The wives of the concubines are empresses

The competition arena has been set up, and the officials from the Hanlin Academy are presiding over it.

The middle-aged man, dressed in official uniform, solemnly said, "Dear fellow villagers, the first literacy competition officially begins this morning."

As more and more people came up, the amount of rice paper on the side gradually decreased.

"Please recognize the words." The competition gradually increases in difficulty and is divided into twenty rows, with ten words in each row.

"Please start learning to read."

The paper in front of him read 1234567890. These words are rare and are arranged in the seventh column.

The person answering the question in front of me is a young man. Judging from the clothes he is wearing, he can tell which shop he is a waiter from.

"...five...six...seven...ten." He worked in a bookstore and could barely recognize some simple fonts.

It became more and more difficult as he went on, and his brows furrowed nervously.

There are special officials who register the literacy status on the spot, including the visitor's name, livelihood, and the number of people in the family currently registered.

Shangguan Wanjun held the literacy competition to understand the lives of the lower-class people so that she could better plan what to do next.

The common people can be divided into several levels. There are the common people at the bottom of society, slaves in rich families, literati and scholars, and children of noble families who are both civil and military. They are all part of the common people's population.

"Zhang Er, you have learned 20 characters in total, and you will be rewarded with 4 coins."

The young man called Zhang Er is the waiter of the bookstore.

As the competition began, based on the principle of voluntariness, shop owners from the surrounding areas also joined in.

"I know this one, it reads 'eat'... and this one, it reads 'walk'..."

According to statistics, if you know twelve characters, you can get a reward of one cent for five characters, or only two cents for each character.

But he was also very happy, proving that he still had some skills.

The painters in the distance below the stage were standing on the east and west sides, painting.

Seeing them constantly looking at the stage and the audience, the rice paper was constantly changing, and the people around them felt confused.

"Dude, what are you doing?"

“Painting.”

“…” Everyone knows that it is a painting, and he is not blind.

"I mean, what's the point of saying this?"

The middle-aged male painter glanced at him and said, "The emperor ordered us to paint and record it."

But he was quite proud of it, and as an artist, he finally needed them, as they felt like they were almost gathering dust in the corner.

What people fear most is being worthless, because then they don’t even know why they are alive.

Concubine Wu was very interested in the propaganda, and thinking of the task assigned by the emperor, he came to the two painters again.

"How is it?"

The painters were all accompanied by a guard, so there was no need to worry about safety.

"Sir, I have already finished five paintings."

When going out privately, the emperor would call his concubines "Young Master".

I took a look at the publicity for Concubine Wu and I think it's okay.

"Okay, go ahead."

He went to watch another painter paint. The two painters had different styles, but their paintings were quite suitable for the scene. Concubine Wu nodded in satisfaction.

In the imperial study of the palace, Shangguan Wanjun, who was in class, thought about the painters painting today, and she had an idea in her mind.

After finishing the homework at hand, she asked Master Yun for advice.

"Teacher, I have something to ask you!"

Taifu Yun paused while checking the homework. "Your Majesty, please speak. I am all ears."

"How about setting up a painting department to provide painters for the palace, government offices, and other departments? We can also set up a small department to paint for the people. We can collect a certain amount of money from them, which can also be regarded as a way to replenish the national treasury.

I also want to set up a painter training class in the college. This regulation is applicable to embroidery classes, carpentry classes, mud digging classes, piano, chess, calligraphy and painting classes, and even a military strategy class, management class, arithmetic class and other class categories can be set up to provide talents for various departments. It is also a channel to provide survival skills for the people, and it is also a policy that benefits the country and the people.

Only when the people are well can the country become rich and strong."

After hearing what she said, Master Yun was completely stunned: Is this really a girl who is only fourteen years old?

"Your Majesty, I think this policy is very good. Thank you for considering the people." His tone was a little excited. As a teacher and a subject, he was very pleased that the emperor was so concerned about the country and the people.

Seeing that the teacher had no objection, Shangguan Wanjun smiled.

"Then wait until the painters return to the palace and let's take a look at the paintings together."

Master Yun calmed down and tears welled up in his eyes.

"The minister obeys the order."

As the number of copper coins on the competition stage decreased, many people who received silver coins had smiles on their faces that came from the bottom of their hearts.

As a person who watched the scene directly, I was deeply touched by the propaganda of Concubine Wu.

"Hey, brother, how many words do you know?"

"I only have five, and the reward is one penny."

The young man was a little proud. "Then I have three more cents than you. I know twenty people."

The man next to him chimed in, "There's a writing competition on the 10th of next month. Are you ready?"

"Oops, forgot about that."

"Hey, I can forget about making money."

Before the literacy competition ended, officials from the Hanlin Academy also recruited many students on the spot, from all stages of life.

Official A: "We also had another achievement today. We enrolled 500 students."

"Yes, the emperor values ​​us so much, we might be rewarded."

"I'm looking forward to it."

Concubine Wu went to the palace to meet the emperor with painters and officials from the Hanlin Academy.

Because of the hot summer, everyone's face was covered with sweat.

Shangguan Wanjun glanced at Eunuch Lin, and Eunuch Lin understood and came over.

"emperor."

Shangguan Wanjun whispered in his ear, "Go get some water and a washcloth."

Eunuch Lin understood immediately.

"Yes, I will give the order right away."

Shangguan Wanjun looked at everyone and said, "Please sit down."

It's tiring just standing up in this weather.

"Let me take a look at the paintings of each painter first."

The eight painters presented their paintings one after another, and Shangguan Wanjun and Master Yun picked up each one and carefully examined them.

It is obvious that the styles of the eight painters are slightly different, but they all reflect the atmosphere of the scene and the enthusiasm of the people, which makes people feel happy.

"Your Majesty, they are all quite good, what do you think?"

Shangguan Wanjun nodded in agreement. "Indeed, I think that policy is quite necessary."

Master Yun stroked his short beard and said, "Your Majesty is wise."

The officials below were confused: What are the emperor and the tutor talking about?

At this time, several palace maids came up to a dozen people with washbasins. The ministers were confused, and Eunuch Lin explained with a smile.

"You all have worked hard, the Emperor wants you to wash your faces and feel refreshed."

When the ministers heard this, they were all surprised and stood up and bowed.

"I thank the Emperor for his consideration."

After the ministers had washed their faces, six palace maids from the Tea Fragrance Courtyard came over with trays.

The ministers took the teacups from the tray, then sat down, blew on them gently a few times and drank some, and their throats felt much more comfortable.

Seeing that everyone was in a refreshed spirit, Shangguan Wanjun smiled faintly.

"I heard that the masters of the Hanlin Academy have recruited many students?"

The highest-ranking officials of the Hanlin Academy replied, "Your Majesty, that's right. A total of 1,500 people."

Shangguan Wanjun nodded with satisfaction.