0p0 Chapter 554 A Bold Suggestion!
Chapter 554 A Bold Suggestion!
The academy and books are inextricably linked.
“A courtyard is a walled enclosure.” With the widespread use of paper and the development of printing technology, the number of books increased, necessitating the construction of larger courtyards to house the books and facilitate reading. This led to the emergence of academies in the true sense of the word.
After a period of recuperation, Yan gradually became stronger, and scholars began to have a desire to study. However, Yan was originally the fiefdom of a prince, and if academies were to be established on a large scale, it might be seen as recruiting talented people, which would make the crown prince uneasy.
Mu Xin Nuan's suggestion to build them separately is essentially to break up a whole roasted suckling pig and sell it as braised pig's trotters, pig's head meat, pork belly, and so on.
In this way, the people in charge will not feel uneasy.
To allow more scholars to read widely, Mu Xin Nuan suggested that he build a larger library in the area where the schools gathered. In this way, the many schools would gather around the library, creating a scholarly atmosphere that would be more effective than building a separate academy.
Mu Xin Nuan's suggestion was naturally strongly affirmed by Duanmu Chuze. At the same time, he was convinced that Mu Xin Nuan was his lucky star. He immediately disregarded everything else and brought her to the council chamber so that she could personally explain the idea to Mr. Liu and the others.
According to Duanmu Chuze's plan, a total of over 100 mu of land would need to be requisitioned. This would mean that Yanzhou would have to be moved another ten li eastward before it could be used.
Because the land there wasn't originally good for farming, and the geology was also quite good, it was suitable for building a school.
Their initial plan was to build eight schools.
Two of them are specifically for children under ten years old, three are for children under fifteen years old, and the other three are for students over fifteen years old.
The reason for dividing them by age is that Duanmu Chuze set up different courses based on their different ages.
The older a student is, the broader their knowledge becomes, and the more diverse their interests become. Meanwhile, students aged ten to fifteen are offered courses in riding and archery, horsemanship, etc., though these are optional.
Based on Duanmu Chuze's idea, Mu Xinnuan added two more commercial streets to this area.
They mainly deal in stationery, as well as restaurants, tea houses, and chess clubs, etc.
Anyone who has any connection with literati and scholars can make a living here.
With the addition of these two streets by Mu Xin Nuan, the academy that Duanmu Chu Ze had initially conceived of has come to life!
Mr. Liu and the others admired Mu Xin Nuan immensely. They truly hadn't expected that the princess was not only proficient in music, poetry, and lyrics, but also possessed such astonishing courage and boldness in matters of national importance and people's livelihood.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, we must say that your suggestions are truly excellent. However, what we lack most right now is silver."
As soon as Mr. Liu finished speaking, Xu Hai's face darkened. "Yes, such a massive project cannot be accomplished without money. We've invested most of our initial funds in Chang Le Fang, and I'm afraid we won't be able to raise much money here anytime soon."
Mu Xin Nuan glanced at the group and smiled, "It's not just this amount of money. According to the Prince's wishes, these two schools, which exclusively admit children under ten years old, will not charge any tuition fees. And the monthly salaries of the teachers they hire will also be paid by the government."
Upon hearing this, Mr. Liu admired the prince even more. The fact that the prince placed such importance on children's education showed how far-sighted this master was.
"So, does that mean we'll have to throw in a lot of money later on?" Xu Hai was immediately displeased. Not only would we not make any money, but we'd also be throwing money into it—wasn't that something only a fool would do?
Mr. Liu chuckled, “Lord Xu, don’t be anxious! The Prince’s move is even more meritorious than Chang Le Fang’s! This is a merit that will benefit future generations and the country.”
Xu Hai was stunned for a moment, and he probably figured out the key point. But the question was, where would they get so much money?
Mu Xin Nuan shook her head and chuckled, "How could Lord Xu forget about these two streets that specialize in commerce? Don't these shops cost money to buy or rent? And for example, don't they have to pay taxes?"
Xu Hai was stunned, and even Mr. Liu was stunned on the spot, unable to recover for a long time.
Duanmu Chuze was also stunned for a moment, but his mind reacted quickly, and he immediately stepped forward and put his arms around Mu Xinnuan's shoulders.
"Anuan, what did you just say? Say it again?"
Mu Xin Nuan was startled by his actions, and then replied somewhat weakly, "I was talking about those two commercial streets. The rent or taxes they pay each year are enough to support the teachers there and cover all their expenses."
Mu Xin Nuan spoke softly, but in her heart she wondered if she had said something wrong? Had she underestimated the expenses of these schools? But even so, did they need to be so agitated?
"Haha! Haha! Ah Nuan, you are truly my lucky star!" With that, Duanmu Chuze disregarded the presence of several ministers and immediately picked up Mu Xin Nuan, spinning her around the room several times.
He only put her down after Mu Xin Nuan blushed deeply and slapped him several times.
"What are you doing? There are so many people here," Mu Xinnuan protested softly.
Duanmu Chuze was stunned for a moment, then looked to the side. Everyone was looking at their heads or the floor tiles, none of them daring to look in their direction.
"Ah Nuan, your idea is truly brilliant! If we sell the shop, we'll naturally recoup a considerable amount of cash. If we don't sell, the government can rent it out, and in addition to the rent each year, we'll also receive a substantial tax revenue. Excellent, truly excellent!"
Mu Xin Nuan's idea was immediately echoed by the other adults.
However, we still need to figure out how to raise the money in the early stages.
“Mr. Liu, we need to move Yanzhou ten miles eastward. In addition, we can acquire some of the houses there and then renovate them. This way, we can save some expenses.”
Xu Hai also thought of this. "That's right. Most of the houses there are old, and buying them won't cost too much money before we announce this strategy."
"Excellent! It's settled then. As for the specifics, you few should draft a plan first, and I will approve it after reviewing it."