Quick Transmigration: Survive to the End

The Li clan members followed the journey to the capital of the Ming Dynasty in a daze. Upon entering the palace, they met Li Chengming and Yu Qiaoyun, and looking at the magnificent palaces around them, they finally felt the reality that immense wealth had finally fallen upon them.

But before they could even feel happy and smug, a message from Li Chengming immediately dampened their spirits.

"Chengming, what did you say? We all have to go to school?"

An aunt was somewhat bewildered: "I'm so old, and I'm still a girl, do I have to go to school?"

“So what if you’re a woman?” Li Yinyin laughed. “In our Ming Kingdom, women can also achieve great things. Look at me, didn’t I become the Marquis of Zhenguo? As for age, as long as you have the will, it’s never too late.”

The village chief was the first to react: "Studying is good. Since Chengming has made arrangements for us, let's listen to him and all go to school. We can't let people say that we, as relatives of the emperor, can't even write our own names!"

Some clansmen felt that they came to the Ming Dynasty to live a good life, and now that they were all royalty, they naturally wanted to lie around and be waited on, living the life of wealthy city lords. Even though the village chief had spoken, some still said, "Chengming, if I were literate, I wouldn't still be toiling in the fields for food. I think you should forget about teaching me; do you have any titles or houses, and a few servants, so I can lie down comfortably?"

Upon hearing this, Li Chengming said, "If you don't study and learn the law, you certainly won't have anyone to serve you; if you don't make meritorious contributions, you certainly won't get a title."

The clansmen immediately began to discuss among themselves: "Then why did we leave our homes and come to the Ming Dynasty?"

Li Chengming did not answer directly, but said, "I have already arranged royal estates for my relatives. There are large houses built there, as well as large tracts of land. Every household and every person can be allocated land. If they do not want to study, they can simply go back to the life they had in Shangshui Village."

"But if you are willing to study and put in the effort, someone will serve you and let you live like a landlord. If you can pass the graduation exam, you can be given an official position. If you are willing to go to the battlefield, that's also possible. As long as you make enough contributions, you will definitely be given a title."

Li Chengming's meaning was quite clear: even if you become a member of the royal family, you can't expect to reap without sowing. Everyone is working hard, so why should you be allowed to just coast along?

Most of the Li clan members were willing to accept this, after all, they used to live by their own hard work in Shangshui Village. Now that they had moved to the Ming Dynasty, they could become officials if they worked hard, which was a class they could never have reached before.

As for those who were unwilling, they were outnumbered and powerless, but they couldn't resist the younger generation in their families who were willing to support Li Chengming. So even if they were unwilling, they had no choice but to go to the special school together.

The group of relatives were led to the royal villa, but Li Yinyin did not go with them. Instead, she looked at Li Chengming and said, "Brother, isn't my idea good?"

“It’s really good,” Li Chengming said with great satisfaction.

After all, apart from a few neighbors who were hardly related by blood, the rest of the people who came were relatives of the clan.

These people have never been to school. They used to be bound by clan rules and would often bicker and cause trouble. Now that their status has changed and they are relatives of the emperor, even if they don't change much in the short term, it's hard to guarantee that they won't become unrecognizable in a few months or years. Dealing with them then will definitely be much more difficult.

They were brought from Jiang State for two reasons. First, they were of the same clan and had a good relationship, and there was also the prophecy of the fortune teller; they couldn't just watch them die. Second, the Ming Dynasty was newly established, and the royal family consisted of only Li Chengming, Yu Qiaoyun, and Li Yinyin. If something happened, the princes and generals below could unite, leaving the royal family isolated and without any allies. But with the clan present, the outcome was different. Clan, to a certain extent, is a limitation, but it is not necessarily without protection.

Li Chengming's original idea was to provide them with comfortable retirement. However, Li Yinyin suggested that now was a time when Ming Kingdom needed capable people, so using outsiders was useful, and using their own relatives was also useful. To a certain extent, their own relatives might even be more useful than some of the former officials of Zhao Kingdom. After all, they were still from farming backgrounds and could empathize with the common people.

As for their lack of strategic vision, legal knowledge, and literacy, what does it matter? They can be taught. Only those who have mastered the skills will be appointed to official positions. Even those who haven't fully learned will have memorized the laws of the Ming Dynasty and know what is permissible and what is not. This, to a certain extent, limits the power of the clans and ensures that the imperial relatives cannot easily undermine the newly established Ming Dynasty.

Only now does Li Chengming truly realize that his younger sister has grown up and is a young woman who can think independently and offer him advice and suggestions.

A palace attendant served them fresh tea.

Looking at his smug younger sister, Li Chengming had an idea and asked, "Yinyin, what do you think of Russell, who serves you?"

“Russell? He’s been taking good care of him,” Li Yinyin didn’t understand her brother’s meaning for a moment. “Why did you suddenly bring him up, brother?”

Seeing his younger sister's bewildered expression, Li Chengming coughed lightly, feeling a little embarrassed: "Didn't you say before that you wanted a stunningly handsome man to marry into your family? I think Russell's face is quite good-looking."

“But isn’t Russell a eunuch?” Li Yinyin asked with a strange expression.

“He was young, and when I first saw him, he was still alive and well. Because he was good-looking, I didn’t ask those people to do anything to him, and he was just kept in the Yongxiang Palace,” Li Chengming said with a hint of inquiry in his eyes, “You don’t like him like this?”

“Brother,” Li Yinyin wanted to cover her face, “he came to my side as a eunuch. He wasn’t very old when he came. Even if he’s good-looking, who would think that way?”

"Moreover, Russell is good-looking, but his Western Region bloodline is too obvious, and his prime will inevitably be short. Once he grows up, in a few years, he will become the kind of person I don't like. Rather than forcing him to stay by my side to serve me then, it's better to treat him like a vase now and let him go when he reaches the right age."

Hearing her words, Li Chengming realized that he had messed things up. However, he wasn't upset. After all, he was now the emperor, and his sister was a marquis; couldn't he be picky?

“So you mean you still like Russell’s face,” Li Chengming tapped his finger lightly on the chair. “In that case, let Russell continue to serve you for a few more years. When you get tired of him or no longer need him, just send him out of the palace.”

"But Yinyin, tell me, what kind of person do you actually like?"