"Can I...can I buy two pages?"
A student dressed simply, holding a hundred coins in his hand, looked at a clerk behind the counter with great embarrassment.
Seeing this, Cao Song walked over. He could tell that the student's family was not well-off, so Cao Song looked at the clerk and said:
"Two pages aren't enough! Get him ten pages!"
"promise!!"
Upon hearing Cao Song's instructions, the clerk quickly took out ten pages and handed them to the student.
"But I can't afford that many!" the student said softly, bowing his head.
Cao Song laughed and said, "His Majesty said that it is not easy for you poor students to pursue your studies, so you can buy on credit. You can come back and pay whenever you have the money!"
"Really...really??"
The impoverished students around him all looked at Cao Song with disbelief.
"The Grand Minister of Agriculture is right. That is indeed His Majesty's instruction. Under no circumstances should the students' studies be delayed. You only need to leave your name to purchase on credit here!"
Lu Qiang, who was standing nearby, also stepped forward and explained the situation to everyone.
"His Majesty has treated us so kindly... Once we have completed our studies, we will repay him with our lives."
Lu Qiang's words deeply moved the impoverished students present, and a sense of loyalty and camaraderie arose within them.
A wise and benevolent ruler who cares for them wholeheartedly is indeed worthy of their dying devotion.
As ink and paper were sold in large quantities, countless students were filled with gratitude towards the emperor, while Mo Shang, the creator of ink and paper, also received the admiration and respect of a group of scholars and students.
Liu Hong was very satisfied with the series of effects brought about by the ink and paper. Now he not only gained both fame and fortune, but also received the support of scholars and Confucian scholars.
These great scholars of Confucian classics and prominent Confucian scholars wielded immense influence, enough to affect a large portion of the educated population in the world.
After all, the allure of writing books and establishing doctrines, being remembered and praised by future generations, is simply too great. Anyone who dares to stop them or obstruct them will face their wrath.
Not only that, Liu Hong also invited members of the Kong family to the palace, inviting them to be responsible for compiling Confucius's teachings, and promising to publish Confucius's teachings into books for circulation throughout the world.
Liu Hong's move received strong support from the Kong family.
Furthermore, the Confucius family declared that the emperor had ordered all the great Confucian scholars in the land to write books in order to educate the people and spread the teachings of the Sage Confucius. Anyone who dared to obstruct this would be an enemy of the Confucius family and of all Confucian scholars in the land.
Inside the Deyang Palace, Liu Hong listened to Zhao Zhong's report on the situation outside and couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Liu Hong's original intention was to use them to spread knowledge through paper and printing, completely break the barrier of the aristocratic families' monopoly on knowledge, thereby weakening the influence of the aristocratic families to the greatest extent and paving the way for the future imperial examinations.
Liu Hong believed that if things continued to develop in this way, within five years, there would be no more obstacles to his implementation of the imperial examination system. At that time, the Han Dynasty would completely break free from the system of aristocratic families controlling the selection of officials, thereby eliminating the hidden dangers posed by these families.
On January 20th, several imperial edicts issued by the Ministry of Personnel once again attracted widespread attention.
The first order: Liu Hong issued another decree, instructing officials of various prefectures and counties to recommend individuals of excellent character and learning to the court to come to Luoyang for assessment.
Students who were not recommended can also come to Luoyang on their own to take the exam. The number of students to be admitted this time is 5,000.
The second order was given by Liu Hong to begin construction of the "Royal Opera House," the "Royal Paper Mill," the "Royal Printing Plant," and the "Royal Ironworks."
The third edict ordered local officials to begin constructing water conservancy projects and preparing for spring plowing. It also made it clear that the Sili Office, the Court of Justice, and the Censorate had sent people to various places to conduct both overt and covert investigations.
The fourth matter concerns the summoning of craftsmen, doctors, and agricultural workers from across the country to Beijing for assessment.
These imperial edicts immediately sparked heated discussions and became a topic of conversation among the people.
Soon, the Luoyang area became lively. After Yuan Feng led the students of the Engineering Academy to select the sites for three factories in the north of Luoyang, he began to recruit a large number of people and laborers to carry out the construction.
Because the recruitment offered good benefits, including food and lodging, and a daily wage of twenty coins, many unemployed people rushed to sign up.
In just a few days, tens of thousands of people signed up to participate in the construction of the opera house and three factories.
This not only accelerated the construction process but also increased people's income, achieving two goals at once.
For a time, the entire Luoyang area was bustling with activity, with countless people leaving their homes early to work on construction sites in the city center and north of the city.
In the evening, they would happily take their wages and buy some treats or other things for their children or wives to take home, thus further stimulating the prosperity of commerce in Luoyang.
Liu Hong was fully informed of all the changes that had taken place in Luoyang, although these developments were not yet very noticeable and were not enough to revitalize the local economy.
However, Liu Hong believed that this was just the beginning. If things continued like this, perhaps in a few years, the economy of the Han Dynasty would experience a qualitative leap, and the lives of the people would get better and better.
Liu Hong then summoned Cao Song and Lü Qiang to the palace again and instructed them to sell the refined salt, imperial wine, and vegetables.
So, just as people were busy, several more eye-catching shops appeared in Luoyang's market area.
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