You have truly caused me great suffering!

After leaving Baozhen Temple, Chen Shao leaned against the wall, waiting for Da Hu to lead the horse.

A wisp of April snow hangs down, and clusters of large, white flowers exude a sweet fragrance.

Chen Shao looked up and saw that between the white walls and black tiles, the trees were covered with white flowers that hung down like tassels, looking like snow covering the branches.

This white, fragrant stuff made him both love and fear it.

Chen Shao sighed. Sometimes you really can't be reckless. When dealing with people like Chun Tao and Le'er, you can be straightforward and direct, and you can easily take on two of them at once.

When dealing with older women, you can't be too straightforward; you have to use more tricks.

Da Hu led the horse over and helped Chen Shao mount it.

Chen Shao noticed that he seemed to have grown taller, so he asked, "Da Hu, didn't your mother say she'd find you a marriage partner?"

Da Hu grinned and said, "My mother asked the Imperial Concubine for help, but the Imperial Concubine said she didn't know any good families in Jinling."

Shishi didn't really know many people, especially after the capital was moved to Jinling, she focused all her attention on herself.

She rarely left the palace and had no maternal relatives.

Lady Dong had the best relationship with Lady Shishi, but she didn't know the other concubines very well and couldn't ask them for favors.

Chen Shao nodded. "Don't worry about it. I'll have someone help you find out what kind of girl you like."

Da Hu scratched his head, not embarrassed at all, and thought about it seriously before saying, "It would be best if she were more sturdy. The women in Jinling City look like they could be blown away by the wind, and I'm scared of them."

Chen Shao chuckled. Da Hu was the emperor's confidant, and to put it bluntly, Chen Shao really had to handle his marriage.

He cannot have any wives or relatives of unclear origins by his side.

Historically, marriage has been the most direct and efficient means of binding interests together.

Da Hu chuckled and didn't say anything more. All he knew was that he needed to get married quickly so that his mother wouldn't nag anymore.

Otherwise, one will never find peace.

After returning to the palace, Chen Shao summoned Wang Yin to an audience.

About half an hour later, Wang Yin hurriedly arrived. Upon seeing this, Chen Shao knew that he must be making some moves outside the city.

"At this point, with the business growing bigger and bigger, we need to learn to train our subordinates instead of doing everything ourselves."

Wang Yin smiled and nodded repeatedly. "What are your orders, Your Majesty?"

"Find me a few officials in Jinling without powerful connections, with daughters of marriageable age, clean backgrounds, decent looks, and a generous personality. Oh, and not too thin."

Upon hearing this, Wang Yin assumed that Chen Shao wanted to take a concubine, and thought to himself that this was not a good matter to agree to.
When those nobles and princes found out, they would surely trample their own gates down.

"I want to find a marriage for Da Hu."

Wang Yin then secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Choosing beauties for His Majesty sounds like a cushy job, but it's actually a death sentence.

Whom will you report? Whom will you not report?
If the officials who had daughters at home and whom you didn't report found out, then that enmity would be formed.

Wang Yin had the duty to supervise all officials, and he was well aware of the situation of all officials, large and small, in Jinling City.

Soon, a report appeared on Chen Shao's desk.

He glanced at the sky outside; although it wasn't dusk yet, it was about an hour away.

After getting up and leaving Funing Palace, Chen Shao strolled over to Shishi's place.

Li Shishi changed him into some light clothes, and seeing that he was holding several scrolls of memorials, she asked, "Is Your Majesty reviewing them by candlelight?"

Chen Shao pinched her waist and laughed, "The other day, didn't Aunt Dong ask you to find a family for Da Hu? Here are some suitable families. I'll find them for you so you can do her a favor."

Li Shishi was taken aback upon hearing this, and felt a warm glow in her heart.

Dong followed Chen Shao from Chenjiazhuang all the way to Bianliang. She was a shrewish peasant woman with no connections, and the only person she could turn to was Li Shishi.

Even though her son is now of high status, she wouldn't dare to propose marriage to those officials. Every day, she could only watch her son grow taller and stronger and could only worry helplessly.

Officials in Jinling dared not take the initiative to arrange a marriage between themselves and the emperor's imperial guards commander.

Admittedly, this is a prestigious position that reaches the highest levels of government, but it is also prone to suspicion. The lower-ranking officials are unaware of it, the higher-ranking officials are unwilling to accept it, and the powerful figure has little presence, so it has been delayed indefinitely.

Li Shishi was truly pleased to see that Chen Shaolian was thinking of her even in such a small matter. She sat down next to him in a chair and smiled sweetly, saying, "Let me see what kind of ladies from noble families you are."

The two of them huddled together for a while longer before Chen Shao said, "Why don't you and Lady Dong choose together? I'll send a distinguished official to act as matchmaker."

Li Shishi only felt that the young man was kind to those around him, and didn't think too deeply about it.

Although Chen Shao was indeed kind to those around him, arranging a marriage for Da Hu was not so simple.

However, I definitely wouldn't tell anyone about this.

After dinner that night, Li Shishi politely indicated that she was not feeling well and suggested that Chen Shao perhaps rest somewhere else.

Chen Shao smiled and said, "Silly girl, I'm with you not just for that matter." Li Shishi was even more moved, and a smile remained on her lips as she fell asleep that night.

Chen Shao, lying on the bed, also breathed a sigh of relief.
-
In April, Nanjing is a riot of color with flowers in full bloom.

Students from all over the country flocked to the Imperial Academy to begin their studies and learning to read and write.

Some of them were children of the Wuman tribe, some were young people from the Japanese islands, some were poor scholars from Korea, and some even came from Southeast Asia.

They were reading the classics of Confucianism, the works of sages and worthies.

Meanwhile, at the Ministry of Works, Chen Shaozheng and his officials were planning a reform.

The Ministry of Works established the "Directorate of Works" as its chief supervisor, with the "Academy of Sciences" assisting in the review, to determine the ranks of artisans throughout the country.

The purpose of establishing ranks is to showcase the exquisite craftsmanship and to meet the needs of the nation.

Based on four dimensions—function, skill difficulty, strategic value, and cultural status—craftsmen are divided into nine grades and eighteen levels, and a "craftsman registration" system is established for management.

Eight trades were initially selected.

1. Armory Craftsman: Specializes in military equipment, including crossbow makers, firearms makers, armor makers, and shipbuilders.

2. Construction craftsmen, specializing in the construction of buildings, including: palace craftsmen, city defense craftsmen, water conservancy craftsmen, and bridge craftsmen.

3. Gezhi Craftsmen, specializing in astronomy, calendar systems, and territorial surveying, including: armillary sphere craftsmen, water-powered astronomical clock craftsmen, and geodetic compass craftsmen.
4. Weavers and dyers, specializing in weaving and dyeing cloth, including: kesi weavers, brocade weavers, and gold-printing weavers.
5. Ceramic craftsmen, specializing in firing ceramics in kilns, including: official kiln craftsmen, blue and white porcelain enamel blenders, and underglaze red porcelain craftsmen.

6. Medical craftsmen, specializing in compiling medical books, pharmacology and prescriptions, and medical skills, including: acupuncture bronze figure craftsmen, medicine grinding craftsmen, and incense and herb blending craftsmen.
7. Printers, specializing in printing, including: movable type casting craftsmen, engravers, and color printing craftsmen.

8. Craftsmen and artisans, including those not included in the top seven but whose skills are truly useful, such as: bronze mirror polishers, lacquerware inlayers, and glassblowers, etc.
The Ministry of Works would conduct an annual examination, similar to the imperial examinations, to determine the ranks of the successful candidates.

The exam is divided into a skills test (practical operation) and a theory test (theory).

Rank was determined by performance. As long as the craftsmen were of the seventh rank or above, the imperial court would assign them to official positions, exempt them from all corvée labor, provide them with rice daily and a monthly salary, which would be distributed according to their rank.

Firearms formulas, official kiln glazes, and glass formulas were classified as closely guarded secrets of the Great Jing Dynasty; anyone who leaked them would be executed along with their entire clan. Foreign learners were only taught the skills. Special craftsmen within the workshops, such as those involved in the modification of steam engines, were even more closely guarded state secrets, managed by Guangyuan Hall, and were not included in the regular register of craftsmen.

This task is less difficult than land surveying, but it is still very complicated.

Especially since it was the first time since the beginning of time, it's inevitable that one will be a bit clumsy and encounter various problems.

Chen Shao smiled and said to Xu Jin and Huo Anguo, who were in charge of the matter, "Don't be afraid if problems arise. We'll work on it and make changes as we go. After three to five years of figuring it out, it will gradually become a customized product."

"If we put in more effort today, our descendants will have less trouble. If we get things done sooner, it will benefit our own descendants."

Xu Jin had already survived the land survey, so he was naturally not afraid of hardship or fatigue in this matter.

"Your Majesty is right. We will certainly do our best and dare not slack off."

Chen Shao slowly exhaled. The Great Jing has developed to its current state, and there have been great changes in various places, but the Great Jing has only been established for two and a half years.

Now is the time to lay a solid foundation, and many things need to be explored and learned.

He would rather take more detours to solidify his foundation, and then he could quietly wait for the 'revolution' in productivity to arrive.

After leaving the Ministry of Works, Chen Shao went straight to the Imperial Academy.

He wanted to meet the students from Dali, Japan, and Southeast Asia. By this time, the fleets heading to Southeast Asia had already passed through most of the countries in Southeast Asia, bringing them great shock.

Many foreign lands and barbarians also came to know of the existence of the Central Plains, and many people went through all sorts of hardships to make a trip to the Central Plains.

Many people, after crossing the sea, walked north from Jiaozhi and Champa, also to see where those divine ships and Fujianese boats came from.

The magnificent fleet of the Great View brought a splendor that they had never experienced in their fantastical myths.

For them, this journey is much like a pilgrimage, a testament to the courage inspired by humanity's pursuit of something better and higher.

Officials in the Great Jing Dynasty would typically entertain these people and arrange for them to travel to Jinling, considering it an auspicious omen and reporting it as part of their own political achievements.
If barbarians from thousands of miles away come on foot out of admiration for this magnificent sight, what could be more auspicious than this?

You should know that this journey is far from peaceful; there is a very high probability that you will die.

Even the remains were never found.

Those who successfully reach their destination are all people with great perseverance, lofty aspirations, and a somewhat pure mind.

As the number of such people increased, Nanjing gradually established a special institution responsible for receiving and accepting them, which was under the jurisdiction of the Court of State Ceremonial.

They are usually encouraged to study hard and bring etiquette and morality back to their hometown.

In many places, even a thousand years later, there is still no sense of shame or decency.

They won't change unless you teach them yourself.

If these people don't learn etiquette and morality, and only learn the techniques of grand vision, then it will be a disaster.

When Chen Shao was at the Imperial Academy, he summoned these foreign students to an audience, encouraging and urging them to study, which made them feel as if they were bathed in a spring breeze.

Everyone regarded Emperor Chen Shao of the Great Jing Dynasty as a saint descended to earth. (End of Chapter)