Chapter 874: Come on, fill out your resume! [Seeking monthly votes]

The so-called copper weight is a weight used for weighing.

The copper weight and the steelyard beam constitute a set of weighing instruments.

The frequent changes of regime in a short period of time resulted in units being the same in different places, but the standards for those units differing. Besides weight, there were also length, volume, area... The only saving grace was that the elegant language and script used in each place were consistent.

Of course, this is thanks to the literature on the power of words.

Without the written language, the divided nations would eventually develop their own writing systems and languages, and the difficulties they would face then would be unimaginable today. Shen Tang's current plan is to quickly implement a unified standard across the entire country and enforce its compliance.

Once people get used to it in different places, the journey will be much easier.

These were plans she had long ago, only now being brought out. Ostensibly, they were to prevent powerful families from exploiting loopholes behind her back, but secretly, they were to lay the foundation for her hegemonic ambitions. She had carefully studied the reasons for the downfall of various countries. In addition to external crises, the abuse of national fortune by rulers, and the loss of control over military power by generals, there was also the fact that everyone lacked a sense of belonging and identification with the "nation."

If a country is destroyed, it's destroyed.

Once nationality is changed, that's it.

For them, the fall of their homeland was like a gust of wind blowing away sand, sand that had nothing to do with them. The lack of clear, unified standards not only created conflict between regions but also hindered communication. When the small kingdoms, barely cobbled together from different areas, collapsed, some even applauded the eventual separation from certain regions. This was clearly not what Shen Tang wanted to see.

She wanted to eliminate these differences and, through the same standards, completely glue these scattered fragments into an inseparable whole! Even if, in the distant future, this whole might still separate for some reason, as long as this "sameness" remained deeply rooted in their souls, they would one day, under the call of their souls, merge back into a complete whole.

No one knew what he was thinking.

At least the heads of the powerful families who had been tricked by Shen Tang didn't realize it. They only sensed one thing—they had been schemed against by Shen Tang again! This cunning fox deliberately lowered their guard and took advantage of their momentary lapse in concentration to launch a surprise attack!

“This is the most standard weighing instrument and wooden ruler in Kangguo!” Holding up the bronze weight in one hand and the wooden ruler in the other, her almond-shaped eyes seemed to sparkle with starlight. “The measurement of fields is based on this wooden ruler, and the storage of grain is based on this set of weighing instruments.”

Adding Qin Li completes the set of moves.

When it comes to exploiting loopholes, Shen Tang considers herself second to none. These family heads trying to outsmart her are like showing off their skills in front of Guan Yu! After speaking, Shen Tang put the weighing scale and wooden ruler back, sat down, and asked everyone with a smile, "Do any of you have any doubts?"

Ask your questions now.

If you want to find fault again in the future, you'd better think twice.

Seeing their plans thwarted by Shen Tang's flurry of punches, everyone's expressions were as varied as an overturned palette, quite a sight to behold. After a long pause, they reluctantly uttered, "Undoubtedly."

Shen Tang was very satisfied with the result.

She had other plans, such as unifying the currency, promoting talented individuals, and defining the functions of civil and military officials, but she was currently preoccupied with many matters. Having just finished a tough battle with the powerful families, Shen Tang wanted to catch her breath. The currency issue would have to wait until currency data from various regions was collected, and the size, shape, weight, and lettering of the new currency also needed to be redefined. The system for promoting talented individuals and selecting officials would have to be postponed further until Shen Tang had accumulated enough national fortune to open the Mountain and Sea Holy Land, using that as leverage to implement the new system. As for the official system…

Shen Tang quickly stopped her wandering thoughts.

This matter also needs to be put on the agenda, but we'll have to wait a while longer.

We should at least wait for everyone who is away on business to return.

Shen Tang already had general information on more than a dozen different official systems from various regions. Choosing which one to use, and whether to add or delete anything, required careful consideration, or perhaps she should simply draft a new one. In addition, there were the standards for officials' terms of office, transfers, promotions, and demotions... Just thinking about it made her head spin. She secretly rubbed her temples, but on the surface, she still had to put on a good show and deal with the heads of the powerful families.

Both sides have reached a preliminary agreement on friendly cooperation.

The issues of tenant farmers and land ownership have been addressed.

Shen Tang slapped the heads of the aristocratic families twice, and as a way of appeasing them, she naturally had to give them two sweet treats to taste. She brought up the matter of recruitment again, hoping that each family could recommend talented people, regardless of gender, and she would appoint the suitable ones.

After she finished speaking, she clapped her hands again, clap clap clap!

The soldiers brought out yet another letter, neatly placing it on the table, and no one dared to touch it. The family heads were all suffering from PTSD from Shen Tang's actions; some even had their eyelids twitching uncontrollably, fearing that Shen Tang would cause some trouble again.

Shen Tang asked in confusion, "Why don't you take a look?"

The old man, Kang Nian, and the head of the Ning family were among the first to see it.

All three of them had a subtle "what's the use" mentality.

After reading the contents of the letter, his expression became even more subtle.

This is a resume template.

Those clansmen aspiring to official positions can fill out this template and then bring the form to Shen Tang. Shen Tang will arrange an interview and assessment. Once hired, they will immediately begin their duties. Shen Tang will assign a suitable position based on their resume and assessment results. They will first undergo a six-month internship to assess their practical abilities. After passing the internship, they can be promoted to a permanent position. Positions are limited and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

There's a shortage of people everywhere right now, so the chances of getting approved are pretty high.

Once she has accumulated enough national fortune and implemented a formal talent selection system, opening up the sacred lands of mountains and seas, positions will no longer be so easy to obtain. She also wants to avoid the problem of redundant officials, and will not arbitrarily increase the number of positions without expanding the territory.

Kang Nian read the letter over and over again, and mentally reviewed the talent selection processes of various countries in the Northwest, but he couldn't find a similar source. He pursed his lips, considered his words carefully, and then spoke: "Shen Jun's foundation is newly established. Does he not intend to announce to the country that a special talent selection test will be held?"

They actually narrowed down the scope to aristocratic families?

“We won’t hold the special test. I’ve studied the Xin and Geng countries before and found that they select talents based on family background, character, ability, and literary talent... If we narrow it down to these three criteria…” Shen Tang’s eyes swept over everyone present.

If she holds a special examination, only members of prominent families will be selected.

Isn't this just asking for trouble?

Using a resume template for screening is different. Anyone with ability can fill out an application and try their luck. The pool includes, but is not limited to, members of aristocratic families, talents selected and trained by these families from among the common people, and ordinary people from the lower classes without family affiliation. If there are ambitious female rulers within each family, they can also participate. The pool is not limited to aristocratic families as Kang Nian had imagined!

She will later release this resume to the public.

Shen Tang withdrew her meaningful gaze and abruptly changed the subject: "If there is a suitable female ruler in the Kang clan, the Kang family head should not keep her hidden. She might be the next Tu Nan."

Kang Nian cupped his hands and said, "That's natural."

Shen Tang didn't know how accepting these aristocratic families were of resumes. She had done everything she was supposed to do. If these people were still bound by the assessment format and so-called etiquette and went against her, she would deal with them one by one once she was completely free!

Anyway, they looked down on her and even called her a bandit in private.

She can't just take the scolding for nothing; she might as well make it a reality!

Shen Tang smiled faintly at Kang Nian.

This caused the Kang family head, who had just sat down, to break out in a cold sweat and avoid her gaze. Before this, he had no idea that his fourth brother was under Shen Youli's command. If he had known, he might have had to reassess Shen Tang's potential—Ji Shou's uncompromising and ruthless approach to scholarship actually had someone who could withstand it! He secretly wiped away a bead of sweat, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Ning family head making the same gesture.

The two family heads exchanged a glance and a look.

Kang Nian felt a little puzzled.

Why does this head of the Ning family seem a little uninterested?

Little did they know, the head of the Ning family was thinking about his daughter, Ning Tunan, and was struggling with how to deal with her. Their father-daughter relationship wasn't particularly good; it wasn't that he mistreated or disliked Ning Yan, but rather that this was the most common situation in aristocratic families. He was a dignified patriarch with too many things to handle and manage, and the little time he had was spent raising his son.

As for the daughter?

Their life trajectories were predetermined from birth.

For the sake of the family, they would marry into families of equal social standing.

As a traditional patriarch, he wasn't used to close relationships with his children. Ning Yan's intelligence filled him with pride, but also a sense of regret. The more outstanding her talent, the more it made his sons seem dull and mediocre. To spur his sons to feel ashamed and strive for improvement, he tacitly allowed Ning Yan to study alongside her brothers, letting them see—a sister who couldn't cultivate could surpass them academically, even far surpass them, simply through her natural talent and comprehension. Didn't they feel even a shred of shame?

The oldest one even had Wenxin's assistance.

Even so, she's not as good as her own sister!

This move did have some effect, but it also inadvertently alienated the siblings, even harboring a subtle animosity. To be precise, it was the eldest son who unilaterally harbored animosity and dislike towards Ning Yan.

It was his eldest son who reminded him that Ning Yan was getting on in years, and in two more years she would be of marriageable age. What she should be learning was how to be a proper matriarch of a noble family, managing the household, handling domestic affairs, socializing with other families, bearing and raising children, and being a good wife and mother. Too much studying would only make her arrogant and affect the harmony of their marriage. The head of the Ning family hesitated for two days over this.

He instructed Ning Yan's mother to properly teach Ning Yan how to manage the household.

Ning Yan was forbidden from entering or leaving the clan school and his study.

Before she came of age, Ningyan discussed marriage with her son.

Finding none of the families suitable, Ning Yan finally agreed to marry Yan An. Yan An's family was small, but his father was the most renowned scholar in Xin Kingdom, with countless students and a large following among scholars. It's unclear how Ning Yan managed to persuade Yan An, but his father intervened, using the excuse of "letting the two children develop feelings," and allowed Ning Yan to disguise herself as a man and enter his academy for study and training. The head of the Ning family agreed.

Since Ning Yan was destined to be a member of the Yan family, and Yan An's father was her future father-in-law, he could naturally intervene in this matter. When the head of the Ning family agreed, he breathed a sigh of relief—because he had used Ning Yan as a whetstone, and because of his eldest son's narrow-mindedness, he felt guilty towards Ning Yan. Now, it was a win-win situation, which was perfect.

When her daughter becomes a mother herself, she might understand her situation better.

During her years of study, Ning Yan rarely returned home.

The father and daughter met for the last two times. Once was when Ning Yan returned to prepare for her wedding, and he increased her dowry by 20% as compensation. The other time was when Ning Yan and Yan An returned to her parents' home for the three-day wedding ceremony. He instructed Yan An to treat Ning Yan well, and then Ning Yan left with Yan An. After that, many things happened one after another, and the situation became increasingly chaotic, and the father and daughter had even less contact.

He didn't know if Ning Yan had considered seeking refuge with her family after her son-in-law Yan An's death, but both father and daughter knew that even if Ning Yan had escaped the pursuit and returned, the Ning family might not have offered her protection, but rather avoided suspicion, or even handed her over to prevent her from getting herself into trouble and having her family wiped out.

Over the years, her health had been declining, and she had gradually handed over the affairs of the clan to her eldest son. Given his temperament, he didn't seem like the type to tolerate a married woman who would bring crisis to the family. As intelligent as Ning Yan was, it was perfectly reasonable that she didn't choose to return to the Ning clan.

I know rationally, but I'm still emotionally distressed.

Especially when Shen Tang mentioned Ning Yan twice, his words implying that this daughter was very different from what he remembered, he knew that Ning Yan's relationship with the Ning family was strained. If she still had any regard for them, Shen Tang's actions, which had thrown the aristocratic family into chaos, would have ensured that the Ning family wouldn't be completely unaware of the truth. The current situation left him unsure how to face Ning Yan. Therefore, he was deeply troubled.

What's even more worrying is—

Ning Yan also disliked her brother.

If Ning Yan deliberately makes things difficult, the brother and sister will have plenty of room to argue.

Unfortunately, someone, oblivious to the situation, deliberately came over to cause trouble. This person was the head of a family with some kinship ties to the Ning family. He said sourly, "There are very few women in the world who can cultivate. I never expected that Brother Ning's family would produce one. Your niece's talent far surpasses that of her brother. Perhaps her sisters are also capable. For the sake of the family, Brother Ning, you must not hinder your daughter's future."

The Ning family head's face instantly fell.

He said dryly, "That's natural."

The clan heads had no objection to Shen Tang using resumes to select and recruit talent, because they knew this was only a temporary policy. Once the situation stabilized, a more favorable selection system would definitely be adopted. This time, there were no strict requirements, so they could submit applications from all the potential clan members to increase their chances of being selected. This way, they could more or less make up for their losses this time.

They also gave Shen Tang face.

They were willing to let the daughters of the clan try their luck.

A daughter capable of cultivation brings far more value than someone married off for political alliances. Clan members with both literary talent and martial prowess are the cornerstones that elevate the family. If they wish, the family can arrange for them to marry into a suitable family.

A foundation stone can only stay on its own foundation.

Shen Tang sat in the main seat, taking in the myriad expressions of the world around her, a confident smile playing on her lips—in this game, everyone was just a pawn! How they moved was entirely up to her!

Shen Tang is making great strides in his own territory.

Before long, news of her epic battle against the powerful families reached Wu Xian's ears, giving him a harsh lesson. His emotions rose and fell with the drama, sometimes worrying about Shen Tang, sometimes sweating for the powerful families, fearing that Shen Tang might be caught off guard and suffer a setback.

As this grand drama drew to a close, he returned to Tianhai: "Shen Youli... she really dares to do anything!"

Even if Wu Xian had this idea, he didn't have the courage to do it.

He prefers to achieve a win-win situation with established families rather than offend them.

|ω`)

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(End of this chapter)