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Chapter 428: Turning Point
Chapter 428: Turning Point
Chapter 428: Turning Point
Upon returning to the Imperial Palace, Anya naturally went to pay her respects to the Emperor.
Outside the imperial study room, the Emperor’s angry voice could be heard.
Anya asked curiously, “What’s wrong with my father?”
Eunuch Li replied, “Since the night of the New Ceremony celebration, there has been no news of the group of thieves who caused chaos in Ninefold Prison.”
“The Lords of the Prison and the Demon Slaying Department have been on the hunt. However, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Punishment and the Inspectorate have received no leads.”
“Even the submitted memorials are passing the blame to each other, which is why His Majesty is so upset.”
“Your Highness, please wait here for a moment, and I will report to His Majesty,” Eunuch Li added.
After a short while, Eunuch Li returned and led Anya into the study.
Emperor Ming slammed the memorial on the table and said, “They are all useless. When it comes to doing something important, they are all incapable!”
When Emperor Ming saw the apple of his eye, he pinched the center of his brows and slowly calmed down his depressed mood, “It’s too late to let Anya see my loss of composure.”
Anya shook her head and said, “The thieves who managed to evade the Heavenly Tower National Teacher and escape from the hands of the Divine Guardian are undoubtedly exceptional. It is reasonable for the Three Department to take time to gather clues. Father, being worried won’t help.”
Emperor Ming snorted coldly, “If it were just a matter of time, it would be fine. The main problem is that these people don’t even know what they’re doing.”
“There are so many people in the Three Departments, they are quick to promote their own people to the court and make loud accusations against each other, but none of them are useful at a critical moment! What good are these useless people?”
Anya stood silently without answering.
After a while, when Emperor Ming’s anger had subsided a little, he asked, “Why did Anya come to see me?”
Anya took out the white scroll written by Qin Feng from her arms and handed it over gently, “There is something here that Father might want to see.”
“What is this?” Emperor Ming took the letter curiously and saw the words ‘Imperial Examination System’ written prominently on the cover.
He slowly opened the letter, glanced through it, then raised his eyebrows and muttered, “Dividing candidates into different subjects, fair competition, selecting the best talents. Quite interesting.”
At that moment, Emperor Ming, like Anya when she first learned about the Imperial Examination System, became more and more engrossed as he continued to read.
When Emperor Ming saw the sentence, “Breaking the monopoly of the powerful in the court, all the heroes of the world will enter our gates,” he couldn’t help but exclaim, “Good.”
“My Great Qian is rich in talent, recruiting capable individuals is only natural! Anya, did you come up with this imperial examination system?” Emperor Ming raised his head and asked.
Anya shook her head, “It was a good friend of mine who came up with it. He gave me this letter today and asked me to present it to Father.”
“A friend?” Emperor Ming thought for a moment, wondering who among the people he knew had such an extraordinary talent.
“What is his official position?”
“He has no official position.”
“Could it be someone you met at the Grand Academy?” Emperor Ming inquired.
“Strictly speaking, he should be considered my younger brother.” Anya replied truthfully.
“The eldest son of the Qin family, Qin Feng?”
“Yes, Father, it is him.”
Emperor Ming suddenly realised.
As the current Emperor of the Great Qian, he undoubtedly possessed extraordinary information.
The National Teacher of the Heavenly Tower was the backbone of the Great Qian, so how can he not pay attention to the disciples he has accepted?
In addition, since arriving in Imperial City, Qin Feng has performed many amazing feats – inventing gunpowder, demonstrating advanced medical skills, and establishing a school for the lower classes.
It was only reasonable for him to gather information on Qin Feng.
Therefore, Emperor Ming knew that Qin Feng was the eighth disciple of the National Teacher of the Heavenly Tower. However, their master-disciple relationship seemed somewhat forced and strange.
“He’s a talent.” Emperor Ming sighed with emotion.
“Father, do you think this imperial examination system is feasible?”
Emperor Ming nodded, “If it can be implemented throughout the Great Qian, the statement that all heroes in the world will join me is not just empty talk, but…”
The rest of the words were left unsaid by Emperor Ming, but Anya understood clearly. The difficulty of implementing this plan was too great, and the resistance would undoubtedly be considerable.
“Has the National Teacher seen this thing?” Emperor Ming asked.
“The Teacher replied in the affirmative.”
Emperor Ming understood and stood up. He kept thinking in his mind that if he proposed this policy, he would definitely be opposed by a large number of officials.
Forcing its implementation would only lead to difficulties.
It would be better to propose the policy, find an excuse to implement it in the Imperial City first, and then gradually spread it throughout the Great Qian.
However, it was not easy to find such an excuse.
On the other side, in the palace of the Third Prince, Tang Fei reported on the changes in the school for lower class students during this period.
“After the repression by the officials and the verbal warnings, almost half of the lower class students have already withdrawn from the Poor Scholar Academy. I believe it won’t be long before there are no students left at the Poor Scholar Academy.”
“Good,” the Third Prince nodded in agreement, “but your plan isn’t just these minor disturbances, is it?”
“Of course not.” Tang Fei smiled slightly and continued, “Driving the students away from the Poor Scholar Academy is just a prelude to what is to come. My ultimate goal is to provoke Qin Feng into an academic dispute with the National University.”
The Third Prince frowned, not understanding the intention, “Just an academic dispute, what kind of tactic is that? Even if Qin Feng loses to the National University, there will be no loss.”
“The Third Prince does not know that the academic disputes of the National University have always been held on the Heavenly Heart Platform.”
“Competing with others on the platform consumes Literature Qi and is extremely exhausting.”
“If you lose on Heavenly Heart Platform, those with weak wills might even have their Heart Questioning Platform shattered, never having the chance to follow the path of the Literature Saint again.”
The Third Prince suddenly realised, “Are you saying that you want to use this academic dispute to shatter Qin Feng’s Heart Questioning Platform?”
“But I’ve heard you say that Qin Feng has graduated from Academy Palace, and his willpower is far beyond that of ordinary people. How could he make your plan succeed?”
“Indeed, Qin Feng is exceptional. It’s not easy to smash his Heart Questioning Platform with a single failure. But what if it’s a series of consecutive failures? Even the most resolute Literature Saint cannot withstand such a blow.”
After a pause, Tang Fei laughed again and said, “If Qin Feng really does accept the academic challenge, Your Highness can even send someone to secretly spread the news and let everyone in the Imperial City know.”
“In front of the public, it is almost certain that the scholars of the National University will defeat Qin Feng in the academic challenge and that Qin Feng’s Heart Questioning Platform will be broken!”
The third prince paced back and forth in the great hall, then asked, “But what if your National University is no match for Qin Feng in academics, then what?”
Tang Fei shook his head and smiled, “Your Highness, you may be overestimating him. He’s just a saint of the literary path, practising the medical arts.”
“Even if he knows some extraordinary skills, what can he do? If I take a step back, even if others from the National University fail, I am confident that I can defeat him.”
“Oh?” The third prince looked curious.
Tang Fei confidently said, “Your Highness, you may not know this, but I’ve been studying military strategy with Master Mo for countless years.”
“Of all the students at the Grand Academy, perhaps only Fei Xun, the disciple of the National Teacher of the Heavenly Tower, can compete with me.”
“For Qin Feng to surpass me in military strategy is nothing but a fool’s dream. Now, as long as he falls into the trap and accepts the academic challenge, I can defeat him in front of the public, embarrass him completely, and shatter the Heart Questioning Platform!”
“Good!” The third prince’s eyes brightened.