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Two or three hundred scholars knocked on the palace gate and presented a letter, causing a sensation in the whole city.
This was what some people who were secretly fanning the flames wanted to see, but now, those dark hands have retracted and have become anxious because of it.
Hundreds of scholars knocked on the palace gate and requested the expulsion of the treacherous ministers who had misled the emperor. However, the palace was unusually calm, as calm as before a storm. This calm made some people feel suffocated.
The scholars dared to do so mainly because of Qin Mu's connivance and the decree that no one would be punished for discussing things, and because there were people fanning the flames from the beginning, the incident of knocking on the palace gate and submitting a petition that shocked the whole country finally happened in the first month of the second year of Qin.
In the imperial study, Sima An, who was being pointed at, asked solemnly, "King Qin had expected that the palace would be knocked on, right?"
"No." Qin Mu's right thumb slowly moved from the middle finger to the index finger, and he answered calmly, "This matter is also quite unexpected to me."
Sima An did not see any sign of surprise on his face. He stood up, bowed deeply and said, "I have been criticized by thousands of people and I am ashamed to continue to serve as the Prime Minister. I beg the King of Qin to allow me to retire and return home."
Qin Mu raised his eyebrows and answered irrelevantly: "You still intend to continue to oppose me, right? Today, I might as well say it again. I have no intention of changing customs."
"But what the King of Qin is going to do has actually broken the old moral norms."
Qin Mu suddenly slammed the table and shouted, "So what if it's broken? I am the ruler of a country, and I have to set the so-called rules! You want to retire and return home, right? No!"
"King Qin!"
"No need to say more. I have made up my mind. You may not understand, but you must accept it." Qin Mu let out a long sigh and said in a slightly softer tone, "After three or two years, you can look back and see if what I did today was right or wrong."
Seeing Qin Mu's determination to do what he wanted, Sima An could not help but sigh secretly. He knew very well that Qin Mu was slowly taking back power, and this was all the result of their opposition.
Ever since he prescribed the "sobering prescription", he has assisted Qin Mu step by step to where he is today, and Qin Mu has always trusted him without reservation. The monarch and his subject have a tacit understanding in their cooperation.
Qin Mu often went to the battlefield in person, leaving him to guard the rear, and he withstood the pressure time and time again, stabilizing the rear for Qin Mu.
His feelings towards Qin Mu are very complicated. There is a sense of loyalty between a monarch and his subject, but also some affection similar to that between a father and his son. This is probably something that no monarch or subject in all dynasties has ever experienced.
Qin Mu did not treat him badly, not only did he hold the position of the chief minister, but his son Sima Kai was brought by Qin Mu before he entered the officialdom, and now he was promoted to Shujishi, which was equivalent to the reserve official of the internal assistant minister according to the Ming system.
It can be said that the Sima family has been closely tied to Qin Mu and this emerging country, sharing honor and disgrace.
Although Qin Mu's seizure of power this time was not necessarily aimed at him, he was definitely dissatisfied with his non-cooperation.
Is it true that a rift has begun to form between the emperor and his subjects
Based on his understanding of Qin Mu, he knew that Qin Mu was determined this time. If he did not take a step back, then this gap would be bridged again...
***
Outside the palace, two or three hundred scholars knelt on the ground, and outside were a sea of common people who came to watch. The streets were filled with people, and even the trees and walls were filled with people, and the noisy discussions were like waves.
Han Zanzhou came out with a few eunuchs and surrounded by twenty guards. The noise outside suddenly quieted down. Everyone thought that the King of Qin had come out, but when they saw only a few eunuchs coming out, the scholars kneeling outside were very disappointed.
Han Zanzhou walked to the steps of the gate, flicked the whisk in his hand, put it between his left arm, and then said loudly: "The King of Qin has issued an order: All the scholars are concerned about state affairs and have a sincere heart to serve the country. This king has already understood;
However, if scholars study literature, farmers cultivate the land, workers make tools, and merchants do business, each doing their own thing, the country can function normally. Dear scholars, go back and study with peace of mind!
The state affairs will be properly handled by the king and the ministers. At this stage, all scholars should focus their energy on studying literary and military strategies. When you have completed your studies in the future, you will have no worries about not having the opportunity to serve the country..."
Han Zanzhou's words had already caused an uproar. Hundreds of people had been kneeling for such a long time, but this was the result they got. How could they be willing to accept this
What's more, they pointed out that there were treacherous ministers in the court. If these treacherous ministers did not fall and continued to hold high positions, wouldn't they turn around and attack them
No matter how they tried to persuade the two or three hundred scholars, they refused to get up and shouted for the King of Qin. Han Zanzhou did not dare to order them to be driven away by force. After persuading them with kind words for a while, seeing that it was of no use, he hurried into the palace to ask Qin Mu for instructions.
Qin Mu frowned. He could give scholars freedom of speech, but the nature of this matter was completely different. If hundreds of scholars made a fuss like this, the court would have to follow their wishes, remove the prime minister, and demote ministers. This would not be a question of freedom of speech, but letting the will of the scholars override the court. The nature was completely different.
Moreover, if something like this happens once, it will happen twice. In the future, if scholars reveal something, they will come to the palace and submit petitions, asking for the demotion of this minister today and that minister tomorrow. Wouldn't that be a complete mess
Moreover, this will create a bad atmosphere. If the soldiers in the army follow suit and gather together to revolt at the slightest dissatisfaction, the Qin Dynasty will be doomed to perish.
"Pass on my order and have Luo Wanzaowan, the chief academic officer of the Imperial College, come and take the students back. If other scholars continue to disobey my order, their academic titles will be revoked."
Qin Mu's tough attitude was beyond Sima An's expectation. He immediately advised: "King Qin, no, this move will not only fail to calm the situation, but will only further escalate it."
Sima An's words reminded Qin Mu of a phenomenon. In the Ming Dynasty, scholars enjoyed being beaten with sticks and canes. The harder you pushed, the more they would contradict you, and they were not afraid of death. They were like a person who could not change his beliefs even if his head was cut off and his blood was shed.
Indeed, if the two or three hundred scholars outside did not give in and continued to insist on their cause at the cost of being stripped of their titles, then this would be a lose-lose outcome. He would strip hundreds of people of their titles at once, which would cause great damage to his own reputation.
Qin Mu thought about it, picked up his pen, quickly wrote down a question and handed it to Han Zanzhou, telling him to go out and do it.
Han Zanzhou returned to the palace gate with the question Qin Mu had given him, and shouted to the scholars outside the palace: "The King of Qin wants to test you scholars on a question. If you can answer it, the King of Qin will consider your suggestions. If you can't answer it, it means that you should focus on your studies. Please go back immediately and study hard so that you can serve the court in the future. Scholars, are you willing to accept the King of Qin's test?"
The people who were watching were in an uproar. It was unprecedented that knocking on the palace gate to submit a petition turned out to be like this. It was interesting, really interesting. People shouted loudly, demanding that the two scholars who knocked on the palace gate to submit a petition be tested.
Two or three hundred scholars looked at each other in bewilderment. How could they not accept it? If they didn’t dare to accept it, it meant that they were a bunch of good-for-nothings. What qualifications do a bunch of good-for-nothings have to knock on the palace gate and write a letter
So, everyone asked Han Zanzhou to read out the question. Han Zanzhou said, "The King of Qin is very busy and has limited time. This is a very simple question. Perhaps ordinary people can answer it. Now I will give you ten drums. Listen carefully."
The people watching outside fell silent, and the two or three hundred scholars held their breath, waiting intently for Han Zanzhou to give the questions.
This opportunity is rare. Whoever answers it first will become famous overnight. Such opportunities will only come a few times in a lifetime. Who would not try their best
Han Zanzhou unfolded the question written by Qin Mu and read it aloud: "Look carefully, everyone, this is the question asked by the King of Qin: There is a towering ancient temple in the mountains, and I wonder how many monks there are in the temple. There are 364 bowls, and we can see if we can use them all up. Three people share a bowl of rice, and four people share a bowl of soup. Can you, those who are good at math, calculate how many monks there are in the temple?"
As soon as Han Zan finished reading the questions on Monday, the guards here immediately began to beat the drums. Dong! Dong... The drumbeats seemed to hit the hearts of two or three hundred scholars, shocking their souls. Seeing that half of the ten drumbeats had passed, many people were so anxious that sweat broke out on their foreheads.
It must be said that Qin Mu is quite insidious. With the drum beating like a drum, few people can calm down and calculate. In addition, such a great opportunity is rare. The more they hope to seize this opportunity, the more nervous they are. The more nervous they are, the harder it is to calculate...
As a result, after the tenth drum, the faces of the two or three hundred scholars turned red, and not one of them could figure it out.
Among the onlookers, a tea shop clerk couldn't help but feel itchy and came out to answer: "I know, I know how many monks there are in this temple!"
Han Zanzhou smiled like a kind man and said, "Okay, you answer it. If you answer it correctly, I will reward you two taels of silver."
The tea shop clerk was so excited that his face flushed with excitement. He answered loudly, "Six hundred and twenty-four, sir, there are a total of six hundred and twenty-four monks in the temple, is that correct?"
"If you answer correctly, there will be a reward!" Han Zanzhou asked the young man to come forward, and then took out two Daqinbao copies to reward him.
The people outside were talking and laughing.
The two or three hundred scholars inside were very embarrassed. They looked at each other. Some of the shameless ones quietly retreated into the crowd outside and slipped away.
Hundreds of people who claim to be bookish people can't answer the question. They are not as good as a young man in a tea shop. How can they put their face on this
More and more people ran away, and the grand drama of knocking on the palace gate and submitting petitions to the emperor ended in vain.
The news spread quickly and became a topic of conversation among the people after dinner, and people talked about it with great relish.
It is estimated that after those two or three hundred scholars left, they would all scratch their heads and calculate desperately. Although they all knew the answer was six hundred and twenty-four, how was this six hundred and twenty-four calculated? If they didn't figure it out, how could they hold their heads up in front of others in this life
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ps: The competition for monthly tickets is so fierce, there are still four days left, and others are catching up. I am typing while squeezing my hips, and my movements are very weird. Brothers, please be kind and vote for me a few more times to protect my ass. Please protect my ass with monthly tickets!
.(To be continued..)
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