That Mother was very wealthy was a firm conviction Zhao Mingming and Fu Jingjing had held since childhood. But money could not be used indiscriminately. Even one’s own funds needed to be spent with restraint—this too was education they had received since young.
So when they grew a bit older and began receiving some properties from their parents to manage themselves, elders would sigh, “Back then, Her Majesty had it so difficult. She would split a single copper coin into four parts if she could. Minister Fu would stay up entire nights without sleep, leading people to figure out various ways to earn money for Her Majesty.”
Zhao Mingming and Fu Jingjing both looked disbelieving. “Our Mother Emperor would lack money?”
Impossible, absolutely impossible!
The elders would smile and tell the two young Highnesses, “One year, to save some lamp oil, Her Majesty had people build bonfires and worked on official documents by firelight. That very night the wind was strong, and flying sparks nearly burned the documents on her desk.”
“Moreover, reading by firelight is bad for the eyes. Her Majesty’s current eye problems are mostly from that time.” The elder smiled. “Both Highnesses were born in fortunate times, so you’ve only seen prosperity.”
Fu Jingjing was speechless, but Zhao Mingming thought of the Liaodong campaign.
Liaodong was very impoverished. And from Luoyang to Liaodong, there were many other impoverished places along the way, in her hasty glimpses or places she couldn’t see.
Mother said that just because she couldn’t see something didn’t mean it didn’t exist.
Others could pretend not to see, but she could not, because she was the Crown Princess. She had responsibilities to this nation.
Seeing was her most basic responsibility!
Zhao Mingming asked, “Are there still households in the common realm that cannot afford lamp oil?”
The elder smiled. “Of course there are, quite many in fact.”
Fu Jingjing asked, “Don’t they use electric lights?”
From the electrical generators needed for radio stations to the mining and use of coal, steam technology had developed rapidly. Luoyang had been using electricity for several years now.
But this was in Luoyang. Other places still had very little electricity and were currently still under construction.
Fu Jingjing’s education mostly took place in Luoyang. His education differed from his sister’s. Everything he encountered was the most advanced and best. He could draw electrical diagrams and even independently design the power system for a factory, but he couldn’t use flint and steel to make fire.
Zhao Mingming, however, not only had to stand beside her father listening to him explain how steam was produced to make cars move, but also had to stand in the court hall understanding the officials’ verbal fencing. Furthermore, she had to squat among a group of impoverished common people, making fire with them using flint and steel, breaking apart dried cow dung with her hands to throw into the fire for warmth…
So Zhao Mingming patted her brother’s head. “Wait until I take you to see places without lamp oil. Even if you don’t have to manage these things, you still can’t be like Emperor Hui asking ‘why don’t they eat meat?'”
The common realm was developing rapidly. Zhao Hanzhang’s imperial authority was profound and the people trusted her, so policies could reach the grassroots.
With the recruitment examinations combined with schools, plus the literacy campaign, she could continuously draw talent from among the people, allowing policies to reach the basic levels through these talented individuals.
The nine provinces throughout the realm operated like her own arms. Infrastructure rapidly expanded, agriculture and handicrafts developed quickly, and the people’s lives were much better than before.
At least the vast majority of common people felt content.
But this comparison was with the most difficult times of the past. Zhao Mingming didn’t understand why they should compare with the most suffering times.
“We should compare with happy people, or at the very least with those of average circumstances. Only when everyone feels happy and content compared to those of average circumstances can we claim to have political achievements, right?”
The elder smiled. “Human desires are a bottomless pit, Highness. How can you measure political achievements by whether people’s hearts feel happiness?”
“That’s because you’ve used a minority to define the majority of common people,” Zhao Mingming said. “Having clothing, having food, having shelter, not suffering from hunger and cold—this is the most basic level. Having books to read, caring for our elderly, caring for our young—this is the second level. Reaching this state can be considered happiness.”
“What my mother said is that if she can achieve the first level in her lifetime, that’s acceptable. What I must do is reach the second level.”
The elder’s heart stirred with emotion and he quickly said, “Highness, Her Majesty has already reached the second level. Truly! Now schools are widely established throughout the realm. As long as children reach age seven, they can attend school for five years. Every child in the future will be literate and know arithmetic—this is already caring for the young.”
Last year, the court issued a new decree expanding compulsory education from three years to five years.
Children over age seven must attend school for five years. Tuition fees and book costs were all waived.
The elder felt their great Emperor had long since achieved the second level, but Zhao Mingming knew it was still far from enough.
More than once she had seen certain statistics at her mother’s place. Her mother would point at those statistics and tell her: “Each of these numbers represents a person. As long as one number remains, it means there’s still one person who cannot attend school, cannot learn survival skills from public services provided by the court. This is wrong.”
“And some people aren’t even included in the numbers.”
Mother told Zhao Mingming that the relationship between state and people was like that between parents and children.
When parents love their children, they plan deeply for them.
Teaching them morality and survival skills, making them strong, healthy, long-lived and happy—this was what parents wished for their entire lives, and naturally what the state should wish for as well.
As the sovereign, fulfilling this wish was her responsibility.
So Zhao Mingming had always known what her responsibilities were.
At this moment, she made up her mind. Avoiding others, she told Fu Jingjing, “When I return next time, I’m going to take the recruitment examination.”
Fu Jingjing was stunned and asked, “You want to win top honors?”
Zhao Mingming replied, “Though I’d like to, I know at my age I definitely can’t achieve it. Moreover, taking the exam with this face would produce results that aren’t genuine.”
Fu Jingjing asked, “You’re going to change your face for the exam? How?”
Fu Jingjing naturally wouldn’t suspect his sister was going to have surgery, so his eyes immediately lit up with wild imagination. “A human skin mask?”
Zhao Mingming said, “…You read too many frivolous books. That would be a pig skin mask, but I don’t need a mask. I’ll just take the provincial examination, not the national one.”
As long as it wasn’t in Luoyang, not many people recognized Zhao Mingming. She could easily conceal her identity. What’s more, she had Mother’s assistance as well.
When Zhao Hanzhang heard she wanted to gain experience at the grassroots level, she immediately made arrangements personally.
“Guangzhou, Yangzhou, Jingzhou, Xuzhou, Qingzhou, and also Jizhou, Youzhou, Bingzhou—there are twenty-one provinces throughout the realm. Pick whichever you want. Where do you want to go?”
Zhao Mingming hadn’t expected her mother to be so swift and decisive. She paused before tentatively saying, “Yuzhou?”
“Oh, Yuzhou won’t work,” Zhao Hanzhang said after examining her face. “Too many acquaintances in Yuzhou. You’d be recognized.”
Zhao Mingming then pointed randomly at the map. “Then just any place.”
Zhao Hanzhang looked and smiled slightly. “Xuzhou Province—a fine place. Go ahead.”
So Zhao Mingming became a student from a poor county under Xuzhou Province’s jurisdiction. Travel-worn and dusty, she journeyed with her little companions to Xuzhou to take the provincial recruitment examination.