I Rely on Beauty to Stabilize the Country Chapter 150

Chapter 150

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After the Minister of Revenue spoke, many in the hall cursed him silently. 

But following him, the Grand Councilor and the Assistant Minister of State Affairs, along with the Ministers of Works and Justice, stepped out and firmly stated their support for the method.

The court was shaken and puzzled, and Li Bao was equally confused.

Why were these key ministers supporting this? Hadn’t they considered the implications?

But in an instant, Li Bao understood. Just as he had pledged his loyalty to His Majesty, these ministers had likely been won over by His Majesty in advance.

Li Bao suddenly felt a wave of fear.

This emperor, now possessing immense authority and public support, commanded the unwavering loyalty of the military officials in the court, who promptly declared their support.

With soldiers at His Majesty’s disposal, he had the power to overturn the status quo.

If the emperor succeeded this time, would he push further, testing the ministers’ limits?

Li Bao shuddered, too afraid to ponder further.

Among the ministers, the most anxious and flustered was the Shangshu of the Ministry of Personnel.

The Shangshu of the Ministry of Personnel was a representative figure of the “Shuangcheng School.” He had once interceded on behalf of the Prefect of Lizhou and confessed his own faults. The emperor had pardoned him, which now left him in a difficult position, unsure of what to do.

Punctuation was the foundation for the school’s growth and the natural advantage that allowed officials to band together. If punctuation marks were truly adopted to standardize reading, what advantage would the school have left? What advantages would anyone have?

The Shangshu of the Ministry of Personnel moved his lips silently for a long time, while many from the “Shuangcheng School” signaled to him with lip movements, whispering, “Lord An, Lord An.”

Speak up, stop the emperor!

The Shangshu of the Ministry of Personnel bowed his head and finally remained silent.

“What’s the matter?” Gu Yuanbai sneered, “Now no one dares to speak?”

The chaos in the grand hall felt like a ridiculous dream, now replaced by silence, as if the previous commotion had never happened.

“Since no one objects, it is decided,” Gu Yuanbai said, turning back towards the throne. “The method proposed by Grand Tutor Li is excellent. Such a good thing should benefit all the people of Great Heng.”

“From the Four Books and Five Classics to the Thousand Character Classic read by children, all must use this punctuation,” Gu Yuanbai raised his voice with each sentence. “From today, until three months later, all great scholars of the land are welcome to come to the capital. I will have them punctuate every book. For contentious sentences, we will establish a final method of punctuation through discussion.”

“I want the students of Great Heng, in next year’s imperial examination, to be able to use punctuation in their essays,” the emperor had reached the top step. He turned and looked back, the officials could not believe what the emperor was saying. Even kneeling, they raised their heads in shock, their faces showing fear and complexity. The emperor’s ambition, hidden under his anger, finally surfaced. “Assistant Minister of State Affairs, from today, work with the Hanlin Academy to bring out all the palace’s books, punctuate and transcribe them anew, without error.”

“Yes!”

The emperor openly displayed his dissatisfaction with the schools, not even bothering to hide it.

It was only now that the officials realized that their emperor was not aiming to spread the sage’s words to every household, but to control all books and strip the schools of their power.

The emperor intended to unify all punctuation and the right to interpret texts, breaking the monopoly and elevating imperial authority.

Wasn’t he afraid the schools would turn against him?

The officials, in a daze, looked up and saw the generals obediently following the emperor’s orders, snapping back to reality. Indeed, their emperor was different from the previous one. Since annexing Xixia, his authority had been formidable and undeniable, making open resistance impossible.

And those ministers, the officials glanced at the Shangshus and the Nine Ministers, frustrated. These people had sided with the emperor.

They wished they could look into their brains. What were these ministers thinking? At such a time, instead of defending their interests, they stood behind the emperor, pointing their swords at their colleagues?

Were they out of their minds?

The high-ranking ministers remained composed and respectful. Gu Yuanbai’s commands fell like raindrops, and before the officials could react, the morning court session was already over.

The morning court session was a success.

But Gu Yuanbai knew that solving the punctuation issue with one session was wishful thinking.

***

That day, articles with punctuation marks were posted at the city gates. The Imperial Academy and the Grand Academy did the same, with students crowding around the notices, discussing the unprecedented marks heatedly.

Among the students not yet in official positions, some clever ones grasped the implications behind the punctuation marks, while most were concerned about their utility, complaining about their inclusion in next year’s imperial examination.

But this was the emperor’s mandate. The students, willing or not, had to accept it, especially the poor scholars who had struggled with traditional punctuation. They were overjoyed, seeing hope and relief.

The notice contained a line: “Henceforth, all books shall include punctuation for the purpose of reading.”

Students repeated this line, some pondering, others ecstatic, sensing they were part of a significant historical change.

And this change was destined to be recorded in history.

***

Meanwhile, the court’s invitation for great scholars nationwide to come to the capital and punctuate books was also widely announced. With only three months, due to the spread of information, many scholars might miss the opportunity upon hearing the news.

But Gu Yuanbai didn’t care. He was simply showing an attitude, shifting the focus from “can punctuation be used” to “which school’s punctuation method should be followed.”

Upon hearing the news, scholars, determined to defend their punctuation accuracy, packed up and headed to the capital. In the capital, some schools began to feel uneasy.

During the second morning court, many officials feigned illness to avoid attending.

Gu Yuanbai calmly finished the court session. The next day, more officials reported illnesses, unable to handle state affairs.

They dared not confront the emperor directly, resorting to this method to pressure him to back down.

Most of these ailing officials were the pillars of the court.

Gu Yuanbai’s approach was not to use force or lose popular support. Before the morning court, he had individually met with key ministers, appealing to their emotions and logic, and most importantly, offering enough benefits.

These key ministers of Great Heng saw the emperor’s determination for reform. They knew they couldn’t stop him, so they chose to side with him, trading other schools’ demise for their privileges.

Yes, the emperor granted them special privileges.

For the ministers he drew to his side, Gu Yuanbai granted them the right to retain five exclusive copies of their school’s texts.

For these five books, Gu Yuanbai would not have punctuation added to them. If any student wished to study these five exclusive texts, they could join their school as before.

Five books, not a small number.

Compared to other schools, this was a huge temptation. They chose to accept the emperor’s outstretched hand and firmly stood behind him during the major educational reforms.

As long as they remained loyal, the court remained as stable as a rock.

However, as more and more mid-level officials claimed to be ill at home, the operations of various institutions gradually became difficult. There was a sense of unease within the court, and Xue Yuan was somewhat worried for Gu Yuanbai when he went to bed at night.

Gu Yuanbai pulled him down for a kiss, his tongue licking, and in the midst of a passionate kiss, he murmured, “It’s nothing.”

Xue Yuan responded enthusiastically.

The passionate breath was like a young fruit gradually ripening. The kiss, initially devoid of desire, slowly turned into a lush red fruit, moist with water. As his back arched, Gu Yuanbai’s breath became more rapid. His pale arm reached for the bedhead, and a light veil fell like petals.

The busy government affairs left Gu Yuanbai unable to respond to Xue Yuan’s repeated advances, as the exhaustion from work delayed matters.

But sometimes, like now when their mouths were dry, the intense fragrance burst forth, the juice mixed with clear liquid, allowing for occasional indulgence to explore the depths of their desires.

The bed curtains fell, shielding Xue Yuan’s burning gaze.

***

The “The Great Heng Daily,” controlled by the emperor, frequently published articles praising the emperor and Grand Tutor Li, making the common people firmly believe that punctuation was a good thing. This made the articles of the great scholars in the schools seem like stones dropped into water, creating only a tiny splash.

The dissemination speed of their articles could not keep up with the “The Great Heng Daily.”

Public opinion was originally controlled by those who held the pen, but with the spread and deepening influence of the national newspaper over the years, the voices of the common people gradually began to influence public opinion and became increasingly important.

Seeing the common people praise the emperor’s actions, the officials who were claiming to be ill at home felt very uneasy.

Although they felt that the emperor wouldn’t really do anything to them, they were still anxious and found it hard to sleep and eat well at home.

Finally, the emperor took action.

Eunuchs from the court visited these “ill” officials one by one, politely asking when they would recover and be able to return to court. After dealing with the eunuchs, these officials talked among themselves and were surprised to find that this might be a sign of the emperor backing down.

The court truly could not function without them.

With this reassurance, the mid-level officials finally had a good night’s sleep. But the next morning, they heard that their positions had been filled by others.

They were stunned, and so were the various departments of the court.

Early in the morning, these departments welcomed officials who seemed to appear out of nowhere, taking over the duties of the “ill” officials with great skill and politeness, quickly becoming acquainted with their colleagues.

These officials were highly capable, quick to adapt, diligent, and enthusiastic. When ministers inquired several times, the emperor simply smiled and said, “While the sick officials are still unwell, feel free to use these replacements.”

These new officials were from the Supervision Bureau.

This mass feigned illness by officials provided a golden opportunity for the Supervision Bureau officials to move from the shadows into the light, as the emperor had hinted, “Whether you can stay depends on your abilities.”

The Supervision Bureau officials, now placed in various positions, worked with such zeal that within days, ministers praised them to Gu Yuanbai, noting that the efficiency of the court’s institutions had significantly improved.

However, the “ill” officials and their supporting schools were dumbfounded.

They had effectively shot themselves in the foot. Some officials, upon receiving the news, hurried back to their offices, only to be turned away by the Imperial Guard, who cited their sudden recovery as suspicious.

The court, showing a humane touch, suggested that since they were ill, they should rest well and take more time to recover.

This move threw the capital into chaos. Officials who feigned illness for their schools now resented those very schools, leading to escalating conflicts. When the great scholars arrived in the capital, they found themselves caught in disputes between the schools and officials.

Amazed and bewildered, the great scholars were summoned to the palace, where Li Bao, following the emperor’s instructions, tearfully reminded them not to forget the teachings of Confucius and the fearless establishment of private education despite numerous difficulties.

Such statements, repeated often, led Li Bao to almost believe himself that he was acting for the country and the people, touching many great scholars deeply.

Three months flew by, and as the fires in the capital were lit for warmth, the schools finally succumbed in decline. The officials who used soft tactics to pressure the emperor also failed to return to the court.

Most importantly, punctuation was finally allowed to be openly included in the imperial examinations.

***

During these three months, Gu Yuanbai never stopped. He continuously lobbied and intimidated, visiting the Imperial Academy and the Grand Academy twice each.

For the initial use of punctuation, Gu Yuanbai had to show enough importance. Only if he valued it would the officials value it, and only then would scholars across the country value it.

As punctuation became widespread, students and teachers realized it’s great benefits. With punctuation, they saved time and effort in learning to read. Over time, there was no need for the emperor to send people to write praising articles; local scholars naturally promoted the use of punctuation.

When the first snow fell, Gu Yuanbai finally took a break from his busy government affairs and granted himself a honeymoon.

Xue Yuan, with no title or status, looked at Gu Yuanbai every day like a pitiable drenched dog. Sometimes, when Gu Yuanbai was busy, they couldn’t even exchange a few words in a day. To be honest, Gu Yuanbai felt a bit sorry for him.

He understood how passionate young lovers could be, especially someone as outstanding as Xue Yuan. On the day it snowed in the palace, he pulled Xue Yuan under the plum blossom trees, kissing him secretly amidst the snow and red blossoms.

Poor Xue Yuan was completely stunned by the emperor’s initiative, unable to recover his senses.

To Gu Yuanbai, this made him seem somewhat… somewhat adorable.

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