Ball Ball Cultivation

Qiuqiu gave her a mission: the Empress, also the Mother of the Nation, established an orphanage in each of the nation's 280 counties, providing free care for orphans and abandoned infants until they were twelve years old. They also taught them basic arithmetic, bookkeeping, common Chinese characters, needlework, and self-defense. Upon turning twelve, they could earn a living and give back to the orphanage. The orphanage's financial resources included not only the Empress's private treasury but also donations from families and individuals, whether it was money, food, clothing, or hand-me-downs.

These three hundred orphanages will be assigned to their respective counties and prefectures to establish orphanages. They're now learning from the Empress how to build and manage them, and how to arrange careers for children turning twelve! The Empress is currently at full strength, so don't be too complacent about these good deeds, which are meant to accrue merit for the Emperor and earn him a reputation for kindness and virtue. The Emperor has plenty of money anyway! Who knows where it all comes from?

It was really stolen, the Queen guessed right!

The Emperor was much more cautious about these nearly 400 men. Among them were talents that Xu Jin had secretly cultivated for many years, as well as scholars and patriots that the Jinyiwei had secretly investigated, and various talents in business, water conservancy, and technological innovation. Qiuqiu decided to evaluate them!

Liu Fu announced the rules, the Crown Prince and Prince Xiao reviewed the papers, and the Emperor gave the final review.

First, let everyone present write an argumentative essay. There is no need to quote from classics, use flowery words, or use rhythm and parallelism. You just need to express your own thoughts.

Land was annexed and controlled by aristocratic families. Trade routes were blocked, military operations were hindered, and the emperor's power was weakened.

Then, based on your own experience, write about the thing you are most proud of. It should be practical, like praying for the emperor, being filial to your parents, being friendly to your brothers, or writing a good article and receiving praise from others. Don't write about it.

You can write about how much you earn from doing business, how much efficiency you increase by improving the loom, which reservoir you design and build, and how much the grain production you cultivate increases compared to before. These are good things that benefit the country and the people!

During the two-hour exam, each student realized that this was an opportunity to change their destiny.

Qian Weichao, who was among them, went from being incredulous, hesitant, and waiting to finally become determined and convinced. Seeing the emperor's unparalleled handsome face and ethereal figure, he felt a strong desire to risk his life for the emperor, a celestial being sent by heaven to save the Great Qi Kingdom. Even if it wasn't for revenge, he would be willing to be his queen.

He experienced much hardship in his childhood, traveling extensively as a merchant. His quest for abundant and inexpensive grains for brewing wine required him to traverse the streets and alleys, traversing the fields. He understood the hardships faced by ordinary people, who faced numerous aristocratic families and cramped living conditions, struggling to survive amidst the imperial power and the aristocracy. Aristocratic families were often overbearing, and even those with a clean record would often have a few extravagant sons, further exacerbating the misery of life for the poor and lower-middle peasants.

Li Dafu is a man of few resources. His argumentative essay, written in the beginning, is eloquent and straightforward, but he doesn't really do anything concrete in the latter part. Growing sweet potatoes for the emperor is his most impressive feat, so he only mentions it briefly. The rest of the essay describes his interviews with knowledgeable people and his successful recommendations.

Zhu Qiao really has something to say. He is a good candidate for the Ministry of Works and a capable and pragmatic minister!

The few people trained by Xu Jin also have their own strengths and weaknesses. Most of them are dissatisfied with the fact that the aristocratic families now control most of the government! This is also what Xu Jin secretly instructed during the training process.

Through this test, the emperor and the prince realized the talents of these poor students, but many things they learned were still very immature!

In addition to chanting sutras and praying for blessings every morning, you can also go to the library to borrow books from all over the world. Before the 100-day prayer is over, there is also an assessment, hoping to make progress.

What happened next shook the court and the nation. The Imperial Guards protected the palace, and 50,000 troops were secretly dispatched from the Western Hills Camp to blockade the capital. Soldiers in armor could be seen everywhere, at the four city gates, on the eight main streets, and along the roads in the ten districts.

The Dragon Guard, Phoenix Guard, and Embroidered Uniform Guard were almost all out, walking around the residences of the princes and ministers, arresting people according to the emperor's orders. The Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple's jails were all overcrowded!

All those who participated in poisoning the emperor and empress have been thoroughly investigated by the Jinyiwei and the Dragon and Phoenix guards over the past three years, and the evidence is conclusive!

Nearly half of the court officials were imprisoned, and some officials who had been transferred to other places were also on the way to be escorted.

The tedious trial process then began. Those without official positions were interrogated by the Dragon Guard, Phoenix Guard, Embroidered Uniform Guard, and eunuchs from the Imperial Household Department. These individuals could be tortured and interrogated, along with palace maids directly or indirectly involved, trusted servants of the aristocratic families, and even uneducated and uneducated dandies with several lives to their credit.

After a period of torture, almost everyone confessed. The stories told by those dandies who bullied men and women and murdered countless people were unbelievable! As for the palace maids and trusted servants who participated in the poisoning of the emperor and empress, they were the real executors. Many of the poisons were found by these trusted servants. Even if they were not involved, they were knowledgeable! Moreover, the Jinyiwei also wanted to know the secrets of the master's property and private vaults! This would facilitate the future house search.

Only a few could withstand the combined interrogation of the Ministry of Punishment and the Imperial Guards without giving in! Finally, they used their family's weak spots as a threat, leaving only one tough opponent. Qiuqiu pulled out a little rosemary from his storage ring and asked everything he wanted to know! And he was the mastermind!

With these lower-level officials' testimonies, the next interrogation officials were the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple, who jointly presided over the trial. The Prince's Grand Tutor, the Prince's Grand Protector, and the Royal Family's Grand Prince Jing were also present. Officials of the third rank and above were interrogated. Officials below the third rank were jointly interrogated by the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple, with the Crown Prince and Prince Xiao as observers.

The trial result has been announced: the eighth son of the late emperor, Prince Xian, failed in his bid for the throne and was left with a disability in one leg, making it difficult for him to walk without a sway. However, because he withdrew in time and was a victim, he was given the title of Prince Xian and has lived safely to this day. He did not lose much of his power in the bid for the throne, so he lay dormant.

Although Emperor Xu Jin was physically weak, he was extremely intelligent and not someone who could be easily schemed against. In addition, his physical disability almost cut off his chances of ascending the throne.

After ascending the throne, Xu Jin painstakingly worked his way through the alliances of the various aristocratic families, slowly gaining power. Unexpectedly, after assuming power, Xu Jin quietly began to eradicate the aristocratic families. Many discovered this fact, prompting the aristocratic families to unite and resist. The Empress Dowager, also from an aristocratic family, faced pressure from her family to support her youngest son's ascension to the throne. However, Concubine Xian, the Empress Dowager's niece, had been unable to conceive for years. They only chatted under the covers; it was unbelievable that they had children! Prince Xian exploited Concubine Xian's desire for children and successfully cuckolded Xu Jin! The Third Prince was surprisingly the Prince Xian's child!

The next step was to find a colorless, odorless poison that would slowly weaken and kill, aiming for a silent death. The Empress's actions were relatively successful. The Emperor's control was extremely tight, and he was incredibly intelligent, so any slight movement would be discovered. Finally, they set their sights on the Empress Dowager. Although the Emperor was indifferent and distant to everyone, he still had a sense of filial piety towards the Empress Dowager, visiting her every day to chat and exchange a few words. The Empress Dowager poisoned the Emperor's tea in her palace!