Zhao Huan and others stayed in Langya County for a month. The newly appointed county magistrate was Li Haoran, who was appointed by Zhao Huan himself.
After everything was arranged, Zhao Huan and his entourage prepared to return to Bian Jing.
"Li Haoran, I hope that you can not only have the appearance of an official, but also the heart of an official. I appointed you as the magistrate of Langya County because I hope that you can govern the people well. The relief food from the court will arrive soon, and you must make sure that the people are settled." Zhao Huan instructed Li Haoran before leaving.
Li Haoran, a scholar from a successful juren family, immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured. I guarantee with my name that not a single citizen in Langya County will starve to death."
Zhao Huan nodded in satisfaction: "With your words, I feel relieved."
The people of Langya County knelt along the way, watching Zhao Huan and his companions leave. Considering the royal family's reputation, Zhao Huan changed into the dragon robe.
Wearing the dragon robe, he was in great glory all the way in Langya County, and the people rushed to catch a glimpse of the emperor.
After leaving Langya County, Zhao Huan immediately changed into casual clothes, and the few of them traveled along the way, sightseeing in the mountains and rivers, heading towards Bianjing.
"Cao Dongsheng, we've gained quite a bit from our trip out of the capital. I didn't know this before, but now I know there are so many corrupt officials in this world that we can't stop catching them."
Cao Dongsheng hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, in today's world, our Song Dynasty can be said to be unprecedented. There are bad apples everywhere. As long as Your Majesty is diligent in governing and caring for the people, these corrupt officials will sooner or later be exposed."
Zhao Huan smiled with satisfaction and said to Linghu Yunlong beside him: "Haha, Cao Dongsheng has made great progress recently. This flattery is so perfect that it has tricked me again. Okay, I will listen to you and be a wise ruler who works hard and cares for the people."
Nangong Lian'er snorted disdainfully, "Your Majesty, you said you wanted to be a wise ruler, but why don't you investigate that Haizhou governor, Han Tiexin?"
Linghu Yunlong was also a little puzzled. "Yes, Your Majesty, why don't you investigate Han Tiexin? Langya County experienced three years of severe drought, and even the corrupt official Dou Dachui reported it. Why was it suppressed in Haizhou? What kind of a fuss is Han Tiexin making?"
Zhao Huan frowned. "How could I not remember this Han Tiexin? As for what he was up to, I have no idea. But the palace examination is about to begin, so I'm going back to the capital to make preparations."
He was right. The provincial examinations had concluded, and students from all over the country had already gathered in the capital to qualify for the imperial palace examination.
The exam was huge, with tens of thousands of applicants.
Zhao Huan had announced to the world that the first category was open to candidates who had passed the provincial examinations and could come to Beijing to take the examination. The second category was open to candidates of all ages, genders, and status. As long as one had real talent and knowledge, even if one had no academic achievements, one could still take the examination.
As long as someone came to take the palace examination, the court would reimburse their round-trip travel expenses.
The purpose of Zhao Huan's move was to recruit talents. He wanted to gather all the elites in the world.
The imperial edict caused an uproar throughout the country, and countless students rushed to Bianjing to seek fame and fortune.
There is no restriction on academic status, which means that whether you are a student or a scholar, even if you have no academic achievements at all, as long as you can read, you can go to Beijing to take the exam.
It's easy to say that there's no age limit, as it's impossible for children aged eight or nine to pass the imperial examinations. Unless you're a child prodigy, and if you really are a child prodigy, as long as you have real talent and knowledge, the court will make an exception and admit you.
If you are an elder, as long as you can still crawl and reach Bianjing, you are also eligible to take the exam.
It was the last clause, which did not restrict the marriage to any gender, that the ministers strongly opposed. Even though Zhao Huan argued for it, in the end no one in the court agreed.
Among them, the regent ministers such as Li Gang reacted most strongly, saying that women should not participate in politics, otherwise it would be against ethics and natural laws.
The Privy Council rejected the edict outright, giving it no respect at all. Zhao Huan wanted to be caned in court, but this time the ministers were unprecedentedly united. If you want to open a women's department, we'll all be beaten to death.
Unfortunately, the last entry had no gender restrictions, so Zhao Huan had to delete it. He also finally realized that changing the male-dominated and female-inferiority phenomenon in the Song Dynasty would not be possible overnight.
Fortunately, there was still plenty of time, and there was no rush to reach the capital. The four of them headed north, and Zhao Huan spent money like water, feeling somewhat depressed. He had originally planned to have some romantic encounters outside the palace, but reality was completely different from his expectations. He didn't encounter a single beautiful woman.
In fact, he underestimated Nangong Lian'er too much. He had several opportunities to meet her on the road, but Nangong Lian'er secretly dismissed them all. This was all the Queen's idea.
…
When officials from Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, heard that it was a Song Dynasty fleet, they hurried to the shore to greet them.
The leading official of the Ministry of Administration was called Yamamoto Shiro. Yamamoto Shiro was dressed like Dongfang Bubai. He came on board and respectfully saluted Zhao Li.
Zhao Li nodded. You don't have to be nice to the Japanese. The more you speak coldly to them, the more respectful they will be to you.
Because Japan at that time admired Chinese culture and was proud to learn from the Han people.
Zhao Li pointed at the translator and said, "Ask him. We are running low on food and water. We need his help. We have porcelain on board that we can exchange."
The translator was also a bit of a novice. After all, Japan was so far away from him that they rarely had any contact with him. He had almost forgotten the Japanese words he had learned. Finally, after speaking and scribbling, Yamamoto Shiro finally understood what Zhao Li meant.
Yamamoto, as the Japanese governor-general, was the aide-de-camp in charge of foreign affairs. He was overjoyed to hear that there were porcelains on board.
Song Dynasty porcelain is a priceless treasure in these countries. Yamamoto Shiro hurriedly nodded in agreement, implying that there was plenty of food and fresh water. He still didn't understand the purpose of the Song Dynasty fleet's visit; he thought they were here for trade. How could he not be excited by the sheer volume of cargo these eighteen-ton ships must hold?
Shiro Yamamoto was a chatterbox, chattering non-stop, completely ignoring the mediocre translator.
Yamamoto Shiro said, "Dear envoys from the Great Song Dynasty, are all the porcelains you brought to Japan porcelain? Can I go to your cabin to see these porcelains? We Japanese love your Han Chinese porcelains the most, just as we love young girls. Our emperor has always wanted to visit the Great Song Dynasty, but due to the heavy workload and the dangers of the sea, he has never been able to do so."
Zhao Li listened to him chattering away like a duck and looked at the translator blankly: "What did he say?"
The translator wiped his sweat off his face and said, "He said he wanted to come to the ship to see our porcelain. He likes you, sir, and he wants to marry you. He also said that their emperor likes you more and wants to marry you even more."
Zhao Li was startled and took a step back involuntarily: "Fuck, these bastards are so perverted, and they still like this? Tell him that he can look at my stuff, but stay away from me!"
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