Zeng Shu could tell from the reaction of the ministers that this was actually what he had always been worried about. Although the Han Dynasty was very powerful now, there was something he couldn't say.
Arrogance leads to danger——
"When it comes to territory and military strength..." Zeng Shu paused and then said: "I, the Han Dynasty, are indeed among the three kingdoms of Han, Wei and Wu.
The most powerful country."
"It's just -" he said, sighing, "It's just that I am not so strong that no one can defeat me."
"Zeng Shu!" Guan Xing suddenly stepped out of the queue, pointed at Zeng Shu and shouted: "Don't you dare say anything arrogant, now we have a strong army and a strong horse.
Who can defeat my big man?"
"Back off!" Liu Chan glared at Guan Xing angrily.
"Today is the defense of the palace examination, Zeng Shunai is a candidate this year;" Liu Chan said, glancing at the civil and military officials in the main hall,
Then he said to Zeng Shu: "You can speak freely, even if you are wrong, I will forgive you."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Zeng Shu was overjoyed.
I met the emperor that day. The emperor said in public that in the future, we must treat everyone in the world fairly, not just certain people. He also specifically mentioned that a good system naturally needs to be continued. If it is a bad system, then
We have to change, otherwise it will bring disaster to the country and the people.
Now it seems that what the emperor said is true.
"Everyone!" After Zeng Shu thanked him, he did not speak to Liu Chan. Instead, he asked the civil and military ministers present: "What should I base my country on when establishing the Han Dynasty?"
"Be a master!"
"Be benevolent and righteous!"
"..."
Several ministers in succession gave their answers.
But when Zeng Shu heard this, he shook his head and said: "What you said can only make the Han Dynasty rise for a short time, but it cannot make the Han Dynasty invincible forever."
Invincible?
This is a bit loud. Although the ministers did not say it explicitly, they all knew in their hearts that throughout the ages, there would be an eternal foundation and an eternal dynasty.
The First Emperor was so powerful that he once said that the Qin Dynasty would be spread to all generations, but he died in just two generations.
However, Zeng Shu said: "Students are not talented, but there is a method that can make me a great man undefeated for eternity."
He spoke in a firm tone, and everyone was shocked. Zhuge Liang smiled and said: "What a wonderful plan it is, Yuan Shun can clearly explain it."
Yuan Shun is Zeng Shu's name. Zhuge Liang asked this, and others naturally did not dare to say anything, even if they felt that,
This Zeng Shu is so arrogant,
They didn’t dare to talk too much.
"Putting people first!" Zeng Shu said loudly.
People-oriented,
As soon as Zeng Shu said these four words, people in the hall couldn't help but start talking: "I thought I could say anything high."
"That's it?"
"That's it?"
"People-oriented, weren't the people-oriented ones in all dynasties?"
"..."
Listening to the discussions of the ministers, Zeng Shu ignored them and said with a smile: "People-oriented, if you just shout slogans, anyone can do it."
Hiss——
The discussion suddenly stopped, and they looked at Zeng Shu.
Because I heard it all, there was something in his words.
The court hall suddenly became quiet, and Zeng Shu continued: "Throughout the dynasties, all dynasties have basically shouted to put the people first, but how many of them have truly put the people first?"
These words are a bit sharp. Even the great ancestor of the Han Dynasty, Zhan White Snake, would always talk about putting the people first.
But——
How much did the Han Dynasty achieve in four hundred years?
Liu Chan was a little surprised. Although he didn't express anything on the surface, he gave Zeng Shu a big praise in his heart.
"Any dynasty!" Zeng Shu continued: "Only by truly putting the people first can this dynasty truly be invincible forever."
"Why do you see it?" Xu Shu asked deliberately.
"Return to Xu Yushi!" Zeng Shu bowed his hands and said: "Those who win the hearts of the people win the world!"
‘Damn it, you are also a time traveler!’ Liu Chan complained secretly, because what he said was too advanced.
But Zeng Shu then asked the ministers present: "Do you think that our Han Dynasty, from Shuzhong to Guanzhong, relied on the people to win one victory after another?"
"Of course!" Jiang Wan replied: "Whether it is Shuzhong, Guanzhong, or Bingzhou, they are all originally people of my Han Dynasty. When my Han Dynasty King comes here, the people will naturally line the streets to welcome him."<
/p>
"Hahaha!"
"Hahaha!"
As soon as Jiang Wan finished speaking, Zeng Shu laughed loudly, his smile was so unflattering.
"Why are you laughing?" Jiang Wan said angrily: "Is it possible that what I said is wrong?"
"Of course not!" Zeng Shu affirmed.
This shocked everyone, and Jiang Wan was even more angry. Even Jiang Xian was a little angry at his arrogance, and sneered: "Brother Zeng, do you want to be the enemy of the world?"
Jiang Xian is the second son of Jiang Wan. He had an encounter with Zeng Shu when he was under the Imperial List that day. After listening to his remarks that day, he felt that this man had some talents.
But at this moment, he wished he could strike him with a sword.
"You tell me!" Jiang Wan said coldly: "What's wrong with what I said?"
"Hahaha!" Zeng Shu smiled first, and then said: "The Han Dynasty is a great man, which is certainly not bad, but the fact that I, a great Han Dynasty, can win consecutive battles is not due to the people's surrender to the Han Dynasty."
"Oh!" Liu Chan also smiled and asked deliberately: "Then...why did my big man win?"
"Back to Your Majesty!" Zeng Shu saluted and said, "This is all due to your Majesty's clever plan and the advanced weapons of our army."
"Let's talk about the Battle of Guanzhong first..." Zeng Shu said: "Before the Battle of Guanzhong, Cao Wei did not expect that our great Han Dynasty would send troops to Guanzhong, let alone that His Majesty would send troops to Ziwu Road. At that time, Cao Wei's defense in Guanzhong was empty, so His Majesty sent out surprise troops to attack
Guanzhong, defeated Cao Wei in one battle and captured Guanzhong."
"The second was last year's Battle of Jinzhong. It was also because Cao Wei and his Chen troops attacked Wuguan with one hundred thousand troops. Cao Wei naturally did not expect that His Majesty would raid Jinzhong, leaving Jinzhong empty."
"This -" Zeng Shu said, paused, and then asked: "Is there a battle that was won because the people welcomed the king's army?"
Everyone paused. He seemed to be right. The victory in these battles was indeed due to Liu Chan's clever plan, which caught Cao Wei off guard.
Whether it was the Battle of Guanzhong or the Battle of Jinzhong, the people had no choice but to do so because the Han army had already arrived and Cao Wei could not defeat the Han army. As the people at the bottom, what could they do?
"And!" Zeng Shu continued to make up for the damage: "Now, whether it is Han Dynasty or Cao Wei, the court mainly relies on the support of aristocratic families. Without the support of these aristocratic families, it will be difficult for both Han Dynasty and Wei and Wu to succeed in this era.
Get a foothold."
Nima——
Liu Chan almost jumped up. He thought to himself, "What the hell are you doing?"
Everyone knows this.
When the ministers heard this, they were also stunned.
Because most of them are clans, but this person suddenly talks about people-oriented, and talks about aristocratic families.
What is he going to do?
"Your Majesty!"
Zeng Shu suddenly bowed to Liu Chan and asked: "Dare you ask me, a big man, how many households there are now?"
Liu Chan was also stunned, and after a pause he said: "There are 563,000 registered households, with a population of 2.9 million."
"Hahaha!" Zeng Shu laughed and said: "The great Han is in danger, the Great Han is in danger!"
If it had been any other emperor, he would have been furious at this moment, and then ordered everyone to capture this arrogant person, and then show his head to the public.
But Liu Chan was not angry, but asked: "Why are you laughing, and why am I, a big man, in danger?"
However, Liu Chan's tone was also a bit harsh.
At this time, many ministers, including Jiang Wan, were overjoyed, thinking that this man was uttering arrogant words. If he could not answer, the emperor would definitely be angry with him.
Hum——
However, as soon as Liu Chan finished speaking, Zeng Shu bowed and said: "If this is really the number of households I have, I will be in danger."
"Why?" Liu Chan asked.
Zeng Shudao: "Because our Han Dynasty has a vast territory but a population of less than three million. How can we resist Wei and Wu?"
When Zeng Shu finished speaking, Xu Shu asked with a smile: "Yuan Shun, do you think that His Majesty falsely reported the number of households?"
As soon as Xu Shu finished speaking, Zeng Shu waved his hand and said, "No, of course there is no need for Your Majesty to make false reports to a candidate like me. In fact, His Majesty was also kept in the dark."
Damn it——
The entire hall was suddenly silent. If it weren't for the fact that the people in the Han Dynasty who have the word are Prime Minister Zhuge Liang, Imperial Censor Xu Shu, and of course the Emperor Liu Chan.
Now the three of them are not angry, so Zeng Shu can be safe and sound, otherwise he may be a dead body that cannot speak.
"Who deceived me?" Liu Chan said coldly.
"There are clans everywhere!" Zeng Shu replied: "Your Majesty, this is not a strange thing. Whether it is my Han Dynasty or Wei Wu, it is already known to everyone that clans conceal the number of households."
p>
"Nonsense!" Qiao Zhou scolded: "Although I, a big man, have many clans, I will never deceive the emperor like you said."
"Oh!" Zeng wrote without changing his expression and said, "Mr. Qiao, I wonder how many households there are in the Qiao family in Yizhou?"
The Qiao family in Yizhou was also a large family in Shu. When the late lord first entered Shu, the Qiao family was not that supportive of the late lord. However, in order to stabilize Shu, the former lord gave some favors to the Qiao family. Later, the former lord passed away and the Prime Minister
Zhuge Liang also asked Qiao Zhou to be responsible for encouraging students, also to stabilize the situation in Shu.
At this time, facing Zeng Shu's questioning, Qiao Zhou said without changing his expression: "My Qiao family has a total of three hundred and twenty-eight households, all of which are registered with the imperial court. Your Majesty, please take a closer look."
After Qiao Zhou finished speaking, he bowed and saluted Liu Chan.
At this time, Qiao Zhou was an official in Chang'an. Although he had little status in Guanzhong, his influence in Shu was considerable. He was a great scholar in Shu.
"Your Majesty!" Zeng Shu said: "Qiao Zhou, how dare you deceive me and ignore me!"
"Zeng Shu!" Qiao Zhou suddenly became furious: "You, a scientific examination candidate, actually framed a minister of the imperial court. Do you know the consequences?"
"Of course -" Zeng Shu said without changing his expression: "False an official of the imperial court and be executed if found guilty!"
"You know it, Duke Qiao, but you deceive the emperor and ignore your superiors..." Zeng Shu paused and asked deliberately: "What crime should be committed?"
Before Qiao Zhou spoke, Zeng Shu bowed to Liu Chan and said: "Your Majesty, according to the student's understanding, the Qiao family in Shuzhong has a total of 786 households with a population of 1,988 people."<
/p>
"Nonsense!" Qiao Zhou became angry again, and turned to Liu Chan and said, "Your Majesty, Zeng Shu is talking nonsense, and I ask your Majesty to punish him for the crime of false accusation!"
Haha——
Liu Chan didn't show any expression on the surface, but he was overjoyed in his heart. The Han, Wei and Wu families were so powerful that taking control of the court was no longer a matter of a day or two.
Let's talk about Cao Wei. Cao Pi's accession to the throne was supported by the big families. Then Cao Pi gave them some benefits, and both sides got what they needed. In the end, the clan chose to support Cao Pi's accession to the throne to usurp the Han Dynasty.
As for Qiao Zhou concealing the number of people with household registration, there is no need to investigate. For such a large clan in Shuzhong, it would be strange if he did not conceal the household registration.
Just——
Qiao Zhou asked him to punish Zeng Shu for the crime of false accusation. Will Liu Chan really listen to him?
"Qiao Ai Qing, calm down!" Liu Chan raised his hand and said with a smile: "Of course I know the loyalty of the Qiao family in Shu to the Han... But..." Liu Chan paused, and then said: "Since someone has reported Qiao now
Ai Qing, if I only listen to Zeng Shu’s words and punish Qiao Ai Qing for deceiving the emperor, Qiao Ai Qing will naturally be dissatisfied... In the same way, if I don’t investigate carefully, I will listen to Qiao Ai Qing’s words and punish Qiao Ai Qing.
I think Zeng Shu will also be dissatisfied with the crime of frame-up by Zeng Shu."
"Your Majesty!" Qiao Zhou said again: "Everything I say is true, and there is absolutely no lie. All the records of our Qiao family are registered in the imperial court. Your Majesty can check carefully."
"Can we really investigate it carefully?" Liu Chan asked deliberately.
Now Qiao Zhou paused, and then said: "It can be checked!"
"Okay!" Liu Chan said with satisfaction: "Since Qiao Aiqing dares to accept the investigation, I am also willing to make the decision for Aiqing. In order to clear Aiqing's grievances, investigate!"
Qiao Zhou was a little panicked, but he just tried not to have an attack.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading!
"Xu Aiqing!" Liu Chan looked at Xu Shu and said, "Immediately investigate the number of people registered in the Qiao family in Shuzhong and check it carefully for me!"
"I obey the decree!" Xu Shu immediately agreed.
"Zeng Shu!" Liu Chan looked at Zeng Shu again and said: "Qiao Ai Qing accused you of falsely accusing the imperial official. Before the matter is found out, you should stay in prison first. After the matter is found out, I will make a decision.
Are you convinced?"
"Your Majesty is wise!" Zeng Shu was overjoyed and immediately made a great gift to Liu Chan.
Originally, today was the palace examination defense, but I didn’t want it to end up like this. For Liu Chan, it was a little too early to deal with these wealthy families.
However, since this Zeng Shu has pierced the window paper, there is no need for him to find a piece of paper to cover it. He might as well take the opportunity to give the clan a warning.
Check——
The first, second and third overall candidates were supposed to be selected, but now because Zeng Shu reported his true name to the Shuzhong Qiao clan, the imperial examination can only be postponed.
After the dispersion of the dynasty, Xu Shu immediately dispatched personnel to investigate in central Sichuan, but the Qiao Mansion in Chang'an was surrounded by regiments of imperial guards. This was Liu Chan's intention.
Since Zeng Shu reported that the imperial official was sent to prison, although Qiao Zhou, one of the parties involved, did not have to go to prison, for the sake of fairness, the entire Qiao family was not allowed to have any contact with the outside world until the investigation by the Yushi Palace was completed.
"What should I do?"
"What should I do?"
Qiao Xi, the eldest son of Qiao Zhou, frowned and asked Qiao Zhou anxiously: "Father, what should we do now? If we let the imperial court investigate, our Qiao family will be doomed."
"What are you afraid of?" Qiao Zhou disagreed, and said, "Although I, the Qiao family, have concealed the number of households, among the clans larger than my Qiao family in the Han Dynasty, am I the only one who has concealed the number of households?
”
"This——"
Qiao Xi was stunned and said: "Father, are you saying that Your Majesty does not dare to target the clan?"
Qiao Zhou shook his head again and said: "The clan has been harmful for a long time. Your Majesty's promotion of scientific research is naturally to dilute the status of the clan in the court. As the emperor, there is no problem with your Majesty's move."
p>
"Ah???" Qiao Xi asked: "Father, what do you mean, your Majesty's implementation of the imperial examination is aimed at the clan?"
"Otherwise?" Qiao Zhou said: "If it is not for the clan, why would your Majesty promote the scientific examination? Moreover, it is clearly stipulated that anyone can participate in the scientific examination as long as they are willing to serve the imperial court..." He paused as he spoke
, and asked: "Don't you know what Zhang Shao has done in Shu in recent years?"
"Government-run academy!" Qiao Xi said.
"Well!" Qiao Zhou said: "In government-run academies, as long as they are the subjects of the Han Dynasty, they can enroll in the government-run academies. In the first three years, ordinary people's children can enter the government-run academies without tuition fees. Why is this?"
Qiao Xi was stunned and said in horror: "It won't be long before scholars in the Han Dynasty will no longer belong to the clan. Even ordinary people can study in government-run academies and then take the imperial examination."
Qiao Zhou didn't say anything. When he was in Shu, he was to encourage learning and work, that is, to persuade the people to read more. They are just ordinary people. They are busy making a living all day long. What books can they read in their spare time? No matter how many books they read, it doesn't matter.
Use.
In the past, the appointment and dismissal of court officials were all recommended by clans from various places. Even if the common people were educated, it would be difficult for them to enter the court. If they could not enter the court, they would naturally not threaten the interests of the aristocratic family. Therefore, at that time, he was encouraged to study and work, that is,
It’s just a name.
Things are different now. Instead of encouraging students to learn, the imperial court directly opened academies, and then told the people that they could study for free for the first three years. When they are successful in their studies, they can take the imperial examination and gain the opportunity to serve the imperial court.
This move can be said to be a blow to the bottom of the cauldron. If the government-run academy continues to open, in less than ten years, a group of low-level people will emerge in the court.
"Then what should we do now?" Qiao Xi asked.
"You don't need to do anything!" Qiao Zhou said: "After Xu Yuanzhi investigates clearly, you can go to the main hall to accept the crime for your father."
"???"
This shocked Qiao Xi.
If Xu Shu is allowed to find out, then Qiao will be guilty of deceiving the emperor.
The crime of deceiving the emperor will result in the entire family being exterminated.
Qiao Xi is naturally worried.
However, Qiao Zhou said with a smile: "You don't need to be nervous. The Han Dynasty is now based on the clan. As a father, I dare to speak out. Even if Xu Yuanzhi finds out that I, the Qiao family, have concealed the number of households, Your Majesty can't do anything to my Qiao family."
p>
"Why?" Qiao Xi asked.
"It's easy to kill my Qiao family..." Qiao Zhou said with a smile: "But your Majesty will definitely not want to shake the foundation of the Han Dynasty."
"Hahaha!" As he spoke, Qiao Zhou laughed loudly and ignored his son. In his opinion, the emperor had intentions of targeting the clan, but he did not dare to easily uproot the clan.
Now the Han Dynasty is basically composed of clans. If one of the Qiao clan is killed in anger, everyone in the other clans will naturally be in danger. To put it more seriously, if these clans unite, even Zhuge Liang and Xu Shu, no matter how powerful they are, will be unable to stop them.
So many punches and kicks.
If you want to completely solve the clan's stubborn problems, it will not happen overnight.
Although Qiao Mansion is now surrounded by Imperial Guards, Qiao Zhou is really not worried at all, and nothing will happen to the Qiao family.
Compared with Qiao Zhou's calmness, Xu Shu, the censor doctor, was worried.
......
......
This chapter has been completed!