RPAGF Chapter 1055 Grand Tutor Qian Retires
Chapter 1055 Grand Tutor Qian Retires
By this time, Qian Ying and the others had completely calmed down and were no longer as grief-stricken as they had been in the inner palace.
The sadness was real, but no matter how heartbroken I was, the life and death of my family was obviously more important.
“Father, we can’t just let this go. This is clearly a pretext used by the Emperor to fool us. How could Wan’er have hanged herself? There are suspicious points and loopholes everywhere. If we don’t get justice for Wan’er this time, what will the other noble families think of our Qian family?” Qian Jie said.
"Second brother, stop talking. Father has his own plans. We can all see there's something wrong with this. How could Father not see it?" Qian Ying replied, her tone very rational.
Of all the brothers, he was the one who understood their father best. Judging from the expression on their father's face now, they knew that his heart was not as calm as his face showed.
Sure enough, after listening, Grand Tutor Qian stroked his long beard a few times, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "I would not say that I have eaten more salt than you have eaten rice, but I have at least decades more experience than you. How could I not see through such a clumsy trick?"
"Eldest brother, second brother, and third brother, remember this: a gentleman takes revenge even after ten years. And this matter won't take ten years. Keep a low profile recently, don't cause trouble, and don't give anyone any leverage. I have my own arrangements. Just follow my orders."
Besides, I'm getting old now. I thought about resigning from my official post years ago, but the allure of the capital is too dazzling, and my family needs me to support them, so I kept putting it off until now. Once Wan'er's funeral is over, I'm ready to resign. You should all be prepared.”
Upon hearing this, even the usually composed Qian Wei couldn't help but object: "Father, why so suddenly? If it's just because of Wan'er, there's no need for this. You are, after all, a Grand Tutor of the court, and it wasn't easy for you to get to where you are today. The clan can't do without you."
Qian Ying and Qian Jie also wanted to speak up to dissuade him, but Grand Tutor Qian gently waved his hand to interrupt them, "I haven't finished speaking yet. Although my clan has lost an ally after I resigned, I can assure you that within a year, His Majesty will personally come to our Qian residence to invite me to come out of seclusion."
"Father! What's wrong with you...?" Qian Ying stopped what she was doing upon hearing this, guessing what was going on.
Qian Jie and Qian Wei also looked over, only to see Grand Tutor Qian calmly dust off his sleeves and the hem of his robe, squinting as he slowly asked, "Do you know what the lifeblood of a nation is?"
These men were all officials, so they naturally understood. Qian Wei looked up without thinking and replied, "The lifeblood of a country is, of course, land and population. In the late stages of dynasties, most of the conflicts that erupted were caused by land annexation, concealment of household registrations, and shrinking national tax base and military manpower, which eventually led to civil unrest."
Secondly, there's the monopoly on commerce and the economy. By monopolizing highly profitable industries like salt and iron, water transport, and overseas trade, one can essentially control a large portion of a nation's economic lifeline. Finally, there's the monopoly on knowledge—monopolizing book collections and education, influencing politics through public opinion, and weakening the legitimacy of imperial power.
"Of course, these three points are just the surface and are rather general. In reality, in the early stages, it is also necessary to monopolize key positions in the court and infiltrate the Imperial Guard and border defenses. This is complementary to the previous three points; you can only have B if you have A."
"Yes, we all understand the reasoning. Apart from a slight deficiency in border defense relations, the Qian family lacks nothing else, which is precisely our strength," Grand Tutor Qian said slowly. "The saying 'Ironclad families, ever-changing dynasties' is not just a saying!"
“Father, I understand!” Qian Ying nodded.
“We understand now!” Qian Jie and Qian Wei nodded in agreement.
Grand Tutor Qian smiled with satisfaction, a cold glint in his eyes. "His Majesty will understand this principle one day. When that time comes, even if he wants to pretend to be confused, it will probably be too late."
“Then, as a first step, we can’t be so proactive in disaster relief efforts in various places,” Qian Ying pondered.
"We don't need to do things that would bring us public condemnation; someone else will do it for us," Grand Tutor Qian said with a confident smile.
…………
Soon, everyone knew about Consort Qian's death. Ordinary people could only sigh and lament her misfortune when they heard about it; it didn't affect them much, and they still had to go on with their lives as usual.
However, it's not so simple for the major aristocratic families and the people in the imperial harem.
Although Consort Qian's funeral appeared grand, it was actually very rushed, and the burial took place in a hurry.
After the funeral of Consort Qian, Grand Tutor Qian soon resigned from his post and went into seclusion, wanting to return to his hometown of Lin'an to live out his remaining years.
Even though Zhou Pu repeatedly tried to persuade him to stay, Grand Tutor Qian still resigned, citing his advanced age and declining energy. After three attempts, Zhou Pu felt he had done his best to persuade him to stay, so on the last occasion, he naturally granted Grand Tutor Qian's request to resign.
Cui Rong sat to the side, watching this scene, and felt that things were not so simple. The Qian family was much easier to talk to than she had imagined. Shouldn't they have engaged in a tug-of-war with Zhou Pu, both openly and secretly, before asking for some benefits and making concessions?
Everything right now is clearly illogical.
Zhou Pu didn't want to think about it too much. He yawned, rubbed his dark eyes, and said, "It's rare that the Qian family isn't causing trouble. Isn't that a good thing? I am the emperor of a country. No matter what, Consort Qian is just a daughter of a noble family. Would the Qian family turn against me because of a daughter?"
"That's true, but the sudden resignation of Grand Tutor Qian, coupled with the death of Consort Qian, makes the two events quite intriguing," Cui Rong said, fiddling with her nails as she pondered.
"Hmph..." Zhou Pu chuckled upon hearing this, glancing meaningfully at Cui Rong, and said lazily, "Isn't this exactly what you wanted, Empress? Yesterday, Lord Cui was just mentioning to me that he wanted to help your brother find a new job! With Grand Tutor Qian resigning, there will definitely be many vacancies, and you can also pick out a suitable one for your brother."
"Your Majesty~", Cui Rong covered her mouth with her handkerchief and giggled upon hearing this. She did not deny it, but said, "Although He'er is young, he is loyal to Your Majesty. Our Cui family will definitely stand by Your Majesty's side and be at your beck and call. This is much better than those aristocratic families. I think the Imperial Guard is quite suitable for him. Why not place He'er in the Imperial Guard?"
"That's about all the good things you have," Zhou Pu said casually, without denying Cui Rong's suggestion. Cui Rong knew then that the matter was settled.
With the atmosphere just right, Cui Rong seized the opportunity to bring up another matter: "Your Majesty, besides my brother's matter, I have another request."
"Speak, what is it?"
"It's about the Crown Prince," Cui Rong said cautiously, glancing at Zhou Pu's expression. "Although the Crown Prince was born to the late Empress, I have always treated him as my own son. Now that the Empress's coronation ceremony has taken place, I am rightfully the Empress. I wish to register the Crown Prince under my name. What does Your Majesty think?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Pu couldn't help but frown. After a pause, he said, "The late Empress is gone. You are the rightful Empress. Even the Crown Prince has to address you as Empress Dowager. What difference does it make whether he remembers you or not? Aren't you just making a fuss over nothing?"