Tang Dynasty Little Godfather

Chapter 250 Drawing fire from the bottom of the cauldron
At this moment, the officials present were so embarrassed that they could practically dig out two halls and three rooms with their toes.

No one expected it to turn out this way, and in the end, they were even taught a lesson by Wang Xi.

Li Longji also ended the "exchange" at the opportune moment, having essentially achieved his goal.

After Wang Xi, Li Jieman, and Huangfu Sengnian left.

Li Longji glanced at the group of officials again, and saw that they looked very dejected.

Not only did they manage to get these three kids out unscathed, but more importantly, they couldn't find any reason to refute their Confucian and Legalist theories based on Tao.

It was incredibly awkward.

How could one not feel dejected?

But they certainly wouldn't accept it. In their view, Wang Xi was simply cleverly attributing common sense to Daoist thought. Rather than saying that Confucianism and Legalism were based on Dao, it would be more accurate to say that they were based on common sense.

"What do you think?"

Li Longji asked with a hidden smile in his eyes.

Xu Jin was about to step forward when Yu Qin stopped him, gesturing with his eyes for him to keep quiet.

You could have vehemently opposed Wang Xi and his group before, but you can't argue with Li Longji here.

Because Li Longji wanted to promote Taoist thought, and this was the tone that had been set since Emperor Taizong established the country. Although it was just a facade for a long time, this facade could not be denied, since the Li family recognized Laozi as their ancestor.

At this point, Li Longji simply wanted to solidify this "status quo".

Therefore, what Wang Xi said was exactly what Li Longji wanted to know.

If you can't come up with a legitimate reason to oppose Wang Xi, then saying irrelevant things in front of the emperor will only make the situation worse.

Finally, Zhang Shuo stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, this old minister also believes that what Young Master Wang and the others said makes sense."

Li Longji nodded, but did not speak. He knew there was a "but." As the prime minister, who was the head of all the ministers, he could not only take care of one side. How would he lead people in the future?

Sure enough, Zhang immediately changed the subject, "However, figuring out these 'whys' is not something that can be done overnight, and it is also possible that there will never be any results."

This is full of uncertainties, which is why not many people have mentioned this aspect of Taoist learning before.

Since people only have a short life, they certainly hope to do things that will yield visible results.

Similarly, the Ministry of Works was one of the Three Departments and Six Ministries, in charge of waterways, construction, engineering projects, and so on. Every matter was very important and urgent, and could not be delayed.

If the officials of the Ministry of Works were to devote all their attention to studying qi mechanics, what would become of the current affairs? And who would be responsible for handling them?

Upon hearing this, Wang Maozhong was about to speak when Li Longji glared at him out of the corner of his eye, silencing him.

“What you say makes a lot of sense.”

Li Longji nodded and then asked, "Then, according to your advice, what should the court do?"

Zhang said, “I think we can let the officials of the Ministry of Works study these subjects, but knowledge is knowledge and government affairs are government affairs. We must distinguish between primary and secondary matters and not put the cart before the horse. Officials should focus on benefiting the people at this time.”

Li Longji smiled and said, "You are right, sir. Then we will do as you say."

The other officials also breathed a sigh of relief.

They could accept this result.

According to Wang Maozhong, studying Qi and its principles is a matter of government affairs, an order, and future promotions will depend on it. But Zhang Yue separates the two, in other words, nothing changes, but officials should take the initiative to study Qi and its principles.

Since it's not a strict requirement, that makes things much easier.

Wang Maozhong was naturally very dissatisfied. After such a great victory, this was the result. What was the point of having Wang Xi and the others come to teach?
It's like nothing has changed!
After the officials left, Wang Maozhong pestered Li Longji, "Third Prince, we really can't hesitate about this matter. If what Minister Zhang said is true, those officials won't take it seriously at all. I know those officials too well, so we have to force them to learn."

Li Longji sighed, “I know that, but since Minister Zhang has already expressed his opinion, you shouldn’t argue with him. After all, you’ve only just taken office, and it would be detrimental to you, me, and him to have a dispute with the Grand Secretary.”

Wang Maozhong said dejectedly, "Sanlang meant that I was too slow to speak just now."

"Not at all."

Li Longji chuckled and said, "Don't underestimate Minister Zhang. His words just now may seem innocuous, but they are not something anyone can refute."

Wang Maozhong asked, "Why?"

Li Longji said, "Think about it, was what he just said just a trivial reason? No, he was predicting something that will happen in the future."

The vast majority of officials today do not agree with this and are very resistant to it. You have not convinced them either. In this situation, if you insist on going your own way, there is a high possibility that someone will obstruct you. Whenever there are problems with construction or waterways, they will push the blame onto you, saying that you made them learn this qigong so that they can't care about their official duties.

Upon hearing this, Wang Maozhong broke out in a cold sweat.

This is absolutely possible, since he doesn't have many connections in the Six Ministries. At most, he's familiar with some officials in the Ministry of War, which was his initial goal.

None of the people below you are your people, and you can't possibly handle everything on your own. If a problem arises, they can all shift the blame onto you.

"This won't work, that won't work," Wang Maozhong said, spreading his hands. "What should we do?"

He was appointed Minister of Works because of his mastery of Qi and his knowledge; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to hold the position for long.

Li Longji simply smiled and said, "Mao Zhong, how could such a small problem be difficult for you?"

This means, "I still support you." Wang Maozhong was immediately startled and clasped his hands in a fist, saying, "I am honored that you think so highly of me, Sanlang. I will never let you down."

For him, the most important thing was the emperor's support.

Li Longji smiled and nodded.

After returning home, Wang Maozhong complained to his son Wang Shuang, but in reality, he still hoped to seek help from the nameless man through him.

They're on the same side now, so they have to help each other!
Little did he know, behind Wang Shuang were himself and his three close friends. The next day.

Wang Shuang then invited Wang Xi and the others to come and told them about yesterday's results.

"This is simply a godsend!" Huangfu Sengnian said excitedly upon hearing this.

Wang Shuang asked in bewilderment, "How come this is such a golden opportunity? My dad was so worried about it."

“This is certainly a golden opportunity.” Wang Xi smiled and said, “Since we can’t change the minds of those officials, it’s simple: replace them all, cut off their supply lines, and solve the problem once and for all.”

Li Jie blinked his small eyes. "You mean, find someone from our academy to take over?"

"Exactly."

Huangfu Sengnian said, "That's why we did it back then. Compared to traditional governance knowledge, even our fathers combined might not be a match for them."

But when it comes to knowledge, even if they were all combined, they wouldn't be a match for us.

If our father is willing to study and achieves results, he will surely be able to quickly gain a foothold in the court.

Wang Shuang scratched his head and said, "You can't just replace an official like that."

Wang Xi laughed and said, "Of course it can be changed. Which of our fathers didn't come from a prestigious family? Are they not qualified to be minor officials in the Ministry of Works? Since there is no problem with their status, then it depends on whether His Majesty will agree. Do you think His Majesty will agree?"

Wang Shuang said, "His Majesty will definitely agree."

"Then it's over."

Wang Xi smiled and nodded.

Li Jieman suddenly asked, "But all four of our fathers are already in important positions, so whose father can we turn to?"

Wang Xi said, "Of course, we need to take advantage of this opportunity to establish our Nameless Gang in the court, as the father of the orphans."

Li Jie chuckled twice, "Don't blame me for pouring cold water on you. His father is even less ambitious than mine. My father, no matter what, is just not interested in this, but when it comes to work, he is meticulous."

But the orphan's father is different; even if you offered him a large sum of money, he probably wouldn't care.

Wang Xi said, "I'm just giving an example; it doesn't necessarily have to be the orphan's father."

Li Jie said, “But the other people’s fathers are all about the same. The most hardworking one in our academy is Shuang Ge’s father. The other people’s fathers are either in the army, they won’t be willing to leave unless they are also given the title of Minister, and those uncles and elders who have nothing to do are probably not very capable.”

".!"

Wang Xi was speechless.

Huangfu Sengnian also sighed, "What Xiaoman said is all true. You also said that they have a prominent position. If they really had ambition, how could they have fallen to this state?"

Wang Xi said, "Surely there are a few who can do it."

Li Jieman said, "That's not necessarily true; we still need to select carefully."

"Fuck!"

Wang Xi said dejectedly, "Having such a bunch of useless fathers is really a headache!"

Huangfu Sengnian said, "If you want to be more ambitious, you'll have even more to worry about."

"That too."

Wang Xi nodded and added, "However, we can also do the same thing, using other people's fathers to motivate their fathers. People are often driven by pressure."

Huangfu Sengnian said, "But times have changed. We were able to encourage our father because we were the masterminds, but they don't know that, and we can't tell them the truth."

Wang Xi thought for a moment and said, "Haven't we had a quarrel with Wu Chongwen and the others recently?"

Li Jie nodded.

Wang Xi said, "As far as I know, Xu Jin is Xu Daoxuan's father. We can have Xiaoman take Linghu Baodi and the others to argue with Wu Chongwen, and then use Xu Jin to attack the other party. We must try to bring up our father. In terms of fathers, although our father has a high status, his real power is not as great as theirs. We must make the other party say this."

In this way, Xiaoman could use this as an excuse to persuade Linghu Baodi and the others to go back and encourage their father.

Huangfu Sengnian nodded and said, "That would be feasible."

Li Jie said, "When it comes to arguing, Monk Nian is much better than me!"

Wang Xi said, "Then let Seng Nian go with you. Although Seng Nian has his own unique advantages in arguing, he is not good at instigating the orphans."

Huangfu Sengnian then asked, "What unique advantages do I have?"

"Never give up."

".!"

Huangfu Sengnian said, "I lost a jar of wine to Li Bai a few days ago because of you guys."

"That's exactly what I meant."

Wang Xi chuckled and then said to Wang Shuang, "Brother Shuang, when you get back, tell your dad the truth, and then let him choose. With your dad's personality, the person he chooses will definitely not be too bad."

Wang Shuang asked, "What if we can't find any?"

Wang Xi said, "We have to choose even if we can't find the best. Don't be too picky. Can't we just pick the best among the worst? We can't let outsiders benefit. We're not here to do charity."

Huangfu Sengnian said, "But if this plan succeeds, it must produce results in a short period of time, otherwise it will inevitably be criticized."

Wang Xi frowned, then nodded and said, "That's true. We need to think quickly about what we can do that isn't too difficult but can still attract attention."

(End of this chapter)