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

Before the palace steps, the emperor stood silently for a long time, without uttering a word.

Hearing the phrases "the common people can read" and "knowledge monopoly," he carefully weighed the pros and cons in his mind: he appreciated this capable minister whom he had never met before, who not only had the talent to govern the county, but also created paper that was unprecedented.

However, at the same time, I also have some concerns.

According to Tianmu, in later generations, ordinary people will have access to classical texts, which will lead to the breaking of the monopoly on knowledge...

A moment later, Ying Zheng had made up his mind.

He had to find Song Ye no matter what.

Outside the palace walls, the reactions of the common people were much more complex.

Some people hesitated.

Those were elderly people who had never seen written words in their lives and never imagined they could be associated with the word "reading".

They listened to the words in the sky as if they were listening to something that had nothing to do with them, but they couldn't help but think to themselves: If it were true, how wonderful that would be.

Some people yearn for it.

Those were young people; when they heard the words "the literacy threshold has been lowered" on the street, their steps unconsciously slowed down.

They had never seen books, but they had seen people who read.

I've seen those people who don't have to bend over to carry heavy things, or roll in the mud all day, and can live well with just a scroll of bamboo slips.

Some people yearned for it, while others quietly clenched their fists in the crowd, then relaxed them, as if they had remembered something in their hearts that they should not forget.

These people, with their diverse perspectives, shared a surprisingly unified sentiment: they wanted their descendants to be able to study and change their destiny through education.

This idea is like a seed; it doesn't need watering or soiling, it will take deep root over time.

...

Pei County.

Xiao He looked up at the paper exhibit on the sky, which was as thin as a cicada's wing, and his gaze lingered on the yellowed paper for a long time.

He understood the purpose of this thing and quickly assessed it in his mind.

If this thing really exists, it will save me a lot of effort when organizing files, transcribing documents, and archiving accounts.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sigh: "I hope that this Prime Minister Song can invent and make this paper as soon as possible, so that it can benefit the officials of all counties and prefectures, make things easier for us, and reduce a lot of our workload."

Song remained silent throughout.

But his mind was racing: Tianmu had suddenly pulled this stunt, and now it wasn't a good time for him to use the papermaking technique, whether he used it or not.

Bringing it out would seem too coincidental and easily arouse suspicion.

If we don't reveal it, Tianmu has already explained all the benefits of papermaking. If it were discovered later, the consequences would be dire.

Ugh, so many troublesome things!

Song lowered his eyes and put papermaking back on hold in his mind.

Now is not the time to make a decision. She needs to see what Tianmu will say next before deciding on her next move.

...

At this moment, Tian Tian stopped in front of a separate exhibition wall.

The wall in front of me is designed to resemble an old desk, with an open scroll of paper spread out on it. The edges of the paper are yellowed, the creases are clear, and the handwriting is neat and sparse.

Next to it was an old copper lamp, with traces of ancient ink and fine ash still remaining on the edge of the lamp, as if the person who copied it had just put down the pen and left, and had not yet had time to tidy up the table.

She glanced at the desk, her gaze lingering for a moment on the bronze lamp, before speaking: "This exhibit recreates the scene of the Song Dynasty prime minister working in the county government office during the early stages of papermaking's popularization."

The camera lingered on the bronze lamp for a moment, as if reserving a time when no sound was needed.

The light fell on the remaining ink on the edge of the lamp, a thin layer that had accumulated for nearly two thousand years.

Sweetie turned to the side, allowing the camera to capture a portion of the rolled-up paper on the table: [This is the earliest paper-based official document; very few have survived intact to this day.]

This is one of the earliest pieces available so far. The inscription is already quite illegible, but its age is unmistakable.

In the same year, Song Ye, in his fourth year serving in De'an County, was promoted by imperial decree personally issued by the First Emperor for his contributions to papermaking and his excellent governance during his tenure. Soon after, he set off from De'an County for Xianyang with his family and capable subordinates.

This was also Song Ye's first time formally stepping into the center of power in the Qin Dynasty.

At that time, the imperial court was divided into four major political forces.

[The first letter was from the conservative faction: members of the Qin imperial family and local bureaucrats, with Prime Minister Wang Wan as their core representative.]

[Core political proposition: To enfeoff princes in distant states of Yan, Qi, and Chu, with blood-related vassal kings guarding the territories, with prefectures and counties operating in parallel.]

[Respecting the ancient Zhou system and rites, the governance methods were relatively mild, and there was no advocacy for a complete break with the previous system. Emphasis was placed on appeasing the remnants of the six former states and consolidating rule through the blood ties of the royal family.]

After she finished speaking, Wang Wan and the others exchanged glances.

The sky has really analyzed them all perfectly.

[The Second County Centralization Reform Faction: Legalist reformers of bureaucracy, and scholars from humble backgrounds in Guandong, with Li Si as their core representative.]

They were new-style officials who adhered to the Legalist philosophies of Shang Yang and Han Fei, rising through the ranks based on talent, military merit, and legal assessments, and were not hereditary officials from humble backgrounds.

[Core political propositions: Complete abolition of the feudal system, a unified national system of prefectures and counties, and centralized appointment and removal of officials, with officials managed by visiting officials. Strengthening absolute monarchical power and weakening the local power of the royal family and nobility.]

[Unify the written language, weights and measures, and laws; promote strict rule of law. Support the burning of books, suppress revivalist Confucianism, and eliminate any talk of restoring feudalism.]

Upon hearing this, Li Si lowered his eyes, his gaze devoid of any emotion.

In the future, they, the Legalists, will be working together in this imperial court.

As for Wang Wan and her conservative faction? They will eventually have to leave this center of power.

And the Records of the Grand Historian does indeed reflect Li Si's thoughts.

[The Third Ritual Restoration Faction: A group of Confucian scholars and scholars from Shandong, with Chunyu Yue as their core representative.]

[Confucian scholars from the Guandong and Qilu regions were well-versed in the *Book of Poetry*, the *Book of Documents*, and ancient rites. These were cultural figures left over from the Six Kingdoms period, who served as court scholars, responsible for regulations, education, and political consultation.]

[Core political stance: Completely uphold the Zhou system and strongly demand the restoration of the feudal system. Promote benevolence, righteousness, and propriety, while criticizing the Legalist school's harsh laws and punishments. Emulate the ancient sage kings and oppose Li Si's complete severing of ties with ancient institutions.]

As soon as he finished speaking, the First Emperor didn't even spare a glance for Chunyu Yue and the others.

So what if they oppose it? If the Qin Dynasty hadn't governed with Legalism, how could it have unified the six kingdoms?

These Confucian scholars, who always spout benevolence and morality, are utterly hypocritical.

This final, fourth force was a neutral, pro-imperial group with no fixed allegiance: a group of military generals based on merit, represented by figures such as Wang Jian, Wang Ben, and Meng Tian.

The core demand is to maintain the military meritocracy system, guarantee the privileges of the army, and avoid deep involvement in the debates over the feudal system and the prefecture-county system.

[They were completely subservient to Qin Shi Huang; whoever the emperor supported, the military generals would cooperate with.]

In other words, when our Prime Minister Song first entered the court, he would face the following:

The Feudal Restoration Faction (Wang Wan + Confucian Scholars) VS The Legalist County-Based Centralization Faction (Li Si's Group of Guest Officials)

There were also military generals who remained outside the main force, and eunuchs who were only interested in profit.

Song Ye: "......."

It seems there's conflict everywhere.

Zhao Gao: ...Who is that profit-driven eunuch being referred to?