The chrysanthemums in the yard outside the imperial study looked even more golden in the winter rain, bringing a touch of bright color to this bleak winter.
A heater was lit in the imperial study, not because Fu Xiaoguan was afraid of the cold, but because a small-scale cabinet meeting was to be held in the imperial study today, and Zhuo and his party would attend.
Their bodies couldn't stand the coldness of Chang'an City. I heard from Concubine Xue that Nangong Yiyu's old back pain had recurred these days.
Nangong Yiyu and Zhuo's group both suggested to him that they return to Guanyun City next spring, to which he had no choice but to agree. He also realized that he should wait until summer to invite Yan Beixi and Qin Bingzhong. In this gloomy weather, the two old men might feel uncomfortable.
But Yan Beixi, Qin Bingzhong, and his father-in-law Dong Kangping and his wife have already boarded the train and will arrive at Chang'an Station tomorrow morning... There is no air conditioning or heater on this train, but there are quilts. I hope they don't get frozen.
With this in mind, he instructed Liu Jin, "Prepare enough charcoal fire in the Yiyang Palace, and prepare one or two extra quilts for the beds... Also, open a small kitchen in the Yiyang Palace and send a few imperial chefs who are skilled in cooking Jiangnan cuisine."
Liu Jin bowed in response, made a pot of tea for Fu Xiaoguan, and then left.
A moment later, Zhuo Yixing, Nangong Yiyu and Meng Changping arrived at the imperial study holding umbrellas.
"This weather...how should I put it? Actually, it's not as cold as Guanyun City, but I feel like the cold here is bone-chilling. Don't look at this light rain; I really can't get through it without a heater!"
Zhuo said this as he and his party entered the imperial study. Fu Xiaoguan laughed and said, "Come and warm yourself by the fire. This is called cold and gloomy. It's mainly due to the geographical environment."
"Guanyun City is very close to the Yangtze River and not far from the sea, so there's wind there. But Chang'an City still hasn't been connected to the Grand Canal, and it's surrounded by mountains, so wind can't get in. This causes cold air to condense here, but it's not cold enough to condense into snow, which is why this climate exists..."
"Zhao Hou, go tell the kitchen to make a few bowls of ginger soup. It helps keep the cold away."
Three cabinet aides sat opposite Fu Xiaoguan, and he then took out three documents and handed them to them respectively.
"This is the rural revitalization plan drafted by the Ministry of Chancellery. I've invited you here today to review it and offer some opinions and suggestions. This plan must be finalized before the New Year and implemented as soon as the new year begins... This is a major policy that affects the 60 million impoverished people in Daxia, so we can't be careless!"
Talking about business, the three former prime ministers now held the document and began to read it carefully.
In fact, they had already seen this document. The Secretariat drafted this plan two days ago and held a cabinet meeting, where the plan was discussed for a full day.
The plan they have now was revised after that discussion, so it should be complete in theory. However, since His Majesty attaches so much importance to it, they have to review the plan again.
Not long after, Yan Xiwen, Qin Mowen and Ning Yuchun also walked in. They bowed to the three old ministers and sat to one side.
Fu Xiaoguan poured tea for everyone. The place was still quiet, with only the occasional sound of turning pages and, of course, the sound of rain outside the imperial study.
Half an hour later, Zhuo Yihang put down the plan in his hand and said, "As for all the details, they are actually all covered here. The only issue I am worried about is execution."
"This involves seven provinces, sixteen states, and forty-three counties. Without exception, these counties are extremely remote. A full forty of them still don't have access to cement roads... I imagine those roads would be difficult to build."
"Of course, man can conquer nature. Since Your Majesty is devoting so much effort to revitalize these places, you must invest enormous manpower, material resources, and financial resources while ensuring effective supervision."
"I believe this matter needs to be jointly supervised by the Censorate and the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion. Furthermore... the task of poverty alleviation should be delegated to the governors of each province, who should be ordered to complete the poverty alleviation tasks under their respective autonomous regions."
Fu Xiaoguan nodded in agreement. "Mr. Zhuo's words perfectly agree with me. We don't have to worry about manpower, material resources, or financial resources. Yesterday, I checked with the Minister of Revenue, Yun Xiyan, and the gold shipped back from the Leah Continent has already reached a massive 160,000 tons. The Ministry of Revenue's calculations for the rural revitalization plan this time... include road construction, even mountain roads must be built, as well as bridge construction, water conservancy projects, and population relocation. The Ministry of Revenue's preliminary estimate puts the cost at 1.36 billion taels of silver."
"This is a huge sum of money, and it will definitely breed some corrupt officials. The supervision of the Censorate and the Heavenly Secret Pavilion will be carried out in secret. This time I want to kill some people... Anyone who dares to raise a hand will be beheaded!"
Fu Xiaoguan said it lightly, but the six people in the imperial study felt a murderous aura.
The young emperor is becoming more and more patient. For example, he actually kept the report on the corruption case in Ganling County, Chongzhou, Yueshanbei Road. The deep meaning behind it is difficult to understand. Perhaps he wanted to see if Yan Xibai could discover the situation under his rule.
Ganling County is also one of the counties included in the rural revitalization plan. If Yan Xibai had not discovered the corruption case in Ganling County, then the money invested in revitalizing Ganling County would probably fall into that dark hole again, and the living environment of the people would still be difficult to change.
Regarding this major national policy, the prime ministers of the new and old generations discussed it for another hour and finally decided on it.
This matter requires close cooperation among the six ministries, and also requires the implementation and completion of all the provinces, states, and counties involved.
"This isn't something that can be accomplished overnight. My hope is that by the end of the second five-year plan... there are still four years left, and we should use these four years to accomplish this."
"After this matter is resolved, we must continue to observe subsequent changes. Remember, if we want to revitalize the countryside, we must liberate the villagers' minds! So the aftermath of this matter will probably be a matter for one, two, or even three generations!"
"We absolutely cannot implement this policy simply for the sake of it. Our policy must continue. Even if we don't raise the slogan of a rural revitalization plan again four years from now, our officials must develop the responsibility of continuously tracking, observing, and educating the people."
"That's why I've repeatedly stressed that education is paramount to a country's prosperity, and the same applies to the rural revitalization plan. We can't just shout slogans; we must actually solve the problem of education for ordinary people's children!"
"So, after this plan is officially implemented next year, I will send several imperial envoys to conduct on-site inspections. I will also go out and take a look at what the people in those places are really living like. I will also see how our local officials are governing their counties."
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