At this moment, many people from the Ministry of Rites were in the court. Feeling the resentful gazes around them, they groaned inwardly and felt extremely wronged.
They were the ones who did it, but they were also following orders!
The fundraising was ordered by the Eldest Princess, and the withdrawal was ordered by Imperial Concubine Cui …
If they could persist until the end, it would be fine. Even if they would offend so many people, offending a few people was nothing compared to the huge credit they would get for helping the establishment of the Academy.
However, the problem was that they — they gave up halfway.
He had offended so many officials and clans for no good reason, and all the credit had been snatched away by that Liu Dayou. He had really suffered a great loss on this errand.
If they had known that the Eldest Princess and His Majesty had such a plan, they would not have pulled themselves out of this matter …
Perhaps, this method was only thought of by the Princess after they left?
It was also possible that the Princess already had this plan and wanted them to withdraw voluntarily …
How could it be? They had no grudges against the Princess. Her Highness did not have to deal with them like this. At this moment, there was nothing but depression in their hearts.
The morning court session ended very early. As soon as Liu Dayou walked out of the hall, he was surrounded by numerous people.
"Lord Liu, please wait, please wait …"
"Your Excellency Liu, I am also willing to contribute to the Academy's fund raising …"
"Lord Liu, I wonder if you have time today. How about we talk about the Academy's fundraising in detail?"
…
Liu Dayou finally enjoyed the feeling of being surrounded by stars. Even after being promoted to the capital commander, he did not expect that there would be so many high-ranking officials of the imperial court surrounding him with smiles. He could not help but feel a little smug.
However, he knew that this was not the time to be complacent. He calmed down and said in a low voice, "Don't worry, everyone. This is not the place to talk. If you want to donate, please send someone to the government office to register as soon as possible …"
Old General Xue stood at the door of the hall and looked at Liu Dayou who was surrounded by people. He stroked his beard and said, "Your Highness's method … is brilliant, really brilliant!"
"Why didn't I think that there would be such a marvelous technique!" Old General Ma sighed and said, "It was originally a matter of asking for help, but it has been completely reversed. Countless people are fighting to donate money. This method is not only suitable for the capital, it is applicable everywhere. Even the local academies can be built using this method. The world is full of people who cherish their names … Wonderful, wonderful!"
The Eldest Princess had a special identity. Naturally, it was impossible for her to be surrounded by people like Liu Dayou. However, there were many people who looked at her with more emotions than before.
Even though she had done many things that men couldn't do before, they couldn't help but look down on her because of her gender. However, after this incident, no matter who it was, they had to seriously retract their underestimation of her.
Some people even rejoiced in their hearts.
Fortunately, she was a woman. Fortunately, she was only a princess. If she were a prince, it would be enough to make all the brothers who had a chance of inheriting the throne, including the King of Shu, lose all hope.
No matter how many things she had done, how great her reputation was, and how much power she held in her hands, at the end of the day, she was just a woman.
Li Yi learned of this news in the afternoon when Wang Yong came to visit him at home.
Wang Yong's visit this time was not to discuss business, nor was it to specifically tell him about these things. He was just implicitly asking if he could leave a good spot for the Wang family on the academy stele.
Of course he could.
The academy was the child of him and the Eldest Princess. As a father, he could still make the decision on this matter.
It was not only because the Wang family was Li Xuan's father-in-law, but also because the Li family and the Wang family had a friendly working relationship. Without knowing it, the Wang family was willing to donate 100,000 taels of silver to support him and the Eldest Princess's unborn child. This was a favor that could not be easily repaid.
Li Yi looked at him and asked, "The Wang family donated 200,000 taels of silver to the academy. It is enough to leave a name in all the academies in the capital. However, Brother Wang, do you think it is enough?"
Wang Yong was stunned and asked, "Brother Li, what do you mean?"
"For example, part of the 200,000 taels of silver could be used as a reward for outstanding students. On the one hand, it could help the poor students improve their lives, and on the other hand, it could stimulate them to study hard. It is killing two birds with one stone."
Li Yi thought for a while and asked, "How about this sum of silver be called the Wang family scholarship or the Wang Yong scholarship?"
The old emperor did not attack the aristocratic families indiscriminately. In fact, he was gradually weakening the disobedient aristocratic families. As for the Wang family, who were sensible and had a close relationship with the royal family, the old emperor adopted a policy of cozying them up and appeasing them.
Therefore, Li Yi did not mind giving the Wang family another benefit.
"The Wang family scholarship?" Wang Yong's eyes suddenly lit up.
It was good to have one's name engraved on the stone tablet. It was not certain that one's name would go down in history, but it would exist for a longer period of time. This scholarship, which he had never heard of before, was obviously another great thing for the Wang family.
The students supported by the "scholarship" were definitely people of outstanding talent. Since they accepted the Wang family's support, they would definitely owe the Wang family a favor and could be considered half a student of the Wang family. And such people of outstanding talent would also have a very high chance of becoming outstanding in the future. Not everyone was expected to repay the Wang family, but after all, they would have an unbreakable connection with the Wang family.
In just an instant, Wang Yong weighed the pros and cons in his mind. The conclusion he came to was that there were only pros and no cons.
He raised his head to look at Li Yi and said sincerely, "Those two hundred thousand taels were donated by the Wang family to build the academy. How can I take money from them? How about this, I'll go back and ask for instructions. Every year, a sum of money will be used to set up the 'Wang family's scholarship', which will be used to support students with excellent character and scholarship …"
Li Yi did not mind this at all. The money would eventually be used on those students. The Wang family were not fools. They definitely understood what Wang Yong understood. He was only pointing it out. When the time came, they could discuss it with the Eldest Princess themselves.
"I'll take my leave first!"
Wang Yong was in a hurry to report to the family. Li Yi did not stay any longer. From now on, he did not need to interfere in this matter anymore.
Education was a century-long project. It would take a long time to show its effects. But now that the foundation was stable, there would be fewer obstacles in the future.
He had written down everything about the academy in great detail on a piece of paper. Her Highness just had to follow the prescribed order.
Of course, she still had to control some of the details herself.
Li Yi did not want to arrange everything for her. She was able to handle the Women's Union, various businesses, and the affairs of the Women's College so perfectly. It was enough to show her ability.
There would be more things she had to decide and deal with in the future. She could not become dependent. Li Yi needed to extinguish the seeds that had just arisen as soon as possible.
Li Yi stared blankly in a certain direction. When he made this happen, he actually did not feel much of a sense of achievement.
Instead, he was a little hesitant.
This was after all his wishful thinking. He could not tell anyone, including her. But no one knew better than him how difficult and long this path would be. Whether it could be replicated was still unknown.
If things did not develop in the direction he had planned, it would be more harmful than beneficial for her to have such power and resources in her hands.
Most importantly, before the old emperor passed away, he did not think he could help her reach that step.
That day would come sooner or later. Who would be the new emperor? What would her future be like? Yongning, Shouning …
If that day really came, he would definitely take Yongning away. The proud Lolita was also worried. The palace was not a place she should stay. She would be unhappy for the rest of her life.
As for the Eldest Princess, she would not leave … What should he do? Rob her?
But he could not defeat her … What a headache.
"What are you thinking about?" A familiar voice came from the front.
Li Yi looked up and saw MIngzhu walking in. He pointed to the opposite side and said, "Sit."
Li Mingzhu sat down opposite him and thought of the way he looked at her just now. In that instant, his gaze seemed to contain something very strong, something that she could not describe with words. Her heart was slightly flustered.
"What were you thinking about?" she asked subconsciously.
"Nothing." Li Yi poured a cup of tea and handed it over. He said, "Let's talk."
"What do you want to talk about?" She looked up at Li Yi.
"Just talk …" Li Yi looked at her and said, "Like life, ideals, and so on …"
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