There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 399 Half a day free

Autumn has arrived, and the weather is finally not so hot anymore.

Since ascending the throne, Nie Yu has rarely had a day of free time. He finished reviewing the memorials early and returned to the inner palace (backyard) to accompany his concubines and children.

Although the cabinet, secretariat, and central ministries had been established to check and balance each other, which could greatly reduce the emperor's workload, the first few months after the founding of the dynasty were still very busy, and the emperor had to personally oversee everything.

Fortunately, the busiest months are almost over, and the daily chores are getting lighter.

The cabinet and secretariat are gradually playing their due roles. At least during Nie Yu's tenure, this system of checks and balances should not cause any major problems.

As for how to balance the court after his death and the subsequent emperors take the throne, that is a problem for the emperors to worry about.

Systems are not static; they must be reformed over time, in response to changes in national policies, and even in the bureaucracy.

In terms of the founding of the country, more than a hundred ministries were established at the beginning of the founding of the country. Jiangsu and Anhui were divided into two provinces, and Sichuan was simply divided into four provinces.

After decades of reform and development, the number of central government departments has been reduced to twenty-six, and local provinces have also been merged one after another.

The inner palace, the imperial garden.

Three little children are enjoying the cool shade under the tree.

The temperature started to drop in early autumn, and it wasn't as hot as it had been in the previous two months, but the sun was still quite strong.

Nie Yu had just ascended the throne this year, so the civil officials were not in a hurry. They simply registered the emperor's two sons and one daughter in the imperial register.

The eldest son of the emperor, Nie Xingye, is three years old this year. He was born to Empress Chen Huilan and is being prepared to be made crown prince.

The eldest princess, Nie Jingyao, is only two years old this year. Born to Consort Liu, her name does not follow the naming order of the Nie royal family set by Nie Yu. Princesses have no right to inherit the throne, so there is no need for them to abide by the naming rules.

The second prince, Nie Xingba (Ba: meaning mountain in Tujia language), is still breastfeeding. He is also the only prince of minority ethnicity among the three princes. He was born to Nie Yu's Tu-Miao concubine and has no right to inherit the throne.

Nie Yu sat under the shade of a tree, watching his children play and relax. The palace maids who were serving him had already brought over a small wooden table with several plates of fruits and pastries on it.

"Your Majesty, this is a new tribute of deer milk from Zhejiang." A palace maid carefully picked up a tray containing a bowl of clear, white deer milk.

Ancient people believed that deer milk could strengthen the body. Because the yield of deer milk was extremely low and the collection was difficult, it was basically all caught in the wild. Therefore, deer milk was a tribute exclusively for the emperor for a long time.

Just as Nie Yu had taken a spoonful, the two children who were watching the ants on the ground suddenly got up and ran over.

"Daddy, I want to drink milk too!"

"Father, I want some too!"

(Fun fact: The way emperors addressed their relatives in private was not actually that formal. This rule was even written into the "Imperial Ancestral Instructions of the Ming Dynasty" by Zhu Yuanzhang, which strictly regulated the distinction between private and public forms of address.)
Children can never resist dairy products, so when they saw Nie Yu drinking deer milk, they all thought he was drinking cow's milk.

Empress Chen Huilan stepped forward, stroked her son's head, and said softly, "Ye'er, be good. This is your father's tribute. It's not milk, so children can't drink it."

Consort Liu, standing to the other side, also hugged her daughter and said gently, "My dear Yao'er, this is deer milk. Girls can't drink it."

Both children were very obedient. When they heard that they couldn't drink, they didn't act up or make a fuss. They just kept their eyes on the spoon in their father's hand.

Nie Yu laughed and said, "It's alright, what can't we drink? Yao'er, Ye'er, come here."

Hearing their father call, the two children happily ran from their mother's arms.

Nie Yu picked up a spoon, took a small sip from each of them, and personally fed them: "One sip per person, don't drink too much, children's bodies can't handle too much deer milk!"

Seeing this, Chen Huilan looked somewhat helpless: "Your Majesty, you..."

"Haha, it's just a small bite, it's nothing," Nie Yu laughed.

As he spoke, he put the spoon back into the bowl. Although this deer milk was a tribute, it tasted novel the first time you drank it, but the taste was just so-so after that.

It was thinner than milk and had a milder flavor, with a slight fishy taste. If it weren't for the added sugar, Nie Yu wouldn't have been able to get used to it.

Nie Yu said, "Ye'er, your mother said you've learned the Three Character Classic. How is it? Can you recite a few lines?" The child is three years old, not yet of school age, but he can already look at some introductory reading materials to familiarize himself with the texts in advance.

Ye'er immediately began reciting: "At birth, people are inherently good. Their natures are similar, but their habits differ. If they are not taught, their natures will change. The way to teach is to focus on one thing. Once, Mencius' mother chose a good neighborhood. When her son did not study, she cut the threads on her loom... cut the threads on her loom..."

I got stuck on the twelfth sentence and couldn't memorize it anymore.

Nie Yu laughed and said, "Alright, alright, Ye'er has memorized it very well. You can even memorize the twelfth sentence. I, your father, could only memorize the eighth sentence before I couldn't memorize it anymore."

That's not a lie. Although the Three Character Classic is a classic primer, I don't know how old I was when I memorized it in my previous life. I only remember the first eight lines well, and I've forgotten most of the rest.

Ye'er was so happy to receive her father's praise that she ran back to find her younger sister to watch the ants.

Nie Yu smiled and withdrew his gaze, asking the Empress beside him, "What's wrong? Is something on your mind? You seem a little absent-minded all day."

Chen Huilan shook her head, then asked, "Your Majesty, Ye'er is already three years old this year. When do you plan to send Ye'er to school?"

Nie Yu, having already made a plan, said, "Let's follow the established system. Children will begin their studies at the age of six. The Imperial Academy should be nearly completed in three years. Future princes and princesses will also follow this example and must enter the Imperial Academy at the age of six."

Consort Liu, standing nearby, asked with a mixture of doubt and hope, "Your Majesty, can princesses also study? What about Yao'er...?"

Nie Yu nodded: "Yes, when Yao'er turns six, she can go to the Imperial Academy with the Crown Prince!"

Chen Huilan promptly reminded him: "Your Majesty, Yao'er is a woman, and there is a difference between men and women."

Nie Yu said, "It's alright. I will have the Ministry of Works add a girls' classroom to each grade of the Imperial Academy. That will solve the problem."

Nie Yu had even more to think about. Although the Han Dynasty had abolished slavery and started a three-year compulsory education system, this education was still limited to men.

It wasn't that Nie Yu forbade women from studying; in fact, he greatly encouraged and was happy to see women enter schools. However, his encouragement as emperor did not mean that the people would agree.

For ordinary people, if a man studies, he can take the imperial examinations, become an official, or at the very least, learn to read and write and broaden his horizons.

After graduating from university, whether you become a village watchman or work as an accountant for shop owners in town, it's a way to support your family.

But what can a girl do?

She had studied, but she couldn't take the imperial examinations, and there was no precedent for women becoming officials.

Even village officials, although not explicitly prohibited, are too lowly and have to constantly work and move around in the village. How will their daughters get married in the future?

By adding female classes to the Imperial Academy, Nie Yu can set an example for the local area.

With the addition of girls' classes, people will see that even the emperor is sending princesses to school, and they will understand that it is not shameful for girls to study.

If even the emperor did this, it shows that it's not only not shameful, but it actually has benefits.

In any case, the Han Dynasty has three years of compulsory primary education, which is free of charge.

Those families were well-off and had no shortage of labor; all they needed was an emperor to set an example for them so that they could take that final step.

With a single sentence, Nie Yu established the general rules for the future education of the children of the Han imperial family, as well as the relevant specific details, which could be left to the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Works to refine.

Nie Yu turned to Chen Huilan and said, "Later, I will have my brother-in-law come to the palace. It has been a long time since I have had a heart-to-heart talk with him."

Upon hearing the emperor's words, Chen Huilan was somewhat surprised. Seeing the smile on the emperor's face, she understood after a moment: "Your Majesty, I understand!"

Later that evening, Chen Xinghuai, feeling uneasy, went to the imperial palace to meet the emperor.

This audience with the emperor was merely a long-awaited private meeting between the brother-in-law and sister-in-law. No one knows what they discussed. In any case, more than an hour passed before Chen Xinghuai emerged.

Before entering the palace, Chen Xinghuai looked anxious and dejected.

After leaving the palace, he looked relaxed, his previous depression completely gone, replaced by a heart full of ambition!

(End of this chapter)