Red Mansion Taoist

Chapter 327 Help
The New Year is in two days, which is actually the most leisurely period for Li Qiang.

The court meetings were stopped, and even if there were some government affairs, the cabinet would help handle them.

"Your Highness, what are you busy with? Why don't you come and listen to the opera with us?" Miaoyu, who was watching the opera, turned to Lin Daiyu and asked.

"Don't disturb him. He seems to have some inspiration and is writing something!" Lin Daiyu replied with a smile.

The Li Qiang they were talking about was in the study, bending over the desk drawing a blueprint.

With his huge wealth, he can mobilize countless manpower in Daqian, so he only needs to put forward his ideas and someone will be responsible for completing them.

It just so happened that he had these two days off, and a lot of new ideas came to his mind.

In the Daming Palace, the emperor was rarely enjoying himself, but was reading a book.

In front of him was a stack of books, all of which were tutorials written by Li Qiang.

Since the day Dai Quan went to the East Palace to bring back the books, the retired emperor has been holding the books in his hands and even stopped drinking and watching singing and dancing.

"Dai Quan, do you think there are really supreme geniuses in the world?" The emperor put down the book in his hand, rubbed his sore eyes and asked.

"Master, that's the prince!" Dai Quan replied with a smile.

This time it was not a compliment, but a sincere answer.

He read the books brought back from the Eastern Palace together with the retired emperor.

As the closest person to the retired emperor, he must read the books that the retired emperor has read.

If the emperor mentioned the contents of the book, he could also respond.

This is the reason why he was able to always stay by the side of the retired emperor and continue to enjoy favor.

"Yes, look at these books, this is the way of the world!" The emperor said with emotion, stroking the stack of books gently with his hand.

As an emperor who had ruled Daqian, how could he not know the problems of Daqian.

All the officials of Daqian were appointed for their talents in poetry and prose, and at most they studied some policy essays.

Most policy essays are just paper talk, and many officials make common sense mistakes in many aspects while in office.

If all officials studied the book written by Crown Prince Li Qiang, they would have extremely profound knowledge in all aspects, including industry, commerce, agriculture, etc.

"I heard that the Crown Prince is planning to hold an imperial examination next year, and the focus will be on recruiting talents in miscellaneous subjects?" The retired emperor turned around and asked.

He seldom asks about government affairs, and his memory is not as good as before, so he asked Dai Quan for confirmation.

"Yes, the prince has ordered the cabinet to do this!" Dai Quan replied.

"We can't let the Crown Prince come into direct conflict with the civil service system. Go and tell the Crown Prince that increasing the number of people in miscellaneous subjects is at my request!" The retired emperor said after thinking for a while.

Of course, he could see why Li Qiang was planning to increase the number of talents in various subjects, but this matter infringed on the interests of the literati system.

There has never been a case in history where miscellaneous subjects surpassed liberal arts. Li Qiang's actions would inevitably lead to a strong reaction from the literati system.

Even if Li Qiang ascends the throne to become emperor in the future, he cannot come into conflict with the literati system during this period.

This requires the emperor to use his own prestige to exert pressure. Anyway, even if the civil officials are dissatisfied with him, he will not care.

"Go and invite Duke Yansheng here!" the emperor continued to order.

Only the patriarch of the Kong family could hold the title of Duke Yansheng, a second-rank official position listed in the Imperial College.

The Kong family has an extraordinary status among literati, and is one of the few families that has been able to remain successful throughout the dynasties.

"Now?" Dai Quan asked softly.

The New Year is coming soon. Although Duke Yansheng has not returned to the family and is still in the capital, that is because he is too old. Even if he is in the capital, as the patriarch of the Kong family, it is also the busiest time for him.

If it was an ordinary minister, Dai Quan would not ask like this at all, but when it came to Duke Yansheng, he had to remind the retired emperor.

"Now, please invite Duke Yansheng over here!" the emperor nodded and said.

Dai Quan bowed and left. To invite Duke Yansheng to come, he had to go there in person, and he couldn't just call any eunuch.

The emperor picked up a book and started reading again. He had extremely rich life experiences, and reading these books always gave him a sense of enlightenment.

Many of his questions were answered while reading the book, and he would often have a sense of sudden enlightenment, that is, how it should be.

"If I hear the truth in the morning, I can die in the evening!" After a long time, the emperor sighed.

"Your Majesty, why are you so sentimental?" An old voice came from outside, and then an old figure walked into the hall.

"This old minister pays his respects to the Supreme Emperor!" The man who came was the current Duke Yansheng. He bowed and saluted.

There is no need to perform the kneeling ceremony. This was one of the rewards given to Duke Yansheng during the reign of the Supreme Emperor, and it was also the ultimate honor.

"Duke Yansheng is here, please sit down!" said the emperor, pointing to a chair beside him.

Duke Yansheng was not polite and sat next to the emperor.

As soon as he sat down, his eyes turned to the books on the table.

He spent his entire life learning. Although he could not say that he had read all the books in the world, he should have read all the books that could be placed in front of the emperor.

But when he saw the name of the book at the top, he was stunned.

"'Physics', is this the study of things?" Duke Yansheng guessed based on the title of the book.

"It is the study of things, but it is more profound than the study of things. The previous study of things was a small path, but this study of things is the great path!" The emperor replied with a smile.

Duke Yansheng's expression changed. He would not question the retired emperor's judgment.

When the emperor was young, he was also a brilliant man. If he had not been seriously ill, Daqian might have been much stronger than it is now.

"Can this old minister take a look?" asked Duke Yansheng.

"Just take it yourself!" said the emperor, waving his hand.

Duke Yansheng took the "Physics" and started reading it. He read it very carefully, and his expression became more and more solemn the more he read.

The retired emperor smiled and took a cup of ginseng tea and started drinking it. Ever since Li Qiang asked him to take care of himself, he had someone change the cup to ginseng tea.

After a long time, Duke Yansheng put down the book in his hand.

"This book is indeed the great truth!" No matter how unwilling Duke Yansheng was, he would not speak against his conscience, he said solemnly.

From Physics he saw pragmatism, the ultimate pragmatism, which was the opposite of the cultivation spirit pursued by Confucianism.

If this book is promoted, it will not have much impact on Confucianism in the short term, but it may not be the case in the long run.

"The Emperor has asked me to come here just to read this book?" Duke Yansheng wanted to hear what the Emperor had to say, so he asked.

"You haven't finished reading, there are more on the table!" said the emperor, pointing to other books on the table.

Duke Yansheng then realized that there were indeed quite a few books on the table. He took out another book, this time it was "Chemistry". Unfortunately, he found it extremely difficult to read this time.

He also saw "Mathematics" and "Nature", and they were not one volume but divided into many volumes.

This time he only took a quick look and understood the value of these books. "Who wrote this book? How could such a great talent be unheard of?" Duke Yan Sheng asked curiously.

He had made up his mind that once he found out who wrote the book, he would persuade that person not to allow the book to be widely disseminated.

"This was written by the Crown Prince. To tell you the truth, I plan to include the contents of this book in the imperial examinations and make it one of the conditions for selecting officials in Daqian!" said the retired emperor indifferently.

"What?" Duke Yansheng stood up in shock.

He was very clear about the impact it would have on the Kong family if he did so.

This would greatly reduce the influence of the Kong family. From then on, Confucianism would no longer be the only subject of study.

"No one in the world will agree to this! My Kong family will not agree to this either!" Duke Yansheng slowly sat down and said in a deep voice.

When it comes to family interests, he won't make any concessions even when facing the emperor.

"You have to think carefully. This book was written by the prince. I have taken on the task of promoting this book. If I let the prince do it, he will not sit down and talk with you like I did!" The emperor said calmly.

Since Duke Yansheng is acting in the interests of his family, if you want him to make concessions, you need to start with his family.

Duke Yansheng heard the threat from the retired emperor, and of course he was unwilling to accept it.

But he thought about the prince's deeds, and knew that none of the forces that were hostile to the prince would have a good ending.

The most terrifying thing is that the prince acts without any scruples.

Take the case of the four Dukes' Mansions that participated in targeting the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince almost immediately fought back and emptied the four Dukes' Mansions.

This is still relatively mild. The Prince of Beijing's Mansion and the Prince of Zhongshun's Mansion were all slaughtered by the Crown Prince.

Duke Yansheng thought about the prince's actions. Even the royal palace dared to retaliate in this way. Although the Confucius Mansion had an independent status among the literati, who could guarantee that the prince would not take action against the Confucius Mansion for revenge?

Duke Yansheng even thought of the scene of the martial arts performance that day. He was one of the officials sitting on the city wall.

I saw with my own eyes that a few guards around the prince slaughtered three thousand assassins as easily as cutting melons and vegetables.

"Even if I agree, the scholars in the world will not be willing!" Duke Yansheng sighed.

"Thank you, Lord Yansheng, for your support!" said the emperor with a smile.

Duke Yansheng said this because he acknowledged the matter in front of the retired emperor, and he would not be able to object in the future.

"I will not accomplish this immediately. I will first borrow the influence of the Kong family to promote this set of books throughout the world. When the influence of this book reaches a certain level, I will add these contents to the imperial examinations!" the emperor continued.

Duke Yansheng had a bitter look on his face. He really didn't want to get involved in this matter, but when he thought of Crown Prince Li Qiang, he had to bow his head.

"Everything is for the family!" he thought to himself.

When Duke Yansheng left, his steps were extremely heavy.

Behind him, the emperor was smiling particularly happily.

When Li Qiang received the message from the retired emperor, he was greatly surprised. He did not expect that the retired emperor would take action.

The emperor's help saved him a lot of trouble. Otherwise, with his ability, it would take him more than ten years to promote this set of books.

"Master, those people have returned to Beijing!" Jin Dong came up to Li Qiang and reported.

"Where is he now?" Li Qiang asked.

"It will be arranged in the second courtyard on East Street!" Jin Dong replied.

"Have someone prepare the carriage and wait for me. I will leave the palace after I visit the Crown Princess!" Li Qiang stood up and gave the order.

He left the main hall and came to the Crown Princess's bedroom, where all the concubines were gathered to watch the show.

"Brother Qiang, are you done with your work?" Lin Daiyu said with a smile.

When she turned around to speak, the opera that was being performed stopped, for fear of disturbing the conversation between the Crown Princess and the Crown Prince.

"Sister Lin, I received news that several members of the Jia family have arrived in Beijing. Let's get ready to leave the palace and meet them!" Li Qiang replied.

He saw that all the concubines around him were looking at him, and their eyes all showed that they wanted to leave the palace.

"Why are you joining in the fun? Yingchun, Tanchun, Xichun, why don't you all go together!" Li Qiang shook her head and said.

The other concubines also knew that the Jia family had nothing to do with them, so they gave up the idea of ​​leaving the palace together.

Lin Daiyu and the three sisters' makeup was ready, but it still took some time. It didn't matter to the ladies in the Eastern Palace, but they had to pay attention to their manners when they went out. From the ornaments on their heads to the clothes on their bodies, they had to reflect the majesty of the Eastern Palace.

It was not until half an hour later that Li Qiang, Lin Daiyu and Sanchun got on the carriage.

Five people sat in a carriage, and there were two more carriages following behind for the maids. The eunuchs and guards who accompanied them all walked.

The carriage stopped in front of the gate of a double courtyard. The maids helped open the curtains and helped Lin Daiyu and the other girls down.

Jia She, Jia Zheng, Jia Lian and their wives knelt in front of the courtyard gate. Everyone looked at the women with awe, as well as Li Qiang who slowly got out of the car.

Especially when Li Qiang appeared, everyone bowed their heads deeply.

"Stand up!" Li Qiang came in front of everyone and said lightly.

Everyone in the Jia family breathed a sigh of relief and stood up one by one.

Only then did Li Qiang see the appearance of these people clearly. Jia She looked haggard, as if he was ten years older than before. Jia Zheng was better, but he was also thin.

The one who has changed the most is Jia Lian. The originally handsome young man has now become dark-faced, like an old farmer in the country.

The changes of several ladies are also significant. Except for Wang Xifeng, who still looks acceptable because of her age, the others, including Lady Xing and Lady Wang, look like old women.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, please come in quickly!" Jia She said in a flattering voice.

His eyes swept over Yingchun. It was only when he returned to Beijing that he heard that Li Qiang had taken Yingchun as his concubine.

Unfortunately, Yingchun looked at him without any emotion, and the coldness made Jia She almost dare not look her in the eye.

Mrs. Xing was also looking at the women and found that Xing Xiuyan did not follow them. She couldn't help feeling disappointed.

She heard that Xing Xiuyan had entered the Eastern Palace as a concubine, but she did not see Xing Xiuyan arrive.

She somewhat regretted not taking better care of Xing Xiuyan's family back then, so it was difficult to build relationships with them now.

She didn't have much power in the Jia family back then, and her brother and sister-in-law didn't help her at all and only dragged her down.

But who would have thought that my brother and sister-in-law's daughter was so lucky that she could marry into the Eastern Palace as a concubine.

Mrs. Xing has made up her mind that no matter how difficult it is to deal with her brother and sister-in-law, she will do her best to please them.

Jia Zheng was looking at Tanchun, his daughter.

He also understood his current situation. Although he was acquitted, the Jia family had lost their home and he didn't know how to live.

If he wants to return to his previous life, he can only rely on his daughter.

Jia Zheng looked at Lin Daiyu again, and secretly blamed Jia Baoyu in his heart for harassing Lin Daiyu and worsening the relationship between the Jia family and Li Qiang. Otherwise, perhaps the Jia family would not have been ransacked.

(End of this chapter)