The Second World in Ancient Times

Your Majesty and I were discussing the next steps of the new policy in the Imperial Study, and my heart was filled with anticipation for the future development of the country.

"Your Majesty, now that the new policy has begun to show results, we should strike while the iron is hot and further deepen the reform." I said with a firm gaze.

His Majesty nodded slightly. "My beloved concubine, what you said is very true. Could you please tell me how to deepen this?"

I thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, regarding the economy, industrial upgrading and transformation are imminent. Take the textile industry, for example. While our current textile technology can meet basic needs, it still lags behind other countries. We can organize our craftsmen to research more advanced textile machinery to improve textile efficiency and product quality. This is like modern industrial upgrading, enhancing industrial competitiveness through technological innovation."

I turned to look at the Minister of Industry and asked, "Sir, do you think there are any difficulties in developing this textile machinery?"

The Minister of Works bowed and said, "Your Majesty, there are certainly difficulties. This research and development requires a great deal of manpower, material resources, and time. Furthermore, the craftsmen's knowledge reserves are limited, and they find it difficult to understand some of the complex mechanical principles."

I said, "Sir, regarding manpower, we can call upon the nation's brightest and most skilled craftsmen to focus on research and development. Regarding material resources, the court will fully support us by providing the necessary metals, wood, and other materials. As for the lack of knowledge, we can have the craftsmen collaborate with scholars in the court who understand mechanical engineering, arithmetic, and other subjects to jointly overcome difficulties. At the same time, we can send some young craftsmen to neighboring countries to learn advanced textile technology and draw on their experience. This is like modern international technological exchange and collaborative research and development, drawing on the strengths of others for our own benefit."

Regarding deepening educational reform, I said to Your Majesty, "Your Majesty, the development of education cannot be limited to curriculum innovation and school expansion. We must also focus on teacher training and academic research. We can establish a higher education institution in the capital to train senior teachers and scholars. These institutions should offer different disciplines, such as literature, history, natural sciences, and philosophy, so that students can delve deeper into their studies."

The minister in charge of education asked, "Your Majesty, where do the teachers for this institution of higher learning come from? And how can the quality of academic research be guaranteed?"

I replied, "Sir, the faculty could first be selected from among the country's renowned scholars and experienced teachers. At the same time, we could invite knowledgeable people from foreign countries to teach or lecture, much like modern universities recruit talent. Regarding academic research, we could establish an academic award system, offering generous rewards to scholars with significant research achievements to encourage them to delve deeper into their studies. Furthermore, we could establish a library within the university to house books and documents from ancient and modern times, both Chinese and foreign, for students and scholars to consult and reference, promoting academic exchange and the collision of ideas. This would be similar to modern academic resource sharing and incentive mechanisms, promoting academic progress."

Regarding reforms in the areas of people's livelihood, I said, "Your Majesty, improving people's livelihoods must start with the construction of public service facilities. For example, building a comprehensive drainage system in cities, just like modern urban infrastructure construction, can prevent flooding and improve urban sanitation. In rural areas, building medical stations equipped with basic medical equipment and medicines will allow people to seek medical treatment nearby."

A minister said worriedly: "Your Majesty, the construction of these public service facilities is extremely expensive, and the court finances may not be able to support it."

I said, "Your Excellency, the fiscal problem can be solved through multiple channels. On the one hand, we can adjust the tax structure and appropriately increase the tax rate on high profits brought by commercial prosperity, but it must be reasonable and not suppress business development. On the other hand, we can encourage private investment and provide certain business preferential policies to businesses involved in the construction of public service facilities, such as tax reductions and exemptions for other industries, and priority access to commercial projects. This is like modern public-private partnerships and tax policy adjustments, integrating social resources to jointly improve people's livelihoods."

After hearing this, His Majesty said, "My beloved concubine's plan is very comprehensive. I will work with you, my beloved ministers, to fully implement it."

In the harem, I gathered the concubines and said, "Sisters, the new policy is deepening reforms, and we must actively participate. We can set up small academic seminars in the harem to learn various knowledge and improve our own literacy. At the same time, use your own money to support the construction of public service facilities, such as donating some gold and silver to build medical stations."

One of the concubines asked, "Your Majesty, how should this academic research group proceed?"

I said, "We can first decide on a topic for the seminar, such as poetry appreciation, historical allusions, or health preservation methods. Then we can take turns hosting and sharing our insights and experiences. This would be like a modern interest group study session, where we can exchange ideas and make progress together."

As the reforms deepened, news began to trickle in from various regions. A local official reported, "Your Majesty, at the imperial court's call, local textile craftsmen and scholars have joined forces and begun experimenting with developing new textile machinery. Despite the numerous difficulties, everyone is enthusiastic."

I replied, "Sir, please encourage them to persevere. If necessary, the court will provide more support."

There was also progress in education. The minister in charge of education said, "Your Majesty, preparations for the establishment of a higher education institution in the capital are progressing smoothly. Many scholars, upon hearing of the plans, have expressed their willingness to come and teach or participate in academic research."

I said with relief, "This is a good thing. We must make good preparations to ensure that the school can open as soon as possible and cultivate outstanding talents."

However, some problems also arose in the construction of public service facilities. In order to save costs, some local businessmen cut corners when building drainage systems.

When I learned of this, I said to the Minister of Works, "Your Excellency, this merchant's shoddy workmanship must not be tolerated. We must strengthen project supervision and establish a strict quality inspection system. We could set up a special project supervision team, composed of local officials, artisan representatives, and representatives of the people, to inspect every aspect of the project. If any problems are discovered, they would be immediately ordered to correct them, the merchant would be severely punished, and the relevant officials would be held accountable. This would be like a modern project supervision and quality accountability system, ensuring the quality of public service facilities."

The Minister of Works took the order and left to actively deal with the matter.

In the palace, I continue to think about how to further improve reform measures. Whether it is the upgrading of economic industries, the in-depth development of education or the optimization of people's livelihood facilities, I must rely on modern thinking, knowledge and experience to lay a more solid foundation for the long-term development of the country, so that the country can continue to grow stronger in the wave of reform. I will also continue to write my own glorious chapter on this stage of history and work tirelessly for the well-being of the country and the people.

While addressing the issue of public service infrastructure, I also considered the importance of developing cultural industries for enhancing national strength. I addressed the Minister of Culture, "Your Excellency, the cultural industry can become a new economic growth driver for our dynasty while also promoting our culture. We can develop cultural industries such as opera, calligraphy, painting, and handicrafts. For example, we could establish opera troupes, tour them around the country, and sell opera merchandise; hold calligraphy and painting exhibitions and sell their works; and support handicraft workshops to bring exquisite handicrafts to market. This is similar to the operation of modern cultural and creative industries, promoting the integration of culture and the economy."

The Minister of Culture said, "Your Majesty, the development of the cultural industry requires professional talent to operate it, and experience in marketing is also needed."

I said, "Sir, we can train a group of cultural industry management talents and let them learn business operations and marketing. For marketing, we can use markets and temple fairs for promotional displays. We can also cooperate with merchants and leverage their sales channels. This is similar to the modern cultural industry talent training and market expansion strategy, promoting the prosperity of the cultural industry."

In the harem, I organized the concubines to participate in cultural industry activities. I told them, "Sisters, we can participate in activities such as calligraphy and painting, and opera performances. Our works will not only be appreciated in the palace, but also sold to the market, contributing to the development of the cultural industry. This is like the modern star effect and cultural product creation, contributing to the cultural industry from the harem."

The concubines responded one after another: "Your Majesty, we will work hard to show our talents and contribute to the national cultural industry."

During the process of deepening the new policy, I applied modern thinking, knowledge and experience in all aspects, and actively operated between the palace and the court. From economic innovation to education improvement, from people's livelihood security to cultural prosperity, I tried my best to introduce modern concepts and methods, hoping to enable the country to achieve a qualitative leap in all aspects and stride towards the goal of prosperity. I will also continue to leave my own unique mark of struggle in this long river of history and contribute all my strength to the country's revival and development.

While encouraging the development of the cultural industry, I also considered the role of diplomatic outreach in driving national development. I told the Foreign Minister, "Your Excellency, as our country's strength grows, diplomatic outreach is even more crucial. We can establish friendly relations with more countries and engage in trade, cultural exchange, and scientific and technological cooperation. For example, we could exchange envoys with distant nations, sign trade agreements, and learn from each other's advanced technologies and cultures. This, like modern international relations and cooperation, will enhance our country's international influence and competitiveness."

The Foreign Minister said, "Your Majesty, this diplomatic expansion requires careful balancing of the interests of various countries, and diplomatic etiquette and diplomatic strategy also require meticulous planning."

I said, "Sir, regarding diplomatic etiquette, we can refer to the customs and traditions of various countries and develop a set of etiquette norms that both reflect our dynasty's style and respect other countries. Regarding diplomatic strategy, we should adopt different cooperation methods based on the political, economic, and cultural conditions of each country. For example, we can focus on trade cooperation with resource-rich countries and strengthen cultural exchanges with culturally prosperous countries. This is similar to modern diplomatic etiquette training and diplomatic strategy formulation, ensuring the smooth progress of diplomatic expansion."

In the harem, I also organized learning about diplomatic etiquette and international cultures for the concubines, so they could better interact with foreign envoys' wives. I told them, "Sisters, we too can play an important role in diplomatic settings. Learning about diplomatic etiquette and international cultures will allow us to demonstrate the elegance and tolerance of our dynasty and foster friendships with foreign nations. This is like modern-day cross-cultural communication training and diplomatic assistance, empowering diplomacy from a female perspective."