Cheng Yao had long anticipated that Wei would say this, so he had already prepared a response plan.
Cheng Yao said, "So Cheng Mou might as well tell the truth directly. Perhaps the Emperor of Wei will accept Julu Academy because of its honesty. After all, the Emperor of Wei, who can know the basic situation of Wei without handling government affairs, is extremely terrifying.
Even if I try to beautify Julu Academy, I think His Majesty the Emperor of Wei might find out the true situation of Julu Academy. And then I might leave a bad impression in front of the Emperor of Wei because I didn't tell the truth, so I think it's best to be honest.
Chu Zhenglin was very happy to hear Cheng Yao praising his brother so much. After the knot in his heart was untied, Chu Zhenglin was now proud of his brother. After all, under his brother's governance, the State of Wei had become so powerful, and it was possible that the State of Wei would unify the Shengwu Continent in the future. How could Chu Zhenglin not be proud of this?
Chu Zhenglin said to Cheng Yao, "Mr. Cheng, can you tell me what kind of support your Julu Academy would like to get from the State of Wei?"
Chu Zhenglin's words made Cheng Yao breathe a sigh of relief. Since Chu Zhenglin said so, it proved that Wei State was not completely uninterested in Julu Academy, and was at least willing to listen to their demands.
Cheng Yao spoke carefully, "We at Julu College want to receive the same treatment as universities in Wei State. Of course, we at Julu College will also abide by the corresponding rules set by Wei State."
Chu Zhenglin knew that they had entered the bargaining stage, and being frank at the beginning was just to leave a good impression on himself so that he could gain more benefits in the subsequent negotiations.
Chu Zhenglin smiled and replied, "Mr. Cheng, the universities in Wei were established with the personal approval of His Majesty and enjoy numerous privileges. Even the princes of our Royal Government Affairs Office do not have the authority to establish a new university. Therefore, I cannot agree to this condition from Mr. Cheng."
Cheng Yao was not very angry about being rejected by Chu Zhenglin, because the positions of several universities in Wei State in the Wei court were indeed very special. These universities were places to train court talents for Wei State. Many students could enter the court as officials after graduating from university. If Julu Academy could get the same treatment, it would undoubtedly be a qualitative leap for Julu Academy.
Of course, it is also impossible for Wei State to allow Julu Academy to obtain such power. After all, Julu Academy used to be a neutral force. The students of Julu Academy all came from different forces in various countries on the Shengwu Continent. When Julu Academy moved to Wei State, many of these students would also follow Julu Academy to Wei State. Their backgrounds and identities were very complicated. If Wei State easily gave them equal treatment, it would likely cause a lot of trouble.
But for the benefit of his own forces, Cheng Yao still wanted to make a final effort.
Cheng Yao said, "Your Highness, our Julu Academy is a very influential Confucian academy on the Shengwu Continent. Great Confucian scholars who graduated from our Julu Academy are spread all over the world. If Julu Academy can obtain the same authority as a university in Wei, we can recruit these great Confucian scholars to Wei and use them for our country.
By then, it will surely enable the culture of Wei to flourish and cultivate more loyal ministers and capable generals, which will be of great benefit to the future of Wei."
Chu Zhenglin said directly, "I respectfully decline. We in the State of Wei appreciate the good intentions of Julu Academy, but His Majesty the Emperor of Wei does not attach great importance to Confucianism at present, so His Majesty is unlikely to accept this proposal. If Cheng Daru insists that Julu Academy will only move to Wei if Wei agrees to such conditions, then I am afraid that our cooperation will be difficult to continue.
There's no need for either of us to waste time sitting here negotiating. Whether Julu Academy remains a neutral force or chooses to join other nations, Wei will respect it. However, if the opportunity arises, Wei is willing to support Julu Academy in other areas and contribute to the inheritance of Confucianism on Shengwu Continent."
In fact, Chu Zhenglin still hopes that Julu Academy can join the Wei Kingdom, because Confucianism is still very important on the Shengwu Continent, and the influence of Julu Academy cannot be underestimated.
Although many people on the Shengwu Continent have never been to school, they have great respect for Confucian culture. If Julu Academy can join the Wei State, then the Wei State's rule over the people of other countries on the Shengwu Continent will be much easier in the future.
However, no matter how much convenience Julu Academy could bring to the State of Wei, Chu Zhenglin had to stick to the Emperor of Wei's position. It was absolutely impossible for Julu Academy to obtain the same status as the universities in the State of Wei.
Although Cheng Yao was mentally prepared, even though he said that he would recruit all the great scholars from Julu Academy in various countries of Shengwu Continent to Wei State, Wei State still rejected Julu Academy's proposal, which made Cheng Yao feel a little disappointed.
Of course, this also shows that Wei State did not play those false power games with Julu Academy. You must know that if many countries heard such conditions offered by Julu Academy, they would accept them without hesitation; then when Julu Academy really moved to that country, they would prevaricate and restrict it for various reasons, and eventually make the students of Julu Academy become pawns of the court of this country, and it would be impossible to maintain the original Confucianism's true sacred learning.
Cheng Yao also knew that this was how negotiations were. There were compromises and persistence, and it was impossible for all conditions to be met.
Cheng Yao took a deep breath, adjusted his mood and continued, "Since the prince insists that Wei State cannot accept the conditions of Julu Academy, then I will not force it.
However, Cheng Mou still hopes that Wei State can give some support to Julu Academy in other aspects, such as allowing us to lecture freely within Wei State and providing us with some necessary teaching resources.
These conditions should be much easier to accept than allowing Julu Academy to obtain the same status as Weiguo University, right?"
Upon hearing Cheng Yao's proposal, Chu Zhenglin concluded that such a condition was not unacceptable. After all, His Majesty did not completely reject Confucianism. Confucianism still played a significant role in Wei's educational system. If Julu Academy could join Wei, the country's literary level would be significantly improved, greatly benefiting the cultivation of talented people for governance.
Chu Zhenglin said, "I can convey the conditions that Cheng Daru mentioned to His Majesty. I can also have someone convey the conditions Cheng Daru proposed earlier. After all, His Majesty's thoughts are beyond the comprehension of our ministers. If Cheng Daru is not busy, we can wait for His Majesty's reply while enjoying a glass of wine in this restaurant."
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