Chapter 91 Change

May of the eighth year of Yongsheng.

Su Qing first used the summer and autumn harvest seasons in various places to audit the accounts of each region.

It also gave prisoners the opportunity to redeem themselves through meritorious service; if problems with the accounts could be found, their punishment could be reduced.

At the same time, Yan Zhengzhou was also dispatched to first clear out the bandits in the capital area.

Then, let General Lian take charge of the inventory of supplies for the garrison troops in various places.

Everyone says the new dynasty has new policies.

Although it is not a new dynasty now, many people in the court have tacitly accepted the relationship between Su Qing and Prince Zheng, and even more so, they have tacitly accepted that Su Qing will be the future empress who will take power.

Therefore, when she issued orders in the Hall of Diligent Governance, everyone obeyed.

In addition, Wen Rui, Wang He, Fei Kaiyu of Gaoqing Prefecture, and Cui Gangjie of Guangle Prefecture were appointed as imperial commissioners.

He was responsible for inspecting various provinces, firstly to investigate land annexation, and secondly to expose corrupt officials.

The numerous difficulties encountered during that period need not be described.

But when they arrived at the destination, they were assisted by the local garrison.

If the garrison also fails to obey orders, then Yan Zhengzhou will lead troops to suppress them, and the 160,000 garrison troops of Guangyue Prefecture will be dispersed to various places.

These were all Su Qing's confidants. Most of the soldiers came from Guangyue Prefecture, so they naturally only obeyed Su Qing's orders. Even Yan Zhengzhou had to be ranked lower.

It has both loyal and righteous civil officials and devoted generals.

These imperial envoys were virtually invincible.

Besides, who in the world doesn't know Su Qing's reputation?

Since she's decided to do this, there's no going back.

In any case, all the local tyrants and gentry in the world are as if they have lost their parents.

Why all this fighting and strife? It's all because Su Qing is rising to power.

Why can't it be someone else?

If Prince Zheng ascends the throne, shouldn't he be in power?

But what does it mean that he's constantly fighting wars outside?

In any case, the situation in the capital has stabilized.

The emperor's sudden death had no impact whatsoever.

Outside, however, a bloody storm was brewing.

One place after another was cleaned up, and the interests of officials in the capital were also involved in the process.

Su Qing cooperated with the local authorities, not giving them a chance to resist.

In many places, bloodshed was rampant.

Especially the places that Lord Wen Ruiwen has been to.

Some people say that his style is similar to that of the legendary Daze Army. According to him, "It wouldn't be wrong to behead these aristocratic gentry one by one."

After he said that, there were quite a few people who wanted to kill him.

Su Qing could only send more men to him, again from Guang Le Fu, to barely save his life.

Then, the civil officials who were colluding with the emperor were raided overnight, and they were finally brought under control.

This purge, which could be described as a massacre, continued until September of that year.

Numerous hidden farmlands were investigated, and countless corrupt officials were arrested.

This is completely different from Su Qing's "mild" demeanor in the capital.

But to everyone's surprise, Hidden Field and some of the local gentry were dealt with.

The amount of taxes collected this year has increased significantly.

The amount increased by 4.2 million taels from 3.1 million taels last year.

Although the number is still not large, people's livelihoods in various places are gradually recovering.

In addition, Wenrui, who was "unscrupulous," was still cracking down on corrupt officials, and even found nearly eight million taels of embezzled money in the homes of corrupt officials in various places.

Su Qing was not surprised by this number.

Shunchang Kingdom is so vast, with so much land.

Logically, both farmers and national tax revenue should be able to sustain themselves.

Since the people are poor, the national treasury is also poor.

So who got rich?

It wasn't just the corrupt officials and local gentry families in the middle.

They are the parasites of the nation.

When the embezzled funds were sent to the capital, the entire court assembly erupted in uproar.

Su Qing had no intention of using the money to continue repairing the late emperor's tomb, as the Empress Dowager had instructed, nor did he plan to build a palace.

Disaster relief grain was distributed to several disaster-stricken areas this year, and rations and pay were also distributed to the garrison troops that had been reorganized in various places.

Seeing this, the Ministry of Works wisely avoided mentioning palaces and tombs, and smoothly promoted officials skilled in water conservancy.

A country this big cannot be without talent, nor can it fail to discover talent.

The reason they weren't promoted before was simply because they weren't needed.

Until the end of the eighth year of Yongsheng, apart from the necessary dike construction, there were no other matters that burdened the people.

What the imperial court could do was to punish officials as much as possible, restrain local tyrants and gentry, and strictly investigate land annexation.

If we return the land to the people, everything will be alright.

However, some people are anxious.

It refers to the Maritime Trade Offices along the coast.

The officials of Haiwanzhou, in particular, guarded the completed steamship and refused to move it.

Lord Su did send a document instructing them to conduct more experiments and identify any drawbacks.

She frankly stated, "The previous construction was too rushed, and its safety cannot yet be proven. We will conduct experiments in near-shore waters first."

This experiment will be completed by the end of the year.

Su Qing reviewed the navigation data from April to December and only allowed the construction of new ships to continue after confirming that it was correct.

There were indeed many problems along the way. If it weren't for the fact that it was relatively close to the coast and there were passing ships to help, I'm afraid everyone on the ship would have lost their lives.

It wasn't until the last two months that the malfunctions and problems started to decrease.

If all goes well, it should be officially operational next year.

Haiwanzhou is definitely the first one.

Other officials in the Maritime Trade Office will also be replaced early next year.

At the same time, soldiers will be dispatched to quell the bandits.

Even the wealthy merchants in the Quanzhou area calmed down. The newly appointed Quanzhou prefect, Cui Gangjie, not only reorganized the local military but also urged these wealthy merchants to compensate the deceased Ding family servants.

The local maritime trade officer was no good.

These wealthy merchants, who lure poor children to the front lines and then bully orphans and widows, are no good either.

A series of sweeping reforms were carried out.

Shunchang's domestic troubles have finally eased a little.

The rest will need to be dealt with gradually.

But for the imperial court, it was a little different.

The late emperor passed away at the end of April.

It has been almost eight months now.

A country cannot be without a ruler for even a day.

Wait a minute, now it seems like it doesn't really matter whether it's there or not.

Anyway, Shunchang Kingdom is operating normally.

The court officials discussed it, and the Empress Dowager in the inner palace also found it strange.

In the Empress Dowager's view

The youngest son's ascension to the throne is a foregone conclusion.

We didn't mention it before, just taking it as his respect for his elder brother.

But they never mentioned what happened.

Furthermore, it's not right to let Su Qing remain in power.

It's good that Yan Zhengzhou came back.

He's always out fighting wars; he doesn't act like an emperor at all.

When Su Qing was summoned by the Empress Dowager, she felt that the Empress Dowager had just recovered from her illness and already had a new idea.

But Su Qing's words silenced the Empress Dowager.

"Your Majesty, the girls' examinations will begin in various regions next year. As the Empress Dowager, you should set an example for all women in the country. Why don't you become the chief examiner for these girls' examinations?"

The children's examinations were held in their respective localities.

The so-called chief examiner is, of course, only in name.

She should write the imperial edict, issue government decrees, and ideally also write an article to encourage female candidates.

To be the first chief examiner for all the female candidates in the world.

After listening to Su Qing finish speaking.

With Gu Congsi and Guo Gaojie also offering their persuasion, the Empress Dowager was unsurprisingly swayed.

Although the late emperor's death caused the empress dowager's health to deteriorate, her desire to hold power remained unchanged.

How could she disagree with such a respectable opportunity that also allowed her to participate in the imperial examinations?

The Empress Dowager's face lit up with joy: "That's good, but it's the first time we've done this, so it's inevitable that we'll be a bit rusty."

"With Your Majesty's abilities, it certainly won't be wrong."

"The Imperial Academy and the Ministry of Rites will also be at your command."

The Empress Dowager was very satisfied.

They didn't mention Yan Zhengzhou's matter anymore.

Taking this opportunity, Su Qing brought up another matter.

This year is the provincial examination, and next year will be the metropolitan examination. She wants to change the questions for the metropolitan examination.

It emphasizes both policy and law, and adds physics, mathematics and agriculture as alternatives.

The exam questions for next year's civil service exam will be either of these two.

Policy arguments are easy to discuss.

Severe laws?

The Minister of Justice was the first to express his doubts.

Su Qing said directly, "Reclaim the law."

It must be said that every dynasty had laws, and by the time of Shunchang Kingdom, they had been largely perfected.

But whether it can be strictly implemented is a question.

Su Qing meant that he valued and improved the law.

She naturally has more faith in the rule of law than in rule by man.

People are recuperating and resting.

The imperial court improved the laws and regulations to standardize imperial power.

I don't know to what extent I can achieve it.

But she will do her best.

The final optional subjects—physics, mathematics, and agriculture—were more like bonus questions.

Do what you can do, and let go of what you can't.

But will they reuse the candidates who performed well?

Of course I can.

The highest level of the imperial examinations, the metropolitan examination, included questions like these.

It's basically a weather vane.

Tell all the students in the world.

Stop reading only the Four Books and Five Classics; it's time to rediscover the wisdom of the Hundred Schools of Thought.

In particular, the subjects included in the exam questions are all extremely important.

Their Shunchang Kingdom not only needs writers, but also engineers, scientists, and agronomists.

Su Qing always believed that the vast Shunchang Kingdom must have such talented people.

Since it was no longer tested in the imperial examinations, it naturally became a hidden field of study.

These esoteric practices are also a hidden danger.

Su Qing also had heated arguments with the court officials over promoting these reforms.

In his spare time, he also had to deal with requests from the harem.

The Liu family, who had already been sentenced to exile, wanted to see their daughter again.

The main reason was that Mrs. Liu wanted to see her daughter.

And the family of that scholar who had cuckolded the late emperor also wanted to see their only grandson.

Isn't this memorial a bit presumptuous?

However, they were also aware of Su Qing's personality.

They actually let the Liu couple go to the palace with the scholar's parents.

Neither of the two couples looked happy when they met.

Because the latter also participated in the coup, he too was to be exiled.

Why force a resignation?

Naturally, his only son was killed by the late emperor, so he thought of fighting to the death.

Unexpectedly, no one went for the kill; they simply exiled them.

Not only that, Liu's daughter, and the child she had conceived through an affair, were also spared.

This was a great comfort to both of them.

Especially the latter.

"Let's go, Consort Liu has changed her residence."

I heard they moved to a quiet, secluded place.

They had already prepared themselves for the scenario of their daughter and grandchildren going hungry.

But when we arrived, all we saw was a small, square courtyard with three rooms and a kitchen.

Consort Liu and her two maids who came with her dowry were both present.

The three people were dressed rather simply, but their complexions were still acceptable.

There was a charcoal fire in the room, and the seven-month-old baby looked rosy and cute, and his clothes weren't too bad.

After that ordeal, Consort Liu became much more composed, and she was wearing a string of Buddhist prayer beads on her wrist.

“After the child is weaned, I will eat vegetarian food every day,” said Consort Liu. “I will pray for Consort Zhong’s unborn child.”

The emperor died, and the Liu family was imprisoned.

Consort Liu only learned about these things half a month later.

Even so, she almost suffered a postpartum hemorrhage due to weakness, and it was Consort Qin who found an imperial physician to carefully treat her.

After learning that his family was safe, Liu Guicai regained some strength and began to take good care of his child.

She breathed a sigh of relief when news of her family's exile arrived.

It was supposed to be a matter of certain death, so being alive is a blessing.

As for myself and my child, we are certain to die.

As everyone knows, Su Qing and Consort Qin simply moved them to a small courtyard, and they were not lacking in food or clothing.

As her child grew older, Liu Guiren felt increasingly apprehensive.

The cuter the child, the more guilty she felt about the child that Consort Zhong had miscarried, and she often dreamed of that child who should also be very cute.

Having gone through life and death, and having such a lovely child, it's hard for a person not to change.

Lady Liu was heartbroken for her daughter and cried uncontrollably: "Although Consort Zhong is a palace concubine, she has no children. Like the other concubines in the harem, she has already been taken back by her family."

At this point, Madam Liu paused for a moment: "She will marry her cousin."

Liu Guiren let out a sound of surprise.

The cousin she was having an affair with?

He was also the cousin who reported their entire family.

Everyone felt a mix of emotions.

The scholar's parents carefully picked up their grandson, but unfortunately, they had nothing left to leave him, not even a single valuable item.

It's hard to say whether we'll have a chance to meet again in the future.

Fortunately, as long as Su Qing is in power, there is still hope.

Driven by this hope, they will strive to achieve great things even in exile.

Consort Liu thought for a moment, then took out paper and pen: "Let me write a letter. When the child grows up and can read, I will show it to him."

Gold and silver are not important; what matters is letting the child know that he not only has his mother, but also something to look forward to.

The two families, who were originally very wealthy, each left a letter.

Perhaps one day they will meet again.

As Consort Liu watched their retreating figures, she clenched her prayer beads tightly, and the image of the baby flashed before her eyes again.

She would spend the rest of her life praying for that child in the deep palace.

The former Consort Zhong, now Miss Zhong, no longer cares much about these things.

It's certainly sad to lose a child, but she and her cousin can have another one.

The Zhong family is about to have a happy occasion.

But Mei Niang's happy occasion was far off.

Upon receiving the letter from her younger brother Su Cheng, Su Qing instinctively stood up.

Su Cheng is twelve years old this year and has already come to understand some principles.

He was unsure whether he should tell anyone about this.

But seeing that Wang Xuezheng and Mei Niang were avoiding him, he couldn't help but get anxious.

The Wang Xuezheng mentioned here is Wang Yiming, the educational administrator of Guangyue Prefecture, who is about the same age as Mei Niang.

The two met in Nanjiang County and developed feelings for each other.

It's been about two or three years.

Although Su Qing lived far away, she always knew that they got along well.

She and her brother also thought that Wang Xuezheng was a good-looking man, upright, and had some of the qualities of their late father.

Therefore, the attitude is encouraging.

By the beginning of this year, Mei Niang and Wang Xuezheng were seeing each other frequently, and they were just one step away from proposing marriage.

But everyone knows what happened this year.

Su Qing rose from an official in the Ministry of Rites to his current position as the head of the Diligent Governance Hall, overseeing all civil and military officials.

Wang Xuezheng was a little confused.

Mei Niang was also dumbfounded.

They didn't want to drag Su Qing down or let her mother's remarriage become a weapon to attack her.

Both were heartbroken, yet they understood each other perfectly.

Especially Mei Niang, who was caught between her future husband and her daughter's future.

If she had to choose a thousand or ten thousand times, she would still choose her daughter.

Is there even a need to consider this?

On the contrary, Su Cheng saw it clearly.

Does his sister care about these things?!

Does his sister care?!

Therefore, Su Cheng wrote this letter, saying, "Sister, Wang Xuezheng has returned to Beijing to report on his duties."

The meaning is self-evident.

Wang Xuezheng's three-year term in Guangyuefu has expired.

This time, the performance review will definitely be conducted in a different location.

Su Qing's vision went black.

Given the transportation conditions in ancient times, the two of them would have had even less of a chance after moving to a different location.

When Wang Xuezheng was summoned, he saw that another table had been set up in the Qin Zheng Hall.

The table at the head of the table was abandoned, and the newly set desk was for Lord Su.

The two were a little embarrassed when they met, as it was the first time Su Qing had ever dealt with something like this.

It was the eunuch Qi who spoke first: "We're all family here, so let's get straight to the point."

After finishing speaking, the eunuch Qi thoughtfully went out to keep watch.

Grandpa Liang, who was planning to retire this year, will have to wait.

Inside the Hall of Diligent Governance.

Two smart people don't really need to say much.

Su Qing said directly, "If you're worried about me, there's no need. There are far more difficult accusations out there, so one more won't make a difference."

"As long as my mother is happy, I have no objection."

Wang Xuezheng was embarrassed, and Su Qing continued, "If it's because of your reputation, then I have nothing to say."

In the previous situation, both companies were a suitable match.

Su Qing was able to rise to the top in one step, and now that he's getting married, people will say that Wang Xuezheng is currying favor with the powerful.

Wang Xuezheng sighed.

He was indeed worried about that, but he asked, "Is it for the sake of reputation that Lord Su and Prince Zheng are not going to ascend the throne?"

He asked directly, but without malice.

This is also a question that most people have.

It has been eight months since the late emperor passed away.

Neither of them showed any intention of ascending to the throne.

Even though the throne was right in front of him, he preferred to leave it vacant rather than ascend it.

Was it because he declined the offer three times?

If that's the case, then that's enough.

Regardless of what the court officials thought or how much the local gentry hated them, the common people and officials alike knew that they were great loyal and honest officials.

The more this was the case, the less Wang Xuezheng and Mei Niang wanted to tarnish their reputation and integrity.

Unexpectedly, Su Qing couldn't help but laugh, shaking her head as she laughed: "How could that be?"

"How could I possibly give up power for the sake of fame?"

As she spoke, Su Qing looked at the abandoned location and said, "If I were to take up this position, I would be doing myself a disservice."

I feel sorry for the environment I grew up in in my previous life, and I also feel sorry for my maternal grandmother.

Even though I've been in this world for eight years.

But she will not forget her upbringing, nor will she forget the differences between the old and new eras.

"I'm not doing this for fame, I just don't want to keep getting stuck in this cycle."

Wang Xuezheng did not understand what she meant.

But he knew that refusing the power and status that everyone yearned for was an extremely rare and true virtue.

It's more like what's written in the poem: "What my heart desires, I will not regret even if I die nine times."

Su Qing shook her head when she heard him use words from the Li Sao to praise herself.

No, no, that's not true.

Su Qing said, "Don't worry, your marriage won't affect me; on the contrary, it will encourage many people."

"You Confucian ideas about restricting women should be changed."

Wang Xuezheng blushed, but luckily he was a handsome middle-aged man, otherwise he would have just looked ridiculous.

Wang Xuezheng thought for a moment and said, "Then can I take a position in Tongmin Prefecture? Your mother is also planning to go back to her hometown to visit her parents and in-laws."

"Your mother will definitely be happy if we get married there."

Okay, okay, some people who seem to be leaving have actually already decided where to hold their wedding.

Su Qing nodded: "That's easy, the Tongmin Prefecture should have a suitable position."

Officials are changing all over the country.

The capable rise, the mediocre fall.

Given Wang Xuezheng's performance in Guangyue Prefecture, he should have been transferred to the capital this year; going to Tongmin Prefecture is just a lateral transfer.

Mei Niang followed Su Xi, along with Su San's mother and son. Aunt Zhu and the others had indeed wanted to return to Tongmin Prefecture for a long time.

Even if you don't miss your homeland, you still miss your family.

It wasn't safe before, and she was even held hostage, causing trouble for Su Qingtian.

Now that everything has stabilized, they can return to their hometowns to visit relatives.

After seeing off Wang Xuezheng, who would become his future stepfather.

After seeing off the retired Eunuch Liang, who had reached a certain age and owned a residence in the capital, he was able to retire with dignity.

He just couldn't help but wonder how Su Qing ended up in the highest position.

Fortunately, it was her; otherwise, life wouldn't be so easy for everyone.

After everyone left, Su Qing thought for a moment and wrote a letter to Yan Zhengzhou.

Come back, stop fighting bandits.

It's like I'm preventing you from going home, is that reasonable?

At least go home for the Chinese New Year, and we can continue playing after that!