Chapter 760 The King of Qin is About to Undertake an Important Matter
The King of Qin was sitting in the reception room, drinking tea.
Seeing Cheng Wanwan approach, he immediately stood up: "Madam Sui's son has gone to take the imperial examination. I suppose Madam Sui shouldn't have anything else to do for the next nine days."
Cheng Wanwan asked in confusion, "What does Your Highness want?"
"I have some matters to consult with Lady Sui, which will take some time." The King of Qin reached out and took a small booklet from his attendant's hand, handing it to her. "Lady Sui, please take a look at this first."
Cheng Wanwan took the booklet, opened it, and said with slight surprise, "Does Your Highness also want to open a school?"
Don't blame her for being surprised. The main reason is that in her impression, this prince was a playboy who did nothing but indulge in pleasure. When he finally did something serious, he would go to Huzhou to pick peaches and take all the credit for the Grand Canal for himself. Now that the Empress has opened a girls' school, he is also trying to open his own school. Is he trying to compete with the Empress?
Feeling a little embarrassed by Cheng Wanwan's unusual gaze, the Prince of Qin touched his nose and said, "My sister-in-law's school is for enlightening women from the lower classes and enriching the intellectual lives of women from noble families. My school is quite different from yours. Lady Sui, please take a close look and give me some advice after you've finished."
Cheng Wanwan had no choice but to look at it carefully.
Upon closer inspection, she was pleasantly surprised, as this school was indeed different from the Empress's school.
There were no girls' schools in those days, so whatever the Empress's girls' school taught, it was a cutting-edge new product of the era.
However, there are too many schools established for men, of all kinds, some specializing in teaching knowledge, some in teaching martial arts, some in teaching vocational skills... in short, there is everything. But the school that the King of Qin is about to establish opens up a completely new model among all these schools.
This is actually a foreign language school that primarily teaches foreign languages.
The Great Yu Kingdom is surrounded by countless small countries whose languages and scripts are different from those of the Great Yu Kingdom, making communication extremely limited.
The Court of State Ceremonial, responsible for foreign affairs, had only a few dozen officials, who could only handle the most basic foreign relations and trade; they couldn't handle anything more in-depth.
"My academy only admits students who have passed the imperial examinations or higher." Seeing the interest in Cheng Wanwan's eyes, the King of Qin gained confidence and began to speak eloquently. "These scholars possess both knowledge and a certain level of understanding. They know which vassal states the Great Yu Kingdom has and are familiar with the historical exchanges between nations, so there's no need to teach them these basics. The enrolled scholars will choose a language system to study. After completing their studies, the court will fund their journeys to the corresponding countries to learn their strengths, and then they can return and promote that knowledge. In this way, our Great Yu Kingdom will become increasingly powerful..."
Cheng Wanwan thought of the school in the last dynasty of her previous life, where someone proposed "learning the superior techniques of the barbarians to control the barbarians," which meant going overseas to learn other people's technologies, then returning to build up the country and make it strong enough to fight against powerful foreign nations...
Although the Great Yu Kingdom is already one of the most powerful countries in the world, it can use this theory to make itself even stronger.
Although the surrounding small countries are backward, they also possess relatively advanced knowledge. For example, glass originated from the country of Serso, eyeglasses from the country of Banni, and Assab is quite advanced in medicine. It is said that the more distant Roman country has already developed concrete... In short, every country has its own strengths. If all these strengths were applied to the Great Yu Kingdom, that country would surely usher in an unprecedented golden age...
“Your Highness’s idea is truly excellent,” Cheng Wanwan said sincerely. “However, these scholars already hold official positions; would they be willing to attend a modern school?”
The idea is good, but it may not be suitable for this era.
"How dare they disobey my orders?" King Qin snorted. "Since Lady Sui thinks my idea is good, I'll go find my brother right away. As long as he supports me, I'll immediately find people to implement it and strive to start school within a month!"
He picked up the booklet and left in a hurry.
Cheng Wanwan sighed, hoping that the academy would be established smoothly. Once the prince got busy, he probably wouldn't come to see her so often.
The King of Qin rode directly to the imperial city, dismounted at the city gate, and transferred to a sedan chair to go directly to the imperial study.
The emperor was discussing important matters with several ministers in the imperial study when Eunuch Ming came in to report. The emperor asked Prince Qin to wait in a side hall for a while, but Prince Qin barged in directly.
The emperor's face darkened: "You barged in before I even summoned you. Do you know what crime you've committed?"
"Your Majesty, you are the ruler of the country, why are you arguing with me about this?" King Qin said nonchalantly. "Since all of you are here, I'll tell you about a major matter I'm about to undertake. Please don't be too surprised."
Several senior ministers stood silently to the side. They were not surprised by what the King of Qin did, because the King of Qin never played by the rules.
If this Prince of Qin weren't the emperor's own brother, he would have been dragged out and beaten to death countless times...
"Listen carefully." King Qin cleared his throat, opened the booklet, and began to speak. "I plan to establish the Xiao Qin Academy to cultivate foreign talents for our Great Yu Dynasty. What are foreign talents? Let me explain in detail..."
Those present were increasingly shocked as they listened, and several ministers were greatly puzzled.
"Those small countries are only slightly more advanced than our Great Yu Kingdom in a handful of areas. Isn't this ostentatious display going too far?"
"Isn't it a waste of the scholars' talents to have so many candidates enrolled in schools specifically to learn the language of a small country?"
"The number of successful candidates in the imperial examinations nationwide is limited. They are all pillars of our Great Yu Dynasty and should not be wasted on this meaningless matter."
"..."
The King of Qin never expected that his excellent move would be opposed by everyone.
He snorted, "You old fogies are just too rigid, your thinking is inflexible. Lady Sui said that if the school can be established, it will be a great thing for the country and the people. First, it will provide another path for a large number of candidates and provide talent for the Court of State Ceremonies; second, it will strengthen the ties between the surrounding small countries and the Great Yu Kingdom; third, it will allow us to learn the most advanced things from the small countries, which will help the Great Yu Kingdom prosper and become strong, enough to make the Great Yu Kingdom stand at the top of the world, and let's see who dares to invade..."
Grand Tutor Lin asked in surprise, "Does Lady Sui agree with the Prince's idea?"
The King of Qin nodded: "I will discuss the specific details with Lady Sui. What do you think, Your Majesty?"
"Since Lady Sui also thinks it's good, then you can give it a try," the Emperor said. "However, the requirements for your school are too high. I suggest changing it to Xiucai (a degree in the imperial examination system), otherwise it will be seen as competing with the court for talent."
Those who pass the imperial examinations can become officials in the imperial court. Two-thirds of the county magistrates in the country are graduates of the imperial examinations. If the sixth prince were to snatch one of them as a student, it would be a great loss to the Great Yu Dynasty.
A scholar who had passed the imperial examinations was a different story. As the saying goes, "a poor and pedantic scholar" or "a down-on-his-luck scholar," which shows how worthless a scholar was.
Recruiting scholars as students can provide a new way out for these desperate scholars, which can be considered a benefit to the people and the Great Yu Dynasty.
"That's not very fair, Your Majesty," the Prince of Qin said, speaking without restraint, relying on his status. "If a candidate willingly enters my Xiao Qin Academy, are we to expel them as well?"
emperor:"……"
Based on Lao Liu's reputation in the capital, he didn't think any scholar would willingly offer himself up.
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