Chapter 364 Li Nuo's Imperial Examination Tutoring Class
Chang'an Street.
Recently, a rumor became very popular and spread throughout Chang'an in a short time.
I don't know who first mentioned it, saying that the blood of the royal family can be used to refine a kind of elixir, which can prolong life and rejuvenate after taking it.
Not even a fool would believe such an outrageous rumor, and the people scoffed at it at first.
But when they connected this matter with the mysterious deaths of the powerful people in Daxia and His Majesty's practice of the art of immortality, they began to think it over and find it horrifying.
Your Majesty and the Emperor of Zhao ascended the throne at almost the same time. Now, the Emperor of Zhao is about to die, and has passed the throne to the Empress.
But as an emperor of one of the five great dynasties, His Majesty of Daxia does not seem to be affected by the backlash of national destiny at all. Instead, he is getting younger and younger. People have been curious about this matter for a long time.
In the past, people could not imagine how to achieve immortality, and they just thought that Your Majesty had achieved success in spiritual practice.
But linking this matter with recent rumors, there seems to be another reasonable possibility.
The powerful and wealthy in Daxia all have royal blood.
In the past year, more than a hundred powerful people have been killed, including many princes and dukes.
Is Your Majesty really practicing blood sacrifices among his own people?
People have always been curious about why His Majesty did not stop Li Xuanjing when he took advantage of the Rebellion of the Two Kings last year to massacre the powerful and wealthy in revenge. After all, they were all his fellow clansmen. Why did he watch an outsider massacre members of the royal family?
If the rumors are true, then the mystery at that time can be explained.
In addition, the people of Caishikou said that when the Dali Temple executed the dignitaries in large numbers, the stone slabs in Caishikou were stained with blood and could not be washed off. The blood of the dignitaries completely seeped into the stone slabs, and the bloody smell could be smelled across the street.
Later, those stone slabs were completely replaced by the Chang'an County Government, and the matter was gradually settled.
These things that caused small-scale discussion at the time are now being connected one by one.
Some people even put forward a theory that Your Majesty wants to live forever because he does not want to give up power.
At the beginning, because of the death of the crown prince, he did not attend court for ten years, and did not appoint a crown prince.
The people all thought that he was disheartened by the death of the crown prince. Now it seems that the reason he did not appoint a crown prince was most likely because he did not want to concentrate power in the hands of the crown prince.
As long as a crown prince is not appointed, the power of court officials and aristocratic families will be dispersed among the princes.
Once the crown prince is established, these forces will be concentrated on him. When the crown prince's power is concentrated to a certain extent, he will have no choice but to abdicate.
If His Majesty was really sad about the death of the Crown Prince, then after the truth of the Eastern Palace case came to light, for the sake of the country's stability, he should have established a Crown Prince as soon as possible and stabilized the court.
But the fact is that all suggestions requesting His Majesty to appoint a crown prince have not been responded to.
When the people talked about these things in private, most of them held a gossipy mentality. Although these things were disgusting, they were good things for the people.
The powerful and wealthy have a few good things, it would be best if they all died.
Don’t you see, after they all died, there was no more incidents of the children of the powerful and wealthy oppressing the people in Chang'an, and no one obstructed the decrees and laws issued by the court that were beneficial to the people.
The lives of the people are getting better day by day.
It is because of their deaths that the people have a good life today.
As for whether Your Majesty wants to be the emperor for a few more years, who cares?
Ordinary people will never have anything to do with the emperor in their entire lives.
A fortune-telling stall on the street.
Dongfang Qing looked at the fortune teller with curiosity and asked, "Grandpa, is what they said true?"
Dongfang Xuan moved his lips and said, "This..."
A few days ago, he was sure it was a rumor.
But now, he was a little unsure.
The art of Yin and Yang is profound and there are too many unsolved mysteries. For many things, even for him who is at the sixth level, he only knows the results but not the reasons behind them. He is just copying the experience passed down by his family.
Things that he himself doesn't know may not necessarily not exist.
Perhaps, in ancient Yin-Yang magic, there really is a method of prolonging life through blood sacrifice, but it has been lost until now.
Ancient books may not be ancient, but the contents recorded in them may not be false.
However, the book only recorded this incident and did not describe in detail the method of refining the longevity elixir. Even if he captured a member of the royal family, he would not be able to verify it.
In this world, I'm afraid only the Emperor of Daxia knows what's going on...
The Imperial Palace.
In the imperial study, Emperor Xia's face was as gloomy as water, and he said angrily: "Find out who is the source of this matter, I will kill all nine generations of his clan!"
Inside the hall, Li Xuanjing stood with his hands behind his back and said, "It's useless. That book is not an isolated copy. This matter has been circulated in various countries. It is better to prevent people from talking than to prevent a river from flooding. The more we prevent people from discussing it, the more they will believe it is true..."
Emperor Xia asked, "What can you do?"
Li Xuanjing said: "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will make arrangements..."
…
Chang'an.
In half a day's time, notices were posted all over the city gates, street corners, and other places where people gathered in Chang'an.
The notice was issued by the Dali Temple, which said that they had found the murderers of many assassinations of powerful people.
This man's name is Zhao Wuji, a master of boxing. He assassinates the powerful and wealthy in order to eliminate harm for the people.
The imperial court has issued a reward. Whoever can get this man's head will be rewarded with 100,000 taels of silver.
"One hundred thousand taels, that's so high!"
"Zhao Wou-Ki, I seem to have heard this name somewhere before, and this portrait also looks familiar."
"Isn't he the martial arts master who assassinated the Dali Temple official's family last time? The court also offered a reward last time, but the reward was not that high. Was he also the one who killed these royal nobles?"
"It's possible. The last time he killed the Dali Temple Minister, he probably wanted to rid the people of harm."
"Fortunately, he didn't succeed. If he had assassinated the top scholar, how could we live like this now?"
"But he did nothing wrong in killing these powerful people. I hope this hero won't be caught..."
…
The murderer who assassinated the powerful has been found, and the previous rumors that His Majesty offered blood sacrifices to his own clansmen to prolong his life have naturally been refuted.
In just two days, the discussion about that incident in Chang'an gradually died down.
Some people chose to believe it.
And those who didn't believe it didn't dare to discuss it anymore.
Regardless of whether the murderer is Zhao Wuji or not, the Dali Temple's move is obviously intended to silence the people and prevent them from making irresponsible comments about His Majesty.
Anyone who fails to see the situation clearly and dares to break the taboo at this time deserves to be arrested and convicted by the Mingjing Division.
The only ones who dared to express their opinions on these matters were the students in the academy.
The imperial court had always been lenient with academies. Li Xuanjing, the chief minister of the Dali Temple, was all-powerful and could kill the powerful and influential like killing dogs. But when the students of the academies united and marched in front of the Dali Temple in opposition, he only locked them up for a few days and did not touch them at all.
However, at this time, no students in the major academies were discussing this matter.
Their minds were all attracted by another thing.
Early in the morning, a notice was posted on the outer walls of all the academies in Chang'an.
Li Nuo, the former top scorer in six subjects and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat, and Inspector of the Imperial Censor, plans to open an imperial examination tutoring class in Chang'an to teach students the six arts of the imperial examination.
There were quite a few such imperial examination tutoring classes in Chang'an. Some were run by teachers in academies, some were run by failed scholars who had taken the imperial examinations several times, and even some officials in the court would make money legally in this way, including some who had once been top scorers in individual subjects.
Before the imperial examination, many students would spend a lot of money to seek their guidance.
I'm afraid there is no student who would not be interested in the imperial examination tutoring class opened by Li Nuo, the top scorer in six subjects.
Since the birth of the imperial examination system, there have only been two top scorers in six subjects in the various countries on the mainland, both of whom were from their Li family, one was Li Nuo and the other was his father.
And he was the only one who achieved the top score in all six subjects.
It is said that when he was in Zhao State, he only gave some guidance to the students of a certain academy in Zhao State. In this year's imperial examination, half of the Jinshi admitted by Zhao State were students from that academy, and five of the top scorers in six subjects were students from that academy.
For most students, this imperial examination is the one with the best chance of passing. If you miss it, there will be no next time. Who wouldn’t want to get guidance from such a famous teacher?
There is a world of difference between being on the top and being on the honor roll.
No matter how expensive the tutoring classes are, they will still go there even if it means selling everything they have.
However, not everyone can attend the tutoring class for the top scorers in six subjects.
Only those who rank at the top in their respective academies are qualified to be taught by the top scholars in the six subjects.
When this news came out, the top students from all the major colleges could no longer sit still.
Although some students’ academic performance is outstanding, they are still some distance away from being admitted to the prestigious university.
This choice may change their destiny for the rest of their lives.
Therefore, they will definitely try their best to sign up.
After these people signed up, those students who originally had the ability to be admitted to high school but could only rank at the bottom of the Jinshi exam would certainly not sit idly by and wait for death.
If the six arts of those who are not as good as them are greatly improved, they will definitely be squeezed out.
However, a small number of students at the top of the rankings couldn't help but feel nervous.
It is not difficult for them to be on the list; what they want is a higher ranking.
The higher the ranking, the higher the starting point in officialdom. If they do nothing and are caught up by those behind them, they are likely to waste several more years or even longer in officialdom.
As the sage said, learning is like rowing against the current; if you do not advance, you will retreat.
When others advance, you retreat.
For a time, all the students who met the requirements, whether they were from aristocratic families or poor families, signed up enthusiastically.
Chang'an.
Chen Mansion.
Chen Tieniu was lying comfortably on the chair. Two young and beautiful maids stood behind him, gently massaging his shoulders. Two other equally beautiful maids half-knelt at his feet, gently patting his thighs.
He felt comfortable in his body, but there was always a trace of sadness in his heart.
This year, the imperial court suddenly carried out compulsory tax reforms, limiting the land that officials could own tax-free. The land that was originally registered under the name of the local county magistrate was forcibly returned by the county magistrate.
He didn't dare to take the land that was returned.
He registered those lands under the name of the county magistrate in order to evade taxation from the court. If he took those lands and the tax officials of the court investigated and found that he had evaded taxes over the years, wouldn't that be the end of him?
The Chen family was able to rise from a poor peasant family to where they are today and can afford a three-story mansion in Chang'an City because he worked hard, braved wind and rain, and did business between Daxia and Zhao to accumulate the wealth he has today.
However, although he has money, he has no power and still has to act according to the wishes of others.
Fortunately, my son worked hard and not only was admitted to Qingfeng Academy, one of the four major academies in Daxia, but his grades were also among the best in the academy. In addition, the imperial court has expanded its enrollment in the past three years, so it is certain that he will pass the imperial examination next year.
It is really unbelievable that the Chen family, with eighteen generations of peasants, could produce a Jinshi.
When his son becomes an official, he can buy more land without having to pay taxes or act according to the wishes of officials.
Maybe they will still need to see what I think.
At this time, a figure walked in from outside. Chen Tieniu showed a happy expression on his face, stood up and said, "You are back. How was your day in the academy today? No one bullied you, right?"
The young man in a Confucian robe said, "Dad, don't worry about it. The academy has its own rules. No one dares to bully others."
Chen Tieniu smiled and said, "That's good, that's good..."
To put it bluntly, his Chen family just has a little money.
This little money is still relatively small compared to ordinary people.
Most of the students in the academy come from families that are both powerful and wealthy, and are not people that the Chen family can afford to offend.
Although the court’s tax reform was not very good, the legal reform was really good.
Nowadays, the children of those big shots no longer dare to bully others, and small businessmen like them also live with dignity, which is rare.
He patted his son on the shoulder and said, "Wash your hands and get ready for dinner."
The Chen family had a sumptuous dinner. There were more than ten dishes for the family of three, including chicken, duck, fish and meat.
During the meal, the young man looked at Chen Tieniu and said, "By the way, Dad, you have to prepare one thousand taels of silver for me. I will need it tomorrow."
Chen Tieniu was stunned and asked, "What do you want so much money for?"
Although the Chen family is rich, one thousand taels of silver is not a small amount.
The young man explained: "Li Nuo, the champion of six subjects, opened a tutoring class for the imperial examination. Registration requires 1,000 taels of silver. I passed the exam today. For only 1,000 taels of silver, I can have the champion of six subjects personally teach me for five days..."
Chen Tieniu couldn't believe it, "So expensive?"
Because he was often bullied by local officials when he was doing business, and they took all kinds of bribes and extortions, he vowed at that time that the descendants of the Chen family must pursue a career in politics in the future.
Therefore, he spent a lot of money to train his son since he was young, and hired many powerful teachers for this purpose. However, those teachers charged at most a few taels of silver each time. One thousand taels of silver was only charged for five days. Isn't this robbery?
The young man said, "Dad, what do you know? He is the top scholar in six subjects. If I can get his advice, my chances of becoming the top scholar this year will be even greater. Besides, one thousand taels is still cheap. The disciples of those big families have to pay ten thousand taels in five days..."
"Number one?"
If his son could win the first place in the imperial examination, he would be willing to give away all his wealth, not to mention one thousand taels. Chen Tieniu's eyes lit up and he said happily, "Okay, okay, Dad will give it to you in a while. This money must be spent, this money must be spent..."
He smiled and said, "When you become an official in the future, we won't have to pay taxes on our land. We can buy more land, recruit more tenants, open more shops, make more money, and expand our Chen family..."
The young man nodded and said, "Don't worry, Dad. I will definitely work hard and not let this money go to waste..."
…
Li Nuo, the top scorer in six subjects, taught in an imperial examination hall in Chang'an.
A total of 500 people successfully registered from the four major academies in Chang'an and some small academies.
The number of applicants far exceeded 5,000, but he only admitted 500.
These five hundred people are the best students in Chang'an.
The fees for everyone were not the same. He did not charge a penny for students from poor families, but he charged a huge fee of 10,000 taels for the children of wealthy families.
Although this caused dissatisfaction among some people, their dissatisfaction had no effect.
The class is open and it is voluntary. If you don't attend the class, you don't have to pay the fee.
However, those children of wealthy and powerful families who were charged high fees eventually paid the full amount of tuition obediently.
They only lost 10,000 taels.
If you don't pay, what if your place is squeezed out by others, or the seventh rank is squeezed into the eighth rank, or the eighth rank is squeezed into the ninth rank, the loss will be far more than ten thousand taels.
Faced with such injustice, they can only accept it with a wry smile.
A few days later.
Chen Mansion.
Chen Tieniu looked at his son who had returned home and asked impatiently, "How was the teacher's teaching?"
Chen Qi still had a look of respect on his face. He nodded and said, "Teacher, you taught very well. I learned a lot from today's class. I believe that before the imperial examination, my calligraphy and painting skills can be further improved..."
He originally thought that the top scholar in six subjects, who was good at both calligraphy and painting, was no more than a teacher in an academy.
Seeing it with my own eyes today, I realized how naive his idea was.
Compared to him, the teachers in the academy are like fireflies compared to the bright moon, and a stream compared to the vast ocean.
This one thousand taels was the most worthwhile one thousand taels he had ever spent in his life.
Chen Tieniu's old face also showed a look of relief. The ancestral tomb of the Chen family was really smoking. The first scholar born would be able to pass the imperial examination. If he could become the top scholar, even in a single subject, he would be able to face his ancestors with his hands on his hips after his death.
These days, people from those big families have also started to come to their house frequently, wanting to marry into the Chen family. The Chen family is on the rise, and it is now...
Chen Qi returned to his room and just sat down at the desk when a maid came in, squatted beside him, grabbed his arm, and said, "Master, your arms must be tired from writing and painting today. Let me rub them for you..."
In the past, Chen Qi would have closed his eyes and enjoyed it.
But today, watching the maid squatting there, rubbing his arm earnestly, he felt inexplicably uneasy in his heart, and it was difficult for him to enjoy all this with peace of mind.
He reached out and held the girl's wrist, saying, "No, I have to read a book later, you can go and do your thing."
The girl nodded obediently and was about to leave when Chen Qi suddenly asked, "Ping'er, how did you come to my house to be a maid?"
The girl was startled when she heard this, and then her eyes gradually dimmed. She whispered, "The harvest was bad that year, and my parents couldn't pay the rent to the landlord, so they sold me to the pawnbroker in exchange for silver to pay the rent. Later, the landlord bought me back from the pawnbroker..."
Chen Qi nodded and said, "I understand. Go ahead and get busy."
The girl said respectfully, "Yes, Master."
Looking at the girl's back as she left, Chen Qi was thoughtful.
The sages said that the purpose of Confucianism is to enable people all over the world to live a good life.
Being a slave, putting yourself in a difficult position, serving others in exchange for a chance to survive, is that considered a good life?
To be honest, they studied Confucian classics only to cope with the imperial examinations. Although he admired the Confucian officials who were willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of reform, he did not approve of them.
The teacher said today that if you are poor, you should take care of yourself, and if you are rich, you should help the world.
This caused him to think deeply.
He was born into a wealthy family and had been living a life of luxury since childhood. His home had countless silver and a mountain of granary. But how much silver could he use and how much grain could he eat?
There are more than a dozen dishes for each meal at home, and the leftovers thrown away every day are counted in buckets.
However, there are still many beggars begging on the streets of Chang'an.
There are countless wealthy families like the Chen family in Daxia, and there are even aristocratic families that are as rich as a country. This small group of people occupies a large amount of land, and countless people at the bottom of society have no land to farm and can only sell their children...
Is this really true?
(End of this chapter)
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