Chapter 228

Chapter 228

After soothing Zhao Yongchang and his husband, the public trial and execution of the False Emperor Zhao Yongxi, along with the abdication and enthronement, went off without a hitch.

Whether in strength or legitimacy, Han Zhang was fully deserving of his place as the new emperor.

No need to go into detail about the coronation—just know it was long and exhausting. Han Zhang chose "Hua" as the name of his dynasty and "Qiyuan" as the era name.

The former honored his past life; the latter marked the start of a brand-new era.

The one thing worth mentioning, though, was that the coronation and the empress's installation ceremony were held at the same time.

That move caught a lot of people off guard, making everyone rethink just how much Han Zhang cared for and valued Shen Qinglan.

The rewards he then lavished on the Shen family were jaw-dropping.

No need to list every bit of gold, silver, jewelry, and special perks—let's just talk about the titles and honors.

Shen's dad wasn't just made Duke Bao—he was also appointed Grand Secretary of the Grand Secretariat, while also serving as the Crown Prince's tutor, who would be in charge of teaching the Crown Prince (Xiao Tao'er) down the road.

This wasn't just an empty title—it came with real power!

Basically, as long as Shen's dad was alive, as long as Xiao Tao'er kept his position as Crown Prince and eventually took the throne, and as long as the Shen family didn't bring ruin upon themselves, the Shen family was set for three generations of wealth and safety...

As for Shen's mom, she got the top-tier title of Lady Xianci;

Shen Qingyue (Eldest Sister Shen) was given her own second-rank title, Lady Huiyi;

Shen Huairen (Big Brother Shen) was named heir to the dukedom, inheriting the title at full rank, and given the cushy job of Chief of the Court of Imperial Entertainments—basically a do-nothing post;

Shen Huaizhi (Second Brother Shen) was made Earl Shuncheng and put in charge of the Five Cities Military Command (also serving as a Censor)—a real power position with serious perks;

Shen Qingquan (Fifth Brother Shen) got the third-rank title of Qinghe Lord (where "Lord" is the male equivalent of "Lady");

Bottom line: Han Zhang rewarded every single one of Shen Qinglan's blood relatives, and he gave real jobs to Shen's dad and Second Brother Shen.

For any other emperor, this would've been a recipe for the in-laws getting too powerful.

But for Han Zhang, the in-law threat was a non-issue.

First off, Xiao Tao'er was a sharp, smart kid who'd been learning from Han Zhang since he was a baby. His mindset and values were already set. He could pick up court tricks from Shen's dad, but Shen's dad couldn't sway how he saw the world;

Second, as the saying goes, political power grows out of the barrel of a gun. As long as the Han family kept a tight grip on the fancy weapons like muskets and cannons, nobody could touch the Han family's claim to the Throne.

If the Shens ever stepped out of line, Han Zhang would show them exactly what "Sir, the times have changed!" meant.

Han Zhang's generous rewards to the Shen family had Shen's dad grinning from ear to ear, as he kept saying he'd raised a good one.

And when it came to his own family, Han Zhang was even more generous.

Han's dad and mom: made Emperor Emeritus and Empress Dowager;

Han's grandpa and grandma: made Grand Emperor Emeritus and Grand Empress Dowager;

Han Qinnian and Shao Langzhou, the couple who'd helped put down the rebellion, were given the title of "Prince Jing," and Shao Langzhou, even though he was a lad, was also made General of Cavalry;

Han Qinfeng and Jiang Liu, the couple who'd done great work growing grain, were given the title of "Prince Jia," and Jiang Liu also got an official post despite being a lad, and the two of them went to work at the Bureau of Agriculture...

Having lads like Shao Langzhou and Jiang Liu serve as officials obviously broke with tradition, and yeah, some people were salty about it.

But here's the thing!

Back during the war, Han Zhang had already made a point of wiping out all the big aristocratic clans, noble houses, and rich merchants who could've challenged his authority. Now the imperial court was his one-man show.

Even if people were unhappy, they didn't dare stick their necks out. Besides, Shao Langzhou and Jiang Liu's accomplishments were genuinely spotless, so Han Zhang bending the rules to give them jobs wasn't totally unreasonable.

Then Han Zhang handed out titles and rewards one by one to Second Uncle Han, Third Uncle, the Han family's girls and lads, and the younger siblings...

Han Zhang also gave noble titles to the Han clan members who'd earned them, but he didn't let them take official posts at court.

Instead, he set up a Royal Academy of Science and Technology focused on researching and developing tech—basically giving the imperial clan a place to "work."

He also drew up a bunch of clan rules so the Han imperial family wouldn't end up like the old one—just being fattened up like pigs—and instead turned them into a "talent pool" for the future...

Finally, the other deserving folks—Kang Zhanxun with his military record, Shen's mom's family who'd bankrolled things, the Pan family who'd smoothed things over at court, and Jiang Wencheng who'd thrown in early—all got rewards and jobs based on how much they'd contributed.

In short: one man strikes it rich, and everyone around him rides his coattails to the top!

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After the rewards came the decrees.

Han Zhang's first imperial edict was abolishing the despised classes:

All slaves, military households, entertainer households, beggar households... were to be released from their status and become free commoners. From then on, servitude would be an employment relationship. Masters couldn't buy or sell slaves, nor execute them through private punishment—violators would be beheaded!

Han Zhang's second imperial edict was land reform:

From that day forward, all land under heaven would belong to the state. The people would only have usage rights, not rights of sale. All citizens, regardless of status or gender, would be eligible to receive land for cultivation, completely eliminating the problem of land concentration!

Han Zhang's third imperial edict was naturally the literacy campaign:

From that day forward, simplified characters would be adopted, a new edition of the Thousand Character Classic would be promulgated, "free schools" would be established in every prefecture and county, all children under fifteen—regardless of gender—must attend school, and adults over fifteen—also regardless of gender—would participate in nighttime literacy classes!

These three imperial edicts sent shockwaves through the realm.

The common folks were over the moon. Getting rid of the despised classes and splitting up the land evenly? They'd never even dreamed of something that good.

"The Emperor's really handing out free land? And to everyone, men and women alike?"

"Wait, I just sign up at the government office and I get my own land? My daughter and my lad get a share too?!"

"The Emperor's a saint, a living saint..."

Han Zhang already had a great rep, and now, with these policies, he'd totally won the people's loyalty.

As for the aristocrats whose interests got hurt, they were grinding their teeth in fury, but the big nobles, big clans, and big merchants... had basically all been wiped out by Han Zhang during the wars. All that was left were a bunch of small-time nobodies.

With Han Zhang's overwhelming military might looming over them, they couldn't fight back even if they wanted to. So they just had to swallow the "court compensation" and hand over their land.

Might makes right—never more obvious than right now!

Then came the uproar over the literacy campaign...

If it was just about teaching people to read, the scholars would've been all for it.

But here's the catch... Han Zhang was actually letting women and lads go to school too!

This made those stubborn scholars indignant and agitated. How could women and lads attend school like men? This was simply defiling the sacredness of learning!

"Utterly absurd! Since ancient times, men, women, and lads have been distinct—the natural order cannot be overturned! For women and lads to practice needlework and understand womanly virtue is what makes them virtuous. Now to let them sit alongside men and study the classics together? Preposterous!"

"Learning is the proclamation of heaven's will, the foundation of cultivating oneself, harmonizing the family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world! Letting young ladies and lads learn to read and write is clearly a sign of the world turned upside down!"

"Young ladies and lads should stay home, serve their husbands, raise children, and care for their in-laws. Letting them into schools is a waste of paper and ink, and a defilement of the sages! What a disgrace! What utter disgrace!"

The scholars reacted fiercely and went on strike, refusing to heed the court's summons to serve as literacy teachers.

In response...

Han Zhang had anticipated this, so he remained composed:

"Unwilling to answer the summons? Fine, then never answer them again. Chief Censor Wang, Minister of Revenue Zhang, Minister of Personnel Meng, and the rest of you—retire and go home."

"Furthermore, convey my decree: henceforth, the assessment criteria for newly appointed officials shall include a record of 'literacy volunteer' service. Those without such a record shall not be appointed to any office!"

A new broom sweeps clean. If they refuse to obey, they simply need not pursue official careers.

There are countless talents in the world; he does not lack stubborn, unyielding people.

After all, his future decrees would only be more radical and more challenging to traditional ethics than the literacy campaign. He had no need for these conservatives who could not keep pace with his thinking.

Having long anticipated these scholars would stir up trouble, Han Zhang had never intended to rely on them after ascending the throne.

Even before the rebellion, he had cultivated a team of civil officials with "new thinking," and he truly did not lack manpower now!

After a moment's thought, Han Zhang felt he should give these pedantic fools a sharp lesson.

He immediately picked up his vermilion brush and dictated an edict:

"Henceforth, the State of Hua Women's Federation shall be established. This department shall have the authority to represent and safeguard the lawful rights and interests of women and children... providing assistance and legal aid to women and children who have suffered harm."

"Appoint Empress Consort Shen Qinglan as the first Chairwoman of the Federation, with Lady Xianci of Virtue, Cavalry General Shao Langzhou, Vice Minister of the Bureau of Agriculture Jiang Liu, and Lord An Yongyan, Duke of Zhongguo... assisting the Empress Consort in its management."

"Additionally, establish a civil service examination for Federation officials. Any woman or young man of my State of Hua, regardless of status or background, who is willing, may take the examination."

"In selecting talent, I look at whether one can get things done, whether one can bring peace to the people—not whether they are male, female, or young man, nor whether they wear skirts or caps!"

"If one can benefit the court and the people, even a common market woman or a stay-at-home husband, I may grant them office; if one cannot benefit the court and the people, even if they occupy a post without doing anything, they might as well go back to farming!"

Han Zhang's attitude was domineering and autocratic, completely unafraid of offending those opposing officials and scholars, even renowned great scholars.

Because he had already secured his foundation—eight out of ten of his core power holders were of common or humble origins.

Among the military and civil administration, there were also many women and lads, and Shao Langzhou was already a lad general commanding an army.

It could be said that as long as Han Zhang did not lose the people's support, under the intimidation of formidable military force, the opposition from these scattered minor nobles and stubborn scholars could not affect the issuance and implementation of his decrees.

The new dynasty of the State of Hua was now the absolute rule of Emperor Qiyuan, Han Zhang!