Chapter 329: Confrontation
What made the hundreds of dismissed officials depressed was that those white-clad scholars who were temporarily in office were able to handle government affairs with ease and high efficiency.
This made them even more restless. They had originally thought that they would be amused by the messy and chaotic handling of government affairs in the government office, and after frequent mistakes, the regent king's wish of begging them to reinstate their officials was shattered.
Each of them was like ants on a hot pot, turning around in circles and unable to come up with a solution, and they all went to Gu Pingzhou, the leader who instigated them.
Gu Pingzhou, who had been complained for a long time, had a sullen face, and the two iron galls in his hands were almost clenched.
: "It's all for the long-term interests of the family. You all said you would fight to the death to resist the new policy. You've just lost your official position, and you haven't fought to the death yet. Why are you so panicked?
You can write a letter to ask the head of your family, is this official position more important, or is it more important to resist the implementation of the new policy? If the new policy is implemented in all parts of the Song Dynasty, will there be a place for us aristocratic families and wealthy and powerful people to stand? No matter how rich you are, you will fall into poverty sooner or later!"
The hall immediately became quiet. Those sitting in the house and standing at the door were silent.
Lord Gu was right, they cared about official positions, but family interests were more important.
: "Lord Gu, just tell me, what should we do next?" asked a young man standing at the door.
Gu Pingzhou turned the tiger's gallbladder in his hand a few times, and a cold and sharp light shot out from his slightly narrowed eyes.
"Everyone sitting here is well-read in poetry, pick up your pens, write letters if you should, write poems if you should, and spread the harm of the new policy as much as possible.
In addition, find the students from the Imperial Academy who come from wealthy families and ask for permission in front of the palace!
I want to see if the regent Zhao Defang is afraid of the people's resentment?"
Writing is their strong point, and everyone agrees with Lord Gu's good idea, which is both insidious and effective. Which dynasty is not afraid of rebellion by literati and scholars? Most of the scholars belong to their camp, and those who are not from wealthy families have to rely on them to survive.
Moreover, the policy in the new policy that the court government pays money to allow children from poor families to go to school will definitely arouse the anger of scholars all over the world. If everyone can read and write, won't it be difficult for those who pass the imperial examinations and become officials?
This group of people who were dismissed from office immediately became excited and were eager to show their skills.
"Master, look at what this is? I just bought it from the street, and a group of people surrounded it to snatch it." The housekeeper of the Gu Mansion came in through the gap with a few pieces of paper.
"The Great Song Daily?..." Gu Pingzhou read it carefully.
The more he read, the more shocked he became, and the angrier he became! In a prominent place on the paper, an entire article was praising and explaining the new policy reforms of His Royal Highness the Regent.
There was also an article praising the specific achievements of the soldiers on the front line who bravely killed the enemy and recovered the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.
He had just wanted to initiate this debate, but the other party had seized the right to speak so quickly.
When he turned to the back, there were some trivial things that happened in the streets and alleys of the capital that were not presentable. The funny thing was that in the corners, there were also product promotions of several shops. The silly princess's perfume shop and canned food shop, and Chuanran Hot Pot City were also squeezed in.
It was really out of place and a laughing stock!
Gu Pingzhou, who was furious, saw the last part with a look of contempt and ridicule.
Everyone looked at Gu's changing expression and secretly wondered what was written on the paper.
Contempt and ridicule aside, Gu Pingzhou did not underestimate the power of this new thing. The best way to incite and deceive people is through word games.
Gu Pingzhou handed the "Da Song Daily" to Cui Zhengqing next to him. Cui Zhengqing took it and flipped through it, then said solemnly, "I didn't expect that the Regent King had this trick, and he was very quick to act."
Gu Pingzhou's face straightened, "Everyone, the Regent King is great at leading troops in battles, but we are good at this kind of debate. Our family has a lot of money, so we should also publish a newspaper like this to compete with the "Da Song Daily"!"...
Xue Zhicheng was a poor scholar from a poor family. His parents sold all their property to support him in his studies, but he failed the imperial examination in spring. When his family really couldn't afford to support him to continue his studies, a stranger found the Xue family and introduced him to the "Mingfeng" Academy.
Mingfeng Academy does not charge tuition or miscellaneous fees. It also provides free meals every day. Pens, ink, paper, and books are also free for students to use. For some scholars whose families have fallen on hard times, it is truly a temple.
However, "Mingfeng" Academy not only teaches the Four Books and Five Classics, but also teaches some new knowledge such as arithmetic, physics, chemistry and biology. Martial arts and riding are also compulsory courses.
It is extremely difficult for Xue Zhicheng to get the opportunity to study, and he cherishes it very much. He is the most hardworking one among the first batch of students in the academy, and his grades are also among the best.
After His Royal Highness the Prince of Regent and the Princess personally gave a class to the advanced class, the more than 30 students in this class learned that "Mingfeng Academy" was funded by His Royal Highness the Prince of Regent and his wife.
This made their hearts beat wildly with excitement. The handsome and beautiful Prince Regent and the stunning Princess Regent each gave a class that made the students fascinated and intoxicated!
Although they were strictly ordered to keep it secret, they would still smile and talk in their dreams, "His Royal Highness the Prince Regent and the Princess Regent gave us a class in person."
Fortunately, the advanced class was separated from the dozen or so ordinary classes in a separate courtyard, and the dormitory was also a separate four-person room. The secret was kept secret for a year and a half and was not leaked.
Thinking of this, Xue Zhicheng smiled, and when he looked up and saw the courtyard with the sign of "Da Song Daily", the smile in his eyes became even deeper.
: "Editor-in-Chief Xue, you are here?" Guarding the gate were two sturdy and strong young guards, and there were ten such young guards in the yard. The twelve guards with strong kung fu skills were sent by the prince to protect them.
Xue Zhicheng clasped his fists to the two young guards in return, "Two brothers, thank you
for your hard work!" : "We are all serving the prince, it is not hard!" The two young guards had confident and determined lights on their faces.
Xue Zhicheng could roughly guess that these twelve guards should be the prince's Moyun cavalry soldiers in disguise, so he did not look down on or disrespect them at all.
After greeting several colleagues along the way, Xue Zhicheng walked into his office. The princess was generous and said that the writing area must have bright light, so she replaced all the windows in the courtyard with expensive glass windows.
Xue Zhicheng sat at the desk, picked up a piece of paper and pen, and began to write the content of the front page of tomorrow's newspaper.
Editor Feng Gong rushed in, waving a newspaper in his hand and angrily said: "Brother Xue, someone has copied our newspaper. The content of this "Jinghua Evening News" is all critical and derogatory of the new policy, and it is full of slander and incitement!"
Xue Zhicheng took the "Jinghua Evening News" and read it in detail, and said in a deep voice: "The prince has anticipated this. We will immediately rewrite the content of the front page of tomorrow's newspaper and sing this drama with them!"