Chapter 485: Chapter 265 Li Family_2
Grandmaster Liu said, "It must be because of the Fourth Prince."
"Your Majesty, you granted Lao Lu’s daughter’s hand in marriage to the Fourth Prince, making the Crown Prince and Prince Dai uneasy." Prime Minister He said as he stroked his beard, "However, what surprised me was that the Crown Prince couldn’t sit still first; I originally thought it would be Prince Dai."
"You didn’t expect it, and neither did I." The emperor raised his eyebrows, showing a hint of disdain, "Do you think it’s the Crown Prince’s own idea, or Duke Zhen’s intention?"
Grandmaster Liu countered, "Does it make a difference?"
Prime Minister He said, "Even if it was the Crown Prince’s own idea, without Duke Zhen’s consent, those people wouldn’t dare propose it." On the surface, people in the Crown Prince’s faction seemed to regard the Crown Prince as the master, but the one truly in charge was Duke Zhen.
At this point, the emperor’s face darkened suddenly. But soon, he laughed again.
"From this perspective, Duke Zhen seems quite afraid of the fourth one."
"Your Majesty, it is not the Fourth Prince that Duke Zhen fears, but the Li Family behind the Fourth Prince." Prime Minister He glanced at the emperor, saying, "Duke Zhen is trying to restore the prestige of the Kong Family and suppress the Li Family."
The emperor lightly tapped the imperial desk, his expression inscrutable.
"Is suppressing the Li Family merely to restore the prestige of the Kong Family?"
Grandmaster Liu replied, "Of course not. Duke Zhen’s ultimate goal in suppressing the Li Family is to oppose you, Your Majesty."
Prime Minister He said, "Duke Zhen should already know about Your Majesty’s actions against the noble families in the capital."
The emperor was certainly aware of the true intention behind the Crown Prince’s proposal to honor Kong Kangda. He raised his eyebrows and asked, "So, do you think I should agree with them or not?"
Grandmaster Liu seemed to think of something and suddenly raised the corners of his mouth in a very sinister smile.
"Your Majesty, since Duke Zhen and his faction want to honor Kong Kangda, let them. However, before they honor Kong Kangda, have the Li Family grandly honor Old Master Li. Compared to Kong Kangda, Old Master Li deserves to be honored more, doesn’t he?"
Prime Minister He agreed with Grandmaster Liu’s suggestion, "Exactly."
The emperor pointed at Grandmaster Liu and laughed, "Lao Liu, you really have many schemes."
"Kong Kangda is nothing before Old Master Li." Though Kong Kangda was a great scholar, calling him a hero of scholars is too much. If there must be a hero of scholars, it is Old Master Li.
Before the establishment of Great Zhou, rites and music were collapsing, moral principles were being destroyed, and scholars were not respected at all. At that time, the people despised scholars the most because they were deemed useless. Later, with the establishment of Great Zhou, Old Master Li led the Li Family and their students to restore the rites and moral principles and to revive the status of scholars.
Without Old Master Li, it would have been impossible to restore the status of scholars, given the disdain for the Kong Family at the time. It was also Old Master Li who suggested to the previous emperor to revive Confucianism.
Kong Kangda’s efforts to protect scholars were mainly to cover up for the Kong Family. Of course, he genuinely wanted to save the scholars. However, compared to Old Master Li, he falls far short.
The Li Family has done a lot for Great Zhou, for the people, and for the scholars and students, yet they have never sought credit for it.
Old Master Li is the true hero that all scholars should be grateful for, but the Li Family never mentions it. On the other hand, the Kong Family repeatedly highlights how Kong Kangda saved the scholars of the world, emphasizing his status as a hero of all scholars.
"In that case, propose honoring Old Master Li in tomorrow’s morning court." After saying this, the emperor suddenly smiled maliciously, "What expressions do you think Duke Zhen and his faction will have tomorrow?"
"It will definitely be spectacular," Grandmaster Liu said mockingly. "They wouldn’t dare oppose honoring Old Master Li." Even if Duke Zhen feared the Li Family and wanted to overthrow them, he wouldn’t dare openly go against them. Certainly, he wouldn’t dare oppose the honoring of Old Master Li.
Prime Minister He stroked his beard and said with a smile, "Not only would they not dare oppose it, but they will also strongly support the proposal to honor Old Master Li."
"What do you think about having the Crown Prince represent me in honoring Old Master Li?"
Grandmaster Liu laughed, "Your Majesty, I concede." He implied that in terms of cunning, he couldn’t match the emperor.
Prime Minister He said earnestly, "Your Majesty is wise."
The emperor laughed, saying, "I also think I’m very wise."
Grandmaster Liu: "..." In terms of shamelessness, the emperor is indeed impressive.
"However," the emperor suddenly changed the subject, "with the temperament of the Li Family, they wouldn’t agree to grandly honor Old Master Li." If the Li Family were like the Kong Family, they wouldn’t be the Li Family.
"If the Li Family doesn’t agree, then the Kong Family wouldn’t have the face to agree to honor Kong Kangda." Prime Minister He sighed, "The Kong Family has indeed declined with each generation."
Grandmaster Liu mocked, "If Confucius knew his descendants were like this, he would probably jump out of his coffin in anger."
"We must not let the Kong Family surpass the Li Family." Prime Minister He’s expression became very serious, "Otherwise, the Kong Family might do what they did in the previous dynasty."
"It’s still Lao Zheng who’s impressive, having suggested to my father to invite the Li Family to come forth."
Inviting the Li Family to restore rites and music, establish the Imperial College, and revise laws were all part of Zheng Xilin’s suggestions.
"So far, the Li Family has done well, not becoming like the Kong Family," Prime Minister He said. "Of course, the future is uncertain."
"I can’t manage future affairs. If in the future the Li Family becomes like the Kong Family, that will be the next emperor’s duty," the emperor sighed. "I can’t manage that far; I will just make sure to govern Great Zhou well now."
"By the way, let me show you something." The emperor took a letter from the drawer of the imperial desk and asked Sun Kui to pass it to Prime Minister He and Grandmaster Liu. "This is a letter from Zhao Yao to Lao Zheng. I had someone make a copy; take a look."
Every time Zhao Yao wrote to Zheng Xilin, the Hidden Guard would make a copy for the emperor.
Prime Minister He took the letter and read it together with Grandmaster Liu.
After they finished reading, they both showed expressions of astonishment.
In the letter, Zhao Yao detailed what he believed was the deeper meaning of "the major affairs of the nation lie in sacrifices and military affairs." He wrote from the aspects of military and public opinion, deeply elaborating on the importance of these two aspects.
The importance of public sentiment was something Prime Minister He and Grandmaster Liu understood. He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world.
While they understood the importance of the military, they didn’t grasp it as profoundly as Zhao Yao did.
During the time of conquest, soldiers were very important. But when the world is at peace, soldiers are no longer needed to fight and thus seem less important. Furthermore, the descendants of the founding heroes of every dynasty often become wastrels.
In the letter, Zhao Yao repeatedly emphasized that even in peaceful times, soldiers are extremely important, and their training must be strengthened. Otherwise, if there is an invasion by foreign tribes in the future without a strong army to repel them, the Central Plains will become a hellish place again.
"Isn’t my Little Ten very clever?" The emperor was also startled when he first saw the letter.
"Your Majesty, the letter from His Highness the Tenth is really well-written."
Grandmaster Liu, still holding the letter, exclaimed, "Your Majesty, His Highness the Tenth is even smarter than you." Now he finally understood why the old sage said that His Highness the Tenth could bring a golden age to Great Zhou.