Princess's Residence —
Reception room.
The specially made large round table was full of people.
Cough cough, isn't that obvious?
After the maid served the tea, she respectfully withdrew.
Eight simply dressed township heads sat down in front of their name tags, staring at each other—no, all of them were literate.
Of course, most of them are literate.
For example, Wu Yongfa, the township head opposite him was illiterate, and the name on the nameplate was Li Daniu.
Since he was a new face, the other township heads, although they had heard that a township head had suddenly died of illness, had not yet met a new one, so no one struck up a conversation with the stranger.
As for why we are gathered here today, it is because the princess has ordered that the village chiefs must come to the princess's residence every month to report on the affairs of their villages.
Just as everyone was feeling uneasy, an announcement came: the Princess Consort had arrived.
"This humble subject greets Your Highness."
All eight township heads stood up and bowed to greet them.
"No need for formalities, please be seated. I know you are all busy with many things on a daily basis. I have gathered you here today to discuss three matters..."
After Jiang Yue arrived, she sat down in the main seat, and Aunt Ge naturally served her tea.
After she finished speaking, the township heads all sat down, waiting for her to continue.
"The first thing is to invite everyone to come up with a catchy name for their respective villages so that they can be distinguished in the future and to unite the villagers in their villages."
"The second thing is that you have probably heard about the passing of the former head of the Eighth Township. Today, I would like to introduce the new head of the township, Wu Yongfa."
"The third thing is that now that the eight villages have removed the obstacles, it is time to reinvest in construction. I will establish a reward mechanism for the top village. Any village that ranks first in various aspects each quarter will be directly rewarded with two hundred taels of silver and a fat pig weighing over three hundred catties as a reward!"
"If I were a princess, what aspects would be considered in the quarterly evaluations?"
"Yes, Princess, could you please elaborate? I'll write it down and announce it when I get back."
"Princess, how long will the third matter last?"
......
See, money moves people's hearts, and interests drive people.
A township head who doesn't want to be number one isn't a good township head!
There is no second or third place, only first!
After heated discussion, the eight townships were renamed in their original order as follows:
Kapok Township, Rice Flower Township, Birch Tree Township, Brick and Tile Township, Autumn Moon Township, Rice Wine Township, Starlight Township, Hope Township.
Almost all of them are named after the local specialties or unique features of the area; for the few that don't have those, they just give them nicer names.
The Last Hope Village was initiated by Wu Yong. Since there was a Hope Primary School in Wujia Village, he named the village he took over "Hope Village" as well!
Hmm~
It's a bit cringey, but since Uncle Yongfa likes it, let's just leave it at that.
Regarding the selection mechanism, Jiang Yue only gave a general outline, leaving the rest for the township heads to consider in terms of its reasonableness.
In short, there is no absolute fairness, but there will be relative fairness!
After winning over the heads of the eight townships, we treated them to a feast at a restaurant.
Let them get to know each other, especially by introducing them to Uncle Yongfa.
Jiang Yue did not show up, leaving the situation to them to take the lead.
As long as there's no war, let them build whatever they want.
In fact, the heads of seven of these eight townships, who were previously under the jurisdiction of the prefect, were frustrated and lived in constant fear that the taxes would be increased again one day!
Now, although the princess is a woman, she has a deep understanding of the people and their suffering.
They were exempted from taxes for three years, and their development was vigorously supported.
As they drank, everyone got drunk.
Crying, sobbing, laughter, and other shrill sounds filled my ears.
Wu Yongfa was unusually sober, and then he pretended to be drunk.
Tsk tsk, what a pity he didn't become a spy~
But I still want to be the township head, to be respected by others, and to fulfill my ambitions.
Glug glug~
It's great to be able to drink good wine openly and honestly!
......
The students in the three groups were also busy, traveling around Yunshui County in groups.
Someone found a model that had been made before at the dock, enlarged several times, which brought convenience to people.
Some people noticed the inconveniences people faced in their daily lives, and through long-term observation, inquiry, and visits, they discovered new ways to make things easier...
What does it mean to apply what you've learned?
It means putting what you've learned into practice in real life, applying it, and improving it to make it more convenient for people to use!
Summer vacation may seem like a long time, but they are like sponges, constantly absorbing water.
In the experiment, water was continuously squeezed out, and then new water was absorbed.
As summer vacation drew to a close, the three groups submitted their respective summer assignments.
"When the youth are strong, the nation is strong." Jiang Yue once saw this slogan by chance, and now she feels its profound impact.
She planted the seeds of science in this era, allowing them to flourish and grow freely despite the imperfections in her teaching. Now, those seeds have blossomed and borne fruit, giving back to this era...
"You are ready to graduate. Now I want to ask you whether you want to go home and find a job freely, following your family's wishes, or whether you would like to stay in Yunshui County and become craftsmen?"
"Outstanding students will be awarded an excellent graduation certificate and a reward of one hundred taels of silver upon graduation."
"Once you become a craftsman, you must not leave Yunshui County for three years, and your monthly salary will start at five taels of silver."
Jiang Yue gave the students a chance to consider their options; as the principal, she was fulfilling her promise.
As a princess, she needed to find qualified craftsmen to work with her to build Yunshui County.
In the end, all thirty students chose to become artisans!
The boy said, "Principal, I'm not cut out for the imperial examinations, but I've learned so much at school. I want to become a craftsman, earn money independently, not rely on my family, and create a better life for them!"
The girl said, "Principal, I don't want to get married, I don't want to have children at such a young age, and let my children repeat my life. I want to become a craftsman, a useful person, someone who won't be manipulated by others!"
Each student had their own reasons, but they all made the same choice: to become craftsmen and stay in their original groups.
Jiang Yue was deeply moved after hearing this.
With a wave of his hand, he gave everyone fifty taels of silver and told the students—
"Your graduation certificates will be distributed today. I will arrange for someone to hire bodyguards later, and they will be dispatched tomorrow to deliver messages to your families."
Write a letter to your parents as soon as possible, telling them your choice and decision. As for the fifty taels of silver, it is an advance on your wages. I will provide you with room and board so you can work without any worries.
"Of course, I don't care whether you send all the money home or keep some with you."
After hearing this, the students all shouted "Principal! Principal!"
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