The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 924 - 902: Morning Decree, Evening Repeal

Chapter 924: Chapter 902: Morning Decree, Evening Repeal

Wei Zhi breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this and respectfully withdrew.

Without Bai Shan and Zhou Man, of course, there were other ways to expose the matter. It just would be much less tactful.

The Emperor didn’t take the issue very seriously, and although he regretted the lack of subtlety, he needed to think of another solution. As he had said, he couldn’t simply issue a decree to force people to come to the capital, could he?

After all, people could still refuse a royal edict, couldn’t they?

The Emperor, not in the best of moods, walked back to the harem with his hands behind his back. The Empress had just returned from visiting the Empress Dowager. She personally helped him out of his robe, and after the maids served tea, she waved for everyone to leave.

Only then did the Empress say, "Mother has been crying."

The Emperor frowned and asked, "What’s wrong? Is she unwell?"

The Empress sighed and said, "The physician says it is emotional distress."

She looked at the Emperor, paused, and then said, "Mother misses the Prince of Yizhou. She has been lamenting these past days about the Prince’s hardships in Yizhou, raising many children with his fiefdom recently reduced. She wants to give several of her own manors to the Prince..."

Seeing the Emperor’s displeased expression, the Empress said, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager is worrying about the Prince of Yizhou’s livelihood. What will the court and all the people think of you as a brother?"

The Emperor’s face turned ashen as he stood up and paced back and forth, asking, "When does Mother plan to summon the Prince of Yizhou to the capital for her birthday?"

"She still wants to summon him this month. Next month is the ghost month, which is not auspicious for the Prince and his children to travel. If they come in August, it would be too late."

The Emperor chuckled, "Mother’s birthday is in September, isn’t it?"

"The Empress Dowager said, since the Mid-Autumn Festival is in August and she is celebrating her birthday, why not celebrate Mid-Autumn as well."

"Why summon only the Prince of Yizhou? Summon the Prince of Hejian and the others to the palace as well."

The Empress knew he was speaking out of irritation and didn’t take it to heart, simply asking, "Because she was advised by Wei Zhi, the Empress Dowager hasn’t brought it up in court, but rather she hinted at me for several days."

The Emperor thought about how the Empress had been getting up early these past days to attend to the Empress Dowager each morning and evening. He hadn’t dined with her in the evening for many days, had he?

The Emperor pursed his lips, lowered his eyes in thought, and then said, "Tomorrow, I will discuss it with the ministers. I intend to summon the Prince of Yizhou to the capital in late June."

"Your Majesty..."

The Emperor pressed his hand down, "I have my own considerations."

The Emperor pondered; he had not planned on summoning Bai Shan and the others to the capital, but now that the Empress Dowager placed increasing importance on the Prince of Yizhou, issuing a private command risked exposure. Yet, a public announcement could not match the just and righteous position that Bai Shan and Zhou Man held, could it?

He thought of the "forget it" he had just said to Wei Zhi and couldn’t help but feel a headache, fearing he would be criticized tomorrow for his inconstancy and unreliability.

Despite this, the next day at the minor court assembly, the Emperor still reminisced with the ministers about the nation’s heroes since its founding, some of whom had died in battle and others on official duty.

Obviously, not many had died on duty compared to those who fell in battle.

Seeing the Emperor so uncharacteristically introspective, the ministers also reminisced, leading to more and more names being mentioned. When Wei Zhi heard the Emperor mention Bai Qi, noting that he too was a hero who had served the country faithfully...

Wei Zhi and Lord Tang subtly twitched their brows, glancing up at the Emperor who had already moved on to another name.

The other ministers, however, didn’t pay attention. They and the Emperor had already mentioned over twenty individuals, and it was common for a few names to be less familiar to them.

After all, lamenting the fallen heroes was the right sentiment.

As the Emperor spoke, he suddenly switched topics, asking, "Does anyone know if the descendants of these heroes are still serving the country faithfully?"

He said, "Their forefathers have merited honors. The nation cannot let them become disheartened. They too should inherit their ancestors’ will and serve the country and the people."

"That’s true," everyone agreed.

So the reminiscing resumed. This general used to serve under Minister A, and his eldest son is now serving in the military; that hero’s son had already returned to the countryside and presumably become a wealthy landlord...

Finally, the Emperor declared with a grand sweep of his hand, "The court is in need of people. These children, with such parentage, should not waste their talents and vigor. Courtier Wei, draft a decree afterward to summon the age-appropriate children of these heroes to study at the Imperial Academy, to nurture a few who can continue to serve the country in the future."

Wei Zhi: ...weren’t we supposed to "forget it"?

But after thinking it over, he realized this plan was better than summoning Bai Shanzhou and Zhou Man to the capital. With twenty or so other names entering at once, who would pay attention to Bai Shan?

Wei Zhi agreed to the Emperor’s proposal.

The ministers, taken aback by this unexpected turn, took a while to wrap their heads around the Emperor’s sudden idea, only managing to cautiously express their approval.

With the matter settled, the Emperor then said, "This year marks the Empress Dowager’s millennium. The Prince of Yizhou should come to the capital to celebrate. I propose summoning him at the end of June."

The ministers immediately objected fiercely, convinced that the Emperor’s earlier suggestion had merely been a distraction. They variously proposed, "The Prince of Yizhou is a vassal; it’s improper for him to leave his fief for too long. The Empress Dowager’s birthday is in September; it would be fine for him to come to the capital in early September."

The Emperor, expressionless, said, "I’m afraid that would be too late."

"Then let him come at the end of August..."

Anyway, the point was not to have him come too early, for if he were to attend to the Empress Dowager every day and whisper in the Emperor’s ear, who knows what trouble he might stir?

The court was already not wealthy, and every time the Prince of Yizhou came to the capital, he entered empty-handed but left loaded with goods. If they were paying out of their own pockets, the ministers could keep quiet even if they disapproved. But taking from their private coffers and then from the national treasury? That would be excessive.

Thus, the ministers, especially the Minister of Revenue, Liu Hui, who particularly despised the Prince of Yizhou, expressed their vehement opposition.

The Emperor didn’t seem too persistent. Seeing everyone opposed, he waved his hand and said, "Enough, let’s discuss this matter later."

His words left the ministers, who had been prepared for a protracted struggle, speechless.

After the political discussion, the Emperor asked Lord Tang and Wei Zhi to stay for a private conversation.

"Courtier Wei, give some more thought to the Imperial Academy matter."

Wei Zhi had been considering this the entire time and asked, "Your Majesty, are all the descendants of heroes to enter the Imperial Academy, or should we divide them among the Highest Institute, the Four Schools, and so on?"

He also asked, "How many descendants can each hero have in school? One, or two?"

The Emperor thought for a moment and asked, "What does Courtier Wei think?"

Wei Zhi replied, "I believe two would be most suitable. They can support each other once enrolled, but admission to schools within the Imperial Academy should be based on examination results. The top scorers should enter the Imperial Academy, followed by the Highest Institute, then the Four Schools. Depending on their aptitude, they should join the Schools of Mathematics, Calligraphy, or Law."

The Emperor nodded after a moment’s consideration, "Let it be as you recommend. Ahem, discuss it with Courtier Kong and leave the matter to you."

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