Chapter 1748 Change
When Master Wang passed away, the funeral of the patriarch of the powerful families in the capital had an impact on all industries in the capital. Because of face and personal relationships, few children of powerful families went to taverns and other places to relax during the funeral as they did not want to make enemies.
The people of the capital were extremely careful when going out, for fear of displeasing the nobles.
The old man's funeral gave the children of southern noble families time to save themselves. The annual tributes from some officials are not received in vain. Don't think that nothing will happen if you ignore them. If they provoke them, they have the ability to pull you down from your official position.
During this period, Zhou Shuren went to Wang's house once again, but did not go there again in the last few days. During the last few days, only minor officials went to Wang's house to pay homage.
In the palace, the emperor pondered for a moment and said, "Marquis Zhou seems to have lost a lot of weight."
Zhou Shuren had indeed lost weight. The old man was very important to him. In his life in ancient times, the first person to protect him was the old man Wang. "I have a poor appetite recently."
"It would be strange if you could have a good appetite if you were a vegetarian every day."
Zhou Shuren, "Meat is greasy."
The emperor said quietly, "Hearing this, the people should cry."
Zhou Shuren choked and didn't want to say anything, so he drank his tea in silence.
The emperor narrowed his eyes and said, "Your fourth son has been staying in the Hanlin Academy. How about I let him go out for a walk?"
Zhou Shuren, "Hmm?"
The emperor motioned the prince to bring a secret memorial over and handed it to Zhou Shuren, "Take a look."
Zhou Shuren opened it with doubt, his pupils slightly constricted, "Why?"
The emperor continued, "You want to ask why we are only doing this now when we know there is a problem?"
Zhou Shuren felt ashamed. "Yes, the imperial examination is a ladder for poor students to climb to heaven. If someone takes your place, all your efforts will go to waste."
What a replaceable life. A poor family has to put all their efforts into supporting a scholar. Those who can be replaced are all gifted.
The emperor's voice was heavy. "You also know that the emperor is far away. I need to sort things out a little bit. Only by pulling out the root can the problem be completely solved. I can indeed receive a secret report and solve it, and then get rid of a scapegoat?"
What's the use of this? The imperial court cannot keep an eye on a few states all the time. The fundamental problem remains unsolved.
Zhou Shuren, "You want Changzhi to go to Chuanzhou to serve as the chief examiner for this year's autumn exam?"
The Emperor, "Well, your fourth child is not only good at studying."
Zhou Changzhi had never made any mistakes since entering the palace, and he knew when to move forward and backward when chatting with him. He privately hinted that Zhou Changzhi was like someone who had taken root in the Hanlin Academy. This made him satisfied but also a pity, but it was okay to use him.
Zhou Shuren looked at the secret memorial and selfishly did not want his son to go, because Sichuan Province was too complicated and dangerous. The replaceable life was related to the candidates taking the provincial examination in the entire province. The investigation list in the secret memorial was stained with blood. If the person was replaced, he would never pass the examination no matter how many times he took the exam in the future. Unfortunately, his family would be destroyed just to silence him.
Zhou Shuren sighed in his heart, "I thank the emperor on behalf of Changzhi."
The emperor turned the beads and said, "This time I am determined to go to Qingchuan Prefecture. I will send someone to follow you. When the provincial examination is over, your fourth son will return safely."
Zhou Shuren breathed a sigh of relief. The emperor is far away and no one cares whether you are the son of a marquis or not. If you endanger the lives of the entire family, they will show no mercy.
Well, Zhou Shuren no longer needs to dwell on the death of Mr. Wang. Now he is only interested in finding out about the situation in Sichuan Province. Whenever he thinks of the list on the secret letter, he starts to feel a chill down his spine.
Some of those who have replaced others as judges in recent years know that they are still judges with their own worth and seek to become minor officials, while others have some ability and luck and have passed the imperial examination and have become officials.
At night, Zhulan heard the sound of sighing since Shuren came back, which made her panic, "What happened?"
Zhou Shuren sent the maids away and told her about Chuanzhou. Zhulan was silent for a moment and said, "Even with advanced modern technology, there are replacements, not to mention ancient times. It's not just Chuanzhou, other states have it too, but they weren't so bold."
Zhou Shuren slammed the table, "They are all cancer."
Zhu Lan comforted him, "The emperor is removing the cancer, you should be happy."
Zhou Shuren pursed his lips and said, "What really needs to be reformed are some of the systems of imperial examinations."
There are many drawbacks to the imperial examinations, and the master-disciple network he was talking about is one of them. The interests of the master and the disciple are linked, just like those of father and son serving in the same court. The factional struggles in the court and the disputes among the aristocratic families make it difficult for students with outstanding ideas to stand out!
Every time the provincial examination begins, it is the time for the wealthy families to invest. How brave can a nobleman from a poor family be!
His journey was an unrepeatable legend. Sometimes he even wondered if it was the Rong family who was protecting him!
Zhulan spun the cup in her hand, "The emperor also knows, doesn't he want to change?"
I just thought that the issues behind it were too complicated. If they were too complicated, the imperial court would be in turmoil. It was impossible to change it just by saying so.
Zhou Shuren felt a lot less depressed, "I understand."
The emperor's thinking was slowly changing under his influence. Talent was the foundation, not people who occupied positions without taking responsibility. The officials he selected for the Ministry of Revenue were proof of this, and the emperor saw it all.
The couple talked a lot, discussing how to change slowly, and then Zhou Shuren forgot to inform Changzhi.
I only remembered it when I went out to attend the morning court the next day, but then I changed my mind and let it go.
The emperor looked normal when he arrived. Zhou Shuren's mind raced. If the emperor wanted to hide something, no one could detect it. Had he not read the secret memorial yesterday, he knew that no one who often saw the emperor could sense his anger.
Looking at the court from a perspective beyond his own experience, Zhou Shuren felt that the emperor often just watched the show during the morning court sessions. He didn't know how to complain in his heart, but he had to pretend that he was listening carefully.
Zhou Shuren felt that he was exceptionally calm today. He discovered that everything the emperor said was on point, with a hint of fanning the flames. Then the two parties, which had been quiet, started arguing again.
Zhou Shuren, "."
The prince found that Marquis Zhou was particularly energetic today. In the past morning court sessions, Marquis Zhou was only energetic when money was involved, and seemed to be asleep at other times.
Zhou Shuren felt the prince's gaze and smiled. Hey, the prince is also very good, but he is still far worse than when the emperor was the prince.
Prince, "?"
What does Zhou Shuren’s eyes mean?
The Emperor noticed the quarrel between the Crown Prince and Marquis Zhou and raised his eyebrows. He didn't want to watch the argument any more. It was something that could be decided during the reign but they had to argue for several rounds.
After the morning court session ended, Zhou Shuren and Lord Gong left the government hall together. Lord Gong asked, "Would you like me to have tea with you today?"
Zhou Shuren, "My stomach hurts."
At the beginning of the year, he didn't want to see the big money-swallowing people in the Ministry of War. Every time he saw them, he felt uncomfortable in his stomach.
Lord Gong, "."
The Minister of Industry came over and said, "Don't forget to approve the money."
Zhou Shuren, "Doesn't your Ministry of Industry have money?"
The Minister of Works said, "But you can't deduct the money that the Ministry of Works deserves."
Zhou Shuren thought of the list he saw yesterday, and his expression eased a lot. At least the Ministry of Industry has selected a lot of talents from all over the country for research in recent years. "Send someone over this afternoon."
The Minister of Industry stopped and met the envious eyes of Lord Gong, "Did I hear correctly? You agreed so readily?"
Lord Gong said sourly, "You heard it right."
The Minister of Industry looked up at the sky and said, "The sun still rises in the east!"
(End of this chapter)