A random punch kills the master

The order that officials and gentry should serve as one and pay taxes as one was a shocking one. It was so strong that everyone was dizzy and dazed. They only focused on this one thing and forgot everything else. The emperor was seriously ill, which was a big deal, so big that many people forgot that this year was actually a year of great difficulty.

Shujia was about to ask about this matter when she suddenly received a memorial, which surprised her greatly. She was not used to reading memorials. She had glanced at them a few times before, but Yinreng had brought them to her by chance. He found them interesting and shared a laugh with Shujia.

Back then, she hadn't felt any burden reading the memorials. Even the most difficult matters had already been handled by others, and she had merely watched them, truly "watching." This time, however, she was the one making the decision, which was completely different from the previous time.

When the memorial arrived, Shujia was reviewing the Imperial Household Department's arrangements for this year's selection. Although the selections were similar, she couldn't take them lightly. This year, Shujia was also planning to arrange a marriage for Hongzao. With Yinreng gravely ill, although she didn't want to, she still prepared for the worst: if anything happened to Yinreng, she had to know who Hongzao's wife would be before he died. At the same time, she also began considering candidates for Wu Yunzhu's husband. She had never considered choosing a husband for her daughter so early.

After being stunned for a moment, Shujia finally realized that now she had to care about national affairs.

Even if the crown prince ascended the throne, the ministers would still have to weigh the weight of the new monarch, let alone a queen who had been living in the harem for a long time? This was Shujia's second reaction.

This matter must be handled beautifully, otherwise not only will you lose your footing, but you will also bring your son into disrepute. This kind of thing is common. Even in ordinary mansions, when a new housekeeper takes charge, there are many people who are sceptical about who you are. They report a matter and wait for you to handle it. If you handle it well, everyone will behave themselves. Otherwise, hey, hey, right? Sometimes there may be more than one such test. You must show your ability to suppress everyone so that they will stop playing tricks.

But what to do? Shujia put the big draft book aside and bit her finger while looking at the memorial. Yinreng is in this state now. If she continues to bother him with things, he will probably be exhausted to death. Hongdan is probably not good enough. She is a layman in the court and a novice in political affairs. Her experience in dealing with things is all about the inner house and the harem, and that is all she can learn from. For her, at least in this matter, it is too late to make up for the knowledge of the court. At this moment, the kings and court officials outside are waiting for her decision, right?

"It seems like there's a bit of trouble." Yunxiang touched his newly shaved head. He was sitting in the study of Prince Yong's mansion. Prince Yong sat upright behind his desk, with the character "川" (Chuan) printed between his eyebrows.

Prince Yong should have been busy with many things at this time, but he had to meet with his brother to exchange ideas. Unlike Yunxiang, his strengths lay in civil administration. If the new policies were abolished, his military prowess would be abolished, and he would be reduced to a mediocre king. On the other hand, his name would be recorded in history, not just in a biography with the date of his birth and death and the identity of his mother.

Prince Yong's face became even more serious, and he said in a deep voice, "We just need to do our duty."

Yunxiang smiled softly, "Fourth brother is right. There's a ritual going on outside to pray for the emperor. I also sent someone to secretly deliver two hundred silver coins to the temple as a token of my appreciation. Fourth brother, what about you?"

Prince Yong coughed. He was a great believer in Buddhism and said, "I will just recite one volume of sutra every day."

Yunxiang saw that his fourth brother could not come up with any solution, so he said goodbye, hoping that he would also be able to remain unchanged in the face of all changes.

After Yunxiang left, Prince Yong got up and started grinding the floor tiles. Feeling uneasy, he called his trusted advisor, Dai Duo.

"It still depends on whether the emperor can hold on. If he can be safe, that would be the best. Otherwise, it depends on whether the queen and the prince can handle it. Although the prince has grown up, he is still young. I am afraid that the young ruler will cause doubts in the country. The queen..." Dai Duo shook his head and lowered his voice, "After all, she is a woman. Your Highness should strengthen the prince's heart. The prince has made up his mind. Even if he lies dormant for a while, he will rise again. Besides," Dai Duo smiled sinisterly, "under the current situation, if the prince wants to be a decent emperor, he has to use you, and he has to...keep going!"

"Isn't the Fifteenth Brother going to be of great use?" Yunluo went to Yunsi's house again to sit around. His relationship with the other brothers was average; they all took different paths, so naturally, they didn't communicate much. Only Yunsi had a good relationship with him since childhood. Although they each had their own busy schedules, they were still much closer than they were with the others.

Yunsi was the type who enjoyed watching the jokes. He was an ambitious man who had been dealt a heavy blow. To this day, he couldn't turn the tables, but he didn't want to just be ordered around. At the same time, he wanted to take advantage of the chaos to expand his influence. "I don't care who gets the job, I just want to be free."

Yunluo despised his brother in his heart. He was so happy to have free time, but he met eight people in one day! But he heard Yunsi say, "Whether you want to get promoted or make money in the future, this is a good opportunity. You... figure it out yourself." After all, he didn't make it too clear. He was also a little unsure about which direction things would develop. It is true that the Queen and the Crown Prince have an absolute advantage in inheritance, but it is hard to say when it comes to the balance of power in the court, especially now that they have to fight against scholars. But the Queen has the Shi family behind her, and her sons are connected to several large families, so their attitude is also hard to predict.

Yunyu and Yunlu discussed the matter for a long time, trying to come up with a plan, but they had no concrete plan. Neither of them was very familiar with the new policy. Their conclusion was to have Shuhui visit her sister more often.

The Shi family had been bustling with activity these past few days, with countless people visiting to see if there was anything going on. Not to mention that the Empress hadn't summoned any of her family members to the palace to discuss matters, even if they had, the Shi family wouldn't reveal anything.

The whole court was shocked and puzzled.

Soon, their hesitation deepened. The memorial fell on deaf ears, and the Empress ignored it. However, Hongdan firmly stated that his father had collapsed from exhaustion due to the new policies, and this matter was not over yet!

The pressure originally borne by Yinreng instantly shifted to Hongdan. His mother was indeed a sensible woman. However, like his uncles and other ministers in a patriarchal society, he still had no hope for her political career. This was a mess, and relying on a woman was foolish. He summoned his fourth uncle and fourth brother, asking them to stabilize the situation, and personally met with Yarjiang'a, asking him to stabilize the royal family.

And reform must continue!

Hongdan faced a far worse situation than the one Qianlong faced in history. Yongzheng, a hardworking man, worked himself to death, but at least he left a relatively good situation. Yinreng only managed to temporarily pacify the Zunghars and reform the salt law. The land-based tax system had only been implemented for a few years, and the unified tax system had never been fully implemented. The arrears of the national and provincial treasuries had not yet been fully recovered. He also had a host of "uncles" and aristocratic families to respect, and the talents cultivated by his father were still lingering at the grassroots level.

Judging from the year and the situation, his situation is almost the same as when Yongzheng first ascended the throne. If he doesn't want to die, he must change.

The situation is stronger than the person. Under heavy pressure, Taiping Prince Hongdan grows instantly.

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Hongdan knew that forcing pressure on these waiting uncles was unwise, especially since so many scholars were involved, making it even more difficult. His solution was simple: the scholars were unreliable, right? Then I'll use the Bannermen. His idea was to rally the Bannermen group and forcefully enforce the policy.

This required the use of the mother's status, and the mother had to demonstrate her authority. The mother had an advantage in seniority, being the sister-in-law of the uncles and kings. This was an innate advantage. If the mother held on, she could make the uncles and kings hesitate, and her orders would be more seriously carried out.

Having made up his mind, Hongdan went to find Shujia.

The sick were attended to in shifts. Wu Yunzhu, Hong Xi, Hong Tong, and Hong Zao stayed in the east warm room, while Shu Jia went back to the west side hall to rest.

As soon as Hongdan entered the room, he rushed to Shujia, hugged his mother's thighs and started crying: "Mother, you must help me!"

Shujia was shocked: "What happened?"

Hongdan cried and said, "This is a matter of life and death. Mother must stand on my side!" He choked with sobs, but spoke clearly to analyze the interests at stake with Shujia, "This is related to my father's wish, and it is also for my son to not be controlled by others in the future. I must fight with my back against the wall!"

He had already read the memorial. There was no immediate solution, only forceful implementation. He elaborated on his plan to win over the Bannermen group: "Once we get this done, it's a done deal. Those who want to oppose it won't have much to say. Remember, wasn't the order to shave the head implemented back then?" he said, gritting his teeth. "They've forgotten what their ancestors looked like, yet they can't serve and pay taxes?"

Shujia was stunned. She was furious at the hair-shaving order, and even more furious at Hongdan's tone. But after hearing what he said, she didn't know who to direct her anger at. The common people were simple and easy to rule. They shaved their heads and changed their clothes, perhaps without giving it much thought. They had to pay taxes no matter who became emperor, right? These scholars, really... It reminded her of a few terms she'd forgotten: "public intellectuals," "50 cents," and "traitors."

She reached out and patted her son's head: "I know." After a pause, she couldn't help but look deeply at the top of her son's head. This kid is playing tricks on me.

Hongdan, confident that he had convinced his mother, felt more confident. The other kings and court officials remained on the sidelines.

What they didn't expect, or rather what was expected, was that the Queen really made a move. She ignored their memorials and issued another order. She felt that they should set up schools to mainly enroll the children of bannermen.

In the western warm room of the Qianqing Palace, a screen was erected, blocking the view from inside and outside. Shujia encouraged herself behind the screen, while the kings and ministers each had their own thoughts in front of the screen.

Is this a favor to be bestowed upon someone? Hong Dan frowned and thought, his idea was sound. He was trying to suppress them, while his mother was trying to show them favor and win them over. The voices of the bannermen were something that even the banner lords could not ignore.

The Eight Banners had official schools, but admission was restricted, preventing universal education. Shujia's move gave lower- and middle-class bannermen some hope. Furthermore, these were elementary schools, allowing for advancement.

"Anyone who does well in school, whether in the top ten or the top twenty, can be promoted to the Eight Banners Official School. Once you're there, you'll have your own teachers to teach you. It doesn't matter if you're herding one sheep or a flock of sheep. It's easy." Shujia smiled. Once you enter the Eight Banners Official School, your prospects are much better than those of an idle bannerman at home.

Damn it! The princes and ministers cursed inwardly, the two of them are so bad together! First, Yinreng threatened the bannermen who wrote the letter, and then Shujia used the bannermen to control the princes.

Regardless of whether the queen's random punch had any impact on the new policy, she was "seeking benefits for the bannermen." Whoever opposed her would be looked down upon by those bannermen who felt they might benefit from it.

But... there are still problems. Yun Si said: "The government school expenses have been spent, and the new elementary school——"

"A house costs only a few hundred taels of silver. If you add tables, chairs and benches, the cost will not exceed a thousand taels. If the Ministry of Revenue does not have this little money, we can use the inner treasury to pay for it." Shujia answered quickly.

She can also do the accounting! Come to think of it, when she was still in the East Palace, she was a housekeeper!

Prince Yong was forced to express his opinion: "This is a good thing. Even if the Ministry of Revenue is short of money, we still have this little money. But... it's not easy to choose too many places at once. It's better to open one or two first. If they do well, we can open more. Uh, how about it?" At this moment, he really didn't know how to address the emperor's sister-in-law.

Yunzhi suddenly interrupted, "The money issue is easy to handle, but where's the master?"

Yes, what about the personnel?

This was the question she had been waiting for. Shujia said, "Aren't officials and gentry already serving as officials? What's the need for more people? Let them be tutors. They're teaching elementary school after all, and they're all men of high rank and honor, so I don't think they'll be too bad." Counting on her fingers, she said, "General service is only a few dozen days a year. Those with extra money can pay silver in lieu of service. It's been like this since the Tang Dynasty. It's the same today, from the common people to the officials. Just in the capital, there are always hundreds of scholars and juren in each prefecture and county. Each one can serve for a month, so the elementary schools don't need tutors, and there won't be a need for so many people sitting there doing nothing. Teaching and learning benefit each other, and it won't delay their further education. If you take a few days off a year to teach, and then refuse to do so, and just want to become an official, are you really serving the country and the people? Isn't it for the sake of power that you will be corrupt, deceitful, and deceitful to your superiors and subordinates?! Pah!"

Holy crap! Is this even possible? The kings were horrified. They had been waiting for him! Suddenly, his position became prestigious, and the court was in great honor. Now, if the scholars were still ungrateful, no one would believe anything they said against the emperor.

Prince Yong said: "This is too easy for them..."

Shujia said, "It's just making the best use of people. The servants in your house are all serving you, and Fourth Sister-in-law never asked your gardener to be a cook, right?"

Prince Yong blinked several times. Damn! He only thought about breaking the privileges of officials and gentry.

Yunzhi had just helped, but now he was hindering us: "Studying requires continuity. If you have this master today and that master tomorrow, I'm afraid you won't learn well."

Shujia also thought of this: "What's there to be afraid of? It's just elementary school, teaching people how to read and write. Just set the textbooks for them and tell them what to teach in the first lesson and what to teach in the second lesson. No matter which teacher comes, they won't make any mistakes. Don't forget, this is elementary school, they don't need to go too deep into the subject. There will be exams in the middle and end of the year. I don't want those who don't teach well to mislead the students." That's right, our queen received nine years of compulsory education and moved here directly.

The kings were very worried, and Yunxiang spoke at this time, and his tone was much softer: "But I don't know how many students we will accept at the beginning? And how many people are willing to come?" The above is based on the willingness of the bannermen to go to school, although the people in this palace also believe that the bannermen are happy to study without paying tuition.

Why do they think Qi Ding is willing to go to school?

"The state pays to support the bannermen. They don't do business or farm, so they don't have to worry about their livelihood. They don't need their children to work to supplement the family income, right? They don't have to spend extra money, and it doesn't hinder their livelihood." Shujia finally found a benefit that benefits both the country and the people by using taxpayers' money to support the bannermen!

"And those officials and gentry, they are all people with honors. If they have the honor of being a juren, what's wrong with just giving them a county teaching post? He teaches well, how can he not be admired by the people?"

Damn it! The kings and ministers cursed inwardly again, covering the donkey’s eyes and hanging a carrot in front of its nose!

Shujia still smiled and said, "Do you still need me, a woman, to take care of the following details?"

"..." You're so cruel! They all responded in unison: "I'm terrified."

What was the result? The kings and ministers wanted to curse again. The Queen was familiar with the school. This was nonsense. She had spent more than ten years in the school before traveling through time. Although she could not copy all the rules and regulations, she still knew the general rules and regulations.

She also made great efforts to let Hongdan come forward and arrange people to promote the new policy among the bannermen. She knew that her idea was not bad, but the success or failure of the policy was directly related to its implementation. The first thing was to make everyone understand the policy, see its benefits to them, and then support it.

Any new thing that emerges requires careful care, especially something like this... something like a parachute influx. Not only should students be carefully selected, but so should teachers. Those with achievements but no immediate prospect of filling vacancies should be chosen; they will be more dedicated. If they perform well, they can be promoted, thus creating a model effect.

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"I'm afraid it won't work," Yunsi said, holding up a small purple clay teapot. "How many bannermen are there? Are so many gentry needed? What should we do with those places where bannermen gather and there are no bannermen stationed there?"

"If they serve, it means they submit and have to pay taxes. With more national revenue, shouldn't compulsory education be promoted regardless of ethnicity? We have the teachers and the investment!" Shujia made a wishful calculation.

Well, she really thought too well!

The author has something to say:

It's so painful to hold it in, I don't know if this method is feasible...