Chu Fan looked at Fu Youde's fearful expression and smiled slightly, without saying much.
Even though Chu Fan was just an ordinary person on Blue Star, he was considered a person who had received modern education. In ancient feudal dynasties, civil officials, especially those in charge of rituals and sacrifices, liked to attribute all merits to destiny and blame all faults on the monarch.
Such situations have occurred countless times in the history of Blue Star. Whenever there are new tools, new technologies or bumper years, these court ministers will tout them as auspicious signs sent by God and turn a blind eye to the various efforts made by the emperor and court ministers.
However, if a natural disaster or war occurs, these ministers will stand up and say that it is the emperor's fault, which is why he has been punished by heaven. They will ask the emperor to issue an edict of repentance and even force the emperor to make various compromises.
In fact, all of this is just a means for these civil officials to gain more power. In the feudal dynasty, ordinary people were relatively ignorant, not to mention that these people had no ability to distinguish at all. In the ancient feudal dynasty, scholars had a very high status and voice among ordinary people.
In the feudal dynasties, scholars who passed the imperial examinations not only enjoyed various privileges, but also had great influence among ordinary people. Many ordinary people trusted scholars very much. After all, Confucian culture has always been promoted in the feudal dynasties. Therefore, in the eyes of ordinary people, scholars, especially those who passed the imperial examinations, are authoritative.
Furthermore, in ancient times, scholars held the power to interpret knowledge and culture, while ordinary people were mostly illiterate. Regardless of whether the emperor's decisions were truly beneficial to the people, as long as the civil servants in the court deliberately distorted the emperor's decisions and sent their scholars to spread rumors, ordinary people could easily be misled.
Even Li Shimin, who was revered as the Heavenly Khan by various small countries, was forced by the civil service group to issue a self-criticism edict. This is the best example.
However, Chu Fan was not worried that these civil servants could do anything to threaten him in Wei State, because Wei State had already implemented educational reforms, and the Wei State’s army was completely in its own hands. Even if those civil servants wanted to cause some trouble, they did not have the ability to stir up too much waves.
The reason why Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty on Blue Planet was forced by civil officials to issue a confession of guilt was that there were many armies in the Tang Dynasty at that time that were not fully controlled by the imperial power. There were four large-scale rebellions during Li Shimin's reign, which indirectly verified that Emperor Taizong of Tang did not have full control over the army.
Of course, these are all Chu Fan's guesses about history after he became the emperor of Wei. After all, many times only by sitting in that position can one truly consider those things firsthand.
Chu Fan said, "Minister Fu, please stand up. My becoming the Emperor of Wei is a gift from heaven, so there is nothing wrong with what you said just now. There is no need for us to dwell on this matter any further."
Fu Youde slowly stood up at this time, secretly thanking his majesty for being a tolerant and friendly person.
Chu Fan said to Cao Mengde and the others, "Regarding the two matters of 'sweet potato burning' and corn oil refining, I hope you can produce samples as soon as possible. After verification, formulate a specific promotion plan. Then, the mayors of various cities in Wei State will be able to understand and build wineries and oil presses as soon as possible.
Cao Mengde and the others were very happy after hearing this, but there was one person in the group who had an unhappy look on his face. This person was none other than the Minister of Works, Tang Hongwen. Although the two technologies Chu Fan brought out were good things that benefited the country and the people, the equipment for brewing wine and refining oil were all completed by their Ministry of Works. During this year, His Majesty came up with many new processes and technologies, which not only made the Ministry of Works earn a lot of political achievements, but also expanded a lot of manpower and resources. However, Tang Hongwen felt physically and mentally exhausted.
You must know that His Majesty had just asked the Ministry of Industry to build a wired telephone some time ago, and the Ministry of Industry was also responsible for a series of heavy tasks such as forging steel and making weapons. This meant that the craftsmen of the Ministry of Industry had no chance to rest during this year.
Cao Mengde and the others looked at the displeased Tang Hongwen, their hearts filled with regret. Although their departments were busy, most of the work was mental, and they often had time to rest. However, the Ministry of Industry was working non-stop all day and all night, with almost no chance to breathe.
Chu Fan also noticed Tang Hongwen's fatigue and dissatisfaction, so he came up with a compromise and said, "I know the Ministry of Works has been very hard-working recently. So, regarding the construction of the winery and oil press, the Ministry of Works only needs to produce a sample according to the blueprints. The Royal Government Affairs Office will order the mayors of each city to send their own craftsmen to Kaifeng City to learn how to make the products. The Ministry of Works will only need to teach the craftsmen from other cities in Kaifeng."
When Tang Hongwen heard His Majesty say this, his frown relaxed a little, and he said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Seeing that the matter was almost arranged, Chu Fan ordered Eunuch Li to make a few bowls of instant noodles and bring them into the imperial study. Cao Mengde and others looked at the steaming bowls carried by the eunuchs and palace maids in confusion.
Chu Fan said, "How about you try this kind of noodles first?"
Although Cao Mengde and others didn't know why His Majesty asked them to taste the noodles at this time, they had to pick up the bowls and taste it as they could not disobey the imperial order.
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