The Secret Intelligence Department was the most feared institution among the officials. The Six Ministries and the Prime Minister had no right to order them around. They were directly responsible to the Emperor.
Everyone knew about the Secret Intelligence Department, but it was still mysterious in the eyes of the officials.
No one knew if any of the maids, servants, or even the concubines he had just married last night were spies from the Secret Intelligence Office. Of course, no one knew the specifics. In any case, that was what was being said outside.
Everyone talked about the Secret Intelligence Bureau as if it was a miracle, but whether it was the common people or the officials, no one was able to see its true colors.
But one thing was certain.
It was easy for the Secret Intelligence Department to investigate anything.
They could clearly find out whether the bump on Magistrate Liu Dayou's head was hit on the corner of the table when he was dozing off, or when he was having sex with his concubine last night.
Not long after Chang De left, he came out again with a secret letter.
The Secret Intelligence Department sent countless secret letters to the palace every day. They were classified and sorted out, so it was not difficult to find Magistrate Liu Dayou's.
Jing Emperor opened the secret letter and read it carefully.
If someone in the capital wanted to investigate the whereabouts of the capital magistrate, Liu Dayou, it was not a difficult task. However, if they wanted to investigate in depth what he had done, who he had met, and what he had said, it would be very difficult.
Of course, no one would do these things if they had no grievances with him. It would not be a good result if they were found to follow and investigate an official of the imperial court with evil intentions.
But this was not a problem for Jing Emperor.
Just by reading the beginning, Jing Emperor had already guessed what Liu Dayou had been doing these days.
He was doing the same thing as the officials of the Ministry of Rites did before.
The difference was that the officials of the Ministry of Rites raised money for officials and nobles who were related to the Cui family. But Liu Dayou raised money for those businessmen.
Of course, it did not mean that businessmen were more generous than officials and nobles to be able to raise so much money in a short period of time.
It was because they could leave their names on the Academy Stele and could leave their names in front of a building of the Academy if they donated money.
The people from the Ministry of Rites didn't say that when they visited those officials and nobles.
The merchants had the same name. They wanted to be famous, so they spent a lot of money to build an academy. Which of the officials and nobles did not have the same name? They were more famous than the merchants. Why didn't they donate? Or did they only donate a little?
Because they didn't know.
That was because they did not know that by donating silver, they could leave their names in the Academy and have their names engraved on the tombstone for generations to come.
As smart as Jing Di was, he almost instantly figured out the crux of the matter.
Some people had been tricked.
From the very beginning, Li Yi, or rather, MIngzhu, had been scheming against them.
The other officials and nobles could start to donate after the whole thing was revealed. However, the officials from the Ministry of Rites had visited mostly officials or families related to the Great Clans. Could they donate again?
If he didn't donate, the reputation he had built up over the years would suffer a huge blow.
If he were to donate again, the effect would be minimal since he had already done it once.
And those Great Clans relied on nothing more than the reputation they had built up over the years, the prestige they had among the gentry and the common people. Without these, they were worse than a tiger without teeth.
If the establishment of an academy so that the children of poor families could study was a nibbling away at those Great Clans, and it would take decades to see an effect, then the donation this time was the most direct and direct blow to them.
Of course, the scope of the attack was not all Great Clans … The Cui Clan and the noble families of the Cui Clan, after experiencing a huge loss of money, were about to face a more serious mental blow.
This was something he had wanted to do for many years, but he had never done it.
Jing Di's expression was not clear whether he was gratified or disappointed. Finally, he just put down the secret letter in his hand and sighed, "I am really old …"
His somewhat straight back bent down, and he lay comfortably on the bed. For the first time in twenty years, he felt that the burden on his shoulders seemed to be a little lighter.
That was because someone had carried something for him.
Hearing the even breathing sound coming from the bed, Chang De looked out of the hall. A smile flashed across his face, and he slowly retreated into the shadow of the hall.
…
…
"Sir, I want to eat hotpot …" The proud Lolita pulled Li Yi's sleeve and kept shaking it.
Li Yi patted her head and said, "It's such a hot day, why do you want to eat hotpot? Listen to Sir, drink more soup …"
Since he came back, he rarely cooked those spicy things. Every day, his meals were mainly light, mainly to take care of Ruyi's health. Making all kinds of light dishes was his recent main direction.
After a while, there were two girls shaking his arm, one on each side.
Li Yi looked at the proud Lolita, and then looked at Yong Ning, who was pulled over by her and avoided his eyes because of her guilty conscience. He said helplessly, "Okay, okay, okay. I'll let you prepare it. Later, you go to another small house to eat …"
There were plenty of vegetables in summer. In fact, now, no matter what season it was, they could eat fresh vegetables. In order not to let her pester him, he simply let them eat hotpot alone.
MIngzhu walked over and looked at him. "There's morning court tomorrow. I don't think I can hide it for long."
"It's about time. I don't plan to hide it for long." Li Yi added some seasonings to the soup and closed the lid. Then he asked, "The money should be enough to build the academies near the capital, right?"
Li Mingzhu nodded. The capital could be said to be filled with wealthy merchants. The amount of silver they donated added up to a terrifying figure. According to the plan, it would be more than enough to build a dozen large academies. It would even be enough to keep these academies operating for a long time.
Even when General Xue, the family of generals, and other acquaintances came to her. Although they didn't know the inside story, they were willing to donate some money. But she rejected them with the same reason.
It was not time to unveil the veil on this matter yet.
Of course, although there was already a lot of money, it was still a long way from covering the entire Jing Kingdom.
But the money would only be used in the capital. Every place would adopt the form of local donations. Presumably, those people would be more willing to let their names spread locally. As long as the precedent was set in the capital, it would be much easier for the other states and prefectures.
If they followed this method, it would not be unimaginable for MIngzhu academies to spread throughout the Jing Kingdom one day.
"After tomorrow, we should receive more money. The amount will be very large. How to spend it is a problem. This is just the beginning. In the future, the scope will be wider and there will be more money …"
Li Yi adjusted the fire to a gentle one and said, "Also, to do these things, it's impossible to rely on just you or me. If you want to find someone trustworthy, you can find someone from the Women's Union or other places. Ability is important, but you have to ensure absolute loyalty. These shouldn't be a problem for you …"
MIngzhu pondered over his words and nodded slightly.
"There's one more important thing."
Seeing him speak again, MIngzhu turned to look at him with a serious gaze.
Li Yi opened the lid of the clay pot and scooped some soup. He passed the bowl to her and said, "Help me taste this soup. Is it ready?"
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