Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 484 Extra Chapter: The School

In the spring of the sixth year of the Zhaoyuan era, the emperor ordered the expansion of the army.

The Beiping Army had a quota of 30,000, while the Liaoxi Army, Guangning Army, and Fanyang Army had a quota of 20,000. The remaining armies also had expanded quotas.

The Pei family army, directly under the emperor's command, had a fixed strength of 100,000, of which 20,000 were cavalry.

Such a massive expansion of the army would consume an astronomical amount of money and supplies. The wealth accumulated by the new dynasty over the past few years was almost completely depleted.

The entire court quickly began to operate around this major issue of expanding the army.

Fashionable books are worn out from early morning to late at night, and Minister Meng even moved directly into the Ministry of War's office.

The Ministry of Works was also busy. With the expansion of the army, the need to manufacture weapons and armor meant a greater demand for pig iron and craftsmen. These were all tasks assigned to the Ministry of Works.

The civil officials were also busy. Prime Minister Pang, concurrently serving as Minister of Personnel, was tasked with reorganizing former officials in Luoyang and overseeing the operation of the vast bureaucratic system. The Ministry of Justice was responsible for clearing up backlogged cases and formulating more comprehensive and suitable new laws for the dynasty, building upon existing ones.

Minister Qin of the Ministry of Rites was responsible for implementing one of the most important aspects of the new policies: ordering local government offices to establish schools so that children over eight years old could attend for free.

This is easier said than done.

Education has always been an expensive affair. Building schools costs money, hiring teachers costs money, and writing implements are also costly. A portion of taxes is retained by the government, which officials have long considered their private funds; they are unwilling to use it to build schools.
The emperor also wanted to establish schools for girls, allowing them to attend school together. This involved local customs and traditions, and many people were unwilling to send their daughters to school.

An eight-year-old girl can do some simple housework at home, take care of her younger siblings, and is very useful.

What's the point of reading?
What is the use?

Why bother studying when you can get married at fifteen or sixteen?
In the north, it was common for women to serve in the military. Once in the Pei family army, they were required to learn to read and write. Outstanding female soldiers received a monthly stipend and were highly valued within the Pei family army. Generals like Pei Yun and Pei Yan were a given, and even Gu Lian, who came from a bandit background, became a commander. There was a woman named Zhao Hehua, Pei Yun's most trusted subordinate. While Pei Yun was stationed in Luoyang, she left Zhao Hehua to govern Bohai County, making her the official governor of Bohai.

In the north, there was almost no resistance to setting up schools. Government officials even went to people's homes to persuade them to send their girls to school.

In the south, it was much more difficult to implement. Fortunately, with Luoyang, Xin'an, Danyang, and Pengcheng prefectures taking the lead, the matter was able to proceed slowly.

Here we must mention Pei Wan, the prefect of Danyang County. This young woman, a direct descendant of the Pei clan, established schools in all the counties of Danyang County, providing a daily lunch. Her method was simple yet effective, greatly encouraging the people to send their girls to school. Sending them to school saved their families a meal; saving daily, monthly, and yearly amounts to considerable savings!
Moreover, the girls' school in Danyang County has monthly assessments, and those who get the top grade are rewarded with two catties of grain.

Tuition is free, lunch is provided, and those who do well even receive a stipend. Who wouldn't like such a good thing?
The girls were repeatedly instructed to study diligently when they arrived at school, and to strive to bring back two catties of grain every month.

Most of the wealthy families in Danyang County were killed, and tens of thousands of acres of fertile land were confiscated, yet they still had no shortage of money and grain. Pei Wan then invested heavily in the schools.

Pei Yue and Pei Yu were extremely envious, but unfortunately, Xin'an County was still clearing out the remnants of the Jiangnan Army, and Pengcheng County had a fierce and unruly populace, each with its own difficulties.

Luoyang Prefecture presented a completely different picture. As the former capital of a dynasty, despite having endured numerous wars, it still boasted a large number of officials, prominent families, and wealthy merchants.

Pei Yun established schools in Luoyang, and those who considered themselves noble families were willing to send their daughters and granddaughters to school. However, they had reservations about ordinary girls attending as well. In their view, with so many girls' schools already established, it would be better to set up schools at different levels. In short, they believed there should be separate schools for aristocratic girls and schools for ordinary girls.

Pei Yun completely ignored these complaints and nonsense, and was once again the subject of gossip among the wealthy families. They dared not speak ill of Emperor Zhaoyuan, but instead focused their enthusiasm for gossiping on Pei Yun.

Women leading troops, serving as officials in the imperial court, marrying into families but not bearing children—all of these actions defy common sense and social norms.

Hearing these gossips, Pei Yun sneered, "These people are still longing for the good old days when they were high above the commoners, and they're full of resentment towards the change of dynasty and the rise of women in power. They dare not discuss the emperor, but they gossip about me behind my back. They don't even dare to say anything to my face. How despicable and laughable!"

His bodyguard was indignant: "I'll lead a group to arrest a few, lock them up in jail, and make an example of them."

Pei Yun replied, "You can shut them up, but can you control what they're thinking? There's no need to pay them any mind. I've already written to the Emperor to hold a women's examination next year. Whoever passes will be granted an official position."

"Don't be fooled by their loud pronouncements; if there were a real opportunity to take the imperial examinations and become an official, they certainly wouldn't let it slip by."

“When their daughters, daughters-in-law, and granddaughters become officials in the Republic of China and bring glory to their families, they will naturally turn their carriages and horses to support us.”

After receiving Pei Yun's letter, Pei Qinghe couldn't help but smile: "My cousin Pei Yun and I have the same idea. We don't need to wait until next year. We'll hold the women's examination this September. Those in the north will take the exam in Yan County, and those in the south will go to Luoyang. We can select two hundred female officials for the first exam. Let's make a splash and let the people of the whole country see that women can still be useful through education. They can still become officials and earn salaries to support their families."

Then, he summoned Minister Qin to discuss the matter.

Minister Qin bowed and suggested, "Since the Emperor intends to hold a special imperial examination, why not hold one for men as well? Two hundred men and two hundred women should be selected as officials. This would reduce resistance and controversy, and make the implementation of the special imperial examination smoother."

Opening only a women's department would make scholars across the land think that the emperor was going to overturn the established moral order and allow women to seize the path to officialdom from men.

Changing customs and traditions must be done gradually and not hastily.

Pei Qinghe thought for a moment and smiled, "Minister Qin is right. Regardless of gender, I am willing to employ anyone who is talented and virtuous."

Minister Qin breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that the emperor was willing to accept advice, and smiled with a relaxed expression: "I will immediately summon the officials of the Ministry of Rites to draft the documents and detailed rules for the special imperial examination."

Emperor Pei Qinghe was responsible for setting the direction and making decisions, but the specific details had to be handled by the Ministry of Rites.

Half a month later, Emperor Zhaoyuan issued an imperial edict, announcing to the world that a special imperial examination would be held in September to select officials. Men with the title of Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examination) could participate, while this was the first time a women's examination would be held, with no entry requirements; anyone could register. Two hundred people would be selected for each category.

As expected, the news sparked a great deal of interest.

Female soldiers in the barracks could also participate in the imperial examinations for official appointments. There were more than 10,000 female soldiers in the north, and they were all eager to try.

In prominent families in the south, there were quite a few women with talent and learning, and their minds became increasingly active.

(End of this chapter)