Top Scholar

Chapter 538 Old Wine in New Bottles

Su Lu was startled and quickly handed the gold medal back to Zhu Shou, saying, "This thing is too valuable and carries too much power. You should keep it for yourself. I really can't afford it."

"I'll just get another one. I'm rich now, I don't care about a little gold!" Zhu Shou threw the gold medal back into his arms.

"Take it! You are my dearest friend and family, and I believe what you say. My words are the Emperor's words. So, in a way, your words are practically equivalent to the Emperor's words. Why wouldn't you take them?"

Su Lu said, both amused and exasperated, "Is this reasonable?"

Zhu Shou waved his hand impatiently: "Stop dawdling like a woman. You never need this thing normally, I'm just keeping it as a backup. When the time comes, you'll see how good it is!"

He lowered his voice and said, "You're going to do important things for the Emperor, how can you do that without something for self-defense?"

"..." Su Lu felt a warmth in his heart, never expecting that he would still think of him this once.

"Hehe, are you touched?" Zhu Shou patted his shoulder smugly and said, "If you're touched, then serve the Emperor well. That's better than anything else."

Su Lu had no choice but to put the gold medal into his pocket and asked Zhu Shou, "Have you eaten? If not, you'll have to make do with what I have here?"

Zhu Shou was overjoyed and exclaimed, "Oh my god! It's been a long time, I can finally have a meal with you!"

Su Lu raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Don't spout nonsense. Haven't I ever treated you to a meal before?"

"Just that one time, you old miser," Zhu Shou said, pursing his lips.

Su Lu then explained, "Before, no one in my family cooked properly. We men just ate whatever we could find. How could we possibly invite you to eat? We'd scare you away from coming again."

"How could that be?" Zhu Shou said with a grin, "Then I'll do you the honor of trying your food. If you don't like it, I'll send you two imperial chefs."

~~
It's the hottest time of the year, and since the beginning of summer, not a drop of rain has fallen. The sun is so scorching it feels like it's going to melt you, and the house is unbearably stuffy.

The two decided to move their meal to the old locust tree in the courtyard. The tree was ancient, with lush branches and leaves, its dense shade spreading out like an umbrella, creating a large area of ​​coolness. Even without a breeze, it was much more comfortable than inside the house.

Wooden tables and bamboo chairs were set up under the tree. Youxi's family, along with two women from the same clan, brought out several plates of melons, fruits, peaches, and pears. The skins of the fruits were covered with fine water droplets, clearly freshly scooped from the well, and they looked refreshing.

The two casually picked up some fruit and munched on it while waiting for their meal. Zhu Shou took a bite of a crisp, sweet peach and asked indistinctly, "When are you planning to take action on that matter?"

Su Lu knew he was referring to the large-scale raids on temples... no, the purge of the monastic community. He then spat out watermelon seeds and said, "Those two temples aren't enough to sustain you for several months?"

"Ten thousand Imperial Guards are enough, but I am the commander of hundreds of thousands of battalions. So many brothers are waiting for me to pay their salaries." Zhu Shou said with a hearty appetite, "There are just too many places where money is needed. I'll have to confiscate at least a hundred houses to quench my thirst!"

“As I said before, before a large-scale raid, we must first find a legal basis, organize and train personnel, formulate a detailed plan, and design a feedback and verification system… Only by making sufficient preparations can we both fleece the fat sheep and avoid causing trouble for the Emperor.” Su Lu then solemnly reminded him:
"Didn't we agree to be ready by the end of the year? Even if you want to bring it forward, you can't just move it to the middle of the year."

"Don't I think you're quite capable?" Zhu Shou said with an embarrassed smile, "You've already copied two companies as a small test."

"Take a rest," Su Lu said helplessly. "Baolian Temple is alright, since their treason has been confirmed, and no one dares to say anything. But isn't the trouble Guanghui Temple has caused the Emperor a little?"

For the past few days, the Empress Dowager had been bedridden, refusing to eat or drink, and wouldn't touch the medicine prescribed by the imperial physicians. Lady Jin then repeatedly sent people to the Leopard Chamber to invite the Emperor to visit her. The implication was clear: if the Emperor didn't come, the Empress Dowager would not live…

"Sigh..." Upon hearing this, Zhu Shou suddenly felt the peach in his mouth was no longer sweet. He threw half a peach over the high wall with a thud. The Imperial Guards on guard outside thought something was wrong, and a chaotic commotion ensued.

After pouring cold water on Zhu Shou to cool him down, Su Lu, having thought things through, said:
"With such a big appetite, raiding those poor temples and shrines will be of no use. If we really want to make a move, we need to target those big temples with lucrative opportunities. But big temples have deep backgrounds, and we might end up getting into trouble. Although their backers are certainly not as powerful as the Empress Dowager's, even ants can kill an elephant if there are enough of them. We can't act rashly."

He paused, his tone becoming increasingly firm: "Therefore, we must plan carefully and act only after thorough deliberation, so as to obtain the greatest benefit with the least trouble."

Zhu Shou said awkwardly, "I was just afraid that things might get complicated if I delayed, and that I might alert the enemy."

"Don't worry." Su Lu waved his hand and said confidently, "Most monks would rather die than give up their wealth. As long as we don't make a big show of it, they'll be nervous for a while at most. Once they see that there's nothing going on, they'll just go back to normal."

"Alright, I'll listen to you." Zhu Shou finally agreed to his advice, nodding reluctantly, and then asked, "So, how far along are you in your preparations?" "How could I have time to prepare?" His question only fueled Su Lu's woes:
"I designed the Dragon Tiger Class curriculum, I hired the lecturers, and there's a four-dimensional assessment and a three-dimensional nine-item evaluation. Lately, I've been grading theses, organizing the graduation ceremony, and helping you finalize your post-graduation plans. It's almost killed me. How can I possibly manage anything else?"

"Alright, alright, I know you've been working hard. Here, have a pear to cool down." Zhu Shou couldn't help but feel sorry for him and handed Su Lu a pear. "Why don't you ask someone to help you?"

“Of course I have. My brother and Zihe have been helping me all along. Otherwise, how could I manage on my own?” Su Lu nodded and emphasized, “But with so many tasks, the three of us really can’t handle it all.”

"Yes, we need to assemble a team for you." Zhu Shou nodded in deep agreement. "It wouldn't be worth it to work you to death."

Su Lu rolled her eyes and immediately decided she didn't want to talk to him anymore.

Zhu Shou, oblivious to the subtle nuances, asked to himself, "By the way, wasn't there going to be a new Court of Imperial Sacrifices? Is there any plan for it yet?"

"I've got it." Su Lu swallowed the pear in his mouth, cleared his throat and said, "The general framework has been set. The purpose of the new Imperial Household Department is to collect information for the Emperor, formulate plans and provide reference for the Emperor's decision-making."

"Mmm-hmm." Zhu Shou's eyes lit up as he said, "I've been wanting to set up a new cabinet for a long time to get rid of these old fogies!"

"Don't talk nonsense. The Court of Imperial Sacrifices is merely the Emperor's think tank; it has no power whatsoever!" Su Lu glared at him. "Replacing the Cabinet? You want me dead, don't you?"

“Oh, think tank, think tank,” Zhu Shou nodded hurriedly, then muttered under his breath, “The cabinet is also known as the emperor’s secretary…”

Since ancient times, there have been secretaries in the Secretariat...

Su Lu then continued, "The Court of Imperial Sacrifices originally had four departments. Since we are 'putting new wine in old bottles,' we will continue to use these four departments."

"First is the Registrar's Office. This responsibility remains unchanged; it still handles official documents and internal affairs." He then introduced them one by one:
"Secondly, the Bureau of Classics, originally in charge of books and records. Later, it will be responsible for reviewing these records and archives, and subsequently analyzing all kinds of data collected, including military and political intelligence, government and public intelligence, as well as national household registration, land tax, border supplies, and provisions—the purpose being to provide the Emperor with early warnings about the national situation and policy recommendations." He paused, then continued:
"In addition, when the Emperor needs to make major decisions, the Bureau of Buddhist Scriptures can conduct preliminary feasibility studies and formulate plans... The plan for this reorganization of the monastic community was formulated by the Bureau of Buddhist Scriptures."

Zhu Shou was usually easily distracted, but he was unusually focused when listening to Su Lu speak. It wasn't that Su Lu had any unique charm, but rather that every word and action he took seemed to be a plan for Zhu Shou's benefit, or at least that's how it sounded...

That's why he was able to listen and think seriously, and asked in confusion, "Then the Bureau of Justice is quite large, why not use the name of the Left and Right Spring Palaces?"

"The Left and Right Spring Palaces have too high a status and too great a reputation. We small characters can't afford to be in such a position." Su Lu laughed. "In the early stages, the more low-key the better. Steady development is the key. I've already thought it through. From the beginning, I'll use the excuse of 'Imperial Scholar's Notebook Review' to gather a group of my classmates to work together."

“That sounds comprehensive,” Zhu Shou nodded, then pondered seriously, “But even a skilled cook can’t cook without rice. Where do you get the intelligence and data that your Bureau of Statistics researches? You can’t just rely on others to deliver them, can you?”

"For now, this is the only way. Actively gathering these resources requires power and influence; let's wait until we've developed those capabilities," Su Lu said with a smile.

"At that time, we will transform the Left Spring Palace into an investigation bureau, responsible for information collection. Whether it is the situation of various government offices, the actual situation of local government affairs, the military situation of border towns, or public opinion among the people, we must collect everything so that we can provide the emperor with accurate early warnings and suggestions."

"They can also cooperate with the Bureau of Justice to conduct feasibility studies for His Majesty's policies... to verify the authenticity of data on the front lines and understand the feedback from the grassroots, so that His Majesty can clearly know the effectiveness of each decree. Even before it is promulgated, the outcome can be basically predicted."

"This is wonderful! This is wonderful! His Majesty has always wanted something like this!" Upon hearing this, Zhu Shou excitedly stood up, waving his hand and saying:

"Do you know why the Emperor rarely attends court and governs? It's because he doesn't understand! He's afraid to make decisions, fearing that his mistakes will ruin the empire passed down from his father!"

After saying that, he looked at Su Lu with a straight face and said, "Laugh if you want to."

“I don’t understand either. National affairs are so complicated, who can be born knowing everything?” Su Lu didn’t find it funny at all. He shook his head and said seriously, “What I talked about before was all ‘my own thoughts.’ Without investigation, research and pilot testing, it would be 80% absurd and even disastrous for the country and the people. It’s called doing good deeds but doing bad things.”

"That's absolutely right!" Zhu Shou gripped his hand tightly and said excitedly, "His Majesty was worried that he might give orders recklessly and do more harm than good, so he simply chose not to get involved."

He sighed in frustration, "It turns out that neither the Grand Secretariat nor the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs can manage this household properly!"

P.S. There are still a thousand words left in the next chapter... *covers face and leaves*

(End of this chapter)