Standing outside the gate of Chang'an Palace, Huang Qubing's heart was agitated and uneasy.
The garden party was a mess, although he made amends, and even smeared himself in the newspaper, giving up his old face to cover up the enthusiasm of the garden party.
But, does the Empress approve of his actions
Is there any result in His Royal Highness's wife selection
In case he messed up the garden party and affected His Royal Highness's marriage, he didn't dare to think about the consequences.
The empress has not asked about Wenqing Bookstore for a long time, this time, I don't know what attitude she will take.
"Master Huang, please come inside. The empress is in the study, just finishing the work at hand."
"The empress has worked hard. Please lead the way."
Under the guidance of Xiao Huangmen, Huang Qubing came to the door of the study.
Ah Qing came out from inside, saw him, pursed her lips and smiled.
Huang Qubing winked frequently, trying to say something.
Ah Qing shook her head slightly, just smiled, and left without saying a word.
After notification, the servant invited Huang Qubing into the study.
Walking in, the bookcases on three sides of the wall are full of books, which is really shocking.
"Greetings to the empress, the empress is safe!
"Come on, sit down and talk."
Gu Jiu put down what she was doing, and looked up at Huang Qubing.
She smiled and said, "You are in good spirits!"
Huang Qubing panicked a little. He is in good spirits. Is it a good thing or a bad thing
Gu Jiu teased, "Why are you so nervous, this is not the first time we've talked alone."
Huang Qubing breathed a sigh of relief, "The status of my empress is not what it used to be, I have to abide by the rules."
Gu Jiu smiled, noncommittal, "Let's drink tea! Compared with spring tea, the new tea from the south may not taste so good."
"The tea here, whether it's spring tea or autumn tea, is the best."
"Stop flattering. Talk about the garden party, is there really a secret operation?"
Being so direct, Huang Qubing felt guilty.
He nodded slightly, "There is indeed a secret operation."
Gu Jiu understood, "Tell me about the specific situation."
Huang Qubing considered his words for a while before he said: "When the votes were counted, Mr. Xu's bookmarks for "Guan Dao" were less than 10,000, so he definitely wouldn't be able to enter the top ten, or even the top twenty. I'm worried that His Highness will be disappointed. , so someone secretly added 6,000 bookmarks to the ballot box, and it happened to be ranked fifth. Unexpectedly, someone called out on the spot to break the shady scene, and the scene was very embarrassing. I have failed my mother’s expectations, please punish me.”
He simply admitted his mistake and just asked to give him another chance.
Gu Jiu raised her eyebrows, "I thought that you secretly asked people to vote before the voting deadline. I didn't expect it to be a trick during the counting of votes. It's really too stupid."
"Your Majesty is right." Huang Qubing honestly admitted his mistake.
Gu Jiu laughed, "You got someone to write an article to scold you in the newspaper, overshadowing the popularity of the garden party, and you've made up for it."
Immediately afterwards, she said solemnly: "If people know that you are operating in secret just to please His Highness the First Prince, not only you, but the First Prince's reputation will also be implicated. It is simply stupid to be stigmatized by such a trivial matter. In the final analysis, you are still eager for quick success and quick profit, and the operation method is too bad."
"Please punish me!"
Gu Jiu put on a serious face, "I will not punish you severely for the sake of your years of meritorious service. But your majesty's test is not easy."
Huang Qubing panicked, "Madam please save me!"
Gu Jiuyu said earnestly: "The eldest prince will eventually enter the court, will be attacked by the courtiers, impeached, and will bear all kinds of infamy. But now, he should not bear the infamy for such a trivial matter. You were wrong from the beginning, Improper operation later will add to the mistakes.”
Huang Qubing was sweating profusely, his clothes were drenched.
"Please show me, my lady, what should I do?"
Gu Jiu tapped lightly on the table, "I promised not to punish you severely, so I will keep my promise. The year-end dividends will be deducted by 30%, and they will be used to build a junior school. You will personally supervise the construction of the school, and someone will check it afterwards. You Are you convinced?"
Huang Qubing felt relieved, "I am convinced!"
Gu Jiu went on to say: "The self-deprecation on the life show will be removed in a few days. From now until the end of the year, we will report more news about grasslands and overseas, and encourage more people to look outside the customs and overseas."
"I'll obey my mother." Huang Qubing bowed in response.
"I heard that you are going to expand Wenqing Bookstore and open branches in the following state capitals? Do you have any specific plans?"
"Already have a preliminary plan. The first batch, selected five high-level state capitals, which are... Currently recruiting and training staff. Wait until the spring of next year to implement the expansion plan."
"Very good!"
After discussing the business, Gu Jiu dismissed Huang Qubing.
…
Liu Yu came out from the small study next door.
With a smile on his face, he said the truth, "Others say that the mother is kind, but the son thinks that the mother is very cruel."
Gu Jiu pointed at the chair and motioned him to sit down, "Compared to your father, I am naturally extremely kind."
Liu Yu said: "Thirty percent of the year-end dividend is a lot of money. Just because of a small mistake at the garden party, it is really cruel to be fined so much."
Gu Jiu laughed, "Are you packing up the injustice for Huang Qubing?"
"That's not true! The son thought that the father and the emperor should learn from the empress mother's method and fine more money to fill the treasury. It seems that the deterrent effect is not enough for the courtiers who are getting stronger and stronger. If you don’t raid your home, just issuing an edict to the prison will not achieve the purpose of deterring people, and it will also waste human and financial resources. Only by strengthening the Jinwu Guard will make the reputation of the Jinwu Guard even worse!”
Gu Jiu smiled and shook her head, "You're getting into the eyes of money, how can every official who is sent to prison be fined. Your idea is very dangerous and needs to be corrected."
Liu Yu asked solemnly: "Why does the mother think that her son's thoughts are dangerous?"
Gu Jiu also said seriously: "When you focus on money, after a long time, your attitude towards people and things will be measured by money. At that time, the rich will become officials, and the poor will become officials." If there is no ghost, the world will be in chaos. Money is a good thing, but money can also blind your eyes, affect your judgment on things, and make you lose your way. You have to be vigilant against this idea and save yourself three times a day."
"The son always remembers the teachings of the queen mother. In this way, there are many considerations for the father and the emperor not to fine the officials."
"Of course! How can the court's laws be measured by money. Can those officials who have been imprisoned pay a sum of money to forget the past? Isn't it absurd! Fines can only be an auxiliary means, not a necessary means."
"My son understands! Thank you, Queen Mother, for teaching me!"
"Tell me, what do you understand?"
"The Queen's mother fined Huang Qubing a lot of money, the main purpose was not for money, but to beat him, and also to set an example. Look at the Pingyang princess's son-in-law, who has made a mistake, and has to pay a fine to go to school. How can others be spared .”
Gu Jiu laughed, full of approval, "You're right, I do intend to set an example. Huang Qubing's status is valuable enough, the prince's son-in-law of Pingyang Princess, the former family order of the Shaofu, and the chief manager of Wenqing Bookstore, very Eye-catching. Punishing him can serve as a good example. In the future, your father can also follow this method, fine a sum of money, and build a school. In this way, the courtiers have no reason to accuse your father of taking money. After all, building a school is a great merit.”
Liu Yu nodded again and again, "Money is a good thing, but it is also called copper stink. It can be seen that people love money while despising it. If you want to make money more fragrant and beyond reproach, it is best to get along with Schools are the best carrier for scholars to get involved.”
"A child can be taught!" Gu Jiu said approvingly.
Liu Yu asked: "The queen mother once said that free education in junior schools will be promoted in the territory of Dazhou. I don't know when it will start?"
Gu Jiu said: "Let's start with Huang Qubing! The promotion of each county should be done step by step. What I want is that after a school is built, it can stand in the world for twenty, fifty, or one hundred years. Years... rather than people's death and government. Then the building of a school should not be rushed.
Although this is unfair to children in other remote places and makes them miss the opportunity to enjoy free education, there is no way around it. If you want to promote free education and persevere for a long time, you have to spend time to explore and find an operable model that can be promoted.
Instead of rushing to build schools, there is no money to continue to support children to study. Once the school is deserted, everyone's confidence will be hit from top to bottom. Restarting the project again will be ten times more difficult than it is now. "
"My son wants to do the free school project."
When Liu Yu said this suddenly, Gu Jiu was taken aback.
She couldn't help frowning, "Are you sure you want to do this project?"
"My son wants to give it a try." Liu Yu said solemnly.
Gu Jiu frowned, "Tell me what you think."
Liu Yu pondered for a while, "The people's livelihood is so difficult, and it is difficult for poor students to have a bright future, because they lost to the officials' children from the beginning of enlightenment. My son checked the official files, not to mention the local government, but only the imperial court, the officials of various ministries, Eighty percent of the officials came from official families or aristocratic families.
The power of the family supported them to study, and after they became officials, they naturally had to repay the family.
Even Mr. Yang Jiyang, although his family was poor in his early years, he also enjoyed the support and connections of his family when he was a child, so he was able to study with famous teachers from the beginning of his enlightenment. Although he has drawn a clear relationship with the family, the Yang family can still rely on his name to become stronger and stronger in the local area, and will become a powerful party in ten years.
There is also Mr. Zhou Shi'an Zhou. He was indeed poor in his early years. However, because he was born in the Zhou family of Chuzhou, he was destined to receive the highest education since he was a child. comments and thoughts. This is an educational resource that children from poor families will not be able to enjoy in their entire lives. "
Gu Jiu nodded, "What's the situation with the remaining 20% officials?"