Chapter 408: Avenue to Heaven
"Mr. Du, it's getting late. You should go back home and rest." Seeing that it was getting late, the Emperor of Ganlu Palace said to Prime Minister Du.
In the dead of winter, it was as warm as spring in Ganlu Palace. The emperor summoned his two ministers to work together.
Handling government affairs nearby was also out of consideration for Prime Minister Du's frail health, who could not bear to be exposed to the wind in the government hall.
There is a charcoal basin in the Government Affairs Hall, but it is not as warm as in the Ganlu Hall.
"It's okay, there are still a few memorials!" Du Xiang couldn't lie down at home.
Lying in bed feeling sick, I can only feel energetic when I am busy, as if I am tireless.
After eating the sour jujube cakes sent by the Su family during those days, he regained his appetite and was able to eat more. Despite his weak body, he forced himself to go to court.
He was as thin as a dead leaf in the wind, which made the emperor tremble with fear, fearing that he would fall down.
Du Xiang's eyes sparkled as he read the good news from all over the country, feeling deeply gratified about the good weather, peace and prosperity in the country and the people's well-being.
Fang Xiang looked up and didn't try to persuade him. He knew Du Xiang's personality. He wasn't talkative and once he made up his mind, nothing could change it.
Too much worry will wear you down.
"Haha!" Prime Minister Du laughed as he looked at the memorial.
The Emperor and Prime Minister Fang looked at Prime Minister Du in surprise. Prime Minister Du had never behaved improperly in front of the palace before. What did he see that was so funny?
Prime Minister Du chuckled as he finished reading it and handed it to His Majesty, "What a shame it's a girl!"
The emperor took Su Ying's memorial and reported to Wang Duanfang on how the matter was handled.
He reported the incident of the Fulong caravan, saying that he happened to pass by, but he didn't expect to be deceived and thrown into jail.
The caravan was forced to write letters home asking for ransom, and among the detained people was Fuwang, the supervisor of the Shaofu.
Su Ying was talking nonsense in a serious tone, and anyone with a discerning eye could tell it was a setup.
Could Fu Wang, who had traveled extensively, be so easily deceived? How could a poor county hold back the Shaofu Supervisor? Even with that level of ability, he wouldn't even be able to get a position as a manager!
One can imagine what a mess Rong County was in, which made Su Ying, who had nothing to do with it, unable to help but take action, and even the provincial government's troops were mobilized.
However, what Su Ying said made sense. Wang Duanfang not only harmed Rong County and its people, but also Wu County, Tong County, and the entire Wuzhou. He must be eliminated as soon as possible.
"Tsk! How mischievous! This woman is incredible!" The emperor looked at her with amusement, his eyes unconsciously revealing the doting that only a father could have.
The assets seized from the Wang family were cleared out, claimed by the victims and compensated, and the remaining money was used to purchase a large number of farm tools.
The land is sold to farmers at low prices, without interest, and in installments, and farmers are urged to plow the land in time. A large amount of arable land in Rong County is left barren and the situation is imminent.
All officials of the Lingnan Office of the Sinong Temple and all clerks of Rong County were mobilized to implement the responsibilities of their respective areas.
His Majesty had to admire that there were so few officials like him!
Even the clerks of a poor and low-ranking county could be mobilized, and farmers could buy farm tools in installments, and money, cloth, and grain could all be converted.
You can imagine how poor that county was!
Between the lines, the emperor saw a group of low-level officials overcoming difficulties and forging ahead just to change the impoverished situation in Lingnan.
Don't give up, don't sit, wait or rely on others, use all the resources around you and work hard to change the status quo.
They even gave up their own ways of making money to stimulate and drive the development of Rong County and provide the people of Rong County with food!
Be passionate but not naive. Know that giving things to farmers cannot be free. With appropriate pressure, farmers will cherish the opportunity.
The letter ends with a playful remark: the assets that should have been confiscated will be temporarily put on hold for one year and returned to the court in full after one year, but without interest!
"Naughty! This little bit of interest has bought a new life to Rong County and brought peace and prosperity to the people. It's worth a thousand times its worth! What a pity there's only one person like him in the world!"
The emperor's eyes were red with tears. If there were more officials like him who were bold and daring, wouldn't the Tang Dynasty be in trouble for governance?
In order to encourage officials, their salaries were adjusted and their children were allowed to study and travel in Huanggou Village.
As a father, who doesn’t want the younger generation in the family to be successful?
Su Ying really has this group of officials under her control. Many officials from other places are unable to influence the local gentry and officials, and in the end they can only go along with the crowd.
The more he looked at her, the more he admired her. He thought she was an official who had a keen eye for talent and had promoted her.
Then I saw that the memorial had been posted again, adding new content.
It is said that there are few scholars in Lingnan and it is poor and backward, while there are a large number of scholars in the Central Plains, especially those from poor families, who have never had a way to enter officialdom.
It is recommended to teach in Lingnan and become a teacher in county schools. After three years, you can get a letter of recommendation from the county government or the state government and go to Beijing to take the imperial examination.
Or they can take up low-ranking official positions or clerkships in Lingnan, and have their career records included in their official resumes, thus promoting the flow of talents from the Central Plains to Lingnan.
While stabilizing Lingnan, we can extend and strengthen the control and management of Jiaozhi, and stabilize the entire southern part of the Tang Dynasty.
The emperor held the memorial and fell into deep thought. The backwardness of Lingnan culture was obvious to all, but no one suggested how to change the strategy.
This was the first official who had seriously considered this matter since he ascended the throne, and she was a female official!
It has a long-term vision, a grand pattern and great strategic significance.
Currently, the imperial court is controlled by aristocratic families, and scholars from poor families have no chance to make a name for themselves.
This method was adopted to encourage scholars from poor families to start their careers in Lingnan and enter officialdom.
Ten or twenty years later, in these places where no one wants to go, the poor scholars will grow into talents through experience and become towering trees.
You can use it for your own benefit and compete with the aristocratic families.
The emperor handed the memorial to Prime Minister Fang, and had no intention of reading the appendix which contained the confiscated property, liquidation and remaining assets of Wang Duanfang's family.
Walking back and forth in the hall, this suggestion really touched his heart and made him excited just thinking about it.
There are many aristocratic families gathered in the court, which creates huge resistance and many government orders cannot be implemented. Why not make arrangements in Lingnan?
Since Lingnan has been designated as a special grain administration area, why not move all the government orders that cannot be implemented to Lingnan?
Dayuling Mountain will be passable in spring, and traveling between the north and the south is no longer difficult.
Encourage scholars from poor families to move south, take root in Lingnan, strengthen control over Jiaozhi, and perhaps extend the tentacles further south?
"What do you two think?" the emperor asked the two ministers.
After reading it, Fang Xiang was also moved. If he had not entered the officialdom twenty years ago, he would really be willing to give it a try.
This provides a road to success for scholars from poor families. I believe that once this decree is issued, most of the poor families will go south.
"Your Majesty, this is a very good suggestion, but..." Prime Minister Fang pondered.
"Just what?" asked the emperor.
"It's good, but I'm afraid that someone will take advantage of loopholes and use them to obtain qualifications for scientific examinations without doing any real work!" Prime Minister Fang worried.
"Which law doesn't have loopholes? Can you plug them all? Among a hundred people, there will definitely be one or two who find loopholes, but many more poor scholars will find a way out!
"Can we cut off the path of the humble scholar just because one or two people exploited a loophole?" Du Xiang asked slowly.
"Lingnan is a wild, remote, and swampy place. To live there for three years just to qualify for the imperial examination requires perseverance and persistence. Such a person must be an extraordinary person."
Prime Minister Du’s attitude was very clear. He believed that one should not lose sight of the big picture for the sake of small gains or throw the baby out with the bathwater. He very much agreed with the issuance of this decree.
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