Chương 530: If we can't handle the emperor, can't we handle his son?

The biggest hidden danger of the Sima clan has finally been resolved.

The family that ended the Three Kingdoms period and established the Jin Dynasty, but also brought about the chaos of the Five Barbarian Tribes and plunged China into three hundred years of darkness, was reduced to ashes prematurely in his hands.

In another time and space, they stole the world, but plunged the Central Plains into an abyss.

Now, everything is over before it even began.

"Next," Liu Ce put down his wine glass, his voice firm.

"Continue to purge the powerful families throughout the country. Anyone who dares to resist will be punished as a traitor. I want everyone in the world to know that this world belongs to the people, not the powerful families. Whoever dares to block my way is my enemy."

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Lu Bing bowed and accepted the order, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

...

On the tenth day of the fourth month of the first year of Shenwu, at Qingfeng Teahouse in the south of Luoyang City.

The private room on the second floor was completely enclosed, with the bamboo curtains drawn so tightly that there wasn't even a crack left.

Inside, it was as noisy as a market, so loud that the shopkeeper downstairs thought there was a fight upstairs and almost called the authorities.

More than thirty elderly scholars, students, and officials dressed in Confucian robes sat around three tables. The tea on the tables had long since gone cold, with the tea leaves sinking to the bottom of the cups, turning a dark green.

They were all red-faced and spittle flying as they argued heatedly.

The most senior scholar, seated in the main seat, was surnamed Zheng and named Yuan. His hair was completely white, and his beard was even longer than his hair. At that moment, he was slamming his fist on the table, so angry that his beard stood up in a V-shape, making it look like his eyebrows had grown in the wrong place.

"Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous! The results of the Ministry of Personnel's assessment came out yesterday. A total of 120 people passed, and only 30 of them are from our Confucian school! 30! Less than 30%!"

The rest are all peasants who studied mathematics, agronomy, and engineering! Farmers, blacksmiths, accountants—they're all riding roughshod over us! Is this still a world for scholars?

"That's right!" Wang Sheng, standing nearby, looked miserable, his eyes red-rimmed, tears streaming down his face.

"I studied the Four Books and Five Classics diligently for ten years, reciting them fluently, and even memorizing the hexagram texts of the Book of Changes. I thought I had passed the exam, but when it came to 'Farmland Irrigation Practice,' I had never even held a hoe before. How could I answer? In the end, I failed. Ten years of hard study were no match for someone else's hoe!"

"What's this!" Li Jie, an official from the Ministry of Revenue, took a swig of wine, his face flushed and neck bulging, and said through gritted teeth.

"We have a new accountant promoted by Shen Wansan in our Ministry of Revenue. His surname is Qian and his given name is Qian Youyu. He can't even recite the Analects of Confucius. He doesn't know anything about what Confucius said or what the Book of Poetry said. He can't even write neatly. All he can do is use an abacus and click away at lightning speed. He's actually become the person in charge!"

They're always pointing their fingers at us Confucian scholars and beating us up, saying we're slow at accounting, worse than a bookkeeper! They say we 'can't even do basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, how can we manage the national treasury!' We've spent half our lives studying the classics, and we've completely disgraced ourselves!"

"And that Royal Auditor General's Office of Statistics!" Master Zheng was so angry his hands trembled, and his teacup shook.

"Last month they investigated my family and said we had concealed two thousand acres of land and wanted to fine us one million coins! I told them that 'the law does not apply to high-ranking officials,' but they actually said, 'His Majesty said that even princes are subject to the same laws as commoners, let alone your family!'"

In the end, I had to sell all my possessions to raise the money for the fine; I almost had to sell even the ancestral graves! The ancestral graves! Our ancestors almost had nowhere to live! Our family's land—that was passed down from our ancestors!

The crowd complained incessantly, growing more and more aggrieved, with some even wiping away tears.

Back in the day, the Han Dynasty exclusively revered Confucianism, and Confucian scholars were the most respected people in the world. As long as one was well-versed in the Four Books and Five Classics, one could become an official, make a fortune, bring glory to one's ancestors, and be respected wherever one went.

Back then, who dared to disrespect Confucian scholars?

But what about now? Those who can farm, blacksmith, accountant, and doctor can all become officials, while these Confucian scholars who have studied the classics their whole lives have become unwanted good-for-nothings, unable to even compete for a teaching position in a county school with a graduate from an agricultural school.

Just as everyone was sighing and lamenting, Zhang Heng, an official from the Ministry of Personnel who had been silent until now, suddenly brightened up, slapped his thigh so hard he almost broke the table, and teacups jumped up:

"Everyone! Don't worry! I have a brilliant idea to strike at the heart of the problem! If we can't handle the emperor, can't we handle his son?"

Everyone fell silent instantly, turning to look at him like a pack of hungry wolves spotting their prey: "What brilliant idea does Lord Zhang have? Speak quickly!"

"Crown Prince Liu Chen is already six years old this year!" Zhang Heng shook his head proudly, his mouth almost reaching his ears in a grin.

"According to the rules, he should have started his studies long ago! But have you heard? His Majesty hasn't assigned a teacher to the Crown Prince yet! The Eastern Palace still doesn't have a Grand Tutor!"

"That's right! How come I didn't think of that!" Old Master Zheng suddenly perked up, slapped his forehead, and his beard trembled three times.

"The Crown Prince is the heir apparent, the future emperor! As long as he receives Confucian education from a young age, studies the classics, and understands benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness, he will surely abolish those messy systems and restore the tradition of Confucianism as the sole state ideology when he ascends the throne! Then, our good days will return! This is what we call starting from childhood!"

"Brilliant! This is the long-term solution! It strikes at the root of the problem, addressing the problem at its source! It hits the bullseye!"

"No matter how much Your Majesty dislikes Confucianism, you can't possibly prevent your son from studying, can you? What emperor would forbid his crown prince from learning the ways of the sages? That's unacceptable! Aren't you afraid of being laughed at by the world?"

"In a few days, we will all go to the palace to request an audience with His Majesty! We will submit a joint petition, requesting His Majesty to select a highly respected Confucian scholar as the Grand Tutor for the Crown Prince!"

The crowd instantly became energized, their previous worries vanished, and they were all beaming with pride and their eyes were shining.

Everyone was eager to get started and began to divide the tasks.

The students were responsible for creating momentum in Luoyang, posting notices everywhere, and generating public opinion.

Incumbent officials are responsible for contacting colleagues and expanding their influence; those in opposition are responsible for writing articles and creating momentum.

Even the choice for the Crown Prince's tutor has been decided, and the highly respected Cai Yong has been chosen.

Cai Yong was a literary giant, a master calligrapher, the empress's father, and the crown prince's maternal grandfather, making him the most suitable candidate.

He possesses both virtue and talent, and enjoys the highest reputation; no one is more suitable than him.

"Once Lord Cai becomes the Crown Prince's tutor, we'll arrange for several Confucian scholars to serve as his tutors. They'll speak to the Crown Prince about the ways of the sages, about benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness, about the relationship between ruler and subject, and between father and son. Through constant exposure and subtle influence, they can warm even a stone, let alone a six-year-old!"

"Within ten years, the Crown Prince will surely become a staunch follower of Confucianism! When he ascends the throne, his first act will be to restore the orthodox Confucianism!"

"Then, all those peasants who went to work in factories and farms will be kicked out! The world will still belong to us Confucian scholars! Fortune turns in the wind, next year it'll be our turn! We'll get our revenge for the hardships and humiliations we suffer now, tenfold!"