Chen State shed another tear and sighed, "What a pity! He was loyal to his country! Give him a grand funeral. Don't treat a loyal minister badly."
All the ministers bowed and said, "Yes, Your Majesty."
…
Soon, Chen Guo held a grand funeral ceremony.
Along the way, officers and soldiers were responsible for escorting this weeping funeral procession.
Inside the memorial hall, the emperor sent his grandson to say a few words of consolation. The officials of the Chen State also arrived one after another, presenting a valuable farewell gift to this official who had dared to speak out against the emperor in the court.
It was not until night that the two officials' families, with their eyes red and swollen from crying, quietly came to the place of memorial service.
They tried hard to push the lid off the coffin, muttering, "Hurry up! Don't let the master suffocate to death."
When the lid was halfway opened, the official who was lying inside struggled to sit up, muttering, "I'm starving. Why are you here so late?!"
The confidant hurriedly said, "Sir, you are so amazing! Chen Guo is very moved. There are too many people to receive. We really can't find time."
The official pretending to be dead said, "That's enough, do you have the elbow?"
The confidant said helplessly, "Sir, I dare not bring pork elbows because they have a strong smell. I brought some salted vegetable porridge and baked naan."
The official pretending to be dead said helplessly: "Alright. Just lie down for a few days. By the way, after I leave, remember to bury my original body. After all, I borrowed his identity, so let him return to his roots."
The confidant said, "Yes, sir. How about I help you remove your makeup first? This fake blood is all over your face. It must be very uncomfortable."
The official pretending to be dead tried hard to drink the porridge while waving his hands: "No need. The Mohist said it can last for ten days. Just to be on the safe side, I will change it after I return."
Having said this, he also told his confidants in detail what happened in the court, and asked them to write a message and send it back to Daxia as soon as possible.
The confidant took notes quickly, and then he suddenly said, "My lord, I remember you said before that your plan was to use the imperial examination system of Xia to incite the emperor of Chen to also establish an imperial examination system, and then incite the court of Chen to form an opposing force? Why, my lord, you didn't use this plan? Instead..."
I am embarrassed to ask you, sir, why do you suggest that Chen State use this tactic to deal with Xia State? Are you harboring rebellious intentions?
The official pretending to be dead said, "It is better to change the plan. The State of Chen does not attach importance to the imperial examination system at all. My advocacy will not be taken seriously. So I have no choice but to make use of the waste and make some money first, which is not a loss."
The confidant asked anxiously, "What if the Daxia officials are really provoked?"
The official pretending to be dead chuckled.
He pointed to the sky, then patted his confidant on the shoulder and said, "You don't understand. Daxia's national conditions are different. Officials, at least those above the sixth rank, are definitely united. This trick is useless to Daxia. It's just giving money away."
His confidant didn't understand, but when he thought of the harmonious atmosphere in Da Xia's official circles over the past year or so, he swallowed his doubts.