Chu Anping sighed and said, "Your Majesty's policies, we still don't fully understand them. Now I understand why Your Majesty has all prefectures and counties use the same standards to select students. This is not only for fairness, but also to explore the strengths of each region and promote diversified development."
At this time, Tang Hongwen, the Minister of Works and a professional ironworker, was still unclear about what had happened and could only ask, "Prince Chu, could you explain it in detail?"
Chu Anping nodded and said, "Minister Tang, let me ask you a question. If a prefecture or county gathered all the civil officials and military generals from the imperial court, would the development of this prefecture or county be more comprehensive?"
Tang Hongwen replied, "Of course, that's for sure. Civil officials are good at governance, and military commanders are proficient in warfare. The combination of the two can complement each other's strengths and weaknesses and promote local prosperity."
Chu Anping said at this time: "If a prefecture or county can reach such a situation, then Your Majesty and our royal family will not be able to sleep well."
After hearing Chu Anping's words, the expressions of six of the six ministers changed drastically. Although the current emperor really loved the people like his own children and was very kind to the officials in the court, the court officials had actually always been his subjects rather than his true friends.
If a prefecture or county were able to govern itself and strengthen itself, it would become a small imperial court, which would undoubtedly be a potential threat to the royal family or His Majesty the Emperor. However, the royal family and His Majesty the Emperor would not allow this to happen.
Chu Anping also knew that these people had also thought of this aspect and continued to speak:
"Therefore, the new system that Your Majesty is implementing can perfectly solve this problem. Under the new education system, civil officials and military officers will be trained in different fields and in different places. This will create a natural confrontation and balance between civil officials and military officers, avoiding the excessive concentration of power in local areas."
At this moment, Mu Yundian suddenly realized something and said excitedly, "For example, the common people and the Xiongnu people in the north of Wei are good at riding and shooting, while the students in the south are proficient in poetry and prose. With the new system promulgated by Your Majesty, most of Wei's generals will be students from the north, while the students in the south will mostly become civil officials. However, there are natural geographical and cultural differences between the north and the south, and these differences will make it difficult for these civil officials and military generals to form a close alliance to ensure the stability of imperial power."
Minister of Personnel Quan Zhengcheng also said at this time: "Under your majesty's system, as long as the future emperor of Wei is not too incompetent, there will be no risk of unrest in Wei.
"Civil officials want to rebel, but they lack the support of generals and soldiers. Military generals, if they want to revolt, lack the food and weapons allocated by civil officials. This way, Wei will be able to maintain long-term stability and ensure the imperial power for generations to come. Your Majesty is truly a man of foresight, far beyond the reach of ministers like us."
Chu Anping smiled and replied, "That's right. And why did Your Majesty abolish the old academic titles like Tongsheng, Juren, and Xiucai and adopt a new academic hierarchy? Is it really because these titles are outdated?"
Actually, it is not. This is because if Your Majesty continues to use these titles on the Shengwu Continent, but the Wei State abolishes the actual power of these meritorious titles, then these students will be dissatisfied and think that their efforts have not been rewarded as they should be.
The use of titles like elementary school student, middle school student, and university student is to remind these students that before entering officialdom, they are just students, without any privileges, and must continuously study and work hard to obtain official positions. This will encourage students to focus more on their studies rather than prematurely pursuing power.
At this time, the princes of the Royal Government Affairs Office and the six ministers were once again impressed by Your Majesty's profound wisdom, and felt that Your Majesty not only had a deep understanding of how to govern the country, but also had a deep understanding of people's hearts.
They understood that this institutional design prevented the expansion of local power while ensuring the absolute authority of the emperor, and also laid a solid foundation for the country's long-term stability. Under this system, students from every region could choose a suitable development path based on their strengths and interests, promoting the comprehensive cultivation of talent and enhancing the country's overall strength.
Chu Anping said, "Since everyone has no concerns, let us work together to promote the implementation of this system and work hard to help His Majesty create a new prosperous era."
That night, an important person returned to Kaifeng, the capital of Wei. This person was Liu Xueyu's grandfather, Cao Mengde, who had left for Shu without saying goodbye. When Cao Mengde returned to his mansion and asked his son to tell him in detail what had happened in Wei during this period, Cao Mengde was deeply impressed by His Majesty.
His Majesty had only been on the throne for two years, yet he had already accomplished feats that previous emperors had failed to achieve in decades. Furthermore, after learning of the latest educational reforms, Cao Mengde felt that his work in Shu was merely minor, and insignificant compared to His Majesty's ambitions.
The next day, Chu Fan summoned Cao Mengde to the palace for questioning. After all, Cao Mengde refused to allow the pregnant Liu Xueyu to return to Wei, something Chu Fan could not tolerate. However, as Cao Mengde was Liu Xueyu's grandfather, Chu Fan could not really do anything to him.
Upon seeing Chu Fan, Cao Mengde bowed respectfully and said, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. I wish you good health and prosperity for your country."
Chu Fan nodded slightly and asked, "Does Lord Cao know why I summoned you back?"
The fact that His Majesty had married his granddaughter was already known to the entire Wei State. If I didn't know why His Majesty had recalled me in such a situation, I would be too stupid.
Cao Mengde said, "This old minister suspects that Your Majesty summoned me back because of the snow and rain."
Chu Fan frowned slightly when he heard Cao Mengde's words and said, "Since Lord Cao knows, I won't beat around the bush. Why didn't Lord Cao let Xue Yu return to Wei? You know, she's pregnant with my child."
Cao Mengde's heart tightened when he heard Chu Fan's words, and he quickly explained, "Your Majesty has misunderstood. It's not that I don't want Xueyu to come back. It's just that the situation at that time was special. The situation in Shu was turbulent, and Liu Xueyu, the third princess of Shu, needed to stay in Shu to stabilize the situation. It was really a helpless move."
Chu Fan asked, "Are there any other purposes?"
Cao Mengde then revealed all his plans, including making Shu peacefully submit to Wei and making Shu a part of Wei through the identity of Liu Xueyu's child.
After hearing Cao Mengde's explanation, Chu Fan's expression became a little better. Moreover, the Royal Government Affairs Office and the six ministers had originally guessed that this was Cao Mengde's plan.
Chu Fan said, "I want Lord Cao to return to the court to serve as Prime Minister. I wonder if Lord Cao is willing."
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