Emperor Wende was also paying attention to the verbal battle between Life Show and the Imperial College.
Chang En knows the emperor's heart.
He ordered people to buy every issue of "Da Zhou Life Show" and "Guozijian News" and put them in the palace for Emperor Wende to read at any time.
Emperor Wende frowned slightly as he looked at the article exposing the Imperial College published on the Life Show.
Then he casually asked, "Do you know who wrote this article?"
Chang En is not like those losers in the Imperial College.
He bowed and said, "Your Majesty, it has been learned that Wenqing Bookstore bribed Cai Zhongshan and Xu Chengye. The content of the article, unsurprisingly, was provided by these two. Wenqing Bookstore then hired someone else to pay for the writing, and this exposed the article that was published on Life Show."
Emperor Wende frowned, "Cai Zhongshan, Xu Chengye?"
"Exactly!"
"If I remember correctly, these two were killed by Liu Zhao and his wife. How could they not bear grudges and instead help Shenghuo Xiu deal with the Imperial College? How much benefit did Shenghuo Xiu give them to convince them to betray the Imperial College?"
Chang En said, "I don't know the exact amount. I heard that there was an article in a previous issue that exposed Cai Zhongshan's cheating, and it was tacitly approved by Cai Zhongshan himself. For this, Life Show paid Cai Zhongshan a sum of over a thousand taels of silver, euphemistically called it: reputation loss compensation!"
Emperor Wende snorted coldly, "For money, reputation, and face, they're willing to sell it out. This Cai Zhongshan is truly shameless. No wonder he's capable of such a treacherous act. Life Show isn't much better for hiring such a person. The Imperial College harbors a slew of filth and corruption, and they don't know how to self-examine and rectify themselves, only knowing how to deceive their superiors and subordinates. They deserve the disaster they've suffered today."
"Your Majesty is right. The two parties are arguing with each other. Does Your Majesty want to intervene?" Chang En asked cautiously.
Emperor Wende threw the newspaper aside and said, "I won't interfere for now. Let's wait and see what else the Life Show reveals. Does the Imperial College have any means of counterattack?"
"I've learned that the Imperial College intends to target the Shanhe Academy. The students there have complex backgrounds, so it's easy to find loopholes."
Emperor Wende laughed. "The two sides are fighting. For me, this is an opportunity to see who is loyal and who is treacherous. With such a serious problem exposed in the Imperial College, it's time for a comprehensive overhaul from top to bottom. Go and invite the ministers from the Council of State, as well as the ministers from the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Personnel."
"I obey your command!"
Emperor Wende took this opportunity to hold a small court meeting.
Starting from the negative information exposed by the Life Show, we discussed how to rectify the Imperial College.
This matter involves interests from all sides.
Every man has his own reason, and every woman has her own reason.
Some people say that personnel should be replaced, but the original system and teaching plan should be maintained.
Some people also said that next year is the imperial examination year, and replacing personnel at this time may cause unrest and affect the performance of the students of the Imperial College in the imperial examination next year.
If the Imperial College fails to achieve any success in the imperial examinations next year, it will be the greatest disgrace and crisis in the school's history. The consequences will be even more serious than the revelations in the Life Show. I'm afraid a large number of students will be lost to Shanhe Academy.
In the end, Shanhe Academy will become the biggest winner.
Others say that if we're going to make changes, we should do it thoroughly. Don't just change half of it and leave half of it, creating a mess.
Not only do the personnel need to be replaced, but the teaching system plan, even the textbooks and admission standards must all be changed.
Although Shanhe Academy has many shortcomings, it also has aspects worth learning from.
The groups of people were arguing so fiercely that they were about to go into battle bare-chested.
Emperor Wende was annoyed by the noise of his ministers.
He directly called out the Minister of the Central Secretariat, Lord Li, and asked, "Lord Li, what are your thoughts on this matter?"
Lord Li stood up and coughed lightly to clear his throat.
He spoke loudly, "Your Majesty, it has been ten years since the First Prince returned from Beirong. Ten years is enough time for the Beirong royal family to stabilize the situation and recuperate. In the past few years, our Great Zhou has been plagued by natural disasters and man-made disasters. According to soldiers at the border, the grasslands are not much better either, with frequent droughts and many pastures turning to sand.
"I've been thinking, Beirong relies primarily on animal husbandry for survival. If the pastures were to turn to sand, Beirong would suffer terribly. Without food or water, how could Beirong, in dire straits, escape this predicament? After much deliberation, I see only one way for Beirong to escape: to send troops south to plunder the people of our Great Zhou cities and compensate for their losses. If Beirong moves, Xiliang cannot remain unmoved. Your Majesty, the Great Zhou is in danger!"
Lord Li's words were shocking. The first thing he said was about military and national affairs, which instantly calmed the situation.
The ministers present were caught off guard.
Everyone gnashed their teeth, thinking that Li Bingming was as cunning as a devil.
Emperor Wende was also shocked.
He subconsciously sat up straight, "Why did you suddenly mention Beirong? Did you get some news?"
Lord Li shook his head slightly. "Recently, with the border shift, I took the time to chat with the soldiers. They all said the grasslands were dry and the grass and water were scarce. Because of this, the cavalry plan has been delayed. This then made me think of Beirong. I'm afraid Beirong's current situation is very dire. If this continues, we will soon be forced to send troops south."
Emperor Wende frowned, "Is there any movement in the northwest?"
Lord Li then said, "I've been talking to the Minister of the Interior. The situation in the northwest this year is not ideal. Rumor has it that the Northwest Army's night raids have more than doubled, and their reconnaissance range has even expanded to thousands of miles away. There have been many small-scale bloody encounters."
Emperor Wende immediately ordered, "Chang En, go and dig up all the memorials from the Northwest over the past six months, no, the past year. I want to review them."
Chang En accepted the order and withdrew.
A small court meeting on how to reform the Imperial College instantly changed its tone and became a discussion on military and national affairs.
Imperial College?
In the face of military and national affairs, they are nothing but rubbish and not worth mentioning.
If you want to fight or quarrel, go ahead.
Do you want to make corrections?
It was just a matter of one word from Emperor Wende.
Emperor Wende was busy with military and national affairs, so his handling of the Imperial College was likely to change from patient and careful approach to a quick and decisive approach, with a chaotic approach that directly carried out a comprehensive overhaul of the Imperial College.
Someone saw through Lord Li's evil plan.
After the small court meeting, Minister Lu called out to Lord Li, "Lord Li, who are you advocating for?"
Lord Li laughed, "Soon, Lord Lu will take my place. Lord Lu, why don't you wait patiently instead of killing us all?"
Minister Lu frowned, "Master Li suddenly mentioned Beirong, what is your intention?"
Lord Li spoke nonsense in a serious tone, "Of course, it is to pave the way for Lord Lu to achieve great things. Farewell!"
Believed his lies.
Minister Lu frowned and watched Lord Li leave. He then went to Lantai Temple and dug out the information on Beirong and Xiliang, studying it carefully.
Zhou Shi'an glanced at Minister Lu who was looking through documents at the desk.
"Your information is slightly outdated. If you want to know the latest situation of Beirong, you need to consult the records of the 36th year of Kaiyao."
Minister Lu looked at Zhou Shi'an, a sloppy old man, with curiosity.
"Thank you very much. Could you help me find the information about the thirty-sixth year of Kaiyao? The Lantai Temple has a huge collection of books. Without your help, I would have no idea where to start."
"My lord, please wait."
Zhou Shi'an deserves the credit for having worked in Lantai Temple for so many years.
He knows exactly where any information is stored.
Soon, he came to Minister Lu with a basket of information.
"These are records about Beirong and Xiliang thirty years after Kaiyao. There are official documents, wild rumors, and spy reports, all here. However, after the thirty-eighth year of Kaiyao, news of Beirong almost ceased. We only know that Beirong had three successive kings, and it wasn't until the second year of Wende that stability was achieved."
Minister Lu was overjoyed. "Thank you very much! What's your name? Which imperial examination did you take?"
Zhou Shian smiled and said, "It's not worth mentioning! My Lord is busy, so I won't bother you."
After saying that, he turned and left.
Minister Lu did not try to persuade him to stay.
In his opinion, the officials of Lantai Temple were good at managing documents, but nothing else mattered.
Minister Lu stayed in Lantai Temple for two days and read through all the information he could find.
He returned home excitedly, washed up, and prepared to go to the palace to meet the emperor.
Renqiu chatted with him, "Is there something big happening?"
Minister Lu laughed heartily. "Li Bingming suddenly mentioned Beirong. Sure enough, there's a conspiracy. This brat is despicable."
Renqiu bit his apple and said, "Bei Rong is about to send troops south. Could it be fake?"
"Even if it's true, it's only going to happen in the next one or two years. He's deliberately exaggerating it just to gain some benefits."
"What's the benefit? Didn't you say he would retire soon? This matter has already been decided. Is there any variable?"
"Of course he won't retreat obediently. He's clearly trying to stir up trouble. I even suspect he's in cahoots with the Crown Prince. Life Show chose this very moment to attack the Imperial College, and he chose this very moment to bring up Beirong. There's no real purpose here. I'll tear his head off and kick it like a ball."
Renqiu eats an apple in a few bites.
He threw the core away, clapped his hands, and began to speak, "Even if Lord Li and His Highness the Crown Prince are colluding, so what? This matter may not be without benefits to you. I heard someone say something a while ago that I deeply felt made sense. Any reform is easiest to advance during wartime, because everything must serve the war effort."
Da Zhou and Bei Rong will inevitably come to blows sooner or later. No matter what Lord Li plans, he'll lose his position as Minister of the Central Secretariat. He's still stirring things up now, clearly hoping for chaos. It would be best if Bei Rong and Da Zhou went to war as soon as possible, so he could exploit the situation. I suspect he's colluding with the Crown Prince to hasten the war.
Minister Lu paused, frowning, "Who told you these words?"
Renqiu grinned and said, "I didn't hear anyone say that. I figured it out on my own."
Minister Lu frowned. "Then tell me, Lord Li and His Highness the Crown Prince are colluding to precipitate war. What benefits will this bring to either of them?"
Ren Qiu grinned, "The benefits are huge. The eldest prince is bellicose. If a war breaks out, he will definitely ask for battle, taking the opportunity to seize military power and strengthen his influence in the military.
As for Lord Li, as a veteran minister, he would naturally continue to shine and contribute to the imperial court and His Majesty's relief. Even if he didn't remain at court, he would be ready to go anywhere on the battlefield. Given his seniority and status, if he were to oversee the army, his words would carry more weight than anyone else's. Even the most unruly Marquis of Lu would have to give Lord Li some respect.
As for Madam Zhao's benefits, they were even greater. Her Sihai Trading Company took advantage of the opportunity to interfere with military supplies, control the army's logistics, and make a lot of money. If it were me, I would even use the opportunity of war to tie up the Minister of the Imperial Household and make him a puppet.
"Ridiculous!" Although Minister Lu said it was ridiculous, he was actually shocked by Renqiu's bold remarks.
Minister Lu paced back and forth in the room. "What they are doing is clearly an attempt to undermine the imperial power and Your Majesty. No, I cannot let their conspiracy succeed."
"Don't worry about it." Renqiu sneered.
Minister Lu looked dissatisfied. "What do you mean by worrying about nothing? As your Majesty's subject, I should share your worries."
Renqiu picked up another apple and started eating it with a crunch.
He asked, "Let's put it another way. Let's get rid of His Highness, Sihai Trading Company, and then Lord Li. What will happen when the Great Zhou and Beirong and Xiliang go to war? Do you think traditional military supplies can sustain this national war?"
This war could potentially last for years. Who do you think could manage such a massive food and fodder supply? In other words, who has the ability to deliver military supplies on time without imposing taxes or forced labor?
On the other hand, increasing taxes and corvée labor will inevitably bankrupt many ordinary people. Without the Sihai Trading Company and Madam Zhao, there will be no place for so many refugees. Without food, the refugees will soon be in chaos, and the court will have to divert its attention to quelling the rebellion. Internal and external troubles, this is a dead end! Regardless of when Beirong marches south, it is clear that Beirong is gambling the fate of the country with this war. Isn't the Great Zhou also gambling with its own destiny? Gambling is not to be feared, but losing is to be feared!
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