Zhao Cheng’s lips trembled. He said in a low voice, “Unyielding to fate will give rise to much ambition. Even so, is Your Majesty willing?”
Zhao Hanzhang smiled. “Minister Zhao underestimates me too much. The teaching materials don’t contain only this one point. What the materials teach them in terms of morality, the foremost is loyalty, righteousness, benevolence and filial piety.”
Zhao Cheng finally understood why their teaching materials couldn’t pass—they emphasized loyalty and filial piety but seldom mentioned benevolence and righteousness, much less perseverance and unyielding spirit.
Adding the requirement to make learning enjoyable, Zhao Cheng lowered his eyes. It seemed they would have to find corresponding historical allusions themselves to compile into the teaching materials, best if they could also connect with the ‘Thousand Character Classic’ and ‘Analects’ and such. This way it would also be catchy and easy to memorize.
Oh, and love of learning—they also had to teach children the pathways and methods for studying…
Zhao Cheng took a deep breath. Indeed, the responsibility was heavy and the road long. It seemed to understand children’s capacity to absorb, they still had to go to the countryside to teach a round personally. Best would be to have teachers from various regions also write draft teaching materials to submit. After all, those who understood those children best were naturally the teachers who personally taught them.
Zhao Cheng respectfully withdrew to continue the meeting.
Zhao Hanzhang watched him leave, then leaned back in her chair to continue resting and sunbathing.
Two quarter-hours passed. Ting He timely reminded, “Your Majesty should go inside.”
Zhao Hanzhang then took Ting He’s hand to rise, instructing her, “Make a note—every year a sum of money must come from the inner treasury to print books to send to rural schools, having them establish a reading pavilion within the school. Whether students or villagers, as long as their fingernails are clean they can be permitted to enter the reading pavilion to look at books.”
Ting He acknowledged, indicating she had remembered and would file it with Wang Huifeng upon return. This could be implemented this very year.
Zhao Hanzhang released Ting He’s hand and strode toward the rear palace, planning to take an afternoon nap before getting up to work.
Thanks to last year’s bountiful harvest, although her national and private treasuries still had no surplus, the major debts were basically repaid, and she could guarantee officials’ salaries. She wasn’t as anxious as before.
Guo Pu said this year’s celestial phenomena showed no major natural disasters.
How delightful! Zhao Hanzhang returned to the rear palace and slept for half a period.
Wang Hao, dozing in the corner, suddenly snapped his eyes open, finally detecting the abnormality in Zhao Hanzhang these past days.
Waiting at the side, Lai Qing’s eyes also flickered slightly, sensing something. The two couldn’t help exchanging a glance, but immediately looked away without showing anything.
One was an Historiographer with professional integrity, the other an inner servant dependent on the Emperor for survival. Even if they glimpsed a secret, they dared not reveal it.
The information around Zhao Hanzhang was tightly sealed. Even Wang Hao and Lai Qing who followed her daily, seeing she still exercised every day but had merely changed morning spear and sword practice to the Five Animal Frolics;
That daily afternoon naps had extended from two quarter-hours to half a period; that she liked to discuss matters with ministers in pavilions where the sun could shine each morning—they couldn’t confirm their thoughts.
Not until the fifth month, when summer harvests and summer planting in various regions successively concluded, with reported data very good—this year’s summer harvest south of the Yellow River counted as bountiful, with Yuzhou Province alone producing grain sufficient to feed one-third of the entire Hua nation.
Guo Pu said this year was still a good year.
And in the fifth month two more rains fell, filling the newly established rice paddies with water. Farmers were delighted, the court was delighted. Zhao Ming and Changning calculated the money and grain in the treasury, finally approving several regions’ applications to hire people to build roads, repair irrigation ditches and such.
Zhao Hanzhang persisted in lightening corvée labor, so when the court did these things, it had to spend money to hire people.
Zhao Ming and Changning had barely approved the documents when Zhao Hanzhang announced joyful news—she was pregnant. The nation would have an heir.
Zhao Ming froze for a moment, then was wildly joyful, his face unable to suppress his smile. “Congratulations Your Majesty! Felicitations Minister Fu! This is great joy for the nation—there should be a general amnesty!”
The full court of civil and military officials immediately responded, agreeing, greatly delighted.
Not only Zhao Ming—Ji Yuan and Ming Yu were so moved they nearly shed tears.
Fu Tinghan seated to Zhao Hanzhang’s left had also been excited. Although he had known long ago, when Zhao Hanzhang announced it to the court, his heart still couldn’t help beating violently for quite a while.
When he calmed down, he discovered the full court of civil and military officials were all more excited than him. Several simply lifted their sleeves to wipe tears, faces full of emotion and excitement.
Fu Tinghan thought: Why were they all more excited than him, the husband?
How could they not be excited?
The Emperor had an heir! This meant the dynasty was more stable.
Heaven alone knew how worried they’d been these three years. The Emperor and Fu Tinghan had been married three years yet there was no news at all.
Particularly, the Emperor advocated monogamy and was the first to comply, making them reluctant to inquire.
Was it that the Emperor couldn’t, or that Fu Tinghan couldn’t?
If Fu Tinghan couldn’t, that was still acceptable—they could take more imperial husbands. But what if the Emperor couldn’t?
This was also one reason why Zhao Erlang was especially popular and favored. As long as the Emperor had no heir, they would watch Zhao Erlang. As for adoption and such, naturally Zhao Erlang’s children were closest.
Now it was good—the Emperor had an heir!
The ministers raised proposals for general amnesty one after another.
Zhao Hanzhang refused general amnesty but proposed bestowing grace.
The concept of general amnesty had existed since the Zhou dynasty, forming fixed institutions during the Han dynasty.
Whenever emperors ascended the throne, established crown princes, established empresses, or had other joyful events or major natural disasters, they liked to grant general amnesty to the realm.
Of course, general amnesties were selective, basically exempting some light criminals from punishment—for instance, those imprisoned for theft, failure to pay taxes, brawling and such; as well as some elderly and children also on the exemption list.
Death row inmates would have sentences reduced.
There were good aspects, but in Zhao Hanzhang’s view, the disadvantages outweighed benefits. First was destroying legal fairness. She hoped the Hua nation could govern by law with virtue as foundation, so she didn’t want to continue this practice.
But this was indeed joyful national news, so she was willing to bestow grace.
This was also an institution formed during the Han dynasty, often used together with general amnesty.
It meant rewarding filial children and grandchildren, chaste women, righteous husbands and such with gifts. However, Zhao Hanzhang’s requirements changed—she wanted to reward were outstanding filial children, benevolent and righteous people, as well as retired veterans, especially disabled soldiers.
Zhao Hanzhang generously said, “This money will come from the inner palace.”
That is, from the private treasury.
Conveniently the second quarter funds had arrived—the private treasury had money.
The officials thought about it—anyway, whether general amnesty or bestowing grace counted as praying for the child in the belly. Most critically, the child was in Zhao Hanzhang’s belly. They naturally wouldn’t anger her over such matters, so they agreed.
Fu Tinghan breathed a sigh of relief. After court dismissed, walking hand in hand with Zhao Hanzhang toward the rear palace, he said, “Seeing their reluctant faces, I thought they would argue with you.”
Zhao Hanzhang smiled slyly. “Just watch—for the next several months they won’t dare anger me too much.”
However, in the latter half of the year before last and throughout last year, most reform proposals had been debated. They had passed the period of greatest impact. Now it seemed they had no major disputes to argue about.
Zhao Hanzhang couldn’t say whether she felt more relief or regret.