From a son-in-law to a favorite of the empress

Chapter 682

The lights in the box were particularly bright. Zhou Yuan sat upright on a chair and ate quietly.

Liu Jing looked at the young man he had known for a long time. Looking back, he realized that he had come a long way. He was no longer the small commander of the North City Army. He had become a giant, a giant that could influence the country.

His words, to a certain extent, were almost equivalent to the words of His Majesty.

His style of doing things also quietly changed in the transformation of his identity. His high-spirited temperament slowly evolved into majesty, ambition, arbitrariness and unquestionable.

"Lord Liu, don't think about it. Let's talk while we eat."

Zhou Yuan's voice was very calm, but Liu Jing didn't feel friendly. He just laughed dryly and lowered his head to eat. These delicious dishes that he usually loved became difficult to swallow now.

"I remember the first time I came to this box very clearly."

Zhou Yuan said slowly: "At that time, I had just arrived in Shenjing not long ago, and I had not yet figured out the rules of Shenjing. I hurriedly proposed a plan to reorganize Shenjing. Lord Liu invited me to dinner here to talk about the distribution of the millions of taels of silver."

"We had a pleasant conversation and laid the foundation for our friendship in the future."

He paused slightly and smiled: "That's why there was a change in grain planting in the future, and the current good situation."

"Lord Liu, you are the Minister of Revenue, you should have a good memory, but do you still remember what Zhou Yuan did?"

Liu Jing sighed and said: "Of course I remember everything."

Zhou Yuan said: "I said that planting sweet potatoes can achieve several times the yield, you don't believe it anyway, but for the sake of the people, you are willing to try, and finally succeed."

"I gave you a large sum of money every year to reorganize Shenjing, more than 30 million taels of silver to recover the Central Plains, and tens of millions of taels of silver to patrol the salt in the south."

"Have you ever been disappointed by everything I have done over the years, Lord Liu?"

Liu Jing said solemnly: "I have never been disappointed, so I have only respect for the Duke of Weiguo, but I didn't expect..."

Zhou Yuan said lightly: "There is no such thing as unexpected. Your Majesty and I are of one mind and one strength, only seeking to revitalize the Great Jin Dynasty. All you need to think about is how to assist."

At this point, he looked at Shen Qiaoshan and said: "Mr. Qiaoshan, you are a great scholar of the time, but you are not respected by the whole country. Now you have become the most respected great scholar by scholars and students, and the most respected teacher in the Imperial Academy. Isn't it my cultivation?"

"The four sentences of the saint who shocked the world, establishing a heart for heaven and earth, establishing a life for the people, inheriting the unique knowledge of the past saints, and opening peace for all generations, are from my hand, right?"

"I gave you a chance and let you perform in Lin'an Prefecture, so you have the lofty status you have today."

"Can you deny this?"

Shen Qiaoshan looked ashamed and lowered his head.

Zhou Yuan looked at Zhuang Xuansu again and said, "Do you remember the first time we met in Lin'an Prefecture? At that time, you were heroic and full of pride, but you were suffering from the predicament of Lin'an Prefecture."

"I helped you solve the rebellion in Liangjiang and defend Lin'an Prefecture."

"You said that Your Majesty needed help and hoped that I could go to Beijing. Over the years, I have rectified the capital, traveled thousands of miles to serve the king, recovered the Central Plains, repelled the Eastern Tartars, investigated the salt business, and flattened Mongolia. I have helped Your Majesty, right? I have fulfilled your original wish, right?"

"Zhuang Xuansu, do you owe me?"

Zhuang Xuansu also lowered his head in shame.

Zhou Yuan then smiled and said, "It seems that from the moment I stepped into the political arena of Dajin, all the decisions I made were questioned endlessly, but the facts have proved that all my decisions were correct, and they also greatly changed the face of Dajin and achieved positive and active effects."

"So, whether I am a first-class duke or a humble clerk, you should support me."

"This time, it is the same."

Liu Jing sighed and said, "Duke Weiguo, it's not that we don't support you, but... the Imperial Academy is the ancestral system!"

Zhou Yuan said, "The world is changing, the times are changing, but the ancestral system does not change. How can we keep up with the times and stand at the forefront of the tide if we respond to the changes in the world with an unchanged approach? ”

“Lord Liu is the Minister of Revenue. Doesn’t he know the principle of seeking innovation and change? Without seeking innovation and change, how can there be a bumper harvest of sweet potatoes?”

“Emperor Shengzu used swords and spears to conquer the world, but now we have to use swords and spears to face the Portuguese cannon?”

“The dynasty is like water. It lives when it moves and dies when it is still.”

“The same is true for thousands of things in the world.”

He looked at the first three people and said in a deep voice: “The awakening of national blood is a heaven-sent opportunity. I want to take this opportunity to promote the reform of education, open the wisdom of the people, enlighten hundreds of millions of people, discover talents, and strengthen the country.”

“The Imperial Academy is a temple in the hearts of the people. This temple is equivalent to ideals and authority. It must showrate, which represents the attitude of the court. "

"The King of Chu likes thin waists, and many people in the palace starved to death. The attitude of the court often determines the pace and trend of the times."

"Therefore, the reform of the Imperial Academy has come to the time of deployment."

Zhuang Xuansu understood, and she said in a deep voice: "Do you have a plan?"

Zhou Yuan said lightly: "Your Majesty will soon issue an order to appoint Qiao Shan Gong as the Grand Master of the Imperial Academy."

"What Qiao Shan Gong has to do is to take the initiative to propose reforms, and complete the unification of opinions of the upper echelons of the Imperial Academy, unite the reformists, wipe out the stubborn factions, and twist the Imperial Academy into a rope to lay a good foundation for the reform."

"Within half a year, I want to see that everyone in the Imperial Academy welcomes the arrival of the reform. During this period, if there are special circumstances, the Internal Court Department will be responsible for helping to deal with them."

"Kill those who should be killed, and drive away those who should be driven away. No mercy, no mercy. "

Shen Qiaoshan's face turned pale, and he trembled and said, "You...you want me to be a sinner for all eternity?"

Zhou Yuan said, "I have allowed you to be a saint for all eternity, so you can be a sinner for all eternity. Besides, some people hate you, and naturally there are also people who support you, such as students from other departments."

"The Imperial Academy will be reorganized into six departments. In addition to literature, medicine, engineering, science, mathematics and martial arts will be added."

"There is no need to elaborate on literature, martial arts and medicine. Engineering is the so-called strange skills. We have many skilled craftsmen in Dajin, but they are often inherited from the family. The technology has not been widely disseminated and has not benefited the world. The monopoly has also lost the motivation for innovation, and it is easy to cause the phenomenon of loss."

"We need countless skilled craftsmen in Dajin. From the construction of houses, ships, and bridges to the innovation of tables, chairs, and utensils, we need them. ”

“Neo-Confucianism is the exploration and summary of the rules of heaven and earth, and the comprehension of the laws of the natural world. We need to understand the changes in weather, the fluctuations of the earth, the movement of water, the trajectory of force, and everything else.”

“That’s how the falconet and the flintlock came about. If anyone says this is not important, take my bullet first.”

He took out the flintlock in his arms and pointed it at Shen Qiaoshan.

Shen Qiaoshan’s face changed, and he immediately said, “I think this is very important. Ziyi said it very well!”

Zhou Yuan put away his gun and said lightly, “What Mr. Liu needs to be responsible for is how to make students of engineering, science, and mathematics have places to go, jobs to do, and money to earn after graduation.”

“Only money and social status can drive the vigorous development of an industry or academic discipline. How to drive people to want to learn this kind of knowledge requires detailed design and deployment. ”

“You can consult the best of these industries, or discuss with His Majesty how to reform the system. For example, in the future, the Ministry of Industry will only employ students who have graduated from engineering and science. If you give them a way out, they will naturally be willing to learn.”

“This task is very difficult, Lord Liu, I’ll leave it to you.”

Liu Jing gritted his teeth and said, “As long as Your Majesty has no objection, I naturally have no objection.”

Zhou Yuan said, “Your Majesty is a wise monarch, and she will support anything that is beneficial to the country.”

Zhuang Xuansu frowned and said, “Then what should I do? Urge them to do things?”

Zhou Yuan smiled and said, “This is just one of them. More importantly, you have to mobilize the intelligence network of the Internal Court Department and recruit talents all over the world.”

“New knowledge requires textbooks, teachers, and professional talents to compile and teach. Only the Internal Court Department can find them and bring them together.”

“Give them money and honor, and let them come to Shenjing. "

"If they are really outstanding but can't insist, then put a knife on their necks and force them to come."

"For such things, the Inner Court Department doesn't need my teaching."

Zhuang Xuansu said coldly: "I will report today's events to His Majesty truthfully. If His Majesty agrees, the Inner Court Department will go all out."

Zhou Yuan laughed and nodded slowly.

The eldest sister is not stupid, of course she will support it. What she wants is imperial power and a prosperous world. This matter does not conflict with her.