The next morning, Li Shimin, full of excitement, took Li Ke to inspect the academy.
Ten tractors were parked outside the small printing room of the workshop. The artisans loaded the Tang Daily, still carrying the strong scent of ink from being printed overnight, into the carriage.
As the transport team departed, these newspapers would be sent to various prefectures and counties of the Tang Dynasty.
Since the Kong family's downfall, the surrounding scholars no longer dared to travel to Yanzhou.
Jinan Prefecture, due to its strategic location in Qi and Lu and its status as a major prefecture, lacked nothing in terms of food, drink, and entertainment. Gradually, it became a place where scholars invited each other and gathered.
Every prefecture had a newspaper distribution point, and this was no exception.
Whether the newspapers were sent from Shenyang or Chang'an, upon arrival here, they would be handed over by the manager to the newsboys, who would then deliver them to various reading spots.
A few days later, one morning, several scholars emerged from a brothel, their faces still flushed, clearly the result of a morning's "warm-up exercise."
Beside the City God Temple was one of the liveliest places in Jinan City.
As the scholars approached, they heard someone shouting at the top of their lungs. As they got closer, they discovered that the Tang Daily, which arrived every few days, had come, and the person shouting was the reader.
Take a look, listen carefully, and keep the court's decrees in mind~
Read more, listen more, and no one can trick you~
Hurry, everyone, the latest Tang Daily is here!
The Emperor inspected Shenyang and issued dozens of imperial decrees in one day. What was it all about!
A commoner was suddenly ennobled. What kind of dark secret was hidden within!
Do you all want to hear?
The reader's loud voice could be heard from afar, and the passing citizens immediately gathered around.
They had to listen carefully to the court's fresh news. What if it was a decree that directly concerned them?
Some of the scholars sneered, "The court's decrees are presented like street vendors hawking their wares. It's a disgrace to refinement!"
"Who made the Duke of Anguo the Emperor's favorite? Look at what he's done over the years; it's simply stifling our future!"
"Alas! This world is not as good as it used to be. Think of the prosperous Han Dynasty. Who would dare treat scholars like this?"
"I truly envy seniors like Guo Jia, Xun Yu, and Kong Ming. Though born in the late Han Dynasty, they were able to fully display their talents. But what about us now? We can't even get a minor official position."
"Who says not? Think about the imperial examination questions this spring. What kind of nonsense were they? They actually made us, noble gentlemen, answer questions about how to care for sows after farrowing. It's utterly outrageous!"
As these people talked, they inevitably drifted back to the imperial examinations a few months prior.
"Don't even mention it. Thinking about those exam questions gives me a headache!"
"How long is a sow's gestation period? How to improve soil fertility for higher crop yields? And water conservancy issues in one's native place. These things are also in the Analects! We can't possibly ask those common folk for advice in a subservient manner, can we?"
"I don't know how many questions you answered, but I only managed to answer one!"
"Eh? I remember many people submitted blank papers. You actually answered one? Amazing, amazing! Which question did you answer, esteemed brother?"
"The Erguotou question!"
"Oh, oh, oh, I remember that question. Given that Erguotou costs two guan per bottle, you get one free bottle for every four bottle caps, and two empty bottles for one new bottle. The question is, how many bottles of wine can you buy with ten guan? Esteemed brother, you are truly a talent to have figured out such a question. You are a dragon among men!"
The one who claimed to have answered the question turned ashen and said resentfully, "I was guessing, and I didn't even guess correctly!"
The one who had praised him as a dragon among men quickly changed his tone: "This is not your fault, brother. It is the examiner who is truly a filial son of no one, creating such a convoluted question.
"To be honest, I still don't understand how many bottles of wine you can buy!"
"A while ago, I heard a saying: do not argue with a fool, because he will lower your standards and then trample you in his area of expertise."
"Exactly, exactly! These questions were probably devised by that Duke of Anguo, Fang Er. Only someone that foolish could come up with such foolish questions. We are not foolish, so it is normal that we cannot answer them!"
"Hush! Be careful of the Eastern Depot spies! kanshuwu.xa"
One of the scholars quickly signaled to the others. If they continued to discuss this, and were overheard by the omnipresent Eastern Depot spies or the Hundred Guard Division, it would surely bring disaster.
"Let's go, let's go, let's go see what this is all about, a commoner suddenly being ennobled!"
While they were arguing outside, the common people had already surrounded the reading spot so tightly that water could not flow through. They forcefully pushed their way in from the periphery.
The reading spot not only served as a reading place but also sold newspapers. After squeezing in, the scholars threw down a few copper coins, grabbed a newspaper, and quickly walked out.
After squeezing out of the crowd, the scholar holding the newspaper looked around, then walked towards the outer wall of a shop.
Arriving at the wall, he puffed out his cheeks, gathered his breath, and then spat several times forcefully at the wall.
he~~tui~~
he~~tui~~
he~~tui~tui~tui~
In the corner of the wall, someone had apparently wiped their backside after defecating, and the yellow excrement stains were a stark contrast to the saliva he had just spat.
The scholars seemed accustomed to this, unfurling the newspaper and sticking it onto the wall.
The others also gathered around, carefully examining the content of the newspaper.
"Tyranny! Absolute tyranny! They are giving such high courtesy to those artisans!"
"In this world, is it no longer the era that revered Confucianism? kanshu"
"Look, a farmer can be ennobled. What kind of justice is there in this world?"
"Alas? Where are you going?"
Someone discovered a scholar quietly leaving the crowd and walking away, and called out to him.
The scholar's face turned red, and after a long while, he managed to utter a sentence: "I, I, I want to go to Shenyang! To learn the skills of the Duke of Anguo. If I am fortunate enough to enter officialdom, I can then impeach him before the Emperor!"
Everyone looked at each other. After a while, one person patted his chest and said, "Such an important matter, how can we let you bear this burden alone? Let's go together, let's go together!"
"Yes, yes, yes, there is strength in numbers. Let's go together. I heard that Shenyang Academy recruits students every year. Let's learn his skills and then counter him!"
"Good idea, it's settled!"
"Let's go to the freight station. There are transport teams going to Shenyang. Let's go by tractor!"