The Revolt of the Three Feudatories: All-in at the start in Beijing

When Ouyang Jing heard Liu Mu inquire about military industry, he did not answer immediately. Instead, he dragged someone out from behind Li Guangdi.

"Your Majesty, this is the prefect of Hunyuan Prefecture. He is the one who will answer Your Majesty's questions regarding the military factory matters during this trip to the capital. I have just received the memorial myself."

Li Zheng, isn't he just an official who followed the Datong route? He's one of the few local officials who survived the Qing Dynasty.

Liu Mu was very familiar with this person. It seems that he asked him to compile a set of learning materials that scholars could understand. If the compilation was completed, he promised him the position of Minister of Works.

Faced with Liu Mu's scrutiny, Li Zheng stepped forward tremblingly and respectfully bowed with his hands clasped in greeting.

"Your subject, Li Zheng, Prefect of Hunyuan Prefecture, pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

Liu Mu left the throne, stepped forward and looked Li Zheng up and down again, then patted Li Zheng on the shoulder.

"I don't eat people, don't be so formal!"

"How about the matter I entrusted to you last year?"

Upon hearing this, Li Zheng looked at Zhao Fengnian, who nodded and walked out of the main hall. Soon after, two eunuchs carried in a large box.

Li Zheng immediately stepped forward and opened the lid. Inside the box were nearly a hundred books, each with a label on the cover, such as analysis of mortise and tenon joints, analysis of gears, analysis of quenching, and even analysis of agricultural seed selection and fattening.

Liu Mu took out a book analyzing gears, and his eyes lit up as he looked at it, unable to resist reading it.

"A gear, also known as a toothed gear, has teeth on its circumference. Two parallel shafts are connected and mutually support each other, a method called the 'flat gear' method!"

Below are two more gears of the same size, with their teeth meshing; the drawing is quite good.

Afterwards, Liu Mu looked at books analyzing breeding, mortise and tenon joints, paint, and ink, which contained simple and easy-to-understand methodologies and matching patterns.

This is for young children who have just learned to read and write; they can understand it. If someone is a genius, they might be able to create something amazing.

In particular, the herbal analysis section records on the first page how to combine ephedra, cinnamon twig, and ginger to relieve wind-cold, and what proportions can treat symptoms of cold and heat.

This is practically an ancient version of a barefoot doctor's manual. If literacy rates are high and this tool is widely disseminated, farmers will be able to treat their own illnesses.

These books were priceless treasures, and Liu Mu was very satisfied. After putting the books down, he showed an appreciative expression.

"Li Zheng, you have done a great job, even better than I expected. In addition to the works of artisans, you have also compiled medical and agricultural knowledge, which can help the people of our Han Dynasty live in peace and health."

"Tell me, what reward do you want?"

Faced with Liu Mu's question, Li Zheng was dumbfounded and looked at a loss for what to do. In fact, he wanted to ask a question.

Your Majesty, have you forgotten the agreement with the arsenal?

Minister of Works, Minister!

Liu Mu naturally hadn't forgotten that he just wanted to tease Li Zheng, which was actually a form of tacit approval.

There aren't many leaders who make empty promises and then take them, and who also have capable employees. In later generations, they would be considered "kings of empty promises."

Judging from how much weight she's lost, you can tell she's been working day and night for over a year; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to organize this whole box of books.

"Rest assured, I never break my word!"

"The position of Minister of Works is currently held by Ouyang Jing, and there are still many things that need to be done by him!"

"However, I feel that it is a bit of a waste of your talents to serve as Minister of Works, Li Aiqing. Therefore, I have decided to establish another ministry in addition to the Six Ministries, called the Ministry of Education, to manage the academies, books, and historical records of the country on behalf of the court!"

Liu Mu finally revealed that the department he had always wanted to establish was one that education was the foundation of the nation and could not be ignored.

Reading and understanding principles is not necessarily a bad thing. As for its impact on imperial power, it wouldn't have been significant for him before.

Previously, these things all belonged to the Ministry of Rites, but Liu Mu found that the Ministry of Rites was managing too much, managing almost everything related to the examination of morality, which was too cumbersome.

When the time is right, Liu Mu also wants to divide the Ministry of Justice into two parts: one to manage all the yamen runners and the other to manage all the criminal judgments. Only then will the eight ministries be reasonable!

Li Zheng still didn't quite understand and scratched his forehead.

"Your Majesty, promoting education is not the responsibility of the Ministry of Rites. If that's the case, I'd rather be a prefect!"

For a newcomer to officialdom to dare to challenge the power of a minister is like lighting a lamp in a latrine and asking for trouble.

Upon hearing this, Liu Mu took out a document from the table, which read "Report from Tianjin Wei Academy".

"This is the school that I established in Tianjin three months ago. All the children of soldiers can attend. Apart from meals and writing materials, everything else is free."

"And what I asked you to compile will become reading material for these children in the future. This is how we can cultivate officials who can get things done, or craftsmen whose skills surpass those of Wei Cheng!"

"Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Managing all the schools in the world, compiling his own materials, and expecting all the children in the world to learn from them—isn't that making him the first teacher of all scholars in the world?

Is he equivalent to Confucius?

From this day forward, your name will be etched in history!

This immense wealth is beyond my ability to bear, but if I were to refuse it, and His Majesty were to give it to someone else, I might as well go and bang my head against a wall.

Thinking of this, Li Zheng's eyes sharpened, and he took three steps forward, knelt down with a thud, and kowtowed!

"Your subject, Li Zheng, would gladly die ten thousand deaths!"

Li Guangdi, Zhou Peigong, and the other six ministers standing nearby were all extremely envious and wished they could replace him.

Especially Li Guangdi, who was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), was much better than Li Zheng, who was a Gongshi (a successful candidate in the provincial imperial examinations). He had read these analytical books and found them not too difficult.

Seeing everyone's expressions, Liu Mu shook his head. This was Li Zheng's good fortune, something that couldn't be explained.

"That's settled then. After this meeting, we'll start working on academies in various places, beginning with county schools. We can expand upon the existing county schools from the Ming Dynasty."

"Students begin their education at the age of six. After six years of study, they take a major exam. Those who pass can go to the provincial capital, study for another six years, and take another major exam. Those who pass can go to the Imperial Academy in the capital to study. After passing my exam, they can become officials."

That's the good thing about China; everything is built as a set. County schools are specifically for scholars to study, and they can accommodate hundreds of students with just an expansion.

As for universal reading?

That's a pipe dream; the country doesn't have that kind of capability.

Just as Liu Mu was about to inquire about military industry, he did not notice the drastic change in the expressions of the officials below him. In the end, it was Zhou Peigong who was pushed forward.

"Your Majesty, do you intend to abolish the imperial examination system?"

"Or perhaps you've stopped studying the Four Books and Five Classics?"

Upon hearing Zhou Peigong's words, Liu Mu realized that everyone had misunderstood, so he quickly waved his hand.

"It's not about abolishing the Four Books and Five Classics, but rather making them the main subjects. However, one must be proficient in agriculture, industry, commerce, and natural sciences, with agriculture being of paramount importance!"

"How can a dignified county magistrate who can't even distinguish between the five grains and doesn't understand spring planting and autumn harvest plan for the well-being of the people?"

"How can an official from the Ministry of Works, who doesn't even understand basic machinery and the science of things, possibly serve the country?"