Chapter 188 Civil Official Reaching Out
Although Wang Yushi did not participate in Qin Mo's smuggling "business," she did not stop him either, which can be regarded as tacit approval of his actions and recognition of his shady identity. You should know that those who dare to openly admit to being smugglers are not ordinary people; there are only a handful of them in Daxia.
The imperial family needed to cherish medicinal herbs, but only a handful of places within the Great Xia territory produced such herbs, and the annual quota could not meet the needs of all parties in Great Xia. Smuggling thus came into being, and smugglers were all long-established nobles of Great Xia. Over the centuries, countless new nobles had tried to squeeze into this smuggling circle.
The most precious medicinal herbs would be taken away by the imperial family, which would also provide a certain amount of "vital energy potions" and rubbings in proportion. The nobles relied on these extra potion rubbings to maintain the number of cultivators in their bloodline.
This is why those aristocratic families with hundreds of years of history continue to produce high-level cultivators. As long as they are not useless, even the worst piece of wood can be carved into something beautiful. There will always be a few noble children with slightly better aptitude who become dazzling "stars of the empire".
In the empire, the path for commoners and ordinary people to become cultivators was basically through military service. However, not everyone had the courage to try such a high-risk profession. The risk-free imperial examination became the first choice for commoners and those from humble backgrounds. In the court of the Great Xia Dynasty, there were always two factions: one was the nobles who liked to roll up their sleeves and get to work, and the other was the civil officials who liked to talk a good game.
Smuggling has always been the focus of the conflict between the two sides. The civil officials, citing numerous examples, eloquently argued about the harm that smuggling caused to the empire. The weapons, silks and other luxury goods of the Great Xia were continuously transported into the hands of the Rakshasa people, while more rubbings of medicines were exchanged for by nobles, and more cultivators appeared in aristocratic families. These were all hidden pains in the hearts of the civil officials.
Under the overwhelming moral offensive of the civil officials, the more action-oriented nobles suffered repeated defeats in the court. Every year, several nobles were eliminated as scapegoats and purged on charges of treason. Although they were basically losers in the internal struggles of the nobility, the enmity between the two sides deepened and became difficult to resolve.
Qin Mo was originally very disgusted by this kind of infighting between the two sides of the cultural relics movement. Why couldn't the two sides sit down and talk, shake hands and make peace? But one person changed his mind, and now he wanted to strangle the scholar in front of him.
"Your Highness, why has the academy I was instructed to build not yet been completed? Your Highness is a pillar of the nation; how can you be so disrespectful to the imperial decree?"
"The place you chose won't do. Let's find another auspicious spot!"
"Your Highness is mistaken. Seven Star Mountain is a beautiful place with clear waters and lush vegetation, and it is very popular. It is the perfect place for students to study and learn. How can the teachings of the sages be preached everywhere?"
Qin Mo looked at the old scholar in front of her, dressed in a Confucian robe and spouting the teachings of sages, and gritted her teeth. "You old scoundrel, why didn't you give me any sage advice when you went to the brothel in the protected area to fool around at night?"
Before Qin Lan arrived, Dayuan was under the jurisdiction of Fuzhou Prefecture. After it became the fiefdom of Prince Heng, although no officials from the Great Xia Dynasty were stationed in Dayuan, children from Dayuan still had to go through Fuzhou Prefecture to participate in the imperial examinations.
Over the past decade or so, a few scholars from high-ranking officials had passed the imperial examinations and become scholars or provincial graduates, but as descendants of those who had killed their way to the top, they were always ostracized in the literary circles and found it difficult to achieve anything. Therefore, since Qin Mo's sudden emergence, the people of high-ranking officials have basically abandoned the path of the imperial examinations and turned to martial arts and business.
But for some reason, the imperial court suddenly sent an instructor named Hu Song from the prefectural school to Dayuan a few days ago, wanting to build some kind of "Dayuan Academy". You can't refuse, since he came directly with an imperial edict.
Qin Mo hadn't really thought much of it. "If you're coming, so be it! We're not short of money. We'll build you an academy to teach. It's better than running your own literacy classes, right? No problem."
As a result, Hu Song wandered around aimlessly and took a liking to Qixing Mountain. However, Qixing Mountain had already been designated as a restricted area by Qin Mo for a special purpose, so naturally, no more academies could be built there. Hu Song then came to make trouble every now and then, and Qin Mo finally had no choice but to meet with him today.
"I will select a spot for you in the protected area, right across from the Fragrant Pavilion... How does that sound?"
Qin Mo looked at this shameless old man, whom the Fuzhou education commissioner called "Mr. Honesty," and said helplessly.
"No, no, this is not appropriate. The bustling city and brothels are suitable for discussing romance, not for lecturing. However, building a separate residence would be excellent. I thank Your Highness for your help."
Qin Mo stared intently at the old bastard, while Hu Song looked at the sucker with a fake smile. The two fought for half a day without blinking, but in the end, the young Qin Mo was defeated.
"That's settled then. Sir, please settle in first, and then choose a place to give lectures. But Seven Star Mountain is my private hunting ground, and outsiders are absolutely not allowed to enter. Aiya... please see Lord Hu off for me."
Qin Mo was already burning with anger and quickly told Aiya to send the person away. He was afraid that if things continued, something bad might happen and he would appear petty.
"Your Highness, please wait. There is one more thing I must make clear!"
"Is there anything else, Mr. Qingzheng?"
"This instructor was appointed by the Emperor to a high-ranking official position to carry out the responsibility of enlightenment and education. According to custom, his food, clothing, lodging and transportation are all provided by the local authorities."
Qin Mo looked at Hu Song strangely and said, "Sir, aren't you staying at the post station? Once the residences in the protected area are completed, you can move there."
"Oh! Your Highness, you may not know this, but according to custom, this instructor is entitled to two servants and two maids. There are also two instructors accompanying us this time, who also require one servant and one maid."
Hu Song calmly looked at Qin Mo and stated his demands for compensation.
Qin Mo was finally stunned; this was probably the treatment even the CEO of a top 500 private enterprise received.
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