Tang Dynasty Little Godfather

Chapter 77 It’s a worthwhile trip
Yuan Qianyao's words were like a wake-up call for everyone.

Yes!

We are not here to discuss historical figures.

This is not a brothel.

I'm not here to argue.

what happened?

who are we?

Where are we?

Jiang Yanbo secretly wiped away his sweat and breathed a sigh of relief. At least there was someone who was clear-headed!
He had thought that Li Longji was angry because he felt deceived, but he never expected that it was because he was dissatisfied with Cao Mengde in the play.

Before he could react, the prime ministers started arguing with Li Longji again.

This made Jiang Yanbo and the others extremely anxious, but they couldn't get a word in edgewise. However, they couldn't let them start arguing any further, so they immediately chimed in, "This old man is not very knowledgeable and really can't see any educational significance in this play."

His words immediately drew nods of agreement from many people.

It's wonderful as it may be, but this isn't a brothel, it's an academy!
Are we going to follow Cao Cao's example and indiscriminately kill innocent people?
Li Longji quickly changed the subject, looking at Tao Mo with displeasure, "Sir, I also don't understand what educational significance this play has?"

Tao Mo immediately replied, “Your Majesty, the play itself is not particularly educational. The key is that the students were very active and serious during the rehearsal process, and they took the initiative to read and memorize the lines, which is something they did not do before.”

Now, when we ask them to read or memorize, they no longer get sleepy or lose focus like they used to.

Of course, this is just the beginning; many more stories follow, and the Three Kingdoms period will involve numerous principles of governance, personal conduct, military strategy, and so on.

Jiang Yanbo couldn't help but tease, "If this is education, then you are not as experienced as the fake mothers in Pingkangfang. Aren't those fake mothers just teaching courtesans to memorize and recite lyrics every day?"

"hehe!"

Many ministers laughed.

Tao Mo merely smiled modestly, showing no anger, and said, "A knife is a weapon. It can be used to make a living, or it can be used to take lives; the key lies in who holds it."

When Your Majesty asked me before, I repeatedly emphasized that interest is the key. We must first cultivate students' interest and habit of reading, so that we can achieve twice the result with half the effort.

They were in other colleges before, where all they did was cockfighting and dog racing; they only had aversion to books. If their interests couldn't be changed, even the strictest teacher couldn't educate them properly.

Jiang Yanbo only realized what was happening after hearing this: "You old rascal, you're mocking our Imperial Academy!"
The other colleges are the Imperial College, aren't they?

But he didn't know how to refute it. These brats at the Imperial Academy did everything except study, and they really had no choice.

Han Xiu suddenly said, "What you say, sir, is not without reason, but it is not profound, let alone revitalizing the culture of our great Tang Dynasty."

That's the key point.

If it weren't for the fact that it's a matter of national education, they would have no reason to come here to watch a show!

Tao Mo replied, "Minister Han, you are wise. I created this vivid educational method solely to educate these children, nothing more."

Every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt has its debtor; you'd better find the right person.

I never said that.

Swish swish!
All eyes turned to Li Qiao.

Throughout Wang Xi's script, Tao Mo is supposed to maintain a low profile and stay away from politics. It would be pointless for him to show off; the spotlight should go to his father.

If Dad is well, everyone is well.

But his father was in a bad state. Li Qiao stood up cautiously. When Wang Xi told him that theory before, he thought it was unreliable. Now that he had seen it, he thought it was even more unreliable. It was really far-fetched!

But since things had come to this, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and keep telling himself to stand tall and speak with great passion: "What you say is true, whether a knife is a weapon of death or a tool for making a living depends on who wields it. Similarly, if this method is used properly, it can still help Your Majesty in both civil and military affairs."

"is it?"

Li Longji was taken aback. "What do you mean by that, Prince Sipu?" Jiang Yanbo, on the other hand, was waiting to see the joke. This guy's boasting is getting bigger and bigger.

Come on!
Teach us about civil and military affairs.

"exactly."

Li Qiao then expounded on Wang Xi's so-called "way of kingship and hegemony," even copying his theory on building city walls, without caring about anything else.

Sure enough, although he spoke passionately, no one was really impressed and they all just smiled and remained silent.

Why don't you exaggerate even further and build a city wall? Are you kidding me?

Jiang Yanbo didn't even bother to refute it.

He was somewhat disappointed; he had expected a profound discussion, but it turned out to be just that.

Han Xiu could only step forward to respond: "What Your Highness says makes some sense, but it can be applied to any song, dance, poetry, or even music, chess, calligraphy, and painting in our Great Tang Dynasty, and it doesn't have to be this vivid teaching method."

Pan Haoli said, "If this can make the whole world submit, and many spices and clothing have been brought to the Central Plains from the Western Regions, can that also make the people of the Central Plains submit?"

What you're saying is far-fetched. While it makes some sense, it would apply to any other artistic approach.

The key point is that this is impossible.

Once he stands on the platform, the whole world submits.

To call it child's play would be an exaggeration.

Li Qiao inwardly groaned, for what the other party said was exactly what he himself had been thinking. But he could only continue, “Songs, dances, poems, and prose are appreciated by only a few, but operas are different. Everyone understands them and loves to watch them. They can better promote the culture of our Great Tang Dynasty and make people from all directions yearn for our Great Tang Dynasty even more.”

Wang Maozhong immediately said, "Your Highness is right. I don't like poetry and I don't understand it, but this vivid teaching method is excellent. I love watching it."

"Well said!"

Li Longji suddenly slammed his hand on the table and said, "What Prince Sipu said is exactly what I think. Civil administration and military achievements are complementary and should not be viewed separately. Civil administration is not only for internal affairs, but also for external affairs."

Since the reign of Emperor Taizong, our dynasty has been managing the Western Regions. However, over the years, the region has been plagued by repeated conflicts and constant warfare. The main reason for this is not a lack of governance. No matter how many capable officials the court has sent there, what has been the result?

Today, the words of the Prince of Sipu were truly enlightening, like a sudden awakening for me. They have made the people of all directions yearn for the culture of the Central Plains, submit to the culture of the Central Plains, and consider themselves to be subjects of the Chinese nation. This is the true meaning of civilized governance.

This is also the biggest difference between our dynasty and the Han dynasty.

These words left the ministers completely bewildered.

How did this suddenly become so enlightening? Does the Western Regions stop causing trouble for the imperial court just because of a piece of opera?

If it were that simple, what would be the point of having people like us?

Han Xiu was both amused and exasperated, saying, "Your Majesty..."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Longji said, "Does Minister Han know how much government revenue is spent each year managing the Western Regions? If we could subdue all sides without firing a single shot, it would be a great blessing for our Great Tang and a great blessing for the people. Even if we fail, what would the court lose?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Qianyao suddenly cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty is wise."

Zhang Jiazhen and Zhang Shuo were stunned for a moment, then bowed and said, "Your Majesty is wise."

The sudden change of attitude of the three prime ministers left not only Jiang Yanbo but also Li Qiao himself dumbfounded. He was stunned and speechless. He had not expected that these words would receive such high praise from Li Longji, and that Li Qiao would say them even better than he had.

Even more outrageous is that all of these prime ministers agreed.

Is there something I don't understand?
There really is a mystery here, but it's too profound for me to grasp at all!

Li Longji then said, "Prince Sipu, I entrust this matter entirely to you."

"Your subject obeys." Li Qiao, as if waking from a dream, quickly bowed.

Li Longji stood up and chuckled, "My trip today has truly been worthwhile!"

(End of this chapter)