It was rare for the Academy to lower its head in court, but the Empress didn't stop there.
The Empress's voice continued to come from behind the curtain.
"For more than a hundred years, all the officials in Great Zhou, from the Imperial Court to the counties, have been taken over by the Academy. From the Baichuan Academy, it can be seen that the students of the Academy need to be improved. There are also stubborn problems within the Academy. I think it's debatable whether all the officials in the Imperial Court will be produced by the Academy in the future …"
As soon as the Empress said this, all the officials were shocked.
Her Majesty had long wanted to change the status quo of all the officials in Great Zhou coming from the Academy. She obviously wanted to use the Baichuan Academy's incident as a pretext to make a fuss.
Immediately, a few people stood up and objected.
"Your Majesty, you can't do that!"
"The Academy was created by Emperor Wen. The four Academies have maintained Great Zhou's stability for a hundred years. Once it's changed, it will inevitably cause turmoil in the Imperial Court."
"Outside Great Zhou, the Demon Nation is watching covetously, and the Ghost Realm is not peaceful. The other nations seem to be obedient, but they all have their own agendas. Within Great Zhou, there is also a Demon Sect that often causes trouble. If the Imperial Court is in turmoil, it will inevitably give them an opportunity …"
"If Your Majesty insists on doing things your own way, you may cause Great Zhou to fall into a quagmire, and Your Majesty will also become a sinner …"
…
The people who spoke were all from the Baichuan Academy, Qingyun Academy, and Myriad Scroll Academy, including Vice President Chen of the Baichuan Academy. The other two academies were happy to see the Baichuan Academy's reputation being damaged, but in the face of this matter, the three academies maintained a tacit understanding.
The Empress didn't respond to the people from the Academy. Instead, she asked, "What do you think?"
The Imperial Court was silent.
Although there were some disadvantages to the Academy's existence, on the whole, the advantages definitely outweighed the disadvantages.
Since the time of Emperor Wen, the Academy had been in existence for a hundred years. It had continuously sent talents and played a very important role in maintaining the stability of Great Zhou.
Her Majesty wanted to remove the Academy's privileges because she wanted to break the situation in the Imperial Court and concentrate power in her hands. This would completely overturn the situation established by Emperor Wen. No one could predict the future of Great Zhou.
For most of the officials in the imperial court, the position of the empress did not last long.
The throne of the Great Zhou would eventually be handed over to either the Xiao clan or the Zhou clan. While the Empress was on the throne, it was not suitable for bold and decisive reforms, which would be detrimental to the stability of the country.
After the Empress spoke, none of the officials responded, and the atmosphere in the hall gradually became awkward.
This was not the first time such a thing had happened. After all, almost all the officials in the imperial court were from the Academy. Even the censors did not want to change the ancestral system that had been passed down for hundreds of years.
At this moment, a voice suddenly sounded from the corner of the hall.
"Your Majesty is wise …"
Amidst the silence, a voice suddenly rang out, causing the hearts of the officials to tremble.
Who was this audacious person who dared to speak at this time?
They all looked at the corner of the hall, and a figure walked out from the corner.
"Li Mu?"
"It's him!"
"Why is he here? Wait, is he wearing the imperial censor robes?"
"Imperial Censor? His Majesty made him an imperial censor?"
…
Li Mu met the gazes of the officials and walked out from the corner of the golden hall. After someone responded, the Empress asked again, "What do you think, Minister Li?"
The way the Empress addressed Li Mu made all the officials in the imperial court dumbfounded.
Her Majesty had always addressed the officials in the imperial court as Minister Zhang, Minister Li, and other ministers. When had she ever used "Minister Li"?
This special form of address clearly indicated that this newly promoted Imperial Censor was a trusted aide of Her Majesty the Empress.
Li Mu walked to the center of the hall, cleared his throat, and said, "Your Majesty is wise. I also think that the Academy system established during the reign of Emperor Wen was a great policy a hundred years ago. To a large extent, it changed the chaos of the Great Zhou officials who were not talented and virtuous. In the past hundred years, the Great Zhou has been developing continuously. This system can no longer meet the needs of the imperial court …"
The atmosphere in the hall was completely different from the past.
In the past, if no one responded to the decrees proposed by the Empress, it would be ignored, and no officials would discuss it.
As long as one official stood out and agreed with the Empress, it was necessary to discuss this topic.
The situation in the imperial court was complicated, and no one could predict the future. The officials who could be in the imperial court were all experienced and cunning. No one would risk the Academy's condemnation in order to protect His Majesty and give His Majesty a way out.
They had never seen such a bold person.
Now they saw it.
The people of the Academy naturally would not allow Li Mu to slander the Academy. Vice President Chen said, "You are just an imperial censor. How dare you speak so arrogantly? The Academy has provided so many talents to the imperial court every year. Why can't it meet the imperial court's needs?"
"Talents?" Li Mu glanced at him and asked, "A talent like Jiang Zhe, relying on the Academy's background, raped a woman in broad daylight. Is this the talent the Academy mentioned?"
This matter had become a pain for the Academy. Vice President Chen said with a gloomy face, "This kind of bastard is just a special case. He can't represent the Academy. The Academy has expelled him and will never hire him again …"
Li Mu shook his head and said, "Instructor Fang, as an instructor of the Academy, did not set an example and strictly restrain his students. Instead, he allowed Jiang Zhe to rape a woman and tried to deceive the imperial court afterward to cover up his crime. If the upper beam is not straight, the lower beam will be crooked. What kind of students can such an instructor teach? If such a student enters the imperial court and becomes an official, how many people will be bullied by him?"
He said coldly, "The instructor is like this, the students are like this. His Majesty just pointed out the shortcomings of the Academy. What right do you have to scold His Majesty as a sinner?"
Vice President Chen was speechless for a moment, and then immediately said, "Instructor Fang can't represent all the instructors of the Academy. You are generalizing!"
"What about the County Magistrate of Yang County?" Li Mu continued to ask, "As a county magistrate, he colluded with the local tyrants and exploited the people. He created an unjust case that shook the Great Zhou. Even the heavens couldn't stand it. Which Academy did he come from?"
The Vice President of the Myriad Scroll Academy lowered his head slightly.
Vice President Chen said, "You are still generalizing. There are 36 counties in the Great Zhou and hundreds of county magistrates. What can a county magistrate of Yang County prove?"
Li Mu smiled at him and said, "Okay, let's not talk about the place. Let's talk about Shen Du. As far as I know, the County Chief of the North County has long disliked the county magistrate of Yang County's actions. He has submitted many memorials, but the evaluation of the county magistrate of Yang County by the Ministry of Personnel every year is A +. Because of this, the county magistrate of Yang County is even more unscrupulous and can do whatever he wants. This kind of corrupt official can be A +, the highest grade. Are the officials sent by the Academy to the Ministry of Personnel all blind and deaf?"
The Minister of Personnel's face was livid. The faces of the officials of the Ministry of Personnel also alternated between green and white.
In front of His Majesty and hundreds of officials, they could only endure being scolded in their noses.
This was because what he said was the truth. The county magistrate of Yang County was the brother-in-law of the Assistant Minister of Personnel. The Assistant Minister had personally instructed, so who would dare to make things difficult for him in the evaluation?
The officials were silent. Who didn't know about the problems of the Ministry of Personnel? Who didn't know?
But the problem was, which Ministry of Personnel wasn't like this in the past dynasties?
Most of the officials in the Imperial Court had their own factions. Wasn't it common for members of the same faction to help and cover for each other?
The Ministry of Personnel controlled the evaluation and promotion of officials in the Great Zhou. It was normal for them to give the brother-in-law of the Assistant Minister of Personnel an A +.
But in the Imperial Court, this was the first person who dared to scold the officials of the Ministry of Personnel as blind and deaf.
Before this, they all thought that Li Mu was influenced by Zhang Chun of Shen Du. Like boss, like subordinate. Only now did they realize that they seemed to have gotten it the other way around …
The Minister of Personnel's face was red. He coughed lightly and explained, "This is the dereliction of duty of the Ministry of Personnel. This has already sounded the alarm bell for the Ministry of Personnel. We will reflect on ourselves in the future to reduce such incidents."
"Don't give me that!" Li Mu waved his hand and said, "Who doesn't know that the County Magistrate of Yang County is the brother-in-law of the Assistant Minister of Personnel? This isn't the first time the Ministry of Personnel has done something like this. Why are you still pretending in front of me?"
The Minister of Personnel covered his mouth and coughed uncontrollably. He retreated to his seat. The Assistant Minister of Personnel clenched his fists tightly. The veins on his forehead bulged, but he could only lower his head.
Many of the officials in the Imperial Court were dumbfounded. They couldn't help but label Li Mu as a lunatic.
Even the strongest Imperial Censor they had seen was not half as strong as him. He had torn down the veil of the Ministry of Personnel and exposed the officials of the Ministry of Personnel completely naked in front of the other officials.
But Li Mu didn't stop there.
He pointed around and said, "And the Ministry of Rites, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Revenue, and Taichang Temple. How many officials in the six ministries and nine temples have failed to discipline their sons? You let them do whatever they want in Luoyang and bully the people. Instead of being ashamed, you are proud of it. Don't you know how many times you have protected them?"
The Minister of Justice secretly rejoiced. Fortunately, he didn't fight to the death with Li Mu. Instead, he chose to build a good relationship with him. Otherwise, he might have been called out by Li Mu in the Golden Palace like the Assistant Minister of Personnel.
Li Mu looked at the people from the Academy and said, "These are the talents that the Academy sent to the Imperial Court. Are you going to say that these are special cases? Then you have too many special cases …"
Vice President Chen and the others were finally speechless.
This had just happened in Luoyang. Li Mu's subordinates had beaten up many officials' sons. He even forced the officials involved to change the Silver Law of Substitution.
The officials were silent. Li Mu continued, "I won't say more. The officials from the Academy have formed cliques in the Imperial Court and are hostile to each other. Can't you see that?"
His loud voice echoed in the Golden Palace. Even the giants standing at the front couldn't help but notice him.
Because he was too talkative and dared to say it.
He had broken the rules that the officials had tacitly agreed to. He had exposed the things that the officials wouldn't normally talk about. He had torn down the veil of the entire Imperial Court. Throughout history, those who dared to break the rules like this had all died without a complete corpse.
Li Mu scanned the faces of the people from the Academy one by one and said, "Look at what you have done. His Majesty is wise and has the world in mind, but you only think about your own interests. What right do you have? What right do you have to reprimand His Majesty? Don't you feel ashamed when you reprimand His Majesty?"
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