Ming Dynasty: I, Yan Maoqing, am truly radiating auspicious energy!

Chapter 188 Judging the Emperor by the Mind of a Petty Person! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Even the officials in the Imperial Household Department were completely baffled:
"How come another Jixia Academy has suddenly appeared? I've never heard of it before?"

Some of them knew that Yan Maoqing had obtained an unused palace garden from the Emperor, and that the garden had been under renovation in the past few days.

However, they also believed that the renovation of this palace was to facilitate the exercise of the West Depot's privileges in the future.

But to everyone's surprise, Yan Maoqing was actually planning to rebuild the Jixia Academy, a project that would astound the entire world.
At the same time, some people felt a lump in their throat and their eyes reddened slightly.

As Yan Maoqing said, there are indeed many officials in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices who are indomitable in the current official environment but have been marginalized by the powerful and wealthy.

For example, there was Kong Jian, the Junior Chamberlain, who resolutely submitted his resignation and preferred to retire and return to his hometown because of Yan Maoqing's absurd "internal new regulations".

Shen Kun is a prime example of someone who was later promoted to the Court of Imperial Sacrifices by Yan Maoqing.

He had only been in the Hanlin Academy as a compiler for a few months as the top scholar in the imperial examination, but he was already being neglected and sidelined in the academy because he submitted two memorials mentioning the origins of the problem in the southeast.

How could Yan Maoqing's words not stir up their dark memories?

At this moment, Yan Maoqing's not-so-broad back was becoming taller and more imposing in the eyes of those who already held him in high esteem!

This young boss...

I'm completely convinced, I'll give you my life!

"..."

Zhao Zhenji and other low-ranking officials who would rather die than submit were now completely red-eyed. Sniffling could be heard from time to time in the crowd, and some even couldn't help but shed tears.

When a wild animal is injured, it can run to a cave to hide, lick its wounds, and persevere on its own.

But once it receives warm greetings, care, love, understanding, and recognition, it can no longer bear it...

This is the most accurate depiction of their current state!

Even if Yan Maoqing were to arrest them and beat them to death overnight, they would never shed a single tear.

if you can.

They would only glare at Yan Maoqing.

Then he entrusted his family with the task of gouging out their eyes after their deaths and hanging them on the city gates of the capital, just like Wu Zixu did.

To witness firsthand this heinous villain suffer the agonizing death of being slowly sliced ​​to death one day!
To witness firsthand how this corrupt and decadent dynasty will one day collapse!

But at this moment, they suddenly realized that they were wrong.

Yan Maoqing was completely different from what they had imagined, and quite different from the rumors!

How could someone who can find light in endless darkness, who dares to defy the corrupt officialdom, and who is willing to stand out among the powerful and influential, possibly be an utterly wicked villain?

They... misunderstood this young Crown Prince's tutor!
the most important is.

They suddenly realized that they had also misunderstood the current emperor!
From Yan Maoqing's words, how could they not understand that the Jixia Academy was actually established under the emperor's instruction?

It is probably precisely in order to accomplish this task.

The Emperor granted Yan Maoqing a palace garden and bestowed upon him privileges comparable to those of the Western Depot!

Otherwise, this matter will be difficult to accomplish and will encounter tremendous resistance.

Because this is a remarkable innovation.

Any reform, by its very nature, will inevitably infringe upon the interests of the established elites and will inevitably attract overwhelming opposition...

The first reform is in talent selection!

At the beginning of his reign, the emperor implemented new policies and vigorously reformed the talent selection system, advocating the simultaneous development of three paths.

The so-called "three paths" refers to selecting talents through the three systems of imperial examination, annual tribute, and recommendation, in order to select more capable talents for the court.

However, everyone knows that powerful officials and nobles abused their power to cheat in the imperial examinations, squeezing out places for poor scholars from all over the country.

The power of annual tribute and recommendation was directly in the hands of powerful and wealthy officials, and had long become an important way for them to seek fame and fortune for their own children, having nothing to do with poor scholars in the country.

Under such a system, which is almost monopolized by the powerful and wealthy, how many truly capable people can be selected?
Now that the Jixia Academy has been established, the court will have another channel for selecting talent in addition to these three paths.
—Self-recommendation!
From then on, all talented but impoverished scholars in the land had the opportunity to recommend themselves to the emperor and to demonstrate their abilities.

This undoubtedly tears open a gap in the talent selection system that is monopolized by the powerful and wealthy, allowing a ray of light to pierce through layers of darkness and illuminate a pure land!
The second reform is the channel for free speech!
Previously, according to the ancestral system of the Ming Dynasty, the channels for expressing opinions were mainly through the censors and officials who spoke out.

However, they have long been inevitably interfered with and controlled by their superiors, and have even become tools for them to attack their political enemies. After all, the future of censors and officials of the censorate is always in the hands of their superiors.

Once the Jixia Academy was established...

This adds another avenue: "public opinion," and it's "public opinion" that reaches the ears of the emperor directly!
This undoubtedly opened another gap in these two already blocked channels of communication, breaking the double-dealing of the court officials in deceiving their superiors and subordinates!

The third innovation is the lifting of academic restrictions!

As is well known, the flourishing of "a hundred schools of thought contending" in the academic world during the pre-Qin period originated from the establishment of the Jixia Academy.

Indeed, the idea of ​​"dismissing all other schools of thought and exclusively honoring Confucianism" has been promoted for more than a thousand years since the Han Dynasty, and it has long been deeply rooted in the entire country. No one can or dares to defy the world's opinion.

However, even with the principle of "exclusive veneration of Confucianism," various schools of thought, ideas, and academic disciplines can still develop.

Just like the "School of Mind" that emerged a few years ago, and the "School of Qi" advocated by Wang Tingxiang and others.

Those present were all well-versed in the Four Books and Five Classics, and had risen through the ranks by passing the imperial examinations step by step in a system that upheld Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism as the official doctrine.

No one would betray their teacher and ancestors or deny Confucianism, but that doesn’t mean we can’t further promote academic and intellectual progress on this basis, gradually break free from constraints, and make the Ming Dynasty keep pace with the times!
Some of the people here come from the southeast and have personally witnessed the foreigners who crossed the ocean, their large ships, their powerful cannons, the world maps they brought, and their novel theories that they called "science".

They could sense that in many neglected areas, the Ming Dynasty was no longer leading the world, and was even gradually showing signs of falling behind.

Perhaps even the Ming Dynasty, which once sailed the seas seven times and made a name for itself on the world stage, had reached a point where it could no longer remain complacent and self-satisfied...

Therefore, this is the "Jixia Academy".

This was precisely the kind of reform the Ming Dynasty needed, and an important attempt by the Emperor to reorganize the bureaucracy and strive for good governance!
And this is precisely the political ideal they have been dreaming of realizing, and a rare opportunity for them to fulfill their political ambitions...

Just at this time.

"Minister Yan..."

A green-robed official, who had just been thrown out of the Imperial Household Department and was lying on the ground like a dead dog, struggled to raise his hand towards Yan Maoqing.

Ignoring his bruised and battered buttocks, whether from the pain or from deeply feeling Yan Maoqing's words, he burst into tears and said:
"This humble servant also wishes to join the Jixia Academy. Is that permissible?"

"No."

Yan Maoqing shook his head coldly, "The most important quality for scholars of Jixia Academy is their moral character and integrity. Although you were flogged by the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, it is not enough to prove your moral character and integrity. You will definitely do so next time."

As he spoke, Yan Maoqing looked down at Zhao Zhenji and the others, and asked seriously:

"This matter is entirely voluntary. It is difficult to enter Jixia Academy but easy to leave. If you wish to leave in the future, it is entirely up to you and there are no restrictions."

"Now, give me your answers!"

next moment.

"Your humble servant kowtows in gratitude for the Emperor's grace and is willing to serve you with utmost loyalty to repay even a fraction of your sovereign's favor!"

Zhao Zhenji and the others knelt down and kowtowed in the direction of the Wenhua Hall to express their gratitude, before turning to Yan Maoqing to pay their respects.
"I previously wrongly suspected Minister Yan, which caused him many offenses. I humbly beg your forgiveness. From now on, I will do my utmost to make amends for my past mistakes!"

"..."

Upon seeing this, Zhu Houcong felt both annoyed and complicated.

He knew perfectly well that these people probably thought he was still inside the Wenhua Hall, which was why they were bowing in the direction of the Wenhua Hall to express their gratitude.

So... this group of troublemakers who aren't even afraid of death were so easily conquered by Yan Maoqing for me?
If things develop in this direction...

I now have Wu Cheng'en's "Jiajing's Private Visits" being written and published monthly to generate buzz.

If we continue to utilize this so-called "Jixia Academy," we can gradually win over these disgruntled officials at the grassroots level.

In particular, it is important to win over these troublemakers who are not afraid of death and dare to offend the emperor if given the chance... Since they dare to offend the emperor, they will naturally not bow down to those court officials who deceive the emperor.

After that, it gained momentum.

Would those court officials then have the right to deceive the emperor, collude with each other to sideline and isolate me?
Wouldn't it be possible for the situation to reverse, with me joining forces with these troublemakers, thus sidelining the court officials and isolating the powerful figures in the court?
Could this be Yan Maoqing's real purpose in creating another Jixia Academy for me by forging another imperial decree?

How could this bastard, who's practically smoking, be so loyal?
He didn't consult me ​​beforehand, perhaps because he was worried that I was overthinking things and disagreed with the matter?

After all, he only needs to be loyal to me, but I have too many things to consider, so I inevitably have doubts and need to make a careful decision!

If so...

That bastard deserves to die even more!
How dare he judge the emperor with such petty-mindedness? Does he really think I am so indecisive, so hesitant in the face of adversity, and so unreliable?!
Just as Zhu Houcong was getting angrier and angrier, even considering whether to teach Yan Maoqing a lesson for defamation.

But then, just at that moment, Yan Maoqing's affected voice rang out again from the wall of the Imperial Household Department:
"Gentlemen, please rise. You are all wholeheartedly speaking out for the country, just as I am. How can you say that you have offended me?"

"However, before that, there is one more thing that must be decided..."

"Please speak freely, Minister Yan!"

Zhao Zhenji and the others immediately spoke loudly.

"As I just said, Jixia Academy is difficult to enter but easy to leave. It places the first priority on the character and virtue of its scholars. Those who cannot abide by the law and cannot maintain their integrity and self-discipline, no matter how talented they are, will be excluded."

Yan Maoqing said with a smile,
"It is an indisputable fact that you gentlemen previously assaulted the Emperor and his envoy in the palace. According to the Great Ming Code, you are guilty of two crimes and should be punished with a total of two hundred strokes of the cane."

"As one of the first scholars of the Jixia Academy."

"Given your upright character and unyielding integrity, I believe you would not want the Jixia Academy to be tainted from its very inception, or to be criticized and attacked for it in the future. You have never considered escaping punishment by breaking the law, have you?"

"???"

"!!!"

Upon hearing this, almost everyone present looked at Yan Maoqing with surprise and suspicion.

Even Zhu Houcong, Huang Jin, and some people who were close to Yan Maoqing couldn't help but have some doubts about Yan Maoqing's true intentions.

Especially those who have suffered at the hands of Yan Maoqing and deeply understand the true meaning of Zhu Houcong's words, "Why did you provoke him?"

At this moment, they couldn't help but begin to doubt:
"That thing emitting blue smoke, could it be that it forced itself to make this huge pot of dumplings just for such a small dish of vinegar?!"

The more people know Yan Maoqing, the less they can rule out this possibility that seems extremely absurd to normal people!
He's the kind of vindictive scoundrel who won't suffer any loss.

Huang Jin even remembered very clearly that even when the Emperor beat him up a few days ago, he "accidentally" kicked over the Emperor's medicine pot when he was leaving!
and so……

The people who came to cause trouble at the Imperial Household Department today.

No matter how eloquently he speaks, no matter how righteous and stern he appears, no matter what shady methods he uses.

He definitely never intended to let anyone go from the very beginning!

No one can escape this punishment, regardless of rank, stance, character, integrity... We will be completely fair and impartial, honest with everyone, young and old, and will not extend credit to anyone!

"emperor……"

Huang Jin, feeling the ladder vibrate again, looked up. Zhai Luan, Xu Zan, and Zhang Bi also subconsciously stole glances at Zhu Houcong.

They couldn't help but recall what they had said at the very beginning:
"Ha, of all people to mess with, why did they have to provoke Yan Maoqing?"

"Come on, Xu Zan, continue what you were saying. Don't let these trivial matters affect you."

Huang Jin understood that although the Emperor knew Yan Maoqing was not someone to be trifled with, he never expected Yan Maoqing to be this bad... That's why his body was trembling with intense emotions at this moment.

Meanwhile, Zhai Luan, Xu Zan, and Zhang Bi felt increasingly panicked.

Their unique "non-stick" properties made them silently remind themselves:
"This eunuch of the Western Depot... is indeed not someone to be trifled with. We should try to avoid direct confrontation with him in the future!"

at the same time.

"We are willing to accept the punishment; please, Minister Yan, calculate the amount!"

Zhao Zhenji and other honest people have already voluntarily bent down and picked up the court rods to punish each other.

"Clap! Clap! Clap!..."

Each strike of the staff made the onlookers blink involuntarily.

Although they didn't use lethal force to beat someone to death, they were still beating them seriously, and the manner and actions were completely different from when they had previously punished other colleagues with caning.

"Hiss—look at this, this is how a loyal and upright minister should behave after eating..."

Even Yan Maoqing felt a pang of sympathy, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably.

We're definitely going to fight, and nobody's going to run away!

However, he couldn't bear to cripple or disable Zhao Zhenji and the others.

Now that the Jixia Academy has been established, it is in need of manpower. If everyone is lying at home for ten days or half a month and can't get out of bed, how can he use them as pawns?
(End of this chapter)