History had long proven that any change would meet resistance.
In history, the Song Dynasty had held several reforms, but they all failed because they violated the interests of established interest groups and caused fierce resistance.
This was because the interest groups would not be willing to withdraw from the stage of history.
The appearance of movable type printing had caused the price of books to drop too much. It had caused a fierce impact on the monopoly of education of the aristocratic families, and it would definitely cause them to resist.
The aristocratic families affected the emperor's authority and controlled the government. However, because there were few scholars, the emperor had to suppress them and use them.
Although Li Er had reactivated the imperial examinations in history and even said that all the talents in the world would enter his shell, the imperial court was still filled with people from aristocratic families.
The Wei family in Jingzhao even had a proverb," Wei Du in the south of the city, five feet away from the sky." In the Tang Dynasty, there were as many as twenty people who paid homage to the physiognomist, and the number of high-ranking officials was countless.
The Cui Clan of Boling also had dozens of prime ministers and was known as the most prestigious clan in the world.
The imperial examination gave the poor scholars a chance, but because there was no title and the system of passing the examination, the proportion of the poor scholars was far less than that of the aristocrats.
The relationships between the aristocratic families and the powerful families were intertwined, and they were far from what the poor scholars could compare to.
Of course, another important factor was that the aristocrats monopolized the right to education, and there were too few poor children who studied.
But now, the appearance of movable type printing had changed the situation. Books had become cheaper, and the children of the poor families had the opportunity to study.
Moreover, the imperial examination system had become fairer because of Qin Mo's intervention. There were no more so-called examination papers.
If he wanted to pass the imperial examination, he had to rely on his true talent.
Such a change naturally touched the interests of the aristocratic families, but Li Er was not like the emperors of the Song Dynasty. He had an army in his hands.
As long as he gave his full support, the aristocratic families would not be able to make any waves, but there would definitely be a fierce counterattack. Qin Mo had too many things to do, and there was no reason to guard against thieves for a thousand days. Therefore, it was very appropriate to let the old cunning fellows and the others take the blame.
The old man had just returned from Qin Manor to Duke Zhao Manor when he received a report from the butler, saying that the Duke of Xingyi had sent someone to summon him to the manor.
Xingyi County Duke was Gao Shilian's title.
The old man's father, Zhangsun Sheng, died of illness. Gao Shilian took his sister Gao Shi home and treated his nephew Zhangsun Wuji and niece Zhangsun Shi well. Later, Gao Shilian discovered that Li Yuan's second son, Li Shimin, was talented, so he married his niece, Empress Zhangsun, to him.
When the old man heard his uncle's invitation, he did not dare to delay and rushed to Gao Shilian's residence without stopping.
When they arrived at Gao Shilian's residence, Wang Gui and Cui Mingan were there as well.
"Greetings, Duke Zhao."
Wang Gui and Cui Mingan cupped their fists and bowed to the old man. They had no choice. The old man was higher than them in both rank and position.
Seeing the two of them, the old man knew their purpose of coming, but he did not show any emotion.
"May I know why Uncle has called me here?”Zhangsun Wuji asked.
Gao Shilian said," I heard from Shu Jie that you have opened a bookstore, and the price of the books is only thirty percent of the market price. I wonder why?”
The cunning old man said," It's true. I opened this bookstore to benefit the people so that they can read and understand.”
Seeing that the old man had admitted to this matter, Wang Gui said," Why is Duke Zhao so hostile?”
Wang Gui was the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty, but he was still unable to escape the shackles of his family's interests. Under the situation where his family's foundation was attacked, he could not help but step forward.
The conflict between the imperial power and the aristocratic families was very intense. The Wang family had supported Li Zhi to seize the throne in history. The famous Empress Wang was from the Wang family. In the end, if there was a conflict of interest, she would still be killed.
The cunning old man pretended to be puzzled." Why would Vice Minister Wang say that?" How can I be at odds with you for the benefit of the people?”
Looking at the cunning old man pretending to be ignorant, Wang Gui could not help but feel angry." Duke Zhao, why are you pretending to be ignorant? The reason why we aristocrats can wear hats is all because of the monopoly of education. Now that the price of books is so low, it has shaken our foundation.”
This was the rhythm of shamelessness. In the past, although the gentry monopolized education, they put on a sanctimonious appearance. They were not as naked as they were now.
Cui Min 'gan interjected," Duke Zhao, why don't you raise the price of the books? If you raise it to 700 wen, wouldn't you earn more and not affect the foundation of the aristocratic families? Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?”
The current price of engraving printing in the Great Tang was about this price. This way, he could continue to monopolize the market without offending the aristocratic families. It was the best of both worlds.
However, this was not something that the old man could decide on his own. This was a decision made by Li Er. If he did not carry it out, he would immediately be abandoned by Li Er. In addition to the rich benefits, he naturally knew what to choose.
The cunning old man shook his head." I'm sorry. I can do it."”
"Is Duke Zhao really not going to consider it?”Wang Kai frowned and asked.
He sensed that the matter was not so simple. He had chosen the best of both worlds, not to choose the cunning old man, but to choose to offend all the aristocrats in the world. There must be something inside.
" No!" The old man refused decisively." As the Duke of the Tang Empire, it is my duty to benefit the people. You only care about your own interests. You have let down His Majesty and the people of the world.”
These words were said with a sense of righteousness that made it impossible for others to criticize.
The actions of the aristocratic families were indeed dirty and unpresentable.
"Looks like Duke Zhao is stubborn. In that case, we'll take our leave.”
The negotiations broke down.
Wang Kai saw that the old man was unwilling to give in and felt that things could not be done, so he did not bother to waste his breath.
"Take care, I won't send you off."
Wang Kai's words were already a threat, so the old man naturally wouldn't be polite.
"Why did Wuji offend them?" Gao Shilian asked after Wang Gui and Cui Mingan left.
" The aristocrats have already hindered the progress of the times and will definitely be eliminated," the old man said in a deep voice.”
Due to the limitations of the times, the old cunning fellow naturally did not have such high knowledge. This view was instilled into them by Qin Mo, which made him realize that the gentry represented by the aristocratic families had hindered the progress of the times and had a fierce conflict with the imperial power. No matter who was the emperor, they would not easily compromise.
After receiving Qin Mo's guidance, the old cunning fellow felt as if the fog had been cleared and he had suddenly seen the light.
It was because of this concept, coupled with Li Er's coercion, coupled with the huge temptation of benefits, that he easily made a choice.
Gao Shilian, who was old and shrewd, sighed." This is His Majesty's intention, right?”
He naturally saw the conflict between the aristocratic families and the imperial power clearly, so he did not persuade him anymore.
The old man was the representative of the Guanlong Group. Once the movable type printing technique was released, it would not only harm the Shandong aristocrats, but also the aristocrats in the Guanlong Group. His unwillingness to compromise was equivalent to drawing a clear line with the Guanlong Group and breaking off relations with the aristocrats.
"The aristocratic families will definitely not let this matter rest.”Gao Shilian sighed.
"With Your Majesty's support, what is the point of a mere aristocratic family?”The old man was full of confidence.
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