Poverty Alleviation in Qin: A Sky-High Review of "I Am the Female Prime Minister of All Time&qu

Soon after, the imperial edict to standardize writing, cart tracks, and weights and measures reached Pei County.

The news caused an uproar in Peicheng.

The county government's notice board was packed with people, who gathered around the new notice and discussed it animatedly, full of resentment.

"What's going on?! We've been using the Chu script our whole lives, why are we being forced to change it?"

"And the tracks! My oxcart was perfectly fine, but now the specifications have changed. Does that mean I have to buy a new cart? Is it free?"

"I sell fabric! The rulers I used for twenty years are now being replaced with new standards, and all my old stock and accounts are in disarray. How am I supposed to do business?"

The crowd grew increasingly agitated, with someone yelling, "Isn't this just a pointless mess?!"

Pei County was originally part of the old Chu territory, and the people there always cherished the memory of the old dynasty, so they were already holding onto a grudge.

Now even the rules passed down from our ancestors, such as writing, using a car, and weighing things, are being changed, which is extremely difficult for everyone.

In the county court, Xiao He rushed in, sweating profusely: "My lord! The people outside are all rioting, their resentment is extremely high, if they continue, something terrible will really happen!"

Song Ye had just finished reading the agricultural records when he looked up and said, "What's the rush? Call everyone to the county government gate. I have a few words to say."

Xiao He wanted to persuade her further, but fearing that the people's emotions might rise and cause them to provoke her, he eventually obediently went to make the arrangements.

Before long, the entrance to the county government office was packed with people, from the countryside and the city, a dark mass of people, all with grim faces.

Song wasn't wearing formal official attire, just ordinary clothes, her hair casually tied up. She didn't stand on the high steps, but sat directly on the middle steps, speaking to all the people at eye level.

The noise gradually subsided.

"Let me be honest, I understand your frustration. It's a lifelong habit—writing, measuring, riding in a car—and having to change it all is awkward and unsettling for anyone."

Upon hearing this, the people's anger instantly subsided by half.

"I won't argue with you in official jargon or preach grand principles. I'll just use the simplest reasoning to tell you why we need to unify these things."

The crowd below exchanged glances, their previously suppressed anger instantly dissipating, and they all nodded in agreement: "Yes! That's exactly right!"

Song smiled slightly and held up one finger: "Let's talk about writing first."

"In the past, when the states were divided, the characters used by Chu, Qi, and Han were all different. When merchants from other places came to Pei County to do business, the account books they wrote and the contracts they signed were completely incomprehensible to you."

"People don't recognize the characters you write."

"In the end, when it comes to reconciling accounts and negotiating business, it all comes down to guesswork."

"If you guess wrong, you argue and fight, and it's always us ordinary people who suffer, right?"

As soon as he finished speaking, many vendors in the crowd nodded vigorously, echoing, "That's absolutely right! Last year, I lost a lot of money doing business with out-of-town merchants because I couldn't read!"

"So now the whole world uses the same writing system. From now on, no matter where you do business, sign contracts, or reconcile accounts, the writing will be the same. No one can fool or cheat you with the writing system anymore. This is a good thing!"

Then she held up a second finger: "Let's talk about the tracks, which is the width of the wheels."

"In the past, every household had oxcarts and horse-drawn carts with wheels of all different widths."

"A perfectly good road, after being trampled by all sorts of wheels, becomes potholed and unusable in just a few days."

"Does road repair cost money? In the end, it's our taxpayers' money that's being spent. Constantly repairing roads just wastes everyone's hard-earned money?"

Upon hearing this, the farmers and cart drivers echoed, "That's right! The roads are always in terrible condition; walking and hauling goods are both a nightmare!"

"Now the tracks are standardized, and the wheel sizes are all the same."

Song continued, "The road is well-maintained and less prone to breakdowns, making it easier for vehicles to run. In the future, hauling grain, going to the market, and visiting relatives will be faster and more convenient; we'll be the ones who benefit!"

Finally, she held up her third finger and asked the people from the market, "Finally, let's talk about measuring objects like rulers, scales, and measures. You are the most qualified to answer this!"

"In the past, each household used different measuring tools. Some cloth sellers used long measuring tools, while others used short ones. Some weighed the cloth but didn't give the correct weight, while others gave the correct weight."

"It's a mess. Buyers get ripped off, and honest business owners suffer, right?"

The vendors and shoppers echoed his sentiments, their resentment dissipating considerably: "That's so true! We argue about this every day!"

"Things will be different after unification."

"With the same standard across the world, and with uniform rulers and scales, no one dares to cheat or use tricks to deceive people."

"Fair transactions bring peace of mind to everyone!"

Song's tone softened and became exceptionally sincere: "Making changes now will only cause trouble for a while, but if things remain a mess, you'll suffer for a lifetime."

"I understand that everyone feels awkward and uncomfortable right now. But once we get through this period, the world will be more interconnected, business will be easier, roads will be smoother, and we won't be cheated in transactions. Life will definitely get better and better."

After he finished speaking, the room fell silent for a long time.

The white-haired old man who had previously led the protests sighed deeply, his tone sour: "Lord Song, we didn't mean to oppose you."

"That's right, that's right. The State of Chu is gone, and now they won't even let us use our ancestral characters. It leaves me feeling empty, like I've lost my roots..."

Song looked at him with a gentle and tolerant gaze and said, "Sir, the standardized font is for the convenience of everyone and to avoid disputes when going out to do business, registering with the government, or signing documents in business."

"But when you go back home, if you want to write the Chu script, reminisce about the past, or keep the things of your ancestors, no one will care, and no one will dare to care."

"That is your longing, your roots, and no one can take it away."

As soon as those words were spoken, all resentment vanished from the room.

People weren't suppressed by power; they genuinely understood and felt sympathized with.

"So that's how it works. I was being narrow-minded before."

"That's right, Lord Song is absolutely right, he's doing it all for our own good."

"It's a bit of a hassle, but at least I won't have to suffer losses like this again."

"So, the tyrant unified all this for the good of us common people...?" The speaker was a young man, and among the group that had been shouting and cursing the loudest, he was the loudest.

At this moment, however, he huddled at the back of the crowd, his head bowed low, and after speaking, he tightly shut his mouth, as if he had said something rebellious and shameful.

The air suddenly became still.

The crowd erupted in chaos the next instant.

"fart!"

The white-haired old man who had just sighed stamped his feet in anger, "How could he possibly be doing this for our own good? He's doing it for himself! To protect his Great Qin empire!"

"That's right!" someone immediately echoed loudly. "Standardizing the written language and dimensions isn't for our convenience at all, it's to better control us! It makes it easier for him to collect taxes, easier for him to manipulate the people, and easier for us to stop rebelling!"

The crowd regained its momentum, but it lacked the previous arrogance and became more stubbornly earnest.

Seeing this, Song also stood up from the steps, patted the dust off his robes, and said nothing more.

She knew that these things couldn't be rushed.

Let them criticize; let time do its work.

The crowd gradually dispersed, and people walked away in twos and threes in different directions.

Some people were still muttering "tyrant" under their breath, but their voices were so soft that they could barely hear themselves; it was more like a self-deceiving obsession.