Rebirth of the Ming Dynasty: Sixth Generation of Glory, I don't want it

"That's different. What about people outside the capital? People living under the emperor's feet are well-informed, of course, but outsiders are not. Just like when we went to Mobei this time, Timur asked me if I had a big clock. But wall clocks are popular in our capital."

Zhu Zhanji was talking with great enthusiasm.

Zhang Xin silently took a small gadget off his waist and handed it to Zhu Zhanji.

As soon as Zhu Zhanji got started, he immediately frowned.

A few years ago, Zhang Xin drew a blueprint and asked a watchmaker to make a palm-sized pocket watch.

"I'm being unsophisticated again, right?"

"No, I got it last month. This thing is too small, and the gears are difficult to make. A skilled watchmaker can only make one or two a year. Your grandfather made one, your grandmother made one, your father made one, and your mother made one. That's it. Yours, wait a little longer?"

"..."

Zhu Zhanji was speechless.

"If you think the Beijing News can do it, why don't you ask your father and grandfather? If it's okay, you can take charge of it."

Zhang Xin felt a little embarrassed, as if she had hit her son again, and quickly tried to make up for it.

"My grandpa was beaten!"

Zhu Zhanji replied without thinking.

"..."

This time it was Zhang Xin's turn to be upset.

"Come with me later, mom."

Zhu Zhanji was not nervous even if he let the secret slip, because his mother was very tight-lipped anyway.

"I'm afraid it won't be done in a short time. It won't be good if your grandfather's face is bruised and black. We'll go when your grandmother arranges someone. You should run errands for me now."

Zhang Xin denied it, and directly opened several booklets on the table and began to explain everything to Zhu Zhanji one by one.

"Tell Consort Xie to check these people again. Those without any problems will be promoted to be managers. These few will be arrested and sent to the mines. As for the few who are really unbearable, they will be beaten to death in front of everyone. When the time comes, you will take people to confiscate the family property, and ask Consort Xie to make another account book for the things they have confiscated, and give it to those who are truly honest in the future. And--"

"Okay, my son is leaving..."

Not long after Zhu Zhanji left, Zhu Gaochi came back.

Zhang Xin briefly mentioned the Beijing News, and Zhu Gaochi thought it was a good idea.

"Didn't you start the community schools again two years ago? There are more than 5,000 community schools in the country, and many ordinary people can read a little. It's time to let everyone know what the court is doing."

"It's only been two years. Maybe it would be better if it were later."

Zhang Xin always feels pessimistic.

In the eighth year of Hongwu, my grandfather opened a community school, but it was closed after a few years. It was not until the eighteenth year of Hongwu that it was reopened, but it still did not work out.

She was still unsure when she took over this time.

"It's different. My royal grandfather always did things on impulse, and there was no way he could succeed!"

The more Zhu Gaochi learned about what his royal grandfather had done, the more he felt that it was impossible to evaluate.

In the eighth year of Hongwu, an imperial decree was issued throughout the country to establish community schools. Every fifty households in prefectures, states, and counties were to set up one community school to enroll children and teenagers aged eight to fifteen.

After entering school, students first learn "Three Character Classic", "Hundred Family Names", "Thousand Character Classic", etc., and then learn knowledge of classics, history, calendar, and mathematics. At the same time, they must also read "Imperial Edict" and Ming Dynasty laws and regulations, and also learn social etiquette.

There is nothing wrong with this decree when viewed on its own. It is just that the emperor's grandfather wants everyone to be able to read and write and to popularize education.

What a good starting point.

But, what is the actual situation?

After the emperor issued the decree, various places responded and community schools sprang up like mushrooms after rain.

According to the records of that year, in the eighth year of Hongwu, 2,155 community schools were built throughout the Ming Dynasty.

He flattered the emperor's grandfather very well.

But the emperor did not provide any financial or personnel support, only verbal praise.

It is easy for local government offices to handle it, but they do not have the financial resources to maintain it.

What to do if you can’t afford it.

Only tuition fees can be collected.

In the end, those who have no money still cannot afford to go to school, and those who have money do not bother to go to community schools.

But the emperor's grandfather also included this matter in the political achievements of local officials.

In other words, if there are no students studying in the community school, the official will receive a bad year-end evaluation. In order to achieve political achievements and get promoted, local governments began to force people to pay for schooling.

For ordinary families, children aged eight to fifteen are a very important labor force. They can farm, work, and help support the family.

As a result, I was forced to go to school and had to spend extra money from my family.

This money is not just for tuition, but also for clothes, shoes, pens, ink, paper and inkstone for school.

The people are complaining.

So in the 13th year of Hongwu, the community school was closed and reorganized.

It was not until the 16th year of Hongwu that the Emperor's grandfather allowed the restoration of community schools and required officials not to interfere in order to prevent fraud.

How can local governments be enthusiastic about running schools if the job is not linked to political achievements?

It was the end of the Hongwu period.

Most of the community schools are abandoned.

Only in some relatively wealthy counties and towns, local gentry donated school land, and used the output from the school land to support students and teachers.

In remote and poor areas, it is impossible to go to community school.

Two years ago, when Zhang Xin wanted to do some good deeds to give back to the people of the Ming Dynasty because of the abundant treasury, he brought up the issue of community schools.

Xu allocated one million strings of cash specifically for this purpose.

To be honest, Zhu Gaochi felt that the current number of more than 5,000 community schools was not too many.

The local government had been cheated by the emperor's grandfather before, and was afraid of not getting any money, so it was waiting and watching.

After the spring ploughing this year, it is estimated that there will be a large number of local memorials requesting funds to reopen community schools.

This is not the only weird thing that my great grandfather did.

In July of the seventh year of the Hongwu reign, my great-grandfather issued an imperial decree to local officials in the capital, asking them to find a piece of vacant land and build 260 tiled houses for the homeless people of Nanjing.

In August of the same year, he issued another imperial decree to the officials of Huating County, asking them to renovate the nursing home left over from the Song Dynasty and allow the homeless people of Huating County to live there after the renovation.

After these two decrees were issued, local officials in the capital and Huating County quickly implemented them.

The Emperor's grandfather deeply felt that the government's orders were well-understood and the royal family was mighty.

So at the end of the same year, the court issued an edict: "Order all counties and prefectures to visit the poor, provide food and clothing to those who have no one to turn to, and provide houses to those who have no one to rely on."

After Zhu Gaochi read this record, he began to like his father a lot better. At least he wasn't so crazy!!!

"No one speaks of their elders like that."

Zhang Xin knew from Zhu Gaochi's expression that he was complaining, so she patted him lightly.

Zhu Gaochi didn't care and continued to complain.

"To be honest. My father has that kind of attitude. If it weren't for my mother who knows a little bit about economics and human relations, I don't know how many ridiculous things he would have done. The emperor's grandfather's pillar of support is really crooked."

"Times have changed. Grandfather's intention was good. Now that we are organizing this event, it can be regarded as fulfilling his original intention. It also saves the court from always using the ancestral etiquette to pressure others. Grandfather didn't have much education at that time, so it's normal that he didn't think things through."

Zhang Xin knows from her own experience that some things cannot be generalized.

"Our Zhang Dahua has a kind heart."

Zhu Gaochi leaned forward and kissed Zhang Xin, expressing his emotion.