Mo Shi heard the implication of Liu Tan's words and said a little embarrassedly: "Zhang Xiaolang is indeed smart. No wonder His Highness treats him differently."
Liu Tan said helplessly, "You should be more restrained. You can spread your knowledge to the people in the academy, but you cannot recruit disciples for the Mo family in the academy. If I find out... you Mo family will never set foot in the Northern Border Kingdom again."
Mo Shi was shocked after hearing this. He looked up at Liu Tan and found that His Royal Highness the King of the Northern Territory had a very cold look in his eyes.
He said in a panic: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty did not..."
"I know full well whether you have it or not, and I don't blame you. After all, you both have the desire to revitalize your family. If you were to go out and see someone suitable to take on as a disciple, I wouldn't object. However, the people in the academy are all talented individuals that the Northern Kingdom has spent a lot of effort to find from all over the country. Naturally, they are much better than the average person. When the emperor presided over the palace examination, he praised the top three candidates lavishly, but even so, he didn't bring them to Chang'an. What's the matter? Do you Mo family members also want to come to my Northern Kingdom to pick peaches?"
After hearing this, Mo Shi immediately broke out in a cold sweat. No, the cold sweat had already started to flow down his forehead.
He prostrated himself on the ground and pleaded, "I dare not do that. I was confused for a moment. Please forgive me, Your Highness."
Liu Tan's eyes were no longer so aggressive. He said calmly, "Being able to teach at the academy is already my recognition of the Mohist school. No one from the Gongshu family is allowed to teach there. I hope you Mohists won't make me feel like I'm inviting a wolf into my house."
Mo Shi wanted to burrow into the ground: "Your Majesty...Your Majesty knows I'm wrong!"
Liu Tan finished scolding them, feeling somewhat chastened, and sighed, "Just teach them honestly. I'm not asking you to teach them anything Mohist, just some common things. This is a temporary move I'm forced to make. I've been so busy lately that I've had no time to spare. Otherwise, I'd have written the textbooks and chosen someone else. You don't have to worry about spending your retirement at the academy. When I have some free time, I'll finish writing the textbooks and let you go."
Mo Shi finally got a little scared when he heard this. He found that he seemed to have overlooked one thing - the King of the North himself was a very powerful master of mechanisms!
Yes, Master of Machinery.
Although everyone knew he wasn't very good at making mechanisms, so what? No matter how skilled he was, he was still just a craftsman. The truly great ones were the ones who created the mechanisms.
Everything Liu Tan creates has a creative idea that subverts everyone's imagination.
So, what the King of the North meant was that he needed them only because he didn't have time, and if someone caused trouble under his nose, he wouldn't mind driving them away.
In fact, Liu Tan just wanted to warn Mo Shi not to think about smuggling in his own ideas while teaching.
As a result, Mo Shi's thoughts wandered and he scared himself to death.
He was trembling with fear and dared not say a word. Suddenly he understood why the head of the family once said that serving the king was like serving a tiger.
Seeing he remained silent, Liu Tan continued, "As for the imperial examination, now is not the time. Even if it could be held, how would it be conducted and what would be the test? Even after all this is confirmed, there's still the question of how many people would be willing to take the exam? If only one person is willing, does that mean they'll be admitted regardless of their scores? These are all issues. In any case, we have to wait until more people are enrolled before we can decide."
Mo Shi understood what Liu Tan meant. He calmed down and couldn't help but say, "But if it's not open, there will never be many people learning it."
Nowadays, the art of studying things is passed down from master to apprentice. Even those who can persist on their own are those who truly love studying things, otherwise they would have changed careers early.
When Liu Tan heard Mo Shi's idea, he couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, since you're so insistent, I'll give you a chance. Go back and write a proposal about the entire exam process, the test points, and other aspects. If your proposal makes sense, we can discuss it. If not, we can put it on hold."
Mo Shi's eyes widened: "I...I am here?"
Liu Tan said, "If you don't come up with the ideas you proposed, who will? Go ahead and think about it carefully."
Mo Shi left with his mind full of disbelief. He really couldn't understand the temper of the King of the Northern Territory. He was obviously very angry just now, so why did he turn around and give him such an important matter?
In fact, if this thing can be launched, it will naturally be very important, but now there is no sign of it being launched.
Liu Tan knew very well that there were too few people studying the science of things, and there would be no benefit in hastily launching the imperial examination, so the best way was to start the reform and transformation from the academy step by step.
The status of the Academy in the Northern Country is not very authoritative now. Once it has completely become the authority of the Northern Country and a beacon of the academic community, it will be time to close the net.
Now he asked Mo Shi to go there just to enrich the students' worldview. If someone likes the study of things because of this and wants to learn about it, there is nothing wrong with it.
However, Zhang Anshi was able to catch Mo Shi's eye at first sight, which seemed to indicate that he was indeed not an ordinary person.
He calculated that this month's monthly exam had just ended, so Liu Tan simply asked someone to get the academy's transcript, ready to take a look at Zhang Anshi's results.
The result was beyond his expectation, Zhang Anshi's score was actually ranked in the top ten!
Although not first, how long had Zhang Anshi been enrolled? Only half a month at most. He might not even be used to the teaching style of the academy yet, so being able to get this score only showed that his foundation was very good.
Liu Tan was quite pleased. When Huo Guang arrived, he saw him smiling at his report card and couldn't help but wonder, "What's wrong, Your Highness?"
Liu Tan looked up at Huo Guang and said with a smile, "A Guang, you have someone to carry on your legacy."
Huo Guang: ???
There is a successor? He is just a little boy, how can there be a successor?
Huo Guang sat down and asked calmly, "Your Highness, are you tired of me being around you too much and want to change me?"
Liu Tan immediately said, "That's not the case. Ah Guang is so useful, how could I bear to replace him?"
Huo Guang's lips curled up slightly, but before he could say anything, he heard his Highness sigh and say, "But because A Guang is so kind, we can't let the Northern Border Kingdom become a burden to you."
Huo Guang's raised mouth corners relaxed again. He turned to look at Liu Tan and asked, "What do you mean, Your Highness?"
Liu Tan glanced south and said, "The place where you can truly display your talents is in Chang'an. The Northern Kingdom is just a stepping stone. Sooner or later, you will have to return."
Huo Guang's face turned cold when he heard this: "Your Highness, have you asked me what I think?"
Although he knew that the transfer of officials was definitely not based on personal will, no one could say anything to him if Huo Guang insisted on staying in the Northern Border Kingdom.
Liu Tan looked at him with some surprise: "You don't want to go to Chang'an?"
Huo Guang felt a surge of anger in his heart and looked up at Liu Tan: "Do you think I will abandon you?"
Liu Tan was stunned. "What a mess! How can this be considered abandoning me? I want you to have a better future. The Han Dynasty needs you. How can I leave you in the Northern Border?"
Huo Guang's anger slowly subsided. "Your Highness thinks I'm talented because I'm in the Northern Border. If I were in Chang'an, there wouldn't be many people like me. I wouldn't deserve to be called something the Han Dynasty needs."
Liu Tan leaned over the table, tilted his head, looked at Huo Guang and said, "But I think you are the talent that the Han Dynasty needs. You are still in the stage of tempering your skills. When the time is right, it would be a waste of your talent to stay in the Northern Border Kingdom."
Huo Guang felt a little amused and helpless. Although he was very happy that Liu Tan thought so highly of him, the problem was... he didn't want to leave the Northern Border Kingdom.
If nothing unexpected happens, Liu Tan will stay here for the rest of his life, working hard to develop the Northern Border Kingdom, dealing with the Western Regions and the Huns, and being on guard against them at all times.
He would have to live like this for a very long time. Huo Guang was reluctant to let Liu Tan stay here alone to face the environment surrounded by wolves, so he never thought of leaving.
But Liu Tan didn't want him to be trapped in the Northern Border Country, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.
I had to change the subject: "Your Highness said that I have a successor, who is that?"
No matter who it is, just get rid of this person.
Now that the Northern Border Kingdom is just starting to pick up, how can he leave?
Liu Tan laughed and said, "Take a look at this report card, Zhang Anshi, what do you think?"
Huo Guang took it and took a look. The results were indeed good, but he was a little surprised: "Zhang Anshi is only fifteen years old now? He is too young."
Liu Tan said, "Yes, that's why you say there's someone to take over your position. When he grows up and can take over your position, just wait for me to send you back to Chang'an!"
Huo Guang felt relieved upon hearing this. This brat would have to wait at least ten years before becoming the prime minister, and that was assuming he was truly talented. It was already unusual for Huo Guang to become the prime minister at that age.
But he grew up with Liu Che and received an extraordinary education. Zhang Anshi could never compare with him, so he still had more than ten or twenty years.
By that time, the Northern Kingdom should be back on the right track.
Huo Guang put the matter aside and sneered, "It's a bit too early for Your Highness to decide on him now. Perhaps a more suitable candidate will appear."
Liu Tan laughed and said, "If that's the case, wouldn't it mean that our Northern Territory is full of talented people? That would be even better!"
Huo Guang laughed, reported what he wanted to report, and then stood up and left.
Liu Tan smiled as he looked at his back. He couldn't tell Huo Guang why he was so sure that Zhang Anshi could be his successor, but... he had put so much effort into training him, so it would be okay for Zhang Anshi to stay in the Northern Border Kingdom and work for him for more than ten years, right?
While he was thinking about this, Bigao came running over with a smile and said, "Your Highness, His Royal Highness the King of Wusun has returned."
Liu Tan also laughed when he heard this: "When will he come back?"
Bi Gao said, "He's heading towards the palace."
Liu Tan's eyes widened in surprise. "Really? Why didn't he tell me in advance?"
As he spoke, he stood up and rushed out. When he ran to the courtyard, he happened to see Lu Xuan walking towards him in a cloak.
Liu Tan, who had been very excited, suddenly became reserved upon seeing him. He stood there with his hands behind his back, looking at Lu Xuan, raised his chin and asked, "You still remembered to come back?"
Lu Xuan's dark green eyes looked even brighter under the sunlight. He looked at Liu Tan intently, walked to Liu Tan's side, raised his hand to untie the cloak, and with a wave of his hand, the cloak on his body fell on Liu Tan's shoulders.
Liu Tan could still feel Lu Xuan's body temperature and fragrance on his cloak. He looked up at Lu Xuan and tried hard to suppress his smile.
Then he heard Lu Xuan say, "Don't get cold."
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