Time flies, and it is the day of the grand ceremony again in a blink of an eye.

All civil and military officials walked into the hall, stood on both sides of Chongde Hall, and after performing the great ceremony, they sat down separately.

"My dear friends, what's the matter today?"

Liu He's face was flushed, as if he was in a good mood.

"The old minister has a memorial." Lu Zhi was the first to stand up.

He is now the president of the Imperial Academy. In terms of official positions, he is on par with the Jiuqing, but his salary is still half a high level than that of Jiuqing. Therefore, he is also ranked fourth among civil servants, second only to the Sangong, and the General of the Cheqi and Cavalry is ranked second to the Jiuqing, so Lu Zhi was promoted this time.

Liu He said: "What's wrong with Lu Aiqing?"

"I have reported to Your Majesty that since the Taixue Library Pavilion was spread more than ten days ago, there have been more than 20,000 people so far. I requested to reopen the entrance examination again, and it is still becoming increasingly fierce. It has even alarmed many of the old ministers, their close friends, relatives and friends to express their feelings. The old ministers cannot bear the trouble. If they are all rejected, they may also cause the court to miss the talented people, so I would like to ask Your Majesty to judge."

Liu He nodded slightly, and the result was completely within his expectations.

Scholars are nothing more than scholars. No matter what their families they came from, most of them are proud of being scholars and pursued as officials. The books in the Imperial Academy can be called the entire Han Dynasty today. Oh no, it should be said that they are the most exquisite and complete on the entire earth. There is only one in the world.

Here, you can read almost all the books they want to read, and these books are much lighter than those bamboo slips, and the text is very beautiful and neat. Reading itself has become a great enjoyment, not to mention that talents are selected to be officials in the court every year.

The most important thing is that these books are enough to crush the rumors that Liu He is not bad at wise men and arrogant, and only emphasizes merchants. Such a big deal, for the scholars in the world, does not count as paying attention to scholars. Who else in the world dares to say that he values ​​scholars?

Liu He said to Lu Zhi: "The Taixue in Luoyang City has stopped the enrollment assessment this year. How can it break the rules for individuals? From now on, at the beginning of June every year, the time for recruitment, one year later, that is, May of the next year, this is a regular rule. This is not a matter of special enrollment for major events in the country, but will be handled accordingly in ordinary days."

"The old minister obeys the order and after he goes to court, he will post a list and announce it to the world." After Lu Zhi said that, he retreated.

Wang Yun's ears moved, as if he could hear a message hidden in Liu He's words.

"The old minister has something to do to report it." He then stood up.

"Your Majesty just mentioned that the Imperial College in Luoyang City will stop recruiting this year. Could it be that Your Majesty still intends to open a second Imperial College in other cities?"

After he said this, many ministers realized this and their eyes were lit up.

"Haha, the father-in-law is really thoughtful. I just spoke quickly for a moment, and you discovered this secret."

Liu He's words were equivalent to admitting this, and the ministers were immediately in an uproar.

Wang Yun became more and more secretly happy, but on the surface he tried to calm down: "Your Majesty is polite to the people and care for the scholars, which is really a blessing for all people. However, the old minister dared to ask, I wonder where Your Majesty wants to run the Imperial Academy?"

As soon as this question came out, almost all the ministers' eyes were focused on Liu He. Originally, when the minister was in the court meeting, the minister looked directly at the emperor and had committed the crime of losing etiquette, but this incident really made everyone too curious that they forgot this for a moment, and even Zhi Jinwu, who was responsible for the court etiquette, was the same.

Liu He smiled indifferently: "It seems that all my dear friends are extremely concerned about this?"

The ministers realized that they had lost their manners and hurriedly lowered their heads: "I'm waiting for thousands of deaths!"

"Hey, I am not that cruel lord. How could I blame my loyal ministers for this trivial matter? Since all my dear friends are concerned about this matter, I might as well explain it clearly."

He cleared his throat and continued, "I want to open official schools in Chang'an and Jinyang this year. Next year, the official schools will be established in Zhuo County, Youzhou, Ye County, Jizhou, Chenliu County, Yanzhou, Guzang, and Linzi District, Qingzhou. Later, every time the imperial court regained a state, it opened official schools in its capital."

"All teaching affairs of official schools are no different from those of Luoyang Taixue. The only difference is that after the official schools are assessed, outstanding students will be sent to Luoyang and can only be admitted to the court as an official after the official schools are assessed again."

"Not only that, I also have the intention to increase the number of official schools in the future. Ten or twenty years later, every county in our Han Dynasty will have official schools to open so that everyone can read and the court will have wise men every year. In this way, why worry about not prospering in the Han Dynasty?"

When the ministers heard this, their expressions were different, especially Wang Yun. After a period of change and inexplicable changes, his face quickly returned to normal.

"I report to Your Majesty. The old minister believes that establishing an official school is a feat of creating the world. With this one alone, Your Majesty can be remembered in history and shine for thousands of years, and can also make the subjects and people in the world unite to protect the Han Dynasty and forever."

Immediately afterwards, he changed his voice: "However, in the foolish opinion of the old minister, there are still princes rebelling within the territory, and outside the border, there are still barbarians around them. The court is using troops from all sides to build water conservancy and control the Yellow River. The national treasury is already in short supply. If you publish books and build official schools now, you are afraid that the country's cost will be difficult to support. I hope Your Majesty will think twice."

"Hahaha..." Liu He suddenly burst into laughter, which made the ministers very confused.

"What the father-in-law said is indeed quite insightful, but I have expected this matter, so there will naturally be solutions."

He took out a paper copy of "The Analects of Confucius" from the cuffs of the dragon robe and handed it to Gong Saner.

Gong Saner held the book in both hands, walked down the jade stairs, came to the officials, and read them one by one.

"What do you think of this book?" Liu He asked.

The ministers said: "The paper used in this book is rare in the world, and the printing technique is unprecedented. The handwriting is clear, the ink marks are not scattered at all, the writing is neat, the font size is exactly the same, which is a rare treasure in the world."

Liu He smiled and said, "I wonder how much my dear friends are willing to bid for this book?"

His question stunned the ministers.

Wang Yun was happy and said in secret: "It's not in vain that I spent a hundred dollars to find out about the news from the Hong Majesty. It turns out that Your Majesty really has this intention."

He hurriedly stood up and said, "The old minister thought that the Analects of Confucius is worth ten thousand coins by ordinary bamboo slips. Even if the Analects of Confucius is copied by Cai Hou's paper, it is difficult to find even if it is 100,000 coins. Your Majesty's book is ten times better than Cai Hou's paper. Therefore, the old minister thought that if this book is to be sold, it would not be an exaggeration."

His words attracted the approval of almost all ministers.

"Situ's words are reasonable."

"If you want to mention a million yuan of money, even if you want a thousand gold or a thousand gold, it is hard to reflect the value of such books."

Liu He smiled and said, "Haha, the father-in-law and the family of the ministers are really willing to do so, but the father-in-law's words are in line with my heart. This book of "The Analects of Confucius" will be given to the father-in-law. If you can really sell this book for one million yuan, remember to invite me to drink."

Wang Yun was overjoyed. He took the book, looked through a few pages, and then carefully held it in his arms.

"The old minister thanked God for his kindness. This book is so precious. The old minister must find a most conspicuous place in the study and worship it. He will never dare to sell it without authorization."

Liu He waved his hand: "You will be fine if you want to deal with the father-in-law. I will only ask. But since all the ministers believe that this book is worth millions, then my idea should be fulfilled."

He clapped his hands, and then a group of imperial guards carried a box and came to the hall.

As soon as the box was opened, a light fragrance of paper and ink suddenly scented out, which made all officials feel excited.

"This is……"

"Yes, there are 50,000 books of various types here. I want to sell these 50,000 books in the business. One book is worth one million or fifty thousand books. Wouldn't it be exchanged for a huge amount of 50 billion yuan? It is much higher than the annual income of the court. Military expenses, food and money, and the construction of official schools can rely on this item."

It would cost only a few thousand yuan for Liu He to make such a book. And as craftsmen become more proficient and the scale of papermaking and printing workshops is increasing, the cost will become lower and lower.

However, such paper and printing techniques are all over the world, only in their own hands. All the craftsmen in the workshop are closely guarded. Each craftsman is only responsible for one of the links. Except for the six craftsmen who are in charge, no one is proficient in the full set of techniques. These six people are Zhen Yi and Liu He themselves. They have chosen thousands of choices, their character is absolutely reliable, and their family background is absolutely innocent.

Therefore, at least in the next few years, or even in more than ten years, there is almost no possibility that papermaking and printing will spread. How could Liu He not make a good profit at this time?

Although each book has different popularity and the price cannot be one million yuan per book, there are still hundreds of thousands of yuan. A few thousand yuan in exchange for a profit of hundreds of thousands or even millions. Such a business is probably unique.

"Your Majesty is wise." All the officials praised and said in unison.

Wang Yun rolled his eyes and said, "Your Majesty, the old minister thinks it's not possible."

His words seemed particularly out of place among all officials, and for a moment they all looked at him.

Liu He frowned and said, "Oh? What's the point of Situ?"

"The old minister dare not." Wang Yun said, "It's just that the old minister thinks that although these books are extremely precious, there will definitely be a few who want to take them into their hands. However, at this price, it is rare to buy one or two copies with the financial resources. Not to mention selling these 50,000 copies, even if you want to sell them out, you may not be able to do it in one or two months. And the construction of two official schools is imminent. Liu Yan, Cao Cao, Goguryeo and other thieves are also ready to start wars at any time. Relying on selling books to supplement the treasury, although it is a wise act of the emperor, it is probably too late."

"Your Majesty, I also agree with Situ." Many ministers stood up one after another and supported Wang Yun.

Lu Zhi looked at them and then said, "Your Majesty, what Situ said is indeed reasonable. Although the old minister was favored by His Majesty's holy grace and had little property, he could only afford more than ten of these paper books for a while, and it was not necessary to say more about ordinary families, merchants, and even the people."

"Yes, as the saying goes, the distance water cannot quench the near thirst, the frontier war is very urgent, Your Majesty must think carefully about it."

General Huangfu Song of the Cavalry also agreed.

Liu He looked unhappy: "I have already received the news that Liu Yan was seriously ill in bed, and he was exhausted and was about to die. Yizhou was unable to send troops. Although Goguryeo and Fuyu were a little bit serious, with the ability of General Zilong, they were also assisted by Tian Yu and Tian Chou, guarding the city, waiting for reinforcements, and then attacking again. As for Cao Aman in Yuzhou, I can order Liu Bei and Sun Jian to send troops to harass his city at the same time, so that he would have no time to look north for a while. In this way, I can fight for several months to complete the sale of books."

He glanced at the officials with his eyes. Among these ministers, except Qian Li, Meng Jian, Shi Tao, Huo Qing and others, the vast majority of the rest were rich and rich. Today, he deliberately put 50,000 books on the table and told them. When the bookstore was opened, who would dare not visit these ministers?

What's more, they are all great scholars of the world. They are not the only ones who love books, but they are definitely people who love books. How could they not take action when they see such treasures?

Especially those who have sold a large amount of land in recent months to avoid land taxes have accumulated a lot of cash in their hands. Liu He wanted to take this opportunity to make a fortune from their pockets.

Just when Liu He was satisfied, Wang Yun said again: "Suppose the old minister is brave. The old minister thinks that your majesty's move is quite like a dangerous move. Although Liu Yan is about to die, his son is still there. Many generals in Sichuan have long been raising troops to take revenge from the court because of Lei Tong's death."

"Goguryeo and Fuyu have great military power. Our army is in Youzhou, with few major generals. Although General Zhao Zilong is the best in the three armies, he may not be able to protect Youzhou without any mistakes. If there is a slight mistake and Youzhou is not protected, the northern barrier will be lost."

"As for Liu Bei and Sun Jian, both the strength and commander are far inferior to Cao Cao. Even if the two join forces, it is not easy to restrain Cao's army. Cao Cao can send two generals, each leading 50,000 troops, which is enough to face the enemy. Now Cao's army has an army of 300,000 to 400,000 troops. After blocking the Sun and Liu's coalition, they can still raise an army to attack. Your Majesty must guard against it."

Speaking of this, Xun Yu, who had not spoken, also stood up: "Your Majesty, what Situ said is not groundless. Yuzhou came to report that after the beginning of spring, Cao's army increased more troops on the front line. Now there are no less than 200,000 troops. Their intention to invade is obvious."

Liu He frowned slightly: "What good advice does Situ have?"

Wang Yun immediately replied: "I have a plan to save the emperor from falling into the trap of merchants and tricks, and to allow the court to collect a large amount of money and food in a month."

"Oh? There is such a good thing?" Liu He stared at Wang Yun with his eyes.

Wang Yun said: "Your Majesty can divide these 50,000 books into several copies, and sell them at a discounted price to several wealthy merchants and several major families today, so that they can buy the books at one time and then sell them on their own. In this way, the danger of the court will be resolved, and the subjects can do their best to serve His Majesty, the country and the country, and show their loyalty."

"Situ is a good plan." Meng Jian said sarcastically: "Even if these 50,000 books are a child in his teens, they know that they are a great deal. Could it be that Situ wants to steal this deal from His Majesty? He has gained loyalty and made a fortune, and it is really a killing of two birds with one stone."

"Random." Wang Yun shouted: "Guangluxun, the old minister, is full of loyalty, but it is clear to the sun and the moon. What is the reason for you to judge a gentleman's ambition by the heart of a villain?"

"A heart of loyalty? I can't see it all, right?" Meng Jian retorted.

"you……"

"Okay, what kind of morality is there in the court?" Liu He said impatiently, and the two of them hurriedly apologized.

He thought for a while in his mind, and then said, "What Situ said is not unreasonable. Since I want merchants and ministers to solve the problem of the country, I should naturally have some rewards. Relying on the imperial power, I will exploit the subjects and seek them. It is definitely not what the wise king does."

"Your Majesty..." Meng Jian's face changed. He wanted to say something else, but was stopped by Liu He.

"Let me do this, I will divide these 50,000 books into 100 copies. The price of different books ranges from 200,000 coins to 600,000 coins such as "The Analects of Confucius" and "The Book of Changes". Each book has more or less, only tens of millions of dollars, and most of them is hundreds of millions of dollars, and then sold them in the shops. The rest are all due to their ability."

"Your Majesty is wise, this move is really a blessing in the world." Wang Yun and many ministers praised him one after another.

However, Wang Yun did not intend to stop. He continued: "Report to Your Majesty, the old minister has another request."

Liu He frowned: "What else does my dear?"
To be continued...