"I never thought it would be such a coincidence, everyone is here today." Dugu Ming looked at the people gathered in front of the side door of Ye Mansion, greeted him with a smile, and then waved his hand: "Since Ye Gong is not here, then I will leave first, if you are not in a hurry, you will all disperse."

He was the oldest of the new nobles, so he was able to speak like this.

With that, he waved his hand, and went back to his carriage and walked away.

He took the lead in leaving, and immediately after, other members of the new aristocracy also left, and those who were modest greeted Yuan Highway, Du Fu, and Xiao Bolang, while those who were arrogant and cold left without saying a word.

In just a moment, more than a dozen groups of people gathered at Ye Chang's side door dispersed and left.

Xiao Bolang was a little confused: "What's going on, there are still many people, and they are all scattered in a blink of an eye."

Du Fu didn't quite understand, and looked at Yuan Highway and said, "Can Yuan Gong know the reason?" ”

"They are here to make their position clear, that is, the court will not sacrifice prisoners for Ye Gong, and they will also stand on Ye Gong's side." Yuan Highway is the oil of officialdom for many years, but the true meaning hidden in this small action is clear.

"How could they be on Ye Gong's side?" Shaw was a little surprised.

"Aren't you also on Ye Gong's side?" For this ranger, Yuan Highway also looked down on him, and said lightly.

Du Fu lowered his head and thought about it, after all, he was smart, and he didn't know what Yuan Highway did not say.

Ye Chang's strategy of tying the economic interests of the powerful with himself should be said to have worked, and it can even be said that it has achieved great results. Those noble relatives who are not very favored in front of Li Longji, such as Princess Xincheng and Ma Duguming, they can't get big benefits from Li Longji, and they are even bullied by the Yang family. On the contrary, on Ye Chang's side, they have an endless stream of economic interests, and even their own industries, which are independent of Ye Chang's industrial and commercial group, have adopted the same business methods as Ye Chang.

To some extent, they have severed themselves from the old elites and formed a group that is very wealthy economically but politically frustrated. Their next step is to secure their own interests and gain political power.

And the only one who was pushed to the front by them and could guarantee their rights and interests was not Li Longji, the son of the Tang Dynasty, let alone the old-fashioned ministers like Yang Zhao, only Ye Chang.

They need Ye Chang, and to some extent, they need them more than Ye Chang needs

"I also have something, since I don't know when Ye Gong will return, I will say goodbye first, Zimei, what about you?" Yuan Highway asked.

Du Fu insisted on staying because he was in a hurry to find Ye Chang, and even Xiao Bolang left first, and when he arrived in the evening, he finally waited for Ye Chang.

"Zimei's appearance, could it be that she has encountered some problems, the funds of the "People's Daily" are not used, or the staff is insufficient?" Ye Chang smiled when he saw him.

"But it's one thing, I've received a lot of letters lately," Du Fu said of the cause of the incident.

Under the vigorous promotion of Ye Chang, Chang'an and Luoyang have now implemented the door number system like Lushun, and with the help of the strong trade network of the Andong Chamber of Commerce, mailing letters have also begun to sprout. You only need to find any inn associated with the Andong Chamber of Commerce, and you can send it to these exhibitors in these cities with house numbers.

The head office of "Minbao" is located at No. 140 Nanheng Street, Xishi, and letters are sent from all over the world every day.

Some of the letters sent from Luoyang recently made Du Fu feel that something was wrong.

"These are the letters."

After Ye Chang took the letter, he opened it and looked at it, his brows gradually furrowed.

"Minbao" was pinned on by Ye Chang with high hopes, one is to control the clear stream of public opinion, the second is to advocate new fashion, and the third is to popularize some natural knowledge. For example, he used the "Minbao" to introduce the situation in Anxi, Hezhong, Dashi, Tianzhu, and Persia. In addition, almost since the first issue of the "Minbao", he has been promoting the vernacularization, punctuation of sentence breaks, and numerical symbolization of articles.

The article is vernacular, because the main target of "Minbao" is people in the market, so it has not received too much criticism, and the same is true for the punctuation of sentences, and these letters are all for the symbolization of numbers.

Ye Chang believes that symbolized numbers are simpler than Chinese character calculation methods, and the popularization of mathematics requires symbolic numbers very much. The role of mathematics in natural science is undoubted, and if Ye Chang wants to promote the production of various inventions and innovations, it is necessary for mathematics to flourish.

After reading the letter, Ye Chang sneered: "What about Zimei's meaning?" ”

These letters are all about attacking arithmetic, saying that the vernacular arithmetic above the "Minbao" is misleading people's children and spreading fallacies, and it involves arithmetic, which is a fallacy and heresy. The key point is that these letters were sent from the Eastern Capital Guozijian, and the person who wrote the letters was an arithmetic student of Guozijian.

Unlike some people in later generations who thought that the imperial examination was to test the Four Books and Five Classics, when the Sui and Tang dynasties opened the imperial examination, the content of the examination was quite rich, including arithmetic. Not only did he start arithmetic, but even in Guozijian, he specially recruited students who studied arithmetic, and a total of 20 students were given an enrollment quota. It's just that these students were not placed in Chang'an, but in Luoyang.

"There is no rumor in Chang'an Taixue, do I ignore these letters or ignore them?"

Du Fu was still a little sensitive, and there were some words in the letter, he felt that it was Ye Chang, so he came to Ye Chang to get an idea.

"What about Zimei's own thoughts?" Ye Chang asked.

"Frankly speaking, if it weren't for Changran, I would have published these letters in the People's Daily with the best words."

"Oh?"

"First, it shows the impartiality and impartiality of my "Minbao", and secondly, it can also ...... According to Changran, it is a hype. ”

Hearing Du Fu say "hype", Ye Chang couldn't help but laugh.

"If that's the case, let's hype it up." After laughing, Ye Chang's eyes flashed: "Since Tianbao started my private school in Wolong Valley in the second year, it has been ten years now, and it is time for these former children to come out." ”

"Huh?" Du Fu was stunned, but seeing Ye Chang's confident appearance, he didn't ask more.

Chang'an and Luoyang are too close, and there are speeding special trains coming and going every night, so only three days later, Luoyang Guozi Prison, some students gathered around and watched the latest issue of "Ming Pao".

"It's really arrogant"

"Don't be ashamed to speak up"

"I'm really not a troublemaker, but I can't bear it, everyone."

Everyone shouted and scolded, and although their letter was published in "Ming Pao", there was also Ye Chang's comment on the side: Confucianism's words are not good for the past.

"This matter has to be reported to Mr." Someone suggested: "This is what Ye Zhongcheng said, he is an important minister of the court and a general of the border pass, I can't wait for a mere student, how can I fight against him?" ”

"That's right."

"Everyone, this is the old emperor's calendar, Ye Zhizhou is not as good as before, not as good as before." The person who claimed not to be a troublemaker shook his head and said.

The Tang people like to call people by their origins, and Ye Chang is a martial artist, so some people call him Ye Xiuwu, and Xiuwu belongs to Zhizhou, so some people call him Ye Zhizhou. He established a meritorious career in Liaodong, and some people also called him Ye Andong

"Oh? Why did Brother Zhu say this? ”

"Have you forgotten the rumors from years ago? For the sake of the twenty-nine noble lords, Ye Chang dared to swing his fist at the Son of Heaven, so although he won a big victory in Talas, expanded the land for thousands of miles, and captured tens of thousands, he had never heard of the reward until now, and he was unable to accompany the Son of Heaven when he visited the Hot Spring Palace in winter. Why do you say that? ”

"Why?"

"The holy family has been lost, Ye Chang is finishing" The Zhu brother said triumphantly: "As an official in the court, ability is important, but the most important thing is the holy family, do you know why Li Linfu went to the court?" It's not because of old age and illness, but because of the loss of the Holy Family, as a result, he can only go to Liaodong to survive."

This person was talking nonsense, and the students around him were stunned.

As students of arithmetic, they were born with no good impression of Ye Chang, as early as when Ye Chang used some popular books to explain the original mysterious and mysterious arithmetic plainly, they had a kind of worry.

This is the sacred discipline of arithmetic on the same footing with the bookkeeper, the court, and the head of the village

The highest level of arithmetic should be to become a eunuch, calculating the calendar and celestial phenomena, how can the businessmen who must be compared with the baht also come into contact with these sacred knowledge?

"No wonder he personally responded to me in the newspaper, probably just idle." Someone sneered.

"He just lost his holy favor, after all, he is also a minister of the court, I and others are soft-spoken, it is better to ask Mr. Xun."

"Exactly"

And they agreed, and they went together to see their husband.

Now Guozijian is under the supervision of Taishi, and their husband also has a close connection with Taishi. This assistant teacher named Qu Tanxun is the first person to study arithmetic in the Eastern Capital today, although there is still a priest here, but the students trust Qu Tanxun more.

In fact, the reason why they are so hostile to the mathematics in the "Minbao" is also because Qu Tanxun is behind them.

"According to what you have seen, how should you respond?" Qu Tanxun asked about the cause and effect, and asked with a smile.

He sat cross-legged, looking very calm, and the student surnamed Zhu said: "The assistant teacher is a master of arithmetic today, and the origin of family learning is comparable to Ye Zhizhou.

"Yes, the teaching assistant is proficient in arithmetic, if he doesn't come out, who else can take on this role?" The student surnamed Zhu said impassionedly.

Qu Tanxun looked around at everyone again, and felt very satisfied.

He was not originally from the Central Plains, his ancestors came to Chang'an from the Western Regions, and served as the Taishi supervisor of the Tang Dynasty for several generations, in charge of the formulation of the calendar. However, the monk and his entourage learned from the strengths of all families and set a great calendar, replacing the nine executive calendars translated by his ancestors, and also shaking his family's status in the eunuch. So after the death of his party, when he was only seventeen years old, he said that Chen Xuanjing, a colleague of the Taishi Supervisor, Nangong Shuo, who had served in the Taishi Supervisor, and others attacked the Dayan Calendar for plagiarizing the Nine Ruling Calendars, and they did not copy it well.

The lawsuit went to Li Longji, and the result disappointed them, Nangong said that the others were guilty of this, and he, the initiator, was also driven to the Guozijian in Tokyo, away from the political center of Chang'an City.

He had been waiting for an opportunity to return to Chang'an one day, but when he saw the articles popularizing mathematics and astronomy from the books published by Ye Chang and the "Minbao", and when he saw the articles advocating the monks, he felt fear and anger.

He, as well as Nangong said, are all families of astronomical arithmetic, and their families have monopolized astronomy and relatively advanced mathematics for generations, so it can be said that the monopoly of knowledge is the foundation for them to be able to settle down in the court. However, the "Minbao" still has those popular mathematics books, and if they want to publish the knowledge that they have monopolized for generations, this is to cut off their family's road to prosperity

It's tolerable, it's unbearable

"All of you who can enter the country to study arithmetic are all talented people of the moment." He said slowly: "Allowing such fallacies and heresies to circulate will have at least two harms. First, the spread of falsehoods misleads fools, and even treacherous people, who practice what they have learned, speak of prophecy, and do rebellious things; Second, it makes the young people coarse and half-understood, and they dare to be respected, but what you have learned is useless."

All the students nodded one after another, this is not the first time Qu Tanxun has said, these students don't care much about the former point, but they attach great importance to the latter point, to put it bluntly, if mathematics is popularized, it means that the mathematics they have learned is useless, and their dream of making a fortune with mathematics will be shattered

Therefore, they must not tolerate this

"I am not for my own name, but for the world, for the court, and for the kings." Qu Tanxun then said: "Ye Zhizhou is powerful, I fight against it, like a mantis arm as a car, but I have to do it"

He said it generously and tragically, as if as soon as he spoke, Ye Chang would put him to death. The surrounding students, after all, were young, and they couldn't help but be a little excited, and the surnamed Zhu raised his arms and said: "Teaching assistant, please rest assured, Ye Chang really dares to force people with momentum, and we will dare to beat the drum."

"Exactly, it also lets the world know that we are also loyal people."

Qu Tanxun nodded with satisfaction, this is what he wanted.

Although the Qu Tan family has been operating in the Taishi Prison for many years and is quite influential, he is too far behind a powerful minister like Ye Chang. If he didn't make some noise, he felt a little uneasy in his heart.

Although there is a big man in Beijing who promises that as long as he can overpower Ye Chang and make Ye Chang suffocated, he will definitely vigorously promote him - but it is better to rely on others more in his own hands than to rely on others completely.

"How the teaching assistant wants to behave, we will attach the tail," the student surnamed Zhu said.

Qu Tanxun smiled at him, and the two exchanged a knowing look. He squinted his eyes and pondered for a while before he said, "In that case, I have a plan." ”

"Teaching assistant, please."

"Declare war on Minbao and Yezhizhou."

"A declaration of war?" When everyone heard this, they were all shocked.

This is not an ordinary person, this is an important minister, even if as Zhu Xuexue said, Ye Chang has lost his holy family, but after all, he is a famous general who kills people like hemp, and these students, who only use swords on their waists as decorations, can also declare war on Ye Chang?