Hot flashes

The Shandong Provincial Treasurer was sentenced to immediate execution. His confiscated property was confiscated and added to the national treasury.

The second person investigated was the River Conservancy Commissioner, surnamed Wu, who was also a veteran official. He had worked on the river for twenty years and handled countless sums of money.

The investigation revealed that he had embezzled 800,000 taels of silver.

Eight hundred thousand taels.

Zhou Heng was speaking with Xiao Jue in the Qianqing Palace when he heard the number. Xiao Jue's face remained expressionless; he simply nodded.

"Anything else?" he asked.

The official from the Ministry of Justice lowered his head and continued reading. In the river management office, from the governor-general to the lowest-ranking officials, almost everyone was corrupt. Every penny spent on dike repairs, materials, and salaries was used to rip off a layer of skin.

The Yellow River breaches its banks every year, not because of the large volume of water, but because those banks are made of paper.

On the day of the raid, the Governor-General's residence was completely surrounded. More items were brought out than those of the Shandong Provincial Treasurer. The gold bars alone, hidden in his secret room, filled twenty chests.

The River Conservancy Commissioner was sentenced to immediate execution. His confiscated property was deposited into the national treasury.

The third, the fourth, the fifth...

One after another, they fell down like dominoes.

Those who embezzled had their homes confiscated. Those who didn't embezzle were terrified. Some who weren't caught rushed to the Ministry of Justice that very night to confess, fearing it would be too late if they were late.

During those days, Zhou Heng went in and out of the Qianqing Palace and saw the memorials that Xiao Jue had reviewed, each one thicker than the last. But Xiao Jue's face remained expressionless. After reviewing them, he would put down his pen and go about his business.

One day, Zhou Heng couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you tired?"

Xiao Jue raised his head and looked at him.

"I'm tired," he said.

Zhou Heng waited for him to continue.

Xiao Jue did not say anything.

He simply reached out, pulled Zhou Heng into his arms, and hugged him for a while.

Then he released him and continued reviewing memorials.

The first batch of cases involving corrupt officials have been tried.

A total of 32 corrupt officials were investigated. The confiscated assets, converted into silver, amounted to more than 2.3 million taels.

Zhou Heng was stunned for a long time when he heard the number.

Two million three hundred thousand taels.

Enough to run a school for a year.

After Xiao Jue finished reviewing the last memorial, he looked up at Zhou Heng.

"What's up?"

Zhou Heng walked over and stood in front of him.

"I want to get started with folding paper."

Xiao Jue looked at him.

"What folding?"

Zhou Heng said: "The proposal for running schools. County schools, prefectural schools, and provincial schools, three levels of schools. In addition to the Four Books and Five Classics, the curriculum will include mathematics, geography, and history. Teachers will be selected from all over the country, and those who are willing to come will be paid a salary by the imperial court. Students will not be charged tuition fees, and will even be provided with a meal."

Xiao Jue remained silent.

Zhou Heng continued, "Didn't you resolve the money issue? Two million three hundred thousand taels is enough to run for a year. We'll talk about next year later. But the school needs to be set up first."

Xiao Jue looked at him.

Then he spoke.

"Have you thought it through?"

Zhou Heng nodded.

Xiao Jue reached out and pulled him into his arms.

Zhou Heng pressed his face against his chest, hearing the steady, powerful heartbeat there.

"Aheng," Xiao Jue's voice came from above, "Do whatever you want to do."

September 25th, morning court session.

Zhou Heng stepped forward, holding a scepter. His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"Your subject has a memorial to present."

The hall fell silent.

Zhou Heng said, "I request that a new school be established."

He pulled a folded booklet from his sleeve, unfolded it, and read it aloud, word by word.

County school. Prefectural school. Provincial school. Three levels of schools, progressing step by step.

In addition to the Four Books and Five Classics, mathematics, geography, and history were added.

Students are not charged tuition fees, but are provided with one meal.

The gentleman was selected to serve in the imperial court, and the court provided him with a salary.

Each and every one of them, clearly and distinctly.

After the reading was finished, the hall fell into a deathly silence.

Then, someone spoke up.

"Lord Zhou," said Zhao Xun, Vice Minister of Rites, "how much does your school cost per year?"

Zhou Heng looked at him.

"Preliminary estimate: two million taels per year."

A collective gasp filled the court.

Zhao Xun sneered, "Two million taels? How much tax does the national treasury collect in a year? Is Lord Zhou suggesting the court throw all its silver into schools?"

Zhou Heng remained silent.

Zhao Xun continued, "Besides, can those poor students afford to study? Even if the court doesn't charge tuition, don't their families need help with the work? If they go to school, who will farm their land?"

Zhou Heng looked at him.

"Lord Zhao," he said, "you're right. It's true that when children from poor families go to school, their families will have one less breadwinner. But have you ever considered that with their education, they can become officials, do other jobs, and earn more money to support their families?"

Zhao Xun was taken aback.

Zhou Heng continued, "Besides, farm work can be done in the morning, at night, or during the off-season. Time for studying can always be squeezed out if you really want."

There was a moment of silence in the imperial court.

Someone else spoke up. It was Xu Jing, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy.

"Lord Zhou," he said, "what use are the things you teach in your school—mathematics, geography, history—all of these?"

Zhou Heng looked at him.

"Master Xu," he said, "do you think he's useless?"

Xu Jingdao said, "Governing a country and ensuring its stability relies on the classics, history, philosophy, and literature—the way of the sages. Mathematics and geography are merely minor and miscellaneous studies; what's the point of learning them?"

Zhou Heng nodded.

"Master Xu is right," he said. "Governing a country and ensuring its stability certainly requires the classics, history, philosophy, and literature, and the way of the sages. But have you ever considered how someone who can't even keep accounts can manage a county? How can someone who can't even read a map govern a region?"

He paused.

"You say mathematics is a lowly and miscellaneous subject. But the Ministry of Revenue needs mathematics for accounting. The Ministry of Works needs mathematics for dike repair. The Ministry of War needs mathematics for grain transport. Without mathematics, how would these people get things done?"

Xu Jing's expression changed.

Zhou Heng did not stop.

"You say geography is a minor, miscellaneous subject. But the first thing a local official does upon taking office is look at a map. Where are the mountains, where are the rivers, where are the roads, where are the cities—how can you know without looking at the map?"

The court was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Zhou Heng looked at those people.

"My lords," he said, "you are all scholars. The books you have read have taught you how to govern. But have you ever considered who wrote those books?"

No one answered.

Zhou Heng answered himself: "It was written by our predecessors. Our predecessors were also human, not gods. They could write books, and so can later generations. What they knew, later generations can also know."

His gaze swept across the faces of those people one by one.

"Mathematics, geography, and history—these are not trivial or miscellaneous subjects. They are the wisdom left by our ancestors. If you don't study them, others will. Once you learn them, you can get things done. If you do things well, you can get ahead."

He paused.

"This is the school I want to establish."

The hall was deathly silent.

Xiao Jue sat on the throne and finally spoke.

"Zhou Heng".

Zhou Heng turned around and knelt down.

Xiao Jue looked at him.

"I have read your memorial."

Zhou Heng kept his head down.

Xiao Jue said, "Establishing a school is not something that can be done in a day. Let's start in the capital and try it out. If it succeeds, then we can expand it to other places."

Zhou Heng raised his head.

Xiao Jue looked at him.

"Granted."

Those two words fell like two stones hitting water.

The imperial court was in an uproar again.

But Xiao Jue didn't listen anymore.

He stood up and walked towards the back hall.