Raising chickens and pigs and digging for wild vegetables, the county magistrate's promotion wa

Chapter 268 If Old Zhu dares to cause trouble, what else wouldn't I dare to do?

I, this official, wish to bring glory to my country!

I want to personally prove that our ancestor's expedition to the Western Regions was definitely not for those few raisins!

But just thinking about Zhu Chongba's face made Magistrate Yang feel a little discouraged.

All that talk about winning glory for the country and personally attesting to it is fake, it's all fake!

Magistrate Yang shook his head slightly and said, "I have always been a man of integrity, so how could I possibly go to brothels or pleasure boats?"

After saying that, Magistrate Yang pointed directly to the farmers who were working hard to turn the soil with oxen, trying to change the subject: "Once they finish plowing this little bit of land, the whole year's farming will be over. Next, we need to repair the farm tools, feed the livestock properly, and let the oxen and horses rest."

Chen Zhong sighed slightly and said, "Magistrate Yang is right to say that. Let the oxen and horses rest for a while."

Magistrate Yang was somewhat bewildered by Chen Zhong's words, but Chen Zhong continued, "At least the cattle and horses can rest until spring, but what about these people? They still have to check their farm tools, repair the broken ones, and feed the cattle and horses properly. In addition, before the ground freezes completely, they also have to fire bricks and build houses. I'm afraid they can only rest for a few days during the New Year."

Seeing Magistrate Yang looking at him with a bewildered expression, Chen Zhong smiled self-deprecatingly and said, "Before I was sold into the palace when I was a child, I had seen how my parents farmed, so I know how hard farming is."

“A life like Ningyang County, where every household raises a large animal for farming, chickens and ducks, and is busy building houses, is a good life that I, as a servant, would never dare to dream of.”

At this point, Chen Zhong chuckled again and said, "Does Magistrate Yang know why I ended up in the palace?"

Magistrate Yang shook his head slightly and asked tentatively, "Could it be that some natural disaster has struck, resulting in a poor harvest?"

Chen Zhong nodded and said, "Yes, after the flood, the few acres of land we had yielded nothing. My brother starved to death, and my sister sold herself to a brothel, but only received five catties of millet in return."

“It just so happened that someone from the palace came to buy children, so I decided to sell myself. At least I could get ten catties of grain to give my father and mother a better chance to live.”

"Yes, that's the price Hu Yuan's palace offered: ten catties of grain for one child. They said that as long as the child can survive the first hurdle after entering the palace, he can live on and even send money home to help support the family."

Magistrate Yang remained silent, but Chen Zhong said in a chilling tone, "I survived this first ordeal. Whether it was being stabbed or being tied to a pillar and stretched to stand up, I survived it all."

"But I never expected that the palace would be such a cannibalistic place. A lowly eunuch without a rank is not even considered a person. Most of his monthly salary is deducted before it is even paid out. What he receives is then given to those with ranks as tribute. In the end, he can't even save half a string of cash."

"Don't talk about climbing up the social ladder—there are Han Chinese who can't make a living and go to the palace to become eunuchs, and there are Tartars who can't make a living and go to the palace to become eunuchs too, but Tartars are still a class higher than Han Chinese, even as eunuchs they are a class higher than Han Chinese."

At this point, Chen Zhong sighed again and said, "I couldn't survive outside the palace, and I still couldn't survive inside the palace, so naturally I thought about escaping. Later, the world fell into chaos, and the palace was not so strict anymore. I took advantage of an opportunity to leave the palace and escaped to Jiangnan, and later I came to be by the side of the Emperor."

Magistrate Yang gave a soft "hmm" and said, "It's all in the past. Things will only get better from now on."

Chen Zhong wiped his eyes and choked up as he said, "Yes, life will get better and better, but my parents didn't live to see that day. Later, when I ran home, I found out that the ten catties of grain I sold were stolen the very day my father brought them home. My father committed suicide in a fit of anger, and my mother followed him."

"Now, seeing the people of Ningyang County able to cultivate the land and raise chickens, pigs, and cattle, I feel extremely envious and distressed."

"Those plague-ridden Tartars!"

As Chen Zhong finished speaking, Magistrate Yang fell silent once again.

Can I make the people of Ningyang County richer, and can I make the people of the entire Ming Dynasty richer?

If he can change Ningyang County, how can he change the entire Ming Dynasty?

Just as Magistrate Yang was pondering this in his mind, the sound of galloping hooves came from not far away, and the yamen runners left behind at the county office rushed towards Magistrate Yang's location.

When they reached a short distance from Magistrate Yang, the yamen runner reined in his horse, dismounted, and rushed to Magistrate Yang's side, bowing and saying, "Your Excellency, an official document has arrived from the capital, requesting that you return to the yamen immediately to sign for it."

Magistrate Yang nodded and immediately led Chen Zhong and the others back to the county office.

To the utter surprise of Magistrate Yang, the messenger from the Office of Transmission was delivering an official document from the Secretariat, or rather, an imperial edict from the Zhu Emperor, concerning schools.

The Emperor issued an edict to the officials of the Secretariat, saying: "The education in schools has reached its worst point since the Yuan Dynasty, causing the teachings of the former kings on clothing, etiquette, and righteousness to be mixed with those of barbarians... existing in name only and in reality... I have always said that the key to governing a country is education... yet schools have not flourished throughout the land. It is imperative to order the establishment of schools in all prefectures and counties... This is the most urgent matter and should be implemented as soon as possible."

In simple terms: By the Yuan Dynasty, school education had become deeply entrenched in problems. Various non-Han customs had seeped into the culture of the Central Plains, rendering the school system largely ineffective. Furthermore, since the onset of war, the people had stopped learning and focused solely on fighting. This situation was unacceptable. I have always maintained that governing a country requires prioritizing education, and education must be based on schools. Although we have the Imperial Academy, other prefectures and counties lack schools. Therefore, each prefecture and county must establish schools and invite Confucian scholars to serve as teachers, enabling the people to read, gain wisdom, and understand etiquette. This matter is urgent, and no one is allowed to delay.

Following this official document were Emperor Zhu's requirements for establishing schools: Prefectural schools shall have one professor, four instructors, and forty students; state schools shall have one headmaster, three instructors, and thirty students; county schools shall have one instructor, two instructors, and twenty students. Each teacher and student shall receive six dou of rice per month, with fish and meat provided by the authorities. The monthly salary for school officials shall vary. Scholars shall specialize in one classic text, with instruction divided into subjects such as rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics, striving to cultivate practical skills.

In addition, the Ministry of Personnel issued official appointment notices to Wu Yanhu, Chen Mo, and Lü Peng.

Magistrate Yang examined the official document for a long time before suddenly bursting into laughter.

Since Zhu Chongba dares to cause trouble, what is there that I, as an official, wouldn't dare to do?

It's just about setting up a school; once it's up and running, that's it.