Chapter 152 Reward
After the speech, there was thunderous applause from the audience.
Song Yuzhu looked at the ministers below. No matter whether they were sincere or pretending, his words were to make them understand that as long as they worked hard, the court would not forget their contributions. Conversely, the court would not use incompetent officials.
After the speech, it was time to confer rewards. Because there were many people to be rewarded, only some could be rewarded today, and the rest would be rewarded tomorrow. The Yuwenlang of the Ministry of Rites stood on the stage and called out the names.
The first person to receive the title was Hao Liangshan, the magistrate of Qinghe County, Shuzhou.
Shuzhou was hit by an earthquake, and Qinghe County was severely affected. Without any support, he personally organized the local people to save themselves, did not miss the best rescue time, and rescued many people from under the collapsed houses.
Such a brave, resourceful and people-oriented county magistrate is certainly worthy of commendation!
Hao Liangshan was standing at the back because of his low official position. When he heard his name suddenly called from the podium, he thought he had heard it wrong.
The person next to him said, "Liangshan, hurry up and claim your reward!"
Hao Liangshan finally reacted and walked to the platform with his hands and feet together under the gaze of the officials.
"Your Majesty, I am here to pay my respects to you!" Hao Liangshan knelt on the ground.
"Please stand up, my dear."
Song Yuzhu said, "I heard that you led the people to save themselves during the earthquake, and you also planted crops to ensure that the people would not go hungry in the fall."
"This is what I should do."
"Yes, but many officials cannot do this. You deserve my reward!"
A eunuch came over with reward silver and a plaque. Hao Liangshan took the silver and the plaque with trembling hands and was so excited that he couldn't speak.
"Go ahead and do your best!"
"I obey your command!" Amid the envious gazes of the ministers, Hao Liangshan walked down the platform. With the emperor's favor, his future was immeasurable, and as long as he didn't make any mistakes, he would be promoted soon.
The second person to be rewarded was Xiao Qingchi, who had made great contributions to locust control in Xizhou.
Last year he went to Xizhou to control the locust plague. In order to eradicate the locust plague, he stayed in Xizhou for more than half a year and only returned in June this year.
In winter, he led the local people to dig out locusts from the ground, dry them in the sun and freeze them to death, and then boiled water with wood ash and poured it on the locusts. This year, there were indeed fewer locusts in Xizhou, and no more disasters occurred.
Xiao Qingchi went up to the high platform and said in a clear voice: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you!"
Song Yuzhu looked him up and down and said, "Get up quickly, Qingchi, you're tanned."
The wind in Xizhou was so strong that it blew the originally fair and handsome scholar into a dark old man.
Xiao Qingchi scratched his head, revealing a mouthful of white teeth. In the past two months since he came back, he has been saying this to everyone he meets.
"It's good to be dark now. I look more energetic. I'll come back and work hard!"
"Yes, sir!" After thanking for the reward, Xiao Qingchi walked down the stairs briskly.
It is only natural that the first two officials were rewarded. After all, Zhao Qingchi's locust control and Hao Liangshan's rescue of people were seen by everyone.
When the Deputy Minister of Rites called out the name of the third county magistrate, everyone looked puzzled.
"Zhang Wangmin, the magistrate of Jinyuan County, Luzhou."
Who is this county magistrate? No one has ever heard of him. What did he do?
Zhang Wangmin was stunned. After a while, he heard another shout from above and then he walked towards the balcony tremblingly.
He is already fifty-nine years old this year. His hair is gray and his body is no longer straight. He has to stop and rest for a while after climbing each step.
The eunuch wanted to urge him to go faster, but Song Yuzhu stopped him: "Don't be in a hurry, let the old man walk slowly."
Finally, he reached the high platform and kowtowed: "Your humble servant Zhang Wangmin pays homage to the emperor. Long live the emperor..."
He was not a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the imperial examination), but a juren (a successful candidate in the previous dynasty) who was sent to fill a vacancy in Jinyuan County, Luzhou, where he served as county magistrate for 26 years before being promoted to county magistrate.
I have never seen the emperor's face in my life. Today is my first time to see him. I am shaking with excitement.
Song Yuzhu helped him stand up with both hands: "My dear, please stand up."
Zhang Wangmin stood up and looked up at the emperor. He felt that the emperor in front of him was so handsome, like an immortal in a painting, and people dared not look directly at him.
He still didn't know why he was rewarded, but the Deputy Director of the Ministry of Rites next to him solved his confusion.
"During his tenure, County Magistrate Zhang has been diligent in his work, cared for the people, and made contributions to encouraging learning. I hereby reward you!"
That’s right, the reason Zhang Wangmin was awarded the title was for one thing - encouraging learning.
Since Song Yuzhu promoted free education across the country, there are not many areas where it can be truly implemented except around Shangjing. Jinyuan County is an exception.
Zhang Wangmin grew up in a poor family, and he knew very well that the only way for poor people to succeed and change their status was to study.
In the past, ordinary people simply could not afford to go to school, but now the imperial court encourages children to read and learn to read, and even funds the establishment of free schools. Such good conditions certainly cannot be wasted!
In order to get all the children to go to school, Zhang Wangmin went door to door to persuade them. Thanks to his unremitting efforts, there were as many as 1,800 students in Jinyuan County!
Some of these children took exams to come to Beijing University, some worked in the local education industry, and some worked in state-owned factories. In the near future, some of them would definitely become officials in the court.
If learning changed the fate of these children, then Zhang Wangmin was the opportunity. Without his tireless encouragement to study, these children would never have such an opportunity in their lives.
They may be busy in the fields like their parents, going out early and returning late, and finally have children and continue to work for the next generation.
After listening to the explanation of the Minister of Rites, the officials below fell into deep thought. The emperor attached great importance to reading, and the far-sighted officials had already planned in their minds to run the school well when they returned.
Zhang Wangmin burst into tears when he received the reward. He didn't expect that the emperor knew everything he had done and he understood his good intentions!
The eunuch helped him down from the platform, and he returned to his original position under everyone's gaze. His originally hunched body now looked particularly upright.
The next person to be awarded the title was similar to Zhang Wangmin, also for encouraging learning.
The difference is that he not only encouraged male students to study, but also encouraged female students to go to school. He was also the first county magistrate to employ a woman as a chief clerk. This person was He Ning, the magistrate of Hengcheng County in Huizhou.
He Ning was a Jinshi in the third year of Changzhi. He was only 26 years old this year and was handsome and suave.
When his name was called, he was stunned for a moment, then a smile appeared on his face and he walked quickly towards the podium.
Just now he was still wondering whether he could be rewarded for his long efforts in encouraging learning, but he didn't expect that his name would be called the next moment.
Hengcheng is a small county. The local people do not attach importance to studying, and the idea of favoring boys over girls is very serious. Most people only allow boys to go to school and keep girls at home to work.
After He Ning was appointed as the county magistrate, he began to talk to the local people, telling them the benefits of education for women, and he also set up many jobs that women could do in the county.
At first, the common people, out of respect for the government, sent their school-age children to schools to study for a few days to get by. During this period, there were indeed children who did not want to study.
But there were also girls who loved reading. One of them was a little girl named Hui Niang who particularly loved reading. She was quick-witted and could understand things better than the boys in the class. Even the teacher praised her talent for reading.
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Chen Hui Niang was born in an ordinary peasant family. There were four children in the family, and she was the third child, with two older brothers and a younger sister.
Children from farming families have to grow up early, and girls of her age almost take care of all the chores at home.
In order to study, Hui Niang got up before dawn every day to feed the chickens and cook, and went home early in the afternoon to do laundry and tidy up the vegetable garden.
In this way, the hardworking Hui Niang studied in the school for two years, but unfortunately the good times did not last long. Most local girls would get married at the age of fourteen, and Hui Niang would be fourteen after the New Year.
Her family arranged a marriage for her with a wealthy man from the same village who was expecting a grandchild. So her mother kept her at home and did not allow her to go to school anymore.
Hui Niang would never agree to that. She had seen in books: "The Yellow River flows far away among the white clouds, and there is an isolated city and thousands of feet of mountains." How could she raise children in such a small piece of land?
But as a weak woman, she had no ability to resist the control of her family. If she left home, she couldn't even afford to eat, let alone go to school.
She begged her parents to let her go to school, but unfortunately they did not agree. Just when she was completely desperate, Magistrate He arrived.
He visited the school every month and learned that the smartest girl in the school had not come to school for many days, so he hurried to her home.
Hui Niang's mother said, "My Lord, County Magistrate, I know you are doing this for Hui Niang's own good, but our Hui Niang is already of marriageable age. If we delay too long and the other party cancels the engagement, who will marry her?"
Hui Niang ran out and said, "Mom, I don't want to get married! If no one wants me, I will start my own family!"
"What nonsense are you talking about, girl!"
He Ning said: "Sister-in-law, please don't scold her. Your Hui Niang is really capable of starting her own business!"
He Ning told them about Hui Niang's academic performance: "With her current ability, it shouldn't be a problem for her to be admitted to Shangjing University. The emperor has allowed women to enroll, and he will definitely allow women to enter the government in the future. Hui Niang may even be able to become a female official!"
When Hui Niang's parents heard this, they were also troubled. They used to think that it was useless for girls to study, but now the times have changed and girls can actually become officials.
Seeing the hesitation on their faces, He Ning asked, "Do you two have anything to hide?"
Hui Niang's father said, "Sir, I will tell you the truth. We have received a betrothal gift of ten strings of cash, and now the money is almost gone. She has no choice but to marry."
The money was not spent on other things. It was all used to buy dowry for Hui Niang. There is no parent who does not hope that their children can live a good life. If the marriage does not take place, the money must be returned. Where did they borrow so much money from?
He Ning smiled when he heard this and said, "I don't think it's a big deal. I'll help her make up for whatever you need. You can pay me back when Hui Niang has made some progress."
Hui Niang's nose felt sore and her eyes instantly turned red. She choked up and said, "Don't worry, sir. I will study hard and return the money to you as soon as possible!"
Later, Hui Niang lived up to everyone's expectations and successfully passed the entrance examination to Beijing Normal University. She even met the emperor on the registration day.
He Ning didn't know how the emperor knew everything he had done, and he was very curious.
The young man was a bit outgoing and couldn't help asking after receiving the award.
"Your Majesty, I have a question. Should I ask it?"
"But it doesn't hurt to ask."
"How do you know that I have been promoting learning in the county over the years?" Huizhou is thousands of miles away from the capital, and even the local prefect does not know about these things.
Song Yuzhu smiled and said, "Just do good things and don't worry about the future. I will not let you down."
He Ning's heart was shocked, he bowed his head and kowtowed, saying: "I understand!"
(End of this chapter)
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