212: Chapter 213 Establishing Official Schools Without Wasting Manpower or Money

The Empire was newly established, reforming the old and ushering in the new; everything was progressing toward prosperity.

The land of Huaxia looked as if it had been washed by a fresh rain, appearing completely revitalized.

Inside the Palace of Heavenly Purity.

Sunlight streamed through the massive window frames, illuminating the gold-brick floor, which was polished so brightly it could reflect a person's image.

The palace was filled with a faint fragrance of sandalwood and ink.

Lu Chen sat upright at the desk behind the Dragon Throne, with a mountain-like pile of memorials stacked before him.

He scanned through every memorial with a single glance.

Immediately after, he would lift his brush to review and comment, his movements fluid and without the slightest hesitation.

Yin Susu, dressed in palace attire, entered silently, carrying a cup of freshly brewed hot tea in her hands.

She gently placed the teacup by Lu Chen's hand.

“Husband, take a rest.”

Lu Chen set down his brush, rubbed his wrists, picked up the teacup, and blew on the rising steam.

“There's too much to do; I can't rest.”

Yin Susu walked behind him and reached out to massage his shoulders.

“No matter how urgent it is, you must take care of your body.”

Lu Chen picked up a draft of a newly prepared decree and handed it to Yin Susu.

“Take a look at this.”

Yin Susu took it and began to read carefully.

As she read further, her brow furrowed tighter.

The content of the decree concerned the basic national policy of the new Great Ming Dynasty.

“Prioritize agriculture... suppress commerce?” Yin Susu read out softly.

“It seems the same, but in reality, it is different.”

He stood up and walked to the massive territorial map.

“The Former Yuan Dynasty also prioritized agriculture, but they only knew how to collect taxes and did not understand management.”

“As for commerce, they let it run wild, leading to wealthy merchants and powerful tycoons whose riches rivaled the state, even to the point of manipulating prices and splitting profits with the Imperial Court.”

His finger pointed at several mineral deposit markings on the map.

“Great Ming must prioritize agriculture, but even more so, it must prioritize the ‘Real’.”

“Agriculture is the foundation of the people; only by letting them farm and produce grain can the world be stable.”

“Corn, sweet potatoes, and potatoes—these high-yield crops must be promoted as quickly as possible so the people can fill their bellies first.”

“As for the ‘Real’...”

He turned around, his gaze sharp.

“Salt, iron, copper, and silk—these fundamentals concerning the national economy and people's livelihood must never be held in private hands.”

“They must be state-run!”

Yin Susu looked thoughtful.

“State-run? How so?”

“Establish specialized bureaus and departments. Everything from mining and iron smelting to silk weaving, transportation, and sales will be managed uniformly by the Imperial Court.”

Lu Chen's tone was resolute.

“The produced materials will be used partly for military and national needs, and partly distributed to the people at lower prices based on need, quantity, and household registration.”

“This is called the ‘Rationing System’.”

Yin Susu was exceptionally intelligent and immediately understood the key point.

“In this way, the Imperial Court can not only control the most important strategic materials but also prevent merchants from hoarding for profit and inflating prices. Furthermore, it can obtain a massive and stable source of wealth to replenish the national treasury?”

Lu Chen nodded in approval.

“That is exactly the intention.”

“Merchants can exist. But if they want to make a fortune by monopolizing salt, iron, or silk? They're dreaming.”

A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he looked at the young eunuch beside him.

“Pass down the decree: order the Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of Works, and Ministry of War to work with the Palace Censorate to immediately draft detailed regulations to take over the world's salt fields, iron mines, copper mines, and silk workshops.”

“For the original merchants and foremen in various places, those willing to cooperate will be employed according to their talents to serve the government and receive a salary. As for those unwilling... I do not care if history records me as a tyrant!”

He didn't finish, but the meaning was clear.

Yin Susu took a slight breath.

These methods were nothing short of thunderous.

It was equivalent to striking down all the great merchants and powerful landlords in the world with a single blow.

“Then... what about those goods already in circulation? And those who are hoarding for profit...”

Lu Chen sneered.

“Perfect. With the new dynasty established, we must kill a few chickens to warn the monkeys.”

He walked to the desk, picked up another order, and without even looking, directly stamped it with the Jade Seal representing supreme power.

The vermilion ink left a clear mark on the bright yellow silk.

“Pass the decree to the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Ministry of Justice, and the Court of Judicial Review.”

“Starting today, strictly investigate those who hoard for profit and inflate prices across the land.”

“Once verified, all their assets shall be confiscated by the state!”

“The primary culprits shall be executed!”

“Accomplices shall be exiled three thousand miles, with no possibility of pardon even during general amnesties!”

“Informants shall be rewarded!”

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chilling Killing Intent.

“I want everyone in the world to know who calls the shots in Great Ming!”

A eunuch standing in the corner of the hall bowed to receive the order, took the decree, and quickly retreated.

Soon, one imperial decree after another, stamped with the Jade Seal, seemed to grow wings as they were carried by fast horses through the postal relay system, racing toward all corners of Great Ming's newly settled territories.

What Lu Chen wanted to do now was use the prestige of the founding of the dynasty to thoroughly offend the wealthy gentry and clans of the world—those things who cared for their families but not their country, and whose mouths were full of benevolence and morality.

For a moment, the Palace of Heavenly Purity was silent.

How was this the atmosphere of a new dynasty? This was clearly an attempt to turn the world upside down!

Those prestigious families with centuries of Legacy and those wealthy merchants with riches rivaling nations were like lambs to the slaughter before these few decrees.

She walked gently to Lu Chen's side, her voice carrying a trace of imperceptible worry.

“Husband, these thunderous methods can certainly solve temporary problems, but... will they be too intense? Those gentry and merchants are deeply entrenched; if they unite...”

Lu Chen turned around, his face expressionless, but his eyes were like frozen ice.

“Unite? I am waiting for them to unite.”

The corner of his mouth curled into a cold, sharp arc.

“A bunch of financial oligarchs who only know how to fight internally and care only for their own land and shops—my blade has been waiting for them.”

“If this world allows oligarchs to exist, then my Great Ming state capital shall be the only oligarch!”

He walked to the desk, picked up the draft regarding the ‘Rationing System’, and casually tossed it onto the table.

“Blocking their path to riches through salt, iron, and silk, and cutting off their thoughts of hoarding for profit—this is only the first step.”

Yin Susu's brows furrowed slightly: “And the second step?”

Lu Chen's gaze swept over the palace attendants standing by; his voice was not loud, but it was incredibly clear.

“The economy must be grasped, but the mind must be grasped even more.”

“I want every child in this world to have books to read!”

Yin Susu was stunned, clearly unable to keep up with his train of thought.

From harsh economic control, jumping to... children reading?

“Reading?”

“Yes, reading!” Lu Chen's tone was resolute.

“In Beijing, build the Imperial Academy!”

“In every province, build Universities!”

“In every prefecture, build High Schools!”

“In every county, build Middle Schools!”

“In every township, build Primary Schools!”

He said it all in one breath, his speaking speed very fast, carrying an unquestionable majesty.

“All schools shall be state-run! The Imperial Court provides the money, and the Imperial Court sends the teachers!”

“Husband... this... how much money and grain will this cost? The world is so large, there are more than tens of millions of children. And teachers—where will we find so many qualified teachers?”

Lu Chen waved his hand, completely indifferent.

“Money? I've confiscated so much from wealthy merchants and wiped out so many semu people; can I not even come up with this much money?”

“Allocate two hundred billion first! Add more if it's not enough!”

This amount of money was enough to launch several more wars of national extinction!

Now, it was actually going to be entirely invested in... building schools?

“As for teachers,” Lu Chen paused, a hint of calculation flashing in his eyes,

“In the Early Stage, we can recruit from original academies and private schools. Those willing to serve the Imperial Court will be given official status and a salary. As for those unwilling, I will not force them.”

“In the long run, the Imperial Academy and provincial Universities must train our own teachers as quickly as possible! Send them to various places in batches!”

“As for the textbooks... I will write them personally!”

“The books they read will be the books I want them to read!”

“Ideology is very critical.”

Yin Susu looked at the sharp light flickering in his eyes and suddenly understood.

Economic strikes, and culturally... a total uprooting!

“Someone, come!” Lu Chen called out loudly.

An attendant who had been standing with lowered hands in the corner of the hall hurried forward, bowing to await orders.

“Pass my decree!”

Lu Chen's voice was steady, every word clear.

“In addition to the Six Ministries, establish the ‘Ministry of Education’ to take overall charge of national educational affairs! For now, Yang Xiao of the Grand Secretariat shall concurrently manage the ministry's affairs and immediately draft the regulations!”

The attendant hurriedly complied, his forehead slightly sweating. Establishing a new ministry—this was a major event!

“Pass another decree to the Ministry of Revenue and Ministry of Works!”

Lu Chen continued, his tone brook no argument.

“Immediately allocate two hundred billion specifically for national school construction! The Ministry of Works shall handle uniform planning and supervision!”

“Remember!” He emphasized his tone, his gaze becoming incredibly sharp.

“All projects must have three-party supervision!”

“The Ministry of Works is responsible for construction; all blueprints, materials, and schedules must be reported to the Ministry of Education and the Grand Secretariat!”

“The Censorate shall dispatch censors for full-process supervision, strictly investigating financial transactions. At the slightest discrepancy, impeach immediately!”

“The Embroidered Uniform Guard shall establish a specialized inspection team to conduct random checks on project progress, material quality, and artisan treatment across all regions at any time without notice! If corruption, dereliction of duty, embezzlement, or corner-cutting is discovered...”

He paused, his voice suddenly turning cold.

“What I want to build is a foundation for a thousand generations, not some tofu-dreg project!”

“Whoever dares to reach out and grab money from the schools, I will chop off their hand!”