mtl008 Chapter 543 You've completely fooled me.
Chapter 543 You've completely fooled me.
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Prefect Ling in disbelief.
Someone couldn't help but ask, "Sir, may we wait as well?"
"Of course, no one is excluded from the list of those who are injustices or unfair treatment. I will uphold justice for them, and anyone who makes a contribution to Yuzhou will be rewarded," Prefect Ling affirmed.
The crowd immediately erupted in discussion and excitement.
They stopped mentioning the issue of whether women could enter the academy and couldn't help but sigh that Prefect Ling was such a magnanimous official. Yuzhou Prefecture was really going to be different from now on. It would never be like before, when the entire Yuzhou Prefecture government was like a mute, and the people had nowhere to turn for help and could only place their hopes on praying to gods and Buddhas.
The inaction of the government played a significant role in the rapid growth of the Immortal Temple.
Now, this newly appointed prefect not only shut down the Immortal Temple and upheld justice for the people, but also dared to let the people speak freely and was even willing to accept their suggestions.
And these students, although they studied at the prefectural school, most of them only had the title of Xiucai (a lower-level scholar). Even if they had any good ideas about government affairs, in the past, they would not have had the chance to speak, let alone have their articles easily reach the desk of the prefect. But now, Prefect Ling clearly told them that he would listen to them, read them, and even adopt their ideas and suggestions.
This instantly ignited their passion, and they even started actively thinking about what they could do. After all, they were students of the prefectural academy; could they be outdone by others? Absolutely not.
I wish I could go back right now to consult the classics and conduct research, and immediately write a stunning article. If it catches the eye of the prefect and earns him a reward, would I still have to worry about not having a reputation in the future? Even if it is not adopted, if the article can be guided by the prefect, it will surely be of some benefit.
The group arrived in a haughty manner and left happily.
After everyone had left, Magistrate Ling wiped away imaginary sweat and let out a long sigh of relief, "Finally they're gone. I'm exhausted."
Lu Yangyang couldn't help but give him a thumbs up: "Sir, your eloquence is still so good! Those students are about to be completely fooled by you."
Prefect Ling glanced at her: "How is this deception? I call this catering to their preferences. Tell me, didn't they leave convinced and happy?"
Lu Yangyang: "...Yes. So how exactly did you do it?"
Lu Yangyang was genuinely curious.
When she heard those people spouting nonsense, she couldn't help but want to go up and scold them. They were all so sanctimonious, doing nothing of substance but jumping around arguing.
Fortunately, Prefect Ling held her back, preventing her from stepping forward.
Not only was she curious, but Jiang Zhiyi and the others were also very curious, staring intently at Prefect Ling, waiting for him to answer their questions.
Prefect Ling pointed at them with his finger: "Alright, alright, I'll teach you a lesson today. Why do you think they're causing trouble? Do you really think it's just about the girls' academy? In their eyes, the girls' academy, which allows women to study, is an offense to these proud students, but it's not yet time to harm their interests. It's one thing to whisper a few words behind their backs, but to make a scene in front of them must mean they have other motives."
What do you think it is?
Lu Yangyang didn't know much about the imperial examination system, but Jiang Zhiyi was more aware of the intricacies: "They were worried that with the new prefect taking office, he would prioritize commerce and neglect the imperial examination system. Yuzhou is located in a remote area and has never valued the imperial examination system. Each year, no more than five people pass the provincial examination, and in recent years it has been even more extreme, with not even one. This autumn is the year of the provincial examination. If the new prefect is like the previous ones, they will have to waste another three years. How can they not panic? So when they learned that the prefect was encouraging the establishment of a girls' academy, they came in person and gathered a crowd to cause trouble in order to test the prefect's attitude and what he thought of them, the students of the prefectural school. As for that Instructor Yuan, he wanted to use this opportunity to boost his reputation. After all, with the changes in the Yuzhou government, it's hard to say whether he can be reinstated after the mourning period. He might as well take a gamble. If he can get the mourning period overdue, he can be reinstated ahead of schedule."
"When Your Excellency used the late Emperor and the current Emperor's attitude towards the Women's Academy to stop them, they had already backed down. However, this backing down was only due to their fear of the late Emperor and the current Emperor, not because they were truly convinced. If they were allowed to leave today, they would always find ways to cause trouble for the Women's Academy from time to time in the future. Therefore, Your Excellency first brought up the current situation in Yuzhou, making them feel ashamed. Then, Your Excellency told them Your Excellency's attitude towards the imperial examination, letting them know that Your Excellency did not neglect the imperial examination, but rather attached great importance to it, which reassured them. Then, Your Excellency proposed to solicit advice from all sides, regardless of their status. The students were moved by Your Excellency's love for the people, and secondly, they were so proud and arrogant that they could not allow themselves to fall behind. Moreover, they might even gain fame and catch Your Excellency's eye. How could they not be excited? In this way, they were not only convinced, but also eager to go back and offer Your Excellency good advice so that they could become famous in one fell swoop."
After Jiang Zhiyi finished speaking, she pursed her lips slightly, a little embarrassed, and whispered, "Please forgive me, my lord, I was too talkative."
"Hahaha!" Prefect Ling laughed loudly, clapping his hands and saying, "Not bad, not bad at all! Zhiyi is insightful, every word hits the nail on the head. If women could be officials, Zhiyi would surely become a famous minister!"
Jiang Zhiyi's face turned bright red instantly, and she hurriedly bowed, saying, "You flatter me, sir. I am unworthy of such praise!"
Prefect Ling laughed and said, "You don't need to be modest. It's not easy to manage the affairs of a region. When I was your age, I hadn't even passed the imperial examination. I've been learning through trial and error over the years and have accumulated some experience. You just lack experience."
Lu Yangyang took Jiang Zhiyi's arm and nodded vigorously: "That's right, Zhiyi is calm and resolute, and also clever and insightful. She can do anything well! I didn't know there were so many intricacies to the imperial examinations. I only knew that the exams were difficult before, but I didn't expect them to be this difficult. In recent years, not a single person has passed the provincial examination... This..."
Lu Yangyang couldn't help but worry about Lu Wei. She had boasted that he would definitely become the top scholar, but it turns out that the provincial examination was incredibly competitive! Lu Wei should just pray for good luck!
Jiang Zhiyi explained to her, "This is also related to the literary style and policies of different places. The literary style in Jiangnan is at its peak, and the number of people who pass the provincial examination is more than a hundred at times. It is a pity that Yuzhou has been affected by the environment in recent years."
Lu Yangyang understood. She recalled the day she arrived in Yuzhou Prefecture, witnessing scholars who had squandered their fortunes on elixirs and suffered poisoning. They were risking their lives for the imperial examinations, but given the previous situation in Yuzhou, how many could truly focus on their studies? Even those who worked tirelessly couldn't overcome the chaos in Yuzhou's officialdom, where no one valued the examinations or cared about their political achievements. After all, no one in the court cared about Yuzhou's performance, not even the emperor. Yuzhou was merely a place of exile in their eyes, a place where the emperor secretly imprisoned Prince Shun. He didn't want to see any shining achievements from Yuzhou; this place was best kept in the shadows, ideally devoid of any presence, to put his mind at ease.