Duke of Zhenguan

Chapter 132 This is His Majesty's method.

As evening fell, Chang He was returning home from work when he encountered Ma Zhou carrying a large stack of books at the entrance of Yanfu Lane. Surprised, he asked, "Mr. Ma, what are you doing buying so many books?"

"Haha, cheap!" Ma Zhou was in a good mood, and a rare smile appeared on his face.

"Cheap? Did you buy it at Zhenguan Bookstore?" Chang He asked with a smile.

"General Chang also knows about Zhenguan Bookstore?" Ma Zhou asked.

"Of course I know that. Mr. Ma, do you know what lies outside the North Gate where I am on duty?" Chang He asked.

"I do know about Shanglin Garden outside the North Gate!" Ma Zhou chuckled.

"Haha, Mr. Ma only knows one side of the story. Shanglin Garden used to be just a wasteland, but now it's amazing. They've built the Institute of Gewu and the Academy of Gewu!"

"These books Mr. Ma bought were transported from the Gewu Research Institute!" Chang He said with a smile.

After saying that, he glanced around and, seeing that no one was around, whispered in Ma Zhou's ear, "I didn't dare to say anything before, but now there's no need to keep it a secret. Mr. Ma, since the beginning of March, there has been no shortage of carriages in front of the Gewu Research Institute. At least dozens of carriages have been coming and going every day!"

The Hundred Cavalry Guards are personally overseeing it; I am not even qualified to inspect it!

During this period, the Hundred Cavalry Command stopped sending people to guard it, and I realized that what was being transported in was paper and ink, but what was being transported out were books!

Mr. Ma previously mentioned the high cost of printing books, so why does His Majesty need to print so many books?

Faced with Chang He's doubts, Ma Zhou looked at the book in his hand and said softly, "General Chang, I'm afraid it's related to the recent discussions in court about His Majesty's misconduct. Didn't you say that His Majesty made a bet with the civil and military officials and the Grand Astrologer? In my opinion, this might be His Majesty's response!"

"You think printing so many books will be enough?" Chang He looked bewildered.

Ma Zhou didn't explain much to Chang He, because Chang He wouldn't understand it in a short time.

Why were powerful clans able to stir up such a storm in the imperial court, forcing Li Shimin to make a bet with Fu Renjun?

Because most officials came from powerful clans, Li Shimin was able to control the important positions in the Three Departments and Six Ministries, but he could not control the lower and middle-level officials.

Even if powerful families obediently cooperated with him and gave up all their positions, where would he get so many officials to use?

So if he didn't make a bet with Fu Renjun, those officials would really threaten to resign, and then he, the emperor, would truly become a laughing stock.

While printing so many books might not have a significant impact on aristocratic families in the short term, in the long run, combined with the imperial examination system, it would...

It can promote those hardworking and talented students from poor families.

This is the only fair and square approach. It was because of Li Shimin's actions that powerful families had no choice but to risk making a scene in court by citing natural disasters.

Seeing that Chang He was still staring intently at him, Ma Zhou could only smile wryly and say, "General Chang, His Majesty must have other methods up his sleeve!"

"What methods did you use?" Chang He was determined to get to the bottom of it.

"General Chang, I don't know what methods they use, but we should see them soon. Let's wait and see!"

Ma Zhou said with a smile.

"All right!"

Just as Ma Zhou said, Li Shimin naturally had other methods. The scholars who went in to buy books suddenly discovered that in addition to selling classics, histories, philosophical works, and collections of literature, Zhenguan Bookstore also sold vernacular stories.

The title on the cover is also very interesting; it's called "Tenant-housekeeper Zhang Sanlang".

Anyway, it was only fifty coins a book, and the book was as thick as two volumes: classics, history, philosophy, and literature. Many scholars bought a copy to give it a try.

After buying it, I couldn't help but flip through a couple of pages, and before I knew it, I was completely captivated by the storybook.

The author of this story was a storyteller hired by the Hundred Cavalry Division. However, given how poorly the storyteller wrote it, Lin Chuan, who was inexplicably summoned by Li Shimin to provide guidance, had no choice but to personally teach the storyteller how to write stories.

The materials are some real cases investigated by the Hundred Riders Division.

Zhang Sanlang was indeed a real person, a tenant farmer of the Pei family.

The story begins with Zhang Sanlang having a lovely younger sister. Due to a flood, Zhang Sanlang had to send his sister to his master's house in exchange for food to survive.

Afterwards, his sister was tortured to death, and Zhang Sanlang's leg was broken and he was thrown into the wilderness. But Zhang Sanlang was not destined to die, and was rescued by a group of bandits who had also been driven to desperation by the Pei family.

Afterwards, Zhang Sanlang returned with the bandits to demand an explanation from the Pei family. They found many abused women in the Pei family's house, as well as countless moldy grains and cloths in the warehouse.

In the end, the government intervened, arrested all the Pei family members, and distributed land to Zhang Sanlang and others.

Interspersed throughout are stories of the affair between Madam Pei's first wife and her brother-in-law, as well as the untold tales of the father-in-law and daughter-in-law.

Lin Chuan only provided an outline; the story was entirely fabricated by the storyteller.

The story is melodramatic and absurd, but it has to be said that this is what makes it so appealing.

Popular literature was still relatively scarce at that time; apart from the well-known stories, there were very few new stories on the market.

At most, storybooks are tales told by storytellers in teahouses and taverns, where they weave together interesting anecdotes about people like Wagangzhai and Dou Jiande from the late Sui Dynasty.

Very few of them were actually printed into books. Now, there is such a popular storybook that it has been circulating among tens of thousands of scholars in Chang'an in just two or three days.

Ma Zhou also bought a copy, but after flipping through a few pages in his small courtyard, he stopped reading. He wasn't interested in the absurd stories inside, but he was more interested in the Pei family.

Closing the book, Ma Zhou muttered to himself, "It seems the recent events at court are related to the Pei family!"

"Mr. Ma, what has this to do with the Pei family?" Chang He walked into the courtyard carrying a jar of wine and a large bag of braised meat wrapped in oil paper. He happened to hear Ma Zhou talking to himself and asked in confusion.

"General Chang, you mentioned last time that His Majesty and Grand Astrologer Fu Renjun made a bet in court. Were any of the Duke of Wei's former subordinates involved?" Ma Zhou asked with a smile.

At home, Chang He spoke without any restraint. Nodding, he said casually, "Of course there are! The Emperor Emeritus has just ascended the throne, and the Duke of Wei is now the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. Countless officials are his protégés and former subordinates. How could there not be!" Chang He said softly.

"General Chang, take a look at this book!" Ma Zhou handed over the book in his hand.

Chang He was literate, and he picked up the book and began to read it with great interest. Ma Zhou poured himself a glass of wine and sipped it slowly with the braised meat.

It wasn't until it was completely dark that Chang He suddenly woke up, closed the book, and said awkwardly to Ma Zhou, "I was so engrossed in reading! Please forgive me, Mr. Ma!"

"Haha, I was also engrossed in reading it just now. What are your thoughts on this book, General Chang?"

"Thoughts? This Pei family is really no good!" Chang He said subconsciously.

"General Chang, this is His Majesty's method!" Ma Zhou poured Chang He a cup of wine with a jar and said softly.

Chang He was stunned for a moment, then gasped and exclaimed, "Impressive technique!"