Traveling through the emperor, overthrowing the empress dowager at the beginning

"You want me to take charge of Yingchuan Academy?"

In the room full of bamboo slips, Xu Youde was very surprised when Ye Chen told him his purpose.

"Oh, Yingchuan Academy has only lost a few teachers and deans, but it shouldn't be closed because of this. Master Xu, you should think the same way."

Ye Chen looked directly into Xu Youde's eyes and said.

As the dean of Yingchuan Academy, even though Xu Youde usually only studies behind closed doors, as a teacher who has been teaching and educating people for so many years, Ye Chen does not believe that he would be willing to watch Yingchuan Academy, a thousand-year-old academy, close down.

"I am only focused on studying, and there are many teachers in the academy who are qualified to be the dean."

Xu Youde frowned slightly and said to Ye Chen.

"Heh, Dean Xu, don't be so self-deprecating. I'm here by order of the Emperor, and I want you to be the Dean of Yingchuan Academy. The Emperor doesn't look down on other teachers. He also said that if you become the Dean, you must treat the children of poor families and those of wealthy families equally. Otherwise, you will be unworthy of the position, and the Emperor will think he was blind and made the wrong choice."

Ye Chen's face was serious, but he had already made his attitude clear.

After all, Xu Youde's previous performance was quite upright, and he had some of the character of a scholar. He was also the vice president of the academy, so he could convince the public.

Otherwise, Ye Chen would not have chosen him.

"I never thought I could be the dean. You have the wrong person."

Xu Youde shook his head, his tone sounding very insistent. This was just his nature, he didn't like to meddle in worldly matters.

Seeing this, Ye Chen knew that direct persuasion would be ineffective.

It is not appropriate to use force on someone like Xu Youde.

He then turned his gaze to his surroundings.

"The Analects, Mozi, Han Feizi, Mencius, and Sun Tzu's Art of War."

Ye Chen narrowed his eyes, turned around to look at Xu Youde, and suddenly said: "Master Xu, you have a lot of bamboo slips here."

"Oh, I have indeed collected some ancient books. They are the result of my hard work for most of my life."

Xu Youde smiled, a hint of pride in his tone.

He devoted himself to studying for decades, and he had annotated and expressed his own views on every bamboo slip in this room.

It can be said that in the entire Yingchuan Academy, when it comes to scholarship, Xu Youde is second to none and no one dares to claim to be first.

"Master Xu, you've read more books than just the ones in this room, right?"

"Of course, the books I've read are so numerous that even this room couldn't hold them all!"

Xu Youde nodded. The bamboo slips he had studied had filled up all the other rooms on this floor.

"Master Xu, you have studied so hard, even if you are a learned man, how much of what you have learned can you pass on to the students of Yingchuan Academy?"

"Students of Yingchuan Academy will eventually go abroad. It's impossible for them to bury themselves in papers like you for the rest of their lives."

"Don't you think it's a pity that the knowledge you've gained can't be passed on to future generations?"

Ye Chen already had an idea in his mind and asked.

"My Lord, what do you mean?"

"There's something that's even more convenient for recording text than bamboo slips. It's also incredibly light and thin. It only takes a space as big as a table to record the contents of all the bamboo slips on your floor. Master Xu, do you believe it?"

Ye Chen laughed and said.

Bamboo slips are too heavy.

It is very difficult to spread knowledge. Xu Youde spent his whole life studying and wrote countless annotations and translations, but there are almost no students who can calm down and read all these bamboo slips.

Even though many children from wealthy families could borrow these bamboo slips for free, few were willing to go to such great lengths.

"What? Impossible! There's no way such a thing could exist in this world?"

Xu Youde's tone was firm, and he looked at Ye Chen with questioning eyes.

"Oh, Master Xu, you may not believe me, but I will have this item delivered to you in two months at the latest. By then, don't put it off for the position of president of Yingchuan Academy!"

"And for the next two months, I would like you to temporarily take over the position of the dean of Yingchuan Academy."

"Two months later, if I cannot bring this item to Master Xu, I promise to release all those masters who Master Xu said were wronged, and personally apologize to them."

Ye Chen said so.

Hearing this, Xu Youde frowned slightly and suddenly said in a deep voice: "Why should I believe you?"

"Master Xu, I am a member of the Emperor's Imperial Guards. My words can be reported to the Emperor. If you want to release those people you mentioned, there is no other possibility except the Emperor speaking up!"

Ye Chen is full of confidence.

After all, the teachers of Yingchuan Academy are now imprisoned in the death cell of the imperial palace. Apart from him and the empress dowager, the imperial guards guarding the death cell will not obey anyone else's orders.

Moreover, he believed in the power of paper. An old scholar like Xu Youde would definitely change his original intention once he saw the paper.

However, making paper takes time, so Ye Chen is not in a hurry.

"Okay! It's a deal!"

Xu Youde pondered for a moment and finally nodded heavily.

Xu Youde didn't want to see Yingchuan Academy completely ruined.

Moreover, he also hoped that the emperor would release some of the captured teachers.

Ye Chen then took Qin Man away, but not long after he left, the door next to Xu Youde's room was pushed open.

Then, a woman wearing a high Confucian hat, with a mature and charming figure and a beautiful appearance, exuding a scholarly temperament, walked out of the room. The woman lowered her beautiful eyes and looked at Ye Chen's departing back, her eyebrows slightly furrowed.

"Master Xu, this person's words are definitely not to be believed. From childhood to adulthood, I have never heard of anything that can replace bamboo slips."

The woman's voice was neutral, seemed very wise and convincing.

"Ah."

Xu Youde nodded silently, then sighed deeply and said, "I know this man is not trustworthy, but I can't do anything about it."

"But Master Xu, what Dean Xiahou did was indeed excessive, and he truly deserves his punishment. However, the Emperor is also trying to take control of Yingchuan Academy!"

A hint of worry appeared on Yun Fuyao's pretty face, but she immediately saw Ye Chen's purpose.

Hearing this, Xu Youde sighed again.

"I know all of this, but I can't just ignore those innocent teachers. I can't just watch Yingchuan Academy decline."

"Master Xu, what kind of person is the emperor?"

Yun Fuyao suddenly asked.

"Is it a good thing or a bad thing that Yingchuan Academy fell into his hands?"

"Oh, Yingchuan Academy has always been independent of the imperial court. The emperor is obsessed with power, and the court is dominated by powerful ministers. Now that Yingchuan Academy is involved, it is definitely not a good thing."

Xu Youde smiled bitterly, quite pessimistic.

Although he was devoted to studying, he also knew that once Yingchuan Academy was involved in the struggle in the court, it would only become a pawn in the hands of others.

This is definitely not a good thing for Yingchuan Academy.

When Yun Fuyao heard this, her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and the worry on her pretty face became more obvious.

"Master Yun, you don't have to worry too much. You are a teacher who teaches women virtues. Even if Yingchuan Academy is involved in the court dispute, it will not affect you."

Xu Youde said comfortingly.

Hearing this, Yun Fuyao just sighed softly, but the sadness in his heart did not diminish much.

As a teacher of Yingchuan Academy, she also hopes that Yingchuan Academy will have a good future.

She couldn't help but feel very dissatisfied with the emperor of the time who dragged Yingchuan Academy into the court struggle.