Top Scholar

Chapter 497 Blueprint
Having reached a consensus, everyone began to pool their wisdom and efforts to draw up the blueprint for the 'Dragon and Tiger Class' from scratch.

Su Lu, having run classes before and being the most experienced, first established the order of discussion:
“There must be an order to the discussion, starting from the essentials and working backwards. Let’s first agree on the fundamental goals of the Dragon Tiger Class, and then, based on that, finalize the curriculum, teachers, teaching materials, course standards, and assessment methods in sequence. Only by proceeding step by step can we avoid omissions.”

“Indeed!” Su Man agreed. “Only with a clear goal can we do everything in a targeted manner and avoid going astray.”

Zhu Zihe nodded and said, "Indeed. If one only lectures in a general way, it will be difficult to achieve anything significant. Only by having a clear goal can one gather like-minded people."

"So what is our goal?" Su Youcai asked, stroking his beard.

"I thought there were three visible and three hidden aspects." Su Lu had considered this for a long time, so he offered this as a starting point:

"The so-called 'Three Clarities' are: first, 'Clarity of Ministers,' which means cultivating loyal and reliable members of the imperial faction among the civil officials; second, 'Clarity of Selection,' which means selecting promising talents from among the imperial faction; and third, 'Clarity of Education,' which means helping members of the imperial faction to become upright and capable officials whom Your Majesty can rely on as soon as possible. These Three Clarities are what the Emperor urgently needs and are the driving force behind the Emperor's establishment of this class."

“We must implement these three points well to satisfy the Emperor.” He paused and lowered his voice, “Only then can we talk about the so-called ‘three secrets’.”

"What are the Three Darknesses?" the three asked softly.

"First, we will secretly unite the newly appointed scholars and the upright officials in the court under the guise of the Emperor's faction, forming a group to check and balance the eunuch faction and prevent us from being isolated; second, we will secretly cultivate them, incorporating the ideas of saving the world and reforming into our teachings, building consensus among the students, and cultivating comrades for the reform; third, we will secretly forge alliances, further strengthening our classmates into a new community of interests, making it easier to bind them to the reform chariot in the future, so that the voices of opposition will be smaller and the policy will not end with the death of the person."

"What a brilliant 'three open and three covert' strategy!" Su Man clapped his hands in admiration. "Openly, it has a legitimate reason for the attack, while secretly it's a long-term plan. This is an excellent scheme!"

Zhu Zihe also laughed and said, "In this way, the Dragon Tiger Troupe will be both the Emperor's 'Talent Cultivation Academy' and our 'Hall of Gathering Righteousness'."

"As expected of a scholar who passed the imperial examinations twice, he speaks with such eloquence." Su Youcai smiled wryly, but more than that, he was pleased. He summarized it in plain language:
"In the end, it's all for the Emperor, for the world, and for myself to cultivate a group of capable people. This goal is definitely not wrong."

~~
Then, the group began to discuss the curriculum design, focusing on the three explicit and three implicit goals.

"Clearly, the course should focus on both 'loyalty to the emperor' and 'practical application'," Zhu Zihe said clearly.
"The Emperor values ​​the new graduates' identification with their identity as 'students of the Emperor' the most, so this aspect of the performance must be fully developed... For example, the first lesson every day is a lesson on loyalty to the Emperor and patriotism, and then they must express their gratitude to the Emperor and their loyalty in unison before and after class."

"Zihe, you truly are a scion of a prominent family; your words hit the nail on the head." Su Lu couldn't help but praise, "Your approach is exactly what I was thinking! We must ensure loyalty to the emperor is integrated throughout the course, regardless of the results, just make sure there's enough quantity. Only when the emperor sees our sincerity at a glance can we put his mind at ease."

"Hmm." Su Man said while taking notes, "I think that in the court today, 'loyalty' is the foundation of one's position. As long as the emperor believes you are loyal, even if you make a mistake, it won't be considered a mistake! Once you establish loyalty, you can do whatever you want!"

“Indeed, Liu Jin was able to act so arrogantly because the Emperor believed he was loyal.” Su Youcai also agreed. What he had seen and heard in the capital over the past few months had broadened his horizons.

"If we can also convince the Emperor that his disciples are loyal, then the eunuchs' advantage will be largely negated!"

Su Lu pondered for a moment, then added, “Speaking of loyalty to the emperor, the saying ‘loyalty is achieved through propriety’ has already been thoroughly explained by Confucius and Mencius. Therefore, the practice of etiquette is of utmost importance. I think it would be better to set aside an hour each morning specifically for practicing etiquette. This would not only improve everyone’s manners and prevent them from behaving inappropriately in the future and being impeached, but also satisfy the emperor.”

“Indeed, in this way, the theme of loyalty to the emperor will have both theoretical instruction and practical training, which will surely be very satisfactory.” Su Youcai nodded and smiled, “You will definitely become the most loyal subjects of the emperor.”

“That makes sense, but isn’t an hour a bit too long?” Zhu Zihe asked, somewhat troubled. He was also a student of etiquette and knew how rigorous and tedious etiquette practice was—it was meticulous and rigorous, step by step…

An hour passed, and it was truly agonizing.

"That's exactly the effect we want," Su Lu said in a deep voice. "Because such long-term, rigorous training can also help them quickly develop the habit of obeying rules and regulations, help them get rid of their undisciplined scholarly habits, and adapt to officialdom as soon as possible."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "This kind of uniform training can also strengthen the sense of belonging among the 'disciples of the emperor,' allowing everyone to gradually develop a collective consciousness of 'advancing and retreating together, sharing honor and disgrace' during synchronized training."

Actually, there's one more thing he didn't mention: this kind of group training is the most effective, allowing the Emperor to clearly feel that in just two months, the Dragon Tiger Class has undergone a complete transformation.

Then they believe he really has a knack for things, which is why they listen to him so readily.

~~
Now that we've finished discussing the abstract concepts of loyalty to the emperor, it's time to get down to business.

"Practical courses can't be anything superficial. We must make everyone understand the true state of the Ming Dynasty today. Otherwise, based on their own feelings, they'll easily 'let them eat cake,'" Su Lu said in a deep voice.

“That’s right.” Su Man also said with a serious look, “The practical courses should focus on the deep-seated problems of the Ming Dynasty, and show the unbearable situation of fiscal and tax shortages, land annexation, the predicament of the Grand Canal, and lax border defenses without any concealment.” He paused and continued, “It should let everyone know that the country is on the verge of danger, and also make the idea that ‘only reform can save the world’ self-evident.”

“We can broadly divide the topics into four main areas: grain transport, taxation, salt and iron, and border defense. As for the details of the lectures and the compilation of the lecture notes,” Zhu Zihe said with a smile, “that will have to be left to the ministers of the cabinet.”

"Should we invite a cabinet minister to give a lecture?" Su Youcai suddenly interjected.

“Of course we must invite them,” Su Lu said matter-of-factly. “This is the Dragon and Tiger Class personally organized by the Emperor, so the lecturers must be of the highest caliber.”

Su Youcai frowned: "Wouldn't that be doing all the work for them?"

"This is a matter for the Emperor to worry about; it's not our place to concern ourselves," Su Man said calmly.

"No problem. We'll decide the schedule; nobody can take the lead," Su Lu said confidently.
"At that time, we can let all the cabinet ministers benefit from the favor. If there aren't enough ministers from Beijing, we can invite ministers from Nanjing as well—if they can't make it this month, they can come next month to give lectures."

"Traveling all that way just to give a lecture?" Su Youcai clicked his tongue in amazement. "That must be quite a journey."

"Don't worry, Uncle, they won't find it hard. On the contrary, they should thank us," Zhu Zihe said with a smile.

"Indeed," Su Lu sneered. "All the officials have come to give lectures, but a few are not allowed to. It is clear how much the Emperor values ​​them. I want to see how those who are not allowed to attend will conduct themselves."

“Just say those guys with the surname Jiao…” Su Man chuckled as well.

"Won't this be seen as settling a personal score?" Su Youcai asked.

"That's not how it works," Zhu Zihe said with a smile. "The list of lecturers was decided by the Emperor; what does it have to do with us?"

"Sigh, these young people..." Su Youcai couldn't help but shake his head. These young people really wouldn't suffer any loss, and they would take revenge as soon as they found an opportunity.

Su Lu's smile faded, and he said seriously, "In addition to the cabinet ministers, we should also invite one governor, provincial governor, or even county magistrate from each region. We should select them from the three provinces of Beizhi, Shandong, and Shanxi, and have them talk about local issues. Let everyone hear the differences between what local officials and cabinet ministers say, and also teach them to examine government affairs and analyze problems from different perspectives."

"Furthermore, practical courses should combine theory with practice," Su Lu continued.
"We need to ask these senior officials to each come up with several specific case studies, such as land disputes, disaster relief, and tax calculation, along with practical official documents on document circulation and dispute mediation, so that everyone can practice government affairs and become familiar with official documents. Then, write them into reports in the evening and submit them the next day, from which we can select talent."

After listening, Zhu Zihe praised, "Brother, your idea is brilliant! Compared to empty preaching, the realities in the case are more impactful and can make everyone truly feel the burden on their shoulders."

“I understand why they only sought out local officials in Beizhili, Shandong, and Shanxi; the problems are most serious in those areas.” Su Man nodded slowly.

"This step is still to give them a sense of crisis. Only by making everyone feel that 'the Ming Dynasty is in danger and must be saved,' and that the idea that the Ming Dynasty needs to change to survive, can take root in everyone's hearts."

~~
Finally, the assessment methods were discussed.

Su Lu was an expert in this area, so he got straight to the point: "I have drafted four assessment criteria. First, loyalty to the emperor; second, etiquette; third, reporting; and fourth, practical skills, with the weight decreasing in that order. But this is a report to the emperor, so we should be aware that the importance of these criteria is actually the opposite of what we expect."

“Yes.” Zhu Zihe agreed, “What we need are like-minded pragmatists, not empty talkers who are loyal to the emperor.”

“The specific evaluation details still need to be finalized gradually,” Su Lu said. “In addition, I will give you two some questions to ask your classmates during breaks and listen to their reactions… The goal is to find like-minded people and then give them opportunities.”

"Understood." Su Man and Zhu Zihe nodded in agreement, while Su Youcai clicked his tongue, indicating that it wasn't his business.

After discussing rewards, punishments, and follow-up arrangements, the framework of the Dragon Tiger Class was finally established. They then spent two full days drafting the detailed rules, finally completing the preliminary work for the Dragon Tiger Class before the deadline.

After writing the last stroke, Su Lu felt completely drained.

P.S. I feel completely drained. I haven't written the next chapter yet, so I guess I won't be able to write it tonight...

(End of this chapter)