Tang Dynasty Little Godfather

Chapter 240 Opening a New Track
Wang Shuang, Li Jieman, and Huangfu Sengnian looked at each other in bewilderment.

Their eyes seemed to say, "Why do you care about this? We're still just kids!"

Helping one's own father is only natural. If something happens to this father, we're finished too. Besides, they're just trying to help their father achieve something in his career.

But this involves criminal penalties, and it's not the kind of relative who absolutely needs to be saved.

Those Turks are now intermarrying everywhere; how can you possibly manage it all?

Huangfu Sengnian asked, utterly speechless, "Are you planning to make a move?"

Wang Xi nodded.

Huangfu Sengnian then asked, "Is it because of the little princess, or is there another reason?"

"Of course there are other reasons. Mi'er isn't unreasonable. If I don't agree, she can understand."

Wang Xi said, "Based on Pei Zhouxian's resume, he is a rare talent, especially his business acumen, which will be a great supplement to us."

Li Jie shook his head and said, "I don't understand."

Wang Xi said, "He was initially exiled to Beiting by the Empress, yet he managed to become the richest man in Beiting and even supported thousands of diners. What an ability that is."

Currently, the imperial court is undertaking military and political reforms, essentially abandoning the militia system in favor of a conscription system. However, in many areas, especially in the Western Regions, agriculture is insufficient to meet military and political needs. So, what will provide the financial support?

Huangfu Sengnian said, "Commerce."

Wang Xi nodded and said, "My aunt and the others support the conscription system because they value this aspect. Our father is far inferior to the ministers in the court in terms of traditional civil administration, but business is their advantage."

After all, our father is not young anymore, and he doesn't have the talent of Lao Tao. It may be too late for him to start learning traditional culture and governance now. It would be better to add another path, just like the Taoist philosophy.

We can use this to increase our father's chances of being promoted.

Huangfu Sengnian nodded and said, "That makes sense. In fact, Anye Bureau is also taking advantage of merchants."

Wang Xi said, "That's right, but this requires a pioneer, and if Pei Zhouxian's resume is really as Mi'er said, then he would be a perfect candidate."

Li Jieman said, "Even so, he has broken the law. How can we save him?"

Huangfu Sengnian said, "Of course, it's because of his status as a favored minister."

Wang Xi smiled smugly and said, "However, we must first investigate thoroughly. If it is a real rebellion, then no one can save him. If it is corruption and bribery, then at most I can only save his life. But if it is as Mi'er said, then I think we can give it a try."

Therefore, we need to quickly investigate the whole story.

At this point, he looked at Wang Shuang.

Wang Shuang said, "Why are you looking at me?"

Wang Xi said, "It just so happens that your father needs our help. We can use this to get your father to help us find out the truth. This matter involves the military, so your father should be able to find out."

Wang Shuang scratched his head and said, "Then how do I go and tell them?"

Wang Xi said, "Just say it directly. It's my request. He's already forcing us to go to class and teach. What's this little request compared to that?"

Wang Shuang nodded, "Okay."

This father, whom I've raised for ten days, will eventually be put to use.

We put you on the cusp of your positions so you can contribute, not so you can show off.

The appointment of Wang Maozhong has been issued, but it immediately caused quite a stir in the court and among the public.

There are two main reasons.

Firstly, Wang Maozhong came from a very humble background, having been a servant. However, his master was Li Longji, making him a clear case of nepotism. In contrast, most of the other ministers, including the vice ministers, came from prominent families or were successful candidates in the imperial examinations.

Many people still looked down on Wang Maozhong and were unwilling to work with him, including many officials in the Ministry of Works, who were also very dissatisfied with this.

Secondly, there was the original intention behind this appointment.

The initial motivation was that Wang Maozhong applied the principles of Qi to shipbuilding. However, this approach of Qi was not recognized in the court, and it was not even considered a part of Daoist thought. Even if one were to try to establish a connection, it would be considered very marginal and not mainstream within Daoism.

If this appointment is made based on this reason, it would be a significant blow to traditional scholarship.

Zhang Shuo had just determined that poetry and prose would be the main achievements in future scientific examinations.

It's obvious that everyone prefers poetry and prose, because poetry and prose are their forte, and they don't understand things like qigong.

This can also be described as a sense of crisis.

Actually, the emergence of face masks had sparked some discussion among the common people about this Taoist idea, but it was almost ignored in the court. Wu Chongwen and his group used this point to attack the Nameless Academy.

But now the imperial court has essentially given its approval indirectly, which has sparked heated discussions from top to bottom.

Imperial College.

"I have never heard of anyone being appointed as a minister because of their shipbuilding skills. This is simply absurd."

Jiang Yanbo said indignantly.

Han Xiu asked in bewilderment, "This is a personnel appointment by the imperial court. What does it have to do with the Imperial Academy?"

Wu Xin said, "Minister Han, you may not know this, but after learning about this, the students of the Imperial Academy all demanded that the academy also teach them some kind of 'Qi-ology' (a concept in Chinese astrology). Learning the Four Books and Five Classics is so difficult, while building a ship is so simple. Naturally, the students want a shortcut. This matter has already affected education." Han Xiu frowned. Actually, he didn't like Wang Maozhong either, but since things had come to this point, he couldn't change anything. So he said, "The court has never said that Wang Maozhong was appointed Minister of Works because of shipbuilding. Rather, it's because Wang Maozhong has made significant contributions in horse breeding and is proficient in construction, hence his promotion to Minister of Works. This has absolutely nothing to do with any 'Qi-ology'."

Lu Xiaochun said, "I'm afraid the students won't believe it. Also, those students from the nameless academy are now spending all their time away from the academy playing on some kind of birdwing board by the river, claiming it's to study buoyancy. This has made the students of our Imperial Academy somewhat lax."

But now their tone is not as arrogant as it was at the beginning, and they don't threaten to shut down the Nameless Academy at the drop of a hat. This shows that the Nameless Academy's status is much higher than before.

The reason is that if the Imperial Academy still dares to act rashly, then the parents of the students of the nameless academy will definitely not sit idly by.

Previously, people remained silent because they generally believed that offending the Imperial Academy for the sake of Wuming Academy was not worth the risk. But now, many people do not think so.

Furthermore, it was already common knowledge that Wang Xi was favored by the emperor.

Wu Xin glanced at Han Xiu but remained silent.

In fact, it was Wu Chongwen and his group who took the lead in wanting to learn Qigong, but they didn't really want to learn it. Instead, they used it to put pressure on the imperial court.

If all the students do this, it will inevitably attract the attention of the court officials.

The court officials didn't recognize this knowledge and were very resistant to it. The key issue was that they didn't know it themselves, so how could it be taught?

This even involves matters of power.

If we were to emphasize this field of study, many old scholars would have to be eliminated.

It is evident that sometimes, going against the grain can yield remarkable results.

This indeed put Han Xiu in a difficult position. Education in feudal society had its own unique characteristics. The policies of the court had to be strictly implemented, but they could not be changed arbitrarily. He nodded and said, "Alright, I understand. I will go and tell the Grand Secretary to see how to resolve this properly. However, you should also appease the students below. The reason why Wang Maozhong was appointed Minister of Works is not because of this."

As he finished speaking, he looked at Wu Xin.

It's as if you're saying that you have to sort out the affairs of the Imperial Academy.

Although Jiang Yanbo and his fellow doctors did not hold high ranks or much power, their status was very special. They were teachers, a profession that was extremely respected in feudal times. Moreover, the doctors of the Imperial Academy were even more special, as many young officials in the court were their students.

A teacher for a day is a father for life.

Wu Xin hurriedly replied, "Please rest assured, Minister Han, we will make proper arrangements."

After Han Xiu brought this news back to the court, a group of officials immediately took this as a reason to oppose Wang Maozhong's appointment as Minister of Works.

However, instead of confronting Li Longji, they went to find Zhang Shuo.

Because it was approved by the Central Secretariat.

The current prime minister wields considerable power; the Secretariat can refuse to approve imperial edicts.

Zhang Shuo remained silent, while Yuan Qianyao tried to smooth things over. Since he was the one who persuaded Zhang Shuo, he also felt that the responsibility lay with him and that he shouldn't have dragged Zhang Shuo into it, especially since Zhang Shuo had only recently become the Grand Secretary.

But it's no use.

No oil and salt.

Everyone still expressed their firm opposition to Wang Maozhong being appointed Minister of Works.

"enough!"

Zhang suddenly slammed his hand on the table, stood up, pointed at them, and scolded, "You are a bunch of cowards."

Everyone was stunned.

Zhang said, "I've been listening here for half an hour, and what you've all said is that you lack confidence in Confucianism and are afraid that the Liberation Army will replace it."

If Confucius were here, he would be so angry with you that he would die.

Oh, if a mere Minister of Works can overturn Confucianism, then it only proves that Confucianism is utterly worthless and should be replaced.

But is that really the case? Is Confucianism really that fragile? You've been studying the classics since childhood, yet you have absolutely no confidence in what you've learned.

After this scathing rebuke, many people fell silent.

Han Xiu stepped forward and said, "The Grand Secretary is mistaken. It's not that we lack confidence in Confucianism, but we are worried that some people will take advantage of it to seek official positions. This is unfair to many people and will also damage the court's education."

Yuan Qianyao hurriedly said, "I have also studied this with the Grand Secretary. This kind of Qi-mechanics is not like other disciplines. You have to explain why, so it's not easy to take shortcuts."

Zhang said with a flick of his sleeve, "Let me be frank with you. I do not approve of Wang Maozhong's appointment as Minister of Works, but His Majesty believes that this kind of work is helpful for the country's construction, and there are facts to prove it. In addition, Wang Maozhong has indeed made contributions in the field of horse administration."

"If Your Majesty isn't even allowed to try, you'll naturally be unhappy. But the court is currently undergoing military and political reforms, land reforms, and tax reforms. I must consider the bigger picture. If I were to argue with Your Majesty over such a trivial matter, I might as well give up everything else."

One of the imperial censors said, "The Minister of Works is no small matter."

Zhang countered, "How big could it be?"

Compared to what I did, it's nothing.

Yuan Qianyao stepped in to smooth things over, saying, "Since Your Majesty insists on this, why not try sending him to Wang Maozhong? We'll soon see whether it works or not."

The implication is that if it doesn't work out, we'll just remove him.

(End of this chapter)