Munitions Empire-Chapter 936 - 859 always needs to compare to find out who is right

Chapter 936: 859 always needs to compare to find out who is right Chapter 936: 859 always needs to compare to find out who is right And when these wealthy individuals became dissatisfied with their political status and began to reach into schools, even preparing to change some of the ecosystem within, did it not mean they were questioning the decisions of the Emperor?

Another serious matter was that the Empire valued education and the quasi-military management within it, which was the foundation of Tang Country’s rapid rise and an important part of national policy—if worms started to gnaw away at this foundation, did it not signify a form of destruction, a betrayal?

The issue could be large or small, and it was also the reason why Li’ao made the phone call: a private reminder as a friend, warning Marquis of Bailu to not choose the wrong path. As for whether Marquis of Bailu truly intended to represent the Nobility in this matter, that was for Bailu himself to decide.

If Bailu was determined to test the Empire’s attitude toward the Nobility and the wealthy individuals who first became affluent, then Li’ao would not mind personally seeing this old friend out the door.

If the situation was merely caused by a foolish second-generation rich kid stirring up trouble, then it was easy to resolve: just have the rich kid roll away and never show up again.

“I will report to His Majesty in this manner, you better handle your family’s mess quickly, and stop causing trouble for His Majesty… Old! Friend!” After finishing, Li’ao hung up the phone.

On the other end, listening to the dial tone on the phone, Marquis of Bailu finally realized that his son had done something more than just fainting at school.

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Consequently, the Marquis of Bailu, unable to sit still any longer, had his secretary grab his coat and hurried home with him.

…

Having placed the phone down, the Prime Minister’s wife felt somewhat anxious. She was merely the daughter of a merchant from Zheng Country and had no extraordinary background.

It was only through a foolish encounter at a banquet with a man who was but a year older than her own father that the events which had followed exceeded all her imagination.

It turned out that this man was the Prime Minister of the Empire, and her gentleness had left a deep impression on him—thus, she became the wife of the most powerful Minister in the Empire.

To be frank, she wasn’t quite accustomed to, nor did she dare to wield, the power she might have already held in her hands. While others thought a word from her could start a tempest, all she thought about every day was learning from the cook how to make soup for her husband.

She felt dull, incapable of doing anything right or assisting her husband. Therefore, she instinctively remained cautious, firmly determined not to cause any trouble for her husband.

That’s why she had approached the wife of Marquis of Bailu to learn court etiquette so that she could blend in with everyone at banquets and be inconspicuous.

This was a commoner’s political wisdom: since she knew nothing, it was better to do nothing at all! By doing nothing, she could avoid mistakes, and by avoiding mistakes, she could prevent any disastrous situations from arising—avoiding trouble was the best support she could offer her husband.

This time, after receiving a call from the wife of Marquis of Bailu, her first reaction was not to help bail out the Marquis’s wife by putting pressure on the school but instead to give her husband a call.

“Darling.” Roger, who was organizing reports on the Empire’s agricultural land, picked up the phone, his tone oozing tenderness. His new wife might not be beautiful, but she was gentle and virtuous, taking very good care of him—making this old tree sprout new leaves. He was very satisfied and deeply cherished his wife.

His wife never called him during work; they would discuss everything once he returned home at night. So, after receiving this call, Roger was quite worried that his wife might be in trouble at home.

Once he heard from his wife about the Marquis’s wife’s request, the smile on Roger’s face grew even wider: who said his wife didn’t understand politics? Wasn’t she far stronger than those self-proclaimed smart women?

“Just pretend this never happened. If she continues to come to you, you tell her plainly, compeling the school to deal with a teacher is something not even I can do!” Roger advised his wife, “Also, you don’t need to study court etiquette anymore, honestly, His Majesty doesn’t care much for that.”

There were many senior officials in the Great Tang Empire who were married, but few had married noble ladies or daughters of distinction, so big brother shouldn’t laugh at little brother—the etiquette of gatherings wasn’t actually that strict.

Tang Mo was unconcerned about this. He was one of those people who talked about work with such enthusiasm that he would spontaneously invite Ministers to stay for a meal. There were no strict protocols about not speaking while eating or resting.

As long as you didn’t inexplicably flip the tables during the banquet, actually, no one would care what you were doing—among the Imperial Concubines, Yulin and Yue’er spent more time learning to fight and shoot than on etiquette training. Although Alice was from the Nobility, she was a wild spirit who enjoyed horse riding and hunting, and talking to her about gantry cranes seemed to pique her interest more than discussing facial creams and lipsticks.

Hearing what her husband said, the Prime Minister’s wife knew what to do: My husband said, don’t play with fools…

After hanging up the phone, Roger pondered for a moment and shook his head, muttering to himself, “This Marquis of Bailu is quite interesting… What exactly does he want to do? Or is it merely an accident?”

There could be another bloody conflict! The contradictions between the Empire’s national policy and the Old Nobility, the clashes with those conservative landlords and aristocratic merchants and politicians… it all requires repeated compromises to persist.

In the past, it was a trade-off, a compromise, and a game of tug-of-war between the Emperor and the old powers. In the end, both sides had to give way.

But now, His Majesty The Emperor of the Great Tang Empire does not intend to back down. He has used the most ferocious means to completely destroy the old order.

This Empire does not need the Old Nobility, does not need landlords and aristocrats, does not need those leeches that suck the blood of the people.

But these things will not just sit and wait for death; they will struggle and rebel. They will counterattack again and again, trying to drill holes in steel plates. They will not give up any bit of their interests. Even retaining an inch of ground is, for them, a great victory.

Because they are most skilled at taking a mile when given an inch, they are best at leaving ant holes in the dam.

This is a competition of wills, and in the end, the most patient side will surely win: the constant dripping wears away the stone is much mightier than a thunderous blast.

Unfortunately, this strategy works splendidly against traditional monarchs, almost unbeatable. But for The Emperor of the Tang Empire… at least for now, it does not seem so effective.

This is a ferocious showdown, where holding the voice of the people, His Majesty The Emperor can destroy any opposing voices in successive purges.

Even though newspapers from other empires have painted Tang Mo as depraved, cruel, and brutal. Even though many speak of Tang Mo with blood on his hands. Even though many among the Nobility call Tang Mo an executioner, a tyrant.

But once you push open the front door and look outside, seeing the common people voluntarily hanging the Dragon Banner of Great Tang in their windows, seeing those pilgrims standing in the square before the gates of the Forbidden City, looking at those raising their hands high and chanting long live the Emperor… you will realize that for Great Tang, the Old Nobility and old landlords are completely unnecessary.

So, trying to summon the spirit of these things… what exactly is the intention?

After much thought, he decided to call Tang Mo again. After all, this matter could be trivial or significant, but at least from his perspective, the Marquis of Bailu did not have the courage to challenge the fundamental national policy of the Tang Empire.

It was merely an Old Noble, who had transitioned into the new aristocracy, who occasionally forgot his status and attempted to restore some of the dignity and power he once held.

There was no need to escalate the issue, but it was essential to nip any potential problem in the bud. It seemed more meaningful to give the Marquis of Bailu a good reminder, making everyone watching this event recall the bloody storm of a few years past.

Before long, Tang Mo picked up the phone. In his office, Yulin was sitting cross-legged with a smile, waiting for Tang Mo to finish the call with Roger before speaking with her pleasant voice, “Your Majesty, how do you plan to handle this matter?”

“Robert is honored to kick him! Without Robert watching over you kids back then, could you have achieved today’s success?” Tang Mo didn’t take the issue of teachers hitting students at the royal school seriously, speaking lightly.

“You know that’s not what I’m talking about,” Yulin chuckled as she looked at Tang Mo, waiting for him to define the nature of the whole incident.

“Ignore the slap. As for the Marquis of Bailu… I need to deal with him… As for this matter… Let’s just sit on it until those who are watching from the sidelines expose themselves,” Tang Mo planned to lure the enemy deep into the fray.

“Got it, so you still intend to take care of a batch?” Yulin nodded her head, understanding Tang Mo’s intention.

Tang Mo gestured for Yulin to go about her business, “If they are not killed, they will always think the worst is over, think that their privileges have returned, think their faces have regained their value, think they can again lord over the people, lord over me to their advantage… isn’t that right?”

“Then we kill until they come to their senses!” Yulin stood up and said firmly.

Who knew that Tang Mo would respond quite pessimistically, “It’s impossible, Yulin! They will never come to their senses! There will always be those who think having official power, or being wealthy, gives them special privileges… When they band together and corrode the foundations of a nation, they feel invincible… Human nature is such, and indeed, they are immensely powerful, inexhaustible through killing.”

“…” Yulin remained silent, waiting for Tang Mo to finish speaking. She stood by the door, just watching him. She knew that Tang Mo was not a pessimistic person, that he was always full of hope.

Sure enough, Tang Mo continued, “But it doesn’t matter… I just need to keep killing, kill enough before I die. They think their necks are tough, I think my blade is fast, we always have to test it out to see who is right.”