In the evening, the three prime ministers had a few drinks with the emperor in the Manlu Hall.
Li Po was in a good mood, and there were a lot less political affairs in the winter. However, the Chang'an Academy incident gradually became popular, causing a lot of discussion inside and outside the government.
Naturally, many of the people involved could not sleep at night, whether it was found on them or not, because they already sensed that something was wrong.
As the situation has progressed so far, only in the capital, some officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Personnel have been involved, the people in Chang'an Academy are keeping silent, and the Chang'an Maritime Academy cannot be alone.
The inspector Wang Gui sent the censor to the Chang'an Maritime Academy. He was not very polite to Ma Zhou, the Chang'an Maritime Academy's minister who exposed the incident, and acted like a businessman.
Their approach is also easy to understand. The investigation of Chang'an Academy caused more and more criticism. Even Wang Gui, the inspector of the temple, received some criticism, which put a lot of pressure on the inspector of the temple.
Therefore, their calculation is very clear. If they find the culprit, Chang'an Maritime Academy, they will be more severe. If there is even the slightest mistake, they will hold on to it.
Firstly, it is to show to others that the inspection temple is fair and just, and it will not differ from person to person. Secondly, if Ma Zhou can be convicted, many people will definitely applaud and applaud, and it can also calm some of the discussions, right?
But Ma Zhou was not someone to be trifled with. Seeing that the situation was not right, he complained a few words in his memorial, which caused such a big fuss. Ma Zhou was already worried.
I saw that the people at the Inspectorate Temple were so picky that they even wanted to take away Li Keqing, a professor at the Maritime Academy, as his concubine he had just taken this year, for interrogation. It was obviously with bad intentions.
Li Keqing used to be a famous prostitute in the south of the Yangtze River. After coming to Chang'an, he was introduced to the Maritime Academy to paint for King Wu, and later stayed here to work.
Over the past few years, Ma Zhou, who has been busy with his career and has never married a wife and taken a concubine, is also moved by the so-called love that grows over time, and the man's love for his concubine.
The only thing I had some concerns about was Li Keqing's background. He wanted to pursue an official career, and it was absolutely impossible to marry a famous prostitute, so he could only take concubines.
This is only possible because Li Keqing has a position at the Maritime Academy and is on good terms with Lu Xiangjun. Otherwise, if you want to marry a young official who is ambitious and strives to climb up, it will be difficult to achieve success.
Since ancient times, famous prostitutes often ended up with tragic endings, because they were versatile and met many high-ranking officials. The outcome of marrying these people can be imagined, and in the end, they can only make the world sigh that the beauty is unlucky.
Li Keqing is not as free and easy as Lu Xiangjun. He always wants to get married and have children and live a stable life. This was the case when he was in Jiangnan. He suffered a bloody head but still did not change his original intention...
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The people who inspected the temple came here because of Ma Zhou's sore feet. They also knew very well why Li Keqing was here, and they also knew about her relationship with Lu Xiangjun.
The disgusting place is here. It doesn't matter what they find out. If they can get Lord Lu Xiang to beg Mrs. Chengguo's family and let Mrs. Xiao come as a guarantee, they can release him as generously as possible, but Ma Zhou's reputation will also be ruined.
There is no need for it, so many people can relieve their anger, right?
In panic, Li Keqing did have this idea, but Ma Zhou stopped him.
The people who inspected the temple may have forgotten that Ma Zhou was not without support, and how did Chang'an Maritime Academy come about? It was built by King Wu Li Fuwei who donated family funds to please the emperor. It is the same as Chang'an Academy.
Two different things.
Seeing that something was wrong, Ma Zhou immediately went into the city to see King Wu. When he saw Du Fuwei, he cried on the spot and said, "King Wu, save me."
In fact, before Du Fuwei could get angry, someone from the Maritime Academy reported that the temple inspector had left, and the emperor ordered the Ministry of Punishment to take over the matter.
He also gloated about the misfortune and told the gossip that he heard that Wang Gui, the inspector of the temple, immediately went to the palace to plead guilty.
Du Fuwei was dumbfounded by Ma Zhou. He had been away from home for several years and just returned to the capital this year. He is now enjoying the happiness of his family at home.
He has a large family here, his daughters are all married, and most of them are sons-in-law. He has already given birth to a lot of grandchildren, but it is a pity that he himself has not been able to give birth to a son.
Now that I have some free time, I and the princess are working hard to make little people all day long. They are still young and look promising.
So he didn't know what was going on outside. The imperial court gave him the position of Minister of War. He knew it was the emperor's favor, so he didn't care much.
When he had free time, he went to the Ministry of War instead of sitting in the office, and his posture was just right. He did so after listening to Ma Zhou's advice.
Now that someone is knocking on the door, he is a little excited and is ready to make the decision for his subordinates. He is a rough man and always protects the losers. Otherwise, why would his subordinates fight for him?
A very simple concept...
It's a pity that everyone was in a good mood, but they were blocked back, which made Du Fuwei feel very uncomfortable, and Ma Zhou was also quite embarrassed...
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It was already the second day when Ma Zhou returned to the Maritime Academy. He really regarded this place as his home. Ever since he took up the post of Jijiu, he had never thought of building a business in Chang'an City.
When he returned to the academy, all the professors in the academy came to greet him with the sacrificial wine. Ma Zhou didn't think he had a good reputation before, but he had always had prestige in the Maritime Academy.
Since the establishment of the Maritime Academy, he has done many things personally, and the most important thing is that he can firmly block the favors here, saving professors and academic officers a lot of trouble.
Unlike Chang'an Academy where there are many loopholes to exploit, with Ma Zhou in charge, over time, those who keep an eye on the Academy will stop asking for trouble.
The people who inspected the temple came to check him indiscriminately this time, which made the teachers and students in the college very angry. The people here are not the literati from Chang'an Academy. Most of them will join the army in the future, and their academic style is very tough.
If the people in charge of the temple continue to gibberish, it might cause a mass (harmony) incident. The edict must have arrived in a timely manner, otherwise everyone would probably have to walk around without food.
Ma Zhou was very pleased when he saw that everyone had arrived. His hard work here was worthy of being noticed by others.
The crowd gathered around him, talked a lot, and criticized the injustice of the inspector temple.
Back at the office, everyone said some more words. Ma Zhou also comforted everyone not to think too much and not to have any resentment. The court would make its own decision, so everyone left one after another.
After a while, Li Keqing showed up sneakily. She was really frightened, and she even thought of running away. She was just nostalgic for what she had obtained, so that she could wait until now.
Otherwise, if she packs her bags and takes the opportunity to escape, it all depends on her own choice whether to go to Lu Xiangjun for asylum or to run back to Jiangnan.
This chapter has been completed!