On May 15, Zhao Chen held the fourth military opportunity meeting to discuss the reform of the education imperial examination.

Everyone sat together, their faces different.

It has been a month since the first discussion on the education imperial examination. Zhao Chen originally thought that he could let everyone go back and think about it, but the dispute became increasingly serious.

"Teacher, I have not denied the orthodox nature of Confucianism! In the future, Confucianism will still occupy a mainstream position in the schools in the world! Why do you firmly oppose joining the practical learning?" Zhao Chen looked at Li Gang and said.

"Your Majesty, real learning is a skillful trick! If you add skillful tricks, because these skillful tricks are really helpful to the world, people will value strange tricks and tricks, and in the future they will look down on the learning of saints!" Li Gang said.

"Your Majesty, Lord Li is right! If you promote practical learning, you will likely be overwhelming in the future! Even if there is only a slight possibility, we cannot allow him to happen! Therefore, the best way at present is not to do practical learning. In the school, there is only Confucianism in the imperial examinations, which is the right way!" Li Ruoshui said.

Zhao Chen frowned. He didn't expect that Li Gang and Li Ruoshui would be so stubborn.

"Your Majesty, you and I have known each other for many years. I have watched you step by step to the present! My Song Dynasty has unified the world and the country is becoming more and more prosperous! It is already very good for the Song Dynasty to do this. We can adopt the ancient system for many things. Why do you want to make changes?" Li Gang said.

"Teacher, I was in Hanzhong, Guanshan, and the General Staff Headquarters were established, and the rent reduction order was implemented. You could support me at that time, why can't I support me now? It was also changed at that time, and now it is also changed!" Zhao Chen said.

"Your Majesty, this is different! Confucianism is related to the fundamentals of the world, and it is the truth that exists for generations! If Confucianism moves, great turmoil will occur in the world. At that time, the country will not be in a state, so Confucianism must not be changed!" Li Gang said.

"If I really force reforming education and imperial examinations, will you really want to quit your position?" Zhao Chen said after a long time of silence.

"Not bad! If the country is not at that time, I would rather retire and return home than watch the country become like that!" Li Gang said.

"Your Majesty, if that time comes, I will retire and return home with the Prime Minister!" Li Ruoshui also spoke.

"Let me think about it again!" Zhao Chen frowned and said.

After this military meeting dispersed, Zhao Chen came to Li Gang's mansion and personally persuaded Li Gang, and even agreed to Li Gang to experiment in some parts of the country instead of promoting education and imperial examination reforms across the country. Who knew that Li Gang would not even agree to this now! Li Gang believes that "real learning" is the source of cholera in the world and must not be implemented!

Not only that, in the following days, Li Gang and Li Ruoshui even joined hundreds of Confucian scholars in Yanyun area to write a letter to Zhao Chen, claiming that the ancestral system was immutable.

*******

It has already reached the 21st May of the lunar calendar, spring has quietly passed and summer has arrived.

At dusk, Zhao Chen and Wang Shu were walking by the lakeside of the palace.

The breeze blew, and a cool breeze was blowing.

"Wang Shu, if you were asked to be the prime minister, can you be competent?" Zhao Chen kept thinking, and after a while, he spoke suddenly.

"Ah! Your Majesty, what do you mean?" Wang Shu was shocked and said.

"Nothing! Many things are hard to decide!" Zhao Chen shook his head and left Wang Shu and headed forward.

After dark, he came to Li Gang's mansion again and persuaded him, but Li Gang still refused! Zhao Chen listed various reasons, but Li Gang could not refute it, but he still insisted that Confucianism is the knowledge of a saint. All schools in the world can only learn Confucianism, and the imperial examination can only take Confucianism!

After Zhao Chen returned from Li Gang's mansion, it was already midnight.

He stood by the lake and looked into the distance. At this moment, a woman in white came to him behind him.

"Does the emperor have any worries?" A faint voice came over.

"The things in the court trouble me very much! Li Gang is my teacher. I have shared the joys and sorrows with him for many years, and even treat him as a father in my heart. But now he is the first to oppose me, I really don't know what to do." Zhao Chen turned his head and smiled bitterly.

The woman in white behind her was Qin Yuzhen. Her eyes were extremely bright and there was a hint of concern in her eyes.

"Your Majesty, if you really make sense, you should be able to convince him." Qin Yuzhen said.

"Now I can't explain it clearly! No matter how many reasons I tell him, he won't listen! He recognized an idea in his heart that no one could persuade him. I used to think that the teacher was wise and smart, but I didn't expect that he would have a stubborn side," Zhao Chen said.

"Anyone has something to insist on!" Qin Yuzhen said.

"What are you persisting in your heart?" Zhao Chen said.

Qin Yuzhen shook her head, and a confused look appeared in her eyes.

She is an outstanding disciple trained by the Tianshan Sect. When the master asked her to go down the mountain to save the world's disaster, but now the world's disaster has long disappeared, and she doesn't know what she should do. As for practicing Taoism, it is just her lifestyle, and there is not much difference between being in the world and in the mountains. If she insists on what she insists on is Tao, it seems a bit wrong, at least she doesn't agree with it very much. Sometimes she even feels that she can give up Taoism.

"Yu Zhen, 'Tao' is an illusory thing, no one can verify it! Heaven and earth have yin and yang, people have men and women! Since heaven and earth have become men and women, it is to unite with each other. This is the right way of heaven and earth. I wonder if you agree with it?" Zhao Chen suddenly smiled and said.

"This..." Qin Yuzhen was stunned for a while and nodded.

"I have many worldly truths in my heart! Do you know why humans are the spirits of all things? Why can humans enslave other creatures?" Zhao Chen said with a smile.

"Because humans are favored by God!" Qin Yuzhen said.

"This is a bad statement! Human beings have only been a million years since they become the spirit of all things! A million years ago, there were other species that ruled the world, but not humans! The Taoist sect tried to understand the origin of all things in the world and understand the truth of the world by studying the "Tao". I have never agreed." Zhao Chen said.

"How do you know this?" Qin Yuzhen said curiously and surprised.

"Survival of the fittest is the fundamental reason why humans become the spirit of all things! As for why I know these things, I have told you some time ago that there are fossils and antiquities in the world. Through these, you can know a lot of things!" Zhao Chen said.

Qin Yuzhen nodded slightly.

"Actually, I am also curious about your Taoist and Buddhism. I am curious about many things, including how I came to this world... I am too lonely living alone in the world. Only when I am with my beloved will I feel warm. Yuzhen, in the future, you and I will be together, rely on each other, never leave each other, and explore the truth of the world together. Do you think it's okay?" Zhao Chen grabbed Qin Yuzhen's hand and said softly.

Qin Yuzhen nipped her silver teeth lightly and nodded for a long time.

Zhao Chen was overjoyed and suddenly hugged Qin Yuzhen in his arms, and Qin Yuzhen snuggled tightly against him.

The two of them stood by the lake like this and had not separated for a long time.

"What if you were in a position like me and couldn't convince others at all?" Zhao Chen said.

"Slay the mess with a quick knife! You know so much, what you said should be right, so do what you think." Qin Yuzhen said.

This time, Zhao Chen became silent. After a while, he said: "Li Gang is my teacher, so it is always difficult to make a decision! If it were someone else, I would have disdained it! Regarding the reform of the education imperial examination, I had already thought about the interests. Except for a few Confucian scholars in the world who would oppose me, most people would not oppose it! Especially the army and the production and construction corps will not oppose it! People in the Central Plains, Yanyun, North, and Liaodong just now have enough food. The education imperial examination has little to do with them on the surface, and they will not oppose me either! And this matter is indeed beneficial to the world, so let's do it like this!"

*******

On the morning of the next day, Li Gang was dealing with the government affairs, and Zhao Chen called him to the imperial study room.

Li Gang sat there, looked at Zhao Chen, and said, "Your Majesty has something to say?"

The hesitant look on Zhao Chen's face flashed, and he sighed long and said, "Teacher, from Kaifeng to Tongguan, from Tongguan to Hanzhong, and then to Jiangnan, Yanyun, you have always been with me and escort me! Without you, there would be no me who is now!"

Li Gang was listening, but gradually Li Gang's face changed slightly. He looked at Zhao Chen, but Zhao Chen turned his head and stopped looking at him. He suddenly guessed Zhao Chen's plan.

"Your Majesty, do you still want to change your education and the imperial examination?" Li Gang stood up suddenly and said.

"Not bad!" Zhao Chen nodded.

"Your Majesty, you are forcing me to leave the court!" Li Gang said.

"Teacher, I hope you can still stay in the court and guide me! But education, the imperial examinations are related to the future of the country and nation. I clearly know that I was wrong in the past, but now I cannot change it. I cannot agree to this!" Zhao Chen said.

"Your Majesty, don't say it anymore! Actually, I sometimes think that what you said makes sense, but I grew up reading the book of the saint, and I can't accept the change in the status of the saint's learning! When I am old, it's time to go back to my hometown! After so many years of leaving my hometown, many relatives don't know what happened." Li Gang said with a wry smile on his face.

"Teacher, you and I have different political views. The relationship between you and I have master-disciple remains unchanged. The teacher should have brought his relatives to Yanjing long ago. I will also support you in the future." Zhao Chen said.

"I can't see the status of Confucianism change, so I would rather leave Yanjing! From now on, I will hide in an old house in the countryside like an ordinary old man, and will never ask about the world again!" Li Gang shook his head and said.

"Why are teachers doing this? We can make a bet that ten years later, after the complete transformation of education and imperial examinations, the country will definitely surpass the past, and the official situation will be better than before. I wonder if the teacher believes it or not?" Zhao Chen said.

"I'm old, I don't care about what you said." Li Gang said indifferently.

"Teacher, you must stay no matter what," Zhao Chen said.

"No need! Since Your Majesty has made a decision, the old minister will retire and return home! Say goodbye!" Li Gang left without looking back after saying that.
Chapter completed!