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

[The First Emperor issued an edict, appointing Song Ye as the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, in charge of all official documents within the palace and overseeing all papermaking throughout the empire, with all prefectures and counties obligated to obey and cooperate with him.]

[He was authorized to assist in standardizing written documents, and to coordinate the distribution of paper-based small seal script calligraphy books and literacy primers to all prefectures and counties. He was granted special permission to submit reports directly to the Emperor, without having to go through Li Si as an intermediary; prefectural governors and officials in the paper mills of each prefecture were all subject to his command and cooperation.]

Imagine this: a new employee, at the very bottom of the company hierarchy, is given the most crucial and promising project by the boss. As a seasoned veteran, how would you feel? What would you do?

Civil and military officials: ...Of course, we should do our best to make things difficult for the newcomers.

Of all the people, Li Si was the most distressed.

Li Si took charge of all government affairs and the promotion of education. He also put the power of distributing paper and text templates to the Song Dynasty, which was tantamount to dividing the inherent power and responsibility of the civil officials.

And all of this was tacitly approved by His Majesty.

It's really hard for him not to be suspicious and overthink things.

Afterwards, Song also encountered obstacles at every turn in the imperial court, facing a constant stream of difficulties and harassment.

[Li Si, along with a group of senior officials, repeatedly submitted memorials to the throne, arguing that papermaking was wasteful of materials and disrupted the old system, thus hindering its widespread adoption.]

[Some prefects, dependent on powerful families, responded passively, delaying the supply of papermaking raw materials such as timber and hemp. Other officials deliberately withheld the salaries of paper mill artisans, attempting to slow down the progress of the new policies and creating obstacles for Song Ye at every turn.]

Faced with criticism from court officials, Song also compiled a complete list of income and expenditure details and submitted it directly to the emperor, proving that the paper mills could be self-sufficient and did not require additional subsidies from the national treasury. When local counties and prefectures shirked their responsibilities and delayed, Song issued an imperial edict to each prefecture, clearly stating that all regions must cooperate in transporting the necessary materials.

To address the shortage of skilled craftsmen, an apprenticeship system will be implemented to rapidly train a large number of skilled papermakers and pen makers, thus completely eliminating any means of obstruction.

[The entire process was expedited, and the project was completed in just three months.]

After all obstacles were overcome, the popularization of papermaking was implemented at full speed. In just three months, Song presented the complete results of the implementation to the First Emperor.

As Tianmu spoke, the ministers' expressions grew increasingly grim.

Especially Li Si.

He just couldn't understand why he was always chosen as the representative during roll call.

"..."

It's definitely targeted, isn't it?

[From this point on, the entire Qin Dynasty's prefectures and counties completed the reform of document materials, and a brand-new paper document system was officially implemented.]

All government offices at the prefectural and county levels throughout the empire replaced their office supplies, and official documents, including household registration, accounting of finances and grain, and government announcements, were all written primarily on official paper.

[Relying on thin and inexpensive paper, the standard script, legal texts, and household registration regulations established by the central government were rapidly disseminated to all counties and villages. Even in remote border areas, the standardized Small Seal script could be implemented simultaneously, completely eliminating the differences in writing systems left over from the six states.]

[Subsequently, the Song Dynasty also stipulated that county and prefecture household registrations, taxes, notices, and reports should be written on paper using the standard Small Seal script. Officials at all levels used paper for their daily office work, frequently using the official script. This practice, set by the higher authorities, became a fixed writing habit, regulating the use of script in both the imperial court and local areas from top to bottom.]

Cutting off the transmission at its source greatly accelerated the implementation of Qin Shi Huang's policy of standardizing writing and unifying the country.

With such dazzling achievements before us, wouldn't you say this is an impeccable, perfect score?

"Yes, of course!"

People from all over the country raised their heads and shouted, their voices echoing across the north and south of the country, and throughout the countryside.

"He's more than just a good strategist! He's a rare and excellent official, one that's been passed down through the ages!"

"Those officials used to drag things out for ten days or half a month, even for the smallest matters!"

Compared to the laziness and procrastination of officials in the past, which wasted time, Song Ye's decisive and efficient implementation of the new policies was seen by all the people as an indisputable and impeccable perfect answer.

At the same time, the county government...

"Excellent, three months! That's truly impressive!" Xiao He turned his head, not forgetting to flatter his leader as well: "My lord, don't you agree? This Prime Minister Song on the sky screen, like you, is a man of action! Both of them are quick to get things done!"

The man spoke with great enthusiasm, gesturing wildly as he spoke: "If you ask me, sir, if you were born in De'an County, you could have achieved the same success!"

"..." Song Ye's lips twitched slightly, but he didn't reply.

Is it possible that it's the same person?

Lu Zhi turned her head away, seemingly looking at the vines on the wall, but her shoulders were trembling uncontrollably.

Xiao He, however, remained completely oblivious: "My lord, don't you think the Prime Minister Song on the screen that day looked remarkably like you? Both of you started doing great things in your early twenties, neither of you were afraid of offending people, both of you—"

Song interrupted him, "Is there anything else?"

Xiao He was taken aback for a moment: "Ah? It's nothing, it's just—"

"Then just look at the sky and stop making a fuss."

"Okay, fine!"

In the corner, Lü Shizhi frowned as he watched this scene.

No matter how capable a county magistrate is, he can't be compared to a woman of the ages, can he?

Xiao Gongcao is making a mountain out of a molehill.

Thinking of this, Lü Shizhi suppressed the thought and turned his gaze back to the sky.

[Perfect score, even better than perfect.]

Qin Shi Huang was undoubtedly pleased with this answer.

The new papermaking policy has been successfully implemented, enabling paper to be widely used throughout the country and significantly contributing to the standardization of written language.

The First Emperor was overjoyed and promoted him to the position of Shangshu Shi (尚书史), no longer merely a subordinate official, but officially in charge of the important affairs of the Shangshu department, overseeing all matters related to paper production and literacy education throughout the empire, with all paper mills and literacy instructors in various prefectures under his command.

[At this point, you might think—oh, it's just a promotion.]

However, I must tell you that in the Qin Dynasty, the position of Shangshu Ling (尚书令) was not of high rank; it was a mid-level official under the Shaofu (少府).

In the Qin Dynasty, real power and official rank did not completely correspond. Its true value lay in two points: First, it controlled the circulation of central government documents; all edicts, memorials, and official documents had to pass through the hands of the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. Second, it was granted the special privilege of presenting memorials directly to the emperor, free from the jurisdiction of the Imperial Household Department.

These two additional conditions are the true weight of this edict.

This means that the Song dynasty no longer needed to relay information through anyone, nor was it subject to any authority restrictions. Documents could be delivered directly to the emperor's desk, and affairs in various prefectures could be coordinated within the scope authorized by the emperor.

In other words, although her rank is not high, she has already grasped the most crucial link in the entire Qin administrative system: the entry and exit points for information.

The screen flashed across several frames of court scenes—

Song also stood in the queue, his position a few rows forward than when he first arrived.

The officials around her glanced at her more or less; some looked her up and down, some scrutinized her, and some quietly looked away.

Song lowered his eyes, as if these gazes had merely passed through his location and landed on an open space he had no intention of lingering in.

However, this was not the first time that the First Emperor promoted Song Ye.

[In the following years, she was promoted almost every year, from Minister of the Imperial Secretariat to Assistant Minister of the Imperial Treasury, from Assistant Minister of the Imperial Treasury to Vice Minister of the Censorate, from Vice Minister of the Censorate to Minister of Ceremonies, one of the Nine Ministers, and finally, in the later years of Qin Shi Huang's reign, she was promoted to Prime Minister—the first female Prime Minister in the history of the Qin Dynasty.]

But that's a story for another time.

Throughout the Qin Dynasty, starting from a lowly clerk with a salary of 100 shi (a unit of grain), a person could rise several ranks in just a few years, wielding real power over documents, workshops, and education. Such a rapid promotion was unprecedented in previous dynasties.

Prime Minister Wang Wan: "......."