Chapter 23: Spring Rain is Precious as Oil (Three)

  In the minds of many, it's as if an 18th-level typhoon has ravaged. Today's event has already exceeded their expectations and knowledge scope, also beyond their imagination limit, the result of overloading is a crash.

  Yang's reform was like throwing a stone into a quiet pond. With a "splash", it stirred up waves of layer upon layer, spreading outwards one by one. The stagnant water of the Ming dynasty had once again been stirred up into a small ripple.

  "My dear subjects, who can enlighten me?"

  ……

  Half a day passed without anyone responding, it wasn't as simple as an awkward silence, many officials' eyes were already wide with fear, they didn't even notice the emperor was still there.

  After a while, Li Zubai finally spoke up first: "I beg to report to Your Majesty, this cloud and mist are light and nimble, so they can rise, but people are too heavy, it is impossible to ascend to heaven."

  "Li Ai Qing, why is there a huge amount of water, one hundred billion times larger than the heavens, above my head? Is the next rain going to be fake?"

  "I dare not, Your Majesty. It's just that water is an intangible thing, gathering and dispersing without regularity. How can humans be like water, intangible yet gathering and dispersing, and still ascend to heaven?" Li Zubai's knowledge was no longer sufficient, so he could only try his best to explain to the emperor.

  This issue, actually, Yang Reform, who has been through nine years of compulsory education, is much clearer than him.

  "If that's the case, then these clouds and mist are light enough to rise up. Why not use a cloth or some other non-porous material to make a bag, tie it around these clouds and vapors, and wouldn't you be able to ascend to heaven?"

  Yang's words were like a thunderbolt, striking Li Zubai's already fragile heart. Ah! If water can rise to the sky and light gases can soar, why not use something to bind these gases, then wouldn't it be possible for people to fly with them?

  What! Is the Emperor a genius? A thought suddenly flashed through Li Zubai's mind.

  Then he suddenly went mad, shouting: "I know! I know!" His hat was thrown to one side, his hair disheveled, waving his hands wildly, as if possessed by a demon. His eyes were bloodshot, and at first glance, he looked like an evil spirit. Adding to this, the group of ministers' dull gaze, their eyes fixed in place, their bodies stiff, made the grand hall seem as gloomy and terrifying as the underworld.

  "Silence!" A loud shout, the grand hall suddenly fell silent. It turned out that the sword-wielding "Great General Han" saw this demonic scene in the grand hall and was also terrified, so he couldn't help but shout to wake these people up.

  This is too damn weird! Thought the sword-wielding "Great General Han".

  The sun is out again.

  Everyone who knelt on the ground cried out that he was guilty.

  Yang is also reluctant to argue with them about reform.

  "My dear subjects, today's events are too astonishing, I didn't expect it to be like this, all of this is my fault, causing the court officials to lose their composure. Alas! Li Zu Bai, I think my idea is feasible, you just focus on making this thing that can take people up to heaven for me, hmm, use a bag to tie up the light and agile gas that can rise, see if it can take people up to heaven..."

  The words had not been spoken yet, when someone from the group of officials came out to oppose: "I implore Your Majesty, absolutely cannot, how can you risk your precious body? If something happens, we ministers will have no face to see the previous emperor..." As he spoke, tears flowed.

  Other ministers were in an uproar over this and called for it to be stopped.

  "......Your Majesty, no!......Your Majesty......the foundation of our ancestors' achievements!......"

  "Your Majesty, don't..."

  "Cannot..."

  ……

  Yang reformed and pressed his hands, and the ministers finally calmed down.

  Yang Reform said: "I am doing this today to verify whether people can go up to heaven, not because I want to try it myself. All of you have also seen that within a radius of 100 miles, 110 billion kilograms of water have fallen, and one person weighs only about 100-200 kilograms, why can't they be carried up to heaven?"

  Yang's reform speech left the ministers momentarily speechless, unable to respond. Indeed, if over a hundred billion kilograms of water can rise to heaven, why can't a person weighing just over 100 kilograms do so? Ah! The emperor's idea isn't wrong either - using a bag to restrain those rising airs, wouldn't that take people up to heaven as well?

  But can people really ascend to heaven? The majority of the officials still didn't believe it, as it went against common sense and was surely a fabrication. However, today, Li Zhubai from the Imperial Observatory explained that there is indeed rain in the sky, which is also a fact, making it difficult to make a judgment at this time. As the saying goes, seeing is believing, and it's hard to deny what one has seen with their own eyes.

  Yang Reform continued: "Hmmm, Li Ai Qing, you have done a good job in dispelling doubts today. I plan to promote your official rank by one level. What is your current rank?"

  Yang's idea of reform was simple: when encountering such a "talent", he would certainly make good use of him.

  "Wei jin huang shang, zhe bu ke." A minister came out in opposition before Yang's words were even finished.

  Yang was furious. Why should reading the Four Books and Five Classics be enough to become an official, while people with such "learning" cannot? Must becoming an official all go through your approval? Is my being emperor in vain?

  "Why not? Li Ai is also a knowledgeable person, can enlighten me, why can't he be promoted? Let people use their talents to the fullest... let things be used to their fullest potential..." Yang Reform suppressed his discontent and asked what was going on. If he couldn't get a reasonable explanation for himself, Yang Reform wouldn't mind using Buddhism's "Lion's Roar" to educate this group of bureaucrats.

  "This time, the minister was also not in a hurry and reported: 'I beg to report to Your Majesty. The officials of the Imperial Observatory are not allowed to be transferred to other positions, their sons and grandsons inherit the position, without special imperial orders, they cannot be promoted or retired. If there is a vacancy, it will be filled by the observatory in order. These are all ancestral teachings and precedents, not that Mr. Li does not have talent.'"

  "Shrimp rice? The officials of the Imperial Censorate also have this saying, not allowed to be promoted, not allowed to be transferred out, not allowed to retire?" Yang Gaizhi felt uncomfortable in his heart. Is this what it means to be an official? It's almost like being imprisoned, just with a fancy title. And it's still hereditary.

  How can this be good? It's not easy to get a personal talent, and just give up like that. Thinking again, suddenly bright in front of his eyes. Isn't it said that without imperial edict, one cannot be promoted? Then he'll give him an imperial edict, haha, it seems that this old ancestor also spent some thought on it, leaving a tail for everything, and this tail is the imperial power. The first imperial power is not blown out of thin air.

  Yang's expression changed to a smile and he said: "I know this. That's why I issued a special edict, isn't it? Promote him one rank."

  ……

  "Your Majesty, it's impossible. The Imperial Observatory has never..."

  "Your Majesty mustn't, it's against the rules, it's out of order..."

  "Your Majesty, this is unacceptable! The ancestral rules cannot be changed arbitrarily!......"

  "Cannot..."

  A large group of ministers all said it was unacceptable, which made Yang Guifei feel depressed and suffocated. As the emperor, promoting someone still had to be tolerated by them, and they were being so garrulous.

  This promotion made Yang Reform understand that even the emperor is not omnipotent and sometimes has to hold back. The imperial power of this emperor is still not stable. Obviously, Yang Reform's imperial rights are not as great as those of the emperor who formulated the official system of the Imperial Observatory.

  Of course, if the emperor promotes a proper jinshi, basically no one will object, especially the Donglin Party, and they won't stop it. For example, Sun Chengzong, Xu Guangqi, Yuan Chonghuan, if you promote them by more than ten levels at once, others will only say that you have a keen eye for talent. If you want to promote someone "outside the circle", sorry, no way.

  Yang thought to himself, even if he promoted Li Zubai like this, Li Zubai would still be subjected to the temper of those ministers, and might even be forced to resign under the "advice" of some ministers. It's not a good thing after all.

  After thinking for a long time, Yang Reform decided to back down and said: "Alright, since everyone is opposed to it, I also think it's not suitable. Let's give Li Ai a lecturer position instead, which can also help me understand things better without promoting him to an official position. This way, we won't break the ancestral rules either. Plus, with my special edict, let's do it this way."

  Yang's reform decision was compromised.

  Another official came out in opposition: "Your Majesty, this is unacceptable. Generally speaking, only a Hanlin from the Hanlin Academy can be appointed as an Imperial Lecturer!"

  "Your Majesty must not..."

  ……

  Another big pile of rubbish.

  Yang Reform has nothing to say. He thought: Alas, I'm done for, being an emperor is really a failure! No officials? Fine, I'll just invite them into the palace every day and make them jealous to death. Then secretly do something without letting you know, making you all envious. Next time at the morning court, I will definitely find a new difficult song to sing, singing to death these official fanatics.

  Today is destined to be an extraordinary day. After the morning dew, many households in Beijing have sounded abacus sounds. I don't know how many people's abacuses were broken tonight.

  The next day, the abacus seller suddenly found that his business had improved countless times. He thought it was strange, as his abacuses were of good quality and should have lasted for at least a decade or even several decades. How could they all be broken in just one day?

  The horror and terror of nature, for the first time shrouded over the heads of these self-important officials of the Ming dynasty, only to discover that, unintentionally, their own heads had such a terrifying amount of water on them. Perhaps, maybe, the emperor would create a leather bag that could take people up to heaven, wouldn't that be going to heaven to take a look? Jade palaces and jade halls, celestial maidens?

  By today's standards, this is a moderate to heavy rain with rainfall of about 25 mm.