When faced with the choice between development and self-preservation, Chu Chen, being pragmatic, chose the latter, opting for the purple-tier talent "Immunity to All Poisons."
After a satisfying lunch and a nap, Chu Chen resumed his busy schedule in the afternoon.
He hired people to clean and prepare a courtyard on the street where the merchant guild was located. Then, he went to the Ministry of Works to find some craftsmen and their apprentices, teaching them how to build movable type printing machines. He instructed them to build a batch of machines in this courtyard, enough for each of them to have one.
Immediately after, he rushed to the southern commercial district and acquired a shop, arranging for renovations to turn it into a bookstore.
Next, he visited the human traffickers and purchased a group of servants, assigning them to clean the Prime Minister's mansion that the Empress had bestowed upon him, the former residence of Chen Yuanliang.
Being granted the Prime Minister's mansion by the Empress signified that she already considered him the future successor to the Prime Minister of the Yunyue Kingdom. Although he was currently only a secondary minister, the Empress gifting him the residence meant she wanted him to move in.
He didn't rest even at night, as he still had to compile simple reference books for the imperial examinations, ensuring that scholars participating in the exams would have a way to understand the newly added subjects.
Late at night, Chu Chen was still working overtime, a grueling task.
As his cultivation had not yet reached the Bao Dan realm, which is above the Hua Qi realm, he could not fly. He could only use his Qing Gong (lightness skill) to quietly leave Shuangyue City.
This was one of the drawbacks of martial arts compared to immortal cultivation; in immortal cultivation, one could fly upon reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, while he was still stuck using Qing Gong, a frustrating limitation.
Arriving outside the suburbs, Chu Chen took out the "Three Thousand Light Infantry Summoning Card" he had obtained from a previous lottery and used it.
After a soft glow, three thousand infantry soldiers, clad in iron armor, with sabers at their waists and long spears in hand, appeared before him.
"...Very good, they are indeed light infantry."
Looking at the soldiers' rudimentary equipment, lacking even shields or bracers, they were merely the cheapest and most practical spearman unit. In the Yunyue Kingdom, one could recruit a large number of such soldiers for one or two taels of silver a month.
Fortunately, these system-produced soldiers were loyal to Chu Chen; otherwise, recruiting them would be far less advantageous than hiring his own men.
"Greetings, my Lord!"
All three thousand soldiers knelt on one knee in unison.
"En, rise. You are dismissed."
Chu Chen channeled his spiritual energy, using a mild version of the Lion's Roar technique to amplify his voice.
"Select five hundred of you to change into these clothes. Tomorrow morning, when the gates of Shuangyue City open, infiltrate the outer city. Await news of my recruitment for the Imperial Guards, then sign up."
"Do you understand?"
Chu Chen looked at them and inquired.
The reason for choosing five hundred was simple: his Qiankun Ring could not hold the clothes for so many people, so they had to infiltrate in batches through different city gates.
"Yes!"
The loyal soldiers had no objections to Chu Chen's orders.
Afterward, Chu Chen divided them into three units and had them hide in the nearby small woods. Tomorrow, after the five hundred men had entered the city and been selected, Chu Chen would arrange for food supplies to be transported.
Having completed these tasks, Chu Chen returned.
On the large bed in his bedroom at the Chu residence, Chu Chen lay exhausted.
He sighed and said, "Why do I feel like I'm even busier now that I hold a high position than when I was a fake eunuch?"
"Never mind, I won't think about it too much. It's just a busy period. Time to sleep."
Soon, Chu Chen closed his eyes and fell asleep.
The next day, Chu Chen attended the morning court as usual. With Zhang Guojin, the Censorate's Grand Censor, and the events of yesterday's court session, no one dared to openly contradict Chu Chen anymore, at least not overtly.
After discussing some state affairs and the handling of Zhang Guojin's case, the court was dismissed.
After the dismissal, Chu Chen did not leave; the Empress had summoned him.
In the Imperial Study, the Empress looked at Chu Chen and calmly asked, "Chu Chen, you spoke of governing by law yesterday. What does that entail?"
Chu Chen cupped his hands and replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, in my opinion, governing by law involves four stages: legislation, dissemination of law, understanding of law, and adherence to law."
"Continue," the Empress nodded and said.
Chu Chen went on, "The first step, legislation. The laws currently in use in the Yunyue Kingdom, despite their shortcomings, are much easier to use than starting from scratch. Therefore, they can be used for the time being, and changes can be made gradually as deficiencies are discovered later."
"The second step, dissemination of law. All ministers in court and officials in various regions are aware of our dynasty's laws, but many common people do not know what the laws actually are."
"They only know that murder is punishable by death, debts must be repaid, and rebellion leads to the extermination of nine generations of relatives. Beyond that, they only know to obey the officials. This leads to a situation where whatever the officials say becomes law, and there is no room for argument, no ability to argue, and no basis for argument."
"This sows the seeds for future trouble, allowing local officials, if they are corrupt, to twist the laws and regulations for their own benefit."
"But how can the law be disseminated to the common people, most of whom are illiterate?" the Empress furrowed her brow, pointing out a problem.
"Your Majesty, although most common people are illiterate, the Yunyue Kingdom has a considerable number of scholars. There are scholars in every region, county, and even village."
"For now, in the initial phase, scholars can read the laws and regulations posted on public notices, allowing the common people to know them. After the imperial examinations, only three hundred scholars will be selected according to regulations. But there are so many scholars! Will they continue to study and take exams until they die if they don't pass?"
Chu Chen countered, then continued, "In this way, these scholars will still be unproductive and burden their families. Rather than letting them continue as they are, it would be better to have them change their roles slightly, indirectly serving the country and engaging in related work, earning income to support their families."
The Empress's brow furrowed even more. She couldn't figure out how to turn those scholars from unproductive individuals into productive members of society, so she asked, "How can this be changed?"
"Your Majesty, there are private schools in various places, but there are few private schools in each region, making it impossible for children to study and learn to read. They can only accommodate the descendants of local gentry and merchants. This change can be initiated from this aspect."
Chu Chen continued, "The Ministry of Revenue or Your Majesty can allocate funds to establish two or three night schools in each county, hiring these scholars as instructors to teach the common people literacy."
"If the finances are sufficient in the future, these can be expanded into larger schools, increasing their scale and number, and spreading them to every village. This way, all the people of the Yunyue Kingdom will be able to read and write, and will not be deceived or have policies distorted by officials."
"This strategy is indeed ingenious, achieving two goals with one action. However, the finances..."
The Empress first praised the idea, then expressed her concern. Such a massive investment, she thought, would likely consume most of the substantial revenue of ten million taels, leaving little for other matters.
"Your Majesty, this is a plan for the future. For now, scholars can be given ten copper coins to read the public notices. When the merchant guild continuously generates wealth for Your Majesty, then we can consider the matter of schools, and it will not be too late."
"That makes sense."
The Empress nodded, agreeing to Chu Chen's suggestion.