We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

When the news reached the concentration camp, many bandits were initially happy.

Exiled to the frontier? Isn't that the place where your majesty was born?

I heard that the place has been managed like a paradise, the land is fertile, and life is very good!

This is not exile and suffering, it is clearly enjoying life in a different place!

Maybe I can even get a registration as a farming farmer and start a new life.

However, they soon stopped laughing.

The exile document was issued, and the destination was not the Northeast, but the Northwest!

Ma Jing, the commander of the border troops there, was worried about the lack of manpower to dig trenches and fill pits.

These criminals, who are strong and have nowhere to use their energy, are simply free labor that comes right to your doorstep.

When Ma Jing, who was far away in the northwest, received nearly 10,000 "laborers" sent by the court one after another, he was stunned at first, but then he reacted and immediately kowtowed three times in the direction of the imperial capital, shouting "Your Majesty is wise."

Of course, these are all later stories, so let’s not talk about them for now.

The banditry around the imperial capital was completely eradicated, the roads were safe, and the people were at peace.

Having resolved his worries, Li Che could finally devote all his energy to the fundamental plans of the new dynasty.

He formally ordered that the "Edict Seeking Talents" that had been drafted long ago be sent to every state, prefecture, and county that Daqing could currently control.

The imperial edict clearly stated that the court would hold the "Enke Joint Examination" in the imperial capital three months later.

Regardless of background, we will recruit talents based on their abilities. We sincerely invite the best talents from all over the world to gather in the capital and serve our country!

Countless poor students and down-and-out scholars were immediately excited after hearing the imperial edict seeking talents.

. . . . . .

The cold wind blew dead leaves across the dilapidated farmyard.

Zhang Qian held a crumpled piece of paper tightly in his hand, as if holding a ball of fire, and rushed into the dim room in a hurry.

"Father! Father!"

The house was bare, with a rammed earth floor and mottled walls. Apart from a wooden table and two beds covered with hay, there was almost nothing else.

An old farmer with a bent back was weaving straw sandals in the faint light coming through the door.

Hearing his eldest son's call, the old farmer raised his head.

Zhang Qian's face was red from the cold wind, but he was glowing with excitement.

Seeing his son acting like this, a trace of helplessness flashed in the old farmer's turbid eyes.

Whenever Zhang Qian showed this expression, he knew that he was about to be in trouble again.

As expected, Zhang Qian didn't even have time to catch his breath before he started to speak in a shocking manner:

"Father, I...I'm going on a long journey!"

Father Zhang's hand holding the straw trembled slightly. He was silent for a moment before he sighed.

"Where shall I go to seek a teacher?"

In recent years, my son has traveled almost all over the surrounding prefectures and counties for his studies.

What he brought back was only the invisible and intangible "knowledge".

"This time I'm not seeking a teacher!" Zhang Qian waved the paper in his hand. "I'm going to the capital! To the imperial capital!"

"The capital?" Father Zhang trembled all over and almost dropped the straw sandals in his hands.

The capital city, what a distant and unfamiliar place it is.

In his understanding, that was the heavenly palace where the emperor and dignitaries lived, which was far away from them, the peasants.

Zhang Qian, however, seemed oblivious and continued excitedly, "Your Majesty ascended the throne and issued an edict seeking talented people, recruiting all the best talents from all over the world, regardless of their background, and selecting only the most talented!"

"Father, did you hear that? We only promote people based on their talents! We don't care about their backgrounds!"

His eyes were slightly red. "For more than ten years, I have been in a daze, wandering around to study, being looked down upon, and experiencing the ups and downs of life."

"Now that I finally have some skills, Your Majesty's grace is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! How could I let it go?"

Looking at the light in his son's eyes, Zhang's father felt mixed emotions.

He put down the work in his hands and slowly said, "Qian'er, your father does not understand the principles you are talking about."

"But over the years, you've visited so many learned officials. Didn't they all initially say that there is no distinction in education, only talent and learning?"

"But what happened? As soon as they saw you were from a peasant family, they wouldn't even let you in, and wouldn't even bother to talk to you... Wouldn't the Emperor... Your Majesty, be like that?"

These words were like ice water poured over his head, instantly cooling down Zhang Qian's excitement.

Although his father's words were simple, they touched the deepest pain in his heart.

Yes, hope is ignited again and again, but is trampled out again and again by prejudices based on family background.

How could those high-ranking nobles and famous people really take the talent of a farmer's son seriously?

Can the so-called "appointment based on merit" really break down this barrier that has lasted for thousands of years?

He opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but found that his throat was tight, and he could only utter some meaningless words: "No... Father... This time is different... That's His Majesty, His Majesty's words are golden... It will definitely not..."

His voice was getting lower and lower, and it was obvious that he didn't even have the confidence to convince himself.

Father Zhang felt bitter when he saw his son's eyes dimming instantly.

He didn't say any more words of dissuasion, but just sighed deeply.

Then he supported his knees with his calloused hands and slowly stood up.

The Zhang family is the most ordinary farmer family in this land. They work hard in the fields and have not left the mountains for generations.

Originally, people like Zhang Qian had their fate already determined, destined to have nothing to do with pens, ink, paper and inkstone.

However, on the day he was born, a wandering monk passed by the Zhang family and asked for a bowl of water, and that was when Zhang Qian was born.

The monk said that the child had wisdom between his eyebrows and had a connection with Buddha, so he gave Zhang's father an inconspicuous wooden plaque, saying that with this plaque he could go to the temple on the nearby mountain and listen to lectures by eminent monks.

The so-called popular lectures are lectures set up by temples to spread Buddhism and help children learn to read and write.

Yes, Buddhism is not just about collecting wealth and recruiting believers, they have also done some good things.

After all, educating the people is also a kind of merit.

The content of popular lectures is naturally inseparable from Buddhist stories, but at least it can help people learn a few words.

Father Zhang thought that although his family was an ordinary citizen, his son had no hope of becoming an official.

But if one can read and write, it is a respectable thing in this rural area, and everyone will look up to him.

So he sent the young Zhang Qian to the temple, hoping that his son would not become a monk if he stayed there for too long.

This sending off was not a big deal. Zhang Qian did not develop a Buddhist heart and become a monk. Instead, he planted a seed of desire for knowledge beside the ancient Buddha with a green lamp.

After finishing his elementary education in the temple, he became obsessed with wanting to continue studying.

But the Zhang family is so poor, how can they afford to support a child who only studies and does not work?

But Zhang Qian was extremely stubborn and once he made up his mind, nothing could change it.

At the age of fourteen, he resolutely left home and began to wander around, visiting famous and learned people in the hope of getting guidance.

However, most of the world's knowledge is monopolized by the aristocratic families. How could those famous people from aristocratic families look down on a ragged farmer's son?

He was turned away countless times and suffered countless cold stares and ridicules.

Occasionally, he would meet one or two truly virtuous celebrities who, seeing that he was sincere and determined, would make an exception and give him some advice.

Whenever this happened, Zhang Qian felt like he had found a treasure and eagerly absorbed every bit of knowledge.

However, it is impossible for these famous scholars to accept a farmer's boy as their apprentice, let alone teach him for a long time.

Therefore, Zhang Qian's academic journey was always intermittent, and what he learned was complicated and unsystematic.

It's like a hungry person picking up food crumbs dropped by others. Although it can fill his stomach, it is difficult to constitute a feast.

After so much traveling, Zhang Qian, who was about to reach the age of thirty, returned home with a belly full of miscellaneous "knowledge".

He originally thought that with what he had learned from his travels, he could always find a job as a minor official in this remote area. Even if he could just be an aide or retainer to a nobleman, it would be a way out.

But the world is not as simple as he thinks.

Although the position of a petty official is not high, it is often a family job that is inherited from the father to the son or from the elder brother to the younger brother, and it is extremely difficult for outsiders to get in.

As for retainers, a nobleman would not hire a peasant as his think tank unless he was an extraordinary person.

Reality shattered Zhang Qian's hopes time and time again, and he wasted his time in his hometown in a daze.

To this day, this light and airy "Edict Seeking Talents" is like a spark that has once again ignited the fire in his heart.

Father Zhang turned around and walked unsteadily to the bedside, carefully groping in the gap between the headboard and the earthen wall for a long time.

Then he pinched out a small piece of silver wrapped in coarse cloth.

He solemnly placed the bag of savings, which he had accumulated for who knows how long, into Zhang Qian's hands.

"This is all I can do as a father." Father Zhang's voice was calm. "If you want to go, go ahead and try."

Feeling the coolness in his palm and seeing his father's wrinkled face, Zhang Qian's tears instantly burst out.

Huge regret and self-blame overwhelmed him like a tide.

He fell to his knees, his voice choked with sobs: "Father! I won't go...I won't go!"

"I'm an unfilial child. I've accomplished nothing all these years, and I've made you work so hard... I'm not going!"

"Go."

A rough, warm hand gently stroked his head, just like when he was a child.

"No one knows a son better than his father. As a father, I know that if you really don't go, I won't say anything, but I will always feel regret and loss in my heart. I will never be able to let go of it in this life, and it will be more painful than killing you."

"Rather than letting you regret it for the rest of your life, why not...take a brave step and give it a try this time."

"I, your father, don't know much, I can't read a single word, but I always believe..."

"The books my son reads are useful. They shouldn't rot in this mud house."

Zhang Qian was shocked when he heard this.

He raised his head and looked at his father with tearful eyes.

Then he stopped hesitating, gritted his teeth, and slammed his forehead hard on the ground.

"Okay! Father! Son...I'll go this last time!"

"If I can successfully return home with wealth and honor, I will use a large sum of money to support my father and take care of him until his old age!"

"If it doesn't work... I'll give up on this idea, come back and farm peacefully, and never worry about you again!"