The Empire will continue to win

"What do you mean?" Both brothers were furious.

"Currently, Supervisor Shen is enjoying too much imperial favor and his ostentatious displays will attract the jealousy of petty people."

"Don't believe me? We'll see."

"Master Gu, you are my son's confidant, and I won't spit on you today, but I want to give you a piece of life experience for free."

"I am all ears."

"Never pretend to be smart. Even if you really are, you have to be discreet. Why? Because nobody likes dealing with smart people. Who knows what you're thinking? Who isn't worried about being schemed against? Look at Zhang Zongcang, he's a good guy. He looks honest and kind, and we all like him!"

.........

Wedding banquets were also divided into different ranks. Among the guests, those with higher official ranks were seated in the main hall, those with slightly lower ranks were seated in the inner courtyard, and the rest were seated in the outer courtyard.

Although Shen Zheng was muddle-headed, he still knew proper etiquette. He held his father-in-law Du Fengzhi's hand, clinking glasses and chatting happily.

The groom, Shen Moqing, was the busiest person at the entire event!

"What a dashing groom!"

"I was unaware that Lord Yuxian had taken time out of his busy schedule to grace my humble abode with his presence. It is an honor for me." Shen Moqing feigned surprise and deliberately lowered his cup by two inches when clinking glasses with the other.

"Want to chat for a bit?"

The two walked to a corner.

"I apprehended a spy gang at Yanshan Heavy Industry, and by following the clues, I uncovered four or five corrupt officials from Beijing who had been dragged into the scheme for their greed."

"Great! Let's rid the country of this scourge!"

"But Prince Gong hinted that I should quit while I was ahead, and Ding Baozhen sent a telegram saying that he had taken over Yanshan Heavy Industry and hoped that I would inform him before arresting people."

"What are you going to do?"

"I want to ask you something!"

Shen Moqing shook his head: "We can't retreat."

Why?

"The Ministry of Justice is not under the jurisdiction of the Shandong Governor. He does his job, and you do yours. He has no right to order you around. Unless... the Empress Dowager issues an imperial edict ordering you to withdraw."

"Wouldn't that mean I've offended both Prince Gong and Ding Baozhen?"

"Ding Baozhen is a gentleman, and a gentleman seeks fame; offending him is no big deal. Prince Gong is a member of the royal family, and his status is delicate. Becoming enemies with him may not be a bad thing for you."

"Go on."

"We cannot retreat! With the two countries at war, spies are everywhere. This is the time for the Ministry of Justice to show its skills. On the surface, it is to catch spies, but in reality, it is to seize power."

"OK!"

Yu Xian gave a soft "good" and stared intently at Shen Moqing, as if gazing at an uncarved piece of jade, her heart filled with joy.

Comrades are hard to find!

.........

As we were talking~

Shen Zheng came over.

Yu Xian casually remarked, "If only I had a son as intelligent as Mo Qing."

This muddle-headed second uncle was drunk, and when he heard someone praising his son, he immediately spouted a bunch of meaningless platitudes.

"You've failed as a father! If you had nurtured him from a young age, you could have made Moqing a successful candidate in the imperial examinations. With his political acumen, he could have easily become a Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice. What a pity!" Yu Xian was truly disappointed.

After saying that, he walked away on his own.

The muddle-headed father, yet he did good things.

Shen Moqing understood, but pretended not to. Yu Xian was implying that he hoped she would recognize him as her godfather. However, she did not want to be associated with this cruel official.

Before time travel, there is one piece of political common sense:

The position of head of an intelligence agency may seem glamorous, but it is a political poison. Once you get to that position, you're unlikely to advance any further in your career.

If we broaden the concept of intelligence agency chiefs, they are essentially cruel officials and henchmen.

We need ruthless officials, but we ourselves cannot be ruthless officials.

.........

The imperial examinations of the United Empire, also known as the global imperial examinations, consisted of two parts: Confucianism and Western studies (mathematics, physics, chemistry, navigation, etc.), with Confucianism questions accounting for 60%.

This is a national policy that will remain unchanged for all time.

Those in positions of power know that the ultimate purpose of the global imperial examination system is to export the ideology of the United Empire to the world.

The layout of Ru Liu and Xi Si is an extremely ingenious design.

If the exam questions were all Confucian, young European intellectuals would be disappointed and thus give up on participating.

The global imperial examination system is like an online game on Earth; the more free players there are, the greater its real-world influence.

The combination of Confucianism in the Six Confucian Schools and Western School in the Four Confucian Schools can attract a large number of free-to-play players. Furthermore, it ensures the selection of a group of local Confucian scholars with some scientific knowledge, thereby driving the empire's industrial revolution.

If the exam questions were entirely based on Western learning, the gentry would strongly oppose it, even to the point of rebellion. Moreover, completely abandoning tradition could easily lead to unpredictable chaos, or even the downfall of the nation.

The Confucian scholars of the Sixth and Western Fourth Ranks faced very little opposition from the gentry, and some even wholeheartedly supported it.

It wasn't that the gentry genuinely loved science, but rather that Confucianism was also a religion, and as such, it had devout followers. They actively supported the overseas expansion of the imperial examination system, hoping that intellectuals worldwide would wear Confucian robes and study the teachings of Confucius and Mencius.

And then~

The rising gentry of the south, for many unspoken reasons, began to fund impoverished fellow countrymen who had become scholars to go overseas to Batavia, Penang, Luzon, and even London, Paris, and New York to open schools and teach.

The gifts given as tuition were very expensive.

But the number of people signing up was overwhelming.

Because middle-class young people in European countries aspire to become government officials.

Thus, the impoverished scholars who had traveled across the ocean transformed into highly respected middle-class individuals in the local community. Then, for their own benefit, they vigorously promoted the imperial examination system on various occasions.

In just a few decades, its influence has been firmly established.

The newspaper industry is one of the most profoundly influential sectors!

In Europe, in North America, and especially in the United States, advocating for a global imperial examination system and promoting the civilization of Jiangnan has become an unspoken political correctness within the industry.

The editor-in-chief leads the way in praising, and the reporters follow suit.

Whoever doesn't join in the boasting will have to boast about their job.

The gentry in the south contributed the most, spending large sums of money each year to buy journalists' pens.

.........

A wedding is all about toasting.

Pearl, a first-class maid, followed behind the young master carrying a wine pot. As soon as the wine cup was empty, she would refill it and then leave.

The wine pot in her hand was a specially made mandarin duck pot, one half filled with wine and the other half with water.

When the young master meets a VIP, she pours real wine.

When the young master encounters insignificant guests or relatives, he can easily turn the trigger and pour out nothing but plain water.

Is six taels a lot for such a pretty maidservant every month?

.........

Even so, Shen Moqing was so drunk that he was unsteady on his feet.

"The groom~"

"Lieutenant Weng, eat and drink well."

"Come on, let's have a drink." Weng Zenghan left the table drunkenly and put his arm around Shen Moqing's shoulder, just like a drunkard.

Suddenly, he leaned in and whispered:

"His Majesty has decreed that I should convey the following: Shen Moqing is a rare talent, and after assuming personal rule, I am willing to make great use of him."

After saying that, he drank it all in one gulp.

Then he walked away.

Shen Moqing thought to herself, "Oh no, I didn't expect to be dragged into the power struggle between the emperor and empress so early." But then she thought again and felt relieved. The young emperor's edict was just empty talk. It seemed like he was favored by the emperor, but he couldn't deliver on his promises.

Your mother is only 26, and she's very healthy.

Hot body, deep mind, and power-hungry~ With a mother like that, how long will it take for you, little kid, to finally be able to rule?

What's worse is that you have two mothers.

In politics, one must be realistic.

.........

late at night.

Logically, it should be time for the wedding night.

"Get a copy of the Imperial Charter."

"Young Master, what did you say?"

"Go find a copy of the Imperial Charter; I want my wife and I to copy it together."

Under the glow of the wedding candles, under the watchful eyes of the maids and servants, and in the joyous atmosphere of the bridal chamber, the couple copied the "Imperial Charter" together.

Shen Moqing felt a little regretful; such a historic moment should have been commemorated with a photo.