Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 429 Both Boys and Girls Need to Go to School
"Every household, listen up!"

"Families with children under ten years old, please register at the neighborhood office immediately!"

Throughout the streets and alleys of Bianjing (Kaifeng), the shouts of the Kaifeng Prefecture officials, banging gongs and drums, could be heard.

"Those with children, hurry up and register!"

Those who fail to report by the deadline will be severely punished.

"For details, please inquire with the village head or refer to the Kaifeng Prefecture Notices."

At an intersection on Maqian Street, a large number of people gathered to view the government notice.

Those who could read stepped forward and read it aloud to the crowd.

"His Majesty has issued an edict, and the court shall carry it out."

"~Policy for Universal Compulsory Education~"

The following regions have been selected as pilot areas.

"~Kaifeng County~Xiangfu County~Fengqiu County~Chenliu County~"

"Any household with a child aged six to ten should register and file a record for enrollment in the first grade of the county school."

"This compulsory education is enforced; those who conceal or fail to report it will be punished as deceiving the emperor."

With so many onlookers, everyone was asking all sorts of questions.

Fortunately, there were yamen runners guarding the notice, who explained it according to the script they had been trained on.

"Your Majesty is benevolent and wishes to enlighten the people."

"Children in the family should go to school and receive education."

"Reading and writing helps one understand things and manners."

"Your Majesty is so generous, all tuition fees are waived!"

"I can get a decent meal at school at noon!"

"This is an unprecedented opportunity that all of you elders must not miss."

These words caused an uproar among the people.

Everyone was incredulous, wondering if they had misheard.

"Diao Youxin!" A neighbor who recognized the constable shouted, "You must be mistaken, this school doesn't charge tuition?"

Shuxiu was a gift given when a student became a disciple during the Spring and Autumn Period, usually referring to ten strips of dried meat.

Later, it evolved into various kinds of property.

Before the modern era, knowledge was a valuable non-material asset that was monopolized.

For ordinary people who want to learn knowledge, the first step is to pay a large sum of money as an apprenticeship fee.

After that, gifts for the teacher were also required during holidays and festivals.

Otherwise they would be expelled from the private school.

Zhao Pu, for example, was doing this job in Chuzhou before being recruited by Lin Dao, and his income was quite substantial.

Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that a book club can drain a family dry.

This doesn't even include daily expenses, especially the consumption of expensive writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.

Actually, this is already quite good. At least by gritting their teeth and selling their fields and cattle, they can still send their children to school.

In times before the Tang Dynasty, even if a family had some money, they wouldn't have had the opportunity to learn.

Because knowledge was monopolized by nobles, unless one became a servant of a noble.

Otherwise, one must seek out a sect or school to study under.

Either way, it's an incredibly difficult path for ordinary people.

No one wants to be illiterate, and everyone knows that knowledge can change one's destiny.

But there's no chance~
Now the opportunity has arrived, and it's so wonderful.

The people, who had been cheated for generations, were also very excited.

"The cunning constable~"

Someone shouted, "Are you really not charging money? If you're not charging, wouldn't the teacher be losing out big time?"

Diao Youxin was actually just a second-class constable in Kaifeng County. Calling him "head constable" was just to give him face and to let him know more.

"It's really free!"

In high spirits, Diao Youxin repeatedly exclaimed, "His Majesty is compassionate towards the people, waiving all school fees and providing stationery and other supplies."

"As for the teachers, they belonged to the Ministry of Rites' Education Department and received salaries from the imperial court."

"His Majesty's intention is to first conduct pilot programs in these few counties, and then gradually promote them until they are implemented throughout the country."

The people were overjoyed and shouted "Long live the Emperor!"
For so many years, people have only ever heard of emperors demanding increased taxes, never of emperors spending money on the people.

This kind of holy emperor should not just live ten thousand years, he should live ten thousand years!
"The cunning constable~"

Some people have questioned, "Judging from the meaning of this imperial edict, does it mean that girls also have to go to school?"

"exactly."

Diao Youxin nodded repeatedly. "Your Majesty means that all people in the Central Plains, regardless of gender, are subjects and should enjoy the same treatment."

"Boys can attend school for free, and girls should naturally be able to as well."

An uproar immediately erupted around them.

If we say that previously, waiving tuition fees for boys and allowing them to go to school was something that almost everyone supported, then...

When he learned that the girl was in the same situation, his reaction became much stronger.

Many people are shouting, "What's the point of sending girls to school?"

Could it be that he could become an official?
Women holding official positions are not allowed in Lindao.

On the one hand, different places and times are not yet so open, and on the other hand, women are too emotional and will do many things that leave people speechless.

"His Majesty has stated this beforehand."

Diao Youxin noticed the change in atmosphere and immediately shouted, "Listen carefully, all girls of school age must register for school."

"Anyone who disobeys will be punished for deceiving the emperor!"

"This is a crime of deceiving the emperor! Think about it carefully!"

"Officer Diao!" someone in the crowd shouted. "We commoners would never dare to deceive the emperor."

"But if our daughters go to school and something happens to them, where can we seek justice?"

In ancient times, it was indeed difficult for girls to accept spending all their time with male students and teachers when they were out and about.

"Of course!" Diao Youxin exclaimed loudly, "How dare you commoners question His Majesty's arrangements?"

"His Majesty had already prepared for this by establishing girls' schools, where female teachers impart knowledge."

The people were immediately relieved.

If it's a female teacher or a female classmate, then there's no problem.

Some people are curious, "Where did this female teacher come from?" It's not uncommon for women to be educated; there have been talented women in every era.

However, most of them were women from powerful and wealthy families, or from places specifically trained in this field.

Women from these places would come out and work as female teachers.
"You don't understand this."

Diao Youxin boasted about his knowledge, saying, "They are all palace ladies-in-waiting taught by the Empress."

Lin Dao was not a lustful fiend like Li Longji, who had tens of thousands of beauties in his palace.

His palace had only a handful of people.

Moreover, the palace is small and doesn't need so many people to serve it.

Not only were there no eunuchs, but even the palace women left over from previous dynasties were given a way out.

With the introduction of compulsory education, these palace servants now had a way out.

They received education and training to become female teachers in girls' schools.

Their social status immediately became extraordinary.

She even attracted the attention of many soldiers, and there were countless suitors.

In this era, soldiers and officers came from middle-class families.

She is a hot commodity in the dating circle.

For a woman from an ordinary family, marrying a soldier was tantamount to achieving upward social mobility.

If her husband is capable and daring, and achieves merit on the battlefield, then it would be even more remarkable, and it wouldn't be impossible for her to rise in rank and become a general's wife.

People are always very realistic.

For a woman to become a general's wife, she either needed to be of a good enough family background and be a good match for him.

Alternatively, she could marry him when he was still a lowly soldier.

If you think you can rise to the top just by relying on your beauty, there will only be one outcome, no matter the era.

Or perhaps the pink sedan chair would be quietly carried through the small gate at dusk.

Or they'll simply be used and dumped.

Diao Youxin, who rarely felt so important, began to talk to his neighbors about his extensive network of information.

"Children of military personnel have access to specialized military academies."

"There were also separate schools for boys and girls."

"That's the best school, but it only accepts the children of military personnel."

Military academies differ from compulsory education schools; in addition to basic knowledge, they primarily focus on military education.

Training soldiers who can fight and then joining the army after graduating at the age of eighteen gives them an overwhelming advantage over those who are temporarily recruited.

This can be considered one of the benefits that Lin Dao provides to the military.

"Everyone in the neighborhood, please remember this."

Diao Youxin shouted, "You must register and file within ten days, collect your learning materials, and wait for the start of school."

Otherwise~

Otherwise, it would be a crime of deceiving the emperor!

This is a good thing; it's not like we're increasing taxes, so there's nothing to resist or reject.

Even if someone grumbled about the lack of labor in the household, they wouldn't dare to actually commit the crime of deceiving the emperor.

Don't underestimate these young children; they are also a source of labor.

In the modern world, children of this age are all reading aloud in school.

In ancient times, however, people began contributing to their families much earlier.

She takes care of her younger siblings, washing, cleaning, and doing housework.

Children in the city help their parents with chores, while children in the countryside herd cattle and cut grass.

Now that they have all been concentrated in schools, there is naturally less labor force for each household.

However, compared to being able to attend school for free, this loss is insignificant.

Lin Dao, who was in the palace, was preparing to send troops to Dali.

The army that founded the nation could not stop; it had to keep forging ahead and using its swords to fight for the survival of the people of the Central Plains.

Dali is in Yunnan. Ever since Zhuge Liang's southern expedition, this place has been a place of constant rebellion and surrender.

Even if they are subdued, it will only be in name.

During the rebellion, they took advantage of the terrain to inflict considerable losses on the Central Plains army.

Tang Ping suffered quite a few losses when he was in Jiannan.

It will take many years until the "reform of local chieftains and replacement of local officials" policy is implemented before it can be completely eradicated.

This time, Lin Dao did not intend to personally lead the expedition to Dali, but instead arranged for his general Tong Bing to go instead.

Unlike Yang Ye's strategy of attacking Goguryeo, which emphasized rapid attacks and quick strikes.

Lin Dao plans to take a steady and gradual approach in this campaign against Dali.

"Cao Bin."

"When we go to conquer Dali, we don't expect you to destroy the country quickly, but we do expect you to thoroughly clean up the area."

"Once we conquer a place, we must reorganize and consolidate it."

“The people were registered and households were established, and local government offices at all levels were set up.”

"What you must remember is that the real enemies are those chieftains and cave lords."

“The slave people in the various tribes need to be won over.”

"We need to address the root cause, cutting off any possibility of recurrence in Dali."

As Lin Dao and Cao Bin were discussing the matter around the sand table, Fu Yanqing, the nominal prime minister, rushed in with a stack of telegrams.

Fu Yanqing is most likely the last prime minister in this timeline.

After him, Lin Daohui abolished the prime minister system, which had been in place for a thousand years.

The emergence of a good prime minister, like Zhuge Liang, is naturally a blessing for the country.

But such a good prime minister may only appear once every few years.

More often, there are figures like Li Linfu and Yang Guozhong.

The prime minister's power was too great, so Lin Dao simply abolished the position.

"Your Majesty~"

Fu Yanqing, looking somewhat flustered, handed over a stack of telegrams.

“Urgent reports have come from JD.com, Jingxi, Hebei, Hedong and other places.”

"A locust plague, a locust plague that's covering the sky!"

(End of this chapter)