During the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty, there was no prime minister in the court during this period.
The prime ministers are all three high-ranking officials. Therefore, although the senior official in Zhongshu, Guan Zhongshu Ling, the senior official in the family, the minister in charge, and the senior official in Shangshu, Shangshu Ling, do not have the name of prime minister, they still perform the duties of the prime minister.
Because Li Er served as Shangshu Ling before he ascended the throne, the post of Shangshu Ling became vacant after Li Shimin.
As Shangshu Zuopushe, Fang Xuanling was equivalent to the position of prime minister.
Soon, Sun Wuji, a senior official in Zhongshu, Wei Zheng from Menxiasheng, Shangshu Zuopu Shefang Xuanling, and ministers from various ministries were all invited.
In the past few days, the price of paper, pens, inkstones and all kinds of books has increased like a rocket, and even the imperial court's expenses are very tight.
These people did not go back after going to court. They were all thinking about countermeasures in their respective rooms.
After all, the funds of each department are limited. If the prices of these things cannot be reduced, I really don’t know how to maintain it.
Paper, pen, ink and inkstone are essential necessities for office work.
Seeing such a big fanfare, they were a little puzzled. They didn't know what the purpose of His Majesty Li Er was in calling them here?
But they are all old foxes, and they can guess what they say and say.
It turned out that I was looking for them to discuss the family's price increase on paper, pens, inkstones and books.
But has His Majesty Li Er found a solution in such a short period of time?
Thinking about it, I find it incredible. If there was a way, it should be announced at the court meeting this morning.
Today, more than half of the paper, pens, inkstones and books are in the hands of aristocratic families.
If the family doesn't let go, this problem is really not an ordinary thorny issue.
However, Changsun Wuji, Wei Zheng and various ministers had a vague feeling that His Majesty Li Er should find a way.
Of course, others are just guessing, and only Fang Xuanling knows it. It seems that His Majesty Li Er is going to launch the plan formulated by Yang Fan!
"I have met your Majesty!"
Everyone bowed and waited quietly.
"I love you, no need to be polite." His Majesty Li Er's sharp gaze slowly passed over everyone.
When everyone was a little embarrassed, Li Er continued to speak: "I have summoned you here to discuss the substantial increase in the prices of paper, pens, inkstones and various books."
Changsun Wuji, Wei Zheng and others exchanged glances with each other, and they all tilted their jaws slightly, as if they were indeed like this.
As the provincial minister under the sect, Wei Zheng can be said to be under the greatest pressure.
The Menxia Province was equivalent to the General Office of the State Council in later generations, responsible for the operation of various departments of the entire Tang Dynasty.
Now that the prices of these office products have increased significantly, these government departments are naturally the first to bear the brunt.
After hearing His Majesty Li Er's words, Wei Zheng asked impatiently: "Has Your Majesty found a solution?"
The implementation of the plan involves many confidential things. For now, His Majesty Li Er cannot reveal everything.
So I had no choice but to say carelessly: "There is no good way, but in order to maintain the stability of the court and the smooth progress of this year's spring examination, I have decided to increase the allocation from the treasury, part of which will be used to purchase paper, pens, inkstones, and part of which will be used for printing. Books for imperial examinations.”
Then the conversation changed:
"The imperial examination is the basic national policy of the Tang Dynasty, and this reform of the imperial examination is even more related to the country and the country of the Tang Dynasty."
"Nowadays, the quality of books on the imperial examinations on the market varies greatly, and the prices have skyrocketed nearly ten times. This is extremely detrimental to the study of poor students and people all over the world."
"So, after careful consideration, I plan to establish a new Information Department to serve the imperial examinations, which will be under the management of the Ministry of Rites."
"From now on, all books used in the imperial examinations of the Tang Dynasty will be annotated and printed by the Information Department of the Ministry of Rites. The content and answers of the imperial examinations of the Four Books and Five Classics will be based on the annotations issued by the Information Department."
"In addition, I have decided to increase the printing volume of these books and promote them to the world at half the current market price. The future prices will fluctuate with price fluctuations."
"This will not only allow all poor students and common people in the world to enjoy the care of the court, but also allow people who want to study to be able to afford books. What do you think of this measure? Let's discuss it now."
After listening to Li Shimin's words, the officials present couldn't help but take a breath.
Cruel, His Majesty Li Er is too cruel!
The price of books from the aristocratic family increased, and His Majesty Li Er immediately replaced the reference books for the imperial examination.
This move is really wonderful!
It can be said that it hit the noble family directly above seven inches.
In this way, all the imperial examination books in the hands of the aristocratic families can be directly abolished, and the absolute monopoly of knowledge will no longer exist.
Moreover, the reference books for the imperial examination were based on those published by the Information Department, which indirectly gave the court the right to print rubbings of imperial examination books.
The aristocratic family's previous conspiracy to restrict and bribe poor children through books will be completely shattered.
This move is really too high!
All matters related to the imperial examinations were handled by the Ministry of Rites, which further strengthened the court's control over intellectuals.
Yang Fan, the Minister of Rites, is also the son-in-law of His Royal Highness Li Er. In fact, His Majesty is indirectly responsible for all this.
The imperial court could strengthen its control over intellectuals and further deepen its imperial power.
With one strong and the other weak, the power of the family will inevitably be weakened.
This change was so cruel that it was no different than a declaration of war by aristocratic families.
However, as long as this kind of measures can be implemented in an orderly manner, it will not take several generations for the family to be absolutely submissive to the imperial power.
Such a surprise would definitely have a miraculous effect on suppressing the family.
All the ministers present were surprised and fell into deep thought.
Of course they didn't believe that this was the solution that His Majesty Li Er found personally.
Judging from His Majesty Li Er's behavior, he shouldn't be so reckless.
Immediately, a person flashed in everyone's mind.
Could it be that guy Yang Fan?
The more they thought about it, the more everyone felt that it should be Yang Fan's handiwork.
Sure enough, he was worthy of being called a stick. Isn't that bastard afraid of the family's counterattack?
The family did not dare to deal with His Majesty Li Er blatantly, but a prince like Yang Fan was still not enough in the face of the family's power.
This approach is good for the court and the people of the world, but it also has great disadvantages.
If the imperial examination books and other items were sold at half price, it would be a test for the imperial treasury. This would be a huge expense.
If we look at the current taxes of the imperial court, they simply cannot support such huge consumption.
Although the tax this year has increased by more than half due to Junyangfang, there are still many places where we can’t bear to spend!
Although the policy is good, it is unfortunately unrealistic. In order to prevent His Majesty Li Er from resorting to militarism, Wei Zheng quickly came out to oppose:
"Your Majesty, although this is for the benefit of students all over the world, the revenue from the national treasury is not enough to support such a large expenditure."
"Based on the current printing costs of the Tang Dynasty, if the imperial court sells it at half the market price, it may lose several dollars per copy."
"At present, there are at least hundreds of thousands of scholars in the Tang Dynasty. Due to the reform of the imperial examination, the people are highly motivated to study. The printing of various books requires at least one million copies. This requires tens of millions of expenditures every year. Your Majesty, please think twice. OK."
In fact, judging from Wei Zheng's analysis, there is nothing wrong.
Unfortunately, what he didn't know was that His Majesty Li Er had already mastered the low-cost movable type printing. He just wanted to trick the family, so he kept it a secret.
Today, I deliberately mentioned allocating money from the treasury to make the family think that the printing cost of the imperial court was very high, so as to confuse the family.
His Majesty Li Er couldn't explain this kind of thing, so he could only look at Fang Xuanling as if asking for help.
Because apart from Yang Fan, only Shangshu Zuopushe knew the best about all the plans.
Knowing that it was time for him to appear on the stage, Fang Xuanling stood up and said: "The words of Prime Minister Wei are wrong. This policy can further strengthen the fairness of the imperial examination and at the same time allow people all over the world to have the opportunity to learn knowledge. This is a policy for the country." , I think it’s feasible.”
"Old minister once heard Marquis Zhongyi say that a strong young man will make a country strong. Only by allowing the people of the Tang Dynasty to arm themselves with knowledge can the Tang Dynasty remain at the top of the world forever. I agree with this. No matter how poor the imperial court is, it cannot Poor education!”
As soon as Fang Xuanling finished speaking, as a die-hard fan of His Majesty Li Er, Li Daliang, Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, also said: "This policy is a measure that will benefit the future. Even if it makes the court suffer, the ministers will tighten their pants." Full support from the belt.”
Others were also very discerning and quickly echoed his words.
It sounds like His Majesty Li Er wants to ask for their opinions. Everyone can see that His Majesty Li Er has made a decision.
Although they all have their own considerations in mind, as an old fox in official circles, they will not openly oppose it.
Especially Changsun Wuji, of course he was unwilling to put such an important department in the Ministry of Rites.
After all, Yang Fan and his family are always at odds with each other. The greater the other party's power, the greater the threat to him.
So Changsun Wuji said: "Your Majesty, I think it is a good policy for the country to have the imperial examination documents published by the imperial court. This is a move that benefits the people, and I agree."
"However, it seems inappropriate to establish an Information Department, make it responsible for all matters related to the imperial examination, and place it under the Ministry of Rites."
"This will not only cause the Ministry of Rites to become bloated, but also create a large number of unnecessary official positions, which will waste money on the national treasury."
"His Majesty once said that the candidates for the imperial examination this year and in the future will not be selected by the Ministry of Personnel. Some officials in the Ministry of Personnel do not know how to arrange them."
"Therefore, Wei Chen believes that the Information Department should be managed under the Ministry of Personnel."
Although Changsun Wuji agreed, he really didn't want the established Information Department to belong to the Ministry of Rites.
Originally, the Ministry of Civil Affairs was a popular department, because all candidates for the imperial examination had to be selected by the Ministry of Civil Affairs before they could enter the officialdom.
Since Yang Fan proposed a series of reforms in the imperial examination, the power of the civil servants has been greatly reduced.
Now that the Information Department in charge of the imperial examinations is still under the Ministry of Rites, of course Changsun Wuji will quit.
If we can strive to incorporate the Information Department into the Ministry of Civil Affairs, we can not only replenish the lost rights, but also go one step further.
As the official minister, his power will naturally increase a lot.
All in all, Changsun Wuji just didn't want to see Yang Fan grow up.
On the other hand, it is imperative to establish an Information Department. If a separate Information Department is established, all the officials employed in it will definitely exclude people from aristocratic families who have different intentions.
If we can firmly control the people in the Information Department, it will definitely be a big help.
Unfortunately, Changsun Wuji's wishful thinking was quickly shattered.
His Majesty Li Er waved his hand and said, "I can understand the auxiliary officer's desire to do his best for students all over the world. Unfortunately, I have already decided on the candidates for the Information Department officials."
"Now the Information Department will be in charge of Kong Yingda, and it is also approved by Kong Yingda that it will be managed by the Ministry of Rites."
"If the auxiliary machine can persuade Kong Yingda to voluntarily submit to the management of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, I will agree. Of course, this requires the auxiliary machine to go and explain the situation to Kong Yingda himself."
His Majesty Li Er was so good at Tai Chi that he immediately pushed the problem to Changsun Wuji.
The meaning is obvious. I can't persuade Kong Yingda. As long as your eldest son Wuji can make Kong Yingda voluntarily join the management of your staff, I have nothing to say.
These words made Changsun Wuji extremely depressed.
Asking him to persuade Kong Yingda, isn't this asking for trouble?
Although Kong Yingda's official position is not high, he is famous among others. If he tried to coerce or induce him, Kong Yingda would not tolerate him at all!
I can only sigh in my heart, Yang Fan is so lucky!
Why do you always blame that bastard for good things? It really makes people mad.
Changsun Wuji, who knew there was nothing he could do, could only give up.
However, this painless confrontation also allowed the ministers of the DPRK and China to see His Majesty Li Er's love for Yang Fan.
In the end, with the endorsement of His Majesty Li Er and the strong support of Fang Xuanling, Changsun Wuji and various ministers, His Majesty Li Er's proposal was successfully passed.
The Information Department was formally established, and even the person in charge was determined. It was also responsible for the printing of imperial examination books and all matters related to the imperial examination.
The heads of several departments were here, and the process went very quickly. The imperial edict was posted in the form of a royal list on the same day.
As soon as this news came out, it spread quickly like the air was on fire.
The members of the aristocratic family have great supernatural powers. They learned the news at the first moment, and their lungs almost exploded with anger.
His Majesty Li Er's move is too cruel!
It can be said to be a drain on the family. If it is promoted for more than ten to twenty years, the advantages of the family will be gone.
This move is simply a desperate plan!
How can the children of the aristocratic family, who are usually aloof and have their eyes above their heads, endure it if they are on an equal footing with a bunch of idiots?
As a result, these aristocratic families once again gathered in Cui Mansion to discuss countermeasures.
At this time, the study room of Cui Mansion looked particularly strange. After Cui Yonghui looked around for a week, he gritted his teeth and said: "His Majesty Li Er is too insidious and vicious. This is obviously going to put our family to death."
Immediately, Lu Benwei, who was the first to be impacted this time, sighed: "Yes! This policy is extremely vicious. It is simply driving our family to death. Today, not a single book in my shop can be sold. Everyone is waiting. What should I do about the half-price book issued by the imperial court?"
Wang Lun also continued: "If you just lose some money, it's nothing. Think about it, if the imperial court keeps selling books and paper, pens, inkstones at such a price, in a few years, a large number of idiots will surely come to the fore. This is He is the one who poses the greatest threat to us, and we must quickly find a solution."
Hearing this, the study suddenly became silent again.
Everyone is not stupid, and of course they can understand the impact of this policy on the family.
Although for now, their family still has an absolute advantage.
But in ten or twenty years, such advantages will inevitably disappear. This is what worries them the most.
After a while, Zheng Kai said: "Actually, although this kind of policy cannot be blatantly confrontational, it is not impossible to deal with it."
"In the court, the emperor can speak the truth, but he can't control the market, can he?"
"In local areas, whether it's Chang'an City or other places, people from our family have the final say!"
"As long as we unite to intervene, it is ridiculous for the imperial court to want to sell imperial examination books to ordinary people."
"As long as we work together, there is no way that books, paper, pens, inkstones, will fall into the hands of those mud-legged people."
Lu Benwei raised his head, frowned and asked, "What does Brother Zheng mean by this?"
"Now the imperial court has established an Information Department to be responsible for all matters related to the reform of the imperial examination. Whether it is the books used for the imperial examination, or the paper, pen, ink and inkstone, etc., the imperial court price will be lower than the current market price."
"If we openly challenge the imperial court, wouldn't it be tantamount to openly falling out with His Majesty Li Er?"
"Although our family has been fighting overtly and covertly with the emperor, there has never been an overt confrontation."
"If His Majesty Li Er is allowed to find an excuse, once the emperor jumps over the wall in a hurry, it will be difficult to estimate the consequences?"
Lu Benwei's words caused everyone from the aristocratic family present to fall into silence.
This kind of policy is simply a conspiracy. Because it has gained a popular base, if the family dares to risk the disapproval of the world, it will definitely be despised.
His Majesty Li Er's move was so cruel that the family didn't know how to resist.
Wang Lun said with a gloomy face: "I don't know who came up with this insidious strategy."
"As far as I know, although the emperor wants to weaken the family, he has no way at all. It doesn't seem like the emperor's idea to do this now."
"After all, if the emperor had come up with it, it should have been implemented long ago. Why tolerate it until now?"
Cui Yonghui's eyes flashed with coldness, and he said viciously: "According to the spies, 90% of this method of targeting the aristocratic family was proposed by that nasty guy Yang Fan."
"That bastard is full of bad ideas. He doesn't have much in his stomach, but he has a lot of bad ideas."
"It is said that the person who suggested to the emperor that there were loopholes in the imperial examination was most likely done by him."
For Yang Fan and several other members of the aristocratic family, they actually don't have a deep understanding because they don't have any entanglements.
But the Cui family is completely different, because Cui Yonghui's younger brother Cui Yongjian died indirectly in the hands of Yang Fan.
The reason why the Cui family initially focused on Yang Fan was entirely because of the glass production technology.
In order to obtain the glaze production technology, the Cui family did not hesitate to use the Wu brothers to set up a scheme against the Zhongyi Hou Mansion. Now they are always thinking about the various industries of the Hou Mansion...
But I didn't expect that the agency's calculations were too clever and cost Qing Qing's life. In the end, the Cui family suffered a setback and lost Cui Yongjian, their third son.
Since the loss of Cui Yongjian, the Cui family has completely taken Yang Fan seriously, and then they have completely begun to investigate Yang Fan.
If you don’t investigate, you won’t know. This investigation allowed the Cui family to discover the horror of Yang Fan.
There are thousands of guards in Junyangfang, all of whom are private soldiers of the Zhongyi Hou Mansion.
Moreover, every time the emperor had a problem, he would always turn to Yang Fan for help immediately. This shows how favored he is and also reflects Yang Fan's intelligence and agility.
Seeing doubts in the eyes of several other people, Cui Yonghui described the investigation in detail.
Although there are many things that the Cui family has never investigated, even the tip of the iceberg made several children of the aristocratic families present take a breath.
Shaking his head, Zheng Kai quickly calmed down: "As Brother Cui said, that Zhongyi Marquis is simply a scourge and has an sworn hatred against our family."
Lu Benwei nodded and said: "Yes, judging from Yang Fan's attitude towards the family, he is simply the enemy of our family. It is so abominable!"
Cui Yonghui raised his head and said firmly: "I'm sure, this guy Yang Fan is responsible for everything. If this guy doesn't die, our family will never have peace!"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
