In the seventh month of the second year of the Zhengtong era, the Zhengtong Emperor gave birth to a daughter, a Qian Yuan, named Yu Yuyu.
Legend has it that Yu the Great tamed the floods and divided the land into the nine provinces. Thus, the name Yuyu could also refer to the nine provinces of the realm.
Yu Jiuzhou had originally wanted the little one to take the surname Chi, but Chi Wan felt that it was not scarcity one feared, but inequality. If she was named Yu, all three sisters would have an equal opportunity. But if she was named Chi, she would be destined to have no claim to the throne. Furthermore, she had heard that having different surnames could cause problems in the relationships between sisters.
Chi Wan had never cared what surname her children took, and besides, it was Yu Jiuzhou who had gone through the hardship of childbirth. It was only natural for the child to be named Yu.
Whether for the sake of the bond between the three sisters, to prevent gossip from the court, or to ensure Yu Jiuzhou’s efforts were not in vain, giving the child the surname Yu was the best choice.
Still, Yu Jiuzhou said they could wait until the children were older and ask them if any of them wished to change their surname.
Chi Wan waved her hand dismissively. She didn’t care about such things; all that mattered was that their family could live together in happiness.
After all, the slightest matter concerning them would be endlessly magnified. In the eyes of others, to be surnamed Chi and not Yu was to be forever barred from the throne.
Even the strongest of relationships could hardly withstand such incitement, so even their names had to be carefully considered.
Judging by their names, all three sisters were destined for nobility. Interestingly, Yu Yuyu seemed to be born with double the good fortune.
Just before the little one was born, a torrential downpour raged outside. The moment she was born, the sun broke through, bright and beautiful.
It all happened in an instant, a magical occurrence.
This small incident alone wasn’t enough to convince Chi Wan that the little one was doubly lucky, but since her birth, good news had been pouring in.
The Gu master was captured, and Dongli Wu and Fu Qing’s child was found.
The voices opposing the reforms gradually quieted. With so many people dead, it served as a powerful deterrent to the rest.
The foundation of Great Zhou’s reforms was set, and there was no longer any resistance.
The military reforms were also successful. The garrison commands were no longer considered part of the army but were reclassified as city guards, primarily responsible for urban security and funded by local finances.
Furthermore, finance was established as a separate department. Although managed locally, higher-level financial authorities had the responsibility of providing operational guidance and supervision to their lower-level counterparts.
This matter fell under the purview of the Ministry of Revenue, which established a separate department for this purpose.
This was just one of many changes. In summary, the reforms specified official duties in greater detail, preventing all power from being concentrated in the hands of one person, and separated military, political, and financial administration.
Since the city guards were not part of the military, the central government established a new agency called the Security Division, primarily responsible for local security and criminal cases.
County and prefectural levels were led by local officials, while provincial levels were led by the central government.
Thus, the Security Division was placed under the Ministry of Justice. While this seemingly strengthened the Ministry of Justice, it effectively abolished the local military system.
In addition, aside from the capital, the northern border towns, coastal defenses, and other key border defense areas, each prefecture was to have three major battalions of one thousand soldiers each. These troops were for defending the nation and quelling rebellions. They were not under local administration but could cooperate with local authorities for short periods with just cause.
With each prefecture controlling three thousand soldiers, the state’s finances were greatly eased, and the problem of “phantom soldiers” on the payroll was effectively prevented.
Border garrisons were a different matter. Their numbers could not be reduced; they could only be increased. The number of troops was adjusted based on the needs of different regions, totaling six to seven hundred thousand soldiers.
Coastal areas required another four hundred thousand troops, and more importantly, they needed ships—warships.
These armies each had their own generals, all managed by the central government.
The central government’s military administration was handled by the Ministry of War and the Five Chief Military Commissions. The Ministry of War was responsible for selecting military officials, organization, logistics, and so on.
The Five Chief Military Commissions were responsible for the management and training of the troops. In short, they had the authority to command troops but not to deploy them.
The Ministry of War, on the other hand, had the authority to deploy troops but not to command them.
The two bodies checked and balanced each other. Coupled with the supervision of the Imperial City Division and the Embroidered-Robe Guard, the central government had a firm grip on the local armies.
Most importantly, Yu Jiuzhou appointed Chi Wan as the Grand Marshal of the World’s Armed Forces.
When Yu Jiuzhou gave an order to Chi Wan, Chi Wan could react immediately. The Five Chief Military Commissions and the Ministry of War only had the right to advise, not to object. Given their relationship, it was like the left hand carrying out the right hand’s command, giving them direct control over Great Zhou’s military power.
The capital garrison was expanded to three hundred thousand soldiers, under Chi Wan’s direct command.
All told, the Great Zhou army was reduced to about 1.7 or 1.8 million soldiers. While it couldn’t yet be proven that this was the best military system, Great Zhou’s finances were greatly relieved, and the number of available personnel increased.
Under the old system, the borders were not so heavily garrisoned. When trouble arose, the central government had to draw troops from local garrisons and the capital camps, leaving the capital vulnerable.
Now, the border regions had sufficient garrisons, and it was no issue for the capital garrison to dispatch two hundred thousand troops as reinforcements. The reduction of local armies effectively prevented them from occupying positions without doing any work, which had bred a host of idlers. When the central government was weak, these were the very people who would become the backbone of a rebellion to overthrow it.
Each prefecture had its own city guards. For matters the city guards couldn’t handle, the garrison troops would be called in. A force of three thousand was not too large, nor too small; it was sufficient to suppress small to medium-sized rebellions and to keep the local gentry and powerful families in check.
If a prefecture couldn’t handle a situation, it could coordinate with all the garrisons within the province, provided there was a reason satisfactory to the central government. If that still wasn’t enough, then the capital garrison would dispatch troops.
There was no need for too many soldiers in the interior. It was not only a waste but also increased the risk of mutiny.
The initial selection and reduction of troops had met with considerable resistance, but reforming the military system was easier than the political reforms, and it was completed in just over half a year.
Beyond these successes, good news came from all over the country. This summer, all regions were peaceful, with no large-scale natural disasters.
One had to remember that in the last few years of Emperor Shengyuan’s reign, large-scale natural and man-made disasters had occurred everywhere. The first year of Zhengtong was better, but the aftereffects lingered, and some areas still had problems in the spring. The summer rainy season was prone to flooding, but so far, the Embroidered-Robe Guard had not reported any disasters from any region, indicating a state of peace and harmony.
But this wasn’t the main reason Chi Wan felt the little one was blessed with good luck. It was because whenever she wanted to go out, even if it was raining in the morning, the sky would always be clear by the time she was ready to leave.
And when the summer sun was scorching, if the little one wanted to go out, a cloud would always drift by to block the intense rays.
Once or twice could be a coincidence, but when it happened so often, one could only say the little one truly had a lucky charm.
Chi Wan told Yu Jiuzhou about this with a look of amazement. “I’ve heard stories about people who win the lottery when they want to buy a house, and when they feel they’re running out of money, they just win again. It’s like the God of Wealth is chasing them to give them money.”
She knew someone who had won the lottery. The first time, they won a hundred thousand, and the second time, four million. As for her, the most she ever did was play scratch-off tickets. Five out of ten times she won nothing. Of the remaining five, four times she just broke even, and once she won an extra ten or twenty yuan.
Overall, she lost more than she won.
“Someone like Yuyu would probably do very well buying lottery tickets.”
Yu Yuyu’s nickname was Yuyu, a very cute name. This time, Chi Wan had chosen the nickname, so it was finally not something like “Peanut” or “Melon Seed.” Yuyu was fine.
Mainly, the name “Yuyu” sounded quite nice.
Yu Jiuzhou had heard Chi Wan talk about lotteries before, and she had considered whether it would be suitable to introduce gambling in Great Zhou. Of course, it wasn’t. When nobles gambled, it was because they had money and were just seeking excitement. When common people gambled, it could easily lead to financial ruin.
Of course, according to the lottery standards of Chi Wan’s world, it required a stable society where everyone was well-fed and had some disposable income. Great Zhou’s foundation was not yet strong enough.
Chi Wan decisively said that gambling was fine as long as it was to make money off the nobles; it couldn’t be promoted on a large scale.
Yu Jiuzhou agreed with this. She wasn’t the type to disregard everything for the sake of profit. Given Great Zhou’s current state, they could only focus on developing agriculture.
For Great Zhou’s economy to develop, agriculture had to be the foundation, with commerce as a supplement. Commerce could no longer be suppressed.
The main reason merchants were suppressed was that the great gentry clans engaged in business, but when they did business, it wasn’t called commerce. When actual merchants did business, it was considered the lowest of professions.
Commerce should not be prioritized, nor should it be suppressed, but it also couldn’t be allowed to surpass agriculture. It was a matter of degree, and a balance needed to be found slowly.
But speaking of Yuyu, Yu Jiuzhou thought of the other two little ones. “Chenchen and Guiyi will be three soon. At three, they should begin their education. Who do you think would be a good enlightenment teacher for them?”
In the modern era, children started their education in kindergarten. Those from wealthy families would also hire private tutors to teach them various subjects.
There was no question of Chenchen and Guiyi going to kindergarten, so their enlightenment teacher had to be chosen carefully.
Chi Wan thought for a moment. “What about Lu Zhen?”
With Lu Zhen’s integrity and talent, she was very suitable as an enlightenment teacher, and even as a long-term mentor.
Yu Jiuzhou nodded. “Lu Zhen is too upright. It wouldn’t be good if she taught them to be two little traditionalists.”
“Lu Zhen is upright, but not inflexible.”
Lu Zhen came from a gentry family. No gentry family supported a Kun Ze as emperor. After being targeted, even if they didn’t oppose it, they would certainly not support it. At a time like this, for someone from a gentry family to offer support was tantamount to betrayal.
Lu Zhen was from a gentry family. A few dynasties back, someone from a gentry family, even without an official post, was someone an official from a humble background wouldn’t dare to dine with at the same table.
And one must remember, a “humble background” meant a declining gentry family. What about an ordinary commoner?
It was only after the advent of the imperial examination system, and after repeated suppressions, that the gentry families lost so much of their power.
Although their power had diminished, during the Great Zhou dynasty, the gentry families were still a difficult problem.
For Lu Zhen to step forward and offer her support was not just because of what happened in Qingyuan County. She genuinely believed that Yu Jiuzhou could be a good emperor and govern Great Zhou well.
She was a person of pure intentions, suitable for enlightenment education.
Yu Jiuzhou was still worried. “The children are born into the imperial family. Being purely upright is not a good thing.”
The best path was to have principles but not lack strategy.
Chi Wan smiled. “Then we can just assign more teachers. At three, they begin their formal education. At six, they’ll learn riding, archery, and martial arts, as well as the zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, arithmetic, and so on. With many teachers, they won’t grow up following just one person’s way of thinking.”
“And I will be their head teacher.”
Yu Jiuzhou looked at her smiling face, her eyes filled with amusement. “Didn’t you say you didn’t want to teach little kids?”
“I will teach them what others can’t, and what others daren’t teach.”
For example, physics and chemistry, simpler arithmetic, the multiplication table, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
Yu Jiuzhou took Chi Wan’s ear and examined it for a moment. “I really want to know what you all learn in your world.”
Chi Wan’s smile widened. “If there’s a chance, I’ll take you on a good tour.”
It was just a joke. She had already transmigrated here; how could she possibly go back?
Yu Jiuzhou leaned back on the couch, playing with Chi Wan’s ear as if it were a toy.
What could Chi Wan do when her wife wanted to play? She could only indulge her.
In the tenth month of the second year of the Zhengtong era, Great Zhou began establishing local schools.
Chi Wan’s method of establishing schools in Yanbei was copied and pasted to other places. Once the first school was established, the second, third, and even the hundredth became much easier to set up.
If the political reforms were about seizing the interests of the gentry families, then education was about destroying their very foundation.
The reason gentry families could become gentry families was, in essence, due to their monopoly on knowledge. When knowledge was no longer a monopoly, the gentry families would naturally disintegrate.
Did they try to stop the establishment of schools? Of course, they did.
The imperial court was in an uproar, which was why Chi Wan had attended court today.
She and Yu Jiuzhou, a perfect duo, were determined to make these people understand that everyone had the right to an education.
Chi Wan watched with a cold eye as the officials came forward one by one. She exchanged a glance with Yu Jiuzhou. They really had their work cut out for them.
“The people can be made to follow, but not to understand. The sage’s teachings must be obeyed.”
“Past dynasties used officials as teachers and forbade private schools among the people. Does the Prince of Qin Yu wish to bring chaos to Great Zhou?”
“The most important thing for the common people is to know their place. The more they know, the greater their ambitions, ambitions large enough to swallow mountains and rivers.”
“For the Prince of Qin Yu to establish schools in Yanbei was already an act of great treason. Now you wish to establish schools throughout Great Zhou. Are you trying to defy Heaven itself?”
“May I ask the Prince of Qin Yu, which is more important: the stability of Great Zhou, or establishing schools?”
Regarding the matter of establishing schools, Chi Wan and Yu Jiuzhou had considered letting Gao Zheng handle it again.
Gao Zheng had championed the political reforms. If he were to champion the education initiative as well, his old bones might just crumble. They couldn’t keep exploiting the same person.
But for a matter as significant as establishing schools, if the Grand Secretary didn’t take the lead, it would have to be Chi Wan, the Prince with real power.
Yu Jiuzhou was the emperor. The emperor’s role was to manage the overall situation, not to personally take charge of a specific matter.
Even though everyone knew in their hearts that whatever the Prince of Qin Yu did was surely discussed with Her Majesty.
Knowing it was one thing, but it couldn’t be said aloud.
Before Chi Wan had to speak, someone else came to her defense.
Lu Xin strode forward. “Was the sage truly advocating for keeping the people ignorant, or was he saying that because the people lack knowledge, it is difficult for them to understand the court’s policies, so we should just have them follow orders while gradually guiding them to understand the reasoning behind them?”
“You must not misinterpret the words of the sage!” someone glared at her angrily.
Lu Xin sneered, “My Lu family has a thousand-year history. How do you know that I am misinterpreting, and not verifying through research?”
At these words, several people immediately looked towards the highest-ranking official of the Lu family, the newly appointed Vice Minister of Justice.
“Vice Minister Lu, do you have anything to say about what your junior has said?”
Before Lu Zhen could speak, Lu Xin raised her voice. “In the imperial court, do not resort to such language. We are here as officials to discuss matters of state. Is this like when you were a child, playing house, and ran to your elders when you couldn’t win?”
“You!”
Such behavior was indeed contemptible. A debate was a debate; what was the meaning of turning to someone’s elder? By doing so, he had put himself at a disadvantage, causing those who wanted to retort to temporarily retreat.
Having gained a small advantage, Lu Xin immediately pressed on. “Are you all afraid that Great Zhou will fall into chaos, or are you afraid that your own descendants won’t be able to compete with the students from these new schools?”
“You claim that if the people know too much, the realm will be in turmoil. Throughout history, why has the realm fallen into great chaos? Because people couldn’t fill their stomachs and had no hope for the future. When they can eat their fill, have their own property, and their children have prospects, will they still cause trouble? To even suggest that the Prince of Qin Yu wants to defy Heaven… all of you, why do you truly oppose the reforms and the establishment of schools? Isn’t it for your own sakes?”
“You are afraid, but I, Lu Xin, am not. I, Lu Xin, come from the Lu family, and I stand here with integrity. I have my own pride, and I do not fear any competition.”
As soon as Lu Xin finished speaking, many people cheered. “Well said! Let’s see who’s a mule and who’s a horse. We are not afraid.”
“Exactly! To serve the country and not for personal gain is what we scholars must do.”
Those who spoke were all young men, newly minted Jinshi from the last examination. But those who could remain in the court were all exceptionally talented.
At this moment, someone stepped forward and asked, “Prince of Qin Yu, will you not say something?”
They all knew that Lu Xin was just the one put forward for the debate; the real decision-making power still lay with Chi Wan.
Chi Wan raised an eyebrow. “I have an announcement to make. In order to more effectively manage the various regions, the various government offices will be further specialized with clearly defined responsibilities. Local governments cannot have just one office. Finance and taxation will be separated. Justice and civil administration will be further specialized. Many more offices will be established, requiring more civil officials to handle specific tasks.”
“I have already petitioned Her Majesty to hold a Clerk Examination every year, and to hold an additional Grace Examination next year.”
The Clerk Examination would select people for grassroots positions in local government, all of whom would be incorporated into the official system. Scholars should not have only one path—becoming an official—and no other. Those with skills or talents in other areas could also be put to good use.
The imperial examination would still be for selecting officials, just as before, but now there would also be the Clerk Examination.
This way, it seemed that the interests of the gentry families were not greatly diminished. After all, they would certainly aim for the imperial examinations. If these other people were mainly to work in grassroots positions, perhaps they didn’t need to oppose it so strongly.
“Your Highness, there is something I do not understand. What do you mean by specializing local government offices?”
Chi Wan raised an eyebrow; he had asked the key question. “Local governments can establish specialized departments for water conservancy and household registration, each responsible for its own affairs, all under the unified management of the county government.”
“Furthermore, some areas under the Tusi system of self-governance are frequently plagued by chaos. Every time we send troops, the peace only lasts for a short while. I have already submitted a memorial to Her Majesty to abolish the Tusi system and have the central government send civil officials to govern those areas.”
Adding local departments, specializing administrative duties, and abolishing the Tusi system—these were all measures to expand the foundation of governance.
This was a deal between Chi Wan and these scholar-officials and gentry families. Rest assured, even if people from humble backgrounds and commoners rise through the ranks, you will not lack for official positions. Great Zhou needs many people to govern it, so what is there to fear?
But Chi Wan remembered very clearly that this negotiation was a transaction, not a one-sided submission.
This was the promise she was making, so they had to agree to the establishment of schools. Otherwise, she could still do all these things and simply not choose people from their gentry families to fill the positions.
Great Zhou had undergone a specialization of offices before, creating many new official posts. They had used up all the Juren waiting for appointments, and still, it wasn’t enough.
Although specialization was not friendly to some, as it added more supervisors and people to divide their power, it was beneficial to the majority, as not everyone held power in their hands.
This was called winning over the majority to strike at the minority.
These measures would certainly reduce the power held by individuals, but they would allow more people to hold power, thus gaining the support of many.
Chi Wan gave Yu Jiuzhou a look, and Yu Jiuzhou glanced at Chun Gui.
Chun Gui immediately announced the end of the court session.
Ever since the idea of letting Kun Ze also stand on the stage of history took hold, Kun Ze who already held power, like Chun Gui and Xia Qu, were now able to attend court.
It was a subtle, silent influence, slowly becoming a natural habit.
Step by step, she was getting the entire court to accept more and more.
After the court session ended, Chi Wan and Yu Jiuzhou returned to the inner palace. After removing her cumbersome python-patterned robe, she finally lay down on a rocking chair.
Yu Jiuzhou sat on the arhat bed, sipping her tea. “Do you think they will agree?”
“They” represented the gentry faction. It remained to be seen whether they would insist on forceful opposition or choose a win-win situation.
Of course, they would have to concede something. After all, going from monopolizing knowledge to competing with others was a significant change, even if the pie was made bigger.
But Great Zhou was not the gentry’s Great Zhou. In fact, even three dynasties ago, the world no longer belonged to the gentry. The gentry was still powerful, but compared to the past, they were already in decline.
Chi Wan sat up from the rocking chair, quickly walked over to Yu Jiuzhou, and gave her a bear hug, causing them both to tumble onto the bed.
“Now that Great Zhou’s military and finances are in our hands, they can’t stop us from strengthening education.”
With control of the army and the treasury, she and Yu Jiuzhou no longer had to struggle so hard to get things done.
The gentry families were not short of intelligent people. They knew whether it was better to follow the tide of history, even if it meant losing some things, as long as they could preserve their families, or to have their families vanish from the world entirely.
Yu Jiuzhou pinched Chi Wan’s cheek. “It’s a good thing I have you.”
Otherwise, she couldn’t have achieved all this in just two short years. Even if she had seized power, she couldn’t have broken through the existing ways of thinking.
Ideas progress bit by bit. As the Book of Changes says, “As heaven’s movement is ever vigorous, so must a gentleman ceaselessly strive.”
Mencius: “All men can become Yao and Shun.”
Chen Sheng and Wu Guang: “Are kings and nobles born to their station?”
Zhang Zai: “To establish a heart for Heaven and Earth, to secure a destiny for the people, to carry on the lost teachings of past sages, and to bring peace to all future generations.”
This statement transcended imperial power and established the spiritual pursuit of the scholar class.
“The rise and fall of the nation is the responsibility of every man.”
“Learn the advanced techniques of the barbarians to defeat the barbarians.”
Ideas awaken step by step. It wasn’t Yu Jiuzhou’s fault; it was just that Chi Wan came from an era of information explosion.
There were many people in Great Zhou more brilliant than Chi Wan, but her advantage was a perspective that transcended a thousand years of thought.
This transcendence of thought allowed her to propose many useful suggestions, but these suggestions needed people to implement them, which was why they had to win over the majority.
Moreover, the deal of expanding the foundation of governance in exchange for establishing schools was an open scheme. It was laid bare before the gentry families. If it were a conspiracy, the gentry might have had a choice. But with an open scheme, they had no choice.
That was why Chi Wan was so certain of the gentry’s decision.
Chi Wan dodged Yu Jiuzhou’s hand, rolled over, and pinned her down. “Sister, you seem to be getting more and more fond of pinching me lately.”
“Only you are allowed to pinch me? I’m not allowed to pinch you?”
“The places are different.”
Chi Wan was made to laugh by Yu Jiuzhou’s self-righteousness. She truly was her proud Majesty, able to say such wicked things with such a straight face.
“I touch here.” She demonstrated personally the difference between their “pinching.”
But then Yu Jiuzhou reached out and grabbed a handful. “Well, that’s because yours are too small.”
Chi Wan: “? They’re fine if you squeeze them.”
She pressed her body tightly against Yu Jiuzhou’s, their forms fitting together perfectly. “Can’t you feel it?”
“Mmm…” Yu Jiuzhou said stubbornly, “It’s hard to feel.”
Chi Wan huffed lightly. “Then let me feel yours.”
It had to be said, feeling Yu Jiuzhou, who was still nursing, was indeed different.
She had a right to speak on this matter. It was truly very different. They were a bit bigger, and had a milky fragrance when tasted.
Well, of course they had a milky fragrance.
Yu Jiuzhou simply pressed her forehead against hers. “It’s still daytime?”
“Close the doors and windows, draw the curtains, who cares if it’s day or night.”
As Chi Wan spoke, she swallowed. Who could understand how long she had been holding back?
Yu Jiuzhou raised an eyebrow. “My suggestion is…”
“My suggestion is that you don’t make any suggestions, Sister.” Chi Wan cut her off, eagerly kissing the lips that fascinated her.
The next second, the door was pushed open, and two little heads popped in together. “Mothers~”
Chi Wan: “…”
Indeed, one should learn to recognize good advice.
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