Chapter 242: The World Trembles in Rage

The entire scene was shocked.

Everyone's expression changed.

Grand Eunuch Zhou, who had been on the scene the whole time, was stunned at this moment and shouted in a shrill voice: "Quick, quick, call the imperial physician! Quick!"

The Prince of Qin's expression was gloomy.

Zhu Zhen also took a deep breath.

No one had expected that this Liu Yu would be so unyielding. At the slightest disagreement, he had truly committed "death by admonishment"!

Very soon.

Several imperial physicians arrived, but upon seeing Liu Yu's condition, they all shook their heads.

He was already dead!

"This..."

"Old Master Liu!"

"Why go to such lengths?"

The Prince of Qin did not forget to sigh: "Lord Zhu, Old Master Liu was a high official of two reigns; your heart-piercing words were truly, truly..."

Zhu Zhen was instantly enraged: "Prince of Qin, you cannot speak nonsense; what does this have to do with me?"

His heart sank as he listened.

This Prince of Qin was truly seizing every opportunity to strike at him! Looking at the others, their gazes toward him were, as expected, full of hidden meaning.

It was as if they were saying.

Look.

At first, Old Master Liu was only kneeling to offer an admonishment, but once you arrived and provoked him, it turned directly into a true death by admonishment to prove his innocence! This matter must certainly have something to do with you!

"Lord Zhu, why go to such lengths..."

"Lord Zhu, you were reckless, reckless!"

"You, you, you, you all..."

Zhu Zhen nearly spat out a mouthful of old blood.

What was to be done?

Inside Yangxin Hall.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."

Grand Eunuch Zhou practically crawled inside.

"Your Majesty, Old Master Liu, Old Master Liu he..."

Grand Eunuch Zhou tried his best to keep a look of grief on his face.

Who would have thought that Xie Tianyao was still quietly staring at the chessboard in front of him, only asking coldly: "He is dead, is he?"

"Yes, yes, he is dead..."

Grand Eunuch Zhou was drenched in cold sweat.

Xie Tianyao took a deep breath and sat up straight.

The entire Yangxin Hall seemed to fall into an atmosphere of deathly silence in an instant.

Grand Eunuch Zhou suddenly shuddered, his spine turning cold.

Could it be...

Did the Emperor know long ago that this Liu Yu would die? Or rather, was all of this not only within his expectations, but possibly even a move he had planned?

Grand Eunuch Zhou, who understood Xie Tianyao very well, knew that he had likely guessed correctly.

Xie Tianyao laughed heartily, without the slightest sorrow for the death of a loyal official, and leaned over to look at Grand Eunuch Zhou: "Lao Zhou, tell me, what kind of person am I?"

"Ah?"

Grand Eunuch Zhou lowered his head, cautious: "Your Majesty is the True Dragon Son of Heaven..."

"Bullshit!"

Xie Tianyao rose to his full height, looking gloomily at the sky outside, and gave a cold laugh: "Bullshit True Dragon Son of Heaven! It's all bullshit! Lao Zhou, my time is running out, do you understand?"

Grand Eunuch Zhou knelt on the ground with a thud and wept: "Your Majesty..."

Xie Tianyao waved his hand and said indifferently: "I don't want to hear that bullshit about ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand thousand years. I only know that I haven't left the Imperial Palace in decades... What have I done in this life?"

He stared intently at Grand Eunuch Zhou: "Well, what have I done?"

Grand Eunuch Zhou dared not speak.

Xie Tianyao laughed heartily: "Do the people of the world truly think I lack the vision for reform?"

"Do the people of the world truly think I don't know that Longyan is already rotten to the core and on the verge of collapse?"

"I am just somewhat unwilling..."

"Unwilling!"

"I have been thinking of a foolproof plan, so that when I pass away, the world will not fall into chaos, and the world will still hold Longyan in high esteem!"

"However..."

"I cannot wait for that day."

"Cannot wait..."

In those turbid eyes of Xie Tianyao, a thick killing intent flickered: "Whether it is the Noble or the Scholar-official, do they truly think I am just a puppet they keep in the palace?"

"This world is mine!"

"I can make it rise, and I can make it fall!"

"No one can control me!"

"No one can control My thoughts!"

"A mere Prefect Liu, if My few good-for-nothing sons cannot even defeat him!"

He took a deep breath and shouted: "Then this Longyan, I would rather not have it!"

"Your Majesty..."

Grand Eunuch Zhou prostrated on the ground, tears streaming down his face.

The old Emperor had already walked out the door.

Outside the door, the crowd knelt and bowed one after another.

"Long live, long live, long, long live our Emperor!"

"May the Emperor's dragon body be at peace!"

Xie Tianyao looked coldly at Liu Yu, who was already covered by a shroud, a flash of killing intent in his eyes: "In My Pingyu era, there has actually occurred an incident of a loyal official dying by remonstrance!"

"This is the sorrow of Longyan!"

"This is the tragedy of Longyan!"

"You tell Me!"

"Am I a muddled monarch?"

"In three hundred years of Longyan, there has not been a single loyal official who died by Admonishment; this is the first instance in three hundred years!"

"How will the Historian write of Me, and how shall I face the world?"

Everyone was as silent as cicadas in winter, trembling all over.

Zhu Zhen, in particular, broke into a cold sweat instantly.

Prince Qin even more so...

No one dared to speak.

Xie Tianyao was in a dragon-faced rage, his killing intent astonishing; who could withstand it?

"Is it not just a system of Imperial Examination?" the political scene

Xie Tianyao laughed coldly: "It has actually forced My loyal and virtuous old official to his death! Who will give Me an explanation? Who will give Me an explanation!"

After saying this.

He flicked his sleeves and left.

The crowd of civil and military officials looked at each other with lingering fear.

Suddenly.

Prince Qin's expression darkened slightly.

Who could give an explanation?

Who is capable of giving an explanation?

The Emperor... what he wants is not an explanation, but that he wants to promote the Imperial Examination System!

Zhu Zhen.

Sure enough.

The news of the death of the Hanlin Academy's foremost literary master and foremost Grand Academician, Liu Yu, who died by Admonishment, spread throughout the world in a few days.

The scholars of the entire Longyan Dynasty were instantly enraged.

In their hearts, an institution like the Hanlin Academy was the most pinnacle and sacred place for academics.

Yet Liu Yu had dashed himself to death because of a single sentence from the Minister of Personnel!

These politicians are truly detestable!

For a time.

Longyan's literary masters and scholars began flying poems and verses of mourning and satire against the political scene everywhere. Many people even gathered together, wanting to seek justice for Old Liu.

The literary world was furious; Old Liu had students all over the world, among whom were many powerful people. There were even two Regional Commanders who were both brought up by Old Liu.

For three consecutive days.

Every day, people jumped out to write articles angrily cursing the current Minister of Personnel, Zhu Zhen. Although in a feudal dynasty, many people are punished for their words, but... under this situation, the law cannot punish the masses.

Besides.

They were not cursing the Emperor.

They were just cursing Zhu Zhen.

Later...

It gradually evolved into them starting to support Liu Yu's "last wish" after cursing Zhu Zhen, and they began to promote the Imperial Examination System.

Zhu Zhen.

In these three days, he had lost a whole circle of weight.

Every day when he woke up, he could see many people throwing rotten vegetable leaves and stinking eggs at the entrance of his mansion...

And all kinds of articles cursing him.

"My Lord, My Lord..."

"What is to be done about this?"

A group of powerful figures among the Scholar-officials were all gathered at this Shangshu Mansion at this time.

Zhu Zhen smiled miserably and sighed deeply: "Oh Emperor, oh Emperor, if you really want to promote the Imperial Examination, why go to such lengths, why go to such lengths?"

The others also followed with sighs and groans.

This was the battle of wits between the Emperor and the Scholar-officials.

If Xie Tianyao were to truly propose the Imperial Examination during the morning court, he would certainly face resistance from all sides—do you think that in ancient times, the Emperor was the most powerful? Not so. During the Ming Dynasty, the Cabinet System was already perfected; at that time, the Cabinet held the true power, and the Cabinet was the most important mechanism for the normal operation of the entire country; the Emperor merely gave the final approval.

The relationship between the Emperor, the Scholar-officials, and the civil and military officials was inherently one of mutual exploitation.

If the Noble Class and the Scholar-official class were to resist the Imperial Examination simultaneously...

Then the Emperor would also have to consider their opinions.

However, today...

With Liu Yu dead, the scholars of the world are filled with righteous indignation; who could stop them?

If this continues, I fear his prestige as Minister of Personnel will also be greatly diminished.

Emperor...

As expected, it is still the Emperor.

Zhu Zhen sighed and stood up: "At tomorrow's morning court, we shall submit the memorial."

The next day.

On the side of the Prince of Qin.

The thoughts were the same.

Since things have already reached this point... then they can only follow the Emperor's wishes. Although they were extremely unwilling in their hearts, public opinion had already formed... if this continues, the interests of the Nobles and Scholar-officials might also be affected.

Cut losses in time!

Thus.

At the morning court the next day, it was unprecedented that the Noble Class and the Scholar-officials simultaneously suggested launching pilot programs for the Imperial Examination in the Longyan Dynasty.

Of course.

Proposing it is one thing...

These Nobles and Scholar-officials also kept a trick up their sleeves, leaving themselves a way out.

They believed that, after all, this was a bold reform, something that had never happened in history.

As for the results, they could only wait and see.

Under such circumstances...

Why not.

Just let that Liu, the Prefect who proposed the Imperial Examination, start it in Liangzhou first?

Start with a pilot program?

And then see how it goes, before slowly pushing it to the whole country later?

Who knows...

When the old Emperor will pass away. When that time comes, they can turn around and refuse to acknowledge it; wouldn't that just restore the system of recommending the filial and incorrupt?

Xie Tianyao smiled coldly.

He naturally knew what these people were thinking.

But he also knew.

This kind of concession was already not easy to come by.

Good!

Let the pilot program begin in Liangzhou.

And at this time, Liu Zheng at the Western Regions Protectorate.

Was actually unaware of all this.

Why?

Someone might ask, isn't there carrier pigeon messaging? It arrives in a day!

However, carrier pigeon messaging also requires a process...

Why can pigeons carry messages? Because they know the way; no matter how far, they can find their way home. But the prerequisite is that your pigeon must recognize a "home."

This process requires time and cost.

When a young pigeon is about a month old, it can be "homed"; "homing" means letting them become familiar with their home. At a month or two old, when released, they will become familiar with the surrounding environment again, fly into the sky, and then—this is the proper "homing"!

And then...

This is still not enough.

Step by step, one must release the carrier pigeons at ten kilometers, twenty kilometers, thirty kilometers, hundreds of kilometers, one thousand kilometers... advancing like this, succeeding bit by bit, only then can one truly use carrier pigeon messaging.

Therefore, the cost of carrier pigeon messaging in ancient times was very high.

At the time, Liu Zheng was quite reliant on the carrier pigeon network of the Zheng Family, where Zheng Yueru was.

Later, after Yinzhou established its government, there was a specialized department that Liu Zheng named the "Communications Department," but how long have they been in the Western Regions? There was simply no time for the homing process.

Riding fast horses...

From the Longyan Dynasty to the Western Regions, how many days would that take?

Therefore.

Liu Zheng is still having a headache.

He needs to give this female Martial Scholar...

A position to arrange!