Chapter 1004, National Defense Academy
On September 9th, the Double Ninth Festival, Xiao Yeyang hosted a banquet for all officials at the palace.
While Xiao Yeyang was receiving several prefects, the An and Du families gathered together and went to see the "amusement park" mentioned by several imperial grandchildren.
"Playthings lead to ruin!"
Looking at Xiao Moqing and the others playing in the courtyard, Lord An shook his head and said, "Prince Weiyuan and Princess Xiao are doting on their children too much. If this continues, they will definitely raise some spoiled dandies who only care about pleasure."
Lord Du didn't say anything. He looked at the facilities in the yard and thought it was nothing special. Children are lively and active, so it's good for them to release their nature more.
Lord An looked at Lord Du and the others and said, "What are you thinking? The imperial grandchildren have been in Xiliang for over two months now, and we're just going to let them come to the palace and play every day?"
As he said this, he sneered.
"Every day, besides paying respects to the Duke of Fuguo and having lunch with him, I think the emperor's grandchildren are almost becoming Xiao Moxi's playmates."
Lord Du laughed and retorted, "Lord An, you're being too serious. Even if the imperial grandchildren didn't come, the young prince would still be able to have fun on his own."
Lord An glanced at Lord Du and snorted in his heart. The second prince could not compete with the eldest prince in the capital, so the Du family tried their best to curry favor with King Weiyuan as soon as they came to Xiliang. This eager look was really disgusting.
Lord An didn't bother to pay attention to Lord Du. He looked at Lord Chang and Lord Yuan and said, "In the capital, the emperor's grandchildren have been following the teacher for enlightenment for a long time. Now that they have come to Xiliang, it's not good for them to fall behind in their studies, right?"
Lord Chang smiled and said, "What does Lord An mean?"
Lord An said, "The princes have entrusted their young grandchildren to us. We must live up to their trust. Why don't we go and ask Prince Weiyuan to open a classroom in his palace for the grandchildren to study in."
He had selfish motives in making this suggestion. Normally, unless Xiao Yeyang hosted a banquet for everyone, he would have little chance of entering the palace.
If he can't even enter the palace, how can he build a relationship with the Duke of Fuguo?
But if Mo Qing is studying in the palace, he can come to the palace under the pretext of caring about Mo Qing's studies. If he does this more often, he will definitely meet the Duke of Fuguo.
Hearing this, Lord Du couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Lord An, this is a really good idea!"
He knew the An family's thoughts too well. Although he was happy to see it happen, he still felt that the An family took him too seriously.
Why did Prince Weiyuan agree to build a special academy in the palace for the emperor's grandson to study?
Lord Chang and Lord Yuan could also see through Lord An's thoughts, but they did not expose him. After all, they were also aiming for the title of Duke of Fuguo.
Lord Yuan smiled and said, "Okay, since it was Lord An who proposed it, we naturally have no objection. Lord An will speak to King Weiyuan about this matter later. We will definitely support Lord An behind the scenes."
Lord Du and Lord Chang quickly agreed.
Lord An was a little angry when he saw the three of them pushing him to the front, but he had already said it. If he regretted it now, he would be looked down upon by them. So he said immediately, "Well, let's go find King Weiyuan now."
Xiao Yeyang chatted with Dong Yuanxuan and several other prefects for a while. They were in a very good mood when they learned that the prefectures, states and counties had been divided up almost completely and that various government orders had begun to be implemented steadily.
When An, Du and others came over, they all felt Xiao Yeyang's good mood.
After lunch, Xiao Yeyang was about to take Dong Yuanxuan and others to the garden to appreciate chrysanthemums when An, Du and others came over.
Lord An: "Your Highness, we have something important to discuss. Please excuse me for a moment!"
Xiao Yeyang looked at the others and asked Defu to take Dong Yuanxuan and the others to the garden. He then went to sit in the pavilion nearby and said calmly, "Tell me, what's the important matter?"
Lord Du and the others all hung their heads. Lord An, noticing their reactions, cursed them for their incompetence. He then stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, the emperor's grandchildren had already received their initial education in the capital. I was wondering if they should also continue their studies now that they've come to Xiliang."
Xiao Yeyang looked at Lord An and said with a half-smile, "Why are you telling me this? Several of the emperor's grandchildren have come to Xiliang, and the emperor's uncle has clearly stated that you are responsible for their care. If that's the case, shouldn't you be responsible for their studies?"
Lord An was silent for a moment. "Don't the emperor's grandchildren come here every day to pay their respects to the Duke of Fuguo and have meals with him? We thought it would be more convenient for them to study in the palace."
Xiao Yeyang scoffed and glanced meaningfully at An, Du, and the others. "You're saying that the emperor's grandchildren's daily visits to the palace to show filial piety to their uncle are delaying their studies?"
Hearing this, before Lord An could react, Lord Du quickly shook his head: "No, no, Your Highness is wise, I absolutely did not mean that."
Lord Chang and Lord Yuan: "We don't have any either. The emperor's grandsons came to Xiliang to show their filial piety to the Duke of Fuguo."
Xiao Yeyang stood up before Lord An could explain himself: "The studies of the emperor's grandchildren are very important, but this is not the business of the Weiyuan Palace."
As he spoke, he looked at Lord An.
Xiao Yeyang was quite tall, and since Lord An had his head down, he looked down at Lord An somewhat condescendingly.
"Master An, it's a good thing that you're concerned about the studies of the emperor's grandchildren. However, don't bring your attention to the palace."
"Xiliang is in ruins right now. You came to Xiliang to serve in it to help me govern it, not to cause trouble for me."
After saying that, he ignored them and walked out of the pavilion.
Xiao Yeyang originally wanted to go directly to the garden to find Dong Yuanxuan and his group, but halfway, he changed direction and went back to the main courtyard.
Daohua was about to take a nap when she saw Xiao Yeyang coming back. She asked in surprise, "Why didn't you go to entertain the guests?"
Xiao Yeyang sat down on the edge of the bed and told him what had just happened.
Daohua was completely speechless after hearing this: "How can the An family be so arrogant? They just open their mouths and we have to do what they say?"
Xiao Yeyang explained the real intentions of the An and Du families: "Letting the emperor's grandchildren study is a lie, the real reason is that we are here for our uncle."
Daohua looked at Xiao Yeyang: "You have already rejected them, why did you come here to talk to me?"
Xiao Yeyang lowered his voice and said, "It's impossible for the Emperor's uncle to ignore his grandchildren. The Jinling Guards must be keeping an eye on the An and Du families."
"The emperor's grandchildren's studies are indeed no small matter. It would have been fine if An Zhixing and the others hadn't told me about this, but now that I know about it, if I really don't care, I won't be able to explain it to my uncle the emperor."
Daohua understood. After all, Xiao Yeyang was the uncle of several imperial grandchildren. If he really didn't care about them at all, the emperor would definitely not be able to accept it.
No matter what, the emperor is the grandfather of several imperial grandchildren, and he certainly hopes for the best for his grandchildren.
"Then what do you want to do? We have plenty of empty courtyards in our mansion, so building a classroom shouldn't be a problem."
Xiao Yeyang shook his head: "If we really do this, wouldn't it be what the An and Du families want? If they come to the palace frequently under the pretext of caring about the emperor's grandson's studies, you and I will be extremely annoyed."
After saying this, he was silent for a while.
"Let them go to the National Defense College."
Daohua thought it was a good idea.
When Xiao Yeyang was planning to build an academy in Liangdu, Daohua mentioned that Xiliang was located on the border and wars broke out frequently, but there were very few generals to command the battles. If there was an academy that could specifically train combat generals, it would greatly increase the probability of victory in the war.
After hearing this, Xiao Yeyang immediately decided to build a National Defense College in Dongcheng.
(End of this chapter)
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