"Alright, don't argue anymore. Meritorious service must be rewarded. I am not so muddle-headed." Li Shimin shouted. Zhangsun Wuji was his brother-in-law and also his right-hand man. He naturally wouldn't make things difficult for Zhangsun Wuji.
"Meton, tell me what you want. I will definitely agree to it," Li Shimin said with a wave of his hand.
All the officials were envious. Li Shimin indeed had a close relationship with Mo Jiazi. If it was anyone else, he wouldn't give them the chance to choose.
Meton immediately smiled shyly and said shyly, "Can I really ask for anything?"
Li Shimin's heart skipped a beat. He knew that Meton was going to make trouble. However, he had already said it in front of everyone, so it wasn't good to change his mind.
"Of course!" Li Shimin said unnaturally.
All the officials were curious. They didn't know what Mo Jiazi was going to ask for. Meton said with a hopeful expression, "Then can the Minister not attend the Imperial College?"
"Ah!"
All the officials were shocked. No one expected Mo Jiazi to ask for such a thing. If it was someone else, they would have begged for a high position and a generous salary. However, Mo Jiazi was actually thinking of not attending the Imperial College.
"Little Mo, is this what you want?" Cheng Yaojin looked at Meton in disbelief, as if he was looking at a fool.
Meton had an innocent expression and asked, "For a young man, is there any greater reward than not attending the Imperial College?"
"Uh!"
Instantly, all the civil and military officials were speechless. They couldn't help but look at each other. However, Meton's words did make some sense. In fact, it wasn't just Mo Jiazi. Even their own children would have a pained expression on their faces every time they went to school. When it came to the weekend, it was as if they were celebrating a festival.
"Minister, of course, is aware of His Majesty's efforts. It's not that the Minister is playful, but the Minister is Mo Jiazi's younger brother. His major is the Mohist school, and his main focus is on understanding the various schools of thought, not mastering them. It had been almost a year since the Imperial College started. The Minister of the Imperial College had also dabbled in the Six Schools. Naturally, it's no longer suitable for him to continue studying at the Imperial College, "Meton explained.
In fact, the most important reason was that Meton had already lived two lives and had attended too many schools. If he were to attend the Imperial College again, the novelty at the beginning would have passed and it would be extremely awkward. The thought of having to attend the Imperial College for three years was even more unbearable.
Li Shimin was speechless. He knew that Mo Jiazi was up to no good, but he didn't expect it to be like this. In fact, when he had first placed Mo Jiazi in the Imperial College, he had heard that Meton had passed away early and no one was disciplining Meton. Secondly, it was to test out the catfish effect that Meton had created in Chang 'an. As for the subsequent surprise, it was naturally beyond Li Shimin's expectations.
"You're not ambitious!" Li Shimin snorted angrily.
"Your Majesty, please grant my request," Meton said submissively.
"Since I've promised to let you make your request, I naturally won't go back on my word. I can give you special permission to take the Imperial College graduation examination at the end of this year. If you pass, I'll allow you to graduate in advance. If you don't, then don't blame anyone." Of course, Li Shimin didn't want to let Mo Jiazi off so easily. He had caused so much trouble right under his nose. If he let him go, who knew what he would do?
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Meton said weakly.
"Court dismissed!"
Li Shimin waved his sleeves helplessly and left.
The courtiers also breathed a sigh of relief. There was a solution to the Yellow River disaster that had troubled Huaxia for thousands of years. Naturally, everyone was relieved. When they walked past Meton, they couldn't help but look deeply at this weak young man. At such a young age, he had solved the Tang dynasty's drought, locusts, and floods. It could be said that this was unprecedented.
"Hahaha, Little Mo really didn't disappoint the Old Man." Cheng Yaojin laughed loudly and came to Meton's side. He slapped Meton's shoulder heavily, causing Meton to grimace in pain.
He wanted to slap again, but was stopped by Qin Qiong. Qin Qiong angrily pushed his hand away and said, "Meton is young and weak. How can he withstand the strength of your hand?"
Qin Qiong was very satisfied with Meton's performance. Not only did he solve the Yellow River flood, but Meton also didn't ask for too much from Li Shimin's promise. He handled it perfectly.
Otherwise, if Meton made such a great contribution at such a young age, wouldn't there be no rewards in the future?
Cheng Yaojin said indifferently, "You are still young and frivolous. Why are you trying to be mature? However, you can fight with Zhangsun Yin without suffering any losses. You will definitely become someone great in the future. However, you have to be careful of this old man. He might use underhanded means against you."
Cheng Yaojin didn't hide his words from anyone. Zhangsun Wuji heard it clearly and couldn't help but snort angrily, "Old Man Cheng, don't talk nonsense. Who is this Old Man? Why would he lower himself to the same level as a junior?"
"Thank you, Lord Zhangsun, for your magnanimity. If I have offended you, please forgive me," Meton obviously knew why Cheng Yaojin was pushing Zhangsun Wuji. He couldn't help but climb up the pole.
Cheng Yaojin and Qin Qiong couldn't help but nod their heads. Meton was indeed worthy of being called a little catfish. He was indeed very slippery.
"Nephew Mo, you are thinking too much. Managing the Yellow River is a great contribution. Lord Zhangsun used your method and would naturally owe you a favor. Why would he offend him?" Qin Qiong said from the side, directly confirming the fact that the Zhangsun Clan owed Meton a favor.
Zhangsun Wuji snorted and said, "This matter is indeed the Old Man who took advantage of it. However, Nephew Mo, aren't you afraid that those old fellows will blame you for your idea?"
It could be imagined that after the Yellow River Control Project started, the entire Guanlong Aristocratic Family would definitely be greatly restricted. Naturally, they would hold a grudge against the initiator, Mo Jiazi.
Cheng Yaojin and Qin Qiong's expression instantly changed as they frowned. The Guanlong Aristocratic Family was the strongest power in the Tang dynasty. They had twelve generals of the Eight Pillar Countries and created the Western Wei, Northern Zhou, Sui, and Tang dynasties. They could be said to be extremely powerful. With these people added together, even Li Shimin would have to give in.
This was also the biggest reason why Li Shimin bypassed the Ministry of Works and directly appointed Zhangsun Wuji to manage the Yellow River. If Duan Lun were to do it personally, the decree wouldn't be able to leave Chang 'an City.
However, what made Zhangsun Wuji disappointed was that Meton's face didn't have the slightest fear. Instead, he smiled faintly and said, "The Guanlong Aristocratic Family was able to survive for hundreds of years. Naturally, they aren't short-sighted people. How could they not see that although I have restricted the Guanlong Aristocratic Family's hands and feet, I have also saved the Guanlong Aristocratic Family's foundation? Once the soil erosion in the Guanlong Aristocratic Family worsens and Guanzhong collapses, that would be the day of the Guanlong Aristocratic Family's decline."
Qin Qiong and Cheng Yaojin couldn't help but nod when they heard that. That was indeed the case. Furthermore, Meton's drought resistance method and the method of eliminating locusts were all thanks to the Guanlong Aristocratic Family.
Zhangsun Wuji smiled when he heard that and said faintly, "Unfortunately, in this world, many people don't have such foresight. Most of them are short-sighted people."
When Meton heard that, he said confidently, "That's easy. Since it's because of me that the Guanlong Aristocratic Family can't continue to reclaim land, I have a way to increase the yield of the land in Guanzhong. It might even be higher than reclaiming land."
"Are you serious?" Cheng Yaojin said in surprise.
"Now that the rain has stopped, the autumn harvest will be around the corner. The Mo Family's experimental field can be harvested soon. At that time, the outcome will be clear," Meton said confidently.
Zhangsun Wuji's heart trembled. If the Mo Family's experimental field could really increase the yield, then wouldn't Mo Jiazi, who had grasped the method of increasing the yield, be an honored guest of the Guanlong Aristocratic Family?
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