Chapter 78: The Royal Academy establishes a school to make the best use of talents...
In the second half of the night, Xuanye lay in bed unable to fall asleep. He had to admit that Xiu Yu had touched his heart. In fact, it was not just his heart, but the heart of the Manchu people as well.
"You tossed and turned, unable to sleep yourself, and you wouldn't let anyone else sleep?" Xuanye couldn't sleep, so Xiuyu naturally couldn't sleep either. "Did my words during the day disturb your sleep?"
Xuanye snorted, "You still know that it was you who provoked me?"
"It's important for people to know themselves." Xiu Yu simply sat up, got out of bed and turned on the light. "However, Yu'er still thinks I'm right. Your Majesty has thought about it all night. Has he figured it out?"
Xuanye sighed. "You're right, I must admit. It's written in the books, 'Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it.' However, being an emperor isn't something you can do simply by following the rules."
"Then tell me, how are the people supposed to survive? Isn't it true that whoever can feed and clothe them is the best? A dynasty where the people suffer is doomed to fail." Xiu Yu poured Xuanye a cup of tea and held it in his hand. "Your Majesty has the ability to identify and employ people, but you must first have talented people before you can employ them. Do you agree with this principle?"
Xuanye shook his head: "You must know that this world once belonged to the Han people!"
"This is the threshold you decide whether to cross." Xiu Yu sat down beside Xuanye, gazing intently at the emperor before him. "You've accepted Western missionaries, and you already know there's a larger world beyond the vast ocean. It's obvious that the outside world probably also knows there's a Qing dynasty. They say your heart is as vast as the universe, and I believe you possess that capacity. However, whether or not you use it is your decision."
Xuanye took a sip of water and spoke after a long pause, "You know I've established a Confucian Scholars' College, right? I also hope that people with lofty ideals all over the world can contribute to my Qing Dynasty. However, those nominally learned people cling to the fallen Ming Dynasty. I believe I have given them enough face!"
"Everyone has their own aspirations." Xiu Yu held Xuanye's hand and said sincerely, "The science of erudition and scholarship, to put it bluntly, is something that has been passed down for thousands of years. It is of course important, but do you think that the mathematics and medicine that you and Johann Adam Schall von Bell studied are unimportant? Are there no people in the Qing Dynasty who are interested in mathematics and medicine? Wouldn't it be good to find some like-minded people, whether they are Manchu or Han, to learn these Western knowledge that you have never been exposed to? I think..."
"Not to mention others, even the old ministers of the previous dynasty, after hearing what you said, would probably think that I have a monster who disrespects ancestors in my harem!" Xuanye gently poked Xiu Yu's forehead, but he had to admit that Xiu Yu did have her reasons.
Xiu Yu Yanran: "You are the emperor! As long as it is a hurdle you have considered, there will probably be no problem for you to overcome. Engineering, medicine, business...it all depends on whether you want to do it or not."
Xuanye and Xiuyu thought about it together: "You mean, not only to open a erudite Confucian course, but also to open a royal school?"
"It's the Imperial Academy!" Xiu Yu's eyes sparkled. "But it would also be better if common people could attend."
"That's too bold." Xuanye couldn't help but shake his head and sigh: "The Imperial Academy is easy to say, but it's a bit far-fetched to do it."
"As long as the emperor takes this matter to heart." Xiu Yu started to encourage: "You, as the leader, are the general, and I am willing to be the vanguard and charge into battle for the emperor!"
"This, this is even harder than fighting a war." Xuanye couldn't help but complain. "When my father was alive, he had the idea that the Manchus and the Han were one family. After he passed away, the Manchu ministers criticized his actions and said they were worthless. When we first entered the Pass, many people felt that the interior was not their home and were ready to rob and return. Even today, many Manchus don't consider the Han people their own people."
"What about the emperor himself?" Xiu Yu's eyes were burning. She also wanted to know what Xuanye was thinking.
Xuanye lowered his eyelids and said, "Before tonight, my main concern was to consolidate the Manchu rule. After all, we took the country from the Han people, and we were too trusting..."
"Your Majesty should believe that the change of power is God's will." Xiu Yu said seriously, "There are many things that a concubine like me shouldn't say. However, if everyone is able to use their talents and resources to their full potential, and everyone plays to their full potential, the world will run better. What do you think?"
This wasn't the first time Xuanye had felt that Xiuyu wasn't an ordinary princess. How could a princess raised in a Zuoling family have such thoughts? He couldn't help but start sizing Xiuyu up.
"Outside the Great Wall, do people here all have the same idea as you do now?" Then he could rest assured, as it was something that he, the emperor, thought more deeply and further than he did.
Xiu Yu shook his head. "I only came to this conclusion after seeing the Emperor studying mathematics and astronomy, and meeting someone with special talents like Chen Tianyi. You said, Westerners can make telescopes, and while we can certainly imitate them, shouldn't we be superior? Westerners can perform dissections, and we also performed bone scraping to heal wounds a long time ago! The crux of the matter lies in whether the Emperor can truly view the Manchus and the Han as one family, stop being wary of the Han, and instead use them."
"Don't be wary of the Han people..." Xuanye repeated in a low voice. He had to admit that Xiu Yu had revealed the deepest secret in his heart. Were the things brought by Western missionaries bad? They were good, but he didn't want to spread them to the world. He was indeed wary. He was afraid that the country his ancestors had conquered on horseback would be lost in his hands. So he had to use the skills of an emperor to make the people submit to him.
"Alright." Xiu Yu held Xuan Ye's arm and said, "Go to sleep. The emperor has his own thoughts. I'm just sharing my thoughts."
But once this thought was spoken, it was like a seed sown in the ground. Xuanye would think of Xiu Yu's words when he was studying mathematics, and even when he was studying anatomy on the dissection table. Looking at the small and exquisite knife in his hand, he made up his mind.
So, when the peonies were in bloom, an imperial decree was issued from the Palace of Heavenly Purity to establish an imperial school. At the same time, a memorial from the Imperial Hospital was delivered to Xuanye's desk, something he had been waiting for for a long time.
After opening the Imperial Hospital's memorial, Xuanye's first instinct was to head to the Yikun Palace. However, before he could even leave the main gate of the Qianqing Palace, he was stopped by an old eunuch from the Cining Palace, who said the Empress Dowager had invited him. In fact, from the moment the imperial edict was written, Xuanye knew that this matter would eventually have to pass the test of the ancestors.
In the Cining Palace, Empress Xiaozhuang calmly sat waiting for Xuanye. After her grandson had greeted her, she didn't ask him to stand up. Instead, she asked directly, "I heard that you issued an imperial decree today?"
"Yes." Xuanye had no intention of hiding it from Xiaozhuang. "My grandson feels that the scope of the erudite scholar exam is still a bit narrow. Although the eight-legged essay is a rule passed down by our ancestors, it's time for some changes nowadays."
"My grandson, you'd better think carefully before opening a school for the Han people." Empress Xiaozhuang patted the tea table, her words brimming with authority. "The Western learning that Thomas Pharisees brought to us is not ordinary knowledge."
"Grandson understands." Xuanye smiled and said, "But Grandfather, the imperial edict has already been issued. You probably knew that I would issue this edict and waited until it was issued from the Palace of Heavenly Purity before summoning me."
Xiaozhuang snorted, "Did you know that the old ministers from the previous dynasty came to see me?"
"It must have been the Imperial Madam who helped me to block it." Xuanye simply sat down across from Xiaozhuang. "Madam, I have actually considered this matter carefully. Making the best use of people and things is indeed the key to long-term peace and stability in our Qing Dynasty. You also think that the things that Tomafa brought are good, you can't just think they are good."
"This is very dangerous." Xiaozhuang was well versed in the art of ruling, yet she vaguely felt that Xuanye had his reasons for doing so. "Madam didn't stop you before you issued this decree, which shows her trust in you, my grandson. However, Madam must also remind you..."
"Madam, there's no need to explain. I know it all." Xuanye's right fingers tapped the tea table, his eyes full of confidence. "I've thought about this for a long time. What the people want is a stable life, enough food and clothing, and the ability to make the most of their talents. I don't worry that they won't think the court is good. And if the Qing Dynasty wants to defeat the Ming Dynasty, it can't always be chasing after them. I have to do what the Ming Dynasty dared not do, and what it has never done. Then, when I go to burn incense at Zhu Yuanzhang's mausoleum in the future, I can hold my head high!"
Xiaozhuang looked at Xuanye curiously, with some confusion in her eyes: "Isn't this what Thomas told you?"
Xuanye certainly couldn't betray Xiu Yu. He smiled and said, "My grandson often studies with Thomas Fa and the others. When I picked up the scalpel that day, I couldn't help but think, I'm alone, but Western learning is always full of new tricks. No matter how capable I am, I can't possibly master every aspect. However, my Qing Dynasty must have someone who is proficient. If others have it and I don't, wouldn't that be very dangerous?"
Empress Xiaozhuang nodded slightly: "Your point is not wrong. What the foreigners have, our Qing Dynasty should also have."
"So..." Xuanye gently held Xiaozhuang's hand. "Grandson thinks this decree is a good one. What do you think, Mama?"
"Let's wait and see." Xiaozhuang sighed, "Ma'am is old, and many things don't seem so clear to me anymore. The world will eventually be passed down to you, my grandson. Since you have made up your mind, Ma'am will wait and see."
Xuanye deliberately said, "Don't worry, Mama. With the Three Feudatories incident as a warning, I will never do anything worse than that again."
"Oh!" This time, Xiaozhuang was a little surprised. "That thing shouldn't be talked about, so why are you making fun of it yourself? Grandson, have you changed your personality?"
Xuanye smiled and said, "Since it's already a fact, we should always be vigilant. If Mama has nothing else to do, grandson will kneel down and pay his respects." His mouth curved even more, and he lowered his voice slightly and said, "Yu'er is pregnant. The Imperial Hospital just sent a memorial. Grandson will go to Yikun Palace to take a look."
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